Method, apparatus and medium for managing candidate set and operation set in coordinated multipoint operation

Abstract

The application discloses a method, device and medium for managing a candidate set and an operation set in a coordinated multi-point operation. The method comprises: an access point saving candidate set information and a coordinated operation state of the access point, determining an operation set member according to the saved candidate set information if the coordinated operation state of the access point is not participating in performing the coordinated multi-point operation, setting and saving operation set information, and setting the coordinated operation state of the access point to participating in performing the coordinated multi-point operation; and setting the coordinated operation state of the access point to not participating in performing the coordinated multi-point operation after the coordinated multi-point operation ends. Through implementation of the application, the control and management of the access point do not participate in too many coordinated multi-point operations, thereby on the one hand, the quality of site service is guaranteed, and on the other hand, the problem that resource occupation of the coordinated multi-point operation causes site resource shortage in the access point is avoided, so that wireless resources are more effectively used.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication, and in particular to a method, apparatus and medium for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point cooperative operation. Background Technology

[0002] 802.11be networks, also known as Extremely High Throughput (EHT) networks, achieve extremely high throughput through a range of system features and multiple mechanisms. With the continued growth in the use of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), providing wireless data services in many environments, such as homes, businesses, and hotspots, is becoming increasingly important. In particular, video traffic will continue to be a major traffic type in many WLAN deployments. The throughput requirements for these applications are constantly evolving due to the emergence of 4K and 8K video (uncompressed rates of 20Gbps). New high-throughput, low-latency applications such as virtual reality or augmented reality, gaming, remote offices, and cloud computing will proliferate (e.g., latency of less than 5 milliseconds for real-time gaming).

[0003] Given the high throughput and stringent real-time latency requirements of these applications, users expect higher throughput, greater reliability, less latency and jitter, and higher power efficiency when supporting their applications via WLAN. Users also expect improved integration with Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) to support applications on heterogeneous Ethernet and wireless LANs. 802.11be networks are designed to ensure the competitiveness of WLANs by further increasing overall throughput and reducing latency, while ensuring backward compatibility and coexistence with older technology standards. 802.11 compliant devices operate in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands. Summary of the Invention

[0004] When a site (STA) is located at the edge of an access point's (AP) coverage area or in a co-frequency coverage area, strong interference signals can cause a decrease in the site's transmission rate. 802.11be networks support multiple access points coordinating data transmission, transforming interference signals into useful data transmission signals or reducing interference signals through collaborative processing, thereby improving the transmission rate for edge users.

[0005] In order to quickly execute multi-point collaborative operations, the access points for performing multi-point collaborative operations are selected from a pre-set candidate set. This reduces the process of selecting access points for multi-point collaborative operations, thereby reducing service latency.

[0006] However, in scenarios with large-scale access point deployments, such as convention centers, industrial sites, and large office areas, the number of access points is not only large, but their coverage areas often overlap. Therefore, during the pre-setting process, some access points may be assigned to different candidate sets. These access points may then be selected simultaneously as operation sets. If an access point is selected for different operation sets simultaneously, it needs to coordinate with other access points in two different operation sets during collaborative operations, which may lead to coordination failure. For example, ... Figure 1 As shown, AP1, AP2, and AP3 are access points in Operating set 1 of the corresponding site STA1, and AP3, AP4, and AP5 are access points in Operating set 2 of the corresponding site STA2. AP3 is an access point in both Operating set 1 and Operating set 2. Operating set 1 requires AP3 to perform data transmission in a specified Transmit Opportunity (TXOP) TXOP1, while Operating set 2 requires AP3 to perform data transmission in a specified Transmit Opportunity TXOP2. The two operating sets operate independently during collaborative operations, and there is no coordination between different operating sets. This results in TXOP1 and TXOP2 potentially not operating at the same time, thus preventing AP3 from coordinating two different TXOPs. In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a method, apparatus, and medium for managing candidate sets and operating sets in multi-point collaborative operations.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a method for managing a candidate set and an operation set in a multi-point collaborative operation. A first access point stores candidate set information and its own collaborative operation state. The candidate set information includes the addresses of access points within the candidate set. The method includes:

[0008] If the first access point's own collaborative operation status is "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation", the first access point sends a collaborative request message to the access points in the candidate set and receives a collaborative response message from the access points in the candidate set, wherein the collaborative response message indicates whether to accept the execution of collaborative operation.

[0009] The first access point determines the collaborative access point based on the received collaborative response message, sets and saves the operation set information, and sets its own collaborative operation status to have participated in the execution of multi-point collaborative operation. The operation set information includes the addresses of the access points in the operation set.

[0010] After the multi-point collaborative operation is completed, the first access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation".

[0011] In one possible implementation, the cooperation request message indicates the execution of a channel measurement operation, the cooperation response message further includes the channel measurement results, and the step of determining the cooperative access point based on the received cooperation response message includes:

[0012] The access point corresponding to the cooperative response message indicating acceptance of cooperative operation and whose channel measurement result is greater than or equal to the threshold value is identified as the cooperative access point;

[0013] After determining the cooperative access point, the first access point also sends a cooperative confirmation message to the cooperative access point, which contains the address of the cooperative access point.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the candidate set information further includes an identifier for the candidate set, the cooperation request message indicates the execution of a channel measurement operation, the cooperation response message further includes the channel measurement result, and the step of determining the cooperative access point based on the received cooperation response message includes:

[0015] The third access point corresponding to the cooperative response message indicating acceptance of cooperative operation and whose channel measurement result is greater than or equal to the threshold value and has the largest channel measurement result is determined as the cooperative access point. The access point corresponding to the cooperative response message indicating acceptance of cooperative operation and whose channel measurement result is greater than or equal to the threshold value and has the same candidate set as the third access point is determined as the cooperative access point.

[0016] After determining the cooperative access point, the first access point also sends a cooperative confirmation message to the cooperative access point, which contains the address of the cooperative access point.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the candidate set information further indicates the cooperative operation status of the access points in the candidate set. The first access point sends a cooperative request message to the access points in the candidate set whose cooperative operation status is "not participating in the multi-point cooperative operation". The method further includes:

[0018] The first access point sets the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation";

[0019] After the multi-point collaborative operation is completed, the first access point sets the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation".

[0020] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0021] The first access point sends a first message indicating the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation to an access point outside the operation set, or sends a second message indicating the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation and a third message indicating the end of the multi-point collaborative operation. The first message also indicates the time period of the multi-point collaborative operation, and the first, second, and third messages all contain the operation set information.

[0022] In one possible implementation, setting the cooperative operation state to "participated in executing multi-point cooperative operations" includes:

[0023] Remove the address from the candidate set information;

[0024] Setting the collaborative operation status to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operations" includes:

[0025] Add the address to the candidate set information.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the candidate set information further includes an identifier of the candidate set, the operation set information further includes an identifier of the operation set, and the identifier of the operation set indicates the candidate set. Setting the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" includes:

[0027] Remove the collaborative access point from the corresponding candidate set;

[0028] Setting the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation" includes:

[0029] The collaborative access point is added to the candidate set indicated by the identifier of the operation set to which it belongs, based on the identifier of the operation set to which the collaborative access point belongs.

[0030] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a method for managing a candidate set and an operation set in multi-point collaborative operation. A second access point stores candidate set information and its own collaborative operation state. The candidate set information includes the addresses of access points in the candidate set. The method includes:

[0031] The second access point receives a collaboration request message from the first access point in the candidate set and sends a collaboration response message to the first access point, wherein the collaboration response message indicates whether to accept the collaboration operation.

[0032] If the second access point's own collaborative operation status is "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation", then the collaborative response message indicates that it accepts the execution of the collaborative operation, and the second access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "participating in the multi-point collaborative operation"; after the multi-point collaborative operation ends, the second access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation".

[0033] If the second access point's own collaborative operation status is "participated in multi-point collaborative operation", then the collaborative response message indicates that it will not accept the execution of collaborative operation.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the candidate set information further indicates the cooperative operation status of the access points in the candidate set, and the method further includes:

[0035] The second access point receives a first message from the fourth access point instructing it to perform a multi-point collaborative operation. The first message also indicates a time period for the multi-point collaborative operation and includes operation set information, which contains the addresses of access points in the fourth access point's operation set. During the time period indicated in the first message, the second access point sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the fourth access point's operation set to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation," and after the time period ends, sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the fourth access point's operation set to "not participated in multi-point collaborative operation." Alternatively...

[0036] The second access point receives a second message from the fourth access point instructing the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation and a third message instructing the end of the multi-point collaborative operation. Both the second and third messages contain operation set information. After receiving the second message, the second access point sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "participated in the execution of the multi-point collaborative operation," and after receiving the third message, sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "not participated in the execution of the multi-point collaborative operation."

[0037] In one possible implementation, the candidate set information further includes an identifier of the candidate set, the operation set information further includes an identifier of the operation set, and the identifier of the operation set indicates the candidate set. Setting the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" includes:

[0038] Based on the identifier of the operation set to which the access point belongs in the operation set of the fourth access point, the access point is removed from the candidate set indicated by the identifier of its operation set.

[0039] Setting the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation" includes:

[0040] The access point is added to the candidate set indicated by the identifier of the operation set to which it belongs, based on the identifier of the operation set in the operation set of the fourth access point.

[0041] In one possible implementation, before the second access point sets its own cooperative operation state to "participating in multi-point cooperative operation," the following steps are also included:

[0042] The second access point receives a collaborative confirmation message from the first access point;

[0043] If the collaboration confirmation message contains the address of the second access point, the second access point will set its own collaboration operation status to "participated in multi-point collaboration operation".

[0044] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide an apparatus for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations. The apparatus includes a multi-point collaboration module. A first access point stores candidate set information and its own collaborative operation status. The candidate set information includes the addresses of access points in the candidate set. The multi-point collaboration module is used to perform the following steps:

[0045] If the first access point's own collaborative operation status is "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation", it sends a collaborative request message to the access points in the candidate set through the first access point, and receives collaborative response messages from the access points in the candidate set. The collaborative response message indicates whether to accept the execution of collaborative operation.

[0046] The first access point determines the collaborative access point based on the received collaborative response message, sets and saves the operation set information, and sets the collaborative operation status of the first access point itself to have participated in the execution of multi-point collaborative operation. The operation set information includes the addresses of the access points in the operation set.

[0047] After the multi-point collaborative operation is completed, the first access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation".

[0048] In one possible implementation, the candidate set information further indicates the cooperative operation status of the access points in the candidate set. The multi-point cooperation module sends a cooperation request message through the first access point to the access points in the candidate set whose cooperative operation status is "not participating in the multi-point cooperation operation." The multi-point cooperation module is further configured to:

[0049] The first access point sets the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "participating in multi-point collaborative operation";

[0050] After the multi-point collaborative operation is completed, the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point is set to "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation" through the first access point.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the multi-point collaboration module is further used for:

[0052] The first access point sends a first message instructing the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation to an access point outside the operation set, or sends a second message instructing the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation and a third message instructing the end of the multi-point collaborative operation. The first message also indicates the time period of the multi-point collaborative operation, and the first, second, and third messages all contain the operation set information.

[0053] In one possible implementation, setting the cooperative operation state to "participated in executing multi-point cooperative operations" includes:

[0054] Remove the address from the candidate set information;

[0055] Setting the collaborative operation status to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operations" includes:

[0056] Add the address to the candidate set information.

[0057] In one possible implementation, the candidate set information further includes an identifier of the candidate set, the operation set information further includes an identifier of the operation set, and the identifier of the operation set indicates the candidate set. Setting the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" includes:

[0058] Remove the collaborative access point from the corresponding candidate set;

[0059] Setting the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation" includes:

[0060] The collaborative access point is added to the candidate set indicated by the identifier of the operation set to which it belongs, based on the identifier of the operation set to which the collaborative access point belongs.

[0061] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide an apparatus for managing a candidate set and an operation set in a multi-point collaborative operation. The apparatus includes a multi-point collaboration module, a second access point storing candidate set information and its own collaborative operation status, the candidate set information including the addresses of access points in the candidate set, and the multi-point collaboration module performing the following steps:

[0062] The second access point receives a collaboration request message from the first access point in the candidate set and sends a collaboration response message to the first access point, the collaboration response message indicating whether to accept the collaboration operation.

[0063] If the second access point's own collaborative operation status is "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation", then the collaborative response message indicates acceptance of collaborative operation, and the second access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "participating in multi-point collaborative operation" through the second access point; after the multi-point collaborative operation ends, the second access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation" through the second access point.

[0064] If the second access point's own collaborative operation status is "participated in multi-point collaborative operation", then the collaborative response message indicates that it will not accept the execution of collaborative operation.

[0065] In one possible implementation, the candidate set information further indicates the cooperative operation status of the access points in the candidate set, and the multi-point cooperation module is further used for:

[0066] The second access point receives a first message from a fourth access point instructing it to perform a multi-point collaborative operation. This first message also indicates the time period for the multi-point collaborative operation and includes operation set information, which contains the addresses of access points within the fourth access point's operation set. The second access point sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the fourth access point's operation set to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" during the time period indicated in the first message, and sets it to "not participated in multi-point collaborative operation" after the time period ends. Alternatively...

[0067] The second access point receives a second message from the fourth access point instructing the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation and a third message instructing the end of the multi-point collaborative operation. Both the second and third messages contain operation set information. Upon receiving the second message, the second access point sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "participated in the execution of the multi-point collaborative operation," and upon receiving the third message, sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "not participated in the execution of the multi-point collaborative operation."

[0068] In one possible implementation, the candidate set information further includes an identifier of the candidate set, the operation set information further includes an identifier of the operation set, and the identifier of the operation set indicates the candidate set. Setting the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" includes:

[0069] Based on the identifier of the operation set to which the access point belongs in the operation set of the fourth access point, the access point is removed from the candidate set indicated by the identifier of its operation set.

[0070] Setting the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation" includes:

[0071] The access point is added to the candidate set indicated by the identifier of the operation set to which it belongs, based on the identifier of the operation set in the operation set of the fourth access point.

[0072] In one possible implementation, before setting the cooperative operation state of the second access point itself to "participating in multi-point cooperative operation" via the second access point, the multi-point cooperative module is further configured to:

[0073] Receive a collaborative confirmation message from the first access point through the second access point;

[0074] If the collaborative confirmation message contains the address of the second access point, then the second access point will set its own collaborative operation status to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" through the second access point.

[0075] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide an apparatus for managing a candidate set and an operation set in a multi-point collaborative operation. The apparatus includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the processor, and the instructions are loaded and executed by the processor to implement the method for managing a candidate set and an operation set in a multi-point collaborative operation as described in the first or second aspect.

[0076] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point cooperative operations as described in the first or second aspect.

[0077] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product including instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method for managing a candidate set and an operation set in a multi-point cooperative operation as described in the first or second aspect.

[0078] It should be noted that the apparatus described in the third aspect is used to execute the method provided in the first aspect, the apparatus described in the fourth aspect is used to execute the method provided in the second aspect, and the apparatus described in the fifth aspect, the storage medium described in the sixth aspect, and the computer program product described in the seventh aspect are used to execute the method provided in the first or second aspect. Therefore, they can achieve the same beneficial effects as the method described in the first or second aspect. The embodiments of this application will not be described in detail.

[0079] By implementing the solution proposed in this application, the control and management access point will not be involved in too many multi-point collaborative operations. This ensures the quality of site services on the one hand, and avoids the problem of resource shortages caused by multi-point collaboration occupying resources within the access point, thus enabling more efficient use of wireless resources. Attached Figure Description

[0080] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the wireless transmission system in the embodiments of this application;

[0081] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations provided in this application embodiment;

[0082] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a device for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operation, provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of another apparatus for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operation provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0084] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another device for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operation, provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0085] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely used to explain this application and are not intended to limit this application. Although the disclosure in this application is introduced according to one or several exemplary examples, it should be understood that each aspect of these disclosures can also constitute a complete technical solution on its own. Where there is no conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0086] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship. Words such as "including" or "contains" mean that the element or object preceding the word covers the element or object listed after the word and its equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish the same or similar items with basically the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art can understand that "first", "second" and similar words do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish and describe, and the meanings of the corresponding terms may be the same or different.

[0087] In this application, the terms "example" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is being described as an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described as "example" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the terms "example" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0088] First, the concepts involved in the embodiments of this application will be explained:

[0089] Candidate Set: A group of access points (APs) that can initiate or participate in multi-point collaborative operations. Candidate sets can be static, pre-set by the administrator, or dynamic, automatically generated during system operation based on the actual deployment. For example, after a group of access points is installed, adjacent access points can be pre-set as the deployment candidate set in their configuration files. Alternatively, during operation, APs can form candidate sets based on neighboring cell measurement results reported by terminals.

[0090] Operating Set: A set of access points that perform multi-point cooperative operations, including coordinating access points. Optionally, the operating set may also include coordinating access points.

[0091] Coordinator AP: The access point that initiates multi-point collaborative operations.

[0092] Coordinated AP: An access point that accepts coordination from a coordinating access point to jointly perform multi-point coordinated operations. This access point is selected from the operation set.

[0093] When an access point can perform multi-point collaborative operation, it sets and stores candidate set information and its own collaborative operation status. The candidate set information includes the addresses of access points in the candidate set, and the access point storing the candidate set information can also be a member of the candidate set. The access point can locally store a status parameter indicating its own collaborative operation status. Optionally, the candidate set information may also include the identifier of the candidate set and / or an indication of the collaborative operation status of the access points in the candidate set. In this embodiment, it is assumed that AP1, AP2, and AP3 all support multi-point collaborative operation, and that AP1, AP2, and AP3 all store candidate set information and their own collaborative operation status. The following description uses AP1 as the coordinating access point.

[0094] In one embodiment of this application, the candidate set information includes the addresses of access points in the candidate set. An example of the candidate set information settings is shown in Table 1. Figure 2 As shown, the method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations includes the following steps:

[0095] Table 1

[0096] AP Address Addresses of access points in the candidate set

[0097] S101. When AP1 needs to perform a multi-point collaborative operation, it checks whether its own collaborative operation status is "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation." If its own collaborative operation status is "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation," it determines the members of the operating set based on the locally saved candidate set information, sets and saves the operating set information, which includes the addresses of the access points in the operating set. Optionally, the operating set information may also include the role information of the access points in the operating set. If AP1's own collaborative operation status is "participating in the multi-point collaborative operation," then it does not initiate a multi-point collaborative operation. An example of setting the operating set information is shown in Table 2 or Table 3 (the operating set may include a coordinating access point, i.e., AP1 may be included in the operating set).

[0098] Table 2

[0099] AP Address Address of access point in operation set

[0100] Table 3

[0101]

[0102] For example, AP1 determines the operating set members based on locally stored candidate set information, including:

[0103] AP1 sends coordination request messages (such as coordination request messages) to access points in the Candidate Set (such as AP2 and AP3), and receives coordination response messages (such as coordination response messages) from access points in the Candidate Set (such as AP2 and AP3). The coordination response message indicates whether to accept the coordination operation; and determines the coordinating access point based on the received coordination response message. Optionally, AP1 can also add itself to the Operating Set and set its corresponding Role in the operating set information as the coordinator.

[0104] Specifically, AP1 can directly identify the access point corresponding to the cooperative response message indicating acceptance of cooperative operation as the cooperative access point. AP1 can also instruct the execution of channel measurement (sounding) operation in the cooperative request message, requesting access points in the Candidate Set (such as AP2 and AP3) to perform channel measurement; after receiving such a cooperative request message, AP2 and AP3 perform channel measurement operation and send the channel measurement results to AP1 in the cooperative response message; AP1 identifies the access point corresponding to the cooperative response message indicating acceptance of cooperative operation and whose channel measurement result is greater than or equal to a preset threshold value T1 as the cooperative access point.

[0105] After determining the coordinating access point, AP1 can also send a coordination confirmation message (such as a coordination confirm message) to the determined coordinating access point, notifying the access point that it will perform multi-point coordination operation as a member of the operation set. Optionally, the coordination confirmation message can be sent to the coordinating access point in the form of unicast or broadcast. If the coordination confirmation message is a broadcast message, it contains the addresses of all coordinating access points. After receiving the broadcast message, the access point (such as AP2) checks whether its own address is included in the message. If it is, it sets its own coordination operation status to "participated in multi-point coordination operation" and sets its own coordination operation status to "not participated in multi-point coordination operation" after the multi-point coordination operation ends. If the coordination confirmation message is a unicast message, after receiving the coordination confirmation message, AP2 sets its own coordination operation status to "participated in multi-point coordination operation" and sets its own coordination operation status to "not participated in multi-point coordination operation" after the multi-point coordination operation ends.

[0106] S102.AP1 sets its own collaborative operation status to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation".

[0107] S103. After the multi-point collaborative operation is completed, AP1 sets its own collaborative operation status to "not participating in the execution of multi-point collaborative operation".

[0108] In another embodiment of this application, the candidate set information includes the identifier of the candidate set, the address of the access point in the candidate set, and a status parameter indicating the cooperative operation status of the access point in the candidate set. In this case, the cooperative operation status of the access point itself can also be included in the candidate set information (the access point itself is a member of the candidate set). For example, the candidate set information is set as shown in Table 4 or Table 5.

[0109] Table 4

[0110]

[0111] Table 5

[0112]

[0113]

[0114] S201. When AP1 needs to perform a multi-point collaborative operation, it checks its own collaborative operation status to see if it is not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation. If its own collaborative operation status is not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation, it determines the operating set members based on the locally stored candidate set information and the pre-set policy, sets and saves the operating set information, which includes the identifier of the operating set and the address of the access point in the operating set, and indicates the role information of the access point in the operating set. If AP1's own collaborative operation status is participating in the multi-point collaborative operation, then it does not initiate the multi-point collaborative operation. An example of the operating set information settings is shown in Table 6.

[0115] Table 6

[0116]

[0117] For example, AP1 determines the operating set members based on locally stored candidate set information and pre-set policies, including:

[0118] AP1 sends coordination request messages to access points in the candidate set whose coordination operation status is "not participating in multi-point coordination operation," receives coordination response messages from these access points, and the coordination response messages indicate whether to accept the coordination operation; and determines the coordinating access point based on the received coordination response messages. Optionally, AP1 can also add itself to the operating set and set its corresponding role in the operating set information as the coordinator. For example, the methods by which AP1 determines the coordinating access point include, but are not limited to, the following:

[0119] Method 1: Check candidate set information. If there is only one Candidate setID corresponding to AP1's address, check the Coordination Status value of the access point in the candidate set identified by that Candidate set ID. Select the access point with the Coordination Status value of "idle" and send a coordination request message to it. When a coordination response message is received from the access point and the message indicates acceptance, add the access point to the operating set. Set the Role of the access point in the operating set information to coordinated.

[0120] Method 2: Check candidate set information. If there is only one Candidate setID corresponding to the address of AP1, check the Coordination Status value of the access point in the candidate set identified by that Candidate set ID. Select the access point with the Coordination Status value of "idle" and send a coordination request message to it. The message indicates that a channel measurement (sounding) operation should be performed. Upon receiving the coordination response message from the access point, select the access point that is indicated as accepting in the message and whose channel measurement result is greater than or equal to the preset threshold value T1, based on the channel measurement results contained in the message. Add it to the operating set, and set the Role of the access point to coordinated.

[0121] Method 3: Check candidate set information. If there are multiple CandidatesetIDs corresponding to AP1's address, assuming they are CSID1 and CSID2, check the Coordination Status values ​​of the access points in the candidate set identified by CSID1 and the access points in the candidate set identified by CSID2 respectively. Select the access point with a Coordination Status value of "idle" and send a coordination request message to it, indicating that a channel measurement (sounding) operation should be performed. After receiving the coordination response message from the access point, based on the channel measurement results contained in the message, select the access point that indicates acceptance in the message, whose channel measurement result is greater than or equal to the preset threshold T1, and whose channel measurement result is the largest, and add it to the Operating set. Set the Role of this access point to coordinated. Select other access points whose channel measurement results are greater than or equal to the preset threshold T1 and have the same Candidate set ID as the above access points, and add them to the Operating set. Set the Role of this access point to coordinated.

[0122] If AP1 determines the coordinating access point according to Method 2 or Method 3, AP1 also sends a coordination confirmation message (such as a coordination confirm message) to the determined coordinating access point, notifying the access point that it will perform multi-point coordination operation as a member of the operation set. Optionally, the coordination confirmation message can be sent to the coordinating access point in the form of unicast or broadcast. If the coordination confirmation message is a broadcast message, it contains the addresses of all coordinating access points. After receiving the message, the access point (such as AP2) checks whether its own address is included. If it is, it sets its own coordination operation status to "participated in multi-point coordination operation" and sets its own coordination operation status to "not participated in multi-point coordination operation" after the multi-point coordination operation is completed.

[0123] If AP1 determines the cooperating access point according to Method 1, AP1 may not send a cooperation confirmation message to the cooperating access point. After receiving the cooperation request message, the access point in the candidate set (such as AP2) may indicate in the cooperation response message that it accepts the multi-point cooperation operation if it accepts the cooperation operation, set its own cooperation operation status to "participated in the multi-point cooperation operation", and set its own cooperation operation status to "not participated in the multi-point cooperation operation" after the multi-point cooperation operation is completed. If it does not accept the cooperation request message, it indicates in the cooperation response message that it does not accept the multi-point cooperation operation.

[0124] S202.AP1 sets its own collaborative operation status to "participating in multi-point collaborative operation".

[0125] Optionally, AP1 can also set the cooperative operation status of the cooperative access points to "participating in multi-point cooperative operation". For example, AP1 sets the Coordination Status value in the candidate set information for all access points added to the Operating set to "active".

[0126] S203. After the multi-point collaborative operation is completed, AP1 sets its own collaborative operation status to "not participating in the execution of multi-point collaborative operation".

[0127] Optionally, after the multi-point coordination operation is completed, AP1 will also set the coordination operation status of the coordinating access point to "not participating in the multi-point coordination operation". For example, after the multi-point coordination operation is completed, the operating set information is deleted, and the Coordination Status value of the access point in the operating set information corresponding to the candidate set information is set to "idle".

[0128] In some embodiments, AP1 may also send a first message instructing other access points outside the operation set to perform a multi-point collaborative operation. The first message also indicates the time period of the multi-point collaborative operation and includes operation set information. After receiving the first message, other access points set the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" during the time period indicated in the first message, and set the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set to "not participated in multi-point collaborative operation" after the time period ends. When other access points initiate a multi-point collaborative operation as coordinating access points, they may only send a collaborative request message to the access points whose collaborative operation status is "not participated in multi-point collaborative operation".

[0129] In some other embodiments, AP1 may send a second message indicating the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation and a third message indicating the end of the multi-point collaborative operation to other access points outside the operation set. Both the second and third messages contain operation set information. After receiving the second message, other access points set the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set to "participated in the execution of the multi-point collaborative operation" and after receiving the third message, set the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set to "not participated in the execution of the multi-point collaborative operation".

[0130] In some embodiments, AP1 may also receive a first message, or a second message and a third message from other access points, and then set the cooperative operation status of the corresponding access point according to the first message, or the second message and the third message.

[0131] In another embodiment of this application, the candidate set information includes the identifier of the candidate set and the addresses of the access points in the candidate set. For example, the candidate set information is set as shown in Table 7.

[0132] Table 7

[0133] Candidate Set ID AP Address Candidate set identifier Addresses of access points in the candidate set

[0134] S301. When AP1 needs to perform a multi-point collaborative operation, it checks whether its own collaborative operation status is "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation." If its own collaborative operation status is "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation," it determines the operating set members based on the locally stored candidate set information and the pre-set policy, sets and saves the operating set information. The operating set information includes the identifier of the operating set and the address of the access point in the operating set. Optionally, the operating set information may also indicate the role information of the access point in the operating set. If AP1's own collaborative operation status is "participating in the multi-point collaborative operation," then it does not initiate a multi-point collaborative operation. An example of the operating set information settings is shown in Table 7.

[0135] Table 7

[0136]

[0137] For example, AP1 determines the operating set members based on locally stored candidate set information and pre-set policies, including the following steps:

[0138] S1301.AP1 adds itself to the operating set and sets its corresponding Role in the operating set information to coordinator.

[0139] S1302. AP1 sends a cooperation request message to the access points in the Candidate Set, receives cooperation response messages from these access points, and the cooperation response messages indicate whether to accept the cooperation operation; and determines the cooperating access point based on the received cooperation response messages. For example, the methods by which AP1 determines the cooperating access point include, but are not limited to, the following:

[0140] Method 1: Check the candidate set information. If there is only one Candidate setID corresponding to AP1's address, send a coordination request message to the access point in the Candidate set. When a coordination response message is received from the access point and the message indicates acceptance, add the access point to the Operating set. Set the Role of the access point in the Operating set information to coordinated.

[0141] Method 2: Check candidate set information. If there is only one Candidate setID corresponding to AP1's address, send a coordination request message to the access points in the Candidate set. The message indicates that a channel measurement (sounding) operation should be performed. Upon receiving the coordination response message from the access point, select the access point that is indicated as accepting in the message and whose channel measurement result is greater than or equal to the preset threshold T1, based on the channel measurement result contained in the message. Add it to the Operating set, and set the Role corresponding to the access point to coordinated.

[0142] Method 3: Check candidate set information. If AP1's address corresponds to multiple CandidatesetIDs, assuming they are CSID1 and CSID2, send coordination request messages to the access points in the candidate set identified by CSID1 and the candidate set identified by CSID2, respectively. The messages indicate that channel measurement (sounding) operations should be performed. After receiving the coordination response message from the access point, based on the channel measurement results contained in the message, select the access point that indicates acceptance in the message, whose channel measurement result is greater than or equal to the preset threshold T1, and whose channel measurement result is the largest, and add it to the operating set. The role corresponding to this access point is set to coordinated. Select other access points whose channel measurement results are greater than or equal to the preset threshold T1 and have the same CandidatesetID as the above access points, and add them to the operating set. The role corresponding to these access points is set to coordinated.

[0143] If AP1 determines the coordinating access point according to Method 2 or Method 3, AP1 also sends a coordination confirmation message (such as a coordination confirm message) to the determined coordinating access point, notifying the access point that it will perform multi-point coordination operation as a member of the operation set. Optionally, the coordination confirmation message can be sent to the coordinating access point in the form of unicast or broadcast. If the coordination confirmation message is a broadcast message, it contains the addresses of all coordinating access points. After receiving the message, the access point (such as AP2) checks whether its own address is included. If it is, it sets its own coordination operation status to "participated in multi-point coordination operation" and sets its own coordination operation status to "not participated in multi-point coordination operation" after the multi-point coordination operation is completed.

[0144] If AP1 determines the cooperating access point according to Method 1, AP1 may not send a cooperation confirmation message to the cooperating access point. After receiving the cooperation request message, the access point in the candidate set (such as AP2) may indicate in the cooperation response message that it accepts the multi-point cooperation operation if it accepts the cooperation operation, set its own cooperation operation status to "participated in the multi-point cooperation operation", and set its own cooperation operation status to "not participated in the multi-point cooperation operation" after the multi-point cooperation operation is completed. If it does not accept the cooperation request message, it indicates in the cooperation response message that it does not accept the multi-point cooperation operation.

[0145] S302.AP1 sets its own collaborative operation status to "participating in multi-point collaborative operation".

[0146] Optionally, AP1 may locally store a status parameter indicating its own cooperative operation status, and then set this status parameter to indicate that AP1 has participated in multi-point cooperative operation. Alternatively, AP1 may delete the address of AP1 contained in the candidate setinformation.

[0147] S303. After the multi-point collaborative operation is completed, AP1 sets its own collaborative operation status to "not participating in the execution of multi-point collaborative operation".

[0148] Optionally, AP1 may locally store a status parameter indicating its own cooperative operation status, and then set this status parameter to indicate that AP1 is not participating in the multi-point cooperative operation. Alternatively, AP1 may add its own address to the candidate set information.

[0149] Optionally, in step S302, AP1 may also set the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation"; in step S303, AP1 may also set the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation". For example, in step S302, AP1 deletes all access points added to the Operating set from the candidate set information; in step S303, after the multi-point collaborative operation is completed, AP1 deletes the Operating set information and adds the access points from the Operating set information to the candidate set information. Examples of such additions include, but are not limited to, the following:

[0150] 1) The Operating set ID can be set as (Candidate set ID + index), where the Candidate set ID is the identifier of the Candidate set to which the access point forming the Operating set belongs, and the index is a sequence number used to distinguish multiple Operating sets formed within this Candidate set. Therefore, the Candidate set IDs corresponding to these access points can be obtained from the Operating set ID and added to the Candidate set indicated by the parsed Candidate set ID.

[0151] 2) Add a new parameter, Candidate set ID, to the Operating set information. After the multi-point collaborative operation is completed, the access point can be added to the corresponding Candidate set based on this parameter.

[0152] In some embodiments, AP1 may also send a first message instructing other access points outside the operation set to perform multi-point collaborative operation. The first message also indicates the time period of the multi-point collaborative operation and includes operation set information. After receiving the first message, other access points, within the time period of the multi-point collaborative operation indicated in the first message, delete the access points in the operation set from the candidate set indicated by the identifier of the operation set to which the access points in the operation set belong, and after the time period ends, add the access points in the operation set to the candidate set indicated by the identifier of the operation set to which the access points in the operation set belong, based on the identifier of the operation set to which the access points in the operation set belong. When other access points initiate multi-point collaborative operation as coordinating access points, they may send a collaborative request message to the access points in the candidate set.

[0153] In some other embodiments, AP1 may send a second message indicating the execution of a multi-point cooperative operation and a third message indicating the end of the multi-point cooperative operation to other access points outside the operation set. Both the second and third messages contain operation set information. After receiving the second message, other access points delete the access points in the operation set from the candidate set indicated by the identifier of the operation set to which the access points in the operation set belong, and after receiving the third message, add the access points in the operation set to the candidate set indicated by the identifier of the operation set to which the access points in the operation set belong, based on the identifier of the operation set to which the access points in the operation set belong.

[0154] In some embodiments, AP1 may also receive a first message, or a second message and a third message from other access points, and then delete the corresponding access point from the corresponding candidate set and add the corresponding access point to the corresponding candidate set according to the first message, or the second message and the third message.

[0155] In this application embodiment, based on the same inventive concept as the method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in the above-described multi-point collaborative operation, this application embodiment also provides an apparatus for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operation. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a device for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations, provided as an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 As shown, the device 300 includes a multi-point coordination module 301, which is used to perform the following steps:

[0156] If the first access point's own collaborative operation status is "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation", it sends a collaborative request message to the access points in the candidate set through the first access point, and receives collaborative response messages from the access points in the candidate set. The collaborative response message indicates whether to accept the execution of collaborative operation.

[0157] The first access point determines the collaborative access point based on the received collaborative response message, sets and saves the operation set information, and sets the collaborative operation status of the first access point itself to have participated in the execution of multi-point collaborative operation. The operation set information includes the addresses of the access points in the operation set.

[0158] After the multi-point collaborative operation is completed, the first access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation".

[0159] Optionally, the candidate set information further indicates the cooperative operation status of the access points in the candidate set. The multi-point coordination module sends a coordination request message through the first access point to the access points in the candidate set whose cooperative operation status is "not participating in the multi-point coordination operation." The multi-point coordination module is further configured to:

[0160] The first access point sets the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "participating in multi-point collaborative operation";

[0161] After the multi-point collaborative operation is completed, the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point is set to "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation" through the first access point.

[0162] Optionally, the multi-point collaboration module is further configured to:

[0163] The first access point sends a first message instructing the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation to an access point outside the operation set, or sends a second message instructing the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation and a third message instructing the end of the multi-point collaborative operation. The first message also indicates the time period of the multi-point collaborative operation, and the first, second, and third messages all contain the operation set information.

[0164] Optionally, setting the collaborative operation status to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" includes:

[0165] Remove the address from the candidate set information;

[0166] Setting the collaborative operation status to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operations" includes:

[0167] Add the address to the candidate set information.

[0168] Optionally, the candidate set information further includes an identifier of the candidate set, and the operation set information further includes an identifier of the operation set, wherein the identifier of the operation set indicates the candidate set, and setting the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" includes:

[0169] Remove the collaborative access point from the corresponding candidate set;

[0170] Setting the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation" includes:

[0171] The collaborative access point is added to the candidate set indicated by the identifier of the operation set to which it belongs, based on the identifier of the operation set to which the collaborative access point belongs.

[0172] In an optional example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 300 may specifically be the access point AP1 in the above embodiments. The device 300 may be used to execute the various processes and / or steps in the above method corresponding to the access point AP1. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0173] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a device for managing candidate sets and operation sets in a multi-point collaborative operation, provided as an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 As shown, the device 400 includes a multi-point coordination module 401, which is used to perform the following steps:

[0174] The second access point receives a collaboration request message from the first access point in the candidate set and sends a collaboration response message to the first access point, the collaboration response message indicating whether to accept the collaboration operation.

[0175] If the second access point's own collaborative operation status is "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation", then the collaborative response message indicates acceptance of collaborative operation, and the second access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "participating in multi-point collaborative operation" through the second access point; after the multi-point collaborative operation ends, the second access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation" through the second access point.

[0176] If the second access point's own collaborative operation status is "participated in multi-point collaborative operation", then the collaborative response message indicates that it will not accept the execution of collaborative operation.

[0177] Optionally, the candidate set information further indicates the cooperative operation status of the access points in the candidate set, and the multi-point cooperation module is further used for:

[0178] The second access point receives a first message from a fourth access point instructing it to perform a multi-point collaborative operation. This first message also indicates the time period for the multi-point collaborative operation and includes operation set information, which contains the addresses of access points within the fourth access point's operation set. The second access point sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the fourth access point's operation set to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" during the time period indicated in the first message, and sets it to "not participated in multi-point collaborative operation" after the time period ends. Alternatively...

[0179] The second access point receives a second message from the fourth access point instructing the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation and a third message instructing the end of the multi-point collaborative operation. Both the second and third messages contain operation set information. Upon receiving the second message, the second access point sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "participated in the execution of the multi-point collaborative operation," and upon receiving the third message, sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "not participated in the execution of the multi-point collaborative operation."

[0180] Optionally, the candidate set information further includes an identifier of the candidate set, the operation set information further includes an identifier of the operation set, and the identifier of the operation set indicates the candidate set. Setting the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" includes:

[0181] Based on the identifier of the operation set to which the access point belongs in the operation set of the fourth access point, the access point is removed from the candidate set indicated by the identifier of its operation set.

[0182] Setting the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation" includes:

[0183] The access point is added to the candidate set indicated by the identifier of the operation set to which it belongs, based on the identifier of the operation set in the operation set of the fourth access point.

[0184] Optionally, before setting the collaborative operation state of the second access point itself to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" via the second access point, the multi-point collaborative module is further configured to:

[0185] Receive a collaborative confirmation message from the first access point through the second access point;

[0186] If the collaborative confirmation message contains the address of the second access point, then the second access point will set its own collaborative operation status to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" through the second access point.

[0187] In an optional example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 400 may specifically be the access point AP2 or AP3 in the above embodiments. The device 400 may be used to execute the various processes and / or steps in the above method corresponding to the access point AP2 or AP3. To avoid repetition, these will not be described again here.

[0188] It should be understood that devices 300 and 400 are embodied in the form of functional modules. The term "module" here can refer to application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), electronic circuits, processors (e.g., shared processors, proprietary processors, or group processors) and memories for executing one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuits, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. Devices 300 and 400 have the function of implementing the corresponding steps in the above methods; the above functions can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. In embodiments of this application, devices 300 and 400 can also be chips or chip systems, such as system-on-chip (SoC). This application does not impose limitations on these aspects.

[0189] This application also provides an apparatus for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a device for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations, provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 As shown, the device 500 includes a processor 501, a memory 502, and a communication interface 503. The processor 501, the memory 502, and the communication interface 503 communicate with each other via a bus 504. The memory 502 stores instructions that can be executed by the processor 501. The instructions are loaded and executed by the processor 501 to control the communication interface 503 to send and / or receive signals.

[0190] It should be understood that device 500 may specifically be access point AP1, AP2, or AP3 in the above embodiments, or the functions of the access points in the above embodiments may be integrated into device 500, and device 500 may be used to execute the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the access points in the above embodiments. Optionally, memory 502 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provide instructions and data to processor 501. A portion of memory 502 may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, memory 502 may also store device type information. Processor 501 may be used to execute instructions stored in memory 501, and when processor 501 executes the instructions, processor 501 may execute the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the access points in the above method embodiments.

[0191] It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, the processor 501 may be a central processing unit (CPU), or it may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0192] In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry of the hardware in the processor 501 or by instructions in software form. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as execution by the hardware processor 501, or execution by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor 501. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor 501 executes the instructions in the memory, combining with its hardware to complete the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are not provided here.

[0193] The above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any other combination thereof. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer programs are loaded or executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more sets of available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. A semiconductor medium can be a solid-state drive.

[0194] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0195] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the modules and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0196] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the devices, apparatuses, and modules described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0197] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or modules may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0198] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0199] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0200] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations, characterized in that, The first access point stores candidate set information and its own cooperative operation status. The candidate set information includes the addresses of access points in the candidate set. The method includes: If the first access point's own collaborative operation status is "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation", the first access point sends a collaborative request message to the access points in the candidate set and receives a collaborative response message from the access points in the candidate set, wherein the collaborative response message indicates whether to accept the execution of collaborative operation. The first access point determines the collaborative access point based on the received collaborative response message, sets and saves the operation set information, and sets its own collaborative operation status to have participated in the execution of multi-point collaborative operation. The operation set information includes the addresses of the access points in the operation set. After the multi-point collaborative operation is completed, the first access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation".

2. The method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coordination request message indicates the execution of a channel measurement operation, and the coordination response message further includes the channel measurement results. Determining the coordination access point based on the received coordination response message includes: The access point corresponding to the cooperative response message indicating acceptance of cooperative operation and whose channel measurement result is greater than or equal to the threshold value is identified as the cooperative access point; After determining the cooperative access point, the first access point also sends a cooperative confirmation message to the cooperative access point, which contains the address of the cooperative access point.

3. The method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations according to claim 1, characterized in that, The candidate set information also includes a candidate set identifier; the cooperation request message indicates the execution of a channel measurement operation; the cooperation response message also includes the channel measurement result; and determining the cooperative access point based on the received cooperation response message includes: The third access point corresponding to the cooperative response message indicating acceptance of cooperative operation and whose channel measurement result is greater than or equal to the threshold value and has the largest channel measurement result is determined as the cooperative access point. The access point corresponding to the cooperative response message indicating acceptance of cooperative operation and whose channel measurement result is greater than or equal to the threshold value and has the same candidate set as the third access point is determined as the cooperative access point. After determining the cooperative access point, the first access point also sends a cooperative confirmation message to the cooperative access point, which contains the address of the cooperative access point.

4. The method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations according to claim 1, characterized in that, The candidate set information also indicates the collaborative operation status of the access points in the candidate set. The first access point sends a collaborative request message to the access points in the candidate set whose collaborative operation status is "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation". The method further includes: The first access point sets the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation"; After the multi-point collaborative operation is completed, the first access point sets the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation".

5. The method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first access point sends a first message indicating the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation to an access point outside the operation set, or sends a second message indicating the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation and a third message indicating the end of the multi-point collaborative operation. The first message also indicates the time period of the multi-point collaborative operation, and the first, second, and third messages all contain the operation set information.

6. The method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations according to claim 1, characterized in that, Setting the collaborative operation status to "participating in multi-point collaborative operation" includes: Remove the address from the candidate set information; Setting the collaborative operation status to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operations" includes: Add the address to the candidate set information.

7. The method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations according to claim 4, characterized in that, The candidate set information also includes an identifier for the candidate set, and the operation set information also includes an identifier for the operation set, wherein the identifier for the operation set indicates the candidate set. Setting the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" includes: Remove the collaborative access point from the corresponding candidate set; Setting the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation" includes: The collaborative access point is added to the candidate set indicated by the identifier of the operation set to which it belongs, based on the identifier of the operation set to which the collaborative access point belongs.

8. A method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations, characterized in that, The second access point stores candidate set information and its own cooperative operation status. The candidate set information includes the addresses of access points in the candidate set. The method includes: The second access point receives a collaboration request message from the first access point in the candidate set and sends a collaboration response message to the first access point, wherein the collaboration response message indicates whether to accept the collaboration operation. If the second access point's own collaborative operation status is "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation", then the collaborative response message indicates that it accepts the execution of the collaborative operation, and the second access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "participating in the multi-point collaborative operation"; after the multi-point collaborative operation ends, the second access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation". If the second access point's own collaborative operation status is "participated in multi-point collaborative operation", then the collaborative response message indicates that it will not accept the execution of collaborative operation.

9. The method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations according to claim 8, characterized in that, The candidate set information also indicates the cooperative operation status of the access points in the candidate set, and the method further includes: The second access point receives a first message from the fourth access point instructing it to perform a multi-point collaborative operation. The first message also indicates a time period for the multi-point collaborative operation and includes operation set information, which contains the addresses of access points in the fourth access point's operation set. During the time period indicated in the first message, the second access point sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the fourth access point's operation set to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation," and after the time period ends, sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the fourth access point's operation set to "not participated in multi-point collaborative operation." Alternatively... The second access point receives a second message from the fourth access point instructing the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation and a third message instructing the end of the multi-point collaborative operation. Both the second and third messages contain operation set information. After receiving the second message, the second access point sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "participated in the execution of the multi-point collaborative operation," and after receiving the third message, sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "not participated in the execution of the multi-point collaborative operation." 10. The method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations according to claim 9, characterized in that, The candidate set information also includes an identifier for the candidate set, and the operation set information also includes an identifier for the operation set, wherein the identifier for the operation set indicates a candidate set. Setting the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" includes: Based on the identifier of the operation set to which the access point belongs in the operation set of the fourth access point, the access point is removed from the candidate set indicated by the identifier of its operation set. Setting the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation" includes: The access point is added to the candidate set indicated by the identifier of the operation set to which it belongs, based on the identifier of the operation set in the operation set of the fourth access point.

11. The method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operations according to claim 8, characterized in that, Before the second access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "participating in multi-point collaborative operation," the following steps are also included: The second access point receives a collaborative confirmation message from the first access point; If the collaboration confirmation message contains the address of the second access point, the second access point will set its own collaboration operation status to "participated in multi-point collaboration operation".

12. An apparatus for managing a candidate set and an operation set in a multi-point collaborative operation, the apparatus comprising a multi-point collaboration module, characterized in that, The first access point stores candidate set information and its own collaborative operation status. The candidate set information includes the addresses of access points in the candidate set. The multi-point collaboration module is used to perform the following steps: If the first access point's own collaborative operation status is "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation", it sends a collaborative request message to the access points in the candidate set through the first access point, and receives collaborative response messages from the access points in the candidate set. The collaborative response message indicates whether to accept the execution of collaborative operation. The first access point determines the collaborative access point based on the received collaborative response message, sets and saves the operation set information, and sets the collaborative operation status of the first access point itself to have participated in the execution of multi-point collaborative operation. The operation set information includes the addresses of the access points in the operation set. After the multi-point collaborative operation is completed, the first access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation".

13. The apparatus for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operation according to claim 12, characterized in that, The candidate set information also indicates the collaborative operation status of the access points in the candidate set. The multi-point collaboration module sends a collaboration request message through the first access point to the access points in the candidate set whose collaborative operation status is "not participating in the multi-point collaboration operation". The multi-point collaboration module is also used for: The first access point sets the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "participating in multi-point collaborative operation"; After the multi-point collaborative operation is completed, the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point is set to "not participating in the multi-point collaborative operation" through the first access point.

14. The apparatus for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operation according to claim 13, characterized in that, The multi-point collaboration module is also used for: The first access point sends a first message instructing the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation to an access point outside the operation set, or sends a second message instructing the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation and a third message instructing the end of the multi-point collaborative operation. The first message also indicates the time period of the multi-point collaborative operation, and the first, second, and third messages all contain the operation set information.

15. The apparatus for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operation according to claim 12, characterized in that, Setting the collaborative operation status to "participating in multi-point collaborative operation" includes: Remove the address from the candidate set information; Setting the collaborative operation status to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operations" includes: Add the address to the candidate set information.

16. The apparatus for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operation according to claim 13, characterized in that, The candidate set information also includes an identifier for the candidate set, and the operation set information also includes an identifier for the operation set, wherein the identifier for the operation set indicates the candidate set. Setting the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" includes: Remove the collaborative access point from the corresponding candidate set; Setting the collaborative operation status of the collaborative access point to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation" includes: The collaborative access point is added to the candidate set indicated by the identifier of the operation set to which it belongs, based on the identifier of the operation set to which the collaborative access point belongs.

17. An apparatus for managing a candidate set and an operation set in a multi-point collaborative operation, the apparatus comprising a multi-point collaboration module, characterized in that, The second access point stores candidate set information and its own collaborative operation status. The candidate set information includes the addresses of access points in the candidate set. The multi-point collaboration module is used to perform the following steps: The second access point receives a collaboration request message from the first access point in the candidate set and sends a collaboration response message to the first access point, the collaboration response message indicating whether to accept the collaboration operation. If the second access point's own collaborative operation status is "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation", then the collaborative response message indicates acceptance of collaborative operation, and the second access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "participating in multi-point collaborative operation" through the second access point; after the multi-point collaborative operation ends, the second access point sets its own collaborative operation status to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation" through the second access point. If the second access point's own collaborative operation status is "participated in multi-point collaborative operation", then the collaborative response message indicates that it will not accept the execution of collaborative operation.

18. The apparatus for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operation according to claim 17, characterized in that, The candidate set information also indicates the collaborative operation status of the access points in the candidate set, and the multi-point collaboration module is further used for: The second access point receives a first message from a fourth access point instructing it to perform a multi-point collaborative operation. This first message also indicates the time period for the multi-point collaborative operation and includes operation set information, which contains the addresses of access points within the fourth access point's operation set. The second access point sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the fourth access point's operation set to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" during the time period indicated in the first message, and sets it to "not participated in multi-point collaborative operation" after the time period ends. Alternatively... The second access point receives a second message from the fourth access point instructing the execution of a multi-point collaborative operation and a third message instructing the end of the multi-point collaborative operation. Both the second and third messages contain operation set information. Upon receiving the second message, the second access point sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "participated in the execution of the multi-point collaborative operation," and upon receiving the third message, sets the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "not participated in the execution of the multi-point collaborative operation." 19. The apparatus for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operation according to claim 18, characterized in that, The candidate set information also includes an identifier for the candidate set, and the operation set information also includes an identifier for the operation set, wherein the identifier for the operation set indicates a candidate set. Setting the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" includes: Based on the identifier of the operation set to which the access point belongs in the operation set of the fourth access point, the access point is removed from the candidate set indicated by the identifier of its operation set. Setting the collaborative operation status of the access points in the operation set of the fourth access point to "not participating in multi-point collaborative operation" includes: The access point is added to the candidate set indicated by the identifier of the operation set to which it belongs, based on the identifier of the operation set in the operation set of the fourth access point.

20. The apparatus for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operation according to claim 17, characterized in that, Before setting the collaborative operation state of the second access point itself to "participating in multi-point collaborative operation" via the second access point, the multi-point collaborative module is further configured to: Receive a collaborative confirmation message from the first access point through the second access point; If the collaborative confirmation message contains the address of the second access point, then the second access point will set its own collaborative operation status to "participated in multi-point collaborative operation" through the second access point.

21. An apparatus for managing a candidate set and an operation set in a multi-point collaborative operation, characterized in that, The apparatus includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions being loaded and executed by the processor to implement the method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point collaborative operation as described in any one of claims 1-11.

22. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method for managing candidate sets and operation sets in multi-point cooperative operations as described in any one of claims 1-11.

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