Resource allocation method, resource allocation device, and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a resource allocation method, a resource allocation device and a storage medium. In the resource allocation method, a probe trigger message frame is generated, the probe trigger message frame including a plurality of resource unit index pairs, the index pair including a start index and an end index, wherein more than one resource unit of the plurality of resource units is allocated to a station under a specified bandwidth; and the probe trigger message frame is transmitted. A second device receives a probe trigger message frame, the probe trigger message frame including a plurality of resource unit index pairs, the index pair including a start index and an end index, wherein more than one resource unit of the plurality of resource units is allocated to a station under a specified bandwidth; and a measurement message frame without a data part is transmitted based on the probe trigger message frame. The present disclosure realizes resource allocation for probe trigger message frame transmission under multi-connection.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application filed on December 9, 2019, with application number 201980003486.5 and entitled "Resource Allocation Method, Resource Allocation Device and Storage Medium". Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to resource allocation methods, resource allocation devices and storage media. Background Technology

[0003] To improve the access speed and throughput of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies such as Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.11 established the SG (study group) IEEE 802.11be to research the next generation of mainstream (802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax) Wi-Fi technologies.

[0004] In next-generation mainstream (IEEE 802.11ac / ax) Wi-Fi technology, beamforming is used for transmission measurement to improve transmission rate and quality more efficiently. Typically, a probe trigger message frame, such as a null data packet (NDP) announcement frame, is sent at the start of the measurement, followed by an NDP frame sent after a certain interval to perform the measurement.

[0005] The beamforming mechanism's NDP announcement frame in related technologies is designed for single-connectivity scenarios and only applies to the allocation of a single resource unit (RU). It is not applicable to multi-connectivity scenarios or scenarios with multiple RUs. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To overcome the problems existing in related technologies, this disclosure provides a resource allocation method, a resource allocation device, and a storage medium.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a resource allocation method is provided, applied to a first device, comprising:

[0008] Generate a probe trigger message frame, the probe trigger message frame including multiple resource unit index pairs, the index pairs including a start index and an end index, wherein more than one of the multiple resource units is allocated to a site under a specified bandwidth; send the probe trigger message frame.

[0009] In one implementation, more than one of the plurality of resource units is allocated to a site within a specified bandwidth under different connections.

[0010] In another implementation, the number of sites is one or more.

[0011] In another implementation, the resource unit is allocated to the site by one or more access points at a specified bandwidth.

[0012] In another embodiment, the probe trigger message frame further includes a site identifier, which corresponds to a plurality of resource units allocated to the site under a specified bandwidth.

[0013] In another embodiment, the site identifier has a correspondence with one or more access points that allocate the plurality of resource units under a specified bandwidth.

[0014] In another embodiment, the probe trigger message frame further includes an identifier bit, which is used to identify whether the probe trigger message frame is sent under different connections.

[0015] In another embodiment, the number of resource unit index pairs is determined based on the number of allocated resource units.

[0016] In another implementation, when the allocated resource units are discontinuous resource units, the number of resource unit index pairs is the number of discontinuous resource units.

[0017] In another implementation, when the allocated resource units are consecutive resource units, the number of resource unit index pairs is determined according to the resource unit format.

[0018] In another implementation, when the resource unit formats of consecutive resource units are the same, the index pairs of consecutive resource units are combined into one resource unit index pair; when the resource unit formats of consecutive resource units are different, the number of index pairs of consecutive resource units is the number of consecutive resource units.

[0019] In another embodiment, the resource allocation method further includes:

[0020] Before sending the probe trigger message frame, capability indication information is sent, which indicates support for communication over multiple connections.

[0021] In another embodiment, the transmission capability indication information includes:

[0022] When the first device is an access point, the capability indication information is sent based on a beacon frame, a joint response frame, a probe response frame, or an authentication response frame; when the first device is a site, the capability indication information is sent based on a joint request frame, a probe request frame, or an authentication request frame.

[0023] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a resource allocation method is provided, applied to a second device, comprising:

[0024] Receive a probe trigger message frame, the probe trigger message frame including multiple resource unit index pairs, the index pairs including a start index and an end index, wherein more than one of the multiple resource units is allocated to a site under a specified bandwidth; send a measurement message frame without a data portion based on the probe trigger message frame.

[0025] In one implementation, more than one of the plurality of resource units is allocated to a site within a specified bandwidth under different connections.

[0026] In another implementation, the number of sites is one or more.

[0027] In another implementation, the resource unit is allocated to the site by one or more access points at a specified bandwidth.

[0028] In another embodiment, the probe trigger message frame further includes a site identifier, which corresponds to a plurality of resource units allocated to the site under a specified bandwidth.

[0029] In another embodiment, the site identifier has a correspondence with one or more access points that allocate the plurality of resource units under a specified bandwidth.

[0030] In another embodiment, the probe trigger message frame further includes an identifier bit, which is used to identify whether the probe trigger message frame is sent under different connections.

[0031] In another embodiment, the number of resource unit index pairs is determined based on the number of allocated resource units.

[0032] In another implementation, when the allocated resource units are discontinuous resource units, the number of resource unit index pairs is the number of discontinuous resource units.

[0033] In another implementation, when the allocated resource units are consecutive resource units, the number of resource unit index pairs is determined according to the resource unit format.

[0034] In another implementation, when the resource unit formats of consecutive resource units are the same, the index pairs of consecutive resource units are combined into one resource unit index pair; when the resource unit formats of consecutive resource units are different, the number of index pairs of consecutive resource units is the number of consecutive resource units.

[0035] In another embodiment, the resource allocation method further includes:

[0036] Before receiving the probe trigger message frame, capability indication information is received, which indicates support for communication over multiple connections.

[0037] In another embodiment, the receiving capability indication information includes:

[0038] When the second device is an access point, the capability indication information is received based on a beacon frame, a joint response frame, a probe response frame, or an authentication response frame; when the second device is a site, the capability indication information is received based on a joint request frame, a probe request frame, or an authentication request frame.

[0039] A resource allocation apparatus is provided according to a third aspect of the present disclosure, applied to a first device, comprising:

[0040] A generation unit is configured to generate a probe trigger message frame, the probe trigger message frame including multiple resource unit index pairs, the index pairs including a start index and an end index, wherein more than one of the multiple resource units is allocated to a site under a specified bandwidth; a sending unit is configured to send the probe trigger message frame.

[0041] In one implementation, more than one of the plurality of resource units is allocated to a site within a specified bandwidth under different connections.

[0042] In another implementation, the number of sites is one or more.

[0043] In another implementation, the resource unit is allocated to the site by one or more access points at a specified bandwidth.

[0044] In another embodiment, the probe trigger message frame further includes a site identifier, which corresponds to a plurality of resource units allocated to the site under a specified bandwidth.

[0045] In another embodiment, the site identifier has a correspondence with one or more access points that allocate the plurality of resource units under a specified bandwidth.

[0046] In another embodiment, the probe trigger message frame further includes an identifier bit, which is used to identify whether the probe trigger message frame is sent under different connections.

[0047] In another embodiment, the number of resource unit index pairs is determined based on the number of allocated resource units.

[0048] In another implementation, when the allocated resource units are discontinuous resource units, the number of resource unit index pairs is the number of discontinuous resource units.

[0049] In another implementation, when the allocated resource units are consecutive resource units, the number of resource unit index pairs is determined according to the resource unit format.

[0050] In another implementation, when the resource unit formats of consecutive resource units are the same, the index pairs of consecutive resource units are combined into one resource unit index pair; when the resource unit formats of consecutive resource units are different, the number of index pairs of consecutive resource units is the number of consecutive resource units.

[0051] In another embodiment, the transmitting unit is further configured to:

[0052] Before sending the probe trigger message frame, capability indication information is sent, which indicates support for communication over multiple connections.

[0053] In another embodiment, the transmission capability indication information includes:

[0054] When the first device is an access point, the capability indication information is sent based on a beacon frame, a joint response frame, a probe response frame, or an authentication response frame; when the first device is a site, the capability indication information is sent based on a joint request frame, a probe request frame, or an authentication request frame.

[0055] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a resource allocation apparatus is provided, applied to a second device, comprising:

[0056] The receiving unit is configured to receive a probe trigger message frame, the probe trigger message frame including multiple resource unit index pairs, the index pairs including a start index and an end index, wherein more than one of the multiple resource units is allocated to a station under a specified bandwidth; the sending unit is configured to send a measurement message frame without a data portion based on the probe trigger message frame.

[0057] In one implementation, more than one of the plurality of resource units is allocated to a site within a specified bandwidth under different connections.

[0058] In another implementation, the number of sites is one or more.

[0059] In another implementation, the resource unit is allocated to the site by one or more access points at a specified bandwidth.

[0060] In another embodiment, the probe trigger message frame further includes a site identifier, which corresponds to a plurality of resource units allocated to the site under a specified bandwidth.

[0061] In another embodiment, the site identifier has a correspondence with one or more access points that allocate the plurality of resource units under a specified bandwidth.

[0062] In another embodiment, the probe trigger message frame further includes an identifier bit, which is used to identify whether the probe trigger message frame is sent under different connections.

[0063] In another embodiment, the number of resource unit index pairs is determined based on the number of allocated resource units.

[0064] In another implementation, when the allocated resource units are discontinuous resource units, the number of resource unit index pairs is the number of discontinuous resource units.

[0065] In another implementation, when the allocated resource units are consecutive resource units, the number of resource unit index pairs is determined according to the resource unit format.

[0066] In another implementation, when the resource unit formats of consecutive resource units are the same, the index pairs of consecutive resource units are combined into one resource unit index pair; when the resource unit formats of consecutive resource units are different, the number of index pairs of consecutive resource units is the number of consecutive resource units.

[0067] In another embodiment, the receiving unit is further configured to:

[0068] Before receiving the probe trigger message frame, capability indication information is received, which indicates support for communication over multiple connections.

[0069] In another embodiment, the receiving capability indication information includes:

[0070] When the second device is an access point, the capability indication information is received based on a beacon frame, a joint response frame, a probe response frame, or an authentication response frame; when the second device is a site, the capability indication information is received based on a joint request frame, a probe request frame, or an authentication request frame.

[0071] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a resource allocation apparatus is provided, comprising:

[0072] Processor; memory used to store processor-executable instructions;

[0073] The processor is configured to execute the resource allocation method described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0074] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a resource allocation apparatus is provided, comprising:

[0075] Processor; memory used to store processor-executable instructions;

[0076] The processor is configured to execute the resource allocation method described in the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect.

[0077] According to a seventh aspect of this disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein when instructions in the storage medium are executed by a processor, the processor is able to perform the resource allocation method described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0078] According to an eighth aspect of this disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein when instructions in the storage medium are executed by a processor, the processor is able to perform the resource allocation method described in the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect.

[0079] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this disclosure may include the following beneficial effects: the probe trigger message frame includes a start index and an end index of multiple resource units, and more than one of the multiple resource units is allocated to a site under a specified bandwidth, that is, multiple resource units are allocated for each site, thereby realizing resource allocation for sending probe trigger message frames under multiple connections.

[0080] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0081] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0082] Figures 1A to 1B This is a schematic diagram illustrating a beamforming mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0083] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the format of an NDP announcement frame according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0084] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating a resource allocation method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0085] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe trigger message frame format containing multiple RU index pairs according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0086] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe trigger message frame identifier bit format according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0087] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a resource allocation method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0088] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating a resource allocation apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0089] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating a resource allocation apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0090] Figure 9 This is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0091] Figure 10 This is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0092] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0093] The power-saving method provided in this disclosure is applied to a wireless local area network (WLAN) communication system including a data transmitting device and a data receiving device. The data transmitting device and the data receiving device can be a station (STA) or an access point (AP). Forward and backhaul of data are performed between the data transmitting device and the data receiving device via the WLAN.

[0094] In this disclosure, STA can be understood as a user terminal in a wireless local area network. This user terminal can be called User Equipment (UE), Mobile Station (MS), Mobile Terminal (MT), etc., and is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user. For example, the terminal can be a handheld device with wireless connectivity, an in-vehicle device, etc. Currently, examples of such terminals include: smartphones (MobilePhone), pocket personal computers (PPCs), handheld computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptops, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) clients, or in-vehicle devices, etc.

[0095] In this disclosure, AP refers to devices such as routers that allow wireless local area network user terminals to access the network.

[0096] In related technologies, STA and AP use the IEEE 802.11 standard for data frame transmission. Currently, IEEE 802.11 has established the SG (study group) IEEE 802.11be to research next-generation mainstream (802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax) Wi-Fi technology. The research scope includes 320MHz bandwidth transmission, aggregation and coordination of multiple frequency bands, etc., with the proposed vision of improving speed and throughput by at least four times compared to the existing IEEE 802.11ax. Its main application scenarios are video transmission, AR, VR, etc.

[0097] In this context, multi-band aggregation and coordination refers to communication simultaneously across multiple frequency bands or multiple bandwidths within the same frequency band, such as simultaneous communication in the 2.4GHz, 5.8GHz, and 6-7GHz frequency bands. Simultaneous communication across multiple frequency bands or multiple bandwidths within the same frequency band can be understood as multi-connection communication, or multi-link aggregation (MLA).

[0098] Before data exchange between the AP and STA, measurements are performed between the AP and the station to improve spectrum utilization efficiency. To further enhance transmission rate and quality, beamforming mechanisms (IEEE 802.11ac / ax) are used for measurement, for example... Figures 1A to 1B See also Figures 1A to 1BBefore the measurement begins, the beamformer sends a probe trigger message frame (NDP announcement), such as a very high throughput (VHT) NDP announcement or a high efficiency (HE) NDP announcement. After a certain interval, for example, in the short inter-frame space (SIFS), a measurement message frame, such as an NDP frame or a beamforming report poll (BFRP) frame, is sent. Upon receiving the NDP frame, the beamformee sends a measurement message feedback frame as feedback. Figures 1A to 1B In this process, a data sender sends an NDP announcement, such as an AP sending an NDP announcement frame and an NDP frame. After receiving the NDP frame, one or more STAs send a measurement message feedback frame to provide feedback.

[0099] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the NDP announcement frame format. (See attached image.) Figure 2 As shown, the NDP (null data packet) announcement frame includes a frame control field, duration, receive address, transmission address, sounding dialog token, multiple station information (STA info1...STA info2), and frame check sequence (FCS).

[0100] To improve spectrum utilization efficiency and system throughput, IEEE 802.11be specifies that communication can be conducted under multiple connections, and requires that more than one resource unit (RU) be allocated to a single STA. The existing NDP announcement frame format is no longer suitable for communication requirements under multiple connections, and the NDP announcement frame format needs to be enhanced to meet the requirements of IEEE 802.11be.

[0101] This disclosure provides a resource allocation method that generates and sends a probe trigger message frame (NDPannouncement frame). The probe trigger message frame includes multiple RU start indices and RU end indices. For ease of description, the start index and end index of one RU are referred to as an RU index pair, meaning the probe trigger message frame includes multiple RU index pairs. Each RU index pair can be understood as corresponding to one RU. Furthermore, more than one RU among the multiple RUs corresponding to multiple RU index pairs is allocated to a site under a specified bandwidth to accommodate communication requirements under multiple connections.

[0102] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating a resource allocation method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the resource allocation method is used for a first device, which can be either an AP or a STA, and includes the following steps.

[0103] In step S11, a probe trigger message frame is generated.

[0104] In step S12, a probe trigger message frame is sent.

[0105] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the generated probe trigger message frame includes multiple RU index pairs. Each RU index pair includes a start index and an end index. Furthermore, more than one of the multiple RUs included in the probe trigger message frame is allocated to a station under a specified bandwidth.

[0106] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe trigger message frame format containing multiple RU index pairs according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 4 The probe trigger message frame format shown is an enhancement of the existing NDP announcement frame format. Figure 2 The STA info subfield in the IEEE 802.11ax format is enhanced, changing the current situation where 802.11ax only supports a single RU format, such as... Figure 4 As shown, it includes multiple RU index pairs, that is, multiple RU start indexes and RU end indexes.

[0107] The number of RU index pairs is determined based on the number of allocated RUs.

[0108] In one implementation, when the assigned RUs are non-contiguous RUs, the number of RU index pairs is equal to the number of non-contiguous RUs. In other words, the number of times the RU start index and RU end index appear in this disclosure is related to the number of non-contiguous RUs assigned to the site. For example, if the site is assigned two non-contiguous 26-tone RUs, then the RU start index and RU end index will appear twice.

[0109] In one implementation, when the assigned RUs are consecutive RUs, the number of RU index pairs is determined according to the RU format. For example, when consecutive RUs have the same RU format, the index pairs of consecutive RUs are combined into one RU index pair. When consecutive RUs have different RU formats, the number of index pairs of consecutive RUs is equal to the number of consecutive RUs. For example, in this disclosure, the number of times the RU start index and RU end index appear is related to the number of consecutive RUs assigned to the site. Assuming two consecutive 26-tone RUs are assigned, they can be combined into a 52-tone RU, meaning the RU start index and RU end index appear only once. In related technologies, RU combinations in 802.11ax are: 26-tone, 52-tone, 106-tone, 242-tone, 484-tone, and 996-tone. To ensure compatibility with existing assigned RU combinations, if the assigned RUs are two consecutive RUs, such as 26-tone and 52-tone, the RU start index and RU end index appear twice.

[0110] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the first device simultaneously transmits probe trigger message frames under multiple connections, since IEEE 802.11be supports multiple connections (multiple frequency bands or multiple bandwidths under one frequency band). In one implementation, more than one RU among multiple RUs is allocated to a station in a specified bandwidth under different connections to achieve simultaneous transmission of probe trigger message frames under multiple connections.

[0111] In this embodiment of the disclosure, to accommodate data exchange between multiple Access Points (APs) and multiple Stations (STAs) at the same time, multiple RUs included in the probe trigger message frame are assigned to multiple stations, and each station is assigned more than one RU. In another example, the multiple RUs included in the probe trigger message frame are assigned to stations by one or more APs under a specified bandwidth. In other words, this embodiment of the disclosure can achieve a correspondence between one AP and one or more stations, and assign multiple RUs to each station. This embodiment of the disclosure can also achieve a correspondence between multiple APs and one or more stations, and assign multiple RUs to each station.

[0112] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the probe trigger message frame also includes a site identifier, such as an association identifier (AID) or a group number. The site identifier corresponds to multiple RUs allocated to the site under a specified bandwidth. In one implementation, the site identifier corresponding to the multiple RUs allocated to the site also has a correspondence with one or more APs that allocate multiple RUs under a specified bandwidth.

[0113] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the AP and the site can have the following correspondence: 1-to-1, that is, AP to a single site, and site identifier to multiple RUs. 1-to-many, that is, AP to multiple sites, and site identifier (AID) to multiple RUs. Many-to-many, that is, multiple APs to multiple sites, and site identifier (AID or group number) to multiple RUs.

[0114] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, when sending a probe trigger message frame, the probe trigger message frame can be sent under multiple different connections. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the probe trigger message frame further includes an identifier bit, which is used to identify that the probe trigger message frame is sent under different connections, which can also be understood as sending NDPannouncement frames simultaneously under multiple connections.

[0115] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe trigger message frame identifier bit format according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 In this context, the reserved bit is set as an identifier to indicate that the probe trigger message frame is a multi-connection probe trigger message frame, which is sent under different connections. Figure 5 The probe trigger message frame shown also includes the HE field and the sounding Dialog Token field.

[0116] In this disclosure, before sending a probe trigger message frame that supports multi-connection communication, the first device may send capability indication information. The capability indication information is used to indicate that communication is supported in multiple connections, so that the device that subsequently receives the probe trigger message frame can clearly identify that the first device is for multi-connection communication.

[0117] Specifically, when the first device is an access point (AP), capability indication information can be sent based on beacon frames, association response frames, probe response frames, or authentication response frames. When the first device is a site, capability indication information is sent based on association request frames, probe request frames, or authentication request frames.

[0118] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, after the first device sends a probe trigger message frame, the second device that receives the probe trigger message frame can send a measurement message frame (NDP frame) that does not contain a data portion.

[0119] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a resource allocation method according to an exemplary embodiment. (See also...) Figure 6 As shown, the resource allocation method is applied to a second device, which can be a site or an access point (AP). The resource allocation method includes the following steps.

[0120] In step S21, a probe trigger message frame is received.

[0121] The probe trigger message frame includes multiple RU index pairs. Each RU index pair includes a start index and an end index. More than one RU is assigned to a site within a specified bandwidth. This specified bandwidth can be 20MHz / 40MHz / 80MHz / 160MHz / 160MHz+80MHz / 160MHz+160MHz / 320MHz.

[0122] In step S22, a measurement message frame that does not contain a data portion is sent based on the probe trigger message frame.

[0123] In one implementation, more than one of the multiple RUs is allocated to a site within a specified bandwidth under different connections.

[0124] In another implementation, the number of sites is one or more.

[0125] In another implementation, the RU is assigned to a site by one or more access points at a specified bandwidth.

[0126] In another implementation, the probe trigger message frame also includes a site identifier, which corresponds to a plurality of RUs allocated to the site under a specified bandwidth.

[0127] In another implementation, there is a correspondence between a site identifier and one or more access points that are allocated multiple RUs under a specified bandwidth.

[0128] In another implementation, the probe trigger message frame also includes an identifier bit, which is used to identify whether the probe trigger message frame is sent under different connections.

[0129] In another implementation, the number of RU index pairs is determined based on the number of allocated RUs.

[0130] In another implementation, when the assigned RUs are discontinuous RUs, the number of RU index pairs is equal to the number of discontinuous RUs.

[0131] In another implementation, when the allocated RUs are consecutive RUs, the number of RU index pairs is determined according to the RU format.

[0132] In another implementation, when consecutive RUs have the same RU format, the index pairs of consecutive RUs are combined into one RU index pair. When consecutive RUs have different RU formats, the number of index pairs of consecutive RUs is the number of consecutive RUs.

[0133] In another embodiment of this disclosure, before receiving the probe trigger message frame, the second device receives capability indication information, which indicates support for communication over multiple connections. Specifically, when the second device is an access point (AP), the capability indication information is received based on a beacon, association response, probe response, or authentication response. When the second device is a site, the capability indication information is received based on an association request, probe request, or authentication request.

[0134] It is understood that the probe trigger message frame received by the second device in this embodiment is similar to the probe trigger message frame sent by the first device. Therefore, for any parts of the probe trigger message frame received by the second device that are not described in sufficient detail, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments.

[0135] It is further understood that the resource allocation method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure can also be applied to the interaction process between the first device and the second device. For the process of implementing the resource allocation method during the interaction between the first device and the second device, please refer to the resource allocation method applied to the first device and the resource allocation method applied to the second device involved in the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0136] Based on the same concept, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a resource allocation device.

[0137] It is understood that the resource apparatus provided in this disclosure includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to each function in order to achieve the above-mentioned functions. In conjunction with the units and algorithm steps of the various examples disclosed in this disclosure, this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the technical solutions of this disclosure.

[0138] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating a resource allocation apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. (Refer to...) Figure 7 The resource allocation device 100 is applied to a first device, which can be an AP or a STA, and includes a generation unit 101 and a transmission unit 102.

[0139] Generation unit 101 is configured to generate probe trigger message frames. The probe trigger message frames include multiple resource unit index pairs, each index pair including a start index and an end index. More than one of the multiple resource units is allocated to a site under a specified bandwidth. Sending unit 102 is configured to send probe trigger message frames.

[0140] In one implementation, more than one of the multiple resource units is allocated to a site within a specified bandwidth under different connections.

[0141] In another implementation, the number of sites is one or more.

[0142] In another implementation, resource units are allocated to a site by one or more access points at a specified bandwidth.

[0143] In another implementation, the probe trigger message frame also includes a site identifier, which corresponds to multiple resource units allocated to the site under a specified bandwidth. The site identifier may be a site identifier bit (AID).

[0144] In another implementation, there is a correspondence between a site identifier and one or more access points that are allocated multiple resource units under a specified bandwidth.

[0145] In another embodiment, the probe trigger message frame also includes an identifier bit, which is used to identify whether the probe trigger message frame is sent under different connections. These different connections can be 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6GHz, or different operating bandwidths under 2.4GHz, such as 20MHz.

[0146] In another implementation, the number of resource unit index pairs is determined based on the number of allocated resource units.

[0147] In another implementation, when the allocated resource units are discontinuous resource units, the number of resource unit index pairs is equal to the number of discontinuous resource units.

[0148] In another implementation, when the allocated resource units are contiguous resource units, the number of resource unit index pairs is determined according to the resource unit format.

[0149] In another implementation, when consecutive resource units have the same resource unit format, the index pairs of consecutive resource units are combined into one resource unit index pair. When consecutive resource units have different resource unit formats, the number of index pairs of consecutive resource units is equal to the number of consecutive resource units.

[0150] In another embodiment, the transmitting unit 102 is further configured to:

[0151] Before sending the probe trigger message frame, a capability indication message is sent, which indicates that communication is supported in multiple connections.

[0152] In another implementation, sending capability indication information includes:

[0153] When the first device is an access point, capability indication information is sent based on beacon frames, joint response frames, probe response frames, or authentication response frames. When the first device is a site, capability indication information is sent based on joint request frames, probe request frames, or authentication request frames.

[0154] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating a resource allocation apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. (Refer to...) Figure 8 The resource allocation device 200 is applied to a second device, which can be an AP or a STA, and includes a receiving unit 201 and a transmitting unit 202.

[0155] Receiving unit 201 is configured to receive probe-triggered message frames. The probe-triggered message frame includes multiple resource element index pairs, each pair including a start index and an end index. More than one of the multiple resource elements is allocated to a station within a specified bandwidth. Sending unit 202 is configured to send measurement message frames, excluding data portions, based on the probe-triggered message frames.

[0156] In one implementation, more than one of the multiple resource units is allocated to a site within a specified bandwidth under different connections.

[0157] In another implementation, the number of sites is one or more.

[0158] In another implementation, resource units are allocated to a site by one or more access points at a specified bandwidth.

[0159] In another implementation, the probe trigger message frame also includes a site identifier, which corresponds to a plurality of resource units allocated to the site under a specified bandwidth.

[0160] In another implementation, there is a correspondence between a site identifier and one or more access points that are allocated multiple resource units under a specified bandwidth.

[0161] In another implementation, the probe trigger message frame also includes an identifier bit, which is used to identify whether the probe trigger message frame is sent under different connections.

[0162] In another implementation, the number of resource unit index pairs is determined based on the number of allocated resource units.

[0163] In another implementation, when the allocated resource units are discontinuous resource units, the number of resource unit index pairs is equal to the number of discontinuous resource units.

[0164] In another implementation, when the allocated resource units are contiguous resource units, the number of resource unit index pairs is determined according to the resource unit format.

[0165] In another implementation, when consecutive resource units have the same resource unit format, the index pairs of consecutive resource units are combined into one resource unit index pair. When consecutive resource units have different resource unit formats, the number of index pairs of consecutive resource units is equal to the number of consecutive resource units.

[0166] In another embodiment, the receiving unit 201 is further configured to receive capability indication information before receiving a probe trigger message frame, the capability indication information being used to indicate support for communication over multiple connections.

[0167] In another implementation, when the second device is an access point, capability indication information is received based on beacon frames, joint response frames, probe response frames, or authentication response frames. When the second device is a site, capability indication information is received based on joint request frames, probe request frames, or authentication request frames.

[0168] Regarding the apparatus in the above embodiments, the specific manner in which each module performs its operation has been described in detail in the embodiments related to the method, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0169] Figure 9This is a block diagram illustrating a device 300 for transmitting measurements according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, device 300 may be an access point (AP). Examples include mobile phones, computers, digital broadcasting terminals, messaging devices, game consoles, tablets, medical devices, fitness equipment, personal digital assistants, etc.

[0170] Reference Figure 9 The device 300 may include one or more of the following components: a processing component 302, a memory 304, a power component 306, a multimedia component 308, an audio component 310, an input / output (I / O) interface 312, a sensor component 314, and a communication component 316.

[0171] Processing component 302 typically controls the overall operation of device 300, such as operations associated with display, telephone calls, data communication, camera operation, and recording. Processing component 302 may include one or more processors 320 to execute instructions to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described above. Furthermore, processing component 302 may include one or more modules to facilitate interaction between processing component 302 and other components. For example, processing component 302 may include a multimedia module to facilitate interaction between multimedia component 308 and processing component 302.

[0172] Memory 304 is configured to store various types of data to support the operation of device 300. Examples of this data include instructions for any application or method operating on device 300, contact data, phonebook data, messages, pictures, videos, etc. Memory 304 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic storage, flash memory, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0173] The power supply component 306 provides power to the various components of the device 300. The power supply component 306 may include a power management system, one or more power sources, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power to the device 300.

[0174] Multimedia component 308 includes a screen that provides an output interface between the device 300 and the user. In some embodiments, the screen may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a touch panel (TP). If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen may be implemented as a touchscreen to receive input signals from the user. The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors to sense touches, swipes, and gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensors may sense not only the boundaries of the touch or swipe action but also the duration and pressure associated with the touch or swipe operation. In some embodiments, multimedia component 308 includes a front-facing camera and / or a rear-facing camera. When the device 300 is in an operating mode, such as a shooting mode or a video mode, the front-facing camera and / or the rear-facing camera may receive external multimedia data. Each front-facing camera and rear-facing camera may be a fixed optical lens system or have focal length and optical zoom capabilities.

[0175] Audio component 310 is configured to output and / or input audio signals. For example, audio component 310 includes a microphone (MIC) configured to receive external audio signals when device 300 is in an operating mode, such as call mode, recording mode, and voice recognition mode. The received audio signals may be further stored in memory 304 or transmitted via communication component 316. In some embodiments, audio component 310 also includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

[0176] I / O interface 312 provides an interface between processing component 302 and peripheral interface modules, such as keyboards, click wheels, buttons, etc. These buttons may include, but are not limited to, home buttons, volume buttons, power buttons, and lock buttons.

[0177] Sensor assembly 314 includes one or more sensors for providing status assessments of various aspects of device 300. For example, sensor assembly 314 may detect the on / off state of device 300, the relative positioning of components such as the display and keypad of device 300, changes in the position of device 300 or a component of device 300, the presence or absence of user contact with device 300, the orientation or acceleration / deceleration of device 300, and temperature changes of device 300. Sensor assembly 314 may include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of nearby objects without any physical contact. Sensor assembly 314 may also include a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use in imaging applications. In some embodiments, sensor assembly 314 may also include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

[0178] Communication component 316 is configured to facilitate wired or wireless communication between device 300 and other devices. Device 300 can access wireless networks based on communication standards, such as WiFi, 2G, or 3G, or combinations thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, communication component 316 receives broadcast signals or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In one exemplary embodiment, communication component 316 also includes a near-field communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communication. For example, the NFC module may be implemented based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, Infrared Data Association (IrDA) technology, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth (BT) technology, and other technologies.

[0179] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 300 may be implemented by one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other electronic components to perform the methods described above.

[0180] In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions is also provided, such as a memory 304 including instructions, which can be executed by a processor 320 of the device 300 to perform the above-described method. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be a ROM, random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage device, etc.

[0181] Figure 10 This is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 400 for transmitting measurements according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, apparatus 400 can be a STA or an AP. (Refer to...) Figure 10 The apparatus 400 includes a processing component 422, which further includes one or more processors, and memory resources represented by memory 432 for storing instructions, such as application programs, that can be executed by the processing component 422. The application programs stored in memory 432 may include one or more modules, each corresponding to a set of instructions. Furthermore, the processing component 422 is configured to execute instructions to perform the methods described above.

[0182] Device 400 may also include a power supply component 426 configured to perform power management of device 400, a wired or wireless network interface 450 configured to connect device 400 to a network, and an input / output (I / O) interface 458. Device 400 may operate on an operating system stored in memory 432, such as Windows Server™, Mac OS X™, Unix™, Linux™, FreeBSD™, or similar.

[0183] It can be further understood that in this disclosure, "multiple" refers to two or more, and other quantifiers are similar. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist; for example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. The singular forms "a," "the," and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0184] It is further understood that the terms "first," "second," etc., are used to describe various types of information, but this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another, and do not indicate a specific order or degree of importance. In fact, the expressions "first," "second," etc., are completely interchangeable. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, first information can also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information can also be referred to as first information.

[0185] It is further understood that although operations are described in a specific order in the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of this disclosure, this should not be construed as requiring these operations to be performed in the specific order or serial order shown, or requiring all of the shown operations to be performed to obtain the desired result. In certain environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

[0186] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0187] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A resource allocation method, characterized in that, Applied to the first device, including: Send capability indication information, the capability indication information being used to indicate that the first device supports communication under multiple connections; An NDP Announcement frame is generated, which includes multiple resource unit index pairs and an identifier bit. The index pairs include a start index and an end index. More than one resource unit is allocated to a site under a 320MHz bandwidth. There are multiple sites. The resource units are allocated to multiple sites by multiple access points, including the first device. The identifier bit is used to identify that the NDP Announcement frame is sent simultaneously under different connections. Send the NDP Announcement frame.

2. The resource allocation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The NDP Announcement frame also includes a site identifier, which corresponds to a plurality of resource units allocated to the site under a specified bandwidth.

3. The resource allocation method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The site identifier corresponds to one or more access points that allocate the plurality of resource units under a specified bandwidth.

4. The resource allocation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of resource unit index pairs is determined based on the number of allocated resource units.

5. The resource allocation method according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the allocated resource unit is a non-contiguous resource unit, the number of resource unit index pairs is the number of non-contiguous resource units.

6. The resource allocation method according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the allocated resource unit is a contiguous resource unit, the number of resource unit index pairs is determined according to the resource unit format.

7. The resource allocation method according to claim 6, characterized in that, When consecutive resource units have the same resource unit format, the index pairs of consecutive resource units are combined into one resource unit index pair; When the resource unit formats of consecutive resource units are different, the number of index pairs of consecutive resource units is equal to the number of consecutive resource units.

8. The resource allocation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission capability indication information includes: When the first device is an access point, the capability indication information is sent based on a beacon frame, a joint response frame, a probe response frame, or an authentication response frame; When the first device is a site, the capability indication information is sent based on a joint request frame, a probe request frame, or an authentication request frame.

9. A resource allocation method, characterized in that, Applied to a second device, including: Receive capability indication information, the capability indication information being used to indicate that the first device supports communication under multiple connections; Receive an NDP Announcement frame, the NDP Announcement frame including multiple resource unit index pairs and an identifier bit, the index pairs including a start index and an end index, wherein more than one of the multiple resource units is allocated to a site under a 320MHz bandwidth, the number of sites is multiple, the resource units are allocated to multiple sites by multiple access points, the multiple access points including the first device, and the identifier bit is used to identify that the NDP Announcement frame is sent simultaneously under different connections; Based on the NDP Announcement frame, a measurement message frame without a data portion is sent.

10. The resource allocation method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The NDP Announcement frame also includes a site identifier, which corresponds to a plurality of resource units allocated to the site under a specified bandwidth.

11. The resource allocation method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The site identifier corresponds to one or more access points that allocate the plurality of resource units under a specified bandwidth.

12. The resource allocation method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The number of resource unit index pairs is determined based on the number of allocated resource units.

13. The resource allocation method according to claim 12, characterized in that, When the allocated resource unit is a non-contiguous resource unit, the number of resource unit index pairs is the number of non-contiguous resource units.

14. The resource allocation method according to claim 12, characterized in that, When the allocated resource unit is a contiguous resource unit, the number of resource unit index pairs is determined according to the resource unit format.

15. The resource allocation method according to claim 14, characterized in that, When consecutive resource units have the same resource unit format, the index pairs of consecutive resource units are combined into one resource unit index pair; When the resource unit formats of consecutive resource units are different, the number of index pairs of consecutive resource units is equal to the number of consecutive resource units.

16. The resource allocation method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The receiving capability indication information includes: When the second device is an access point, the capability indication information is received based on beacon frames, joint response frames, probe response frames, or authentication response frames; When the second device is a site, the capability indication information is received based on a joint request frame, a probe request frame, or an authentication request frame.

17. A resource allocation device, characterized in that, Applied to the first device, including: Send capability indication information, the capability indication information being used to indicate that the first device supports communication over multiple connections; A generation unit is configured to generate an NDP Announcement frame, which includes multiple resource element index pairs and an identifier bit. The index pairs include a start index and an end index. More than one of the multiple resource elements is allocated to a site at a 320MHz bandwidth. There are multiple sites. The resource elements are allocated to multiple sites by multiple access points, including the first device. The identifier bit is used to identify simultaneous transmission of the NDP Announcement frame under different connections. The transmitting unit is configured to transmit the NDP Announcement frame.

18. A resource allocation device, characterized in that, Applied to a second device, including: The receiving unit is configured to receive capability indication information, which indicates that the first device supports communication over multiple connections. It receives an NDP Announcement frame, which includes multiple resource element index pairs and an identifier bit. The index pairs include a start index and an end index. More than one of the multiple resource elements is allocated to a site at 320MHz. The number of sites is multiple, and the resource elements are allocated to multiple sites by multiple access points, including the first device. The identifier bit is used to identify simultaneous transmission of the NDP Announcement frame under different connections. The sending unit is configured to send a measurement message frame that does not contain a data portion based on the NDP Announcement frame.

19. A resource allocation device, characterized in that, include: A memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the steps of the resource allocation method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

20. A resource allocation device, characterized in that, include: A memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the steps of the resource allocation method according to any one of claims 9 to 16.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the steps of the resource allocation method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the steps of the resource allocation method according to any one of claims 9 to 16.

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