Communication device and communication method

Abstract

A communication device and a communication method are provided to provide spatial reuse categorization information. A communication device includes a transceiver to connect the communication device to one or more first stations and an access point in a mesh network, wherein the access point is connected to one or more second stations; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to provide spatial reuse categorization information to the access point through the transceiver so that the access point determines whether to transmit a PPDU from the access point to one of the second stations to achieve spatial reuse.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to wireless network communications, and more particularly, to apparatus and methods for using spatial multiplexing classification in mesh networks. Background Technology

[0002] IEEE 802.11 is a set of Media Access Control (MAC) and Physical (PHY) layer specifications for implementing Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) communication in the Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz, 3.6 GHz, 5 GHz, and 60 GHz) bands. The 802.11 family includes a series of half-duplex over-the-air modulation techniques using the same basic protocol. Standards and modifications provide the foundation for wireless network products using Wi-Fi bands. For example, IEEE 802.11ac is a wireless network standard in the IEEE 802.11 family that provides high-throughput WLAN in the 5 GHz band. The IEEE 802.11ac standard offers significantly wider channel bandwidths (20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and 160 MHz). The High Efficiency WLAN Study Group (HEW SG), a research group within the IEEE 802.11 working group, considers improving spectrum efficiency to increase system throughput in high-density wireless device scenarios. Thanks to HEW SG, TGax (an IEEE task force) was formed and tasked with developing the IEEE 802.11ax standard, which will succeed IEEE 802.11ac. Recently, WLAN has seen exponential growth in organizations across many industries.

[0003] In IEEE 802.11ac WLAN systems, transmitters of a specific bandwidth Basic Service Set (BSS) are allowed to transmit radio signals into a shared wireless medium for channel access contention, based on Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) sensing and a delay or backoff process. IEEE 802.11ac uses the Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) protocol as the channel contention procedure to enable wireless devices to gain access to the shared wireless medium, for example, to obtain a transmitting opportunity (TXOP) to send radio signals into the shared wireless medium. The basic assumption of EDCA is that packet collisions may occur if a device transmits a signal while the channel is busy and the received signal level is higher than the CCA level. This simple Carrier-Sense Multiple Access / Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) with a random backoff contention scheme and low-cost ad hoc deployment in unlicensed spectrum facilitates the rapid adoption of IEEE 802.11ac Wi-Fi systems.

[0004] BSS coloring is a technique used to improve the coexistence of overlapping BSSs (OBSSs) and allow spatial reuse (SR) within a single channel. Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax) enables each AP radio to be assigned a value (from 1 to 63) called the BSS color, which is included in the physical (PHY) header of all high-efficiency (HE) transmissions from devices within the BSS. By sending a locally unique color through each BSS, devices can quickly and easily distinguish transmissions originating from their own BSS or from devices in neighboring BSSs.

[0005] Currently, Wi-Fi devices are overpopulated. Dense deployment has led to significant problems such as interference, congestion, and low throughput. Spatial multiplexing, introduced in the IEEE 802.11ax protocol, can significantly increase network throughput in some dense deployment scenarios because more simultaneous transmissions can occur across multiple overlapping BSSs (OBSSs). While spatial multiplexing in Wi-Fi 6 may help mitigate co-channel interference, increased use of spatial multiplexing can also introduce more collisions and interference to the network. However, spatial multiplexing in Wi-Fi 6 does not work in mesh networks. More specifically, spatial multiplexing in Wi-Fi 6 only considers the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) from access point to access point (AP) to adjust the transmitter power (i.e., Tx power), without considering the signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR) on existing links between access points and sites in the wireless network. This will result in a significant decrease in SINR on existing link receivers. Furthermore, internal traffic within the mesh network can be negatively impacted when some internal nodes are spatially reused by internal AP nodes in the mesh network. Additionally, the Wi-Fi 6 protocol lacks any mechanism to coordinate SR behavior between AP nodes in a mesh network.

[0006] Therefore, a device and method for using spatial multiplexing classification in mesh networks is needed to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This invention provides a communication device and a communication method that can provide spatial reuse classification information.

[0008] The present invention provides a communication device comprising: a transceiver for connecting the communication device to one or more first sites and an access point in a mesh network, wherein the access point is connected to one or more second sites; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to provide spatial multiplexing classification information to the access point via the transceiver, so that the access point determines whether to send a PPDU from the access point to one of the second sites to achieve spatial multiplexing.

[0009] The present invention provides a communication method comprising: forming a mesh network of a first access point and other access points including at least a second access point, and a plurality of sites including at least one or more first sites and one or more second sites, wherein the first access point is connected to the one or more first sites and the second access point, and the second access point is connected to the one or more second sites; using the first access point to provide spatial multiplexing classification information to the second access point, so that the second access point determines whether to send a PPDU from the second access point to one of the second sites to achieve spatial multiplexing.

[0010] Another communication device provided by the present invention includes: a transceiver for connecting the communication device to one or more first sites and an access point, wherein the access point is connected to one or more second sites; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to classify whether spatial multiplexing is allowed for data transmission between the device and the one or more first sites, and to notify the access point via the transceiver whether spatial multiplexing is allowed for data transmission. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1A This is an illustration of a mesh network according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 1B for Figure 1A The module diagram of access point AP1 in the system.

[0013] Figure 2A and 2B To be respectively by Figure 1A The diagram shows the PPDUs sent by access points AP1 and AP2.

[0014] Figure 3 This is an illustration of a mesh network according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 4 This is an illustration of a mesh network according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a diagram of a mesh network according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 6 This is a block diagram of an example communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of a spatial reuse classification method in a mesh network according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Certain terms are used in the specification and claims to refer to specific components. Those skilled in the art will understand that hardware manufacturers may use different names to refer to the same component. This specification and claims do not distinguish components by differences in name, but by differences in function. The terms "comprising" and "including" used throughout the specification and claims are open-ended and should be interpreted as "comprising but not limited to." "Substantially" or "approximately" means that within an acceptable margin of error, those skilled in the art can solve the technical problem and substantially achieve the technical effect within a certain margin of error. Furthermore, the terms "coupled" or "coupled" herein include any direct and indirect electrical connection means. Therefore, if a first device is described as coupled to a second device, it means that the first device can be directly electrically connected to the second device, or indirectly electrically connected to the second device through other devices or connection means. The following description is a preferred mode for carrying out the invention and is intended to illustrate the spirit of the invention rather than to limit the scope of protection of the invention. The scope of protection of the invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

[0020] The following description represents the preferred embodiments of the present invention. These descriptions are intended to illustrate the general principles of the invention and not to limit it. The scope of protection of the invention should be determined based on the claims of the invention.

[0021] Figure 1A This is an illustration of a mesh network according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Mesh network 100 may include access points AP1, AP2, and AP3, and sites STA11, STA12, STA21, and STA31, wherein access points AP1, AP2, and AP3 may be all or some of all access points located within mesh network 100. Furthermore, access points AP1, AP2, and AP3 may be mesh AP nodes within mesh network 100. In one embodiment, access points AP1, AP2, and AP3 may include wireless routers, access points, laptops, desktop computers, smartphones, tablets, etc. In some embodiments, access point AP1 may be considered as connected to a modem device via a backhaul link (…). Figure 1A The controller device for the WAN (Wide Area Network) port (not shown in the diagram). Although Figure 1A The diagram shows three access points AP1, AP2, and AP3, and four sites STA11, STA12, STA21, and STA31. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that there can be any number of access points and sites, and such a number is within the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0023] Furthermore, mesh networks allow nodes or access points to communicate directly with other nodes without routing through a central switching point (such as a hub). In some embodiments, access points AP1, AP2, and AP3 associate and authenticate new proxy devices such as sites (STAs), and coordinate transmissions based on time and bandwidth requests from the proxy devices.

[0024] like Figure 1A As shown, it is assumed that access points AP1, AP2, and AP3 in the mesh network 100 support the IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) standard. Stations STA11 and STA12 are connected to access point AP1 via fronthaul links 15 and 16, respectively. Access point AP2 is connected to access point AP1 via Wi-Fi link 14, and station STA21 is connected to access point AP2 via fronthaul link 17. Access point AP3 is connected to access point AP1 via Wi-Fi link 18 and to access point AP2 via Wi-Fi link 19, while station STA31 is connected to access point AP3 via fronthaul link 20. In this embodiment, the mesh network 100 can be considered a dense network (i.e., a densely deployed network), and access points AP1, AP2, and AP3 can enable spatial-reuse classification in the mesh network 100. Details of spatial-reuse classification will be described later.

[0025] Figure 1B for Figure 1A The module diagram of access point AP1 in the system.

[0026] Access point AP1 may include integrated circuit 1101, processing circuitry 1102, memory 1103, buffer memory 1104, and at least one antenna 1105. Antenna 1105 can transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals. Integrated circuit 1101 is coupled to antenna 1105, and integrated circuit 1101 may include one or more transceivers 1106 that can receive RF signals from antenna 1105, convert them into baseband signals, and transmit the baseband signals to processing circuitry 1102. Transceiver 1106 can also convert baseband signals from processing circuitry 1102 into RF signals and transmit the RF signals to antenna 1105. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1102 may be implemented by a central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), or a microcontroller, but the invention is not limited thereto.

[0027] In some embodiments, integrated circuit 1101 may be a Wi-Fi chip, and integrated circuit 1101 and processing circuit 1102 may be implemented by a system-on-chip (SoC), but the invention is not limited thereto. Memory 1103 may be volatile memory or non-volatile memory. For example, volatile memory may be static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and non-volatile memory may be flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable memory, read-only memory (EPROM), or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), but the invention is not limited thereto. Furthermore, memory 1103 may store instructions or firmware that can be executed by processing circuit 1102 to control the operation of access point AP1. In some embodiments, components in access points AP2 and AP3 may be similar to those in access point AP1, therefore these components in access points AP2 and AP3 will not be described again.

[0028] Spatial reuse classification using specific fields

[0029] Figure 2A and 2B To be respectively by Figure 1A This diagram illustrates the PPDUs sent by access points AP1 and AP2. (See reference) Figure 1A , Figures 2A-2B .

[0030] In one embodiment, Access Point AP1 can use specific fields in the current PPDU to notify other mesh AP nodes (e.g., Access Point AP2) whether the current PPDU (Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit) sent by Access Point AP1 allows spatial multiplexing. For example, if the current PPDU is an HE (High Efficiency) PPDU or an EHT (Extremely High-Throughput) PPDU, the current PPDU can include a "Reserved" field and a 4-bit "Spatial_Reuse" field in the PHY (physical layer) preamble. Therefore, specific values ​​in the "Reserved" field and "Spatial_Reuse" can be designed to notify the mesh network whether the corresponding PPDU can be spatially multiplexed.

[0031] like Figure 2AAs shown, the PPDU 210 sent by access point AP1 to site STA11 may include a premble 211 and a MAC payload 212. The value of the “Spatial_Reuse” field in the premble of PPDU 210 can be 0xF in hexadecimal format, indicating that PPDU 210 cannot be spatially reused by other mesh AP nodes (e.g., access point AP2) in mesh network 100. For example, since site STA11 is closer to access point AP2 and farther from its associated access point AP1, after access points AP1 and AP2 exchange their RSSI measurement reports, access points AP1 and AP2 can know that the SINR (signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio) of the existing link between access point AP1 and site STA11 will be insufficient.

[0032] At this point, Access Point AP1 will modify the value of the "Spatial_Reuse" field in the PHY preamble 211 of PPDU 210 to 0xF to indicate that the PPDU 210 of the existing link between Access Point AP1 and Site STA11 cannot be spatially reused. Access Point AP2 can detect that the value of the "Spatial_Reuse" field in the PHY preamble of the PPDU 210 sent by Access Point AP1 is 0xF without needing to decode the MAC payload of PPDU 210. Therefore, Access Point AP2 will not send another PPDU to its associated Site STA21 for spatial reuse.

[0033] like Figure 2B As shown, the PPDU 220 sent by access point AP1 to site STA12 may include a premble 221 and a MAC payload 222. The value of the “Spatial_Reuse” field in the premble of PPDU 220 can be 0x0 in hexadecimal format, indicating that PPDU 220 can be spatially reused by other mesh AP nodes (e.g., access point AP2) in the mesh network 100. For example, since site STA12 is closer to its associated access point AP1 and farther from access point AP2, after access points AP1 and AP2 exchange their RSSI measurement reports, access points AP1 and AP2 can know that the existing SINR (signal interference plus noise ratio) of the link between access point AP1 and site STA12 will be sufficient.

[0034] At this point, Access Point AP1 will modify the value of the "Spatial_Reuse" field in the PHY preamble 221 of PPDU 220 to 0x0 to indicate that the PPDU 220 of the existing link between Access Point AP1 and Site STA12 can be spatially reused. Access Point AP2 can detect that the value of the "Spatial_Reuse" field in the PHY preamble of the PPDU 220 sent by Access Point AP1 is 0x0 without needing to decode the MAC payload of PPDU 220. Therefore, Access Point AP2 will still send another SR PPDU 230 to its associated Site STA21 for spatial reuse.

[0035] Similarly, the “Reserved” field in the PHY preamble of PPDU 210 or PPDU 220 can be used to indicate whether PPDU 210 or PPDU 220 can be spatially reused by other access points. For example, the bit sequence combination in the “Reserved” field of the PHY preamble of PPDU 210 or PPDU 220 can be set using combinations not defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard to notify other access points whether the PPDU allows spatial reuse.

[0036] Spatial reuse classification using BSS color groups

[0037] Figure 3 This is an illustration of a mesh network according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] In one embodiment, the mesh network 300 may include a controller 310 and an agent 320, wherein the controller 310 and agent 320 are access points. The controller 310 is connected to the agent 320 via a Wi-Fi link 315. Furthermore, as... Figure 3 As shown, agent 320 connects to sites STA1, STA2, and STA3, which are assigned to the basic service set BSS1 with the same SSID (i.e., "Guest") and the same BSS color 2.

[0039] Controller 310 can establish a BSS color blacklist based on the BSS color information (which can be considered as BSS group classification information) reported by agent 320. When the value of a specific BSS color in the BSS color blacklist is true, controller 310 will not send a PPDU for that specific BSS color for space reuse. In this case, agent 320 will report that BSS color 2 is currently in use, so the BSS color blacklist established by controller 310 can be represented by Table 1 as follows:

[0040]

[0041] Table 1

[0042] Each of the controllers 310 and agents 320 in the mesh network 300 can create a replicated BSS for each existing BSS. The replicated BSS has the same Service Set Identifier (SSID) and password as the existing BSS, but a different BSS color or a different BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier). Based on this, agent 320 can replicate basic service set BSS1 with BSS color 2 to another basic service set BSS2 with BSS color 3. Agent 320 can steer a site STA2 with sufficient SR SINR to basic service set BSS2.

[0043] Specifically, Agent 320 can establish a relationship table between SINR and data rate, which is represented by Table 2:

[0044]

[0045] Table 2

[0046] In Table 2, data rates MCS7–MCS11 refer to the IEEE 802.11 specification. Agent 320 can discover that site STA2 can have the highest SR SINR (e.g., 40 dB), the highest acceptable data rate (e.g., MCS11), and the highest common data rate (e.g., MCS11). Furthermore, site STA2 can also have sufficient SINR after spatial multiplexing. Therefore, agent 320 can redirect site STA2 from basic service set BSS1 to another basic service set BSS2, where basic service set BSS2 has the same SSID as basic service set BSS1, but its BSS color (e.g., BSS color 3) is different from the BSS color of basic service set BSS1 (e.g., BSS color 2). Therefore, after station STA2 is directed to basic service set BSS2, when agent 320 sends the first PPDU to station STA2, controller 310 can detect that the BSS color indicated by the first PPDU indicates that the first PPDU can be spatially reused, and controller 310 can then send a second PPDU to its associated station after the first PPDU, thereby realizing spatial reuse.

[0047] Spatial multiplexing of classification bandwidth

[0048] Figure 4 This is an illustration of a mesh network according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] In one embodiment, the mesh network 400 may include a controller 410 and an agent 420, wherein the controller 410 and the agent 420 may be... Figure 1A The access point is shown in the embodiment. Controller 410 is connected to agent 420 via Wi-Fi link 415. Furthermore, as... Figure 4 As shown, controller 410 and agent 420 operate on multiple frequency bandwidths (e.g., bandwidth 1 and bandwidth 2), and agent 420 is currently connected to sites STA1, STA2 and STA3, which are allocated bandwidth 1.

[0050] Controller 410 can establish a bandwidth SR blacklist based on the bandwidth information (i.e., bandwidth groups) reported by agent 420. When the value of a specific bandwidth in the bandwidth SR blacklist is true, controller 410 will not send a PPDU for that specific bandwidth for spatial multiplexing. In this case, agent 420 will report that bandwidth 1 is currently in use, so the bandwidth SR blacklist established by controller 410 can be accessed.

[0051] Table 3 shows:

[0052]

[0053] Table 3

[0054] Agent 420 can establish a relationship table between SINR and data rate, which is represented by Table 4:

[0055]

[0056] Table 4

[0057] In Table 4, data rates MCS7 to MCS11 refer to the IEEE 802.11 specification. Agent 420 can detect that site STA2 can have the highest SR SINR (e.g., 40 dB), the highest acceptable data rate (e.g., MCS11), and the highest common data rate (e.g., MCS11). Additionally, site STA2 can also have sufficient SINR after spatial multiplexing. Therefore, agent 420 can redirect site STA2 from bandwidth 1 (i.e., the bandwidth group that does not allow spatial multiplexing) to bandwidth 2 (i.e., another bandwidth group that allows spatial multiplexing). Therefore, after site STA2 has been redirected to bandwidth 2, when agent 420 sends a first PPDU to site STA2 using bandwidth 2, controller 410 can detect that the bandwidth information indicated by the first PPDU indicates that the first PPDU can be spatially multiplexed. Then, the controller can send a second PPDU to its associated site after the first PPDU, thereby achieving spatial multiplexing. Furthermore, agent 420 can keep its associated STAs with sufficient SINR in bandwidth 1 and redirect its associated STAs with insufficient SINR to bandwidth 2.

[0058] Spatial reuse classification using AID information

[0059] Figure 5 This is a diagram of a mesh network according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] In one embodiment, the mesh network 500 may include a controller 510 and an agent 520, wherein the controller 510 and the agent 520 may be... Figure 1A The access point is shown in the embodiment. Controller 510 is connected to agent 520 via Wi-Fi link 515. Furthermore, as... Figure 5 As shown, agent 520 connects to sites STA1, STA2, and STA3, which correspond to association identifiers AID1, AID2, and AID3, respectively. For example, each time a site is associated with an AP, it receives an AID (associated identifier). The AP uses this AID to track sites associated with and members of the BSS.

[0061] Controller 510 can establish an AID SR blacklist based on the AID information reported by agent 520. When the value of a specific AID in the AID SR blacklist is true, controller 510 will not send a PPDU for that specific AID for space reuse. In this case, agent 520 can report that associated identifiers AID1 and AID3 are currently in use, so the AID SR blacklist established by controller 510 can be represented by Table 5 as follows:

[0062]

[0063] Table 5

[0064] It should be noted that AID information only exists in the preamble of VHT (Very High Throughput), HE (High Efficiency), and EHT (Extremely High Throughput) PPDUs. VHT PPDUs are defined by the IEEE 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) standard, but only contain a portion of the AID information not used in this embodiment. HE PPDUs are defined by the IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) standard. However, AID information only exists in the HE-SIG-B field of HE-MU (High Efficiency Multi-User) format PPDUs. Therefore, when the AID classification method is applied to HE sites, agent 520 sends MU format PPDUs to its associated sites, even for a single user. For EHT PPDUs, AID information is fully supported. When all devices in the mesh network 500 support the IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) standard, controller 510 and agent 520 can send EHT PPDUs to their associated sites.

[0065] In addition, Agent 520 can establish a relationship table between SINR and data rate, which is represented by Table 6:

[0066]

[0067] Table 6

[0068] In Table 6, the data rates MCS7 to MCS11 refer to the IEEE 802.11 specification. Agent 520 can discover that station STA2 can have the highest SR SINR (e.g., 40 dB), the highest acceptable data rate (e.g., MCS11), and the highest common data rate (e.g., MCS11). Furthermore, station STA2 can also have sufficient SINR after spatial multiplexing. Therefore, controller 510 can monitor the AID in the preamble of the PPDU sent by agent 520 to determine which station the PPDU is sent to, and then determine whether to apply spatial multiplexing to another PPDU sent from controller 510 to its associated station without interfering with the existing link between agent 520 and its associated station.

[0069] For example, when agent 520 sends a first PPDU to station STA2 (e.g., in HE or EHT format), controller 510 can detect that the AID information indicated by the preamble of the first PPDU allows space reuse, and controller 510 can then send a second PPDU to its associated station after the first PPDU, thereby enabling space reuse.

[0070] Figure 2 to Figure 5The embodiments provide an efficient method for classifying whether PPDUs within a mesh network are allowed to use spatial multiplexing. For example, access points in a mesh network do not need to periodically update the classification results, and spatial multiplexing determination can be performed on a per-PPDU basis. Furthermore, because the PHY header in the preamble of a PPDU is much easier to decode than the MAC payload, access points performing spatial multiplexing on existing links can easily obtain spatial multiplexing classification information from the PHY preamble of the PPDUs on the existing links.

[0071] Figure 6 This is a block diagram of an example communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] exist Figure 6 In the communication environment 600, there are example devices 610 and 620 according to embodiments of the present invention. Each of devices 610 and 620 can perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes, and methods described herein related to spatial multiplexing classification in mesh networks, including those described above in Figures 1 to 620. Figure 5 The various schemes described in the text.

[0073] Each of devices 610 and 620 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, each of devices 610 and 620 may be implemented in an access point (AP), repeater, smartphone, smartwatch, personal digital assistant, digital camera, or computing device such as a tablet computer, laptop computer, or notebook computer. Each of devices 610 and 620 may also be part of a machine-type device, which may be an IoT or NB-IoT device, such as a static or fixed device, home device, wired communication device, or computing device. For example, each of devices 610 and 620 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, smart refrigerator, smart door lock, wireless speaker, or home control center. Alternatively, each of devices 610 and 620 may be implemented as one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more complex instruction set computing (CISC) processors. Each of devices 610 and 620 may include... Figure 6 At least some of the components shown include, for example, processor 612 and processor 622, respectively. Each of devices 610 and 620 may also include one or more other components unrelated to the proposed embodiments of the invention (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device), and therefore, for the sake of brevity, each of these components (one or more) is not listed in the table. Figure 6 As shown in the image, it will not be described further.

[0074] On one hand, each of processors 612 and 622 may be implemented as one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is, even though the singular term "one processor" is used herein to refer to processors 612 and 622, according to the invention, each of processors 612 and 622 may include multiple processors in some implementations and a single processor in other implementations. On the other hand, each of processors 612 and 622 may be implemented as hardware (and, optionally, firmware) having electronic components, including, for example, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more varistors, configured and arranged to achieve a specific purpose according to the invention. In other words, in at least some implementations, each of processors 612 and 622 is a dedicated machine specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform a specific task, including implementations that classify whether space reuse is permitted according to various embodiments of the invention.

[0075] In some embodiments, device 610 may further include a transceiver 616, which serves as a communication device, coupled to processor 612 and configured to wirelessly transmit and receive data. In some embodiments, device 610 may further include a memory 614 coupled to processor 612, accessible by processor 612, and capable of storing data therein. In some embodiments, device 620 may further include a transceiver 626, which serves as a communication device, coupled to processor 622 and configured to wirelessly transmit and receive data. In some embodiments, device 620 may further include a memory 624 coupled to processor 622, accessible by processor 622, and capable of storing data therein. Therefore, devices 610 and 620 can wirelessly communicate with each other via transceiver 616 and transceiver 626, respectively.

[0076] To aid in better understanding, the following descriptions of the operation, functions, and capabilities of devices 610 and 620 are provided in the context of device 610 acting as an access point (e.g., AP1, AP2, controller, and agent) in a mesh network (e.g., mesh networks 200–500) and device 620 acting as a site (e.g., STA1, STA2, and STA3).

[0077] As an example, in an optional implementation, the transceiver of device 610, which serves as a first access point, is used to connect device 610 to one or more first sites and a second access point in a mesh network, wherein the second access point is connected to one or more second sites; and the processor of device 610, coupled to the transceiver and configured to provide spatial multiplexing classification information to the second access point through the transceiver, so that the second access point can determine whether to send a PPDU from the first access point to one of the second sites to achieve spatial multiplexing.

[0078] As an example, in an optional implementation, the transceiver of device 610, which serves as a first access point, is used to connect device 610 to one or more first sites and a second access point, wherein the second access point is connected to one or more second sites; and the processor of device 610, coupled to the transceiver and configured to classify whether spatial multiplexing is allowed for data transmission (e.g., PPDU transmission) between device 610 and the one or more first sites, and to notify the second access point via the transceiver whether spatial multiplexing is allowed for the data transmission.

[0079] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of a spatial multiplexing classification method in a mesh network according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to Figures 2-7.

[0080] In step S710, the first access point and other access points, including at least the second access point, and multiple sites, including at least one or more first sites and one or more second sites, form a mesh network. For example, the first access point (e.g., a controller) is connected to one or more first sites and the second access point (e.g., an agent). The second access point is connected to one or more second sites (e.g., STA1-STA3).

[0081] Step S720: The first access point provides spatial reuse classification information to the second access point so that the second access point can determine whether to send a PPDU from the second access point to one of the second sites to achieve spatial reuse. For example, the spatial reuse classification information may be a specific field of the PPDU (e.g., the "reserved" or "spatial_reuse" field), BSS color information reported by the access point, bandwidth group classification information reported by the access point, or AID information reported by the access point.

[0082] In an optional embodiment, when the spatial reuse classification information provided by the first access point to the second access point indicates that the existing first PPDU between the first access point and one of the first sites is not allowed to reuse space, the second access point will not send a second PPDU to one of the second sites to achieve spatial reuse. Conversely, when the spatial reuse classification information provided by the first access point to the second access point indicates that the existing first PPDU between the first access point and one of the first sites is allowed to reuse space, the second access point will send a second PPDU to one of the second sites to achieve spatial reuse.

[0083] In an optional embodiment, the first access point may be configured to generate the spatial reuse classification information by classifying whether existing first PPDUs between the first access point and the one or more first sites allow spatial reuse.

[0084] The embodiments described in this invention can be implemented entirely in hardware, entirely in software, or in a manner that includes both hardware and software elements. The embodiments of this invention can be implemented in software, including but not limited to application software, firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.

[0085] The steps described in this invention can be implemented using any suitable controller or processor and can be achieved by a software application stored in any suitable storage location or on a computer-readable medium. The software application provides instructions that enable the processor to cause the receiver to perform the functions described herein.

[0086] Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention may take the form of a calculator program product accessible from a calculator-usable or calculator-readable medium, which provides program code for use by or in connection with a calculator or any instruction execution system. For purposes of description, a calculator-usable or calculator-readable medium may be any device that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus.

[0087] The medium can be electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, a semiconductor system (or device), or a propagation medium. Examples of calculator-readable media include semiconductor or solid-state memory, magnetic tape, removable calculator disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disks, and optical discs. Current examples of optical discs include DVDs, optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), and optical disc read / write (CD-R / W).

[0088] While the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A transceiver for connecting the communication device to one or more first sites and an access point in a mesh network, wherein the access point is connected to one or more second sites; and A processor, coupled to the transceiver and configured to obtain the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) and data rate of the one or more first stations to classify the one or more first stations, and to obtain spatial multiplexing classification information based on the SINR and data rate of the one or more first stations; The transceiver is also configured to provide the spatial multiplexing classification information to the access point so that the access point can determine whether to send a PPDU from the access point to one or more of the second sites to achieve spatial multiplexing.

2. The communication device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The PPDU is a second PPDU, and the spatial multiplexing classification information is carried in the "spatial multiplexing" field of the physical layer preamble of the first PPDU sent from the communication device to one of the one or more first stations.

3. The communication device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The PPDU is a second PPDU, and the spatial multiplexing classification information is carried in the "reserved" field of the physical layer preamble of the first PPDU sent from the communication device to one of the one or more first stations.

4. The communication device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The processor classifies one or more first sites into basic service sets based on whether each first site allows spatial reuse, and obtains spatial reuse classification information based on the classified basic service sets.

5. The communication device as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The processor copies a target basic service set from one of multiple basic service sets at the one or more first sites, the target basic service set allowing for space reuse; The PPDU is a second PPDU. After the processor directs one or more first sites to the target basic service set, it transmits the first PPDU to the directed first site. The first PPDU carries information indicating the target basic service set that allows spatial reuse of the first PPDU as spatial reuse classification information, so that the access point can transmit the second PPDU to one or more second sites by spatially reusing the first PPDU.

6. The communication device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The processor divides the one or more first sites into multiple bandwidth groups based on whether each bandwidth currently used by the one or more first sites allows spatial multiplexing, and obtains spatial multiplexing classification information based on the divided bandwidth groups.

7. The communication device as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The processor selects a target bandwidth group from the plurality of bandwidth groups, which allows for space reuse; The PPDU is a second PPDU. After the processor directs one or more first sites to the target bandwidth group, it transmits the first PPDU to the directed first site. The first PPDU carries information indicating that the target bandwidth group allows spatial multiplexing of the first PPDU as spatial multiplexing classification information, so that the access point can transmit the second PPDU to one or more second sites by spatial multiplexing with the first PPDU.

8. The communication device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The PPDU is a second PPDU, and the spatial multiplexing classification information is carried in the associated identifier in the physical layer preamble of the first PPDU sent from the communication device to one of the one or more first stations.

9. The communication device as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The first PPDU is in HE-MU or EHT format.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, include: A first access point and other access points, including at least a second access point, and a plurality of sites, including at least one or more first sites and one or more second sites, form a mesh network, wherein the first access point is connected to the one or more first sites and the second access point, and the second access point is connected to the one or more second sites; Obtain the SINR and data rate of the one or more first sites to classify the one or more first sites, and obtain spatial reuse classification information based on the SINR and data rate of the one or more first sites; The first access point is used to provide the spatial multiplexing classification information to the second access point so that the second access point can determine whether to send a PPDU from the second access point to one or more second sites to achieve spatial multiplexing.

11. The communication method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The PPDU is a second PPDU, and the spatial multiplexing classification information is carried in the "spatial multiplexing" field of the physical layer preamble of the first PPDU sent from the first access point to one of the one or more first sites.

12. The communication method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The PPDU is a second PPDU, and the spatial multiplexing classification information is carried in the "Reserved" field of the physical layer preamble of the first PPDU sent from the first access point to one of the one or more first sites.

13. The communication method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, Further includes: Based on whether each of the first sites allows space reuse, classify one or more first sites into basic service sets; The spatial reuse classification information is obtained based on the basic service set of the classification.

14. The communication method as described in claim 13, characterized in that, Further includes: Using the first access point, a target basic service set is copied from one of multiple basic service sets of the one or more first sites, the target basic service set allowing spatial reuse; The PPDU is a second PPDU. After the first access point directs one or more first sites to the target basic service set, it transmits the first PPDU to the directed first site. The first PPDU carries information indicating the target basic service set that allows spatial reuse of the first PPDU as spatial reuse classification information, so that the second access point can transmit the second PPDU to one or more second sites by spatially reusing the first PPDU.

15. The communication method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, Further includes: Using the first access point, the one or more first sites are divided into multiple bandwidth groups based on whether each bandwidth currently used by the one or more first sites allows spatial multiplexing, and spatial multiplexing classification information is obtained based on the divided bandwidth groups.

16. The communication method as described in claim 15, characterized in that, Further includes: Using the first access point, a target bandwidth group is selected from the plurality of bandwidth groups, which allows spatial multiplexing; The PPDU is a second PPDU. After the first access point directs one or more first sites to the target bandwidth group, it transmits the first PPDU to the directed first site. The first PPDU carries information indicating that the target bandwidth group allows spatial multiplexing of the first PPDU as spatial multiplexing classification information, so that the second access point can transmit the second PPDU to one or more second sites by spatial multiplexing with the first PPDU.

17. The communication method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The PPDU is a second PPDU, and the spatial multiplexing classification information is carried in the associated identifier in the physical layer preamble of the first PPDU sent from the first access point to one of the one or more first sites.

18. The communication method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, The first PPDU is in HE-MU or EHT format.

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