Data transmission method and related device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a data transmission method and a related device. The method comprises the following steps: a first node sends a to-be-sent frame of which the shunting attribute value belongs to a first frequency band shunting range to a second node through a first frequency band; wherein the first frequency band is one of at least two frequency bands between the first node and the second node; the distribution attribute value of the to-be-sent frame comprises at least one of the following information: a frame type, a transmission rate, service quality, an access category of the service quality, a spatial stream, a sending duration, a data packet format and a data packet bandwidth. In the embodiment of the invention, the first node sends the to-be-sent frame of which the shunting attribute value belongs to the shunting range of the first frequency band to the second node through the first frequency band, so that the throughput rate of the frequency band can be improved or the overall time delay level of the frequency band can be reduced, and the satisfaction degree of an upper-layer service demand can be improved.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The application number of the original application is 201810758519.4, and the original application date is July 11, 2018. The entire contents of the original application are incorporated into this application by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a data transmission method and related devices. Background Art

[0003] With the rapid development of wireless communication technology and the popularization of mobile terminals, various information search and information exchange methods based on wireless communication are becoming more and more widely used in daily life.

[0004] In the field of wireless communication, a communication device can be called a node. When transmitting data between nodes wirelessly, the nodes need to use certain wireless transmission resources. Taking the case of a first node transmitting data to a second node as an example, the first node can use the wireless transmission resources in the frequency band negotiated with the second node to transmit data to the second node.

[0005] At present, during the process of data transmission between nodes, the throughput of the frequency band is low and the overall latency level of the frequency band is high, resulting in low satisfaction of upper-layer business requirements. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present application provides a data transmission method and related devices, which can improve the satisfaction of business needs.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a data transmission method, the method comprising:

[0008] The first node obtains the frame to be sent;

[0009] The first node sends the to-be-sent frame whose diversion attribute value belongs to the diversion range of the first frequency band to the second node through the first frequency band;

[0010] Among them, the first frequency band is one of the at least two frequency bands between the first node and the second node; the diversion attribute value of the frame to be sent includes at least one of the following information: frame type, transmission rate, quality of service, access category of quality of service, spatial stream, transmission duration, data packet format, and data packet bandwidth.

[0011] The first node sends the to-be-sent frames whose diversion attribute values ​​belong to the diversion range of the first frequency band to the second node through the first frequency band. Since the frequency band for sending the to-be-sent frames is determined from the first node and the second node according to at least one diversion attribute value of the to-be-sent frames, such as the frame type, transmission rate, service quality, spatial stream, transmission duration, data packet format, and data packet bandwidth, the frames with low transmission rate, low service quality, and other factors that affect the frequency band throughput and average delay can be concentrated in one frequency band for transmission, so that another frequency band can concentrate on transmitting frames with high transmission rate and high service quality, thereby improving the frequency band throughput or reducing the overall delay level of the frequency band, and further improving the satisfaction of upper-layer business requirements.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in a first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first frequency band splitting range includes one of the following conditions or any combination of the following conditions:

[0013] The frame type is a data frame and the transmission rate is less than or equal to the preset rate splitting threshold.

[0014] The frame type is a data frame and the service quality is lower than or equal to the preset quality diversion threshold.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect and the first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a second implementation manner of the first aspect, the first frequency band splitting range includes:

[0016] The frame type is the first type frame;

[0017] Among them, the first type of frames include: exploration request frames, exploration response frames, association request frames, association response frames, identification frames, and at least one of management frames for establishing or dismantling the first service, wherein the first service includes: service flow, quiet period, target wake-up time, tunnel direct link establishment, and block confirmation frame.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first frequency band offload range includes: a frame type is a third-class frame, the third-class frame carries indication information for indicating that the second node uses the second frequency band at a preset target time, and a ring indication;

[0019] The method further comprises:

[0020] The first node sends the to-be-sent frame whose diversion attribute value belongs to the second frequency band diversion range through the second frequency band of the at least two frequency bands;

[0021] Among them, the second frequency band diversion range includes: the frame type is a short synchronization frame, and the short synchronization frame carries the command loop indication corresponding to the third type frame; wherein the command loop indication is used to instruct the second node to read the indication information used on the second frequency band carried in the third type frame corresponding to the short synchronization frame when receiving the short synchronization frame in the second frequency band at the target time.

[0022] In combination with the third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the third type of frame includes:

[0023] a first beacon frame, wherein the first beacon frame carries beacon information used in the second frequency band at a target time;

[0024] The first scheduling frame carries scheduling information for use in the second frequency band at a target time.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first to the second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a fifth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0026] The first node sends the to-be-sent frame whose diversion attribute value belongs to the second frequency band diversion range through the second frequency band of the at least two frequency bands;

[0027] The second frequency band is another frequency band of at least two frequency bands between the first node and the second node.

[0028] In combination with the fifth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a sixth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the second frequency band diversion range includes: the frame type is a second category frame, and the second category frame includes: a synchronization class frame for implementing a synchronization function on the second frequency band.

[0029] In conjunction with the sixth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a seventh possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the synchronization class frame includes at least one of the following:

[0030] for a beacon frame transmitted on a second frequency band,

[0031] A scheduling frame carrying scheduling information of the second frequency band.

[0032] In combination with any possible implementation manner of the third to seventh possible implementation manners of the first aspect, in the seventh possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first frequency band splitting range includes any one of the following conditions or any combination of the following conditions:

[0033] The transmission rate is less than or equal to the preset transmission rate diversion threshold.

[0034] The service quality is lower than or equal to the preset service quality diversion threshold.

[0035] In combination with the first aspect, any possible implementation of the first to seventh possible implementations of the first aspect, in an eighth possible implementation of the first aspect, the first frequency band splitting range includes any one of the following conditions or any combination of the following conditions:

[0036] The sending duration is greater than or equal to the preset duration diversion threshold.

[0037] The QoS access category belongs to the preset diversion access category.

[0038] The grouping format belongs to the preset diversion grouping format.

[0039] In combination with the first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a ninth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0040] The first node sends the to-be-sent frames whose diversion attribute values ​​do not belong to the first frequency band diversion range to the second node through any one of at least two frequency bands.

[0041] In combination with the first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first to ninth possible implementation manners of the first aspect, in a tenth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, before the first node sends a to-be-sent frame whose shunt attribute value belongs to the first frequency band shunt range to the second node through the first frequency band, the method further includes:

[0042] The first node sends a multi-band activation request to the second node in the first frequency band; and receives a multi-band activation response sent by the second node in the first frequency band;

[0043] or,

[0044] The first node receives a multi-band activation request sent by a second node in a first frequency band; and sends a multi-band activation response to the second node in the first frequency band.

[0045] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a data transmission device, which includes a processing module and a transceiver module, and the processing unit executes instructions to control the device to execute the method in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect.

[0046] In a possible implementation manner, the device may further include a storage module.

[0047] In a possible implementation manner, the device may be a first node, or may be a chip in the first node.

[0048] When the device is a first node, the processing module may be a processor, and the transceiver module may be a transceiver; if a storage module is also included, the storage module may be a memory.

[0049] When the device is a chip within the first node, the processing module may be a processor, and the transceiver module may be an input / output interface, a pin or a circuit, etc.; if a storage module is also included, the storage module may be a storage module within the chip (for example, a register, a cache, etc.), or a storage module outside the chip (for example, a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.).

[0050] Among them, the processor mentioned in any of the above places can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of programs of the above-mentioned spatial multiplexing methods.

[0051] In a third aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, and the instructions can be executed by one or more processors on a processing circuit. When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0052] According to a fourth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a network architecture;

[0054] Figure 2 The process of the data transmission method provided for this application Figure 1 ;

[0055] Figure 3 The process of the data transmission method provided for this application Figure 2 ;

[0056] Figure 4 Schematic flow of the data transmission method provided in this application Figure 1 ;

[0057] Figure 5 Interaction process of the data transmission method provided by this application Figure 1 ;

[0058] Figure 6A schematic flow chart of the association method provided for this application;

[0059] Figure 7 A schematic flow chart of using a trigger frame to trigger a STA to perform uplink data transmission;

[0060] Figure 8 Schematic flow of the data transmission method provided in this application Figure 2 ;

[0061] Fig. 9 A schematic flow chart of data transmission using RTS / CTS;

[0062] Fig.10 Schematic flow of the data transmission method provided in this application Figure 3 ;

[0063] Fig.11 Schematic flow of the data transmission method provided in this application Figure 4 ;

[0064] Fig.12 A structural diagram of a node;

[0065] Fig.13 A schematic block diagram of a node device 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0066] Fig.14 A schematic block diagram of another node-side communication device 1400 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] The terms used in the implementation section of this application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0068] The data transmission method provided in the present application can be applied to a variety of wireless communication technology fields, for example, the field of wireless local area network (WLAN). In the present application, a node can be a network device that supports multi-band wireless communication, for example, a terminal, a base station, a server, etc. Improving the throughput rate and reducing the latency when transmitting data between air interfaces of nodes to meet the needs of continuously developing services has become a problem that needs to be solved in the field of wireless communication technology.

[0069] The following is a brief description of the application scenarios of the data transmission method provided in this application.

[0070] In actual air interface transmission scenarios, such as streets, data packets with transmission rates of 1Mbps (Mega-bit persecond) and 2Mbps account for 75% of all data packets. These low-speed data packets are usually management frames and control frames, which can be used to carry control information such as managing frequency bands, controlling data transmission and reception, and setting silence. These management frames and control frames usually use relatively reliable transmission, so the transmission rate may be slow, or the air interface may be occupied for a long time. For example, management frames and control frames may include:

[0071] Beacon frames are used by access points (APs) to broadcast cell-related information to stations (STAs) in the entire BSS (Basic Service Set, equivalent to a cell), including BSS identification information, capability information, operation information, timestamps, etc.

[0072] Acknowledge (ACK) frame / Block Acknowledge (BA) frame, used to confirm the data frame;

[0073] The Request to Send (RTS) / Clear to Send (CTS) frame is used to reserve a Transmit Opportunity (TXOP) to ensure data transmission between the sender and the receiver.

[0074] These low-speed data packets occupy a large proportion of the air interface transmission time, greatly reducing the throughput of the entire BSS and increasing the latency of data transmission. For example, the maximum supported data rate defined by the 802.11ax standard is 9.6Gbps (Gigabit per second), which means that in the same amount of time, when high-speed data transmission is performed at this rate, a very high throughput can be obtained and latency can be reduced.

[0075] At present, there is an urgent need to increase throughput and reduce latency to support services that require very high throughput and very low latency, such as 8K video, VR (Virtual Reality), AR (Augmented Reality), etc.

[0076] In the data transmission method provided in the present application, multi-band transmission can be used between the first node and the second node. Taking the MAC frame of the MAC layer as an example, the first node can generate or obtain the MAC frame of the MAC layer, and then send the data contained in the MAC frame to the second node through at least two frequency bands of the physical layer (PHY).

[0077] In the present application, on the basis of multi-band transmission, the first node that needs to send data can determine the frequency band used to send the frame to be sent from the first node and the second node according to at least one diversion attribute value of the frame to be sent, such as the frame type, transmission rate, quality of service, spatial stream, transmission duration, data packet format, and data packet bandwidth of the frame to be sent when sending the MAC frame. By concentrating the MAC frames that affect the frequency band throughput and average delay, such as low transmission rate and low service quality, in one frequency band for transmission, another frequency band can be concentratedly transmitted, and the MAC frames with higher transmission rate and higher service quality can be transmitted, thereby improving the frequency band throughput of another frequency band and the throughput between nodes, and reducing the average delay between nodes, thereby improving the satisfaction of business needs.

[0078] The following is a brief description of the network structure of the data transmission method provided by this application.

[0079] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture. For example, in a WLAN scenario composed of multiple basic service sets (BSSs), the system structure of the network may include multiple nodes, and the nodes may be network-side devices or terminal-side devices. For example, the network-side device may be an access point (AP), and the terminal-side device may be a station (STA). Among them, each AP and the STA associated with it constitute a BSS. In this network, multiple nodes can communicate with each other, for example, multiple APs can communicate with multiple APs, multiple STAs can communicate with multiple STAs, and multiple APs can also communicate with multiple STAs.

[0080] The data transmission method provided in the present application can be applied to the air interface transmission scenario of multiple nodes to multiple nodes, for example, multiple APs to multiple APs, multiple STAs to multiple STAs, and multiple APs to multiple STAs.

[0081] The data transmission method provided by this application is described in detail below.

[0082] Embodiment 1

[0083] Figure 2 The process of the data transmission method provided for this application Figure 1 The execution subject of the embodiment of the present application may be the first node, such as Figure 2As shown, the steps of the embodiment of the present application may include:

[0084] S201: The first node obtains a frame to be sent.

[0085] S202: The first node sends the to-be-sent frames whose diversion attribute values ​​belong to the first frequency band diversion range to the second node through the first frequency band.

[0086] Among them, the first frequency band is a frequency band among at least two frequency bands between the first node and the second node; the diversion attribute value of the frame to be sent includes at least one of the following information: frame type, transmission rate, quality of service, access category of quality of service, spatial stream, transmission duration, data packet format, and data packet bandwidth.

[0087] S203: The first node sends the to-be-sent frames whose diversion attribute values ​​do not belong to the first frequency band diversion range through any one of the at least two frequency bands.

[0088] In the present application, the first node can be an AP or a STA, and the second node can be an AP or a STA. That is, the data transmission method provided in the present application can be applied to data transmission between APs, data transmission between STAs, and data transmission between APs and STAs. In other embodiments of the present application, the first node and the second node can also be communication servers, routers, switches, bridges, computers, mobile phones, etc.

[0089] In the present application, the first node may obtain or generate a frame to be sent based on the data to be sent, wherein the data to be sent may be, for example, service data or signaling data. For example, the frame to be sent may be a MAC frame, and the data to be sent may be packet data obtained from an upper layer of the MAC layer, or management data or control data generated based on the management or service control requirements of the MAC layer. After obtaining the frame to be sent, the frame to be sent needs to be sent to the second node through the PHY layer in a certain frequency band.

[0090] In the present application, the first node may pre-set a diversion criterion, and the diversion criterion may include a frequency band diversion range corresponding to at least one of the at least two frequency bands. The diversion criterion may be used for the first node to determine a target frequency band for sending each frame to be sent from at least two frequency bands according to the frequency band diversion range corresponding to each frequency band in the diversion criterion. Exemplarily, the first node may determine the target frequency band of the frame to be sent according to the frame type and transmission rate of the frame to be sent, wherein if the frame to be sent is a data frame and the transmission rate is less than or equal to a preset rate diversion threshold, the first frequency band is determined as the target frequency band of the frame to be sent.

[0091] In the present application, the frames to be sent whose diversion attribute values ​​do not belong to the diversion range of the first frequency band can be sent through the second frequency band or the first frequency band of at least two frequency bands. Exemplarily, if there are multiple frames to be sent that do not conform to the diversion range of the first frequency band, all of the multiple frames to be sent that do not conform to the diversion range of the first frequency band can be sent through the second frequency band, or all can be sent through the first frequency band, or some can be sent through the second frequency band and some can be sent through the first frequency band.

[0092] Taking the at least two frequency bands including the first frequency band and the second frequency band as an example, Table 1-1 is an illustration of a diversion criterion.

[0093] Table 1-1

[0094] Triage criteria First frequency band Second frequency band Belongs to the first frequency band diversion range √ × Not within the first frequency band diversion range √ √

[0095] The first frequency band splitting range is a frequency band splitting range corresponding to the first frequency band.

[0096] Table 1-2 is another illustration of the diversion criteria:

[0097] Table 1-2

[0098] Triage criteria First frequency band Second frequency band Belongs to the first frequency band diversion range √ × Not within the first frequency band diversion range × √

[0099] According to the diversion criteria shown in Table 1-2, it can also be determined that the to-be-sent frames whose diversion attribute values ​​do not belong to the first frequency band diversion range are sent to the first node through the second frequency band.

[0100] The present application provides multiple implementations of the first frequency band splitting range.

[0101] In an example, the first frequency band splitting range may include any one of the following conditions or any combination of the following conditions:

[0102] The frame type is a data frame and the transmission rate is less than or equal to the preset transmission rate diversion threshold.

[0103] The frame type is a data frame and the quality of service is lower than or equal to the preset quality of service diversion threshold.

[0104] It should be noted that the combination of the above-mentioned multiple conditions may refer to the intersection or union of the multiple conditions.

[0105] In an embodiment of the present application, the service quality of the frame to be sent can be one of several pre-divided service quality levels, and the service quality diversion threshold can be one of the above-mentioned service quality levels. Exemplarily, several service quality levels can be sorted from low to high, and the service quality diversion threshold can be a service quality level in the middle of the sorting.

[0106] In the implementation manner provided in the present application, the first node sends the to-be-sent frame whose diversion attribute value belongs to the first frequency band diversion range to the second node through the first frequency band, which may include:

[0107] If the frame to be sent is a data frame and the transmission rate is less than or equal to the preset transmission rate offload threshold, sending the frame to be sent on the first frequency band;

[0108] If the frame to be sent is a data frame and the quality of service is lower than or equal to a preset quality of service offload threshold, the frame to be sent is sent on the first frequency band.

[0109] Table 1-3 is a schematic diagram of the first frequency band diversion range.

[0110] Table 1-3

[0111]

[0112] It should be noted that the meaning of no traffic diversion is that when the frame type is a management frame or a control frame, when the management frame or the control frame corresponds to the first frequency band, it is sent using the first frequency band; when the management frame or the control frame corresponds to the second frequency band, it is sent using the second frequency band.

[0113] The setting method of the first frequency band diversion range is similar to that on a highway, only low-speed trucks are allowed to drive in the low-speed lane, while high-speed cars are allowed to drive in the high-speed lane, or cars are allowed to drive in both the high-speed lane and the low-speed lane, thereby improving traffic efficiency.

[0114] Table 1-4 is a schematic diagram of the first frequency band diversion range.

[0115] Table 1-4

[0116]

[0117] In another example, the first frequency band splitting range may include:

[0118] The frame type is the first type frame;

[0119] Among them, the first type of frames may include: exploration request frame, exploration response frame, association request frame, association response frame, identification frame, and at least one of the management frames for establishing or dismantling the first service, wherein the first service may include: traffic stream, quiet period, target wakeup time, tunnel direct link setup (Tunnelled Direct-Link Setup, TDLS), and block confirmation frame (Block ACK, BA).

[0120] Table 1-5 is a schematic diagram of the diversion range of the first frequency band.

[0121] Table 1-5

[0122]

[0123] For example, the first node may send a request frame for establishing / dismantling the above corresponding service on the first frequency band, requesting to establish the corresponding service on the second frequency band. The second node feeds back a corresponding response frame on the first frequency band, replying whether it agrees to the corresponding establishment / dismantling request. After the corresponding service is successfully established, the first node and the second node may perform corresponding service interaction on the second frequency band according to the agreement established on the first frequency band.

[0124] When the first frequency band is 2.4GHz with a large number of sites and more interference, and the second frequency band is 5GHz or 6GHz with less interference, 2.4GHz has better anti-interference performance and is more suitable for sending management frames. Therefore, if there can be multiple sites in the current network, the above method of sending the first type of frames through the first frequency band can provide a reliable transmission method for important management frames and control frames.

[0125] In yet another example, the first frequency band splitting range may include any one of the following conditions or any combination of the following conditions:

[0126] The sending duration is greater than or equal to the preset duration diversion threshold.

[0127] The QoS access category belongs to the preset diversion access category.

[0128] The grouping format belongs to the preset diversion grouping format.

[0129] The first node sending the to-be-sent frame whose diversion attribute value belongs to the first frequency band diversion range to the second node through the first frequency band may include:

[0130] If the transmission duration of the frame to be transmitted is greater than or equal to the preset duration diversion threshold, the frame to be transmitted is transmitted on the first frequency band;

[0131] If the quality of service access category of the frame to be sent belongs to the preset offload access category, sending the frame to be sent on the first frequency band;

[0132] If the packet format of the frame to be sent belongs to the preset offload packet format, the frame to be sent is sent on the first frequency band.

[0133] Table 1-6 is an illustration of the diversion range of the first frequency band.

[0134] Table 1-6

[0135] Triage criteria First frequency band Second frequency band The sending duration is greater than or equal to the duration diversion threshold √ × The sending duration is less than the duration diversion threshold √ √ The quality of service access category belongs to the diversion access category √ × The QoS access category does not belong to the offload access category √ √ The packet format belongs to the diversion packet format √ × The grouping format does not belong to the split grouping format √ √

[0136] The first node sends the to-be-sent frame whose diversion attribute value belongs to the first frequency band diversion range to the second node through the first frequency band, which may include: if the to-be-sent frame is a first type frame, sending the to-be-sent frame on the first frequency band.

[0137] It should be noted that the first frequency band splitting range may adopt any one or a combination of the implementation modes of the first frequency band splitting range provided in the present application.

[0138] In other embodiments of the present application, the transmission rate diversion threshold, service quality diversion threshold, duration diversion threshold, diversion access category, and diversion packet format will also be described in detail.

[0139] Table 1-7 is an illustration of the diversion range of the first frequency band.

[0140] Table 1-7

[0141]

[0142]

[0143] Tables 1-7 are schematic diagrams of the combination implementation methods of the aforementioned first frequency band diversion ranges in the embodiments of the present application.

[0144] In the present application, management frames and control frames other than the first type of frames may also be shunted using the same transmission rate shunting threshold, service quality threshold, etc. as data frames.

[0145] In the present application, it should be noted that step S202 may be performed before step S203, and step S203 may be performed before step S202.

[0146] In the technical solution provided in the present application, the frequency band used to send the frame to be sent is determined from at least two frequency bands of the first node and the second node according to at least one diversion attribute value of the frame type, transmission rate, service quality, spatial stream, transmission duration, data packet format, data packet bandwidth, etc. of the frame to be sent, and the first frequency band diversion range set according to the diversion attribute value. Since MAC frames that affect the frequency band throughput and average delay, such as low transmission rate and low service quality, can be concentrated in one frequency band for transmission, another frequency band can be concentrated to transmit frames with high transmission rate and high service quality, thereby improving the frequency band throughput of another frequency band and the throughput between nodes, and reducing the average delay between nodes, thereby improving the satisfaction of business needs.

[0147] In addition, in the present application, the first frequency band may be a low frequency band, and the second frequency band may be a high frequency band. The low frequency band and the high frequency band are relative.

[0148] It should be noted that in the WLAN field, some unlicensed spectrum is usually used as its operating frequency band, and its operating frequency band is mainly distributed below 1GHz, 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 60GHz. Mainstream WLAN standards include 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax, which usually use 2.4GHz band or 5GHz band, where 5GHz band can refer to 4.9GHz and 5GHz. Recently, the 802.11ax standard also uses the 6GHz spectrum, which may be used as an unlicensed spectrum in the future, as its operating spectrum.

[0149] In air interface transmission, data transmission using different frequency bands has different characteristics. Low-frequency bands usually have the characteristics of relatively slow signal attenuation and better wall penetration. However, since the spectrum of low-frequency bands is usually relatively limited, sometimes the rate is limited by the size of the spectrum. For example, in the 2.4GHz band, the bandwidth of the data packet of the 802.11b / g / n / ax standard is 20MHz, and the maximum supported is 40MHz. There is also some overlap between each channel, which affects the continuous use of multiple channels. Based on the above reasons, 802.11a / ac decided not to use 2.4GHz as its working spectrum. The spectrum resources of high-frequency bands are usually richer than those of low-frequency bands. For example, compared with the more crowded 2.4GHz, the spectrum resources of 5GHz and 6GHz bands are richer. Therefore, high-frequency bands are usually more suitable for large-bandwidth and high-speed data transmission than low-frequency bands. For example, 802.11ac and 802.11ax support data transmission at a maximum of 160MHz. It should be noted that high-frequency band and low-frequency band are relative concepts. For example, for the frequency bands below 1 GHz and 2.4 GHz, the 2.4 GHz band can be used as the high-frequency band. For another example, for the frequency bands below 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, the 2.4 GHz band can be used as the low-frequency band.

[0150] Therefore, if the frequency band of the first frequency band is lower than the frequency band of the second frequency band, and the frequency band bandwidth of the first frequency band is smaller than the frequency band bandwidth of the second frequency band, the MAC frames that affect the throughput and latency are concentrated in the first frequency band for transmission, so that the second frequency band with a larger bandwidth can be used exclusively for high-speed data transmission, which can further improve the throughput between nodes during multi-band transmission.

[0151] Embodiment 2

[0152] The present application also provides a data transmission method. In an embodiment of the present application, if for some frames with low transmission efficiency such as low-rate frames or low service quality frames that must be transmitted in the second frequency band, a method of splitting and sending using the first frequency band and the second frequency band is designed, that is, a method of coordinating the first frequency band and the second frequency band to send the information carried in the low-rate frame or the low service quality frame, the throughput between nodes can be improved as much as possible while ensuring the basic functions of the low-rate frame or the low service quality frame.

[0153] Figure 3 The process of the data transmission method provided for this application Figure 2 .like Figure 3 As shown, the steps of the embodiment of the present application may include:

[0154] S301: The first node obtains a frame to be sent.

[0155] S302: The first node sends the to-be-sent frame whose diversion attribute value belongs to the second frequency band diversion range to the second node through the second frequency band of at least two frequency bands.

[0156] S303: The first node sends the to-be-sent frames whose diversion attribute values ​​belong to the first frequency band diversion range to the second node through the first frequency band.

[0157] S304: The first node sends the to-be-sent frames whose diversion attribute values ​​do not belong to any range of the first frequency band diversion range and the second frequency band diversion range to the second node through any frequency band of at least two frequency bands.

[0158] Among them, step S303 is similar to S202, and the description in S202 may be referred to; step S304 is similar to S203, and the description in S203 may be referred to.

[0159] It should be noted that the second frequency band is another frequency band of at least two frequency bands between the first node and the second node. If the second frequency band shunt range and the first frequency band shunt range have an intersection, step S302 can be performed first, and then step S303 can be performed. For example, first determine whether the shunt attribute value of the frame to be sent belongs to the second frequency band shunt range. If it belongs to the second frequency band shunt range, the frame to be sent is sent through the second frequency band. If it does not belong to the second frequency band shunt range, further determine whether it belongs to the first frequency band shunt range. If it belongs to the first frequency band shunt range, the frame to be sent is sent through the first frequency band. If it does not belong to the first frequency band shunt range or the second frequency band shunt range, the frame to be sent can be sent through any of the two frequency bands. If the second frequency band shunt range and the first frequency band shunt range do not have an intersection, step S302 can be performed first and then step S303, or step S303 can be performed first and then step S302.

[0160] It should be noted that the first frequency band split range can be Figure 2 The implementation method of any first frequency band shunt range in the illustrated embodiment. In addition, various implementation methods of the first frequency band shunt range provided in the present application may also be used in combination.

[0161] Table 2-1 is a schematic diagram of the diversion criteria. The diversion criteria provided in the embodiment of the present application can be as shown in Table 2-1.

[0162] Table 2-1

[0163]

[0164] In the present application, the second frequency band splitting range may be a frequency band splitting range corresponding to the second frequency band.

[0165] In an implementation of a second frequency band offload range provided in the present application, the second frequency band offload range may include: a control frame or management frame carrying some control information, management information, or other indication information that needs to be sent in the second frequency band. Exemplarily, the control information and management information that need to be sent in the second frequency band may be synchronization information for synchronization.

[0166] In an implementation manner provided in an embodiment of the present application, the second frequency band offloading range may include: the frame type is a second type frame.

[0167] Exemplarily, the second type of frame may include: a synchronization type frame for implementing a synchronization function in the second frequency band. The synchronization type frame may include, for example, at least one of the following:

[0168] for a beacon frame transmitted on a second frequency band,

[0169] A scheduling frame carrying scheduling information of the second frequency band.

[0170] Exemplarily, the scheduling frame may be a triggering frame.

[0171] Table 2-2 is an illustration of the second frequency band diversion range.

[0172] Table 2-2

[0173]

[0174] The manner of sending the second type of frames through the second frequency band is equivalent to determining that the synchronization type frames carrying synchronization information are sent in the second frequency band.

[0175] In another implementation of the second frequency band split range provided in an embodiment of the present application, the second frequency band split range may include:

[0176] The frame type is a short synchronization frame, which carries a command loop indication corresponding to the third type frame.

[0177] The first frequency band diversion range may include:

[0178] The frame type is a third-category frame, and the third-category frame carries indication information for indicating that the second node uses the second frequency band at a preset target time, as well as a command ring indication.

[0179] The command ring indication is used to instruct the second node to read the indication information used on the second frequency band carried in the third type frame corresponding to the short synchronization frame when the second node receives the short synchronization frame on the second frequency band at the target time.

[0180] Table 2-3 is an illustration of the diversion criteria.

[0181] Table 2-3

[0182]

[0183] For example, the third type of frame may include at least one of the following:

[0184] a first beacon frame, wherein the first beacon frame carries beacon information used in the second frequency band at a target time;

[0185] The first scheduling frame carries scheduling information for use in the second frequency band at a target time.

[0186] In one implementation, the short synchronization frame corresponding to the first beacon frame may be referred to as a short beacon frame; and the short synchronization frame corresponding to the first scheduling frame may be referred to as a short scheduling frame.

[0187] Exemplarily, the above steps 302 and S303 may include: sending the third type frame through the first frequency band; when the target time is about to arrive, sending the short synchronization frame through the second frequency band. Afterwards, the second node may search for the corresponding third type frame received in the first frequency band according to the command loop indication in the short synchronization frame, extract the indication information therefrom, and control the MAC frame sent on the second frequency band at the target time according to the indication of the indication information.

[0188] In other embodiments of the present application, the first beacon frame, the first scheduling frame and the corresponding short synchronization frame will be described in detail, and reference may be made to the descriptions in other embodiments of the present application.

[0189] The third type frame carrying indication information used on the second frequency band is combined with the short synchronization frame. Since the short synchronization frame can carry the command loop indication for associating with the third type frame, it is not necessary to carry specific indication information. Therefore, the length of the short synchronization frame can be smaller, thereby reducing the amount of data that needs to be transmitted on the second frequency band.

[0190] The following description is given assuming that the first node is an AP, the second node is an STA, the first frequency band is Band1, and the second frequency band is Band2.

[0191] Figure 4 Schematic flow of the data transmission method provided in this application Figure 1 .

[0192] like Figure 4 As shown, the multi-band collaborative transmission process using the data transmission method provided by the present application may include the following steps:

[0193] S401, AP sends a first beacon frame on Band 1.

[0194] The first beacon frame may include information such as AP capability information, timestamp information, beacon frame token, Band2 number, location of Band2 primary channel, etc. It should be noted that the first beacon frame may carry capability information and operation information of Band1, as well as capability information and operation information of Band2.

[0195] S402, AP sends a short beacon frame in Band 2.

[0196] The short beacon frame (S-Beacon) is used for time synchronization on Band 2, etc. Exemplarily, the period of the short beacon frame may be an integer multiple of the period of the first beacon frame. In one embodiment, the length of the second beacon frame may be less than the length of the first beacon frame.

[0197] S403: The AP transmits data in Band 1 and / or Band 2.

[0198] Among them, data whose transmission rate is less than or equal to the preset transmission rate diversion threshold can only be transmitted in Band 1, data whose transmission rate is greater than the transmission rate diversion threshold can only be transmitted in Band 2, or data whose transmission rate is greater than the transmission rate diversion threshold can be transmitted in Band 1 and Band 2 at the same time.

[0199] S404, the AP sends a scheduling frame carrying scheduling information in Band 1, instructing the STA to perform data transmission in Band 2 at the target time.

[0200] Exemplarily, the scheduling information may include scheduling information 1 used at a first target time, which carries token 1 (Token1), and scheduling information 2 used at a second target time, which carries token 2 (Token2).

[0201] S405, the AP sends a short synchronization frame at the target time to trigger the STA to send uplink data.

[0202] Exemplarily, the AP may send a short synchronization frame 1 at the first target time, wherein the short synchronization frame carries a token 1. It should be noted that the short synchronization frame may carry token information, so the overhead of the short synchronization frame may be relatively small.

[0203] S406, the STA sends uplink data according to the scheduling information corresponding to the short synchronization frame.

[0204] The STA may search for the corresponding scheduling information 1 according to Token 1 in the short synchronization frame, and send uplink data (UL Data) according to the scheduling information 1 .

[0205] It should be noted that the horizontal axis of the schematic flowchart in the present application is the time axis.

[0206] In the present application, before the first node determines the target frequency band for sending the frame to be sent from at least two frequency bands based on the diversion attribute value of the frame to be sent and a preset diversion criterion, the first node can obtain indication information used on the first frequency band and generate a third type frame and a short synchronization frame based on the indication information.

[0207] In the present application, if the second frequency band diversion range and the first frequency band range have an intersection, the step of first sending the frames to be sent belonging to the second frequency band diversion range through the second frequency band, and then sending the frames to be sent belonging to the first frequency band diversion range through the first frequency band can be executed.

[0208] In the present application, a frequency band includes multiple channels. In the standard where the working frequency band is a low-frequency band, the channels in the frequency band partially overlap. When multiple STAs send uplink data to the same AP, they can use different channels and resource units in the same frequency band, or use other frequency division, time division, and space division multiplexing methods. The various technical solutions provided in the present application can be used in conjunction with the above-mentioned multiplexing methods, or can be used alone.

[0209] In some scenarios, at the sending node, the MAC frame to be sent needs to compete for the channel resources for sending data first. The node can set a competition mechanism for sending MAC frames. MAC frames with high service quality are more likely to compete for channels than MAC frames with low service quality. Therefore, by dividing the frames to be sent according to the service quality, the success rate of MAC frames with low service quality in competing for channels can be improved, thereby shortening the waiting time for MAC frames with low service quality to be sent and reducing the delay of frames with low service quality.

[0210] For other technical solution details and technical effects of the embodiments of the present application, please refer to the description in other embodiments of the present application.

[0211] Embodiment 3

[0212] Based on any of the above embodiments, the present application also provides a data transmission method. Before the first node sends a to-be-sent frame whose diversion attribute value belongs to the first frequency band diversion range to the second node through the first frequency band, the first node can enable multi-band through negotiation with the second node.

[0213] Figure 5 Interaction process of the data transmission method provided by this application Figure 1 .like Figure 5 As shown, if the first node is the initiator of requesting to enable multiple frequency bands, the steps of the embodiment of the present application may include:

[0214] S501: A first node sends a multi-band activation request to a second node in a first frequency band.

[0215] S502: The second node sends a multi-band enabling response to the first node in the first frequency band.

[0216] In the present application, exemplarily, the multi-band enabling request may be an association request (Association Request) frame, and the multi-band enabling response may be an association response (Association Response) frame.

[0217] It should be noted that, in another embodiment of the present application, the first node may also be a multi-band enabled receiver. Then, before the first node sends the to-be-sent frame whose diversion attribute value belongs to the first band diversion range to the second node through the first band, the steps of the embodiment of the present application may include: the first node receives the multi-band enabling request sent by the second node on the first band; the first node sends a multi-band enabling response to the second node on the first band.

[0218] In this application, there are two ways to enable multiple frequency bands: active association and passive association.

[0219] The following description is given assuming that the first node is an AP, the second node is an STA, the first frequency band is Band1, and the second frequency band is Band2.

[0220] Figure 6 This is a schematic flow chart of the association method provided in this application. Figure 6 As shown, the STA may be the initiator of enabling the multi-band, and the interaction process of enabling the multi-band in an associated manner between the AP and the STA may include the following steps:

[0221] S601: AP sends a first beacon frame in Band 1.

[0222] The beacon frame may include information such as the capability information, operation information, timestamp information, beacon frame token, Band2 number, and the location of the main channel of Band2 of the AP. For example, the AP may send the beacon frame in a periodic manner. It should be noted that the first beacon frame may carry the capability information and operation information of Band1, as well as the capability information and operation information of Band2.

[0223] S602, the AP sends a short beacon frame in Band 2.

[0224] The short beacon frame is used for time synchronization on Band 2, etc. Exemplarily, the period of the short beacon frame may be an integer multiple of the period of the first beacon frame.

[0225] S603, STA sends a discovery request frame in Band 1.

[0226] The Probe Request frame indicates that the STA wishes to perform an association operation. The Probe Request frame may include the capability information of the STA, which indicates that the STA supports multi-band operation, and the capability information also indicates the capability information of the STA in Band 1 and the capability information in Band 2.

[0227] S604, after receiving the discovery request frame sent by the STA in Band 1, the AP sends a discovery response frame to the STA.

[0228] The exploration response frame indicates the capability information, operation information, etc. of the AP. The exploration response frame may also simultaneously indicate that the AP supports multi-band operation, as well as the capability information of the AP in Band 1 and the capability information of the AP in Band 2.

[0229] S605, STA sends an association request frame in Band 1.

[0230] The association request frame is used to request the AP to enable association. The association request frame may include capability information of the STA, the capability information indicates that the STA supports multi-band operation, and the association request frame may simultaneously indicate the capability information of the STA in Band 1 and the capability information of Band 2.

[0231] S606: The AP sends an association response frame in Band 1.

[0232] The association response frame is used to respond to the association request frame. The association request frame includes the capability information of the AP, indicating that it supports multi-band operation, and also indicates its capability information in frequency band 1 and frequency band 2.

[0233] It should be noted that after successful association, both AP and STA can transmit data on Band1 and Band2 without the need to perform association operation on Band2. STA can perform time calibration through short beacon frames on Band2. In addition, STA can also obtain relevant information about BSS by reading the first beacon frame on Band1.

[0234] It should also be noted that the above steps S603 and S604 are not steps that must be performed for the association operation. For the passive association mode, after the STA receives the first beacon frame in Band 1 in step S601, the STA can directly perform steps S605 and S606 to perform the association operation.

[0235] In this application, before performing the association operation, STA can close part or all of the links of Band2. The link in this application can refer to the radio frequency or antenna. In this way, when Band2 needs to be enabled, Band2 is enabled to associate with Band1, which can save energy. In one embodiment of the present application, when the AP and STA use multi-band collaborative transmission, the AP can instruct the STA to close part or all of the links of Band2 in Band1. In this way, Band2 can be flexibly controlled to save power.

[0236] For other technical solution details and technical effects of the embodiments of the present application, please refer to the description in other embodiments of the present application.

[0237] Embodiment 4

[0238] The following is a detailed description of the manner of setting the diversion threshold according to various diversion attribute values ​​mentioned in the above embodiments.

[0239] In one implementation of the present application, the traffic diversion criteria between nodes, i.e., the first frequency band diversion range, the second frequency band diversion range, etc., may be indicated when multi-band cooperation is enabled. Exemplarily, it may be indicated in the first beacon frame or the exploration response frame. For example, it may be indicated by the AP in the first beacon frame or the exploration response frame.

[0240] In an implementation provided in the present application, an Extremely High Throughput (EHT) operation element may be used to indicate the frequency band splitting range corresponding to each frequency band. Exemplarily, the EHT operation element may be carried in a first beacon frame or a discovery response frame.

[0241] In another implementation provided by the present application, different first frequency band splitting ranges may be set for different spatial streams (SS). For example, different transmission rate splitting thresholds may be set for different spatial streams.

[0242] For the next generation EHT standard, there may be a total of 16 spatial streams. A threshold value may be designed for each spatial stream. Table 4-1 is an example of setting threshold values ​​for different spatial streams.

[0243] Table 4-1

[0244] Threshold for 1SS Threshold for 2SS … Threshold for 16SS

[0245] Exemplarily, Threshold for 1SS may represent a threshold value set for a spatial stream identified as 1.

[0246] In another implementation manner provided in the present application, a unified rate identifier may be used to indicate a transmission rate splitting threshold.

[0247] In one example, 00 may be used to indicate 121.9 Mbps, 01 may be used to indicate 248.3 Mbps, and so on.

[0248] In another example, the rate identifier may be a coding and modulation scheme (Modulation and Coding Scheme). It should be noted that different MCSs may correspond to different rates. For example, the 802.11ax standard currently supports 12 different MCSs such as MCS0-MCS11. Exemplarily, 2 bits may be used to set the Threshold for 1 / 2… / 16SS indication. In order to improve the accuracy of the indication, 4 bits may also be used to indicate the diversion threshold of up to 16 MCSs.

[0249] Table 4-2 is an illustration of MCS indicated by 2 bits.

[0250] Table 4-2

[0251]

[0252]

[0253] As shown in Table 4-2, a rate identifier may be sent when indicating the diversion threshold of each frequency band. For example, when the first frequency band diversion range includes the transmission rate diversion threshold, "00" may be sent to indicate that the transmission rate diversion threshold is the transmission rate indicated by MCS1.

[0254] In another implementation manner provided in the present application, the frequency band splitting threshold corresponding to each frequency band may be set according to the access category of the quality of service of the frame to be sent.

[0255] For example, the access categories may include four types: voice (VO), video (VI), background (BK), and best effort (BE), wherein VO and VI have higher priorities than BK and BE.

[0256] In an example, the first frequency band offloading range may include: access categories are BK and / or BE.

[0257] Table 4-3 is an illustration of the diversion range of the first frequency band.

[0258] Table 4-3

[0259] Triage criteria First frequency band Second frequency band Access category is BK and / or BE √ × Access category is VO and / or VI √ √

[0260] Exemplarily, data frames of access category BK can be transmitted in the first frequency band; data frames of access category BE can be transmitted in the first frequency band; data frames of access category VO or VI can be transmitted in the second frequency band, or in both the second frequency band and the first frequency band.

[0261] In another implementation manner provided in the present application, the frequency band splitting threshold corresponding to each frequency band may be set according to the transmission duration of the frame to be transmitted.

[0262] The transmission duration of the frame to be transmitted may be pre-specified or calculated based on parameters such as the amount of data to be transmitted and the transmission rate. Exemplarily, the pre-specified transmission duration may be, for example, the expected transmission duration of the frame to be transmitted. For example, the transmission duration occupied by the low-speed frame and the high-speed frame may not be proportional to the length of the frame itself. The transmission duration obtained by calculation may be obtained based on, for example, the amount of data to be transmitted and the bandwidth, MCS, and number of spatial streams.

[0263] The duration diversion threshold can be flexibly set according to the number of frames to be sent that need to be diverted. For example, the duration diversion threshold can be set according to the transmission duration that enables 40% of the frames to be sent with longer transmission times to be sent to the second node via the first frequency band within a preset period of time.

[0264] It should also be noted that for frames with longer sending time, they occupy more air interface time during transmission, while frames with shorter sending time need to wait for the transmission of frames with longer sending time to be completed before they can compete for the channel for sending data, resulting in frames with shorter sending time having to wait for a longer time. By adopting the method of diverting the sending frames according to the sending time, the waiting time for frames with shorter sending time can be shortened, thereby shortening the delay of frames with shorter sending time.

[0265] In another implementation manner provided in the present application, the frequency band splitting threshold corresponding to each frequency band may be set according to the data packet format of the frame to be sent.

[0266] For example, different generations of WLAN standards define different types of packet formats, such as:

[0267] Non-High Throughput (non-HT) data packets defined in 802.11a / b / g,

[0268] 802.11n defines high throughput (HT) data packets,

[0269] Very High Throughput (VHT) data packets defined in 802.11ac,

[0270] High Efficient (HE) data packets defined in 802.11ax,

[0271] The next generation WLAN standard defines extremely high throughput (EHT) data packets.

[0272] Among them, the VHT data group may also include a VHT single-user data group and a VHT multi-user data group; the HE data group may include an HE single-user data group, an HE extended-range single-user data group, an HE multi-user data group, and an HE triggered data group.

[0273] For example, the packet format corresponding to the first frequency band offloading range may be one or more of the packet formats with the lowest transmission rate.

[0274] In one example, the packet splitting format corresponding to the first frequency band splitting range may be set to include: non-HT. In this way, data packets in non-HT format may be transmitted in the first frequency band, and data packets in other formats, such as HT, VHT, HE, and EHT formats may be transmitted in the second frequency band, or may be transmitted in the second frequency band and the first frequency band.

[0275] Table 4-4 is an illustration of the diversion range of the first frequency band.

[0276] Table 4-4

[0277]

[0278] In another example, the packet splitting format corresponding to the first frequency band splitting range may be set to include: non-HT, HT. Similarly, data packets in non-HT format and HT format may be transmitted in the first frequency band, and data packets in other formats, such as data packets in VHT, HE, and EHT formats may be transmitted in the second frequency band, or may be transmitted in the second frequency band and the first frequency band.

[0279] It should be noted that the packet format is the format of the frame to be sent when it is transmitted in the PHY layer.

[0280] In another implementation manner provided in the present application, the frequency band splitting threshold corresponding to each frequency band may be set according to the data packet bandwidth of the frame to be sent.

[0281] For example, the data packet bandwidth of the frame to be sent may include different bandwidth modes such as 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 80+80 MHz, 320 MHz, 160 MHz+160 MHz, etc. Generally, a higher bandwidth may correspond to a higher peak rate.

[0282] The bandwidth splitting threshold corresponding to the first frequency band splitting range may be one or more of the lowest bandwidths in the above-mentioned grouping formats.

[0283] In one example, the bandwidth splitting threshold corresponding to the first frequency band splitting range may include: 20 MHz or 40 MHz. In this way, the to-be-sent frames with the corresponding bandwidth of 20 MHz or 40 MHz can be transmitted in the first frequency band, and the to-be-sent frames with the corresponding bandwidth of 80 MHz and above can be transmitted in the second frequency band, or can be transmitted in the second frequency band and the first frequency band.

[0284] Table 4-5 is an illustration of the diversion range of the first frequency band.

[0285] Table 4-5

[0286] Triage criteria First frequency band Second frequency band Bandwidth less than or equal to 40MHz √ × Bandwidth greater than 40MHz √ √

[0287] It should be noted that the packet bandwidth is the actual bandwidth of the PHY that sends the frames to be sent.

[0288] In another implementation manner provided by the present application, the frequency band diversion ranges corresponding to the diversion attribute values ​​mentioned in any of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0289] For example, the frequency band splitting threshold corresponding to each frequency band may be set according to the packet bandwidth and packet format of the frame to be sent.

[0290] In one example, the first frequency band splitting range may include:

[0291] The bandwidth is less than or equal to 40 MHz, and the packet format is non-HT or HT. In this way, the corresponding to-be-sent frame with a bandwidth less than or equal to 40 MHz and a format of non-HT or HT can be transmitted in the first frequency band, and the corresponding to-be-sent frame with a bandwidth of 80 MHz or more or a packet format of VHT, HE, EHT can be transmitted in the second frequency band, or can be transmitted in the second frequency band and the first frequency band.

[0292] In another example, the first frequency band splitting range may include:

[0293] The bandwidth is less than or equal to 40 MHz, or the packet format is non-HT or HT. In this way, the corresponding bandwidth is greater than or equal to 80 MHz and the format, or the corresponding packet format is VHT, HE, EHT to be transmitted The frame can be transmitted in the second frequency band, or can be transmitted in the second frequency band and the first frequency band. Other frames to be transmitted can be transmitted in the first frequency band.

[0294] In another implementation manner provided by the present application, if there are two or more frequency bands between the first node and the second node, all frequency bands may share a set of diversion criteria.

[0295] In another embodiment provided in the present application, if there are four or more frequency bands between the first node and the second node, at least four frequency bands can be divided into two groups, and each group uses a set of diversion criteria. For example, each frequency band group can include at least two frequency bands, and at least two frequency bands in each frequency band group are divided into a first frequency band and a second frequency band, and a first frequency band diversion range and a second frequency band diversion range are set for each frequency band group. Exemplarily, 2.4G and frequency bands below 1GHz are used as a frequency band group, using the first diversion criterion, and 5G and 6G are used as a frequency band group, using the second diversion criterion.

[0296] By adopting the above method, for some criteria affecting throughput and latency, the channel or frequency band is divided into a fast lane and a slow lane, ensuring that the spectrum of the second frequency band can be fully used to transmit high-throughput, low-latency data.

[0297] Embodiment 5

[0298] The following describes in detail the manner of splitting the management frame carrying the management information and the control frame carrying the control information.

[0299] In an implementation mode provided by the present application, management frames and control frames may not be shunted according to shunting attribute values ​​such as transmission rate, service quality, and transmission duration. That is, only data frames may be shunted according to shunting attribute values ​​such as transmission rate, service quality, and transmission duration. This ensures that the functions of all management frames and control frames are not affected.

[0300] In another implementation manner provided in the present application, the above-mentioned offload thresholds for each frequency band set for data frames can also be used for management frames, and control frames can be transmitted in any frequency band.

[0301] In another implementation manner provided by the present application, only some control frames may be diverted according to special provisions, and the special provisions refer to sending control frames for controlling the second frequency band on the first frequency band, that is, diverting according to the type of control frames. In one example, some or all of the control frames in the trigger frame, RTS frame, CTS frame, CTS (CTS-to-Self) frame sent to itself, ACK, and BA frame may be set to be sent through the first frequency band.

[0302] The following is an exemplary description of the process of sending important control frames.

[0303] In one example, the trigger frame may be used to trigger a STA to perform uplink data transmission.

[0304] Figure 7 A schematic flow chart of using a trigger frame to trigger a STA to perform uplink data transmission.

[0305] like Figure 7 As shown, the interaction process between the AP and STA1 and STA2 may include:

[0306] S701, AP sends a trigger frame.

[0307] S702, STA1 sends uplink data.

[0308] S703, STA2 sends uplink data.

[0309] S704, AP sends confirmation information.

[0310] It should be noted that in the 802.11ax standard, the AP sends a trigger frame to trigger one or more STAs to transmit uplink data, such as Figure 7 As shown, the AP sends a trigger frame, which carries scheduling information and provides a way for STA to perform time, frequency, and power calibration and adjustment.

[0311] If it is desired to transmit the scheduling information or other similar information in the trigger frame in Band 1 and schedule STAs to perform uplink data transmission in Band 2, there will be a problem that the synchronization function cannot be achieved through the trigger frame.

[0312] To solve this problem, the present application provides the following implementations.

[0313] Figure 8 Schematic flow of the data transmission method provided in this application Figure 2 .

[0314] like Figure 8 As shown, the interaction process between the AP and the STA may include:

[0315] S801, the AP sends a scheduling frame carrying scheduling information to the STA on Band 1.

[0316] The scheduling frame is used to instruct the STA to perform data transmission on Band 2 within the target time. The scheduling frame carries a Token indication.

[0317] S802, STA receives the scheduling frame in Band 1 and stores the scheduling information.

[0318] S803, at the target time, the AP sends a short synchronization frame to the STA in Band 2 to trigger the STA to send uplink data. The short synchronization frame carries a Token indication corresponding to the scheduling frame transmitted in Band 1.

[0319] S804, the STA receives the short synchronization frame, and reads the previously stored scheduling information according to the Token indication in the short synchronization frame.

[0320] S805, the STA sends an uplink data frame according to the read scheduling information.

[0321] In this way, the scheduling information is transmitted in Band 1, and in Band 2, the uplink transmission is triggered by the short synchronization frame to achieve synchronization. The short synchronization frame can reduce the overhead of Band 2, increase the throughput of Band 2, and reduce the delay of Band 2.

[0322] In another example, the RTS / CTS frame may be used to trigger the STA to perform uplink data transmission.

[0323] Fig. 9 The figure is a schematic flow chart of data transmission using RTS / CTS.

[0324] like Fig. 9 As shown, the interaction process between the AP and STA1 and STA2 may include:

[0325] S901, AP sends RTS.

[0326] S902, STA sends a CTS.

[0327] S903, AP sends Data.

[0328] S904, STA sends a BA.

[0329] It should be noted that the interaction of RTS / CTS is used to reserve a period of time for data transmission. The AP and STA that receive RTS and CTS will be silent according to the corresponding duration information in RTS and CTS, so as not to interfere with the data transmission of the sender and receiver of RTS / CTS. However, if RTS / CTS is transmitted in Band 1 and data is transmitted in Band 2, it is impossible to inform the surrounding STAs of the transmission opportunity (TXOP) they wish to reserve, and thus it is impossible to protect the data transmission between AP and STA.

[0330] To solve this problem, the present application provides the following implementation scheme for dual-band TXOP protection.

[0331] Fig.10 Schematic flow of the data transmission method provided in this application Figure 3 .

[0332] like Fig.10 As shown, the interaction process between the AP and the STA may include:

[0333] S1001, AP sends e-RTS in Band 1.

[0334] S1002, STA sends e-CTS in Band 1.

[0335] S1003, AP sends Data in Band 1.

[0336] S1004, STA sends a BA in Band 1.

[0337] S1005, AP sends Data in Band 2.

[0338] S1006, STA sends a BA in Band 2.

[0339] In the present application, the "e-" in e-RTS / e-CTS stands for enhanced, and is used to indicate an enhanced version of RTS / CTS.

[0340] Table 5-1 is an illustration of the e-RTS / e-CTS frame format.

[0341] Table 5-1

[0342]

[0343] For the interaction between e-RTS and e-CTS, the "duration information (of Band 1)" is the same as that in RTS, and is used to reserve the TXOP of Band 1, such as TXOP1; and the "duration information of Band 2" in e-RTS / e-CTS is used to reserve the TXOP of Band 2, such as TXOP2. The "TXOP start time of Band 2" can be used to reserve the TXOP of Band 2 in advance on Band 1. For the AP and STA that receive e-RTS and e-CTS in Band 1, if they are the AP or STA identified by the "site identifier / site group identifier", they will transmit data in the corresponding TXOP indicated in the e-RTS or e-CTS; if they are not the AP or STA identified by the "site identifier / site group identifier", they will be silent in the corresponding TXOP time indicated in the e-RTS or e-CTS. The corresponding TXOP time can be obtained through the "duration information of Band 2" field and the "TXOP start time of Band 2" field.

[0344] In this way, the present application provides a TXOP protection mechanism for dual-band transmission, indicating the TXOP of Band1 and / or Band2 in e-RTS or e-CTS, so that low-speed e-RTS and e-CTS can be transmitted in Band1, while protecting the data transmission within the TXOP of Band1 and / or Band2.

[0345] In another example, the present application provides a traffic diversion method involving confirmation frames. Confirmation frames are an important management frame. Confirmation frames are used to confirm whether the receiving end has successfully received the data. In the present application, when data is transmitted in Band 2, the sender of the data can send an indication to the receiving end, indicating the frequency band in which the confirmation frame is expected to be received.

[0346] Fig.11 Schematic flow of the data transmission method provided in this application Figure 4 .

[0347] like Fig.11 As shown, the sender of data may be the first node, the receiver of data may be the second node, and the steps of the interaction process involving the confirmation frame may include:

[0348] S1101, the first node sends Data in Band 2.

[0349] S1102: The first node sends a BAR in Band 1.

[0350] S1103: The second node sends a BA in Band 1.

[0351] When the data sent by the first node is transmitted in Band 2, the second node may be indicated that it wishes to receive an acknowledgement frame through Band 1. Exemplarily, the frequency band in which the BA is desired to be received may be indicated in the Data sent in step S1101.

[0352] It should be noted that step S1102 is not a step that must be executed.

[0353] For example, the second node as the receiving end may compete for the channel in Band 1 and reply with a BA.

[0354] For another example, the second node may wait for the first node to send a block acknowledgement request (BA Request, BAR) frame, and then reply to the BA on Band 1. In other implementations provided in the present application, the above-mentioned BAR may also use a multiple user block acknowledgement request frame (Multiple User-BAR, MU-BAR) as an alternative. Both BAR and MU-BAR can be used to request an acknowledgement frame from the receiving end of the data.

[0355] In an embodiment of the present application, a method for a transmitting end to send an indication to a receiving end may include: indicating, in a High Throughput Control (HTC) field of a frame header of a transmitted data frame or a management frame, a Band ID of a Band to which a reply confirmation frame is to be located. An embodiment of the present application provides a method for sending a first frequency band diversion range to a second node, wherein the first frequency band diversion range may include a frame type of a confirmation frame, wherein the confirmation frame is used to confirm transmission data in a second frequency band.

[0356] Table 5-2 is an illustration of the Band ID indicated in the HTC field.

[0357] Table 5-2

[0358] Band ID meaning 0 2.4GHz 1 4.9 and 5 GHz 2 6GHz 3 60GHz … …

[0359] By adopting this method that the sender indicates to use frequency band 1 for confirmation when sending data, the resources of frequency band 2 can be used for high-speed data transmission, optimizing system resource allocation and maximizing system efficiency.

[0360] The solution of the present invention transmits management frames and confirmation frames that occupy a longer air interface and data with a lower rate and a lower service quality priority in the first frequency band, and transmits data with a higher rate and a higher service quality priority in the second frequency band, thereby making full use of the second frequency band for high-speed data transmission, optimizing system throughput and reducing system latency.

[0361] In addition, the 802.11ad standard defines an interface between the low-frequency MAC layer and the high-frequency MAC layer, which is used to transfer the contents of MAC frames of different layers within the STA. This mechanism is called Fast Session Transfer (FST). Through their respective MAC interfaces, two nodes (such as STA1 and STA2) can use low-frequency MAC (and low-frequency PHY) to send high-frequency MAC frames. This mechanism is also called On-Channel Tunneling (OCT).

[0362] Fig.12 is a schematic diagram of the node structure. Fig.12 As shown, the high-frequency MAC data of STA1 is transmitted to the low-frequency MAC of STA1 through the internal MAC interface, and then encapsulated into a low-frequency data packet at the physical (Physical, PHY) layer and sent to the low-frequency receiver of STA2, thereby obtaining the high-frequency MAC frame. This data transmission method can replace single-band transmission with multi-band transmission, that is, this method provides a method for using multiple bands to send the MAC frame of a node to another node. However, for each band, each band has a situation where high-speed frames and low-speed frames are mixed and sent. Therefore, the overall throughput of the band is not high, and the overall delay of the band is large, which cannot meet the service requirements for transmission rate or transmission quality.

[0363] The data transmission method provided in the present application can improve the overall throughput between nodes and reduce the average delay between nodes by diverting the frames to be sent according to the diversion attribute values.

[0364] Embodiment 6

[0365] Fig.13 A schematic block diagram of a node device 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0366] In one embodiment, Fig.13 The device 1300 shown may correspond to the device on the first node side in the above method embodiment, and may have any function of the first node in the method. Optionally, the device 1300 in the embodiment of the present application may be the first node or a chip in the first node. The device 1300 may include a processing module 1310 and a transceiver module 1320. Optionally, the device 1300 may also include a storage module 1330.

[0367] The processing module 1310 can be used to execute step S201 in the above method embodiment, or to execute step S301. In the embodiment provided by the present application, the processing module 1310 can also be used to determine the target frequency band for sending the frame to be sent according to the diversion attribute value of the frame to be sent and the first frequency band diversion range.

[0368] The transceiver module 1320 may be used to execute steps S202 and S203;

[0369] Alternatively, it is used to execute steps S302, S303, and S304;

[0370] Alternatively, it is used to execute step S501 or S502.

[0371] In the embodiment of the present application, the device 1300 may also have any function of the second node in the above method. Exemplarily, the above transceiver module 1320 may be used to execute step S502.

[0372] In an embodiment of the present application, the first node can be an AP or a STA. The first node can execute the steps in the above method performed by the AP or STA as the sender of various frames to be sent. In addition, the first node can execute the steps in the above method performed by the AP or STA or the second node as the receiver of the frames to be sent.

[0373] In the embodiment of the present application, the transceiver module 1320 may be used to execute step S605, or to execute steps S603 and S605, or to execute step S606, or to execute steps S601, S602 and S606, or to execute steps S601, S602, S604 and S606;

[0374] Alternatively, it is used to execute step S801, or to execute steps S802, S803, and S804.

[0375] Alternatively, it is used to execute steps S1001, S1003, and S1005, or to execute steps S1002, S1004, and S1006;

[0376] Alternatively, it is used to execute steps S1101, S1102, or to execute S1003.

[0377] In this embodiment of the present application, the second node may be an AP or a STA.

[0378] It should be understood that the device 1300 of the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the first node in each method of the aforementioned embodiment, and the above-mentioned management operations and / or functions possessed by each module in the device 1300, as well as other management operations and / or functions possessed by each module, are respectively for implementing the corresponding steps of the aforementioned methods, and for the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0379] Alternatively, the device 1300 may also be configured as a general processing system, such as a chip, and the processing module 1310 may include: one or more processors that provide processing functions; the transceiver module 1320 may be, for example, an input / output interface, a pin or a circuit, etc. The input / output interface may be used to be responsible for the information interaction between the chip system and the outside world. For example, this input / output interface may process the scheduling request message output input to this chip by other modules outside the chip. The processing module may execute the computer execution instructions stored in the storage module to implement the function of the first node in the above method embodiment. In an example, the storage module 1330 optionally included in the device 1300 may be a storage unit in the chip, such as a register, a cache, etc. The storage module 1330 may also be a storage unit located outside the chip, such as a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0380] In another example, Fig.14 A schematic block diagram of another node-side communication device 1400 of an embodiment of the present application is shown. The device 1400 of the embodiment of the present application may be the first node in the above method embodiment, and the device 1400 may be used to perform some or all of the functions of the first node in the above method embodiment. The device 1400 may include: a processor 1410, a baseband circuit 1414, a radio frequency circuit 1440 and an antenna 1450, and optionally, the device 1400 may also include a memory 1420. The various components of the device 1400 are coupled together via a bus 1460, wherein the bus system 1460 includes a power bus, a control bus and a status signal bus in addition to a data bus. However, for the sake of clarity, various buses are labeled as bus systems 1460 in the figure.

[0381] Processor 1410 can be used to implement control over the first node, to execute the processing performed by the first node in the above-mentioned embodiments, to execute the processing procedures involving the first node in the above-mentioned method embodiments and / or other processes for the technology described in this application, and to run an operating system, be responsible for managing the bus, and execute programs or instructions stored in the memory.

[0382] The baseband circuit 1414, the radio frequency circuit 1440 and the antenna 1450 can be used to support the transmission and reception of information between the first node and the second node involved in the above embodiment, so as to support wireless communication between the first node and other nodes. The second node can be an AP or a STA.

[0383] In one example, the frame to be sent that is encapsulated by the PHY layer and sent from the second node is received via antenna 1450, and is filtered, amplified, down-converted, and digitized by the RF circuit 1440. It is then decoded by the baseband circuit 1414, and decapsulated according to the protocol, and other baseband processing is performed. The processor 1410 then processes it to recover the business data and signaling information carried in the frame to be sent by the second node; in another example, the frame to be sent that carries business data and signaling information and is sent by the first node can be processed by the processor 1410, encapsulated according to the protocol, encoded, and other baseband processing is performed by the baseband circuit 1414, and further analog-converted, filtered, amplified, up-converted, and other RF processing is performed by the RF circuit 1440, and then sent to the second node via antenna 1450.

[0384] The memory 1420 may be used to store the program code and data of the first node. The memory 1420 may be Fig.13 The storage module 1314 in the storage module 1314. It can be understood that the baseband circuit 1414, the radio frequency circuit 1440 and the antenna 1450 can also be used to support the second access point to communicate with other network entities, for example, to support the second access point to communicate with network elements on the core network side. Fig.14 The memory 1420 is shown as being separated from the processor 1410, however, it is readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the memory 1420 or any portion thereof may be located outside the device 1400. For example, the memory 1420 may include a transmission line and / or a computer product separated from a wireless node, and these media may be accessed by the processor 1410 through the bus interface 1460. Alternatively, the memory 1420 or any portion thereof may be integrated into the processor 1410, for example, may be a cache and / or a general register.

[0385] Understandably, Fig.14 Only a simplified design of the first node is shown. For example, in practical applications, the first node may include any number of transmitters, receivers, processors, memories, etc., and all first nodes that can implement the present invention are within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0386] It should be noted that, when serving as a receiving end, the apparatus 1400 may also be used to perform some or all functions of the second node in the above method embodiment. In addition, the apparatus 1400 may also be used to perform some or all functions of the AP or STA in the above method embodiment.

[0387] The present application also provides a computer storage medium, in which instructions are stored, and the instructions can be executed by one or more processors on a processing circuit. When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the methods described in the above aspects.

[0388] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a first node or a second node to implement the functions involved in the above embodiments, such as generating or processing data and / or information involved in the above methods.

[0389] In a possible design, the chip system may further include a memory, and the memory is used to store necessary program instructions and data of the first node or the second node. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0390] An embodiment of the present application also provides a processor, which is coupled to a memory and is used to execute the method and function involving the first node in any of the above embodiments.

[0391] The embodiment of the present application also provides a processor, which is coupled to a memory and is used to execute the method and function involving the second node in any of the above embodiments.

[0392] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method and function involving the first node in any of the above embodiments.

[0393] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method and function involving the second node in any of the above embodiments.

[0394] An embodiment of the present application also provides a wireless communication system, which includes the first node and at least one second node involved in the above embodiment.

[0395] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in this application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integration. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state hard disk Solid State Disk), etc.

Claims

1. A chip, used for a second node, characterized in that: The second node supports multi-band transmission, the multi-band includes at least a first frequency band and a second frequency band, the chip includes a processor and a memory, the processor is used to execute computer execution instructions stored in the memory, so that the second node performs the following steps: receiving a first beacon frame sent by a first node on the first frequency band, the first node supporting multi-frequency band transmission; Sending an association request frame to the first node on the first frequency band, where the association request frame is used to request to establish an association with the first node on the first frequency band and the second frequency band; An association response frame sent by the first node is received in the first frequency band, where the association response frame is used to indicate whether to establish an association between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

2. The chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: After receiving a second beacon frame sent by the first node on the second frequency band and before sending an association request frame to the first node on the first frequency band, the processor is further configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, so that the second node performs the following steps: sending a probe request frame to the first node on the first frequency band; A probe response frame sent by the first node is received on the first frequency band, where the probe response frame includes capability information of the first node.

3. The chip according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: After receiving the association response frame sent by the first node in the first frequency band, the processor is further configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, so that the second node performs the following steps: A scheduling frame sent by the first node is received on the first frequency band, where the scheduling frame carries scheduling information for indicating data transmission on the second frequency band.

4. The chip according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The processor is further configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, so that the second node performs the following steps: A second beacon frame sent by the first node is received on the second frequency band.

5. The chip according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The second frequency band is higher than the first frequency band.

6. The chip according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The second frequency band is 6 GHz.

7. The chip according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The first frequency band is 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz.

8. The chip according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first frequency band is 2.4 GHz, and the second frequency band is 5 GHz.

9. A chip, used for a first node, characterized in that: The first node supports multi-band transmission, the multi-band includes at least a first frequency band and a second frequency band, the chip includes a processor and a memory, the processor is used to execute computer execution instructions stored in the memory, so that the first node performs the following steps: sending a first beacon frame to a second node on the first frequency band, the second node supporting multi-frequency band transmission; receiving an association request frame sent by the second node on the first frequency band, where the association request frame is used by the second node to request to establish an association with the first node on the first frequency band and the second frequency band; An association response frame is sent to the second node in the first frequency band, where the association response frame is used to indicate whether an association is established in the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

10. The chip according to claim 9, characterized in that: After sending a second beacon frame to the second node on the second frequency band and before receiving an association request frame sent by the second node on the first frequency band, the processor is further configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, so that the first node performs the following steps: receiving a probe request frame sent by the second node in the first frequency band; A probe response frame is sent to the second node on the first frequency band, wherein the probe response frame includes capability information of the first node.

11. The chip according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: After the first frequency band sends an association response frame to the second node, the processor is further configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, so that the first node performs the following steps: A scheduling frame is sent to the second node on the first frequency band, where the scheduling frame carries scheduling information for indicating data transmission on the second frequency band.

12. The chip according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that: The processor is further configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, so that the first node performs the following steps: The second node sends a second beacon frame on the second frequency band.

13. The chip according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that: The second frequency band is higher than the first frequency band.

14. The chip according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that: The second frequency band is 6 GHz.

15. The chip according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that: The first frequency band is 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz.

16. The chip according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that: The first frequency band is 2.4 GHz, and the second frequency band is 5 GHz.

Images