Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a communication method and a communication device. The communication method may include: sending an NDPA frame; sending an uplink NDP frame; receiving a downlink NDP frame, wherein one of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a measurement NDP frame for wireless local area network awareness measurement, and the other of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a non-measurement NDP frame not for wireless local area network awareness measurement, wherein the working parameters or formats of the measurement NDP frame and the non-measurement NDP frame are different.

Description

[0001] Related Applications

[0002] This application is a divisional application of the patent application with the application number "2022800000610" (invention name: Communication Method and Communication Device), which was filed on January 6, 2022. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication, and more particularly, to a communication method and a communication device for a wireless local area network (WLAN). Background Art

[0004] WLAN has the characteristics of flexibility, mobility, and low cost. With the development of communication technologies and the growth of user demands, the research on the application of WLAN is being gradually deepened. For example, currently, research is being conducted on WLAN sensing, and its main application scenarios include: location discovery in dense environments (home and enterprise environments), proximity detection, and presence detection, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide the following technical solutions:

[0006] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided. The communication method may include: sending a null data packet announcement (NDPA) frame; sending an uplink null data packet (NDP) frame; receiving a downlink NDP frame, wherein one of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a measurement NDP frame for wireless local area network sensing measurement, and the other of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a non-measurement NDP frame that is not used for wireless local area network sensing measurement, and the working parameters or formats of the measurement NDP frame and the non-measurement NDP frame are different.

[0007] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided. The communication method may include: receiving an NDPA frame; receiving an uplink NDP frame; sending a downlink NDP frame, wherein one of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a measurement NDP frame for wireless local area network sensing measurement, and the other of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a non-measurement NDP frame that is not used for wireless local area network sensing measurement, and the working parameters or formats of the measurement NDP frame and the non-measurement NDP frame are different.

[0008] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided. The communication device may include: a transceiver module configured to: send an NDPA frame; send an uplink NDP frame; receive a downlink NDP frame. One of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a measurement NDP frame for wireless local area network (WLAN) awareness measurement, and the other of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a non-measurement NDP frame not for WLAN awareness measurement, and the working parameters or formats of the measurement NDP frame and the non-measurement NDP frame are different.

[0009] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided. The communication device may include: a transceiver module configured to: receive an NDPA frame; receive an uplink NDP frame; send a downlink NDP frame. One of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a measurement NDP frame for wireless local area network (WLAN) awareness measurement, and the other of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a non-measurement NDP frame not for WLAN awareness measurement, and the working parameters or formats of the measurement NDP frame and the non-measurement NDP frame are different.

[0010] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, the method described above is implemented.

[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. A computer program is stored on the computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method described above is implemented.

[0012] The technical solution provided by the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure can save the overhead of NDP frames not used for WLAN awareness measurement. Description of the Drawings

[0013] By referring to the drawings and describing the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in detail, the above and other features of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent, where:

[0014] Figure 1 is an exemplary manner of showing WLAN awareness.

[0015] Figure 2 is an application scenario showing the Non-TB based awareness manner according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0016] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0017] Figure 4It is a flowchart showing a communication method performed by an initiator in uplink sounding according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0018] Figure 5 It is a flowchart showing a communication method performed by an initiator in downlink sounding according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0019] Figure 6 It is a flowchart showing another communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0020] Figure 7 It is a flowchart showing a communication method performed by a responder in uplink sounding according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0021] Figure 8 It is a block diagram showing a communication device according to an exemplary embodiment. Detailed Description

[0022] The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Various embodiments of the present disclosure include various specific details, but these specific details are only considered exemplary. In addition, descriptions of well-known technologies, functions, and configurations may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

[0023] The terms and words used in the present disclosure are not limited to their written meanings, but are used only by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the present disclosure. Therefore, for those skilled in the art, the description of various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided only for the purpose of illustration, not for the purpose of limitation.

[0024] It should be understood that, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", "the", and "said" used herein may also include the plural forms. It should be further understood that the phrase "comprising" used in the present disclosure means the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0025] It will be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. Thus, without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments, the first element discussed below may be referred to as the second element.

[0026] It should be understood that when an element is referred to as "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there may also be intermediate elements. In addition, the "connection" or "coupling" used herein may include wireless connection or wireless coupling. The term "and / or" or the expression "at least one / at least one of..." used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0028] Figure 1 is an exemplary manner of showing WLAN sensing.

[0029] The process of WLAN sensing can be as follows: The initiator initiates WLAN sensing (e.g., initiates a WLAN sensing session), and there may be multiple responders responding to it. The specific possible ways can be as Figure 1 shown in (a), (b), and (c) of

[0030] Referring to Figure 1 in (a), when the WLAN sensing initiator (e.g., a client) initiates WLAN sensing, multiple associated or non-associated WLAN sensing responders (e.g., three access points (APs)) can respond. Here, "associated" may mean that an association connection for communication is established between the initiator and the responder, and "non-associated" may mean that no association connection for communication is established between the initiator and the responder.

[0031] As an example, a client may include, but is not limited to: cellular phones, smart phones, wearable devices, computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), personal communication system (PCS) devices, personal information managers (PIMs), personal navigation devices (PNDs), global positioning systems, multimedia devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc.

[0032] An AP can be a wireless switch for a wireless network or an access device for a wireless network. An AP can include software applications and / or circuits to enable other types of nodes in the wireless network to communicate with the outside and inside of the wireless network through the AP. As an example, an AP can be a terminal device or a network device equipped with a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) chip.

[0033] Figure 1 in (b) andFigure 1 is similar to (a) in Figure 1 in (b), communication can occur between each responder (AP).

[0034] Referring to Figure 1 in (c), both the WLAN awareness initiator and the responder of WLAN awareness can be clients, and the two can communicate by connecting to the same AP.

[0035] Although in Figure 1 (a), (b), and (c) it is shown that the client is the initiator and the AP is the responder, however, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the AP can be the initiator and the client can be the responder. In addition, the number of initiators and responders is not limited to Figure 1 shown in (a), (b), and (c) in

[0036] As an illustrative embodiment, the process of WLAN awareness can include: establishing a WLAN awareness session, establishing WLAN awareness measurements, and terminating WLAN awareness measurements. In establishing a WLAN awareness session, operation parameters associated with the awareness session can be determined and exchanged between devices. In establishing WLAN awareness measurements, awareness measurements and / or reporting of measurement results can be performed, so establishing WLAN awareness measurements can also be referred to as the WLAN awareness measurement process. In terminating WLAN awareness measurements, the device stops performing measurements and terminates the awareness session.

[0037] In addition, in the technology of WLAN awareness, a trigger-based (TB-based) awareness method and a non-trigger-based (Non-TB based) awareness method have been proposed. For example, in the TB-based awareness method, the AP can be the initiator or transmitter, and in the Non-TB based awareness method, the station (STA) can be the initiator or transmitter. Examples of the station (STA) can be similar to the examples of the client above, and for the sake of brevity, the repeated description is omitted here.

[0038] Figure 2 Shows three typical application scenarios of the Non-TB based awareness method according to an example embodiment.

[0039] Since the STA ( Figure 2Shown as STA1) as the initiator, which does not have the ability of the AP to communicate with multiple users at the same time. Therefore, in the Non-TB based sensing process, the sensing measurements are initiated by the STA, and the uplink sounding (UL sounding) or downlink sounding (DL sounding) process can be performed, or both in one sensing measurement.

[0040] In Figure 2 , I2R can represent the initiator to the responder (i.e., uplink), and R2I can represent the responder to the initiator (i.e., downlink). Therefore, the I2R sensing probe can represent the uplink sounding (UL sounding), the R2I sensing probe can represent the downlink sounding (DL sounding), and the SIFS (Short Interframe Space) can represent the transmission interval between frames.

[0041] Figure 2 (a) of Figure 2 (b) of Figure 2 (c) of

[0042] In Figure 2 (a) of Figure 2 (b) of Figure 2 (c) of

[0043] In the current research, it is required or expected that the overhead of the NDP frames not used for WLAN sensing measurement should be saved as much as possible. In view of this, a communication method and a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are provided.

[0044] Figure 3 It is a flowchart showing a communication method according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 2 The shown communication method can be applied to the initiator (STA) of WLAN sensing.

[0045] Referring to Figure 3 , in step 310, an NDPA frame can be sent; in step 320, an uplink NDP frame can be sent; in step 330, a downlink NDP frame can be received. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, one of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a measurement NDP frame for WLAN sensing measurement, and the other of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a non-measurement NDP frame not for WLAN sensing measurement, and the working parameters or formats of the measurement NDP frame and the non-measurement NDP frame can be different.

[0046] For example, in the case of only uplink probing, the uplink NDP frame can be a measurement NDP frame for WLAN sensing measurement, while the downlink NDP frame can be a non-measurement NDP frame not for WLAN sensing measurement; in the case of only downlink probing, the downlink NDP frame can be a measurement NDP frame, and the uplink NDP frame can be a non-measurement NDP frame. To save overhead (e.g., save the overhead of transmitting non-measurement NDP frames as much as possible), different working parameters or formats can be adopted for the measurement NDP frame and the non-measurement NDP frame.

[0047] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the working parameters of the non-measurement NDP frame can include: the first number of spatial streams (NSS), and the first working bandwidth (BW) of the non-measurement NDP frame. The format of the non-measurement NDP frame can represent the information included in the non-measurement NDP frame, and the non-measurement NDP frame can include: the first long training field (LTF). Among them, the number of the first long training fields of the non-measurement NDP frame and the first working bandwidth can be fixed, carried in the NDPA frame, or determined during the WLAN sensing measurement establishment phase. For example, the number of the first LTF is 1, and the first working bandwidth is 20 MHz.

[0048] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the operating parameters for measuring the NDP frame may include: the number of second spatial streams, and the second operating bandwidth for measuring the NDP frame. The format of the measured NDP frame may represent the information included in the measured NDP frame, and the measured NDP frame may include: a second long training field, a packet extension field (PE). Among them, the number of the second long training fields and the second operating bandwidth of the measured NDP frame may be carried in the NDPA frame or determined during the WLAN sensing measurement establishment phase. In addition, the number of the second long training fields and the second operating bandwidth of the measured NDP frame are different for different WLAN sensing measurement events.

[0049] However, it will be understood that the operating parameters and formats (the information included) of the measured NDP frame and the non-measured NDP frame described above are only exemplary, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the operating parameters of the measured NDP frame and the non-measured NDP frame may include various channel parameters for transmitting the measured NDP frame and the non-measured NDP frame, and the formats of the measured NDP frame and the non-measured NDP frame may represent various information carried by the measured NDP frame and the non-measured NDP frame.

[0050] Regarding the operating parameters of the non-measured NDP frame, since in the case of only uplink sounding, the role of the non-measured NDP frame is to identify that the AP has received the NDPA frame and the NDP frame sent by the STA, and in the case of only downlink sounding, the role of the non-measured NDP frame is only to identify the integrity of the entire Non-TB sensing measurement process, it is necessary to minimize the transmission overhead of the non-measured NDP frame as much as possible. For example, the number of the first long training fields (LTF) may have a correspondence with the first NSS. In the case of the non-measured NDP frame, the first NSS may be 1 (NSS = 1), indicating that there is only one LTF. That is, the number of the first long training fields may be 1. In addition, since the non-measured NDP frame carries less information, it can be transmitted in a basic BW 20MHz channel. That is, the first operating bandwidth may be a basic 20MHz bandwidth. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The first operating bandwidth for transmitting the non-measured NDP frame may be equal to the second operating bandwidth for transmitting the measured NDP frame (the second operating bandwidth will be described in detail later). In addition, in order to save the transmission overhead of the non-measured NDP frame, the operating parameters of the NDP frame may not include the PE, or the PE may not be included in the NDP frame.

[0051] As a non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the non-measured NDP frame may have a format as shown in Table 1 or Table 2 below.

[0052] Table 1: EEHT sounding, non-measured NDP frame format

[0053]

[0054] Table 1 shows the format of the non-measurement NDP frame in an extremely high-throughput (EHT) communication environment. For example, the number of long training fields (EHT-LTF) of the non-measurement NDP frame (i.e., the number of the first long training fields) is 1, and it does not contain PE. In addition, the non-measurement NDP frame shown in Table 1 may further include: a legacy short training field (L-STF), a legacy long training field (L-LTF), a legacy signaling field (L-SIG), a repeated legacy signaling field (RL-SIG), a universal signaling field (U-SIG), an EHT signaling field (EHT-SIG), and an EHT short training field (EHT-STF), etc. However, this is only exemplary, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0055] Table 2: HE Probe, Non-Measurement NDP Frame Format

[0056]

[0057] Table 2 shows the format of the non-measurement NDP frame in a high-efficiency (HE) communication environment. For example, the number of long training fields (HE-LTF) of the non-measurement NDP frame (i.e., the number of the first long training fields) is 1, and it does not contain PE. In addition, the non-measurement NDP frame shown in Table 2 may further include: a legacy short training field (L-STF), a legacy long training field (L-LTF), a legacy signaling field (L-SIG), a repeated legacy signaling field (RL-SIG), an HE signaling field (HE-SIG-A), and an HE short training field (HE-STF), etc. However, this is only exemplary, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the non-measurement NDP frame may be a PPDU (null data physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit) that does not contain a data field.

[0058] Regarding the working parameters of the measurement NDP frame, since the function of the measurement NDP frame is for WLAN awareness measurement (i.e., as a WLAN awareness frame), the overhead of transmitting the measurement NDP frame may be greater than the overhead of transmitting the non-measurement NDP frame.

[0059] For example, the maximum number of LTFs in the measurement NDP frame (i.e., the number of the second long training fields) can be up to the maximum number of spatial streams supported by the sender of the measurement NDP frame (i.e., the maximum second spatial stream number described above). In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the maximum second spatial stream number may be pre-determined (obtained). For example, in Figure 3Obtained before the communication method shown is executed. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the maximum number of second spatial streams can be obtained from the physical layer capability information element. For example, the maximum number of second spatial streams can be obtained from the HE PHY capability information element or the EHT PHY capability information element. For the sake of brevity, the specific format of the HE PHY capability information element or the EHT PHY capability information element is omitted herein.

[0060] In addition, measuring the number of LTFs in the NDP frame (i.e., the number of the second longest training fields) can be associated with the second operating bandwidth of the measured NDP frame. For example but not limited to, when the second operating bandwidth of the measured NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz, the maximum number of the second longest training fields can be 8; when the second operating bandwidth of the measured NDP frame is 320 MHz, the maximum number of the second longest training fields can be 16.

[0061] In addition, the packet extension field in the measured NDP frame can be associated with the second operating bandwidth of the measured NDP frame. For example, the length of the packet extension field when the second operating bandwidth of the measured NDP frame is 320 MHz can be greater than the length of the packet extension field when the second operating bandwidth of the measured NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and they can also be the same. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the length of the packet extension field can identify the time spent on sending the packet extension field (PE) in the measured NDP frame, which will be described in detail with reference to Table 3 and Table 4 later.

[0062] As a non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the measured NDP frame can have the format shown in Table 3 or Table 4 below.

[0063] Table 3: EHT Probe, Measured NDP Frame Format

[0064]

[0065] Table 3 shows the format of the measured NDP frame in the EHT communication environment. For example, the number of long training fields (EHT-LTF) in the measured NDP frame (i.e., the number of the second longest training fields) can be multiple (for example, at most 16), and can include a PE of 4 us or 8 us. In addition, the measured NDP frame shown in Table 3 can also include: L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, EHT-SIG and EHT-STF, etc. However, this is only exemplary, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0066] Table 4: HE Probe, Measured NDP Frame Format

[0067]

[0068] Table 4 shows the format of the measurement NDP frame in the HE communication environment. For example, the number of long training fields (HE-LTF) of the measurement NDP frame (i.e., the number of the second long training fields) is 8, and it may include 4 us of PE. In addition, the measurement NDP frame shown in Table 4 may further include: L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, HE-SIG-A, and HE-STF, etc. However, this is only exemplary, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0069] It will be understood that Figure 3 the communication method shown is only exemplary, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in the following Figure 4 and Figure 5 embodiments of the communication method performed by the initiator (STA) are described.

[0070] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the communication method performed by the initiator (STA) in the uplink sounding according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0071] In Figure 4 steps 410 to 430 may be similar to Figure 3 steps 310 to 330, and the repeated description is omitted here for the sake of brevity. When only uplink sounding is performed, the uplink NDP frame in step 420 is a measurement NDP frame, and the downlink NDP frame in step 430 is a non-measurement NDP frame.

[0072] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the working parameters or formats of the uplink NDP frame may be different from those of the downlink NDP frame.

[0073] For example, the operating parameters of the uplink NDP frame may include: the number of second spatial streams, and the second operating bandwidth of the uplink NDP frame. The format of the uplink NDP frame may represent the information contained in the uplink NDP frame, and the uplink NDP frame may include: a second long training field, a packet extension field. Specifically, the maximum number of second long training fields may be the maximum number of second spatial streams supported by the sender of the uplink NDP frame. The second operating bandwidth may be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz. For example, when the second operating bandwidth of the uplink NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz, the maximum number of second long training fields may be 8; when the second operating bandwidth of the uplink NDP frame is 320 MHz, the maximum number of second long training fields may be 16. In addition, the length of the packet extension field when the second operating bandwidth of the uplink NDP frame is 320 MHz may be greater than the length of the packet extension field when the second operating bandwidth of the uplink NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the two may also be the same. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the uplink NDP frame may have the operating parameters or format of a conventional NDP frame for WLAN awareness measurement, or the embodiments of the measurement NDP frame described above with reference to Tables 3 and 4 may be applied to the uplink NDP frame here. For the sake of brevity, the repeated description is omitted herein.

[0074] For example, the operating parameters of the downlink NDP frame may include: the number of first spatial streams, and the first operating bandwidth of the downlink NDP frame. The format of the downlink NDP frame may represent the information contained in the downlink NDP frame, and the downlink NDP frame may include: a first long training field. Specifically, the number of first spatial streams and the number of first long training fields may be 1, and the first operating bandwidth may be 20 MHz. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the downlink NDP frame may have the operating parameters or format of a conventional NDP frame, or the embodiments of the non-measurement NDP frame described above with reference to Tables 1 and 2 may be applied to the downlink NDP frame here. For the sake of brevity, the repeated description is omitted herein.

[0075] In addition, in Figure 4 the uplink probe of, the initiator (STA) may receive the WLAN awareness measurement result (step 440). In other words, the receiver (AP) may perform WLAN awareness measurement based on the uplink NDP frame and feedback the measurement result to the initiator, such as but not limited to, channel state information (CSI).

[0076] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing a communication method performed by an initiator (STA) in a downlink probe according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0077] In Figure 5 it, steps 510 to 530 can be similar to Figure 3 steps 310 to 330 of. For the sake of brevity, the repeated descriptions are omitted here. When only downlink sounding is performed, the uplink NDP frame in step 520 is a non-measurement NDP frame, and the downlink NDP frame in step 530 is a measurement NDP frame.

[0078] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the working parameters or formats of the uplink NDP frame may be different from those of the downlink NDP frame.

[0079] For example, the working parameters of the uplink NDP frame may include: the number of first spatial streams, and the first working bandwidth of the uplink NDP frame. The format of the uplink NDP frame may represent the information contained in the uplink NDP frame, and the uplink NDP frame may include: a first long training field. Specifically, the number of the first spatial streams and the number of the first long training fields may be 1, and the first working bandwidth may be 20 MHz. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the uplink NDP frame may have the working parameters or formats of a conventional NDP frame, or the embodiments of the non-measurement NDP frame described above with reference to Tables 1 and 2 may be applied to the uplink NDP frame here. For the sake of brevity, the repeated descriptions are omitted here.

[0080] For example, the working parameters of the downlink NDP frame may include: the number of second spatial streams, and the second working bandwidth of the downlink NDP frame. The format of the downlink NDP frame may represent the information contained in the downlink NDP frame, and the downlink NDP frame may include: a second long training field, a packet extension field. Specifically, the maximum number of the second long training fields may be the maximum number of second spatial streams supported by the sender of the downlink NDP frame. The second working bandwidth may be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz or 320 MHz. For example, when the second working bandwidth of the downlink NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz, the maximum number of the second long training fields may be 8; when the second working bandwidth of the downlink NDP frame is 320 MHz, the maximum number of the second long training fields may be 16. In addition, the length of the packet extension field in the case where the second working bandwidth of the downlink NDP frame is 320 MHz may be greater than the length of the packet extension field in the case where the second working bandwidth of the downlink NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and they may also be the same. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the downlink NDP frame may have the working parameters or formats of a conventional NDP frame for WLAN awareness measurement, or the embodiments of the measurement NDP frame described above with reference to Tables 3 and 4 may be applied to the downlink NDP frame here. For the sake of brevity, the repeated descriptions are omitted here.

[0081] In addition, in the downlink detection of Figure 5 , the initiator (STA) can directly use the downlink NDP frame for the WLAN sensing measurement result (step 540), without receiving the measurement result from the responder (AP).

[0082] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing another communication method according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 6 The shown communication method can be executed by the responder (AP).

[0083] Referring to Figure 6 , in step 610, an NDPA frame can be received; in step 620, an uplink NDP frame can be received; in step 630, a downlink NDP frame can be sent. Among them, one of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame can be a measurement NDP frame for WLAN sensing measurement, and the other of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame can be a non-measurement NDP frame not for WLAN sensing measurement, and the working parameters or formats of the measurement NDP frame and the non-measurement NDP frame are different.

[0084] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the working parameters of the non-measurement NDP frame can include: the number of the first spatial streams, and the first working bandwidth of the non-measurement NDP frame; the format of the non-measurement NDP frame can represent the information included in the non-measurement NDP frame, and the non-measurement NDP frame can include: the first long training field. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the working parameters of the measurement NDP frame can include: the number of the second spatial streams, and the second working bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame; the format of the measurement NDP frame can represent the information included in the measurement NDP frame, and the measurement NDP frame includes: the second long training field, the packet extension field.

[0085] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of the first spatial streams and the number of the first long training fields can be 1.

[0086] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first working bandwidth can be a 20 MHz bandwidth, or the first working bandwidth can be equal to the second working bandwidth.

[0087] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the maximum number of the second long training fields can be the maximum number of the second spatial streams supported by the sender of the measurement NDP frame. The maximum number of the second spatial streams can be obtained from the physical layer capability information element.

[0088] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the second operating bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz, the maximum number of second long training fields can be 8; when the second operating bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame is 320 MHz, the maximum number of second long training fields can be 16.

[0089] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the length of the packet extension field when the second operating bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame is 320 MHz can be greater than the length of the packet extension field when the second operating bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the two can also be equal.

[0090] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of first long training fields and the first operating bandwidth of the non-measurement NDP frame can be fixed, carried in the NDPA frame, or determined during the WLAN awareness measurement establishment phase.

[0091] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of second long training fields and the second operating bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame can be carried in the NDPA frame, or determined during the WLAN awareness measurement establishment phase.

[0092] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of second long training fields and the second operating bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame can be different for different WLAN awareness measurement events.

[0093] As referred to above Figure 3 And the embodiments of the non-measurement NDP frame and the measurement NDP frame described in Tables 1 to 4 can be applied herein. For the sake of brevity, the repeated descriptions are omitted herein.

[0094] It will be understood that Figure 6 The communication method shown is merely exemplary, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in the following Figure 7 An embodiment of the communication method executed by the responder (AP) is described.

[0095] Figure 7 Is a flowchart showing a communication method executed by the responder (AP) in the uplink sounding according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0096] In Figure 7 Steps 710 to 730 can be similar to Figure 6 Steps 610 to 630 therein. For the sake of brevity, the repeated descriptions are omitted herein. When only uplink sounding is performed, the uplink NDP frame in step 720 is a measurement NDP frame, and the downlink NDP frame in step 730 is a non-measurement NDP frame.

[0097] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the working parameters or format of the uplink NDP frame may be different from those of the downlink NDP frame.

[0098] For example, the working parameters of the uplink NDP frame may include: the number of second spatial streams, and the second working bandwidth of the uplink NDP frame. The format of the uplink NDP frame may represent the information included in the uplink NDP frame, and the uplink NDP frame may include: a second long training field, a packet extension field. Specifically, the maximum number of the second long training fields may be the maximum number of second spatial streams supported by the sender of the uplink NDP frame. The second working bandwidth may be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz or 320 MHz. For example, when the second working bandwidth of the uplink NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz, the maximum number of the second long training fields may be 8; when the second working bandwidth of the uplink NDP frame is 320 MHz, the maximum number of the second long training fields may be 16. In addition, the length of the packet extension field when the second working bandwidth of the uplink NDP frame is 320 MHz may be greater than the length of the packet extension field when the second working bandwidth of the uplink NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and they may also be the same. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the uplink NDP frame may have the working parameters or format of a conventional NDP frame for WLAN awareness measurement, or the embodiments of the measurement NDP frame described above with reference to Tables 3 and 4 may be applied to the uplink NDP frame here. For the sake of brevity, the repeated descriptions are omitted herein.

[0099] For example, the working parameters of the downlink NDP frame may include: the number of first spatial streams, and the first working bandwidth of the downlink NDP frame. The format of the downlink NDP frame may represent the information included in the downlink NDP frame, and the downlink NDP frame may include: a first long training field. Specifically, the number of the first spatial streams and the first long training fields may be 1, and the first working bandwidth may be 20 MHz. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the downlink NDP frame may have the working parameters or format of a conventional NDP frame, or the embodiments of the non-measurement NDP frame described above with reference to Tables 1 and 2 may be applied to the downlink NDP frame here. For the sake of brevity, the repeated descriptions are omitted herein.

[0100] In addition, in Figure 7 the uplink probe, the responder (AP) may perform WLAN awareness measurement based on the uplink NDP frame received in step 720, and send the WLAN awareness measurement result (e.g., CSI) to the initiator (STA) (step 740).

[0101] The flowchart of the communication method performed by the responder (AP) when only downlink sounding is performed may be similar to Figure 6 , that is, the responder (AP) may send a downlink NDP frame (measurement NDP frame) for WLAN awareness measurement without performing WLAN awareness measurement. When only downlink sounding is performed, the uplink NDP frame is a non-measurement NDP frame, and the downlink NDP frame is a measurement NDP frame. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the working parameters or formats of the uplink NDP frame may be different from those of the downlink NDP frame.

[0102] For example, the working parameters of the uplink NDP frame may include: the number of first spatial streams, and the first working bandwidth of the uplink NDP frame. The format of the uplink NDP frame may represent the information contained in the uplink NDP frame, and the uplink NDP frame may include: a first long training field. Specifically, the number of the first spatial streams and the number of the first long training fields may be 1, and the first working bandwidth may be 20 MHz. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the uplink NDP frame may have the working parameters or formats of a conventional NDP frame, or the embodiments of the non-measurement NDP frame described above with reference to Tables 1 and 2 may be applied to the uplink NDP frame here. For the sake of brevity, the repeated descriptions are omitted here.

[0103] For example, the working parameters of the downlink NDP frame may include: the number of second spatial streams, and the second working bandwidth of the downlink NDP frame. The format of the downlink NDP frame may represent the information contained in the downlink NDP frame, and the downlink NDP frame may include: a second long training field, a packet extension field. Specifically, the maximum number of the second long training fields may be the maximum number of second spatial streams supported by the sender of the downlink NDP frame. The second working bandwidth may be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz or 320 MHz. For example, when the second working bandwidth of the downlink NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz, the maximum number of the second long training fields may be 8; when the second working bandwidth of the downlink NDP frame is 320 MHz, the maximum number of the second long training fields may be 16. In addition, the length of the packet extension field in the case where the second working bandwidth of the downlink NDP frame is 320 MHz may be greater than the length of the packet extension field in the case where the second working bandwidth of the downlink NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and they may also be the same. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the downlink NDP frame may have the working parameters or formats of a conventional NDP frame for WLAN awareness measurement, or the embodiments of the measurement NDP frame described above with reference to Tables 3 and 4 may be applied to the downlink NDP frame here. For the sake of brevity, the repeated descriptions are omitted here.

[0104] When referring to Figures 3 to 7In the described communication method, the Non-TB based sensing measurement method is improved, different working parameters for measuring NDP frames and non-measuring NDP frames are defined, and the overhead of non-measuring NDP frames is minimized, thus better adapting to WLAN sensing measurement.

[0105] Figure 8 FIG. is a block diagram showing a communication device according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 8 The communication device 800 may include a processing module 810 and a transceiver module 820. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 8 The communication device 800 shown may be applied to an initiator (STA); in another embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 8 The communication device 800 shown may be applied to a responder (AP).

[0106] In Figure 8 When the communication device 800 shown is applied to an initiator (STA), the processing module 810 may be configured to: control the overall operation of the communication device 800 (e.g., control the transmission of NDPA frames and NDP frames, the execution of WLAN sensing measurement, etc.); the transceiver module 820 may be configured to: send a null data packet declaration NDPA frame, send an uplink null data packet NDP frame, receive a downlink NDP frame, wherein one of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame may be a measurement NDP frame for WLAN sensing measurement, the other of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame may be a non-measurement NDP frame not for WLAN sensing measurement, and the working parameters or formats of the measurement NDP frame and the non-measurement NDP frame may be different. That is, Figure 8 The communication device 800 shown may execute the communication method described with reference to Figures 3 to 5 And the embodiments described with reference to Tables 1 to 4 may be applied herein, and for the sake of avoiding redundancy, the repeated description is omitted here.

[0107] In Figure 8 When the communication device 800 shown is applied to a responder (AP), the transceiver module 820 may be configured to: receive a null data packet declaration NDPA frame, receive an uplink null data packet NDP frame, send a downlink NDP frame, wherein one of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame may be a measurement NDP frame for WLAN sensing measurement, the other of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame may be a non-measurement NDP frame not for WLAN sensing measurement, and the working parameters or formats of the measurement NDP frame and the non-measurement NDP frame are different; the processing module 810 may be configured to: control the overall operation of the communication device 800 (e.g., control the transmission of NDPA frames and NDP frames, the execution of WLAN sensing measurement, etc.). That is, Figure 8 The communication device 800 shown may execute the referenceFigure 6 and Figure 7 the communication method described, and the embodiments described with reference to Tables 1 to 4 can be applied thereto. To avoid redundancy, repeated descriptions are omitted herein.

[0108] It will be understood that Figure 8 the communication device 800 shown is merely exemplary, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the communication device 800 may further include other modules, such as a memory module, etc. In addition, each module in the communication device 800 may be combined into a more complex module, or may be divided into more separate modules.

[0109] The communication method and communication device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure define different working parameters for measuring NDP frames and non-measuring NDP frames, and enable the overhead of non-measuring NDP frames to be reduced as much as possible, and can better adapt to WLAN sensing measurements.

[0110] Based on the same principle as the method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide an electronic device, which includes a processor and a memory; wherein, machine-readable instructions (which may also be referred to as "computer programs") are stored in the memory; the processor is configured to execute the machine-readable instructions to implement the method described with reference to Figures 3 to 7 description.

[0111] The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method described with reference to Figures 3 to 7 description is implemented.

[0112] In an exemplary embodiment, the processor may be used to implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. For example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a general-purpose processor, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The processor may also be a combination that implements a computing function, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc.

[0113] In an exemplary embodiment, the memory may be, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto.

[0114] It should be understood that although the steps in the flowchart of the accompanying drawings are shown in sequence as indicated by the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless otherwise clearly stated in this document, there is no strict order restriction for the execution of these steps, and they can be executed in other orders. In addition, at least some of the steps in the flowchart of the accompanying drawings may include multiple sub-steps or multiple stages. These sub-steps or stages are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and their execution order is not necessarily sequential, but can be executed alternately or in turn with at least a part of other steps or sub-steps or stages of other steps.

[0115] Although the present disclosure has been shown and described with reference to certain embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the embodiments, but should be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A communication method, comprising: sending a Null Data Packet Announcement (NDPA) frame; sending an uplink Null Data Packet (NDP) frame; receiving a downlink NDP frame, wherein one of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a measurement NDP frame for wireless local area network (WLAN) sensing measurement, and the other of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a non-measurement NDP frame not for WLAN sensing measurement, wherein the working parameters or formats of the measurement NDP frame and the non-measurement NDP frame are different, wherein the format of the non-measurement NDP frame represents the information contained in the non-measurement NDP frame, and the non-measurement NDP frame includes a first long training field and does not include a data field.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, the working parameters of the non-measurement NDP frame include: the first number of spatial streams, and the first working bandwidth of the non-measurement NDP frame, and / or wherein the working parameters of the measurement NDP frame include: the second number of spatial streams, and the second working bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame, the format of the measurement NDP frame represents the information contained in the measurement NDP frame, and the measurement NDP frame includes: a second long training field and a packet extension field.

3. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein, the first number of spatial streams and the number of the first long training fields are 1.

4. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein, the first working bandwidth is a 20 MHz bandwidth, or the first working bandwidth is equal to the second working bandwidth.

5. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein, the maximum number of the second long training fields is the maximum number of the second spatial streams supported by the sender of the measurement NDP frame.

6. The communication method according to claim 5, wherein, the maximum number of the second spatial streams is obtained from the physical layer capability information element.

7. The communication method according to claim 2 or 5 or 6, wherein, when the second working bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz, the maximum number of the second long training fields is 8; when the second working bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame is 320 MHz, the maximum number of the second long training fields is 16.

8. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein, when the second working bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame is 320 MHz, the length of the packet extension field is greater than the length of the packet extension field when the second working bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz.

9. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein, the number of the first long training fields and the first working bandwidth of the non-measurement NDP frame are fixed, carried in the NDPA frame, or determined in the WLAN sensing measurement establishment phase.

10. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein, The number of the second longest training fields of the measurement NDP frame and the second operating bandwidth are carried in the NDPA frame or determined during the establishment phase of the wireless local area network awareness measurement.

11. The communication method according to claim 2 or 10, wherein, the number of the second longest training fields of the measurement NDP frame and the second operating bandwidth are different for different wireless local area network awareness measurement events.

12. A communication method, comprising: receiving a null data packet announcement NDPA frame; receiving an uplink null data packet NDP frame; sending a downlink NDP frame, wherein one of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a measurement NDP frame for wireless local area network awareness measurement, and the other of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a non-measurement NDP frame not for wireless local area network awareness measurement, wherein the operating parameters or formats of the measurement NDP frame and the non-measurement NDP frame are different, wherein the format of the non-measurement NDP frame represents the information contained in the non-measurement NDP frame, and the non-measurement NDP frame includes a first longest training field and does not include a data field.

13. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein, the operating parameters of the non-measurement NDP frame include: the number of first spatial streams, and the first operating bandwidth of the non-measurement NDP frame, and / or wherein the operating parameters of the measurement NDP frame include: the number of second spatial streams, and the second operating bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame, the format of the measurement NDP frame represents the information contained in the measurement NDP frame, and the measurement NDP frame includes: a second longest training field and a packet extension field.

14. The communication method according to claim 13, wherein, the number of the first spatial streams and the number of the first longest training fields are 1.

15. The communication method according to claim 13, wherein, the first operating bandwidth is a 20 MHz bandwidth, or the first operating bandwidth is equal to the second operating bandwidth.

16. The communication method according to claim 13, wherein, the maximum number of the second longest training fields is the maximum number of second spatial streams supported by the sender of the measurement NDP frame.

17. The communication method according to claim 16, wherein, the maximum number of the second spatial streams is obtained from the physical layer capability information element.

18. The communication method according to claim 13 or 16 or 17, wherein, when the second operating bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz, the maximum number of the second longest training fields is 8; when the second operating bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame is 320 MHz, the maximum number of the second longest training fields is 16.

19. The communication method according to claim 13, wherein, the length of the packet extension field when the second operating bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame is 320 MHz is greater than the length of the packet extension field when the second operating bandwidth of the measurement NDP frame is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz.

20. The communication method according to claim 13, wherein, the number of the first long training fields of the non-measurement NDP frame and the first working bandwidth are solidified, carried in the NDPA frame, or determined in the wireless local area network sensing measurement establishment phase.

21. The communication method according to claim 13, wherein, the number of the second long training fields of the measurement NDP frame and the second working bandwidth are carried in the NDPA frame, or determined in the wireless local area network sensing measurement establishment phase.

22. The communication method according to claim 13 or 21, wherein, the number of the second long training fields of the measurement NDP frame and the second working bandwidth are different for different wireless local area network sensing measurement events.

23. A communication device, comprising: a transceiver module configured to: send a Null Data Packet Announcement (NDPA) frame; send an uplink Null Data Packet (NDP) frame; receive a downlink NDP frame, wherein one of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a measurement NDP frame for wireless local area network sensing measurement, and the other of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a non-measurement NDP frame not for wireless local area network sensing measurement, wherein the working parameters or formats of the measurement NDP frame and the non-measurement NDP frame are different, wherein the format of the non-measurement NDP frame represents the information contained in the non-measurement NDP frame, and the non-measurement NDP frame includes a first long training field and does not include a data field.

24. A communication device, comprising: a transceiver module configured to: receive a Null Data Packet Announcement (NDPA) frame; receive an uplink Null Data Packet (NDP) frame; send a downlink NDP frame, wherein one of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a measurement NDP frame for wireless local area network sensing measurement, and the other of the uplink NDP frame and the downlink NDP frame is a non-measurement NDP frame not for wireless local area network sensing measurement, wherein the working parameters or formats of the measurement NDP frame and the non-measurement NDP frame are different, wherein the format of the non-measurement NDP frame represents the information contained in the non-measurement NDP frame, and the non-measurement NDP frame includes a first long training field and does not include a data field.

25. An electronic device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein, when the processor executes the computer program, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 or any one of claims 12 to 22 is implemented.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein, a computer program is stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 or any one of claims 12 to 22 is implemented.

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