Multi-access-point cooperation method, electronic equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to the technical field of Wi-Fi, in particular to a multi-access-point cooperation method, electronic equipment and a storage medium. The multi-access-point cooperation method is applied to a first access point, and comprises the following steps: negotiating with at least one access point to establish a multi-access-point cooperation set; and carrying out data transmission with an associated terminal through cooperation with the access points in the multi-access-point cooperation set. And releasing the cooperation with the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set. According to the method and the device, at least a releasing stage can be added in an existing multi-access-point cooperation process, so that the access points can flexibly join or release cooperation, and more flexible multi-access-point cooperation can be supported while the existing multi-access-point cooperation process is perfected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of Wi-Fi technology, and more particularly to a multi-access point collaboration method, an electronic device, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In future communication systems, if scheduling or configuration operations are performed within a device, only a good effect or the best effect can be achieved in a local area of ​​the device and the terminal devices associated with the device. Once other devices adjacent to the device act independently, there will be no way to achieve a better effect or the best effect in a larger area due to interference between each other. Therefore, a method is proposed to complete the configuration, operation or communication transmission of the communication system through collaboration (or cooperation, coordination, etc.) between the device and adjacent devices.

[0003] In the discussion of future Wi-Fi systems, Multi-Access Point Coordination (MAPC) is proposed, which is a Wi-Fi communication system solution based on the above ideas. Taking access points as an example, if multiple access points (APs) work at the same frequency or the frequency bands at least partially overlap, interference will be caused to the terminals (STAs) at the edge of the APs. In order to reduce this interference and improve spectrum utilization, cooperative communication between APs has become a hot topic of research. There are now multiple schemes (or modes). Joint transmission of multiple access points, coordinated time division multiple access (Coordinated Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access / Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access, C-OFDMA / TDMA), coordinated spatial reuse (Coordinated Spatial Reuse, C-SR), coordinated beamforming (Coordinated Beamforming, CBF), and coordinated restricted target wake time (Coordinated Restricted Target Wake Time, CR-TWT). These cooperative schemes can share a multi-AP coordination framework (Multi-AP Coordination Framework). The framework includes steps such as capability announcement, negotiation, and data transmission. Currently, the framework is not perfect and the details are not clear. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a multi-access point collaboration method, an electronic device, and a storage medium, which are at least beneficial to enable access points to flexibly join or terminate collaboration by adding a release phase to the existing multi-access point collaboration process, thereby improving the existing multi-access point collaboration process and supporting more flexible multi-access point collaboration.

[0005] According to some embodiments of the present application, a first aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a multi-access point collaboration method, including: applied to a first access point, the method includes: negotiating with at least one access point to establish a multi-access point collaboration set; performing data transmission with an associated terminal by collaborating with access points in the multi-access point collaboration set; and releasing collaboration with access points in the multi-access point collaboration set.

[0006] According to some embodiments of the present application, a second aspect of the embodiments of the present application further provides a multi-access point collaboration method, which is applied to a second access point. The method includes: negotiating with at least one access point to establish a multi-access point collaboration set; and releasing collaboration with access points in the multi-access point collaboration set.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present application, a third aspect of the embodiments of the present application also provides an electronic device, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can execute the multi-access point cooperation method described in any one of the embodiments of the present application.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present application, a fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the multi-access point cooperation method described in any one of the embodiments of the present application.

[0009] The technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application has at least the following advantages:

[0010] In the multi-access point collaboration process, the release of collaboration with access points in the multi-access point collaboration set is introduced, that is, the access points are supported to flexibly access and release collaboration, which improves the existing multi-access point collaboration process, and by supporting the release of access points in the multi-access point collaboration set, the multi-access point collaboration is made more flexible and configurable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] One or more embodiments are exemplarily described by pictures in the corresponding drawings, and these exemplified descriptions do not constitute limitations on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings represent similar elements, and unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings do not constitute proportional limitations.

[0012] Figure 1 This is the process of the multi-access point cooperation method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0013] Figure 2 This is the process of the multi-access point cooperation method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0014] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that in the embodiments of the present application, many technical details are provided in order to enable the reader to better understand the present application. However, even without these technical details and various changes and modifications based on the following embodiments, the technical scheme claimed in the present application can be implemented.

[0016] The division of the following embodiments is for the convenience of description and shall not constitute any limitation on the specific implementation of the present application. The embodiments may be combined with each other and referenced to each other without contradiction.

[0017] On the one hand, an embodiment of the present application provides a multi-access point coordination method, which is applied to a first access point, wherein the first access point is any access point that has the ability to join a multi-access point coordination set (Multi-Access Point Coordination Set) and cooperates with access points in the multi-access point coordination set for transmission. In some cases, it can be understood in conjunction with the multi-access point coordination set that the first access point is the access point in the multi-access point coordination set except the second access point, wherein the second access point is the access point that initiates the coordination in the multi-access point coordination set, the access point that dominates the coordination, the access point that seizes the transmission opportunity (TXOP), or the access point that schedules the target wake-up time of the terminal associated with the multi-access point coordination set (i.e., how the terminal associated with the AP works in the target wake-up time (Target Wake Time, TWT) mode includes at least one TWT / Restricted Target Wake Time (Restricted Target Wake Time, R-TWT) parameter), that is, the commonly referred to coordinating AP, sharing AP, scheduling AP (also known as TWT / R-TWT scheduling AP.) and the like. At this time, correspondingly, the first access point may be a coordinated access point, a coordinated AP, or a shared AP, etc. Here and in the following, the meanings of the first access point and the second access point will not be described one by one.Among them, the description of the relevant AP has been described in the prior art. For example, a coordinating AP is an ultra-high reliability (UHR) access point, and its coordinating Support Field value in data frames such as Beacon Frame, Probe Response Frame, Probe Request Frame, Initial Control Frame (ICF) / Initial Control Response Frame (ICR) is set to 1, and a coordination request is transmitted to another UHR AP, and the value of the coordinating Supported Field of the other UHR AP is also set to 1 (meaning that MAPC is supported); and a coordinated AP is a UHR AP STA that sets the value of the coordinating Support Field to 1 in data frames such as Beacon Frame, Probe Response Frame, ProbeRequest Frame, ICF, ICR, etc., and receives a coordination request from another UHR AP. The value of the coordinating Supported Field is set to 1 in another UHR AP, and a coordination response is transmitted to another coordinating AP. The coordinating support field is a field or domain included in the ultra-high reliability physical layer capability element (UHR PHY capability element), or the ultra-high reliability media access control address capability element (UHR MAC capability element), or included in the management information base (MIB). If it is set to 1, it indicates that the AP capability supports multi-AP collaboration. If it is set to 0, it means that it is not supported.

[0018] Through the multi-access point cooperation method applied to the first access point provided in the embodiment of the present application, the first access point can cancel the cooperation after the cooperation, that is, the cancellation of the cooperation is introduced into the existing multi-access point cooperation, so that the first access point can flexibly join or cancel the cooperation, which improves the existing multi-access point cooperation process and supports more flexible multi-access point cooperation. Figure 1 The process shown illustrates the multi-access point cooperation method applied to the first access point provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0019] In some embodiments, Figure 1 As shown, the multi-access point cooperation method applied to the first access point may include the following steps:

[0020] Step 101: negotiate with at least one access point to establish a multi-access point cooperation set.

[0021] Step 102: Perform data transmission with the associated terminal by cooperating with the access point in the multi-access point cooperation set.

[0022] Step 103: cancel the cooperation with the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set.

[0023] In this way, in the multi-access point collaboration process, the release of collaboration with the access points in the multi-access point collaboration set is introduced, that is, the access points are supported to flexibly access and release collaboration, which improves the existing multi-access point collaboration process, and by supporting the release of access points in the multi-access point collaboration set, the multi-access point collaboration is made more flexible and configurable.

[0024] For ease of understanding, the following Figure 1 The steps of the illustrated embodiment are explained.

[0025] In step 101, a multi-access point cooperation set is established through negotiation with at least one access point. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the implementation method of the negotiation and establishment of the multi-access point cooperation set. It can be understood that the negotiation and establishment of the multi-access point cooperation set is implemented through two stages: capability announcement and negotiation. Through the capability announcement, the access point initiating the cooperation is informed of the capabilities of other access points, and further negotiates based on the announced capabilities. Therefore, by constructing a multi-access point cooperation set corresponding to a multi-access point (MAP), interference between access points and adjacent terminals, as well as adjacent terminals associated with different access points can be reduced. In addition, spectrum resources can be fully and efficiently utilized.

[0026] In some embodiments, in the capability announcement phase, the access point sends a Beacon Frame, a Probe Response Frame, a Probe Request Frame or other data frames (such as newly defined management frames, etc.) for informing the capability. In order to indicate the capability of the access point, the sent data frame may include at least one or a combination of the following information: information indicating supported transaction identifiers (Transaction Identifier, TID) (for example, it may be called "Supported TID"), information indicating supported channels (Channel) (for example, it may be called "Channel number"), information indicating whether low-latency services are supported, information indicating supported collaboration modes (or modes), information indicating supported service duration (Service Period) collaboration modes, information indicating supported transmission association collaboration methods, information indicating bandwidth, etc., which are not listed one by one here. For example, in some embodiments, the following fields, domains or tuples may be defined and carried in the data frame of the capability declaration: {Supported TID, supported channels, bandwidth, whether to support low-latency services, supported collaborative modes, collaborative modes of supporting service duration, modes of supporting transmission opportunity collaboration}, applicable to at least one of the following collaborative modes {simultaneous transmission, collaborative time division multiple access, collaborative space division reuse, collaborative beamforming, collaborative restricted target wake-up time}. Taking the indication of the collaborative mode as an example, for example, the support capability for the collaborative modes C-OFDMA / TDMA, C-SR, C-BF and CR-TWT is indicated by indicating that it is a field or field, and the field or field may contain two bit characters, for example, the above four collaborative modes are encoded as 00, 01, 10, and 11 respectively. For example, a bitmap may be used to indicate the support capability for the above four collaborative modes, 1111 indicates that all the above four collaborative modes are supported, and 0000 indicates that none of the above four collaborative modes are supported. For another example, the above-mentioned support capability for the relevant collaboration mode is included in the UHR PHY capability element, or the UHR MAC capability element, or the MIB.

[0027] In some embodiments, declared capabilities may include:

[0028] 1. The number of CR-TWTs supported between the scheduling AP and the coordinated AP. This capability can be carried in UHR PHY capability element, UHR MAC capability element, enhanced R-TWTelement, etc. Alternatively, this capability is carried in data frames such as Beacon Frame, Probe RequestFrame, Probe Response Frame, etc. that are exchanged during the declaration phase. The capability is represented by a field or field, such as the maximum value of 8, or one of the following values ​​{0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7}. 0 means not supported. Or the AP in the current state or mode does not support CR-TWT.

[0029] 2. Whether R-TWT collaboration of more than two APs is supported. This capability can be carried through UHR PHY capability element, UHR MAC capability element, enhanced R-TWT element (also known as broadcast TWT element, in this case, the element corresponding to R-TWT that will work in R-TWT collaboration mode is called CR-TWT element), etc. Alternatively, this capability is carried in data frames such as Beacon Frame, Probe Request Frame, Probe Response Frame, etc. that are interacted in the declaration phase. At this time, the field or field carried in the corresponding information is 1 for support, and 0 for support. Alternatively, this capability is carried in the MIB. At this time, only when the corresponding capability field or field is indicated as enabled, can collaborative R-TWT with more than one coordinated AP be performed.

[0030] 3. Whether to support the reconfiguration of at least one parameter in the R-TWT parameter set corresponding to an R-TWT. Among them, for this capability, it can be defined that when it is not supported, the coordinated AP will cancel the R-TWT when the parameter changes after a certain number of target beacon transmission times (TBTT) indicated in the Broadcast TWTPersistence subfield, or cancel the cooperation agreement between the coordinated AP and the scheduling AP at the same time. For example, in some cases, the scheduling AP notifies the coordinated AP of the change through a notification frame, a notification frame or an initial control response (Initial Control Response, ICR), or a management frame, and then the coordinated AP responds to the scheduling AP through an ICR or a newly defined management frame to ask whether it accepts the change. If the coordinated AP does not accept the change, the coordinated AP cancels the R-TWT cooperation relationship. Or the cooperation agreement between the coordinated AP and the scheduling AP is canceled. For example, the above-mentioned ICR or newly defined management frame responds that the scheduling AP does not support the change and indicates that the corresponding R-TWT is released, or the cooperation agreement between the coordinated AP and the scheduling AP is released. In some cases, the above-mentioned initial control frame or newly defined management frame contains a field or field, such as a bit, 1 indicates that the parameter change is accepted. 0 indicates that the parameter change is not accepted. In some cases, the above-mentioned ICR or newly defined management frame contains a field or field, such as a bit, 1 indicates that the R-TWT cooperation agreement is released when the parameter change is not accepted. 0 indicates that the R-TWT cooperation agreement is not released when the parameter change is not accepted (the cooperation agreement before the change is retained). In some cases, when the coordinatingAP does not accept the new parameter (parameter change), at the CR-TWT release time, it sends a release frame to release the cooperation for the CR-TWT.

[0031] 4. Up and down capabilities.

[0032] 5. Whether the use of the release frame to release MAPC is supported. Among them, the field or domain corresponding to the release frame, the field or domain is one bit. 1 means support, 0 means non-support. This field or domain can be included in the UHR PHY capability element, or the UHR MAC capability element. When announcing the capability (Announcement), the capability (or the element) is included in data frames such as Beacon Frame, Probe Request Frame, Probe Response Frame, or in ICF / ICR, or in MIB. Only when the field or field of the capability corresponding to the coordinating AP or / and the coordinated AP is expressed as 1, can the negotiation be carried out to use the release frame to release the collaborative relationship of multiple APs. In some cases, the release frame indicates the release of more than one multi-AP collaboration mode at a time.

[0033] 6. Whether more than one multi-AP collaboration mode is supported. The field or domain corresponding to the capability is represented by a bitmap or a binary bit, where 1 indicates support and 0 indicates non-support. The field or domain may be included in the UHRPHY capability element or the UHR MAC capability element. When announcing the capability (Announcement), the capability (or the element) is included in data frames such as the Beacon Frame, Probe Request Frame, ProbeResponse Frame, ICF, ICR, or in the MIB. Only when the corresponding capability field or field is represented as 1, can collaboration based on the collaboration mode be performed. In some cases, the capability of collaboration of more than one AP is bound to a specific collaboration mode.

[0034] 7. Whether it has the ability to become a second access point. This capability can be indicated by the dot11CoordinatingAPImplemented field of a UHR STA (an access point device) being true, that is, the Requester Support subfield in the UHR Capabilities element transmitted by the AP with this capability should be set to 1 if the device supports working in the coordinating AP role of multi-AP collaboration, otherwise it is set to 0.

[0035] 8. Whether it is capable of becoming the first access point. This capability can be indicated by the field dot11CoordinatedAPImplemented of a UHR STA (an access point device) being true, that is, the Responder Support subfield in the UHR Capabilities element transmitted by the AP with this capability should be set to 1 if the device supports working in the coordinated AP role of multi-AP collaboration, otherwise it is set to 0.

[0036] 9. Whether it is capable of being the first access point and the second access point at the same time. This capability can be indicated by the field dot11MAPImplemented of a UHR STA (an access point device) being true, that is, the MAP Support subfield in the UHR Capabilities element transmitted by the AP with this capability should be set to 1 if the device supports working in the coordinating AP and coordinated AP roles of multi-AP collaboration, otherwise it is set to 0.

[0037] In some cases, the field, field or bitmap used to indicate whether the AP has relevant capabilities may be included in an Extended capability element or a UHR capability element.

[0038] It should be noted that the above-mentioned capabilities of becoming the first access point and becoming the second access point are not targeted at specific collaborative modes. In some cases, similar to the above description, the capabilities of becoming the first access point and becoming the second access point can be represented by a bit, a field or a bitmap, and the first access point or the second access point in a collaborative mode of simultaneous transmission of multiple access points, collaborative time division multiple access, collaborative space division reuse, collaborative beamforming or collaborative limited target wake-up time is represented by a combination of the above-mentioned bits, fields or bitmaps.

[0039] In some embodiments, during the negotiation phase, the access points participating in the collaboration (or, in other words, expecting to join the multi-access point collaboration set) determine some details or parameters of the MAPC through negotiation. For example, one or more parameters such as the working bandwidth, the supported modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and the collaboration duration are negotiated. For example, multi-access point collaboration is a working mode (or working mode, etc.) established through ICF / ICR.

[0040] In some embodiments, during the negotiation process, the ICF or ICR contains a CR-TWT required subfield or field, which is set to 1 to indicate that the R-TWT scheduled by the current scheduling AP requires the cooperation of the Coordinated AP and works in the CR-TWT mode. Among them, the CR-TWT required subfield is included in the Extended capability element or UHR capability element in the ICF or ICR. When this field does not exist or is set to 0, it means that the collaboration mode is not negotiated.

[0041] In some embodiments, the CR-TWT required subfield is included in a broadcast frame, a UHR operationelement, or a TWT request frame, and is used to indicate that the terminal needs to join a CR-TWT. Similarly, during the negotiation of other working modes, when the corresponding value of the field or subfield C-TDMA required subfield, C-SR requiredsubfield, C-BF required subfield, etc. is set to 1, it indicates that the other party's AP needs to assist in entering the corresponding collaborative mode, which will not be repeated. In some examples, the above-mentioned field or subfield is a code (00, 01, 10, 11 correspond to the aforementioned four collaborative modes, respectively), or the corresponding bit of the bitmap is 1, indicating that the corresponding collaborative mode is negotiated.

[0042] Furthermore, taking the collaborative restricted target wake-up time as an example, each restricted target wake-up time can be negotiated by the second access point separately with the first access point (such as the Scheduling AP negotiates with another coordinated AP separately for each R-TWT), that is, the establishment of each restricted target wake-up time protocol requires completing a negotiation step.

[0043] Of course, still taking the collaborative restricted target wake-up time as an example, the first access point and the second access point can negotiate all supported restricted target wake-up times at one time (e.g., the Scheduling AP and the Coordinated AP negotiate once to support all subsequent R-TWTs). Therefore, when a restricted target wake-up time is needed later, only the identifier of the restricted target wake-up time (e.g.,<R-TWT element ID MAC> The second access point may be notified by a data frame such as an ICF, a newly defined Trigger Frame, or a newly defined management frame. By carrying an identifier of the restricted target wake-up time in these data frames, the corresponding restricted target wake-up time is activated in the second access point to trigger the collaborative restricted target wake-up time.

[0044] In some embodiments, during the capability declaration phase, the first access point informs other access points of its own capabilities and supports the situation of multi-access point collaboration. Among them, the capability of the first access point can be a range or multiple parameters. For example, supporting multiple TID values ​​as TID set 1, etc., the relevant capabilities have been described before, and will not be repeated here. The second access point declares its ability to support multi-access point collaboration, such as supporting TID values ​​as TID set 2. That is to say, during the negotiation, the first access point and the second access point support a set that is the intersection of TID set 1 and TID set 2, or a subset of the intersection of TID set 1 and TID set 2. Similarly, other capabilities can also be determined by taking the intersection of sets supported by different access points, or taking a subset of the intersection of sets supported by different access points to determine the final supported capabilities (parameters and / or parameter ranges).

[0045] In some embodiments, the aforementioned negotiation process of obtaining the intersection or the subset of the intersection may also include negotiation of a specific collaboration mode, such as the specific supported limited target wake-up time usage.<R-TWT ID MAC> Identifier (or other forms of identifiers described below). The intersection of the identifier and the corresponding capabilities supported by the negotiation or a subset of the intersection is included in the initial control frame or initial response frame used for negotiation. The initial control frame or initial response frame used for negotiation carries the identifier of a specific collaborative mode. In this way, after the negotiation is completed, when data is transmitted, it is only necessary to carry the identifier of the collaborative mode in the interactive management frame (or trigger frame, etc.) to indicate that the corresponding collaborative mode has started. Among them, management frames, etc. can be multi-user request to send / clear to send (MU-RTS / CTS) between access points, or MU-RTS / CTS for enhanced multi-access point collaboration, or Buffer Status Report Poll (BSRP) / Buffer Status Report (BSR) for enhanced multi-access point collaboration, or newly defined management frames. That is, in the negotiation, the mode or mode of collaboration is specifically determined.

[0046] In some embodiments, during the negotiation phase, the ICF and ICR used for negotiation do not include a specific cooperation mode, but include a cooperation mode agreement, wherein the agreement includes the parameters of the parameter set, or the capability, or the range of the mode. When data is subsequently transmitted, only management frames (or trigger frames, etc.) need to be exchanged. Similar to the aforementioned, the exchanged management frames, etc. may be used for MU-RTS / CTS between access points, or for MU-RTS / CTS enhanced by multi-access point cooperation, or BSRP, or a newly defined management frame. The management frame, etc. may include a parameter set corresponding to the working mode. If the parameter set is a subset of the set consisting of the range of the parameters of the parameter set included in the agreement, the working mode corresponding to the parameter set is supported, otherwise it is not supported. For example, the aforementioned management frame, etc. is sent by the coordinatingAP to the coordinated AP, including the working mode parameter set. The coordinated AP then receives the frame and compares it with the parameter range in the agreement. If it is a subset, it responds to the ICR to indicate that the working mode is supported, otherwise it responds to the ICR to indicate that the working mode is not supported. For example, the parameter set carrying the working mode in the management frame is an R-TWTelement parameter set, which in some cases includes at least one parameter set, that is, the collaboration mode or working mode is not specifically determined in the negotiation, but is determined later.

[0047] In some embodiments, it is also considered that after the initial multi-access point cooperation set negotiation is established, there may be a need to update parameters. In this case, an additional solution is provided to reconfigure the negotiated content. For example, after the terminal (Station, STA) associated with the coordinated AP receives the BeaconFrame, Probe Response Frame or ICF (the initial control frame may specifically be a negotiation frame, a trigger frame, a BSRP frame, a target wake-up time notification frame (TWT informing frame) or an enhanced TWT informing frame, etc.) sent by the coordinating AP, unless the coordinating AP corresponds to a non-transmitting BSSID in the BSSID set, it obtains the latest restricted target wake-up time element (R-TWT element) from these data frames to obtain or update the collaborative restricted target wake-up time parameter value (CR-TWT parameter values), wherein the received restricted target wake-up time element corresponds to the<R-TWT ID MAC> The value is consistent with the value agreed in advance.

[0048] In some embodiments, the impact of uplink and downlink is considered in the CR-TWT negotiation, and the following strategies for data transmission can also be negotiated:

[0049] Strategy 1: If the current terminal is performing downlink transmission, the corresponding coordinated AP can perform downlink transmission, but the terminals near the terminal and associated with the coordinated AP cannot be scheduled for uplink transmission, or their uplink transmission is postponed, or the uplink TXOP is completed before the R-TWT starts.

[0050] Strategy 2: If the current terminal is performing uplink transmission, the corresponding coordinated AP can schedule the associated terminal to perform uplink transmission, or the terminal of the coordinated AP cannot be scheduled for downlink transmission, or its downlink transmission is postponed, or the downlink TXOP is completed before the R-TWT starts.

[0051] The above negotiation can be completed through the trigger frame or ICF / ICR of the coordinating AP. The corresponding policy coding constitutes a policy field, or a policy domain, where policy 1 is 00 and policy 2 is 01. Codes 10 and 11 are reserved for subsequent support function expansion. In some cases, the policy field or policy domain contains an enhanced R-TWT element for collaborative R-TWT mode in multi-AP collaboration.

[0052] It should be noted that the above reconfiguration only takes the use of previously negotiated parameters for reconfiguration as an example. In some embodiments, new parameter negotiation may also be performed during the reconfiguration process, which will not be described in detail here.

[0053] It should also be noted that in the above negotiation process, it is not unconditional cooperation, but the access point is allowed to agree to cooperate according to its own conditions, or determine the cooperation mode or cooperation parameters according to its own situation. And the form of the data frame exchanged by the access point is not limited. For example, ICF can be a unicast, broadcast or multicast frame, which can be sent by one access point to at least one other access point at the same time. Or the interactive data frame can be MU-RTS / CTS, enhanced MU-RTS / CTS, BSRPtrigger frame or newly defined data frame as mentioned above, which will not be repeated here.

[0054] In step 102, data transmission is performed with the associated terminal by cooperating with the access point in the multi-access point cooperative set. Among them, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the mode of cooperation. As mentioned above, there are multiple modes of cooperation. Taking the cooperative target wake-up time as an example, the general target wake-up time is used to transmit low-latency services. However, it will be interfered by other terminals. For example, when a target wake-up time starts, other terminals are transmitting at the same time. Therefore, it can be further required that other terminals end transmission when the target wake-up time starts, so as to avoid interference between terminals. At this time, the target wake-up time that avoids interference from other terminals is the restricted target wake-up time. Further, the access point will also interfere with the data transmission within the restricted target wake-up time. For example, when the restricted target wake-up time of the terminal starts, the adjacent access point is also transmitting, and the service in the restricted target wake-up time will also be interfered. Therefore, further combined with the multi-access point cooperation, the adjacent access point is made to end the corresponding transmission opportunity transmission at the beginning of the restricted target wake-up time, and no data transmission is performed, that is, the cooperative restricted target wake-up time is formed. Specifically, at this time, negotiating with at least one access point to establish a multi-access point cooperation set includes: negotiating with the second access point: reaching a cooperation agreement with the restricted target wake-up time parameter set of the associated terminal. Accordingly, performing data transmission with the associated terminal by cooperating with the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set includes: after the associated terminal wakes up according to the restricted target wake-up time, performing data transmission with the associated terminal by cooperating with the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set.

[0055] In step 103, the cooperation with the access point in the multi-access point cooperation set is released. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the release method. For example, the release can be automatically released based on a predefined time. For example, the release can be based on a received (including overhear) data frame. For example, the release can be passively released according to the instruction of the second access point, etc., which will not be listed here one by one.

[0056] To facilitate understanding of the release of multi-access point cooperation in the embodiment of the present application, it will be explained below.

[0057] In some embodiments, establishing a multi-access point cooperation set through negotiation with at least one access point is achieved by: exchanging a first data frame with a second access point, wherein the first data frame carries information for indicating the timing of releasing the multi-access point cooperation set. Accordingly, releasing the cooperation with the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set can be achieved by: releasing the cooperation relationship with the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set according to the release timing, or releasing at least one cooperation mode of the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set, wherein the cooperation mode includes at least one of the following: simultaneous transmission of multiple access points, cooperative time division multiple access, cooperative space division reuse, cooperative beamforming, and cooperative limited target wake-up time. Thus, the cooperation can be automatically released at the agreed time.

[0058] Among them, the first data frame can be ICF or IRF, etc., and the differences between related data frames may have been explained before, so they will not be repeated here. And by carrying specific information in the first data frame, the release time is indicated. For example, the first data frame carries a timer and carries a TBTT-based information, so that the first access point determines the release time and releases the cooperation at the corresponding time. In this way, by carrying the above-mentioned timer information, TBTT quantity configuration or the effective duration of the cooperation protocol in frames such as ICF or IRF, the multi-access point cooperation relationship, the multi-access point cooperation mode or the multi-access point cooperation protocol is automatically terminated when the timer expires, the TBTT expires or the effective duration is reached.

[0059] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the manner of releasing the collaboration. In some embodiments, when the timer expires or the release timing indicated by multiple TBTTs arrives, the multi-AP collaboration relationship or the multi-access point collaboration mode between the coordinating AP and the coordinated AP is terminated without transmitting a data frame to indicate the release. In some embodiments, the coordinating AP and the coordinated AP automatically release the multi-access point collaboration relationship or the multi-access point collaboration mode, and simultaneously send a management frame (or ICF, IRF, acknowledgment character (Acknowledge character, ACK) or other newly defined frames, etc.) to indicate that the multi-access point collaboration relationship is terminated. In some cases, the aforementioned management frame, etc., carries a field or field for releasing the collaboration relationship. Among them, for example, the field or the corresponding bit of the field can be configured to be 1 to indicate the release of the collaboration relationship, 0 to indicate not releasing, or to continue the collaboration relationship. Thus, the release of collaboration is indicated by the "1" in the field or field carried in the management frame, etc.

[0060] In some embodiments, taking into account the influence of various factors, after the coordinating AP and the coordinated AP determine the release timing (such as how many milliseconds (or seconds, TBTT)) through the negotiation stage, there may be a need to modify the release timing. At this time, the coordinating AP can send an ICF to the coordinated AP, and update the release timing by carrying a new time indication in the ICF. Of course, further, after receiving the ICF, the coordinated AP transmits an IRF to the coordinating AP, in which the IRF carries the new time indication. Among them, if the coordinated AP agrees with the time proposed by the coordinating AP, the new collaboration release timing in the ICF and the IRF is consistent; otherwise, it is inconsistent.

[0061] Furthermore, considering that there may be data that has not been fully transmitted when the release timing arrives, based on this, in some embodiments, if the coordinating AP or the coordinated AP still has data to transmit, the currently buffered data (or the data of the current TXOP, or the data of the current restricted target wake time service period (Restricted Target Wake Time Service Period, R-TWT SP), or the current Bufferable Unit (BU)) is transmitted before terminating the multi-AP collaboration relationship. In particular, not all untransmitted data waits for the transmission to be completed before the collaboration is released, but the collaboration may be delayed only when the data is special service data. For example, the special service data may be low-latency service data, or high Quality of Service (QoS) priority service data, etc.

[0062] That is to say, in some embodiments, when the release timing arrives, if the coordinating AP or the coordinated AP still has data to transmit, the currently buffered data (or the data of the current TXOP, or the data of the current R-TWT SP, or the current BU) will not be transmitted completely, and the multi-AP collaboration relationship will be terminated immediately.

[0063] In some embodiments, establishing a multi-access point cooperation set with at least one access point may be implemented in the following manner: negotiating with a second access point: a restricted target wake-up time with an associated terminal. Accordingly, performing data transmission with an associated terminal by cooperating with an access point in the multi-access point cooperation set may be implemented in the following manner: after the associated terminal wakes up according to the restricted target wake-up time, performing data transmission with the associated terminal by cooperating with an access point in the multi-access point cooperation set. At this time, releasing the cooperation with the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set may be implemented in the following manner: receiving a restricted target wake-up time release frame, wherein the restricted target wake-up time release frame is a request release frame sent by the terminal to the second access point, a release frame sent by the second access point to the terminal associated with the second access point, or a confirmation release frame sent by the second access point to the terminal associated with the second access point; when a predefined target condition is met, according to the release timing of the multi-access point cooperation set indicated by the restricted target wake-up time release frame, releasing the restricted target wake-up time and the cooperation with the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set at the same time; wherein the predefined target condition includes: the restricted target wake-up time to be released indicated by the restricted target wake-up time release frame is the only restricted target wake-up time supported by the negotiation between the first access point and the second access point, the only target wake-up time that currently complies with the cooperation mode negotiated between the first access point and the second access point, and / or all restricted target wake-up times.

[0064] In some embodiments, when a predefined target condition is met, the restricted target wake-up time release frame carries information indicating the restricted target wake-up time of the first access point and the associated terminal, and / or information indicating a release opportunity.

[0065] That is, in some embodiments, if the collaborative target wake-up time (CR-TWT) is the only CR-TWT between the Scheduling AP and the coordinated AP, if all terminals working in the CR-TWT mode are torn down the CR-TWT mode / schedule (that is, the CR-TWT mode / schedule is torn down between the scheduling AP and the relevant terminals), the collaborative relationship between the scheduling AP and the coordinated AP for the CR-TWT is simultaneously terminated. Among them, between the Scheduling AP and the corresponding terminal, the CR-TWT is terminated by the scheduling AP transmitting an R-TWT release frame to the corresponding terminal, including the CR-TWT ID. For example, the terminal immediately terminates the CR-TWT after receiving the frame, or terminates the CR-TWT after several TBTTs indicated in the frame. At the same time, after receiving (or overhearing) the release frame, the coordinated AP terminates the collaborative relationship for the CR-TWT between the collaborative APs at the CR-TWT release timing, or after the indicated time. Therefore, the collaboration can be released by reusing the scheduling AP to send the R-TWT release frame.

[0066] In some embodiments, if the CR-TWT is the only CR-TWT in a negotiated mode supported between the scheduling AP and the coordinated AP, if the CR-TWT is released between the scheduling AP and the corresponding terminal, the collaborative relationship of the CR-TWT between the scheduling AP and the coordinated AP is also released. Among them, between the scheduling AP and the corresponding terminal, the CR-TWT is released by sending an R-TWT release frame (carrying the corresponding CR-TWT ID) through the scheduling AP. For example, the terminal releases the CR-TWT immediately after receiving the frame, or releases the CR-TWT after several TBTTs indicated in the frame. At the same time, after receiving (or overhearing) the release frame, the coordinated AP releases the collaborative relationship of the negotiated mode of the CR-TWT with the corresponding scheduling AP at the CR-TWT release timing, or after this time.

[0067] Among them, negotiated support for CR-TWT means that when the scheduling AP and the coordinated AP establish a collaborative relationship for R-TWT between related APs through ICF / ICR negotiation, the TID, service mode, QoS, service priority, uplink R-TWT, downlink R-TWT supported by the collaborative R-TWT is specified. For example, if the CR-TWT is the only CR-TWT supported by the TID, and the coordinated AP receives (or overhears) a release frame for the CR-TWT between the scheduling AP and the related terminal, the collaborative relationship (or collaboration protocol) between the coordinated AP and the scheduling AP for the R-TWT supporting the TID is released.

[0068] In some cases, if the CR-TWT is the only CR-TWT negotiated and supported between the scheduling AP and the coordinated AP, and if the CR-TWT is released between the sheduling AP and the corresponding terminal, the collaborative relationship between the scheduling AP and the coordinated AP for the CR-TWT, or all CR-TWTs, is simultaneously released. Among them, between the sheduling AP and the corresponding terminal, an R-TWT release frame is sent by the scheduling AP to the corresponding terminal to tear down the corresponding terminal from working in the CR-TWT mode / Schedule, wherein the release frame contains the CR-TWT ID. For example, the terminal releases the CR-TWT immediately after receiving the frame, or releases the R-TWT after several TBTTs indicated in the frame. At the same time, after receiving (or overhearing) the release frame, the coordinated AP releases the collaborative relationship for the R-TWT that supports the negotiated mode at the CR-TWT release timing, or after this time.

[0069] Among them, the mode supporting negotiation means that when the scheduling AP and the coordinated AP negotiate to establish a collaborative relationship for R-TWT through the initial control frame and / or the initial response frame, the supported TID, or service mode, or QoS, or service priority, or uplink service, downlink service is specified when cooperating with the R-TWT. For example, if the CR-TWT is the only CR-TWT supported by the TID, and the coordinated AP receives (or overhears) the corresponding release frame, the collaboration with the scheduling AP for the R-TWT supporting the TID is released. In some cases, when the coordinated AP releases the collaborative relationship with the scheduling AP, the coordinated AP stops sending management frames, or ACK frames, or ICRs to the scheduling AP. The frame indicates that the collaborative relationship between the coordinated AP and the scheduling AP for the R-TWT has been released. In some cases, the frame contains a field or field for releasing the collaborative relationship of CR-TWT between APs. In some cases, the field or the corresponding bit of the field is 1, indicating that the collaborative relationship of CR-TWT between APs is released. 0 means not to terminate or continue the CR-TWT relationship.

[0070] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned release frame indicates that all R-TWTs or TWTs are released before the multi-AP cooperation relationship is released, or the multi-AP cooperation agreement (agreement) is released, and some R-TWTs work in multi-AP cooperation mode. In some cases, if the frame or management frame transmitted by the scheduling AP, or the TWT release frame, or the R-TWT release frame, contains the corresponding TWT element or the Teardown All TWT field in the R-TWT element is set to 1, and the coordinated AP receives (or overhears) the frame, then the coordinated AP and the scheduling AP release all CR-TWT cooperation agreements or cooperation consensus. Among them, in some cases, the R-TWT element can be an enhanced element for CR-TWT, or called a CR-TWT element. In this way, by reusing the Teardown All TWTfield, the element further supports the release of the cooperation relationship between multiple APs.

[0071] In some embodiments, when the coordinated AP accidentally receives (i.e., overhears) a request release frame sent by a terminal to its associated scheduling AP, or a release frame sent by the scheduling AP to its associated terminal, or a confirmation release frame sent by the scheduling AP to its associated terminal, the coordinated AP performs the above operation to release the corresponding cooperation between the coordinated AP and the scheduling AP for the CR-TWT, or releases the cooperation agreement between the coordinated AP and the scheduling AP for the R-TWT. The cooperation relationship, or cooperation agreement, or simply cooperation, i.e., coordination agreement. In some cases, the cooperation agreement at least includes cooperation parameters such as bandwidth, service type, uplink mode, or downlink mode.

[0072] In some embodiments, the coordinated AP receives a release frame unintentionally (ie, overhears) and performs an operation of releasing the coordination relationship between APs based on the release frame, wherein the release frame is a broadcast frame or a multicast frame.

[0073] In some embodiments, the operation between the scheduling AP and the coordinating AP is in CR-TWT mode. The scheduling AP has some terminals associated with the AP, and the terminals operate in the CR-TWT. The scheduling AP transmits a corresponding R-TWT (corresponding to the CR-TWT) release frame to the terminals associated with the AP. If the coordinating AP inadvertently receives the release frame, it does not release the cooperation relationship with the corresponding CR-TWT of the scheduling AP.

[0074] In some embodiments, releasing the cooperation with the access points in the multiple access point cooperation set may be achieved in the following manner: a first access point receives a second data frame sent by a second access point, wherein the second data frame carries information for indicating the release of the cooperation with the access points in the multiple access point cooperation set; and triggering the release of the cooperation with the access points in the multiple access point cooperation set according to the second data frame.

[0075] In some embodiments, the second data frame carries information indicating the collaboration mode to be released, information indicating the collaboration mode to be released, such as the collaboration mode itself, such as information on a restricted target wake-up time, and / or, information indicating one of the MAC addresses of at least two parties involved in the collaboration to be released.

[0076] That is to say, it is not automatically released, but the collaborative contact is made based on the indication. At this time, in some embodiments, if the collaborative protocol between the coordinating AP (scheduling AP) and the coordinated AP needs to be released, frame interaction is required between the coordinating AP and the coordinated AP. For example, it needs to be released through the ICF / ICR transmitted between the coordinating AP and the coordinated AP, or a release frame specifically used to release the collaborative protocol. It is not released by the coordinated AP accidentally receiving a release frame sent by the coordinating AP to the terminal associated with itself.

[0077] In some embodiments, the tear down frame is an ICF, such as a Trigger Frame, or a newly defined management frame used to tear down the collaborative relationship between multiple APs. The frame includes a field, or a field indicates that the frame acts to tear down the collaborative protocol between multiple APs. For example, the indication is used in conjunction with a specific scheme number, such as two bits, 00 for C-TDMA, 01 for C-SR, 10 for C-BF, and 11 for CR-TWT. For example, ICF / ICR contains a domain or field, and the function of the frame includes a bit, 0 for establishing a relationship and conducting negotiation, and 1 for tearing down the relationship. To tear down the collaborative protocol of CR-TWT between multiple APs, the field 1 indicates tearing down, and at the same time, the scheme number field is 11.

[0078] In some embodiments, the release frame includes the R-TWT element ID that needs to be released and the corresponding MAC address that transmits the frame, which together represent a CR-TWT.<R-TWT element ID MAC> Included in the release frame, used to release the R-TWT. In some cases, when multiple CR-TWTs need to be released, the release frame contains multiple<R-TWT element ID MAC> Corresponding to multiple CR-TWTs that need to be released. In some cases, the release frame only releases the cooperation between the coordinating AP and the coordinated AP for at least one CR-TWT contained in the release frame, but does not release the cooperation protocol between the coordinating AP and the coordinated AP for the CR-TWT. In some cases, the release frame contains 1 bit, which is a field, or a field used to configure whether to release the current at least one CR-TWT, or to release the cooperation protocol between the coordinating AP and the coordinated AP for the CR-TWT. Wherein the field or field is 1, it means that the cooperation for at least one CR-TWT contained in the current release frame is released, and where the field or field is 0, it means that the cooperation relationship (cooperation protocol) for CR-TWT contained in the current release frame is released. In some cases, the frame field or frame bit 0 indicates that the cooperation protocol for CR-TWT between the coordinating AP and the coordinated AP is released. If the coordinating AP and the coordinated AP need to cooperate for an R-TWT, the coordinating AP and the coordinated AP need to renegotiate and establish a cooperation protocol. After that, they can cooperate for the R-TWT. Rather than simply notifying the coordinated AP of the R-TWT information,<R-TWT element ID MAC> , transmitted to the coordinated AP, requesting it to cooperate with the R-TWT or assist the R-TWT.

[0079] In some embodiments, when a coordinating AP and a coordinated AP transmit frames for R-TWT collaboration, such as ICF, ICR or MU-RTS / CTS, or (enhanced MU-RTS / CTS for transmission between APs), BSRP, polling, a newly defined Trigger frame, or a release frame, etc., which contain an identifier for determining a collaborative R-TWT (CR-TWT), the identifier is<R-TWT element ID,MAC> , where MAC is the MAC address of the scheduling AP of the R-TWT. In some cases, the identifier is<R-TWT element ID,MAC1,MAC2> , where MAC1 is the MAC address of the scheduling AP of the R-TWT, and MAC2 is the MAC address of the coordinating AP that cooperates with the scheduling MAC AP of the R-TWT. In some cases, the identifier includes the MAC address of at least one coordinating AP. In some cases, the identifier includes at least one R-TWT element ID, for example,<R-TWT element ID1,R-TWTelement ID2,MAC1,MAC2> .

[0080] In some embodiments, the scheduling AP may also receive (or overhear) a frame sent by the coordinated AP to its associated terminal for release. The terminal associated with the coordinating AP or the terminal associated with the coordinated AP sends (requests) a release frame to resolve at least one CR-TWT, or to release the collaboration protocol between the scheduling AP and the coordinated AP. In some cases, the frame is a release frame, or a TWT / R-TWT related frame (such as a request frame, a response frame, a broadcast frame), or the request release frame contains the above-mentioned identifier, or a function field and a scheme number. Among them, in some cases, the R-TWT / TWT parameters / schedule associated with the coordinated AP contained in the solution conflicts with the CR-TWT. For example, the cycles overlap, or the terminal wake-up working time overlaps at least partially.

[0081] It should be noted that the above is only an example, and the release parameters may also be specifically configured and carried in data frames such as an initial control frame or an initial response frame.

[0082] In some embodiments, if the CR-TWT is the only collaborative R-TWT between the scheduling AP and the coordinated AP, if the R-TWT is released between the scheduling AP and the terminal associated with it, the collaborative relationship (or the coordination agreement) between the scheduling AP and the coordinated AP is released at the same time. The R-TWT is released by the scheduling AP, or the terminal associated with the scheduling AP requests release, and then the scheduling AP confirms the release. When the R-TWT is released by the scheduling AP, or when the scheduling AP confirms the release, at the same time. In some cases, whether the collaborative agreement for R-TWT between the scheduling AP and the coordinated AP is also released when the above-mentioned only collaborative R-TWT is released is configurable. Accordingly, during negotiation, in a frame used for negotiation, such as in ICF / ICR, a field or a field, such as a bit, is included, and 0 indicates that releasing the only collaborative R-TWT releases the collaborative agreement for R-TWT between the scheduling AP and the coordinated AP. Otherwise, 1 indicates that the collaboration protocol for R-TWT between the scheduling AP and the coordinated AP is not released.

[0083] Based on the above explanations of different release strategies, it can be known that no matter which release strategy is used, the release timing can be updated in the following manner before releasing the cooperation relationship with the access point in the multi-access point cooperation set according to the release timing, or before releasing at least one cooperation mode of the access point that cooperates with the multiple access points: exchanging a third data frame with the second access point, wherein the third data frame carries information for indicating the update of the release timing; and updating the release timing according to the third data frame.

[0084] Further, in some embodiments, the third data frame may include a third initial control frame. In this case, exchanging the third data frame with the second access point may be achieved in the following manner: receiving a third initial control frame sent by the second access point, wherein the third initial control frame carries information for indicating a release timing specified by the second access point.

[0085] In addition, in some embodiments, feedback of modification of the release timing of the first access point is further supported. At this time, the third data frame also includes a third initial response frame, and exchanging the third data frame with the second access point also includes: after receiving the third initial control frame sent by the second access point, sending a third initial response frame to the second access point, wherein the third initial response frame carries information for indicating the release timing specified by the first access point; wherein the release timings corresponding to the third initial control frame and the third initial response frame are the same or different.

[0086] Of course, the above is only an example of modifying the contact timing. In some embodiments, the modification of the release timing can also be indicated by other data frames. In particular, the first access point can actively initiate a modification process of the release timing to the second access point, and the second access point can choose to agree or disagree to the request, etc., which will not be listed one by one here.

[0087] At the same time, based on the explanation of the above-mentioned different release strategies, it can also be known that there can be a strict correspondence between the release timing and the release action, that is, the release of the cooperation with the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set is achieved by directly releasing the cooperation relationship with the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set or the cooperation mode used in cooperation with the access points that cooperate with the multi-access points. There can also be a loose correspondence between the release timing and the release action. The release of the cooperation with the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set can also be achieved in the following manner: when it is currently necessary to release the cooperation with the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set, and there is still data of a preset business mode to be transmitted with the terminal, after the data to be transmitted is transmitted, the cooperation relationship with the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set or the cooperation mode used in cooperation with the access points that cooperate with the multi-access points is released.

[0088] It should be noted that the above are only examples, and it is understandable that collaboration may involve multiple modes of collaboration, including C-SR, etc. in addition to the CR-TWT mentioned above. The above explanation of different release strategies only takes CR-TWT as an example, and does not mean that only CR-TWT can be released, which can also be released together or in association with multiple collaboration modes. For example, in some embodiments, the release frame identifies the corresponding collaboration mode to be released. In some embodiments, if multiple working modes are to be released, it is necessary to include indications of multiple working modes. For example, each collaborative mode corresponds to a field or domain as provided in the aforementioned CR-TWT related embodiments, and is carried in the corresponding data frame in a manner similar to the aforementioned CR-TWT related embodiments, so that by interacting with these data frames, it is possible to determine whether the corresponding collaborative mode needs to be released, determine the corresponding release time, etc. For example, the release frame includes a collaborative mode indication, such as C-TDMA, C-SR, C-BR and CR-TWT. The field or field corresponding to each mode includes two bits. The above-mentioned collaborative modes are encoded as 00, 01, 10, and 11 respectively. Only when the corresponding capability field or field is represented as 1 can the collaboration based on the collaborative mode be performed, and only when the corresponding capability field or field is represented as 0 can the release based on the collaborative mode be performed. In addition, the corresponding collaborative capability can also be bound to a specific collaborative mode. In particular, some release frames may also include a field or domain (these fields or domains, for example, are called "tear down all"), which, when set to 1, is used to indicate the release of all working modes in which all current APs participate, or all collaborative protocols of a certain collaborative mode of the current AP. Not including or setting it to 0 means that the above function is not available. And the corresponding data frame can be transmitted in unicast, multicast or broadcast mode, etc., which will not be described here one by one.

[0089] Correspondingly, the embodiment of the present application further provides a multi-access point cooperation method, which is applied to a second access point, wherein the second access point has been described in the above embodiment and will not be described in detail here. Figure 2 As shown, the process includes the following steps:

[0090] Step 201: negotiate with at least one access point to establish a multi-access point cooperation set.

[0091] Step 202: cancel the cooperation with the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set.

[0092] It is not difficult to find that this embodiment is a method embodiment corresponding to the aforementioned method embodiment, and this embodiment can be implemented in conjunction with the aforementioned embodiment. The relevant technical details mentioned in the aforementioned embodiment are still valid in this embodiment, and in order to reduce repetition, they are not repeated here. Accordingly, the relevant technical details mentioned in this embodiment can also be applied in the aforementioned embodiment.

[0093] The step division of the above methods is only for the purpose of clear description. When implemented, they can be combined into one step or some steps can be split and decomposed into multiple steps. As long as they include the same logical relationship, they are all within the scope of protection of this patent; adding insignificant modifications to the algorithm or process or introducing insignificant designs without changing the core design of the algorithm and process are all within the scope of protection of this patent.

[0094] Another aspect of the present application embodiment further provides an electronic device, such as Figure 3 As shown, it includes: at least one processor 301; and a memory 302 that is communicatively connected to the at least one processor 301; wherein the memory 302 stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor 301, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor 301 so that the at least one processor 301 can execute the multi-access point cooperation method described in any of the above method embodiments.

[0095] The memory 302 and the processor 301 are connected in a bus manner, and the bus may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, and the bus connects various circuits of one or more processors 301 and the memory 302 together. The bus can also connect various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and are therefore not further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface between the bus and the transceiver. The transceiver can be one element or multiple elements, such as multiple receivers and transmitters, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium. The data processed by the processor 301 is transmitted on a wireless medium via an antenna, and further, the antenna also receives data and transmits the data to the processor 301.

[0096] The processor 301 is responsible for managing the bus and general processing, and can also provide various functions, including timing, peripheral interfaces, voltage regulation, power management and other control functions. The memory 302 can be used to store data used by the processor 301 when performing operations.

[0097] Another aspect of the present application embodiment further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the above method embodiment is implemented.

[0098] That is, those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the steps in the above-mentioned embodiment method can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a program, and the program is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions to enable a device (which can be a single-chip microcomputer, chip, etc.) or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

[0099] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above embodiments are specific embodiments for implementing the present application, and in actual applications, various changes may be made thereto in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A multi-access point cooperation method, characterized in that: Applied to a first access point, the method includes: Negotiate with at least one access point to establish a multi-access point cooperation set; Transmitting data with an associated terminal by cooperating with an access point in the multi-access point cooperation set; The cooperation with the access points in the multiple access point cooperation set is cancelled.

2. The multi-access point cooperation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The negotiating with at least one access point to establish a multi-access point cooperation set includes: exchanging a first data frame with a second access point, wherein the first data frame carries information for indicating a release timing of the multi-access point cooperation set, wherein the second access point is an access point that initiates establishment of the multi-access point cooperation set, an access point that seizes a transmission opportunity in the multi-access point cooperation set, or an access point that schedules a target wake-up time of an associated terminal in the multi-access point cooperation set; The releasing the cooperation with the access point in the multi-access point cooperation set comprises: The cooperation with the access points in the multiple access point cooperation set is released according to the release timing.

3. The multi-access point cooperation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The releasing the cooperation with the access point in the multi-access point cooperation set comprises: receiving a second data frame sent by the second access point, wherein the second data frame carries information for indicating release of cooperation with the access points in the multi-access point cooperation set; The release of cooperation with the access points in the multiple access point cooperation set is triggered according to the second data frame.

4. The multi-access point cooperation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The establishing a multi-access point cooperation set with at least one access point comprises: Negotiate with the second access point: reach a collaboration agreement with the restricted target wake-up time parameter set of the associated terminal; The step of transmitting data by cooperating with an access point in the multi-access point cooperation set and an associated terminal includes: After the associated terminal wakes up according to the restricted target wake-up time, transmitting data with the associated terminal by cooperating with an access point in the multi-access point cooperation set; The releasing the cooperation with the access point in the multi-access point cooperation set comprises: receiving a restricted target wakeup time release frame, wherein the restricted target wakeup time release frame is a request release frame sent by the terminal to the second access point, a release frame sent by the second access point to the terminal associated with the second access point, or a confirmation release frame sent by the second access point to the terminal associated with the second access point; In the case where a predefined target condition is met, releasing the restricted target wake-up time and the cooperation with the access points in the multiple access point cooperation set according to the release timing of the multiple access point cooperation set indicated by the restricted target wake-up time release frame; The predefined target condition includes: the restricted target wake-up time that needs to be released indicated by the restricted target wake-up time release frame is the only restricted target wake-up time supported by the first access point and the second access point through negotiation, the only target wake-up time that currently complies with the cooperation mode negotiated between the first access point and the second access point, and / or all the restricted target wake-up times.

5. The multi-access point cooperation method according to claim 4, characterized in that: In a case where the predefined target condition is met, the restricted target wakeup time release frame carries information indicating the restricted target wakeup time of the first access point and the associated terminal, and / or information indicating the release timing.

6. The multi-access point cooperation method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The releasing the cooperation with the access point in the multi-access point cooperation set comprises: Release at least one cooperation mode of the access point cooperating with the multiple access points, wherein the cooperation mode comprises at least one of the following: multiple access points transmitting simultaneously, cooperative time division multiple access, cooperative space division reuse, cooperative beamforming, and cooperative restricted target wake-up time.

7. The multi-access point cooperation method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: Before releasing the cooperation with the access point in the multi-access point cooperation set, the method further includes: exchanging a third data frame with the second access point, wherein the third data frame carries information for indicating an update timing for releasing the multiple access point coordination set; The release timing is updated according to the third data frame.

8. The multi-access point cooperation method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The third data frame includes the third initial control frame, and the exchanging of the third data frame with the second access point includes: The third initial control frame sent by the second access point is received, wherein the third initial control frame carries information for indicating a release timing specified by the second access point.

9. The multi-access point cooperation method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The third data frame further includes a third initial response frame, and the exchanging of the third data frame with the second access point further includes: After receiving the third initial control frame sent by the second access point, sending a third initial response frame to the second access point, wherein the third initial response frame carries information for indicating a release timing specified by the first access point; The release timings corresponding to the third initial control frame and the third initial response frame are the same or different.

10. The multi-access point cooperation method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The releasing the cooperation with the access point in the multi-access point cooperation set comprises: When it is currently necessary to release the cooperation with the access point in the multi-access point cooperation set and there is still data of a preset service mode to be transmitted with the terminal, after the data to be transmitted is transmitted, the cooperation relationship with the access point in the multi-access point cooperation set or the cooperation mode used in cooperation with the access point cooperating with the multi-access point is released.

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