Relay communication method and communication device

Abstract

The invention provides a relay communication method and a communication device, the method is applied to relay equipment, the relay equipment comprises a relay access point and a relay station, and the method comprises the following steps: the relay station is associated with access point multi-link equipment; the relay access point and the access point multi-link equipment carry out data transmission through the relay station, and the relay access point is a non-co-location affiliated access point AP of the access point multi-link equipment. The scheme of the invention provides a communication method between relay equipment and multi-link equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a relay communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] Currently, no corresponding design is given for the communication method between the relay device and the multi-link device. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present application provides a relay communication method, and provides a communication method between a relay device and a multi-link device.

[0004] In a first aspect, a relay communication method is provided, which is applied to a relay device, wherein the relay device includes a relay access point and a relay site, and the method includes: the relay site is associated with an access point multi-link device; the relay access point and the access point multi-link device perform data transmission through the relay site, and the relay access point is a non-co-located affiliated access point AP of the access point multi-link device.

[0005] In the embodiment of the present application, since the relay access point is a non-co-located subordinate AP of the access point multi-link device, the relay access point and the access point multi-link device can transmit data through the relay site, so that the existing multi-link protocol can be reused to implement operations such as discovery of the relay access point, establishment and management of the relay link, while reducing the complexity and delay of data processing of the relay access point.

[0006] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the relay access point and the access point multi-link device perform data transmission through the relay site, including: the relay access point receives encrypted uplink data from the site multi-link device and sends the encrypted uplink data to the relay site, the receiving address of the encrypted uplink data is the address of the relay access point, and the sending address of the encrypted uplink data is the address of the affiliated site of the site multi-link device; the relay site sends a first frame to the access point multi-link device, the frame body of the first frame includes the encrypted uplink data, the sending address of the first frame is the address of the relay site, and the receiving address of the first frame is the address of the affiliated access point of the access point multi-link device.

[0007] The relay access point and the subsidiary site of the site multi-chain device correspond to the same link.

[0008] In the embodiment of the present application, since the relay station transmits the encrypted uplink data to the access point multi-link device through the first frame, and does not directly send the encrypted uplink data to the access point multi-link device, the existing multi-link architecture can be reused to reduce the complexity of data transmission. In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, since the relay station transmits the encrypted uplink data to the access point multi-link device through the first frame, the sending address of the first frame sent by the relay station to the access point multi-link device is the address of the relay station, so that the access point multi-link device can correctly receive the first frame, so that the access point multi-link device can obtain the encrypted uplink data from the first frame, thereby ensuring the accuracy of data transmission.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the relay access point and the access point multi-link device perform data transmission through the relay site, including: the relay site receives a second frame from the access point multi-link device, the frame body of the second frame includes encrypted downlink data, the receiving address of the second frame is the address of the relay site, and the sending address of the second frame is the address of the corresponding subordinate access point of the access point multi-link device; the relay site sends the encrypted downlink data to the relay access point; the relay access point sends the encrypted downlink data to the site multi-link device, the sending address of the encrypted downlink data is the address of the relay access point, and the receiving address of the encrypted downlink data is the address of the subordinate site of the site multi-link device.

[0010] In the embodiment of the present application, since the access point multi-link device transmits the encrypted downlink data to the relay site through the second frame, and does not directly send the encrypted downlink data to the relay site, the existing multi-link architecture can be reused to reduce the complexity and delay of data transmission. In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, since the relay access point transmits the encrypted downlink data to the site multi-link device, the sending address of the encrypted downlink data sent by the relay access point to the site multi-link device is the address of the relay access point, which is conducive to the site multi-link device to identify the address of the relay access point, thereby facilitating the site multi-link device to correctly receive the encrypted downlink data, thereby ensuring the accuracy of data transmission.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: the relay access point does not send one or more of the following frame categories to the site multi-link device: beacon frames, multicast data frames, and multicast management frames.

[0012] In the embodiment of the present application, the relay access point does not need to process the received encrypted data, but only needs to transmit the encrypted data in a corresponding format, which can reduce the processing complexity of the relay access point, thereby reducing the complexity of data transmission and the delay of data transmission of the relay access point.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the relay access point only includes a low media access control MAC sublayer function of an access point multi-link device.

[0014] Since the relay access point in the embodiment of the present application only includes the functions of the low MAC sublayer of the multi-link device, and does not have the functions of the high MAC sublayer of the multi-link device, such as encryption and decryption of MPDU, allocation of SN and PN, etc., the complexity of data transmission of the relay device and the delay of data transmission can be reduced.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: the relay station establishing an association with the access point multi-link device and reporting first information to the access point multi-link device, where the first information is used to indicate capability information of the relay access point.

[0016] In the embodiment of the present application, the relay site reports the first information to the access point multi-link device, so that after the access point multi-link device receives the first information, it sends the first information to the site multi-link device, further facilitating the site multi-link device to establish a connection with the relay access point and further transmit data.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the first information includes at least one of the following information of the relay access point: MAC address, supported frequency bands and channels, maximum number of supported streams, modulation coding scheme MCS, maximum transmit power, channel width, and number of antennas.

[0018] In a second aspect, a relay communication method is provided, which is applied to an access point multi-link device, the method comprising: the access point multi-link device accepting the association of a relay site in the relay device, the relay device comprising the relay site and a relay access point, the relay access point being a non-co-located affiliated access point AP of the access point multi-link device; the access point multi-link device performing data transmission with the relay site.

[0019] In an embodiment of the present application, for a non-co-located subordinate AP in which the relay access point is an access point multi-link device, the relay access point and the access point multi-link device transmit data through a relay site. In this way, the existing multi-link protocol can be reused to implement operations such as discovery of relay access points, establishment and management of relay links, while reducing the complexity and latency of data processing at the relay access point.

[0020] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the access point multi-link device performs data transmission with the relay site, including: the access point multi-link device receives a first frame from the relay site, the frame body of the first frame includes encrypted uplink data, the sending address of the first frame is the address of the relay site, the receiving address of the first frame is the address of the affiliated access point of the access point multi-link device, the receiving address of the encrypted uplink data is the address of the relay access point, and the sending address of the encrypted uplink data is the address of the corresponding affiliated site of the site multi-link device.

[0021] In the embodiment of the present application, since the access point multi-link device receives the first frame containing the encrypted uplink data, and the sending address of the first frame is the address of the relay site, the access point multi-link device can identify the address of the relay site. Therefore, the access point multi-link device can accurately receive the first frame, so that the access point multi-link device can obtain the encrypted uplink data from the first frame, thereby ensuring the accuracy of data transmission.

[0022] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the access point multi-link device transmits data with the relay site, including: the access point multi-link device sends a second frame to the relay site, the frame body of the second frame includes encrypted downlink data, the receiving address of the second frame is the address of the relay site, the sending address of the second frame is the address of the subordinate access point of the access point multi-link device, the sending address of the encrypted downlink data is the address of the relay access point, and the receiving address of the encrypted downlink data is the address of the corresponding subordinate site of the site multi-link device.

[0023] In the embodiment of the present application, since the site multi-link device receives encrypted downlink data, and the sending address of the encrypted downlink data is the address of the relay access point, and the site multi-link device can identify the address of the relay access point, the site multi-link device can accurately receive the data, thereby ensuring the accuracy of data transmission.

[0024] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: the access point multi-link device receives first information from the relay site, the first information being used to indicate capability information of the relay access point; and the access point multi-link device sends the first information to the site multi-link device.

[0025] In the embodiment of the present application, after receiving the first information from the relay site, the access point multi-link device sends the first information to the site multi-link device, which is beneficial for the site multi-link device to establish a link with the relay access point and further transmit data.

[0026] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation method, the first information includes at least one of the following information of the relay access point: media access control MAC address, supported frequency bands and channels, maximum number of supported streams, modulation and coding scheme MCS, maximum transmit power, working channel, channel width, and number of antennas.

[0027] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method also includes: the access point multi-link device sends second information to the site multi-link device, and the second information is used to indicate the identification ID information of the access point multi-link device to which the relay access point belongs and the ID information of the link corresponding to the relay access point.

[0028] In the embodiment of the present application, the access point multi-link device sends the second information to the site multi-link site device. Since the second information indicates the identification ID information of the access point multi-link device to which the relay access point belongs and the ID information of the link corresponding to the relay access point, it is beneficial for the site multi-link device to discover the relay access point and the link ID information of the relay access point according to the second information, thereby facilitating the site multi-link device to establish a link with the relay access point.

[0029] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation method, the second information is carried in a simplified neighbor report RNR element; the corresponding target beacon transmission time TBTT information field type in the RNR element is set to a first preset value; or, the TBTT information field type is set to a second preset value and the TBTT information field length in the RNR element is set to a preset length.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the TBTT information field in the RNR element carries third information, and the third information is used to indicate that the access point is a relay AP.

[0031] In an embodiment of the present application, the access point multi-link device sends second information to the site multi-link device, and the second information is carried in the RNR element. The TBTT info field in the RNR element carries third information used to indicate that the relay access point is a relay AP, so that the site multi-link device can discover the relay access point, which is beneficial for the site multi-link device to establish a connection with the relay access point and transmit data.

[0032] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: the access point multi-link device sending fourth information to the site multi-link device, where the fourth information is used to indicate configuration information of the relay access point.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present application, the access point multi-link device sends fourth information to the site multi-link device, where the fourth information is used to indicate configuration information of the relay access point, so that the site multi-link device can establish a link with the relay AP according to the fourth information and transmit data.

[0034] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the fourth information is carried in a newly defined sub-element of the basic multilink element.

[0035] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, when there are other links between the access point multi-link device and the site multi-link device, the method further includes: when the access point multi-link device establishes a block confirmation BA session with the site multi-link device, sending fifth information to the site multi-link device, wherein the fifth information is used to instruct the site multi-link device to prohibit requesting a confirmation frame from the relay access point.

[0036] In an embodiment of the present application, when other links exist between the access point multi-link device and the site multi-link device, when the access point multi-link device establishes a BA session with the site multi-link device, fifth information is sent to the site multi-link device to instruct the site multi-link device to prohibit requesting a confirmation frame from the relay access point, so that when the site multi-link device establishes a BA session, the site multi-link device does not request a confirmation frame from the relay access point, which is beneficial to reducing the processing complexity of the relay device.

[0037] According to a third aspect, a relay communication method is provided, which is applied to a site multi-link device, the method comprising: the site multi-link device receives first information from an access point multi-link device, the first information is used to indicate information of a relay access point of the relay device, the relay device further comprises a relay site, the relay access point is a non-co-located subsidiary access point AP of the access point multi-link device; the site multi-link device performs data transmission with the relay access point.

[0038] In an embodiment of the present application, a site multi-link device receives first information for indicating capability information of a relay access point of a relay device. For a non-co-located affiliated AP of an access point multi-link device, the site multi-link device performs data transmission with the relay access point, that is, the site multi-link device and the relay access point can reuse the existing multi-link operation protocol for data transmission. During this process, the relay access point does not need to perform multi-link upper layer MAC processing on the data, thereby reducing the complexity of data transmission and the delay of data transmission.

[0039] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the method also includes: the site multi-link device receives second information from the access point multi-link device, the second information being used to indicate the identification ID information of the access point multi-link device to which the relay access point belongs and the link ID information corresponding to the relay access point.

[0040] In the embodiment of the present application, the site multi-link device receives the second information from the access point multi-link device. Since the second information indicates the identification ID information of the access point multi-link device to which the relay access point belongs and the ID information of the link corresponding to the relay access point, the site multi-link device can discover the ID information of the relay access point and the link corresponding to the relay access point according to the second information, which is conducive to the site multi-link device to establish a connection with the relay access point.

[0041] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation method, the second information is carried in a simplified neighbor report RNR element; the corresponding target beacon transmission time TBTT information field type in the RNR element is set to a first preset value; or, the TBTT information field type is set to a second preset value and the TBTT information field length in the RNR element is set to a preset length.

[0042] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the TBTT information field in the RNR element carries third information, and the third information is used to indicate that the access point is a relay AP.

[0043] In an embodiment of the present application, the site multi-link device receives second information from the access point multi-link device, and the second information is carried in the RNR element. The TBTT info field in the RNR element carries third information used to indicate that the relay access point is a relay AP. Therefore, the site multi-link device can discover the relay access point, so that the site multi-link device can establish a link with the relay access point and transmit data.

[0044] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: the site multi-link device receiving fourth information from the access point multi-link device, the fourth information being used to indicate configuration information of the relay access point.

[0045] In an embodiment of the present application, the site multi-link device receives fourth information from the access point multi-link device, where the fourth information is used to indicate configuration information of the relay access point, so that the site multi-link device can establish a link with the relay AP according to the fourth information and transmit data.

[0046] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the fourth information is carried in a newly defined sub-element of the basic multilink element.

[0047] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation manner, when there are other links between the site multi-link device and the access point multi-link device, the method also includes: the site multi-link device receives fifth information from the access point multi-link device, and the fifth information is used to indicate that the site multi-link device is prohibited from requesting a confirmation frame from the relay access point; when the access point multi-link device establishes a block confirmation BA session with the site multi-link device, the site multi-link device does not request the confirmation frame from the relay access point according to the fifth information.

[0048] In the embodiment of the present application, when other links exist between the site multi-link device and the access point multi-link device, when the access point multi-link device establishes a BA session with the site multi-link device, the site multi-link device does not request a confirmation frame from the relay access point based on the received information, which is beneficial to reducing the processing complexity of the relay access point.

[0049] In a fourth aspect, a relay communication method is provided, the method being applied to a relay device, the relay device comprising a relay access point and a relay site, the method comprising: the relay site being associated with an access point multi-link device; the relay access point and the access point multi-link device transmitting data through the relay site, the relay access point being a non-co-located subordinate access point AP of the access point multi-link device, and the relay access point and the access point multi-link device having the same configuration parameters.

[0050] In the embodiment of the present application, since the relay access point is a non-co-located affiliated AP of the access point multi-link device, the relay access point and the access point multi-link device transmit data through the relay site. In this way, the existing multi-link protocol can be reused to implement operations such as discovery of relay access points, establishment and management of relay links, while reducing the complexity and delay of data processing of the relay access point.

[0051] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation method, the configuration parameters include at least one of the following: media access control MAC address, supported frequency bands and channels, maximum number of streams supported, modulation coding scheme MCS, maximum transmit power, working channel, channel width, and number of antennas.

[0052] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the relay access point and the access point multi-link device perform data transmission through the relay site, including: the relay access point receives encrypted uplink data from the site multi-link device and sends the encrypted uplink data to the relay site, the receiving address of the encrypted uplink data is the address of the relay access point, and the sending address of the encrypted uplink data is the address of the affiliated site of the site multi-link device; the relay site sends a first frame to the access point multi-link device, the frame body of the first frame includes the encrypted uplink data, the sending address of the first frame is the address of the relay site, and the receiving address of the first frame is the address of the affiliated access point of the access point multi-link device.

[0053] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the relay access point and the access point multi-link device perform data transmission through the relay site, including: the relay site receives a second frame from the access point multi-link device, the frame body of the second frame includes encrypted downlink data, the receiving address of the second frame is the address of the relay site, and the sending address of the second frame is the address of the affiliated access point of the access point multi-link device; the relay site sends the encrypted downlink data to the relay access point; the relay access point sends the encrypted downlink data to the site multi-link device, the sending address of the encrypted downlink data is the address of the relay access point, and the receiving address of the encrypted downlink data is the address of the affiliated site of the site multi-link device.

[0054] Other implementation methods of the fourth aspect and their corresponding beneficial effects can refer to the above-mentioned first aspect and will not be described in detail.

[0055] In a fifth aspect, a relay communication method is provided, which is applied to an access point multi-link device, and the method includes: the access point multi-link device accepts the association of a relay site in the relay device, the relay device includes the relay site and a relay access point, the relay access point is a non-co-located auxiliary access point AP of the access point multi-link device, and the relay access point and the access point multi-link device have the same configuration parameters; the access point multi-link device determines to transmit data with the site multi-link device through a first transmission mode or a second transmission mode, the first transmission mode is direct transmission with the site multi-link device, and the second transmission mode is transmission with the site multi-link device through the relay device.

[0056] In the embodiment of the present application, after the access point multi-link device is associated with the relay site, the access point multi-link device determines to transmit data with the site multi-link device through the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode to maximize the success rate of data transmission.

[0057] In combination with the fifth aspect, in a possible implementation method, the configuration parameters include at least one of the following: media access control MAC address, supported frequency bands and channels, maximum number of streams supported, modulation coding scheme MCS, maximum transmit power, working channel, channel width, and number of antennas.

[0058] In combination with the fifth aspect, in a possible implementation method, the access point multi-link device determines to transmit data with the site multi-link device through the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode, including: the access point multi-link device detects a first link quality and a second link quality respectively, the first link quality is the link quality between the access point multi-link device and the site multi-link device, and the second link quality is the link quality between the access point multi-link device and the relay device; and determines to transmit data with the site multi-link device through the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode according to the first link quality and the second link quality.

[0059] In an embodiment of the present application, the access point multi-link device detects the first link quality and the second link quality respectively, and determines to transmit data with the site multi-link device through the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode according to the first link quality and the second link quality, so as to maximize the success rate of data transmission.

[0060] In combination with the fifth aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the access point multi-link device determines to transmit data through the second transmission mode, and the method also includes: the access point multi-link device receives a first frame from the relay device, the frame body of the first frame contains encrypted uplink data, the sending address of the first frame is the address of the relay site, the receiving address of the first frame is the address of the affiliated access point of the access point multi-link device, the receiving address of the encrypted uplink data is the address of the relay access point, and the sending address of the encrypted uplink data is the address of the affiliated site of the site multi-link device.

[0061] In combination with the fifth aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the access point multi-link device determines to transmit data through the second transmission mode, and the method also includes: the access point multi-link device sends a second frame to the relay device, the frame body of the second frame includes encrypted downlink data, the receiving address of the second frame is the address of the relay site, the sending address of the second frame is the address of the affiliated access point of the access point multi-link device, the sending address of the encrypted downlink data is the address of the relay access point, and the receiving address of the encrypted downlink data is the address of the affiliated site of the site multi-link device.

[0062] Other implementation methods of the fifth aspect and their corresponding beneficial effects can refer to the above-mentioned second aspect and will not be described in detail.

[0063] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, and the beneficial effects can be found in the description of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here. The communication device has the function of implementing the behavior in the method embodiment of the first aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. In one possible design, the communication device includes: a processing module for associating with an access point multi-link device; a transceiver module for transmitting data with the access point multi-link device through the relay site, the relay device includes a relay site and a relay access point, and the relay access point is a non-co-located attached access point AP of the access point multi-link device. These modules can perform the corresponding functions in the method example of the first aspect, and refer to the detailed description in the method example for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0064] In the seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, and the beneficial effects can be found in the description of the second aspect, which will not be repeated here. The communication device has the function of implementing the behavior in the method embodiment of the second aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware, or it can be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. In one possible design, the communication device includes: a processing module for accepting the association of a relay site in a relay device, the relay device includes the relay site and a relay access point, and the relay access point is a non-co-located attached access point AP of the access point multi-link device; a transceiver module for transmitting data with the relay site. These modules can perform the corresponding functions in the method example of the second aspect, please refer to the detailed description in the method example, and will not be repeated here.

[0065] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, and the beneficial effects can be found in the description of the third aspect, which will not be described in detail here. The communication device has the function of implementing the behavior in the method embodiment of the third aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. In one possible design, the communication device includes: a transceiver module for receiving first information from an access point multi-link device, the first information being used to indicate capability information of a relay access point of a relay device, the relay access point being a non-co-located attached access point AP of the access point multi-link device; and transmitting data with the relay access point. These modules can perform the corresponding functions in the method example of the third aspect, and refer to the detailed description in the method example for details, which will not be described here.

[0066] In the ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, and the beneficial effects can be found in the description of the fourth aspect, which will not be repeated here. The communication device has the function of implementing the behavior in the method embodiment of the fourth aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware, or it can be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. In one possible design, the communication device includes: a processing module for associating with an access point multi-link device; a transceiver module for transmitting data with the access point multi-link device through the relay site, the relay device includes a relay site and a relay access point, the relay access point is a non-co-located auxiliary access point AP of the access point multi-link device, and the relay access point has the same configuration parameters as the access point multi-link device. These modules can perform the corresponding functions in the method example of the fourth aspect, and refer to the detailed description in the method example for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0067] In the tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, and the beneficial effects can be found in the description of the fifth aspect, which will not be repeated here. The communication device has the function of implementing the behavior in the method embodiment of the fifth aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. In a possible design, the communication device includes: a processing module for accepting the association of a relay site in a relay device, the relay device includes a relay site and a relay access point, the relay access point is a non-co-located auxiliary access point AP of the access point multi-link device, and the relay access point has the same configuration parameters as the access point multi-link device; and determining to transmit data with the site multi-link device through a first transmission mode or a second transmission mode, the first transmission mode is direct transmission with the site multi-link device, and the second transmission mode is transmission with the site multi-link device through the relay device. These modules can perform the corresponding functions in the method example of the fifth aspect, and refer to the detailed description in the method example for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0068] In an eleventh aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be a relay device in the above method embodiment, or a chip set in the relay device. The communication device includes a communication interface and a processor, and optionally, also includes a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program or instruction, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the communication interface. When the processor executes the computer program or instruction, the communication device executes the method executed by the relay device in the above method embodiment.

[0069] In a twelfth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be an access point multi-link device in the above method embodiment, or a chip set in the access point multi-link device. The communication device includes a communication interface and a processor, and optionally, also includes a memory. The memory is used to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the communication interface. When the processor executes the computer program or instruction, the communication device executes the method executed by the access point multi-link device in the above method embodiment.

[0070] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the site multi-link device in the above method embodiment, or a chip set in the site multi-link device. The communication device includes a communication interface and a processor, and optionally, also includes a memory. The memory is used to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the communication interface. When the processor executes the computer program or instruction, the communication device executes the method executed by the site multi-link device in the above method embodiment.

[0071] In a fourteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program code, when the computer program code is run, the method performed by the relay device in the above aspects is executed.

[0072] In a fifteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program code, when the computer program code is run, the method performed by the access point multi-link device in the above aspects is executed.

[0073] In a sixteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program code, when the computer program code is run, the method performed by the site multi-link device in the above aspects is executed.

[0074] In a seventeenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor for implementing the functions of the relay device in the above-mentioned methods. In a possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing program instructions and / or data. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0075] In an eighteenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, the chip system including a processor, for implementing the functions of the access point multi-link device in the above-mentioned methods. In a possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing program instructions and / or data. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0076] In a nineteenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor for implementing the functions of the site multi-link device in the above-mentioned methods. In a possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing program instructions and / or data. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0077] In the twentieth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed, the method performed by the relay device in the above aspects is implemented.

[0078] In a twenty-first aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed, implements the methods performed by the access point multi-link device in the above aspects.

[0079] In a twenty-second aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed, implements the methods performed by the site multi-link device in the above aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0080] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a scenario applied to this application.

[0081] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a relay communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0082] Figure 3 This is a diagram of the format of RNN elements.

[0083] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the format of the TBTT information field.

[0084] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the BSS parameter field in the TBTT information field.

[0085] Figure 6 The figure shows a multi-link establishment between a Non-AP MLD and an AP MLD.

[0086] Figure 7 Figure 1 is a diagram showing the format of basic multi-link elements.

[0087] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of establishing a BA session between two sites.

[0088] Fig. 9 This is a diagram of the format of the block confirmation parameter set field.

[0089] Fig.10 Schematic diagram of the format of the block confirmation start sequence control field.

[0090] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of another scene.

[0091] Fig.12 A schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0092] Fig.13 A schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0093] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0094] In order to facilitate understanding of the solution of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the terms and background technologies involved in the present application.

[0095] Access point (AP): is the creator of a wireless network and the central node of the network. AP can be a wireless router used in a home or office, or an enterprise AP, a STA device that supports simulated AP (SoftAP) functions, or a group owner (GO) device in wireless fidelity peer-to-peer (Wi-Fi P2P).

[0096] Station (STA): Each terminal device connected to a wireless network can be called a station, for example, a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA) and other user devices that can be connected to the Internet, or a group client (GC) device in Wi-Fi P2P.

[0097] Multi-link device (MLD): refers to a device that has multiple RF modules, each operating on a different frequency band / channel. When the channel spacing between two RF modules in a device is large enough, they can operate independently without interfering with each other. If any two links can support sending on one link while receiving on the other link, we call the two links supporting synchronous transmitter / receiver (STR) capability, otherwise the two links are called non-synchronous transmission / reception (Non-STR).

[0098] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: wireless local area network (WLAN communication system or future communication system, etc.

[0099] The following is an exemplary description of a WLAN system to describe the application scenario of the embodiment of the present application and the method of the embodiment of the present application.

[0100] Specifically, the embodiments of the present application can be applied to WLAN, and the embodiments of the present application can be applied to any one of the IEEE 802.11 series protocols currently adopted by WLAN. WLAN may include one or more basic service sets (BSS), and the network devices of BSS include AP and STA. Each BSS may include an AP and multiple STAs associated with the AP.

[0101] In the embodiment of the present application, the transmitting end and / or the receiving end may be a user station (STA) in a WLAN, which may also be referred to as a system, a user unit, an access terminal, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, a user device or a user equipment (UE). The STA may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with a wireless local area network (e.g., Wi-Fi) communication function, a wearable device, a computing device, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem.

[0102] In addition, the transmitting end and / or receiving end in the embodiment of the present application may also be an AP in a WLAN. The AP may be used to communicate with the access terminal through a wireless local area network and transmit data from the access terminal to the network side, or transmit data from the network side to the access terminal.

[0103] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, first Figure 1 The communication system shown in the figure is used as an example to describe in detail the communication system applicable to the embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 The scenario system shown may be a WLAN system, Figure 1 The WLAN system may include one or more APs, one or more STAs, and one or more relay devices. Figure 1Take the communication between AP MLD110, Non-AP MLD 120 and a relay device 130 as an example. Figure 1 The AP MLD in the example may be one device or multiple devices. The Non-AP MLD may be one device or multiple devices.

[0104] For AP MLD and Non-AP MLD as one device, Figure 1 The AP MLD and Non-AP MLD shown in the figure can transmit data through different links. For example, data can be transmitted between AP0 and STA0-0 through direct link 0, data can be transmitted between AP1 and STA0-1 through direct link 1, or data can be transmitted between AP1 and STA0-2 through a relay device.

[0105] Among them, AP is also called wireless access point or hotspot. AP is the access point for mobile users to enter the wired network. It is mainly deployed in homes, buildings and campuses, and can also be deployed outdoors. AP is equivalent to a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks. Its main function is to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to Ethernet. Specifically, AP can be a terminal device or network device with a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) chip. Optionally, AP can be a device that supports multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11.

[0106] The current proposals are open to the public Figure 1 The architecture shown in the figure does not provide any further design for the communication method between the relay device and the multi-link device.

[0107] The present application provides a relay communication method for Figure 1 The architecture shown gives a specific design of the communication method between the relay device and the multi-link device.

[0108] like Figure 2 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of a relay communication method 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The execution subject of the method 200 includes a relay device, an access point multi-link device, and a site multi-link device, wherein the relay device includes a relay access point and a relay site. In the embodiment of the present application, the relay device may also be referred to as a relay multi-link device. For a relay device with only one physical site, it may also be referred to as a relay multi-link device.

[0109] The relay communication method 200 may include steps 210 to 230 .

[0110] 210. The relay station is associated with the access point multi-link device.

[0111] 220. The relay access point and the access point multi-link device perform data transmission through the relay site, and the relay access point is a non-co-located subordinate AP of the access point multi-link device.

[0112] In the embodiment of the present application, non-co-located subordinate AP and co-located AP are relative concepts. For a certain AP, the AP is a non-co-located subordinate AP of an AP multi-link device, which can be understood as: the AP and the AP multi-link device are different physical devices and are located in different locations, and the AP and the AP multi-link device can be connected wirelessly or by wire. In addition, the AP and the AP multi-link device share a multi-link upper layer medium access control (MAC) layer.

[0113] For a certain AP, the AP is a co-site AP of an AP multi-link device, which can be understood as: the AP and all APs in the AP multi-link device are in the same physical device and are located at the same position, and the AP and the AP multi-link device can be connected through a chip.

[0114] The relay device in the embodiment of the present application is invisible to the extremely high throughput (EHT) Non-AP MLD, and only the ultra high reliability (UHR) Non-AP MLD can discover the existence of the relay device. Therefore, a special TBTT information field type and / or TBTT information field length is required to make the EHT Non-AP MLD invisible and only the UHR Non-AP MLD visible. For details, please refer to the content related to the RNR element below.

[0115] 230, the site multi-link device performs data transmission with the relay access point.

[0116] Refer to the above Figure 1 , the relay access point is rAP2, the relay station is rSTA, the access point multi-link device is AP MLD, rAP2 and AP MLD can transmit data through rSTA. In other words, rAP2 transmits data to AP MLD through rSTA.

[0117] It should be noted that before the site multi-link device transmits data to the relay access point, the site multi-link device may first establish an association with the access point multi-link device. When establishing an association, the site multi-link device may associate with the access point multi-link device through other co-located subordinate access points. For example, Figure 1 In this example, the AP MLD can establish an association with the Non-AP MLD through direct link 1 or direct link 2.

[0118] In an embodiment of the present application, for a non-co-located subordinate AP in which the relay access point is an access point multi-link device, the relay access point and the access point multi-link device transmit data through a relay site. In this way, the existing multi-link protocol can be reused to implement operations such as discovery of relay access points, establishment and management of relay links, while reducing the complexity and latency of data processing at the relay access point.

[0119] In the above step 220, it is pointed out that the relay access point and the access point multi-link device perform data transmission through the relay site. The specific process of the relay access point and the access point multi-link device performing data transmission through the relay site will be described below.

[0120] In one embodiment, the relay access point and the access point multi-link device perform data transmission through the relay site, including:

[0121] The relay access point receives the encrypted uplink data from the site multi-link device and sends the encrypted uplink data to the relay site, the receiving address of the encrypted uplink data is the address of the relay access point, and the sending address of the encrypted uplink data is the address of the affiliated site of the site multi-link device;

[0122] The relay station sends a first frame to the access point multi-link device, the frame body of the first frame includes the encrypted uplink data, the sending address of the first frame is the address of the relay station, and the receiving address of the first frame is the address of the subordinate access point of the access point multi-link device.

[0123] Correspondingly, for the access point multi-link device, the access point multi-link device receives the first frame from the relay device. Alternatively, the access point multi-link device receives the first frame from the relay station.

[0124] In the embodiment of the present application, the subordinate access point of the access point multi-link device and the subordinate site of the site multi-link device correspond to the same link.

[0125] In the embodiment of the present application, the site multi-link device can transmit uplink data to the access point multi-link device through the relay device. Figure 1 For example, STA 0-2 in the site multi-link device can transmit the encrypted uplink data to rAP2 through the link between STA 0-2 and rAP2. In this process, for the encrypted uplink data, its sending address (or the source address of the encrypted uplink data) is the address of STA 0-2, and its receiving address (or the target address of the encrypted uplink data) is the address of rAP2.

[0126] rAP2 sends the encrypted uplink data to rSTA. After receiving the encrypted uplink data, rSTA does not send the encrypted uplink data directly to AP1, but sends the encrypted uplink data through the first frame. Specifically, rSTA sends the first frame to AP1, and the frame body in the first frame contains the encrypted uplink data. In the process of rSTA sending the first frame to AP1, for the first frame, its sending address (or the source address of the first frame) is the address of rSTA, and its receiving address (or the target address of the first frame) is the address of AP1.

[0127] In summary, it can be seen that in the process of STA 0-2 transmitting encrypted uplink data to AP1 through the relay device, the encrypted uplink data is transmitted between STA0-2 and rAP2, and the first frame containing the encrypted uplink data is transmitted between rSTA and AP1. This is because a new address is needed to transmit the encrypted uplink data between rSTA and AP1, and based on the existing multi-link architecture, rSTA sends the first frame containing the encrypted uplink data to AP1, so that AP1 can correctly receive the first frame sent by rSTA, so that AP1 can obtain the encrypted uplink data according to the first frame. If rSTA directly sends the encrypted uplink data to AP1, at this time, rSTA sends the encrypted uplink data based on the address of rAP2. Since AP1 cannot recognize the address of rAP2 (that is, rAP2 has not established a link with AP1), AP1 cannot accurately receive the encrypted uplink data.

[0128] In the embodiment of the present application, since the relay site transmits the encrypted uplink data to the access point multi-link device through the first frame, and does not directly send the encrypted uplink data to the access point multi-link device, the existing multi-link architecture can be reused to reduce the complexity and delay of data transmission. In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, since the relay site transmits the encrypted uplink data to the access point multi-link device through the first frame, the sending address of the first frame sent by the relay site to the access point multi-link device is the address of the relay site, and the access point multi-link device can identify the address of the relay site, therefore, the access point multi-link device can correctly receive the first frame, so that the access point multi-link device can obtain the encrypted uplink data from the first frame, thereby ensuring the accuracy of data transmission.

[0129] In one embodiment, the access point multi-link device performs data transmission with the relay device, including:

[0130] The access point multi-link device sends a second frame to the relay device, the frame body of the second frame includes encrypted downlink data, the receiving address of the second frame is the address of the relay site, and the sending address of the second frame is the address of the subsidiary access point of the access point multi-link device.

[0131] Correspondingly, for the relay device, the relay site receives the second frame from the access point multi-link device; the relay site sends the encrypted downlink data to the relay access point; the relay access point sends the encrypted downlink data to the site multi-link device, the sending address of the encrypted downlink data is the address of the relay access point, and the receiving address of the encrypted downlink data is the address of the affiliated site of the site multi-link device.

[0132] In the embodiment of the present application, the access point multi-link device can transmit downlink data to the site multi-link device through the relay device. Figure 1 For example, when AP1 in the access point multi-link device sends encrypted downlink data to rSTA, it does not send the encrypted downlink data directly to rSTA, but sends the encrypted downlink data through the second frame. Specifically, AP1 sends the second frame to rSTA, and the frame body in the second frame contains the encrypted downlink data. In the process of AP1 sending the second frame to rSTA, for the second frame, its sending address (or can be called the source address of the second frame) is the address of AP1, and its receiving address (or can be called the target address of the second frame) is the address of rSTA.

[0133] rSTA obtains the encrypted downlink data from the frame body of the second frame, and forwards the encrypted downlink data to rAP2, and rAP2 then sends the encrypted downlink data to STA 0-2. In the process of rAP2 sending the encrypted downlink data to STA 0-2, for the encrypted downlink data, its sending address (or the source address of the encrypted downlink data) is the address of rAP2, and its receiving address (or the target address of the encrypted uplink data) is the address of STA 0-2.

[0134] In summary, it can be seen that in the process of AP1 transmitting encrypted downlink data to STA 0-2 through the relay device, the second frame containing the encrypted downlink data is transmitted between AP1 and rSTA, while the encrypted downlink data is transmitted between STA0-2 and rAP2. This is because based on the existing multi-link architecture, AP1 sends the second frame containing the encrypted downlink data to rSTA, so that rSTA can correctly receive the second frame sent by AP1, so that rSTA can obtain the encrypted downlink data based on the second frame. The encrypted downlink data is transmitted between STA0-2 and rAP2.

[0135] In the embodiment of the present application, since the access point multi-link device transmits the encrypted downlink data to the relay site through the second frame, and does not directly send the encrypted downlink data to the relay site, the existing multi-link architecture can be reused to reduce the complexity and delay of data transmission. In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, since the relay access point transmits the encrypted downlink data to the site multi-link device, the sending address of the encrypted downlink data sent by the relay access point to the site multi-link device is the address of the relay access point, and the site multi-link device can identify the address of the relay access point, therefore, the site multi-link device can correctly receive the encrypted downlink data, ensuring the accuracy of data transmission.

[0136] In one embodiment, the relay device may send a null data packet announcement (NDPA) frame and a null data packet (NDP) frame to the site multi-link device. Then, the site multi-link device measures the quality of the channel and feeds back the measured quality to the access point multi-link device or the relay device through other links. The relay device determines whether to establish a link connection with the site multi-link device based on the link quality.

[0137] The relay device can actively send NDPA frames and NDP frames, or receive NDP request frames from the site multi-link device, and send NDPA frames and NDP frames according to the NDP request frames.

[0138] In one embodiment, the method further includes: the relay access point does not send one or more of the following frame categories to the site multi-link device: beacon frames, multicast data frames, and multicast management frames.

[0139] In the embodiment of the present application, for an AP of an access point multi-link device, the AP may send a beacon frame at a fixed interval. The beacon frame contains the configuration information of the BSS and the capabilities and working parameters of the AP (including whether it supports standards such as 802.11k, 802.11r, etc.), the required encryption suite and authentication key management method, whether a protection mechanism is required, etc. In addition, a multicast data frame refers to a data frame sent to multiple receiving ends, and a multicast management frame refers to a management frame sent to multiple receiving ends.

[0140] However, the relay access point in the embodiment of the present application does not send at least one of the beacon frame, the multicast data frame and the multicast management frame to the site multi-link device. Here, the relay access point does not send at least one of the above frames to the site multi-link device, which can be understood as: the relay access point does not have the function of sending at least one of the above frames to the site multi-link device, or the relay access point has the function of sending at least one of the above frames to the site multi-link device but the relay access point will not send at least one of the above frames to the site multi-link device.

[0141] It should be noted that in the architecture of multi-link devices, all links share the pairwise temporal key (PTK), but each link will have its own group temporal key (GTK), integrity group temporal key (IGTK) and beacon integrity group temporal key (BIGTK) information.

[0142] Among them, GTK and IGTK are generated at the same time. IGTK is the key used for integrity protection of multicast management frames, and GTK is the key used to encrypt multicast data frames. The key for integrity protection refers to the key used when performing integrity protection, which is IGTK. Integrity protection is to prevent attackers from tampering with multicast management frames. GTK is used to encrypt broadcast messages.

[0143] BIGTK is the key used to protect beacon frames.

[0144] Since the relay access point does not send beacon frames to the site multi-link device, it is not necessary to negotiate BIGTK information for the relay link between the relay access point and the site multi-link device. If the relay access point also does not send multicast data frames and multicast management frames to the site multi-link device, it is not necessary to negotiate GTK information and IGTK information for the relay link between the relay access point and the site multi-link device.

[0145] In the embodiment of the present application, since the relay access point does not send at least one of the beacon frame, the multicast data frame and the multicast management frame to the site multi-link device, the relay access point does not need to process the received encrypted data, and only needs to transmit the encrypted data in a corresponding format, which can reduce the processing complexity of the relay access point, thereby reducing the complexity of data transmission and the delay of data transmission of the relay access point.

[0146] In addition, the relay access point in the embodiment of the present application only includes the functions of the low medium access control (MAC) sublayer of the multi-link device.

[0147] In order to understand the embodiments of the present application, the MLD MAC layer unicast data plane architecture is briefly introduced below.

[0148] The MAC layer of MLD includes the MLD upper MAC sublayer and the MLD lower MAC sublayer.

[0149] The MLD high MAC sublayer and the MLD low MAC sublayer include different functions, see below for details.

[0150] 1. The functions of the MLD high MAC sublayer include:

[0151] (1) For the sender: sequence number (SN) and packet number (PN) allocation, MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) encryption, traffic identifier to link (TID-to-link) mapping, etc.

[0152] (2) For the receiving end: block confirmation scoreboard maintenance, duplicate detection, MPDU decryption, packet reordering, replay attack detection, etc.

[0153] 2. The functions of the MLD low MAC sublayer include:

[0154] (1) For the sender: MPDU head construction and packet aggregation.

[0155] (2) For the receiving end: MPDU deaggregation, address 1 filtering, scoreboard operation, etc.

[0156] Since the relay device in the embodiment of the present application only includes the functions of the low MAC sublayer of the multi-link device, and does not have the functions of the high MAC sublayer of the multi-link device, such as encryption and decryption of MPDU, allocation of SN and PN, etc., the complexity of data transmission of the relay device and the delay of data transmission can be reduced.

[0157] In an embodiment, the method further includes: the relay station reporting first information to the access point multi-link device, where the first information is used to indicate capability information of the relay access point.

[0158] Correspondingly, the access point multi-link device receives the first information from the relay site and sends the first information to the site multi-link device. Thus, the site multi-link device receives the first information and establishes a link with the relay access point according to the first information for data transmission.

[0159] For example, the above Figure 1 For example, the relay site reports the first information indicating the capability information of rAP2 to the AP MLD. After receiving the first information, the AP MLD carries the relevant information in the first information in the RNR or the basic multi-link element, so that the Non-AP MLD discovers the relay access point according to the first information and establishes a connection with rAP2 under certain conditions.

[0160] It should be understood that when the access point multi-link device sends the first information to the site multi-link device, it may send all or part of the first information.

[0161] The first information may include at least one of the following information of the relay access point: MAC address, supported frequency bands and channels, maximum number of supported streams, modulation coding scheme MCS, maximum transmit power, working channel, channel width, and number of antennas.

[0162] Each device in the network has a unique network identifier, which is called a MAC address. In the embodiment of the present application, the MAC address of the relay access point can also be called any one of a local area network address (LAN address), an Ethernet address (ethernet address) or a physical address (physical address). The MAC address of the relay access point is mainly used to uniquely identify the relay access point.

[0163] Frequency bands and channels supported by relay access points: For 5G, the supported frequency bands include: 900MHz, 700MHz, 850MHz, 2600MHz, 3.5GHz, etc. For 6G, the supported frequency bands mainly include 5.925GHz to 7.125GHz. Each frequency band is divided into multiple channels.

[0164] The maximum number of streams supported: that is, the MIMO number, which is related to the number of antennas at both ends of the transmission and reception. For example, the maximum number of streams supported by Wi-Fi 6 is 8. The maximum number of streams supported by Wi-Fi 7 is 16.

[0165] MCS: defines the number of valid bits that a resource element (RE) can carry. There are 0 to 31 MCS schemes in total. Each MCS index corresponds to the physical transmission rate under a set of parameters.

[0166] Maximum transmit power: The transmit power of a wireless AP determines the strength and distance of the wireless signal transmitted. The greater the transmit power, the stronger the signal strength and the longer the transmit distance. However, if the transmit power is too high, the radiation will increase accordingly, which may pose a safety hazard. Therefore, a maximum transmit power is designed for each AP.

[0167] Working channel and channel width: Working channel can be understood as frequency, and different frequency bands have different channels. For example, the bandwidth of the 2.4G frequency band is 83MHz, which is divided into 13 channels, and each channel has a bandwidth of 22MHz; the 5.8G frequency band is divided into 13 channels, and the frequency band is not continuous. The frequency band range of channels 36-64 is 5.150GHz-5.250GHz, and the frequency band range of channels 149-165 is 5.725GHz-5.845GHz. The channel bandwidth is adjustable, and you can choose 20Mhz or 40Mhz.

[0168] Number of antennas: The more antennas there are, the better the wireless AP signal is. As the number of antennas increases, the coverage range and signal strength increase.

[0169] For example, taking the MAC address of the relay access point as an example, refer to the above Figure 1 , rSTA can send the MAC address of rAP2 to AP MLD. After receiving the MAC address of rAP2, AP MLD sends the MAC address of rAP2 to Non-STA MLD. Non-STA MLD can establish a connection with rAP2 based on the MAC address of rAP2.

[0170] For another example, taking the frequency band supported by the relay access point as 6 GHz, rSTA can send the 6 GHz frequency band supported by rAP2 to AP MLD. After AP MLD receives the 6 GHz frequency band information supported by rAP2, AP MLD can configure a suitable working channel and channel width for rAP 2, which is beneficial for Non-STA MLD to transmit data with rAP2.

[0171] In an embodiment of the present application, the relay site reports first information to the access point multi-link device. After receiving the first information, the access point multi-link device sends the first information to the site multi-link device. The site multi-link device can establish a connection with the relay access point and further transmit data.

[0172] In one embodiment, the method further includes: the access point multi-link device sends second information to the site multi-link device, the second information being used to indicate the ID information of the access point multi-link device to which the relay access point belongs and the link ID information corresponding to the relay access point.

[0173] Accordingly, the site multi-link device receives second information from the access point multi-link device.

[0174] In the embodiment of the present application, the access point multi-link device sends the second information to the site multi-link device. Since the second information indicates the ID information of the access point multi-link device to which the relay access point belongs and the link ID information corresponding to the relay access point, the site multi-link device can discover the relay access point according to the second information, which is conducive to establishing a link between the site multi-link device and the relay access point.

[0175] In the embodiment of the present application, the second information may be carried in a reduced neighbor report (RNR) element. In order to fully understand the location information of the second information, the RNR element is briefly introduced below.

[0176] The RNR element can be carried in management frames, such as beacon frames, probe response frames, etc. When scanning, the STA station can receive the association frame sent by the AP to obtain the information of the surrounding APs, and then select a suitable AP for association.

[0177] The format of the RNR element is as follows Figure 3 As shown, it includes an element identifier (element ID), a length (length), and a neighbor AP information field (neighbor AP info fields).

[0178] Among them, the neighbor AP information field includes: a target beacon transmission time information header (TBTT info header), an operating class field, a channel number field, and a TBTT information set field.

[0179] (1) The operating class field is used to indicate the operating class to which the reported operating channel of the corresponding AP belongs. Other values ​​such as 0 and 255 are reserved.

[0180] (2) The channel number field is used to indicate the channel number corresponding to the reported working channel of the corresponding AP. Channel number 0 is a reserved value. The STA can determine the specific position of the AP's channel on the frequency band through the operation category field and the channel number field.

[0181] (3) For the TBTT info header field, it carries the following information:

[0182] ①TBTT info field type: indicates the type of TBTT info. Together with the TBTTinfo length field, it indicates the format of the TBTT info field.

[0183] ②Filtered neighbor AP field: indicates whether the SSID of all BSSs carried in the neighbor AP info field matches the SSID in the probe request frame.

[0184] ③Reserved field: generally occupies 1 bit.

[0185] ④TBTT information count field: indicates the number of TBTT infofields contained in the TBTT info set.

[0186] ⑤TBTT info Length field: indicates the length of each TBTT info field. The specific information formats carried under different lengths are shown in Table 1.

[0187] Table 1

[0188]

[0189]

[0190] (4) The TBTT information set field contains one or more TBTT info fields. The specific format of the TBTT info field is as follows: Figure 4 As shown:

[0191] ① Neighbor AP TBTT offset field: indicates the offset between the Beacon transmission time of the reporting BSS and the BSS that sent the Report, in units of TU, ​​i.e. 1024 microseconds or 1 millisecond. A value of 254 indicates that the offset is 254Tus or higher; a value of 255 indicates that the specific offset is unknown.

[0192] ②BSS Identifier (BSSID) field: indicates the BSS identifier corresponding to the reported BSS.

[0193] ③ Short Service Set Identifier (short SSID) field: indicates the service set identifier to which the BSS belongs.

[0194] ④BSS parameter field: indicates the relevant parameters of the BSS.

[0195] ⑤20MHz power spectrum (PSD) field: indicates the maximum transmit power spectrum density.

[0196] ⑥MLD parameter field: indicates the relevant parameters of MLD, including the following subfields:

[0197] Multi-link device identifier (MLD ID): an identifier indicating the AP MLD, usually 8 bits.

[0198] Link ID: Indicates the link identifier corresponding to the reporting AP, usually 4 bits.

[0199] BSS Parameters Change Count: indicates the BSS parameter change counter, usually 8 bits. When a critical update occurs to the reporting AP, the BSS parameter change counter increases, otherwise it remains unchanged.

[0200] Reserved: usually 4 bits.

[0201] The format of the BSS parameter field in the TBTT info field is as follows: Figure 5 As shown, it specifically includes the following fields.

[0202] 1) The OCT recommended field indicates that the reporting BSS expects to exchange management-type MPDUs with it through the OCT mechanism.

[0203] 2) Same SSID field: indicates whether the reporting AP and the AP transmitting the report have the same SSID.

[0204] 3) Multiple Basic Service Set Identifier (Multiple BSSID) field: indicates whether the reported AP is part of a multiple BSSID set.

[0205] 4) Transmitted BSSID field: If the reported AP is part of a multiple BSSID set, it further indicates whether the reported AP is a transmitted BSSID or a non-transmitted BSSID.

[0206] 5) Member of ESS With 2.4 / 5GHz co-located AP field: indicates whether the reported AP is co-located with a 2.4 / 5GHz AP (ie, whether it is a 6GHz only AP) and is a member of an extended service set.

[0207] 6) Unsolicited probe response active field: indicates whether the reporting AP has enabled unsolicited probe response.

[0208] 7) Co-located AP field: indicates whether the reporting AP is co-located with the AP that transmits the report.

[0209] In an embodiment of the present application, the first information may be carried in an RNR element. In one implementation, the TBTT info filed type in the RNR element may be set to a first preset value, and the first preset value may be "2", "3", etc. In this way, only the Non-AP MLD of the UHR can identify the device as a relay device.

[0210] In another implementation, the TBTT Info field Type in the RNR element may be set to a second preset value, and the TBTT information field length in the RNR element may be set to a preset length, for example, the second preset value is 0, 1, etc., and the preset length is 3 bytes, etc. In this way, only the Non-AP MLD of the UHR can identify the device as a relay device.

[0211] In an embodiment of the present application, the TBTT information field in the RNR element carries third information, and the third information is used to indicate that the relay access point is a relay AP.

[0212] It should be noted that the third information in the embodiment of the present application is used to indicate that one or more access points in the access point multi-link device are relay APs.

[0213] In an embodiment of the present application, the access point multi-link device sends second information to the site multi-link device, and the second information is carried in the RNR element. The TBTT info field in the RNR element carries third information used to indicate that the relay access point is a relay AP, so that the site multi-link device can discover the relay access point and establish a connection with the relay access point. Further, the site multi-link device can transmit data with the relay access point.

[0214] In one embodiment, the method further includes: the access point multi-link device sending fourth information to the site multi-link device, where the fourth information is used to indicate configuration information of the relay access point.

[0215] Correspondingly, the site multi-link device receives fourth information from the access point multi-link device.

[0216] The configuration information in the embodiment of the present application may be, for example, all or part of the first information mentioned above.

[0217] In the embodiment of the present application, the access point multi-link device sends the fourth information to the site multi-link device. Since the fourth information indicates the configuration information of the relay access point, the site multi-link device can establish a link with the relay access point according to the fourth information and perform data transmission.

[0218] In the embodiment of the present application, the fourth information may be carried in a basic multi-link element. In order to fully understand the location information of the fourth information, the basic multi-link element is briefly introduced below.

[0219] Before introducing the basic multi-link element, the multi-link establishment process is briefly described.

[0220] For Non-AP MLD, it can establish associations with multiple links of AP MLD simultaneously by performing multi-link establishment operation on one of the links. The link that exchanges multi-link association request / response frames is called a transmitted link, and the corresponding other links are called non-transmitted links. For multi-link association request / response frames, they will carry information of multiple links to achieve association of multiple links at the same time.

[0221] like Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of establishing a multi-link between a Non-AP MLD and an AP MLD.

[0222] First, the Non-AP MLD sends an association request frame through link 1. In addition to the STA side information of link 1, the association request frame also carries the STA side related information of link 2. Link 1 is called a transmission link, and link 2 is called a non-transmission link.

[0223] Then, AP MLD feeds back an association response frame to Non-AP MLD via link 1. In addition to the AP side information of link 1, the association response frame also carries the AP side related information of link 2. Thus, STA 1 and STA 2 of Non-AP MLD establish associations with AP 1 and AP 2 of AP MLD respectively.

[0224] In order to carry Non-AP MLD related information in the existing association request frame, the protocol defines a basic multi-link element, which can carry MLD related information in an inherited manner, similar to the multi-BSSID element in the existing protocol. Figure 7 As shown, the basic multi-link element includes a multi-link control field, a common information field, and a link information field.

[0225] (1) The multi-link control field carries the type of the multi-link element, such as basic variant, reconfiguration variant, and probe request variant, as well as a presence bitmap field, which is used to indicate which fields do not appear.

[0226] (2) The common info field carries common information about multiple sites in a multi-link device, as well as information about the multi-link device itself.

[0227] (3) The link info field carries information about the stations on each link in the multi-link device, such as the per-STA profile shown in the figure, for example, per-STA profile x and per-STA profile y.

[0228] In an embodiment of the present application, the first information may be carried in a basic multilink element in a detection response frame, and a new relay profile may be defined. This relay profile and the per-STA profile x and per-STA profile y shown in the figure are carried together in the link info field.

[0229] In order to further reduce the processing complexity of the relay device, the site multilink device may not request an acknowledgment frame from the relay access point when establishing a block ack (BA) session with the access point multilink device. In order to fully understand the embodiments of the present application, the establishment of a BA session is briefly described below.

[0230] like Figure 8 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of establishing a BA session between two sites.

[0231] 810. The sending end sends an add block acknowledgment (add BA, ADDBA) request frame to the receiving end.

[0232] After the receiving end receives the correct ADDBA request frame, it executes 812.

[0233] 812. The receiving end sends an ACK to the sending end.

[0234] The receiving end may execute 814 after further processing.

[0235] 814. The receiving end sends an ADDBA response frame to the transmitting end.

[0236] After the sending end receives the correct ADDBA response frame, it executes 816.

[0237] 816. The sending end sends an ACK to the receiving end.

[0238] At this point, the session establishment is complete.

[0239] 818. The sender sends a quality of service (QoS) data MPDU to the receiver.

[0240] After the sender sends the QoS data MPDU, execute 820.

[0241] 820. The transmitting end sends a BAR frame to the receiving end.

[0242] After receiving the BAR frame, the receiving end executes 822.

[0243] 822. The receiving end sends a BA frame to the transmitting end.

[0244] If the initiator has no data to send and the final block confirmation exchange has been completed, execute 824.

[0245] 824. The initiator sends a DELBA frame to the receiver.

[0246] The initiator sends a DELBA frame to the receiver to delete the BA session.

[0247] 826, the receiving end sends an ACK to the initiating end.

[0248] The sending end is the AP and the receiving end is the STA. The sending end is the STA and the receiving end is the AP.

[0249] A BA session established between two stations has a specific traffic identifier (TID) and is only used for unidirectional data transmission from the initiator to the responder. For example, for downlink data transmission, a BA session can only be initiated by the AP. Specifically, the initiator establishes a BA session for a certain TID by exchanging ADDBA request / response frames with the STA.

[0250] Among them, the form of the ADDBA request frame action field is shown in Table 2.

[0251] Table 2

[0252] Order Information 1 Category 2 Block ack action 3 Dialog token 4 Block ack parameter set 5 Block ack timeout value 6 Block ack starting sequence control 7 GCR group address element optional 8 Multi-band (optional) 9 TCLAS (optional) 10 ADDBA extension (optional) 11 EDMG flow control extension configuration (optional) 12 SAR configuration (optional)

[0253] The format of the block ack parameter set field of sequence number 4 is as follows: Fig. 9 shown.

[0254] (1) A-MSDU supported: Set to 1 to indicate support for the A-MSDU function.

[0255] (2) Block ack policy: Set to 1 for immediate block ack.

[0256] (3) Service Identifier (TID): indicates the TID corresponding to the block confirmation session.

[0257] (4) Buffer size: Indicates the number of frame buffers used on the responding end to process frames.

[0258] Block ack timeout value of sequence number 5: gives the time after which the block confirmation session is terminated if no frames are exchanged in this session.

[0259] The format of the block ack starting sequence control field of sequence number 6 is as follows Fig.10 shown.

[0260] (1) Fragment number: indicates the number of multiple fragments in the MPDU.

[0261] (2) Starting sequence number: Indicates the sequence number of the first data frame from the initiator.

[0262] The action field format of the ADDBA response frame is shown in Table 3.

[0263] Table 3

[0264]

[0265]

[0266] In the embodiment of the present application, when there is a connection between the access point multi-link device and the site multi-link device, the method further includes: when the access point multi-link device establishes a BA session with the site multi-link device, sending fifth information to the site multi-link device, wherein the fifth information is used to instruct the site multi-link device to prohibit requesting a confirmation frame from the relay access point.

[0267] Accordingly, the site multi-link device receives the fifth information from the access point multi-link device. When the access point multi-link device establishes a BA session with the site multi-link device, the site multi-link device does not request the confirmation frame from the relay access point according to the fifth information.

[0268] In the embodiment of the present application, when there is a connection between the access point multi-link device and the site multi-link device, it can also be understood that there is another direct link between the access point multi-link device and the site multi-link device.

[0269] Still with the above Figure 1For example, assuming that there is a direct link between AP MLD and Non-AP MLD, when AP MLD and Non-AP MLD establish a BA session, AP MLD can send the fifth information for indicating that the site multi-link device is prohibited from requesting a confirmation frame from the relay access point to Non-AP MLD. In other words, since AP MLD sends the fifth information for indicating that the site multi-link device is prohibited from requesting a confirmation frame from the relay access point to Non-AP MLD, when AP MLD and Non-AP MLD establish a BA session, Non-AP MLD will not send an ADDBA request frame to rAP2, which can reduce the processing complexity of the relay access point. Since there is a direct link between Non-AP MLD and AP MLD, Non-AP MLD can send an ADDBA request frame to AP MLD, which can ensure that a BA session can be established between Non-AP MLD and AP MLD.

[0270] In one implementation, an indication information may be added to the ADDBA response frame, and the indication information is used to indicate that the Non-AP MLD is prohibited from requesting a confirmation frame from the relay access point. For example, prohibiting confirmation of BA and one or more Link ID fields may be indicated with 4 bits. Alternatively, BA cannot be confirmed immediately (disable immediate BA) and a 16-bit link bitmap.

[0271] In another implementation, in the above step 818, the sending end sends the QoS data MPDU to the receiving end, and the confirmation policy field in the QoS control field in the MPDU frame format can be set to a special value, for example, it can be set to "10", where "10" means no BA return or "11" means only a block acknowledgment request (BAR) is sent before a BA is returned.

[0272] In an embodiment of the present application, when a connection exists between an access point multi-link device and a site multi-link device, when the access point multi-link device establishes a BA session with the site multi-link device, fifth information is sent to the site multi-link device to instruct the site multi-link device to prohibit requesting a confirmation frame from the relay access point. When the access point multi-link device establishes a BA session, the site multi-link device does not request a confirmation frame from the relay access point, which is beneficial to reducing the processing complexity of the relay device.

[0273] In one embodiment, an access point multi-link device is associated with a relay device, the relay device includes a relay site and a relay access point, the relay access point is a non-co-located subordinate access point AP of the access point multi-link device, and the relay access point and the access point multi-link device have the same configuration parameters. The access point multi-link device determines to transmit data with the site multi-link device through a first transmission mode or a second transmission mode, the first transmission mode is direct transmission with the site multi-link device, and the second transmission mode is transmission with the site multi-link device through the relay device.

[0274] For the site multi-link device, since the relay access point and the access point multi-link device have the same configuration parameters, the site multi-link device is not sensitive to the data transmission between the site multi-link device and the access point multi-link device directly, or the data transmission between the site multi-link device and the access point multi-link device through the relay device. In other words, the site multi-link device is unaware of the existence of the relay device, that is, the relay device is transparent to the site multi-link device.

[0275] Specifically, the access point multi-link device can select different transmission modes by detecting the link quality between the access point multi-link device and the site multi-link device, and the link quality between the access point multi-link device and the relay device (such as received signal strength indication (RSSI)).

[0276] In an embodiment of the present application, in one implementation, for the transmission of uplink data, if the site multi-link device sends encrypted uplink data to the access point multi-link device through the relay device, at this time, both the relay device and the access point multi-link device receive the encrypted uplink data, and only the relay device responds on the air interface. For example, both the relay device and the access point multi-link device receive a request to send (RTS) protocol sent by the site multi-link device, and the relay device responds with a clear to send (CTS) protocol. For another example, both the relay device and the access point multi-link device receive uplink data sent by the site multi-link device, and the relay device responds with a BA.

[0277] In another implementation, for the transmission of uplink data, if the site multi-link device sends encrypted uplink data to the access point multi-link device through the relay device, at this time, the relay device and the access point multi-link device both receive the encrypted uplink data, and the relay device and the access point multi-link device can respond on the air interface. For example, the relay device and the access point multi-link device both receive the RTS sent by the site multi-link device. At this time, the relay device and the access point multi-link device can both reply CTS, and the sent CTS uses the same random seed and other sending parameters. For another example, the relay device and the access point multi-link device both receive the uplink data sent by the site multi-link device. At this time, the relay device and the access point multi-link device can both respond to BA, and the sent BA uses the same random seed.

[0278] For the relay access point and the access point multi-link device having the same configuration parameters, the specific data transmission process between the relay device and the access point multi-link device and the site multi-link device and the corresponding signaling indication can refer to the relevant contents of the above method 200 and will not be repeated here.

[0279] Optionally, in some embodiments, in the above relay communication method 200, even if the configuration parameters of the relay access point and the access point multi-link device are different, the access point multi-link device can also determine the way to transmit data with the site multi-link device according to the first link quality and the second link quality.

[0280] In one embodiment, the relay AP may be an AP (denoted as AP MLD1) in an access point multi-link device. Fig.11 , AP MLD 0 associated with Non-AP MLD 0 is connected through a wired backhaul line (Backhaul), such as a distributed system (DS). When Non-AP MLD 0 is in the overlapping coverage area of ​​AP MLD 0 and AP MLD 1, Non-AP MLD 0 can establish a link with AP MLD 1, and the affiliated APs of AP MLD 1 are regarded as Non-collocated affiliated APs of APMLD 0.

[0281] Fig.12 and Fig.13 A schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. These communication devices can implement the functions of the relay device, the site multi-link device or the access point multi-link device in the above method embodiment, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiment. In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device can be as follows Figure 1 The AP MLD 110 shown may also be Figure 1The Non-AP MLD 120 shown may also be a relay device 130 .

[0282] Fig.12 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 1100 may include a transceiver module 1110 and a processing module 1120.

[0283] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement Figure 2 When the function of the relay device in the method embodiment is used, the processing module 1120 is used to associate with the access point multi-link device; the transceiver module 1110 is used to perform data transmission with the access point multi-link device through the relay site, and the relay access point is a non-co-located auxiliary access point AP of the access point multi-link device.

[0284] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement Figure 2 When the function of the access point multi-link device is performed in the method embodiment, the processing module 1120 is used to accept the association of the relay site in the relay device, the relay device includes the relay site and the relay access point, and the relay access point is a non-co-located auxiliary access point AP of the access point multi-link device; the transceiver module 1110 is used to perform data transmission with the relay site.

[0285] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement Figure 2 When the function of the site multi-link device is performed in the method embodiment, the transceiver module 1110 is used to receive first information from the access point multi-link device, where the first information is used to indicate information of a relay access point, where the relay access point is a non-co-located subsidiary access point AP of the access point multi-link device; and to perform data transmission with the relay access point

[0286] like Fig.13 As shown, the communication device 1200 includes a processor 1210 and an interface circuit 1220. The processor 1210 and the interface circuit 1220 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1220 can be a transceiver or an input-output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1200 may also include a memory 1230 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1210 or storing input data required by the processor 1210 to execute instructions or storing data generated after the processor 1210 executes instructions.

[0287] When the communication device 1200 is used to implement the method in the above method embodiment, the processor 1210 is used to execute the function of the above processing module 1120 , and the interface circuit 1220 is used to execute the function of the above transceiver module 1110 .

[0288] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0289] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, mobile hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in an access network device or a terminal device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also exist in an access network device or a terminal device as discrete components.

[0290] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instruction is loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is executed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program or instruction may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted through the computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a tape; it may also be an optical medium, such as a DVD; it may also be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid state disk (SSD).

[0291] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or provided for in any logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between the different embodiments are consistent and may be referenced to each other, and the technical features in the different embodiments may be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0292] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of this application, the character " / " indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in a "division" relationship.

[0293] It is understood that the various numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the sequence number of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A relay communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a relay device, the relay device includes a relay access point and a relay site, and the method includes: The relay site is associated with an access point multi-link device; The relay access point and the access point multi-link device perform data transmission via the relay site, and the relay access point is a non-co-located subordinate access point AP of the access point multi-link device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The relay access point and the access point multi-link device perform data transmission via the relay site, including: The relay access point receives the encrypted uplink data from the site multi-link device and sends the encrypted uplink data to the relay site, the receiving address of the encrypted uplink data is the address of the relay access point, and the sending address of the encrypted uplink data is the address of the affiliated site of the site multi-link device; The relay station sends a first frame to the access point multi-link device, the frame body of the first frame includes the encrypted uplink data, the sending address of the first frame is the address of the relay station, and the receiving address of the first frame is the address of the subordinate access point of the access point multi-link device.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The relay access point and the access point multi-link device perform data transmission via the relay site, including: The relay station receives a second frame from the access point multi-link device, the frame body of the second frame includes encrypted downlink data, the receiving address of the second frame is the address of the relay station, and the sending address of the second frame is the address of the subordinate access point of the access point multi-link device; The relay station sends the encrypted downlink data to the relay access point; The relay access point sends the encrypted downlink data to the site multi-link device, the sending address of the encrypted downlink data is the address of the relay access point, and the receiving address of the encrypted downlink data is the address of the affiliated site of the site multi-link device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: The relay access point does not send one or more of the following frame categories to the site multi-link device: beacon frame, multicast data frame, multicast management frame.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The relay device only includes the function of the multi-link device low medium access control MAC sublayer.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: The relay station reports first information to the access point multi-link device, where the first information is used to indicate capability information of the relay access point.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The first information includes at least one of the following information of the relay access point: MAC address, supported frequency bands and channels, maximum number of streams supported, modulation and coding scheme MCS, maximum transmit power, working channels, channel width, and number of antennas.

8. A relay communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to an access point multi-link device, and the method comprises: The access point multi-link device accepts association of a relay site in a relay device, the relay device includes the relay site and a relay access point, and the relay access point is a non-co-located subsidiary access point AP of the access point multi-link device; The access point multi-link device performs data transmission with the relay station.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The access point multi-link device performs data transmission with the relay station, including: The access point multi-link device receives a first frame from the relay site, the frame body of the first frame includes encrypted uplink data, the sending address of the first frame is the address of the relay site, the receiving address of the first frame is the address of the affiliated access point of the access point multi-link device, the receiving address of the encrypted uplink data is the address of the relay access point, and the sending address of the encrypted uplink data is the address of the affiliated site of the site multi-link device.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The access point multi-link device performs data transmission with the relay station, including: The access point multi-link device sends a second frame to the relay site, the frame body of the second frame includes encrypted downlink data, the receiving address of the second frame is the address of the relay site, the sending address of the second frame is the address of the affiliated access point of the access point multi-link device, the sending address of the encrypted downlink data is the address of the relay access point, and the receiving address of the encrypted downlink data is the address of the affiliated site of the site multi-link device.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: The access point multi-link device receives first information from the relay site, where the first information is used to indicate capability information of the relay access point; The access point multi-link device sends the first information to the site multi-link device.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The first information includes at least one of the following information of the relay access point: Media access control MAC address, supported frequency bands and channels, maximum number of streams supported, modulation and coding scheme MCS, maximum transmit power, working channels, channel width, and number of antennas.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: The access point multi-link device sends second information to the site multi-link device, where the second information is used to indicate identification ID information of the access point multi-link device to which the relay access point belongs and link ID information corresponding to the relay access point.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The second information is carried in a simplified neighbor report RNR element; The target beacon transmission time TBTT information field type corresponding to the RNR element is set to a first preset value; or, The TBTT information field type is set to a second preset value and the TBTT information field length in the RNR element is set to a preset length.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The TBTT information field in the RNR element carries third information, and the third information is used to indicate that the relay access point is a relay AP.

16. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: The access point multi-link device sends fourth information to the site multi-link device, where the fourth information is used to indicate configuration information of the relay access point.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The fourth information is carried in a newly defined sub-element of the basic multilink element.

18. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 17, characterized in that In the case where there are other links between the access point multi-link device and the site multi-link device, the method further includes: When the access point multi-link device establishes a block acknowledgement BA session with the site multi-link device, fifth information is sent to the site multi-link device, where the fifth information is used to instruct the site multi-link device to prohibit requesting an acknowledgement frame from the relay access point.

19. A relay communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a site multi-link device, and the method comprises: The site multi-link device receives first information from an access point multi-link device, where the first information is used to indicate capability information of a relay access point, where the relay access point is a non-co-located subordinate access point AP of the access point multi-link device; The site multi-link device performs data transmission with the relay access point.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The method further comprises: The site multi-link device receives second information from the access point multi-link device, where the second information is used to indicate identification ID information of the access point multi-link device to which the relay access point belongs and link ID information corresponding to the relay access point.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The second information is carried in a simplified neighbor report RNR element; The target beacon transmission time TBTT information field type corresponding to the RNR element is set to a first preset value; or, The TBTT information field type is set to a second preset value and the TBTT information field length in the RNR element is set to a preset length.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The TBTT information field in the RNR element carries third information, and the third information is used to indicate that the relay access point is a relay AP.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 22, characterized in that The method further comprises: The site multi-link device receives fourth information from the access point multi-link device, where the fourth information is used to indicate configuration information of the relay access point.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that The fourth information is carried in a newly defined sub-element of the basic multilink element.

25. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 24, characterized in that In the case where there are other links between the site multi-link device and the access point multi-link device, the method further includes: The site multi-link device receives fifth information from the access point multi-link device, where the fifth information is used to instruct the site multi-link device to prohibit requesting a confirmation frame from the relay access point; When the access point multi-link device establishes a block acknowledgment BA session with the station multi-link device, the station multi-link device does not request the acknowledgment frame from the relay access point according to the fifth information.

26. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising units or modules for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 or 8 to 18 or 9 to 25.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed on a message transmission device, the device executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 or 8 to 18 or 9 to 25.

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