Method, apparatus and computer program product for wireless communication

Abstract

A wireless communication method is disclosed. The method comprises: receiving, by a physical layer module of the wireless communication device, a physical protocol data unit (PPDU), the PPDU comprising a protocol version (PV) field; and transmitting, by the physical layer module, auxiliary information to a media access control (MAC) module of the wireless communication device to allow the MAC module to perform MAC processing according to the auxiliary information, the auxiliary information being obtained based on the PPDU when a protocol version followed by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field is not fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This document is directed generally to wireless communications, and in particular to fifth generation (5G) communications, sixth generation (6G) communications, or wireless LANs. Background Art

[0002] In wireless communication systems, new communication protocols are usually designed to be backward compatible with previous protocols. An example is that IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11ax is defined to be backward compatible with IEEE 802.11ac, which is designed to be backward compatible with IEEE 802.11n, which is designed to be backward compatible with IEEE 802.11g / a, etc. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention relates to methods, systems, and computer program products for wireless communications.

[0004] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method. In one embodiment, the wireless communication method includes: receiving a physical protocol data unit PPDU by a physical layer module of a wireless communication device, the PPDU including a protocol version PV field; and in response to the protocol version followed by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field not being fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device, the physical layer module sends auxiliary information obtained based on the PPDU to a media access control MAC module of the wireless communication device to allow the MAC module to perform MAC processing according to the auxiliary information.

[0005] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method. In one embodiment, the wireless communication method includes: a media access control (MAC) module of a wireless communication device receives auxiliary information obtained based on a physical protocol data unit (PPDU) from a physical layer module of the wireless communication device, the auxiliary information being generated by the physical layer module in response to a protocol version followed by the PPDU indicated by a PV field value of the PPDU not being fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device; and the MAC module performs MAC processing according to the auxiliary information obtained based on the PPDU.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication device. In one embodiment, the wireless communication device includes a communication unit and a processor. The processor is configured to: receive a physical protocol data unit PPDU by a physical layer module of the wireless communication device, the PPDU including a protocol version PV field; and in response to the protocol version followed by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field not being fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device, send auxiliary information obtained based on the PPDU to a media access control MAC module of the wireless communication device by the physical layer module to allow the MAC module to perform MAC processing according to the auxiliary information.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication device. In one embodiment, the wireless communication device includes a communication unit and a processor. The processor is configured to: receive auxiliary information from a physical layer module of the wireless communication device by a media access control MAC module of the wireless communication device, the auxiliary information being generated by the physical layer module in response to a protocol version followed by a PPDU indicated by a PV field value of the PPDU not being fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device; and perform MAC processing according to the auxiliary information obtained based on the PPDU by the MAC module.

[0008] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features:

[0009] Preferably, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0010] The bandwidth used by the PPDU;

[0011] The protected duration indicated in the PPDU;

[0012] An identifier of the transmitter sending the PPDU and a basic service set identifier BSSID associated with the transmitter;

[0013] Indication of the direction of transmission;

[0014] Duration of the PPDU;

[0015] A value of the PV field of the PPDU or an indication that a value of the PV field is not supported; or

[0016] A received signal strength indicator RSSI is obtained based on a received portion or a portion of the received portion of the PPDU.

[0017] Preferably, the RSSI is obtained by measuring a portion of the PPDU transmitted before the PV field.

[0018] Preferably, at least one of the bandwidth used by the PPDU, the protected duration indicated in the PPDU, the identifier of the transmitter of the PPDU and the BSSID associated with the transmitter, the indication of the transmission direction, or the duration of the PPDU is indicated by a common signaling symbol in the PPDU.

[0019] Preferably, in response to the protocol version followed by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field not being fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device, the physical layer module marks the PPDU as an unknown format.

[0020] Preferably, in response to the protocol version followed by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field not being fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device, the physical layer module notifies the MAC module that the PPDU of an unknown format is received.

[0021] Preferably, in response to the protocol version complied by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field not being fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device, the physical layer module keeps receiving the PPDU, stops receiving the PPDU and returns to the listening mode to check channel availability or receive any other PPDU, or enters the doze mode.

[0022] Preferably, in response to the protocol version complied by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field being not fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device, the physical layer module keeps receiving the PPDU, stops receiving the PPDU and returns to the listening mode to check channel availability or receive any other PPDU, or enters the doze mode according to a request received from the MAC module.

[0023] Preferably, the physical layer module sends an indication indicating the end of PPDU reception.

[0024] Preferably, the physical layer module indicates to the MAC module an operation of the physical layer module, including one of: continuing to receive PPDU, stopping receiving PPDU and returning to the listening mode, or entering the doze mode.

[0025] Preferably, the physical layer module transmits the second auxiliary information to the MAC module, and the second auxiliary information is obtained during reception of a portion of the PPDU, the portion of the PPDU being received after the PV field.

[0026] Preferably, in response to the protocol version followed by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field not being fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device, the physical layer module notifies the MAC module that the physical layer module has received a PPDU of an unknown format.

[0027] Preferably, in response to the protocol version complied by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field being not fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device, the MAC module sends a request to the physical layer module to control the physical layer module to continue receiving the PPDU, stop receiving the PPDU and return to the listening mode to check channel availability or receive any other PPDU, or enter the doze mode.

[0028] Preferably, the MAC module receives an indication from the physical layer module indicating the end of PPDU reception.

[0029] Preferably, the MAC module receives the second auxiliary information from the physical layer module, and the second auxiliary information corresponds to a portion of the PPDU after the PV field.

[0030] The present disclosure relates to a computer program product, which includes a computer-readable program medium code stored thereon. When executed by a processor, the code enables the processor to perform the wireless communication method described in any of the aforementioned methods.

[0031] The example embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to provide features that will become apparent by reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. According to multiple embodiments, example systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not limiting, and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art who read this disclosure that various modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments while remaining within the scope of this disclosure.

[0032] Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the example embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. In addition, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein are merely example methods. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps of the disclosed methods or processes can be rearranged within the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present individual steps or actions in an example order, and unless otherwise expressly stated, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0033] The above-described embodiments and other aspects and implementations thereof are described in more detail in the drawings, the description and the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a physical protocol data unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0035] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a protocol version field according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0036] Figure 3An example of a schematic diagram of a wireless communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0037] Figure 4 A flow chart of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0038] Figure 5 A flow chart of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In standard design, new standards or revised standards are required to provide backward compatibility mechanisms. For example, the IEEE802.11be under development is required to be backward compatible with IEEE 802.11ax, and IEEE 802.11ax is designed to be backward compatible with IEEE802.11ac, which is designed to be backward compatible with IEEE 802.11n, which is designed to be backward compatible with IEEE 802.11g / a, and so on. In this way, devices compliant with IEEE 802.11be can recognize signals compliant with IEEE 802.11ax, signals compliant with IEEE 802.11ac, signals compliant with IEEE 802.11n, and so on. However, devices compliant with IEEE 802.11ax may not recognize signals compliant with IEEE 802.11be, and devices compliant with IEEE802.11ac may not recognize signals compliant with IEEE 802.11ax.

[0040] In some embodiments, the STA (station) includes a PHY (physical layer) module and a MAC (Medium Access Control) module. In some embodiments, the PHY module is configured to perform RF (radio frequency) TX (transmit) / RX (receive), PPDU (PHY Protocol Data Unit) TX / RX, and / or baseband operations. In some embodiments, the MAC module is configured to perform upper layer operations.

[0041] In some embodiments, the functions of the PHY module and / or the MAC module may be performed using one or more processors, but are not limited thereto.

[0042] In some embodiments, the PPDU may include a preamble and a data portion. In some embodiments, the preamble may include a PV (Protocol Version) field and other signaling fields.

[0043] In some embodiments, the bit value of the PV field is set to a specific value corresponding to a specific protocol version that defines the detailed format of the PPDU.

[0044] In some embodiments, when a PPDU is received in which the PV field is set to a specific value, and the specific value indicates that the STA does not support (e.g., completely or partially does not support) the protocol version to which the PPDU complies, the PHY module of the STA can identify the PPDU as a frame that complies with the protocol corresponding to the protocol version indicated by the value of the PV field, and mark the PPDU with an identifier for further PHY processing.

[0045] In some embodiments, when the value of the PV field indicates that the PPDU is a protocol version that the STA does not support (e.g., incompletely or partially support), the further PHY processing mentioned may include identifying or obtaining information from the PPDU, the information including at least one of the following, and then reporting the identified information (e.g., auxiliary information) to the MAC module for further MAC processing:

[0046] -Bandwidth used by PPDU;

[0047] - A protected duration indicated within the PPDU, which indicates the guaranteed duration of the PPDU transmission;

[0048] - The identifier of the transmitter of the PPDU and the BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) ​​associated with the transmitter of the PPDU;

[0049] -Indication of the transmission direction of the PPDU (e.g., to an AP (access point) or a non-AP STA);

[0050] - Duration of the PPDU, which indicates the actual duration of the transmission of the PPDU;

[0051] - an indication that the value of the PV field of the PPDU or the protocol version to which the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field complies is not supported; and / or

[0052] -Received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of PPDU.

[0053] In some embodiments, the RSSI of the PPDU is achieved or obtained by measuring a portion of the PPDU preceding the PV field.

[0054] In some embodiments, at least one of the bandwidth used by the PPDU, the protected duration indicated within the PPDU, an identifier of the transmitter of the PPDU and a BSSID associated with the transmitter, an indication of the direction of transmission, or the duration of the PPDU is indicated via a common signaling symbol in the PPDU.

[0055] In some embodiments, the MAC module performs a media access operation based on the auxiliary information. In some embodiments, the MAC module performs a wireless environment sensing based on the auxiliary information. In some embodiments, the MAC module performs an access control scheme based on the auxiliary information. In some embodiments, the MAC module performs bandwidth and / or channel management based on the auxiliary information, including bandwidth adjustment and / or channel switching.

[0056] Through such a configuration, the benefits that may be introduced include but are not limited to:

[0057] a) Enable devices to measure the RSSI of radio frames compliant with the new protocol to ensure fair medium access based on the current MAC mechanism; and

[0058] b) Enable devices to obtain some wireless environment information from wireless frames that comply with the new protocol, thereby allowing devices to perform better wireless environment perception and better access control schemes based on the current MAC mechanism. For APs, this means that APs can perform better bandwidth and channel management, including bandwidth adjustment and channel switching.

[0059] In the following paragraphs, detailed description will be given in conjunction with examples, but the present disclosure is not limited to the following examples.

[0060] In some embodiments, a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) Basic Service Set (BSS) includes an AP and a plurality of non-AP STAs associated with the AP. Both the AP and the non-AP STAs can be understood as WLAN devices.

[0061] In some embodiments, both APs and non-AP STAs support STA operations, including sending and receiving PPDUs.

[0062] In some embodiments, Figure 1 As shown, the PPDU may include a preamble part and a data part. The preamble part includes at least one of a traditional preamble part, a universal signaling symbol, and / or a version-dependent part.

[0063] In some embodiments, the universal signaling symbol carries version-independent information. Figure 2As shown, the general signaling symbol includes a 3-bit protocol version field.

[0064] In some embodiments, a newer transmission / reception protocol version may define a value that is not used in a legacy protocol as a protocol version for the 3-bit protocol version field.

[0065] For example, as shown in Table 1 below, the protocol version field of a WLAN device compliant with protocol version 0 may be defined as "000".

[0066]

[0067] Table 1

[0068] As another example, as shown in Table 2, the protocol version field of a WLAN device compliant with protocol version 2 may be defined as "010".

[0069]

[0070] Table 2

[0071] In some embodiments, when the WLAN device receives a PPDU and the PHY module of the WLAN device successfully decodes the legacy preamble, and the universal signaling symbol identifies an undefined PV field value (for example, the protocol version complied by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field is not fully or partially supported by the WLAN device), the PHY module may mark the PPDU as an unknown format.

[0072] Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the PHY module may measure the signal strength of the signal portion of the received PPDU preceding the general signaling, and use the measurement result as the traditional RSSI.

[0073] In some embodiments, when the PPDU is identified as an unknown format (for example, the protocol version followed by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field is not fully or partially supported by the WLAN device), the PHY module may continue to identify the information in the universal signaling symbol. Then, the PHY module notifies the MAC module that a PPDU of an unknown format has been received, and the PPDU has at least one of the following auxiliary information for further processing by the MAC module:

[0074] -The value of the PV field of the PPDU or an indication that the protocol version followed by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field is not supported;

[0075] -Bandwidth information indicated in the common signaling symbol of the PPDU;

[0076] - a protected duration indicated in the common signalling symbol of the PPDU, which indicates the guaranteed duration of the PPDU transmission;

[0077] - The BSSID identifier associated with the transmitter, as indicated in the common signaling symbol of the PPDU;

[0078] -Indication of the transmission direction (e.g., to the AP or non-AP STA), as indicated in the common signaling symbols of the PPDU;

[0079] - the duration of the PPDU indicated in the common signalling symbol of the PPDU, which indicates the actual duration of the PPDU transmission; and / or

[0080] - Traditional RSSI.

[0081] In some embodiments, in addition to sending the auxiliary information to the MAC module (eg, after sending the auxiliary information to the MAC module), the PHY module may maintain a reception mode (or a listening mode) for receiving the PPDU until the PPDU ends.

[0082] In some embodiments, in addition to sending auxiliary information to the MAC module (for example, after sending auxiliary information to the MAC module), the PHY module may stop receiving the remaining signals and return to the listening mode to check channel availability or receive other PPDUs, and resume CCA (Clear Channel Assessment) or other channel status detection processes.

[0083] In some embodiments, the PHY module may enter a doze mode in addition to (eg, after) sending the auxiliary information to the MAC module.

[0084] In some embodiments, in response to the protocol version compliant by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field not being fully or partially supported by the WLAN device, the MAC module may send a request to the PHY module to control the PHY module to continue receiving the PPDU, stop receiving the PPDU and return to the listening mode, or enter the doze mode.

[0085] For example, in some embodiments, the MAC module may instruct the PHY module to continue receiving the remaining portion of the PPDU via a request (eg, including specified parameters).

[0086] In some embodiments, the MAC module may instruct the PHY module to stop receiving and resume CCA or other media access procedures through other requests (eg, including specified parameters).

[0087] In some embodiments, the MAC module may instruct the PHY module to enter doze mode through other requests (eg, including specified parameters).

[0088] In some embodiments, upon receiving an indication or request (eg, specifying parameters) from the MAC module, the PHY module may perform the operation requested by the indication or request according to the specified parameters.

[0089] In some embodiments, the PHY module may send an indication to the MAC module at the end of receiving the PPDU. In some embodiments, the indication indicates the end of PPDU reception.

[0090] In some embodiments, the PHY module may report to the MAC module the second auxiliary information obtained or acquired during reception of the remaining portion of the PPDU (eg, the portion of the PPDU after the PV field).

[0091] In some embodiments, the MAC module may instruct the PHY module to send second assistance information obtained or acquired during reception of the remaining portion of the PPDU.

[0092] In some embodiments, the second assistance information may include, for example, the RSSI of the remainder of the PPDU.

[0093] In some embodiments, upon receiving an indication from the MAC module, the PHY module stops receiving and resumes CCA or other media access procedures.

[0094] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, if a PPDU carries an undefined PV field value, the PHY module marks the PPDU as an unknown format.

[0095] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the PHY module notifies the MAC module of receiving a PPDU of an unknown format.

[0096] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the PHY module identifies information in the universal signaling symbol and reports the identified information together with the unknown format information to the MAC module.

[0097] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the PHY module reports a conventional RSSI taken or obtained in a measurement of a signal portion of the PPDU preceding a common signaling symbol.

[0098] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the MAC module may instruct the PHY module to continue receiving the remaining part of the PPDU by specifying parameters.

[0099] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the PHY module may report to the MAC module information acquired or obtained during reception of the remaining part of the PPDU according to the request of the MAC module.

[0100] Figure 3A schematic diagram of a wireless communication device 30 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The wireless communication device 30 may be a station (STA), an access point (AP), or a non-AP, and is not limited thereto. The wireless communication device 30 may include a processor 300 such as a microprocessor or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a storage unit 310, and a communication unit 320. The storage unit 310 may be any data storage device that stores program code 312 accessed and executed by the processor 300. Embodiments of the storage code 312 include, but are not limited to, a subscriber identity module (SIM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk, and an optical data storage device. The communication unit 320 may be a transceiver for sending and receiving signals (e.g., messages or data packets) according to the processing results of the processor 300. In one embodiment, the communication unit 320 sends and receives signals through at least one antenna 322.

[0101] In one embodiment, the storage unit 310 and the program code 312 may be omitted, and the processor 300 may include a storage unit having stored program code.

[0102] Processor 300 may implement any of the steps of the example embodiments on wireless communication device 30 , for example, by executing program code 312 .

[0103] The communication unit 320 may be a transceiver. Alternatively or additionally, the communication unit 320 may combine a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, which are respectively configured to transmit signals to other wireless communication devices and receive signals from other wireless communication devices.

[0104] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device 30 may include a physical layer module and a MAC module. In some embodiments, the functions of the physical layer module may be performed by the processor 300. In some embodiments, the functions of the MAC module may be performed by the processor 300.

[0105] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device 30 may be used to perform the operations of the above-mentioned AP, non-AP STA, or WLAN device. In some embodiments, the processor 300 and the communication unit 320 cooperate to perform the above-mentioned operations. For example, the processor 300 performs operations and sends or receives signals, messages, and / or information through the communication unit 320.

[0106] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a wireless communication method is also provided. In one embodiment, the wireless communication method can be performed by a wireless communication device. In one embodiment, the wireless communication method can be implemented by the above-mentioned wireless communication device 30, but is not limited thereto.

[0107] See also Figure 4 In one embodiment, a wireless communication method includes: receiving a physical protocol data unit PPDU by a physical layer module of a wireless communication device, the PPDU including a protocol version PV field; and in response to the protocol version complied by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field not being fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device, sending auxiliary information obtained based on the PPDU to a media access control MAC module of the wireless communication device by the physical layer module to allow the MAC module to perform MAC processing based on the auxiliary information.

[0108] The details in this regard can be found in the above paragraphs and will not be elaborated here.

[0109] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, another wireless communication method is also provided. In one embodiment, the wireless communication method can be performed by a wireless communication device. In one embodiment, the wireless communication method can be implemented by the above-mentioned wireless communication device 30, but is not limited thereto.

[0110] See also Figure 5 In one embodiment, a wireless communication method includes: a media access control (MAC) module of a wireless communication device receives auxiliary information obtained based on a physical protocol data unit (PPDU) from a physical layer module of the wireless communication device, wherein the auxiliary information is obtained by the physical layer module in response to the fact that a protocol version complied by the PPDU indicated by a PV field value of the PPDU is not fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device; and the MAC module performs MAC processing according to the auxiliary information obtained based on the PPDU.

[0111] The details in this regard can be found in the above paragraphs and will not be elaborated here.

[0112] Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented only in an exemplary and not limiting manner. Similarly, various figures may depict example architectures or configurations, which are provided to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the exemplary features and functions of the present disclosure. However, such personnel will understand that the present disclosure is not limited to the example architectures or configurations shown, but may use a variety of alternative architectures and configurations to implement the present invention. In addition, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, one or more features of an embodiment may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described example embodiments.

[0113] It should also be understood that any reference to an element herein using names such as "first," "second," etc. does not generally limit the number or order of those elements. Rather, these names may be used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not mean that only two elements may be used, or that the first element must be located before the second element in some manner.

[0114] In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols such as those referenced in the description above may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0115] Those skilled in the art should also understand that any of the various schematic logical blocks, units, processors, devices, circuits, methods, and functions described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementations, analog implementations, or a combination of the two), firmware, various forms of design codes or programs containing instructions (for convenience, may be referred to herein as "software" or "software units"), or any combination of these technologies.

[0116] In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, units, circuits and steps have been described above in general according to their functions. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware, firmware or software, or a combination of these technologies, depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. The technician can implement the described functions in various ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions will not cause deviations from the scope of the present disclosure. According to various embodiments, processors, devices, components, circuits, structures, machines, units, etc. can be configured to perform one or more functions described herein. The terms "configured to" or "configured for" used herein for specific operations or functions refer to processors, devices, components, circuits, structures, machines, units, etc. that are physically constructed, programmed, and / or implemented to perform specified operations or functions.

[0117] In addition, the technician will understand that the various schematic logic blocks, units, devices, components and circuits described herein can be implemented in or performed by an integrated circuit (IC), which can include: a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logic blocks, units and circuits may further include antennas and / or transceivers to communicate with various components within a network or within a device. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration to perform the functions described herein. If the function is implemented in software, the function may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Therefore, the steps of the method or algorithm disclosed herein may be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium.

[0118] Computer readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, and communication media include any media that can transfer a computer program or code from one place to another. Storage media can be any available media that a computer can access. By way of example and in a non-limiting manner, such computer readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or can be used to store desired program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and any other media that can be accessed by a computer.

[0119] In this document, the term "unit" as used herein refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performing the associated functions described herein. In addition, for the purpose of discussion, various units are described as discrete units; however, it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that two or more units can be combined to form a single unit that performs the associated functions according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0120] In addition, memory or other storage devices and communication components can be used in embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that, for the sake of clarity, the above description has described embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any appropriate functional distribution between different functional units, processing logic elements or domains can be used without departing from the present disclosure. For example, the functions illustrated as being performed by a separate processing logic element or controller can be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Therefore, reference to a specific functional unit is only a reference to an appropriate device for providing the described function, rather than indicating a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0121] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. Therefore, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be given the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as set forth in the claims below.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, comprising: A physical layer module of a wireless communication device receives a physical protocol data unit (PPDU), wherein the PPDU includes a protocol version (PV) field; and Auxiliary information is sent by the physical layer module to the media access control (MAC) module of the wireless communication device to allow the MAC module to perform MAC processing according to the auxiliary information, wherein the auxiliary information is obtained based on the PPDU when the protocol version complied by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field is not fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device.

2. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein: The auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: The bandwidth used by the PPDU; The protected duration indicated in the PPDU; an identifier of a transmitter sending the PPDU and a basic service set identifier BSSID associated with the transmitter; Indication of the direction of transmission; Duration of the PPDU; a value of the PV field of the PPDU, or an indication that the protocol version followed by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field is not fully supported or partially supported by the wireless communication device; or A received signal strength indicator RSSI is obtained based on a received portion of the PPDU or a portion of the received portion.

3. The wireless communication method according to claim 2, wherein: The RSSI is obtained by measuring a portion of the PPDU transmitted before the PV field.

4. The wireless communication method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: At least one of the following information is indicated by a common signaling symbol in the PPDU: a bandwidth used by the PPDU, a protected duration indicated within the PPDU, an identifier of a transmitter of the PPDU and a BSSID associated with the transmitter, an indication of a transmission direction, or a duration of the PPDU.

5. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: In response to the protocol version compliant by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field being not fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device, the physical layer module marks the PPDU as an unknown format.

6. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: In response to the protocol version to which the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field complies being not fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device, the physical layer module notifies the MAC module that a PPDU of an unknown format is received.

7. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: In response to the protocol version compliant by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field being not fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device, the physical layer module continues to receive the PPDU, stops receiving the PPDU and returns to the listening mode, or enters the doze mode.

8. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: In response to the protocol version compliant by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field being not fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device, the physical layer module keeps receiving the PPDU, stops receiving the PPDU and returns to the listening mode to check channel availability or receive any other PPDU, or enters the doze mode according to the request received from the MAC module.

9. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The physical layer module sends an indication for indicating the end of receiving the PPDU.

10. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The physical layer module transmits second auxiliary information to the MAC module, and the second auxiliary information is obtained during reception of a portion of the PPDU, the portion of the PPDU being received after the PV field.

11. A wireless communication method, comprising: A medium access control (MAC) module of the wireless communication device receives auxiliary information from a physical layer module of the wireless communication device, wherein the auxiliary information is received by the physical layer module when the protocol version followed by the PPDU indicated by the PV field value of the PPDU is not fully supported or partially supported by the wireless communication device; and The MAC module performs MAC processing according to the auxiliary information obtained based on the PPDU.

12. The wireless communication method according to claim 11, wherein: The auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: The bandwidth used by the PPDU; The protected duration indicated in the PPDU; An identifier of a transmitter sending the PPDU and a basic service set identifier BSSID associated with the transmitter; Indication of the direction of transmission; Duration of the PPDU; a value of the PV field of the PPDU, or an indication that the protocol version followed by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field is not fully supported or partially supported by the wireless communication device; or A received signal strength indicator RSSI is obtained based on a received portion of the PPDU or a portion of the received portion.

13. The wireless communication method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein: In response to the protocol version to which the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field complies being not fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device, the physical layer module notifies the MAC module that a PPDU of an unknown format is received.

14. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein: In response to the protocol version that the PPDU is compatible with, indicated by the value of the PV field, not being fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device, the MAC module sends a request to the physical layer module to control the physical layer module to continue receiving the PPDU, stop receiving the PPDU and return to the listening mode to check channel availability or receive any other PPDU, or enter the doze mode.

15. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein: The MAC module receives an indication indicating the end of receiving the PPDU from the physical layer module.

16. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein: The MAC module receives second auxiliary information from the physical layer module, and the second auxiliary information corresponds to a portion after the PV field in the PPDU.

17. A wireless communication device, comprising: Communication unit; and The processor is configured as: A physical layer module of a wireless communication device receives a physical protocol data unit (PPDU), wherein the PPDU includes a protocol version (PV) field; as well as Auxiliary information is sent by the physical layer module to the media access control (MAC) module of the wireless communication device to allow the MAC module to perform MAC processing according to the auxiliary information, wherein the auxiliary information is obtained based on the PPDU when the protocol version complied by the PPDU indicated by the value of the PV field is not fully or partially supported by the wireless communication device.

18. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 17, wherein: The processor is further configured to execute the wireless communication method according to any one of claims 2 to 10.

19. A wireless communication device, comprising: Communication unit; and The processor is configured as: A medium access control (MAC) module of the wireless communication device receives auxiliary information from a physical layer module of the wireless communication device, wherein the auxiliary information is received by the physical layer module when the protocol version followed by the PPDU indicated by the PV field value of the PPDU is not fully supported or partially supported by the wireless communication device; and A MAC process is performed by the MAC module according to the auxiliary information obtained based on the PPDU.

20. The wireless communication device according to claim 19, wherein: The processor is further configured to execute the wireless communication method according to any one of claims 12 to 16.

21. A computer program product comprising computer readable program medium code stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 16.

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