Access point switching method and communication device

Abstract

Disclosed are an access point switching method and a communication device, the method relating to the technical field of communications, the method comprising: a terminal device receiving first information from a first access point, the first information comprising a roaming access point list, the roaming access point list comprising at least one second access point sequenced according to priority; and the terminal equipment switches to one second access point in the roaming access point list based on the priority of at least one second access point included in the roaming access point list. Based on the method, the time required for switching the access point by the terminal equipment is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an access point switching method and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] Roaming refers to the function that the mobile communication system can still provide services to the terminal after it leaves the service area where it is registered and moves to another service area. Before the terminal switches the access point (AP) during roaming, it needs to perform a channel scan to determine that the channel meets the switching conditions before switching to the corresponding AP. There are two channel scanning methods when the terminal is roaming. One method is full channel scanning, that is, scanning all channels. The other method is that the source AP provides a list of roamable APs and guides the terminal device to switch to the AP in the AP list. The terminal will evaluate the channel corresponding to each AP in the AP list through channel scanning, and then switch to the AP corresponding to the channel that meets the switching conditions.

[0003] Currently, channel scanning during roaming takes a long time, which results in a long time required for terminal devices to switch access points. In serious cases, this will affect the user experience. How to reduce the time required for terminal devices to switch access points is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide an access point switching method and a communication device, which are helpful in reducing the time required for a terminal device to switch access points.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides an access point switching method, the method comprising: a terminal device receives first information from a first access point, the first information includes a roamable access point list, the roamable access point list includes at least one second access point sorted according to priority; the terminal device switches to a second access point in the roamable access point list based on the priority of at least one second access point included in the roamable access point list.

[0006] Based on the method described in the first aspect, the list of roamable access points provided by the first access point to the terminal device includes at least one second access point arranged in order of priority. The higher the ranking in the list of roamable access points, the higher the priority of the second access point, and also the more suitable the network device considers the second access point to be for the terminal device to switch. The terminal device can quickly determine the second access point suitable for its own switching according to the ranking of the list of roamable access points. Therefore, the method is conducive to reducing the time required for the terminal device to switch the access point.

[0007] In a possible implementation manner, the priority of the second access point is related to one or more factors of the distance between the second access point and the terminal device, a received signal strength indication RSSI of the terminal device measured by the second access point, or a load condition of the second access point.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the priority of the second access point is related to the distance between the second access point and the terminal device; the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, the distance between the third access point and the terminal device is lower than the distance between the fourth access point and the terminal device, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the roamable access point list. It can be understood that the access point that is closer to the terminal device can provide better network services for the terminal device, and when the priority of the second access point that is closer to the terminal device is higher than the priority of the second access point that is far from the terminal device, it is beneficial for the terminal device to switch to the second access point that is closer to the terminal device and obtain better network services.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the priority of the second access point is related to the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the second access point; the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the third access point is higher than the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the fourth access point, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the list of roamable access points. It can be understood that the higher the signal strength of the terminal device, the better the current signal quality of the terminal device, and the access point with a high RSSI obtained by measuring the signal strength of the terminal device can provide better network services for the terminal device. When the priority of the second access point with a high RSSI of the terminal device is higher than the priority of the second access point with a low RSSI of the terminal device, it is conducive to enabling the terminal device to switch to the second access point with a high RSSI of the terminal device to obtain better network services.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the priority of the second access point is related to the load condition of the second access point; the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, the load of the third access point is lower than the load of the fourth access point, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the list of roamable access points. It can be understood that the smaller the load of the access point, the more resources the access point can allocate to the terminal device, and the better network service can be provided to the terminal device. When the priority of the second access point with a smaller load is higher than the priority of the second access point with a higher load, it is beneficial for the terminal device to switch to the second access point with a smaller load and obtain better network service.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner, the first information further includes first indication information, where the first indication information indicates whether the list of roamable access points is a list sorted according to priority.

[0012] In a possible implementation, before the terminal device switches to a second access point in the roamable access point list based on the priority of at least one second access point included in the roamable access point list, the method further includes: the terminal device determines, based on the first indication information, that the roamable access point list is a list sorted by priority.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the terminal device switches to a second access point in the roamable access point list based on the priority of at least one second access point included in the roamable access point list, and the specific implementation is: the terminal device performs channel scanning based on the roamable access point list and selects the first second access point that meets the switching condition for switching. Based on this implementation, the terminal device does not need to scan all the access points in the roamable access point list, but only needs to scan the first access point that meets the switching condition, and will not scan again subsequently. Therefore, this implementation is conducive to reducing the time for the terminal device to perform channel scanning, thereby reducing the time required for the terminal device to switch access points.

[0014] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: after the terminal device determines the first second access point that meets the switching condition, stopping channel scanning.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the first information also includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device needs to perform channel scanning.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the first information also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device does not need to perform channel scanning.

[0017] Optionally, the terminal device switches to a second access point in the roamable access point list based on the priority of at least one second access point included in the roamable access point list, and the specific implementation method is: the terminal device selects the second access point with the highest priority from the roamable access point list for switching based on the third indication information. In this implementation method, the terminal device will trust the second access point included in the roamable access point list provided by the first access point, that is, trust that the second access point included in the roamable access point list provided by the first access point is suitable for the terminal device to switch. Therefore, the terminal device will not need to perform channel scanning, but directly select a second access point from the roamable access point list for switching, and there is no need to perform channel scanning, which can shorten the time for the terminal device to switch access points.

[0018] In a possible implementation manner, the first information is carried in a basic service set BSS switching management request frame.

[0019] In a second aspect, the present application provides an access point switching method, the method comprising: a first access point generates first information, the first information includes a roamable access point list, the roamable access point list includes at least one second access point sorted according to priority; the first access point sends the first information to a terminal device.

[0020] Among them, the second aspect and its beneficial effects can refer to the description of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0021] In a possible implementation manner, the priority of the second access point is related to one or more factors of the distance between the second access point and the terminal device, a received signal strength indication RSSI of the terminal device measured by the second access point, or a load condition of the second access point.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the priority of the second access point is related to the distance between the second access point and the terminal device; the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, the distance between the third access point and the terminal device is smaller than the distance between the fourth access point and the terminal device, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the roamable access point list.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the priority of the second access point is related to the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the second access point; the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the third access point is higher than the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the fourth access point, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the roamable access point list.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the priority of the second access point is related to the load status of the second access point; the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, the load of the third access point is less than the load of the fourth access point, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the roamable access point list.

[0025] In a possible implementation manner, the first information further includes first indication information, where the first indication information indicates whether the list of roamable access points is a list sorted according to priority.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the first information also includes second indication information or third indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device needs to perform channel scanning, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device does not need to perform channel scanning.

[0027] In a possible implementation manner, the first information is carried in a basic service set BSS switching management request frame.

[0028] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device, wherein the communication device may also be a chip system. The communication device may execute the method described in the first aspect. The functions of the communication device may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions. The unit or module may be software and / or hardware. The operations and beneficial effects performed by the communication device may refer to the methods and beneficial effects described in the first aspect above, and the repetitive parts will not be repeated.

[0029] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, wherein the communication device may also be a chip system. The communication device may execute the method described in the second aspect. The functions of the communication device may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions. The unit or module may be software and / or hardware. The operations and beneficial effects performed by the communication device may refer to the method and beneficial effects described in the second aspect above, and the repetitive parts will not be repeated.

[0030] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor, and when the processor calls a computer program in a memory, the method as described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect and its possible implementation method are executed.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory, and the memory and the processor are coupled to each other. Optionally, the memory and the processor are integrated together.

[0032] In a possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes a transceiver, and the transceiver is used to send and receive data and / or signaling.

[0033] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, and the processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect and its possible implementation methods through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0034] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a communication device, it implements any one of the methods in the first aspect or the second aspect and its possible implementation methods.

[0035] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program or a computer program product, including codes or instructions. When the codes or instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the method described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect and its possible implementation methods.

[0036] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the above-mentioned communication device for executing the method described in the first aspect and a communication device for executing the method described in the second aspect.

[0037] In the tenth aspect, the present application provides a chip comprising a processor and a communication interface, the processor being configured to cause the chip to execute the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or the processor being configured to cause the chip to execute the method in the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible implementation thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a flow chart of an access point switching method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a basic service set BSS switching management request frame provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a chip provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The specific embodiments of the present application are further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0045] The terms "first" and "second" and the like in the specification, claims and drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device comprising a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0046] Reference to "embodiments" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of the phrase in various locations in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0047] In the present application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, "more than one" means two or more, "at least two (items)" means two or three and more than three, and "and / or" is used to describe the corresponding relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist at the same time, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0048] The following is an introduction to the system architecture of the embodiment of the present application:

[0049] To facilitate understanding of the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, the system architecture of the method provided by the embodiment of the present application is briefly described below. It is understandable that the system architecture described in the embodiment of the present application is to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0050] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as satellite communication systems and traditional mobile communication systems. Among them, the satellite communication system can be integrated with the traditional mobile communication system (i.e., ground communication system). Communication systems such as wireless local area network (WLAN) communication system, wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), and other future communication systems, such as the sixth generation (6G) system, etc., also support communication systems that integrate multiple wireless technologies, for example, it can also be applied to non-terrestrial networks (NTN) such as drones, satellite communication systems, high altitude platform stations (HAPS) communications, and systems that integrate ground mobile communication networks.

[0051] Figure 1 The communication system is an example of a communication system applicable to the embodiment of the present application. The communication system includes at least one network device and at least one terminal device. Figure 1 The network device and multiple terminal devices are used as examples. The multiple terminal devices can be cellular phones, smart phones, portable computers, handheld communication devices, handheld computing devices, satellite radio devices, global positioning systems, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and / or any other suitable devices for communicating on a wireless communication system, and can all be connected to the network device. The multiple terminal devices can all communicate with the network device, and in addition, the terminal devices can also communicate with each other. Of course Figure 1 The number of terminal devices and network devices is just an example, and can be less or more.

[0052] The terminal device involved in the embodiments of the present application, which may also be referred to as a terminal, is an entity on the user side for receiving or transmitting signals. The terminal device may be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, for example, a handheld device with wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. The terminal device may also be other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. The terminal device may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). The terminal device may also be referred to as a wireless terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, an access point, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, a user device, or a UE, etc. The terminal device may be a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone (or a "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal, for example, a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-built-in or vehicle-mounted mobile device, which exchanges language and / or data with a wireless access network. For example, the terminal device may also be a personal communication service (PCS) phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. Common terminal devices include, for example, mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices such as smart watches, smart bracelets, pedometers, etc., but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0053] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal device. The device for realizing the function of the terminal device can be the terminal device; it can also be a device that can support the terminal device to realize the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal device or used in combination with the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0054] A network device is an entity on the network side that is used to send signals, or receive signals, or both send and receive signals. A network device may be a device deployed in a radio access network (RAN) to provide wireless communication functions for terminals.

[0055] In one possible scenario, the network device may be a device with base station functions, such as an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a non-ground network device, that is, a device that can be deployed on a high altitude platform or a satellite, etc. The network device may be an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a base station, or various forms of control nodes. For example, a network controller, a wireless controller, etc. Specifically, the network equipment can be various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations) in heterogeneous network (HetNet) scenarios, relay stations, radio network controllers (RNC), node B (NB), base station controllers (BSC), base transceiver stations (BTS), home base stations (e.g., home evolved node B, or home node B, HNB), baseband units (BBU) and remote radio units (RRU) in distributed base station scenarios, transmission points (TRP), transmitting points (TP), mobile switching centers, etc., and can also be antenna panels of base stations. The control node can connect to multiple base stations and configure resources for multiple terminals covered by multiple base stations. In systems using different wireless access technologies, the names of devices with base station functions may be different. For example, it may be the gNB in ​​5G, or the network side equipment in the network after 5G, or the network equipment in the future evolved public land mobile (communication) network (publicland mobile network, PLMN) network, or the equipment that performs the base station function in device-to-device (D2D) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, and Internet of Vehicles communication, etc. This application does not limit the specific name of the network equipment.The network equipment may also be an open access network (openRAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a baseband pool (BBU pool) and RRU under a cloud radio access network (CRAN), etc.

[0056] In another possible scenario, multiple network devices collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different network devices respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the network device may include a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU may be set separately, or may be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). It is understandable that the network device may be a CU node, a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node. In addition, the CU may be divided into a network device in the access network RAN, or the CU may be divided into a network device in the core network CN, without limitation here.

[0057] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU are described as examples in this application. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0058] In the embodiments of the present application, the form of the network device is not limited. The device for realizing the function of the network device can be the network device; or it can be a device that can support the network device to realize the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the network device or used in combination with the network device.

[0059] In order to reduce the time required for a terminal device to switch access points, an embodiment of the present application proposes an access point switching method, such as Figure 2 As shown, the access point switching method includes steps 201 to 203. Figure 2 The execution subject of the method shown is the first access point and the terminal device, or, Figure 2 The method shown may be executed by a chip in the first access point and a chip in the terminal device. Figure 2 The first access point and the terminal device are used as the execution subjects for the description. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution subject of the access point switching method. The first access point can be Figure 1 The network device in the communication system shown in FIG. Figure 1 Terminal equipment in the communication system shown. Wherein:

[0060] 201. A first access point generates first information, where the first information includes a roamable access point list, where the roamable access point list includes at least one second access point sorted according to priority.

[0061] 202. The first access point sends first information to the terminal device, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information from the first access point.

[0062] In the embodiment of the present application, the first access point is an access point connected to the terminal device, which may also be referred to as a source access point, and the second access point is a switchable access point indicated by the first access point to the terminal device, which may also be referred to as a candidate access point. The purpose of the first access point sending the first information to the terminal device is to guide the terminal device to switch to a second access point in the list of roamable access points. Optionally, the first information may be carried in a basic serviceset (BSS) transition management request frame.

[0063] When the first access point generates the first information, it is necessary to first determine the priority of each second access point. It is understandable that the first access point believes that a second access point with a high priority is more suitable for terminal device switching than a second access point with a low priority. Optionally, in the list of roamable access points, the at least one second access point is arranged in order of priority, and a second access point with a high priority is arranged before a second access point with a low priority. Exemplarily, as shown in the following List 1:

[0064] Table 1

[0065] Second access point AP1 AP2 AP3

[0066] The first access point generates a list of roamable access points as shown in Table 1, and the second access points include AP1, AP2, and AP3. The first access point determines that the priority of AP1 is higher than that of AP2, and the priority of AP2 is higher than that of AP3. Therefore, in Table 1, AP1 is ranked before AP2, and AP2 is ranked before AP3. When receiving the list of roamable access points as shown in Table 1, the terminal device can also determine the priority corresponding to each second access point according to the ranking of the list of roamable access points.

[0067] In a possible implementation, after the first access point detects that the signal of the terminal device is lower than the first threshold, the first access point generates the first information. It can be understood that the signal of the terminal device is lower than the first threshold, which means that the signal of the terminal device is weak, and the location of the terminal device is far from the location of the first access point. The first access point will not be able to provide better service for the terminal device. Therefore, the first access point will generate the first information in time, provide the terminal device with a list of roamable access points, and guide the terminal device to switch to an access point in the list of roamable access points, which is conducive to enabling the terminal device to quickly switch to a suitable access point and avoid the terminal device being in a poor signal state for a long time.

[0068] In a possible implementation, the priority of the second access point is related to one or more related information of the distance between the second access point and the terminal device, the received signal strength indication (RSSI) of the terminal device measured by the second access point, or the load status of the second access point. In addition, the priority of the second access point may also be related to other information, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0069] The distance between the second access point and the terminal device specifically refers to the distance between the position of the second access point and the position of the terminal device. The first access point may obtain the second access point and the terminal device in the following manner: the first access point may determine the position of the second access point and the position of the terminal device through a WiFi digital map, thereby calculating the distance between the second access point and the terminal device, the WiFi digital map including the position of the second access point and the position of the terminal device, specifically, the position of the second access point and the position of the terminal device are stored in the first access point in the form of digital coordinates, for reading and use by the algorithm module of the first access point.

[0070] Optionally, when the priority of the second access point is related to the distance between the second access point and the terminal device, in one possible case, the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, the distance between the third access point and the terminal device is smaller than the distance between the fourth access point and the terminal device, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the list of roamable access points. It can be understood that an access point that is closer to the terminal device can provide better network services for the terminal device, and when the priority of the second access point that is closer to the terminal device is higher than the priority of the second access point that is far from the terminal device, it is beneficial for the terminal device to switch to the second access point that is closer to the terminal device and obtain better network services.

[0071] The second access point measures the RSSI of the terminal device, which refers to the result obtained by the second access point measuring the signal of the terminal device. RSSI is a standard for measuring the wireless signal strength of the received signal. The first access point can obtain the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the second access point as follows: the first access point sends a first request message to the second access point, and the first request message is used to request the second access point to measure the signal strength of the terminal device; the second access point measures the signal strength of the terminal device to obtain RSSI, and sends the RSSI to the first access point.

[0072] Optionally, when the priority of the second access point is related to the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the second access point, in one possible case, the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the third access point is higher than the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the fourth access point, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the list of roamable access points. It can be understood that the higher the signal strength of the terminal device, the better the current signal quality of the terminal device, and the access point with a high RSSI obtained by measuring the signal strength of the terminal device can provide better network services for the terminal device. When the priority of the second access point with a high RSSI for measuring the terminal device is higher than the priority of the second access point with a low RSSI for measuring the terminal device, it is beneficial for the terminal device to switch to the second access point with a high RSSI for measuring the terminal device to obtain better network services.

[0073] The load condition of the second access point may include parameters such as the number of terminal devices accessing the second access point and the resources allocated by the second access point, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The specific implementation method of the first access point obtaining the load condition of the second access point may be as follows: the first access point sends a second request message to the second access point, and the second request message is used to request the load condition of the second access point; after receiving the second request message, the second access point sends the load condition to the first access point.

[0074] Optionally, when the priority of the second access point is related to the load status of the second access point, in one possible case, the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, the load of the third access point is lower than the load of the fourth access point, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the list of roamable access points. It can be understood that the smaller the load of the access point, the more resources the access point can allocate to the terminal device, and the better network service can be provided to the terminal device. When the priority of the second access point with a smaller load is higher than the priority of the second access point with a higher load, it is beneficial for the terminal device to switch to the second access point with a smaller load and obtain better network service.

[0075] It should be noted that the above examples are described by taking the second access point priority and related information of a second access point as examples. The following describes an example of an implementation in which the priority may also be related to multiple information of the second access point.

[0076] In one possible case, the priority of the second access point is related to the distance between the second access point and the terminal device and the load of the second access point: when the distance between the third access point and the terminal device is less than the distance between the fourth access point and the terminal device, the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point; when the distance between the third access point and the terminal device is equal to the distance between the fourth access point and the terminal device, the load of the third access point is less than the load of the fourth access point, the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the roamable access point list.

[0077] In this case, to determine the priority of the two second access points, it is necessary to first compare the distances between the two second access points and the terminal device. The second access point closer to the terminal device has a higher priority. If the two are equal, the loads between the two second access points are further compared. The second access point with a smaller load has a higher priority. It can be understood that combining multiple related information to determine the priority of the second access point is conducive to enabling the terminal device to switch to the most suitable second access point and obtain better network services.

[0078] In addition to the above examples, the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation manner of the priority and the multiple information of the second access point.

[0079] 203. The terminal device switches to a second access point in the roamable access point list based on the priority of at least one second access point included in the roamable access point list.

[0080] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device switches the access point based on the priority, which can also be understood as the terminal device switches to a second access point in the list of roamable access points based on the ranking of the roamable access points. Among them, the terminal device preferentially switches to the second access point with a higher priority. Based on this method, the list of roamable access points provided by the first access point to the terminal device includes at least one second access point arranged in order of priority. The higher the ranking in the list of roamable access points, the higher the priority of the second access point, and it also means that the network device believes that the second access point is more suitable for the terminal device to switch. The terminal device can quickly determine the second access point suitable for its own switching based on the ranking of the list of roamable access points. Therefore, this method is conducive to reducing the time required for the terminal device to switch access points.

[0081] In a possible implementation, step 203 is specifically implemented as follows: performing channel scanning based on the roamable access point list to select the first second access point that meets the switching condition, wherein after the first second access point that meets the switching condition is determined, the channel scanning is stopped.

[0082] Among them, channel scanning refers to the process in which a terminal device discovers a BSS and attributes associated with the BSS attributes by passively searching for "beacon frames" on different channels or actively sending "probe request frames". The switching condition includes that the channel strength meets the requirements, that is, the terminal device finds a roamable access point with a signal strength that meets the requirements through channel scanning. The specific process of performing channel scanning based on the roamable access point list and selecting the first second access point that meets the switching conditions for switching is: the terminal device scans the channels corresponding to the second access points in the roamable access point list in order from high priority to low priority according to the order of the roamable access point list. If the scanned channel meets the switching condition, it switches to the second access point corresponding to the channel. If the switching condition is not met, it continues to scan the channel corresponding to the next second access point according to the order.

[0083] For example, assuming that the list of roamable access points includes 4 second access points, which are arranged in order of priority as AP1, AP2, AP3 and AP4, the terminal device will perform channel scan in the order of AP1, AP2, AP3 and AP4, switch to the first second access point that meets the switching condition, and will no longer perform channel scanning after scanning the channel that meets the switching condition. Specifically, the terminal device first scans the channel corresponding to AP1 according to the order. If the channel corresponding to AP1 meets the switching condition, the terminal device switches to AP1. If the switching condition is not met, the terminal device will scan the channel corresponding to AP2 according to the order. If the channel corresponding to AP2 meets the switching condition, the terminal device switches to AP2. If the switching condition is not met, the terminal device will scan the channel corresponding to AP3 according to the order. The subsequent scanning method of AP3 is similar to the above-mentioned scanning method of AP1 and AP2, and will not be repeated.

[0084] Based on this implementation method, the terminal device does not need to scan all access points in the roamable access point list, but only needs to scan the first access point that meets the switching conditions, and will not scan again subsequently. Therefore, this implementation method is conducive to reducing the time for the terminal device to perform channel scanning, thereby reducing the time required for the terminal device to switch access points.

[0085] For example, assuming that the list of roamable access points includes 4 APs, and they work on 4 different channels respectively, if it takes N milliseconds to scan a channel, and if it is assumed that the terminal device scans all 4 channels, it will take 4×N milliseconds. With this implementation method, when the terminal device determines that the switching conditions are met when scanning the first AP, it will directly switch and no longer scan the subsequent 3 channels. Therefore, the terminal device only takes N milliseconds to scan the channels. Compared with the implementation method of full scanning, the scanning time is shortened by 75%.

[0086] Optionally, the first information further includes first indication information, and the first indication information indicates whether the list of roamable access points is a list sorted according to priority.

[0087] If the terminal device determines, based on the first indication information, that the list of roamable access points is sorted according to priority, the terminal device will perform channel scanning based on the list of roamable access points and select the first second access point that meets the switching condition for switching.

[0088] If the terminal device determines, based on the first indication information, that the list of roamable access points is not sorted according to the priority, the terminal device will scan some or all of the second access points in the list of roamable access points, and then switch to the access point that meets the switching condition. The first indication information is helpful for the terminal device to determine whether the list of roamable access points is sorted according to the priority, and adopt different channel scanning methods according to two different situations.

[0089] Further optionally, when the first information is carried in a BSS Transition Management Request frame, the first indication information is carried on one or more bits in the BSS Transition Management Request frame. Assuming that the first indication information is carried on one bit, the bit is referred to as the first bit. When the value of the first bit is a first numerical value, it indicates that the list of roamable access points is sorted according to priority. When the value of the bit is a second numerical value, it indicates that the list of roamable access points is not sorted according to priority. When the first numerical value is 1, the second numerical value is 0; when the first numerical value is 0, the second numerical value is 1.

[0090] like Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the BSS Transition Management Request frame format, which includes: Category field, Action field, Dialog Token field, Request Mode field, Disassociation Timer field, Validity Interval field, BSS Termination Duration field, Session Info URL field, BSS Transition Candidate List field. Optionally, the first bit may be one or more bits in the Request Mode field.

[0091] The Request Mode field includes a reserved bit. Optionally, the first indication information is carried on one or more bits included in the reserved bit, that is, the first bit is one or more bits in the reserved bit.

[0092] In a possible implementation manner, the specific implementation manner of step 203 is: selecting a second access point from the roamable access point list for switching.

[0093] Among them, in this implementation, the terminal device will trust the second access point included in the list of roamable access points provided by the first access point, that is, trust that the second access point included in the list of roamable access points provided by the first access point is suitable for the terminal device to switch, therefore, the terminal device will not need to perform channel scanning, but directly select a second access point from the list of roamable access points for switching, which can shorten the time for the terminal device to switch access points. Optionally, in the list of roamable access points, the second access points are arranged based on priority, and the terminal device selects the second access point with the highest priority from the list of roamable access points. The second access point with a high priority is ranked before the second access point with a low priority. It can be understood that the terminal device will select the second access point ranked first from the list of roamable access points.

[0094] Exemplarily, assuming that the roamable access point list includes four second access points, which are arranged in order of priority as AP1, AP2, AP3 and AP4, the terminal device directly selects the access point with the highest priority, that is, AP1, for switching.

[0095] Optionally, the first information also includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device needs to perform channel scanning, or the first information also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device does not need to perform channel scanning. When the first information includes the second indication information, it is still necessary to perform channel scanning according to the method described above. If the first information includes the third indication information, it is not necessary to perform channel scanning according to the above method, that is, the terminal device selects a second access point from the list of roamable access points based on the third indication information for switching. It can be understood that the second indication information and the third indication information do not exist at the same time. Through the second indication information and the third indication information, the terminal device can determine whether the list of roamable access points needs to perform channel scanning.

[0096] Further optionally, when the first information is carried in a BSS Transition Management Request frame, the second indication information and the third indication information are indicated by one or more bits in the BSS Transition Management Request frame, and the bit is referred to as the second bit. When the value of the second bit is the first numerical value, it indicates that the terminal device needs to perform channel scanning, that is, the second bit carries the second indication information; when the value of the bit is the second numerical value, it indicates whether the terminal device needs to perform channel scanning, that is, the second bit carries the third indication information. When the first numerical value is 1, the second numerical value is 0; when the first numerical value is 0, the second numerical value is 1.

[0097] In combination with the above introduction to the BSS Transition Management Request frame format, optionally, the second bit can be a bit in the Request Mode field. Further optionally, the second indication information or the third indication information is carried on one or more bits included in the reserved bits, that is, the second bit is one or more bits in the reserved bits.

[0098] Among them, when the first information includes both the first indication information and the third indication information (or the second indication information), the first indication information and the third indication information (or the second indication information) can be respectively indicated by two bits in the reserved bits in the Request Mode field, that is, the reserved bits in the Request Mode field include the first bit and the second bit.

[0099] In order to implement the functions of the method provided in the above embodiment of the present application, the terminal device and the first access point may include a hardware structure and / or a software module, and implement the above functions in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module. Whether one of the above functions is executed in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0100] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 The structure diagram of a communication device of an embodiment of the present application is shown. The communication device may be a terminal device or a first access point, or a device that can be used in conjunction with the terminal device or the first access point. In a possible implementation, the communication device may include executing the above Figure 2 The modules or units corresponding to the methods / operations / steps / actions executed by the sending end in the method embodiment shown may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0101] Figure 4 The communication device shown may include a processing unit 401 and a communication unit 402. The processing unit 401 is used to perform data processing. The communication unit 402 integrates a receiving unit and a sending unit. The communication unit 402 may also be called a transceiver unit. Alternatively, the communication unit 402 may also be split into a receiving unit and a sending unit.

[0102] Figure 4 The communication device shown may be a terminal device, or a device that can be used in conjunction with the terminal device. The communication device may also be a chip system.

[0103] The communication unit 402 is used to receive first information from a first access point, where the first information includes a roamable access point list, where the roamable access point list includes at least one second access point sorted according to priority; the processing unit 401 is used to switch to a second access point in the roamable access point list based on the priority of at least one second access point included in the roamable access point list.

[0104] In a possible implementation manner, the priority of the second access point is related to one or more factors of the distance between the second access point and the terminal device, a received signal strength indication RSSI of the terminal device measured by the second access point, or a load condition of the second access point.

[0105] In a possible implementation, the priority of the second access point is related to the distance between the second access point and the terminal device; the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, the distance between the third access point and the terminal device is smaller than the distance between the fourth access point and the terminal device, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the roamable access point list.

[0106] In a possible implementation, the priority of the second access point is related to the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the second access point; the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the third access point is higher than the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the fourth access point, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the roamable access point list.

[0107] In a possible implementation, the priority of the second access point is related to the load status of the second access point; the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, the load of the third access point is less than the load of the fourth access point, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the roamable access point list.

[0108] In a possible implementation manner, the first information further includes first indication information, where the first indication information indicates whether the list of roamable access points is a list sorted according to priority.

[0109] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 401 switches to a second access point in the roamable access point list based on the priority of at least one second access point included in the roamable access point list. The processing unit 401 is also used to determine, based on the first indication information, that the roamable access point list is a list sorted by priority.

[0110] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 401 is specifically configured to perform channel scanning based on the roamable access point list to select the first second access point that meets the switching condition when switching to a second access point in the roamable access point list based on the priority of at least one second access point included in the roamable access point list.

[0111] In a possible implementation manner, the processing unit 401 is further configured to stop channel scanning after determining the first second access point that meets the switching condition.

[0112] In a possible implementation, the first information also includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device needs to perform channel scanning.

[0113] In a possible implementation, the first information also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device does not need to perform channel scanning.

[0114] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 401 is specifically configured to select a second access point with the highest priority from the roamable access point list for switching when switching to a second access point in the roamable access point list based on the priority of at least one second access point included in the roamable access point list.

[0115] In a possible implementation manner, the first information is carried in a basic service set BSS switching management request frame.

[0116] Figure 4 The communication device shown may be a first access point, or a device that can be used in conjunction with the first access point. The communication device may also be a chip system.

[0117] The processing unit 401 is used to generate first information, wherein the first information includes a roamable access point list, and the roamable access point list includes at least one second access point sorted according to priority; the communication unit 402 is used to send the first information to the terminal device.

[0118] In a possible implementation manner, the priority of the second access point is related to one or more factors of the distance between the second access point and the terminal device, a received signal strength indication RSSI of the terminal device measured by the second access point, or a load condition of the second access point.

[0119] In a possible implementation, the priority of the second access point is related to the distance between the second access point and the terminal device; the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, the distance between the third access point and the terminal device is smaller than the distance between the fourth access point and the terminal device, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the roamable access point list.

[0120] In a possible implementation, the priority of the second access point is related to the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the second access point; the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the third access point is higher than the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the fourth access point, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the roamable access point list.

[0121] In a possible implementation, the priority of the second access point is related to the load status of the second access point; the priority of the third access point is higher than the priority of the fourth access point, the load of the third access point is less than the load of the fourth access point, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the roamable access point list.

[0122] In a possible implementation manner, the first information further includes first indication information, where the first indication information indicates whether the list of roamable access points is a list sorted according to priority.

[0123] In a possible implementation, the first information also includes second indication information or third indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device needs to perform channel scanning, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device does not need to perform channel scanning.

[0124] In a possible implementation manner, the first information is carried in a basic service set BSS switching management request frame.

[0125] Figure 5 A structural diagram of another communication device is given. The communication device 500 may be the first access point in the above method embodiment, or may be a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the first access point to implement the above method. The communication device may be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment, and the details may refer to the description in the above method embodiment.

[0126] Alternatively, the communication device 500 may be a terminal device in the above method embodiment, or a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the terminal device to implement the above method. The communication device may be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment, and the details may refer to the description in the above method embodiment.

[0127] The communication device 500 may include one or more processors 501. The processor 501 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, etc. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the communication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal, a terminal chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute a software program, and process the data of the software program.

[0128] Optionally, the communication device 500 may include one or more memories 502, on which instructions 504 may be stored, and the instructions may be executed on the processor 501, so that the communication device 500 performs the method described in the above method embodiment. Optionally, data may also be stored in the memory 502. The processor 501 and the memory 502 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0129] Optionally, the communication device 500 may further include a transceiver 505 and an antenna 506. The transceiver 505 may be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, or a transceiver circuit, etc., for implementing a transceiver function. The transceiver 505 may include a receiver and a transmitter, the receiver may be referred to as a receiver or a receiving circuit, etc., for implementing a receiving function; the transmitter may be referred to as a transmitter or a transmitting circuit, etc., for implementing a transmitting function.

[0130] The communication device 500 is a first access point: the processor 501 is used to perform the data processing operation of the first access point in the above method embodiment. The transceiver 505 is used to perform the data transceiving operation of the first access point in the above method embodiment.

[0131] Alternatively, the communication device 500 is a terminal device: the processor 501 is used to perform the data processing operation of the terminal device in the above method embodiment. The transceiver 505 is used to perform the data transceiving operation of the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0132] In another possible design, the processor 501 may include a transceiver for implementing the receiving and sending functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, or an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing the receiving and sending functions may be separate or integrated. The above-mentioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or the above-mentioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for transmitting or delivering signals.

[0133] In another possible design, optionally, the processor 501 may store an instruction 503, and the instruction 503 runs on the processor 501, so that the communication device 500 can execute the method described in the above method embodiment. The instruction 503 may be solidified in the processor 501, in which case the processor 501 may be implemented by hardware.

[0134] In another possible design, the communication device 500 may include a circuit that can implement the functions of sending or receiving or communicating in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processor and transceiver described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an integrated circuit (IC), an analog IC, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), a mixed signal IC, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a printed circuit board (PCB), an electronic device, etc.

[0135] The communication device described in the above embodiments may be a first access point or a terminal device, but the scope of the communication device described in the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device may not be limited thereto. Figure 5 The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be:

[0136] (1) Independent integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem;

[0137] (2) having a set of one or more ICs, and optionally, the IC set may also include a storage component for storing data and instructions;

[0138] (3) ASIC, such as modem (mobile station modem, MSM);

[0139] (4) Modules that can be embedded in other devices;

[0140] (5) Receivers, terminals, smart terminals, cellular phones, wireless devices, handheld devices, mobile units, vehicle-mounted devices, cloud devices, artificial intelligence devices, etc.;

[0141] (6)Others

[0142] For the case where the communication device may be a chip or a chip system, see Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the chip structure shown. Figure 6 The chip shown includes a processor 601 and an interface 602. Optionally, it may also include a memory 603. The number of the processor 601 may be one or more, and the number of the interface 602 may be multiple.

[0143] In one design, for a case where the chip is used to implement the function of the first access point in an embodiment of the present application:

[0144] The interface 602 is used to input or output signals;

[0145] The processor 601 is configured to execute the data processing operation of the first access point in the above method embodiment.

[0146] In another design, for the case where the chip is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application:

[0147] The interface 602 is used to input or output signals;

[0148] The processor 601 is used to execute the data processing operation of the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0149] It is understandable that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects, or may be combined with other features according to needs in certain scenarios. Accordingly, the communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0150] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiment of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor or an instruction in the form of software. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (digital signal processor, DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (field programmable gate array, FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components.

[0151] It can be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0152] The present application also provides a computer-readable medium for storing computer software instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0153] The present application also provides a computer program product for storing computer software instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0154] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated 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 instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (digital subscriber line, DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state drive (SSD)).

[0155] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

Claims

1. A method for switching an access point, It is characterized in that The method comprises: receiving first information from a first access point, wherein the first information includes a list of roamable access points, and the list of roamable access points includes at least one second access point sorted according to a priority; Based on the priority of at least one second access point included in the roamable access point list, switching to a second access point in the roamable access point list is performed.

2. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The priority of the second access point is related to one or more relevant information of a distance between the second access point and the terminal device, a received signal strength indication RSSI of the terminal device measured by the second access point, or a load condition of the second access point.

3. The method according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The priority of the second access point is related to the distance between the second access point and the terminal device; The priority of the third access point is higher than that of the fourth access point, the distance between the third access point and the terminal device is smaller than the distance between the fourth access point and the terminal device, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the roamable access point list.

4. The method according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The priority of the second access point is related to the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the second access point; The priority of the third access point is higher than that of the fourth access point, the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the third access point is higher than the RSSI of the terminal device measured by the fourth access point, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the roamable access point list.

5. The method according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The priority of the second access point is related to a load condition of the second access point; The priority of the third access point is higher than that of the fourth access point, the load of the third access point is smaller than the load of the fourth access point, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the roamable access point list.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, It is characterized in that The first information also includes first indication information, where the first indication information indicates whether the list of roamable access points is a list sorted by priority.

7. The method according to claim 6, It is characterized in that Before switching to a second access point in the roamable access point list based on the priority of at least one second access point included in the roamable access point list, the method further includes: Based on the first indication information, it is determined that the list of roamable access points is a list sorted according to priority.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, It is characterized in that The step of switching to a second access point in the roamable access point list based on a priority of at least one second access point included in the roamable access point list comprises: Perform channel scanning based on the list of roamable access points and select the first second access point that meets the handover condition for handover.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, the method further includes: After determining the first second access point that meets the handover condition, stop channel scanning.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, the first information further includes second indication information for indicating that the terminal device needs to perform channel scanning.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, the first information further includes third indication information for indicating that the terminal device does not need to perform channel scanning.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, the switching to one second access point in the list of roamable access points based on the priorities of at least one second access point included in the list of roamable access points includes: Based on the third indication information, select the second access point with the highest priority from the list of roamable access points for handover.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, the first information is carried in a Basic Service Set (BSS) handover management request frame.

14. An access point handover method, wherein, the method includes: Generate first information, which includes a list of roamable access points, and the list of roamable access points includes at least one second access point sorted according to priorities; Send the first information to the terminal device.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, the priority of the second access point is related to one or more of the distance between the second access point and the terminal device, the second access point measuring the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) of the terminal device, or the load condition of the second access point.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, the priority of the second access point is related to the distance between the second access point and the terminal device; The priority of the third access point is higher than that of the fourth access point, the distance between the third access point and the terminal device is less than the distance between the fourth access point and the terminal device, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the list of roamable access points.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein, the priority of the second access point is related to the second access point measuring the RSSI of the terminal device; The priority of the third access point is higher than that of the fourth access point, the third access point measures the RSSI of the terminal device higher than the fourth access point measures the RSSI of the terminal device, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the list of roamable access points.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein, the priority of the second access point is related to the load condition of the second access point; The priority of the third access point is higher than that of the fourth access point, the load of the third access point is smaller than the load of the fourth access point, and the third access point and the fourth access point are two second access points in the roamable access point list.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, It is characterized in that The first information also includes first indication information, where the first indication information indicates whether the list of roamable access points is a list sorted by priority.

20. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, It is characterized in that The first information also includes second indication information or third indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device needs to perform channel scanning, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device does not need to perform channel scanning.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, It is characterized in that The first information is carried in a basic service set BSS switching management request frame.

22. A communication device, It is characterized in that The communication device includes a module or unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, or the communication device includes a module or unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 14 to 21.

23. A communication device, It is characterized in that The method comprises a processor coupled to a memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instruction stored in the memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 21.

24. The device according to claim 23, It is characterized in that The device further includes the memory and / or a transceiver, wherein the transceiver is used for transmitting and receiving data and / or signaling.

25. A communication device, It is characterized in that The invention comprises a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive a signal from other communication devices other than the communication device and transmit it to the processor or send the signal from the processor to other communication devices other than the communication device, and the processor executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13 through a logic circuit or an execution instruction, or the processor executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 21 through a logic circuit or an execution instruction.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, It is characterized in that The storage medium stores a computer program or an instruction. When the computer program or the instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 21 is executed.

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