Rate control method and device for wireless network

Abstract

A rate control method of a wireless dense network considering low power consumption is provided. The rate control method is implemented by a wireless communication device. The rate control method includes determining a first power required to transmit additional overhead of a data stream; determining a plurality of second powers required to transmit the data stream, wherein the plurality of second powers correspond to a plurality of data rates of the data stream; selecting a data rate from the plurality of data rates according to the first power, the plurality of second powers, and a plurality of packet error rates (PERs) corresponding to the plurality of data rates; and transmitting a physical protocol data unit (PPDU), where the PPDU includes a data stream, and the data stream is transmitted at the selected data rate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the field of wireless communication technologies. More specifically, aspects of the present invention relate to a rate control method and a wireless communication device for a wireless dense network considering low power consumption.

Background Art

[0002] Currently, most rate control algorithms or rate control mechanisms are based on the packet error rate (PER) or the channel response. The goal of these rate control algorithms or rate control mechanisms is to optimize the effective bitrate rather than low power consumption. Therefore, transmitting a small amount of data traffic between devices may result in a large amount of power consumption. In addition, these rate control algorithms or rate control mechanisms do not consider media access control (MAC) / power efficiency, resulting in a large amount of power consumption or retransmission overhead in a dense network.

[0003] Therefore, a rate control method considering low power consumption is needed to solve these problems.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] The following is only for reference and does not mean to limit the present invention in any way. That is, the following summary aims to introduce the concepts, highlights, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious technologies described herein. Optionally, not all embodiments are further described in the following detailed description. Therefore, the following summary is not intended to identify the basic features of the claimed subject matter nor to be a basis for determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] In an exemplary embodiment, a rate control method for a wireless network considering low power consumption is provided. The rate control method is implemented by a first device. The rate control method includes establishing a connection with a second device using a first 802.11 protocol. The rate control method includes determining whether the data traffic to be transmitted is large data traffic or small data traffic. The rate control method includes, when determining that the data traffic to be transmitted is large data traffic, sending a first physical protocol data unit (PPDU) conforming to the first 802.11 protocol to the second device, where the first PPDU includes a preamble conforming to the first 802.11 protocol and the large data traffic. The rate control method includes, when determining that the data traffic to be transmitted is small data traffic, sending a second PPDU conforming to a second 802.11 protocol to the second device, where the second PPDU includes a preamble conforming to the second 802.11 protocol and the small data traffic, and the duration of the preamble conforming to the second 802.11 protocol is shorter than the duration of the preamble conforming to the first 802.11 protocol.

[0006] In some embodiments, the first PPDU is an extremely high throughput (EHT) PPDU or a high efficiency (HE) PPDU, and the second PPDU is a very high throughput (VHT) PPDU. The first 802.11 protocol is 802.11ax or 802.11be, and the second 802.11 protocol is 802.11ac.

[0007] In some embodiments, the duration of the long training field (LTF) symbol in the HE PPDU or EHT PPDU is longer than the duration of the LTF field symbol in the VHT PPDU.

[0008] In some embodiments, the HE PPDU or EHT PPDU has a packet extension, while the VHT PPDU does not have a packet extension.

[0009] In some embodiments, the step of determining whether the data stream to be transmitted is a large data stream or a small data stream includes: determining the ratio of the calculated length of the PPDU to a predefined maximum PPDU length, where the PPDU includes the data stream to be transmitted and a preamble located before the data stream to be transmitted, and the PPDU complies with the first 802.11 protocol; comparing the ratio with a threshold; when the ratio is greater than the threshold, determining that the data stream to be transmitted is a large data stream; when the ratio is less than or equal to the threshold, determining that the data stream to be transmitted is a small data stream.

[0010] In an exemplary embodiment, a rate control method for a wireless network considering low power consumption is provided. The rate control method is implemented by a wireless communication device. The rate control method includes determining a first power required for the additional overhead of transmitting a data stream, where the additional overhead includes additional control signals required to complete the transmission of the data stream. The rate control method includes determining a plurality of second powers required for transmitting the data stream, where the plurality of second powers correspond to a plurality of data rates of the data stream. The rate control method includes selecting a data rate from the plurality of data rates according to the first power, the plurality of second powers corresponding to the plurality of data rates, and a plurality of packet error rates (PERs) corresponding to the plurality of data rates. The rate control method includes transmitting a physical protocol data unit (PPDU), where the PPDU includes the data stream, and the data stream is transmitted at the selected data rate.

[0011] In some embodiments, the step of selecting a data rate from a plurality of data rates according to a first power, a plurality of second powers corresponding to a plurality of data rates, and a plurality of PERs corresponding to a plurality of data rates includes: determining a plurality of total power consumptions corresponding to the plurality of data rates according to the first power, the plurality of second powers corresponding to the plurality of data rates, and the plurality of PERs corresponding to the plurality of data rates, and selecting the data rate corresponding to the lowest total power consumption among the plurality of total power consumptions.

[0012] In some embodiments, the additional overhead includes a request-to-send (RTS) and a preamble of the PPDU.

[0013] In some embodiments, the power required to transmit the RTS is the product of the duration of the RTS and the transmission power of the RTS, and the power required to transmit the preamble of the PPDU is the product of the duration of the preamble and the transmission power of the preamble. The first power required to transmit the additional overhead includes the power required to transmit the RTS and the power required to transmit the preamble of the PPDU.

[0014] In some embodiments, the additional overhead only includes the preamble of the PPDU.

[0015] In some embodiments, the rate control method further includes: determining an actual power for transmitting a data stream according to a channel condition, where the data stream in the PPDU is transmitted using the actual power.

[0016] In some embodiments, the PPDU includes a number of spatial stream (NSS) field, a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) field, a bandwidth (BW) field, and a guard interval (GI) / long training field (LTF). At least one of the NSS field, the MCS field, the BW field, and the GI / LTF field is used to indicate the selected data rate.

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment, a wireless communication device for a wireless network considering low power consumption is provided. The wireless communication device includes a processor and a transceiver. The transceiver is configured to perform wireless transmission and reception. The processor is configured to establish a connection with a second device using a first 802.11 protocol. The processor is configured to determine whether the data stream to be transmitted is a large data stream or a small data stream. When it is determined that the data stream to be transmitted is a large data stream, the processor is configured to send a first physical protocol data unit (PPDU) compliant with the first 802.11 protocol to the second device, where the first PPDU includes a preamble compliant with the first 802.11 protocol and the large data stream. When it is determined that the data stream to be transmitted is a small data stream, the processor is configured to send a second PPDU compliant with a second 802.11 protocol to the second device, where the second PPDU includes a preamble compliant with the second 802.11 protocol and the small data stream. The duration of the preamble compliant with the second 802.11 protocol is shorter than the duration of the preamble compliant with the first 802.11 protocol.

[0018] In an exemplary embodiment, a wireless communication device for a wireless network considering low power consumption is provided. The wireless communication device includes a processor and a transceiver. The transceiver is configured to perform wireless transmission and reception. The processor is used to determine a first power required for additional overhead of transmitting a data stream, where the additional overhead includes additional control signals required to complete the data stream transmission. The processor is configured to determine a plurality of second powers required for transmitting the data stream, where the plurality of second powers correspond to a plurality of data rates of the data stream. The processor is configured to select a data rate from the plurality of data rates according to the first power, the plurality of second powers corresponding to the plurality of data rates, and a plurality of packet error rates (PERs) corresponding to the plurality of data rates. The processor is configured to send a physical protocol data unit (PPDU), where the PPDU includes the data stream, and the data stream is sent at the selected data rate. **Description of the Drawings**

[0019] The drawings are included in the present invention to further understand the present invention and form a part of the present invention. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description, are used to explain the principles of the present invention. It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, as some components may not be in proportion to the actual implementation in order to clearly illustrate the idea of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 1 An example network environment showing various solutions and scenarios according to the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure 2 A simplified block diagram showing a first wireless communication entity and a second wireless communication entity according to the present invention is shown.

[0022] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram showing how the rate controller according to the present invention selects the parameter x.

[0023] Figure 4 It is a flowchart showing a rate control method considering low power consumption for a wireless dense network according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 5 It shows the EHT MU PPDU format, HE SU PPDU format, HE MU PPDU format, and VHT PPDU format according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 6 It is a flowchart showing a rate control method considering low power consumption for a wireless dense network according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Implementation Manner

[0026] The various aspects of the present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented herein. On the contrary, these aspects are provided so that this invention will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein, those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of the present invention is intended to cover any aspect of the present invention disclosed herein, whether implemented independently or in combination with any other aspect of the present invention. For example, a device or method may be implemented using multiple aspects set forth herein. In addition, the scope of the present invention is intended to cover devices or methods implemented using other structures and / or functions in addition to the various aspects of the present invention set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the present invention disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of the claims.

[0027] As used herein, the term "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration". Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not to be construed as superior to other aspects. In addition, unless otherwise specified in the specification, the same reference numerals in multiple drawings represent the same elements.

[0028] Figure 1 It shows an example network environment 100 in which various solutions according to the present invention can be implemented. It shows implementation examples in the network environment 100 of various proposed solutions according to the present invention. The following will be described with reference to for various proposed solutions.

[0029] Refer to Figure 1, the network environment 100 involves wireless communication entities 110 and 120 performing wireless communication in a wireless network based on one or more Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards. For example, the wireless communication entity 110 can be an access point (AP) providing Wi-Fi wireless access, while the wireless communication entity 120 can be a station (STA). According to the solution proposed by the present invention, the wireless communication entities 110 and 120 can be configured to perform rate control according to various solutions described herein.

[0030] Figure 2 FIG. shows a simplified block diagram of the wireless communication entities 110 and 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention. For the wireless communication entity 110, the antenna 207 transmits and receives radio frequency signals. The radio frequency transceiver module 206 coupled to the antenna 207 receives radio frequency signals from the antenna 207, processes them, and sends the processed signals to the processor 203. The radio frequency transceiver module 206 also receives signals from the processor 203, processes them, and sends the processed signals to the antenna 207. The processor 203 processes the received signals and calls different functional modules to perform the functions in the wireless communication entity 110. The memory 202 stores program instructions and data 2022 to control the operation of the wireless communication entity 110.

[0031] A similar configuration exists in the wireless communication entity 120, where the antenna 217 transmits and receives radio frequency signals. The radio frequency transceiver module 216 coupled to the antenna 217 receives radio frequency signals from the antenna 217, processes them, and sends the processed signals to the processor 213. The radio frequency transceiver module 216 also receives signals from the processor 213, processes them, and sends the processed signals to the antenna 217. The processor 213 processes the received signals and calls different functional modules to perform the functions in the wireless communication entity 120. The memory 212 stores program instructions and data 2122 to control the operation of the wireless communication entity 120.

[0032] The wireless communication entities 110 and 120 also include several functional modules to implement some embodiments of the present invention. Different functional modules are circuits that can be configured and implemented through software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof. When executed by the processors 203 and 213 (e.g., by executing the program codes 2022 and 2122), the functional modules allow the wireless communication entity 110 to send data traffic or receive data traffic from the wireless communication entity 120. The link adaptation module 209 / 219 includes a power estimator 201 / 211, a user scenario module 204 / 214, a rate controller 205 / 215, a power control module 208, and / or a power control module 218.

[0033] In some embodiments, the power estimator 201 / 211 is used to estimate the power of, for example, overhead and the data stream in the PPDU, where the overhead is additional control signals required to complete the PPDU data stream transmission, including request-to-send (RTS), clear-to-send (CTS), the preamble of the PPDU, or acknowledgment (ACK) / block acknowledgment (block ACK). In one embodiment, the overhead includes RTS and the preamble of the PPDU. The RTS can be a Multi-User RTS or other types of RTS. In another embodiment, the overhead only includes the preamble of the PPDU.

[0034] The user scenario module 204 / 214 determines the data traffic type, where the data traffic type indicates whether the data stream is a small data stream or a large data stream, for example, whether the data stream is a small amount of data (e.g., periodic data) or a large amount of data (e.g., burst data).

[0035] The rate controller 205 / 215 can select a data rate from multiple data rates according to the following formula:

[0036] min x∈x集合 (1 + PER(x))·(T 开销 ·P 开销 + T 数据 (x)·P 数据 ) (1)

[0037]

[0038] where R(x) is the data rate corresponding to x, where x represents a set of parameters affecting the rate. x represents a combination of one or more of the following parameters: modulation and coding scheme (MCS), the number of spatial streams (NSS), bandwidth (BW), guard interval (GI), and long training field (LTF). PER is the packet error rate of the data stream in the PPDU. T overhead is the duration of the overhead, where the overhead is additional control signals required to complete the data stream transmission of the PPDU. P overhead is the transmission power of the overhead. T data (x) is the duration of the data stream corresponding to x. Pdata is the transmission power of the data stream. Data traffic in formula (2) represents the amount of data of the data stream to be transmitted.

[0039] In one embodiment, the overhead set includes the RTS and the preamble of the PPDU.

[0040] ∑ f∈开销集合 T f ·P f =T RTS ·P RTS +T 前导码 ·P 前导码 。

[0041] In another embodiment, the overhead set only includes the preamble of the PPDU.

[0042] ∑ f∈开销集合 T f ·P f =T 前导码 ·P 前导码

[0043] In some embodiments, the data rate of the preamble is constant. If the data stream has a high rate, the RTS also has a high rate. If the data stream has a low rate, the RTS also has a low rate. In another embodiment, the rate of the RTS can be constant.

[0044] The rate controller 205 / 215 selects a data rate from multiple data rates according to the duration of the additional overhead of the data stream, the transmission power of the additional overhead, the duration of the data stream, the transmission power of the data stream, and multiple PERs corresponding to multiple data rates. Among them, the transmission power of the additional overhead and the transmission power of the data stream can be the power estimated by the power estimator 201 / 211. Specifically, the rate controller 205 / 215 determines multiple total power consumptions corresponding to multiple data rates according to the duration of the additional overhead of the data stream, the transmission power of the additional overhead, multiple durations of the data stream corresponding to multiple data rates, the transmission power of the data stream, and multiple PERs corresponding to multiple data rates. Then, the rate controller 205 / 215 selects the lowest total power consumption from multiple total power consumptions and selects the data rate corresponding to the lowest total power consumption. The rate controller 205 / 215 generates a first indication, and this first indication is used to indicate the selected data rate and the lowest total power consumption.

[0045] In some embodiments, the rate controller 205 / 215 further determines the actual power for transmitting the data stream according to the channel conditions. When the rate controller 205 / 215 determines that the channel conditions are good, low power can be used to transmit the data stream. When the rate controller 205 / 215 determines that the channel conditions are bad, high power can be used to transmit the data stream, where the high power should meet the requirement of the minimum signal to noise ratio (SNR) corresponding to the selected data rate. The rate controller 205 / 215 can generate a second indication for indicating the actual power of transmitting the data stream based on the channel conditions.

[0046] The power control module 208 / 218 uses the selected data rate and power indicated by the rate controller 205 / 215 to transmit the data stream.

[0047] In some embodiments, the data traffic can be data or a management frame.

[0048] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing how the rate controller according to the present invention selects a set of parameters x.

[0049] As Figure 3 shown, in step S301, the rate controller first selects the parameter x. In step S302, the power control module transmits the data stream through the wireless channel at a rate corresponding to the parameter x. Then, in step S303, the rate controller collects the packet error rate (PER) and physical layer (PHY) information on the wireless channel when using the rate corresponding to the parameter x, where the PHY information may include information about the current physical channel, for example, channel quality (such as SNR), channel characteristics (such as static or fading channel), whether there is interference on the channel, etc., and this information can indicate the performance of the PER. In step S304, the rate controller selects a set of possible parameters x based on the selected parameter x, PER, and the PHY information corresponding to the selected parameter x. The selected set of possible parameters x is used in formula (2).

[0050] Figure 4 is a flowchart 400 showing a rate control method considering low power consumption for a wireless dense network according to an embodiment of the present invention. This rate control method is implemented by the processor of the first device, where the first device can be one of the communication entities 110 and 120.

[0051] In step S405, the processor establishes a connection with the second device using the first 802.11 protocol.

[0052] Then, in step S410, the processor determines whether the data stream to be transmitted is a large data stream or a small data stream. The data stream can be data or a management frame. A large data stream can be a data stream with a size greater than a threshold, and a small data stream can be a data stream with a size less than or equal to the threshold. Specifically, the processor determines the ratio of the length of the calculated PPDU to the predefined maximum PPDU length, where the PPDU includes the data stream to be transmitted and the preamble of the PPDU in front of the data stream to be transmitted, and the PPDU complies with the first 802.11 protocol. When the ratio is greater than the threshold, the processor determines that the data stream to be transmitted is a large data stream; when the ratio is less than or equal to the threshold, it is determined that the data stream to be transmitted is a small data stream. In one embodiment, the predefined maximum PPDU length can be 5.484 ms.

[0053] Then, in response to determining that the data stream to be transmitted is a large data stream ("large" in step S410), in step S415, the processor sends a first PPDU compliant with the first 802.11 protocol to the second device, where the first PPDU includes a preamble compliant with the first 802.11 protocol and the large data stream behind the preamble.

[0054] In response to determining that the data stream to be transmitted is a small data stream ("small" in step S410), in step S425, the processor sends a second PPDU compliant with the second 802.11 protocol to the second device, where the second PPDU includes a preamble compliant with the second 802.11 protocol and the small data stream behind the preamble.

[0055] In one embodiment, the duration of the preamble compliant with the second 802.11 protocol is shorter than the duration of the preamble compliant with the first 802.11 protocol. Among them, the preamble of the 802.11 protocol includes the PHY preamble.

[0056] In one embodiment, the first PPDU is an extremely high throughput (EHT) PPDU or a high efficiency (HE) PPDU, while the second PPDU is a very high throughput (VHT) PPDU.

[0057] Figure 5 Embodiments of the present invention illustrate the EHT MU PPDU format 510, the HE SU PPDU format 520, the HE MU PPDU format 530, and the VHT PPDU format 540. As Figure 5As shown, the durations of multiple Long Training Field (LTF) symbols 512, 522, and 532 in the EHT MU PPDU format 510, HE SU PPDU format 520, and HE MU PPDU format 530 are greater than the duration of the LTF field 542 in the VHT PPDU format 540. For example, in the HE / EHT PPDU, the duration of an LTF symbol can be: 2xLTF + 0.8(GI) = 7.2 us, 2xLTF + 1.6(GI) = 8 us, 4xLTF + 3.2(GI) = 16 us; in the VHT PPDU, LTF = 4 us. Additionally, the EHT MU PPDU format 510, HE SU PPDU format 520, or HE MU PPDU format 530 has a Packet Extension (PE), while the VHT PPDU format 540 does not have a packet extension. In some embodiments, the GI length in the EHT MU PPDU format 510, HE SU PPDU format 520, or HE MU PPDU format 530 is greater than the GI length in the VHT PPDU format 540. Moreover, the number of SIG-B or EHT-SIG symbols in the EHT MU PPDU format 510, HE SU PPDU format 520, or HE MU PPDU format 530 is an integer greater than 1. The VHT PPDU format 540 has one SIG-B symbol. Additionally, the EHT MU PPDU format 510, HE SU PPDU format 520, or HE MU PPDU format 530 has an RL-SIG. The VHT PPDU format 540 does not have an RL-SIG.

[0058] In one embodiment, the first 802.11 protocol is 802.11ax or 802.11be, and the second 802.11 protocol is 802.11ac.

[0059] In the rate control method and rate control device considering low power consumption for a wireless dense network provided in the embodiments of the present invention, when the data stream to be transmitted is a small data stream, the purpose of reducing additional overhead can be achieved by using the VHT PPDU to transmit the data stream to be transmitted instead of using the EHT PPDU or HE PPDU to transmit the data stream to be transmitted.

[0060] Figure 6 FIG. 600 is a flowchart showing a rate control method considering low power consumption for a wireless dense network according to an embodiment of the present invention. The rate control method is implemented by a processor of a wireless communication device, where the wireless communication device can be one of communication entities 110 and 120.

[0061] In step S605, the processor determines a first power required for the additional overhead of the transmitted data stream, where the additional overhead includes additional control signals required to complete the data stream transmission. The data stream can be data or a management frame. In one embodiment, the additional overhead can include a Request to Send (RTS) and the preamble of the PPDU. In another embodiment, the additional overhead can include only the preamble of the PPDU.

[0062] In step S610, the processor determines a plurality of second powers required for transmitting the data stream, where the plurality of second powers correspond to a plurality of data rates of the data stream. In some embodiments, each second power required to transmit the data stream is the product of the duration of the data stream corresponding to the respective data rate and the transmission power of the data stream.

[0063] In step S615, the processor selects a data rate from the plurality of data rates according to the first power, the plurality of second powers corresponding to the plurality of data rates, and the plurality of Packet Error Rates (PERs) corresponding to the plurality of data rates. Specifically, the processor determines a plurality of total power consumptions corresponding to the plurality of data rates according to the first power, the plurality of second powers corresponding to the plurality of data rates, and the plurality of PERs corresponding to the plurality of data rates. The processor selects the lowest total power consumption from the plurality of total power consumptions and selects the data rate corresponding to the lowest total power consumption. Among them, the total power consumption corresponding to a data rate can be equal to the sum of the first power and the second power corresponding to the data rate multiplied by (1 + PER), where the PER is the PER corresponding to the data rate, as shown in formula (2).

[0064] In step S620, the processor transmits a PPDU, where the PPDU includes a data stream and a preamble located before the data stream, and the data stream is transmitted at the selected data rate.

[0065] In some embodiments, determining the first power required for the additional overhead of the transmitted data stream includes: determining a plurality of first powers corresponding to a plurality of rates required for transmitting the additional overhead; determining the plurality of total power consumptions includes: determining a plurality of total power consumptions corresponding to the plurality of data rates based on the plurality of first powers corresponding to the plurality of rates, the plurality of second powers corresponding to the plurality of data rates, and the plurality of PERs corresponding to the plurality of data rates.

[0066] In one embodiment, the additional overhead may include a Request To Send (RTS) and the preamble of the PPDU. For example, the power required to transmit the Request To Send (RTS) is the product of the duration of the RTS and the transmission power of the RTS. The power required to transmit the preamble of the PPDU is the product of the duration of the preamble and the transmission power of the preamble. At this time, the first power required for the additional overhead of transmitting the data stream includes the sum of the power required to transmit the Request To Send (RTS) and the power required to transmit the preamble of the PPDU. In another embodiment, the additional overhead may only include the preamble of the PPDU. The power required to transmit the preamble of the PPDU is the product of the duration of the preamble and the transmission power of the preamble. At this time, the first power required for the additional overhead of transmitting the data stream is the power required to transmit the preamble of the PPDU.

[0067] In some embodiments, the processor may also determine the actual power for transmitting the data stream according to the channel conditions, where the actual power is used to transmit the data stream in the PPDU.

[0068] In some embodiments, the PPDU includes a Number of Spatial Streams (NSS) field, a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) field, a Bandwidth (BW) field, and a Guard Interval / Long Training Field (GI / LTF), where at least one of the NSS field, the MCS field, the BW field, and the GI / LTF field indicates the selected data rate.

[0069] Those of ordinary skill in the art can realize that the units and steps in the embodiments described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination thereof. To clearly describe the interchangeability between hardware and software, the components and steps of each embodiment are generally described according to functions above. Whether these functions are executed by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of the present invention.

[0070] Although the present disclosure has been described by way of examples and preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (which are obvious to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be given the broadest interpretation to cover all such modifications and similar arrangements.

Claims

1. A rate control method for a wireless network, characterized in that: The rate control method is implemented by a first device and includes: establishing a connection with the second device using a first 802.11 protocol; Determine whether the data stream to be sent is a large data stream or a small data stream; When it is determined that the data stream to be sent is a large data stream, sending a first physical protocol data unit PPDU that complies with the first 802.11 protocol to the second device, wherein the first PPDU includes a preamble code that complies with the first 802.11 protocol and the large data stream; and When it is determined that the data stream to be sent is a small data stream, sending a second PPDU that complies with a second 802.11 protocol to the second device, wherein the second PPDU includes a preamble that complies with the second 802.11 protocol and the small data stream; The duration of the preamble code conforming to the second 802.11 protocol is shorter than the duration of the preamble code conforming to the first 802.11 protocol.

2. The rate control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first PPDU is an extremely high throughput EHT PPDU or a high efficiency HE PPDU, and the second PPDU is a very high throughput VHT PPDU.

3. The rate control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The duration of the long training field LTF symbol in the HE PPDU or EHT PPDU is longer than the duration of the LTF symbol in the VHT PPDU.

4. The rate control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The HE PPDU or EHT PPDU has a data packet extension, and the VHT PPDU does not have a data packet extension.

5. The rate control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of determining whether the data stream to be sent is a large data stream or a small data stream includes: Determining a ratio of the calculated length of the PPDU to a predefined maximum length of the PPDU, wherein the PPDU includes a data stream to be transmitted and a preamble of the PPDU, and the PPDU complies with a first 802.11 protocol; comparing the ratio to a threshold value; When the ratio is greater than a threshold, determining that the data stream to be sent is a large data stream; When the ratio is less than or equal to the threshold, it is determined that the data flow to be sent is a small data flow.

6. A rate control method for a wireless network, characterized in that: The method is implemented by a wireless communication device and includes: determining a first power required for additional overhead of transmitting the data stream, wherein the additional overhead includes additional control signals required to complete transmission of the data stream; determining a plurality of second powers required to transmit the data stream, wherein the plurality of second powers correspond to a plurality of data rates of the data stream; selecting a data rate from the plurality of data rates according to the first power, a plurality of second powers, and a plurality of packet error rates PER corresponding to the plurality of data rates; and A physical protocol data unit (PPDU) is transmitted, wherein the PPDU includes a data stream, and the data stream is transmitted at a selected data rate.

7. The rate control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The step of selecting a data rate from a plurality of data rates according to the first power, the plurality of second powers and a plurality of PERs corresponding to a plurality of data rates comprises: determining a plurality of total power consumptions corresponding to a plurality of data rates according to the first power, a plurality of second powers, and a plurality of PERs corresponding to a plurality of data rates, wherein the second power required for each transmission of the data stream is a product of a duration of the data stream and a transmission power of the data stream; and A data rate corresponding to a lowest total power consumption among the plurality of total power consumptions is selected.

8. The rate control method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The step of determining a first power required for transmitting the additional overhead of the data stream comprises: determining a plurality of first powers required to transmit the additional overhead, the plurality of first powers corresponding to a plurality of rates; Determining a plurality of total power consumptions corresponding to a plurality of data rates according to the first power, a plurality of second powers, and a plurality of PERs corresponding to a plurality of data rates comprises: A plurality of total power consumptions corresponding to the plurality of data rates are determined based on the plurality of first powers, the plurality of second powers, and the plurality of PERs corresponding to the plurality of data rates.

9. The rate control method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The additional overhead includes a request to send RTS and a preamble of the PPDU.

10. The rate control method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The additional overhead includes only the preamble of the PPDU.

11. The rate control method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The power required to transmit the RTS is the product of the duration of the RTS and the transmit power of the RTS, and the power required to transmit the preamble of the PPDU is the product of the duration of the preamble and the transmit power of the preamble; The first power required for transmitting the additional overhead is the sum of the power required for transmitting the RTS and the power required for transmitting the preamble of the PPDU.

12. The rate control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: Further including: Determining actual power for sending the data stream according to channel conditions; The data stream is sent using the actual power in the PPDU.

13. The rate control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The PPDU includes a number of spatial streams NSS field, a modulation and coding scheme MCS field, a bandwidth BW field, and a guard interval GI / long training field LTF; and At least one of the NSS field, the MCS field, the BW field, and the GI / LTF field indicates the selected data rate.

14. A wireless communication device, characterized in that: include: processor; as well as A transceiver capable of performing wireless transmission, wherein the processor is configured to: establishing a connection with the second device using a first 802.11 protocol; Determine whether the data stream to be sent is a large data stream or a small data stream; When it is determined that the data stream to be sent is a large data stream, sending a first PPDU that complies with a first 802.11 protocol to the second device, wherein the first PPDU includes a preamble that complies with the first 802.11 protocol and the large data stream; and When it is determined that the data stream to be sent is a small data stream, sending a second PPDU that complies with a second 802.11 protocol to the second device, wherein the second PPDU includes a preamble that complies with the second 802.11 protocol and the small data stream; The duration of the preamble code conforming to the second 802.11 protocol is shorter than the duration of the preamble code conforming to the first 802.11 protocol.

15. The wireless communication device according to claim 14, characterized in that The first PPDU is an EHT PPDU or a HEPPDU, and the second PPDU is a VHT PPDU; wherein the first 802.11 protocol is 802.11ax or 802.11be, and the second 802.11 protocol is 802.11ac.

16. The wireless communication device according to claim 14, characterized in that The step of determining whether the data stream to be sent is a large data stream or a small data stream includes: Determine a ratio of the calculated length of the PPDU to a predefined maximum length of the PPDU, wherein the PPDU includes the data stream to be transmitted and a preamble of the PPDU, and the PPDU complies with a first 802.11 protocol; comparing the ratio to a threshold value; When the ratio is greater than the threshold, determining that the data stream to be sent is a large data stream; When the ratio is less than or equal to the threshold, it is determined that the data flow to be sent is a small data flow.

17. A wireless communication device, characterized in that: include: processor; as well as A transceiver capable of performing wireless transmissions, wherein the processor is configured to: determining a first power required for additional overhead of transmitting a data stream, wherein the additional overhead includes additional control signals required to complete transmission of the data stream; determining a plurality of second powers required to transmit the data stream; wherein the plurality of second powers correspond to a plurality of data rates of the data stream; selecting a data rate from the plurality of data rates based on the first power, a plurality of second powers, and a plurality of PERs corresponding to the plurality of data rates; as well as A PPDU is transmitted, wherein the PPDU includes the data stream, and the data stream is transmitted at the selected data rate.

18. The wireless communication device according to claim 17, characterized in that Selecting a data rate from the plurality of data rates based on the first power, the plurality of second powers, and a plurality of PERs corresponding to the plurality of data rates comprises: determining a plurality of total power consumptions corresponding to the plurality of data rates according to the first power, a plurality of second powers, and a plurality of PERs corresponding to the plurality of data rates, wherein the second power required for each transmission data stream is a product of a duration of the data stream and a transmission power of the data stream; and A data rate corresponding to a lowest total power consumption among the plurality of total power consumptions is selected.

19. The wireless communication device according to claim 17, characterized in that The additional overhead includes the RTS and the preamble of the PPDU.

20. The wireless communication device according to claim 19, characterized in that The power required to transmit the RTS is the product of the duration of the RTS and the transmit power of the RTS, and the power required to transmit the preamble of the PPDU is the product of the duration of the preamble and the transmit power of the preamble; The first power required for transmitting the additional overhead is equal to the sum of the power required for transmitting the RTS and the power required for transmitting the preamble code of the PPDU.

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