Communication method and device, and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to the technical field of communication, and provides a communication method, equipment and a storage medium. The method comprises: a first AP determining a multi-user request to send a transmission opportunity sharing trigger MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame comprising a TXOP shared by the first AP to at least one second AP, the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame being used for indicating a neighbor AP to perform data transmission according to each TXOP shared by the first AP, and the second AP being a neighbor AP that needs to perform data transmission in a first TXOP of the first AP; and the first AP sends the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame. The embodiment of the invention can provide a mode for indicating the neighbor AP to carry out data transmission when the TXOP is shared.

Description

Communication method, device and storage medium Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to a communication method, device, and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In order to achieve reasonable allocation of communication resources, improve communication quality and access efficiency, and achieve better network performance, relevant researchers have proposed a transmission opportunity sharing (TXOP Sharing, TXS) mechanism.

[0003] The TXOP holder (AP) can act as a Sharing AP and allocate its reserved TXOP to other APs. Other APs, acting as Shared APs, can then transmit data with associated STAs within the TXOP shared by the Sharing AP. However, interference between APs still exists under this mechanism, and further research is needed to improve AP communication quality.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a device, and a storage medium, which can provide a way to instruct a neighbor AP to transmit data when sharing a TXOP.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0007] A first AP determines a multi-user request to send a transmission opportunity sharing trigger MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, wherein the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by the first AP to at least one second AP, and the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is used to instruct neighboring APs to transmit data according to each TXOP shared by the first AP, and the second AP is a neighboring AP that needs to transmit data within the first TXOP of the first AP;

[0008] The first AP sends the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame.

[0009] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0010] The third AP receives a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, wherein the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by the first AP to at least one second AP, the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is used to instruct neighboring APs to transmit data according to each TXOP shared by the first AP, each second AP is a neighboring AP that needs to transmit data within the first TXOP of the first AP, and the third AP is any neighboring AP of the first AP;

[0011] The third AP performs data transmission according to each TXOP shared by the first AP.

[0012] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an AP, including:

[0013] a processing module, configured to determine a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, wherein the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by a first AP to at least one second AP, the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is used to instruct neighboring APs to transmit data according to each TXOP shared by the first AP, and the second AP is a neighboring AP that needs to transmit data within a first TXOP of the first AP;

[0014] The transceiver module is used to send the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame.

[0015] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an AP, including:

[0016] a transceiver module configured to receive a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, wherein the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by a first AP to at least one second AP, the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame being configured to instruct neighboring APs to transmit data according to the respective TXOPs shared by the first AP, each second AP being a neighboring AP that needs to transmit data within a first TXOP of the first AP;

[0017] The processing module is configured to transmit data according to each TXOP shared by the first AP.

[0018] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an AP, comprising one or more processors;

[0019] The above-mentioned AP is used to execute the communication method provided in the first aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an AP, comprising one or more processors;

[0021] The above-mentioned AP is used to execute the communication method provided in the second aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a storage medium storing instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the communication method provided in the first aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication system, which includes a first AP and a third AP; wherein the first AP is configured to execute the method described in the first aspect, and the third AP is configured to execute the method described in the second aspect.

[0024] Based on the communication method, device, and storage medium provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, a method can be provided for an AP to instruct a neighboring AP to transmit data when sharing a TXOP.

[0025] Additional aspects and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be given in part in the following description, which will become apparent from the following description or be learned through practice of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0027] Figures 1a and 1b are schematic diagrams of communication scenarios shown in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system shown in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] FIG3 is an interactive schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG5 is a second flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an AP proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an AP proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a device, and a storage medium.

[0037] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, which is performed by a first AP and includes:

[0038] A first AP determines a multi-user request to send a transmission opportunity sharing trigger MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, wherein the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by the first AP to at least one second AP, and the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is used to instruct neighboring APs to transmit data according to each TXOP shared by the first AP, and the second AP is a neighboring AP that needs to transmit data within the first TXOP of the first AP;

[0039] The first AP sends the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame.

[0040] In the above embodiment, when the first AP shares the TXOP with the second AP among the neighboring APs through the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, the neighboring AP can determine the TXOP shared by the first AP to each second AP through the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, and then transmit data according to each TXOP shared by the first AP, which is conducive to improving the reasonable allocation of communication resources, avoiding transmission interference between APs, and improving AP access efficiency.

[0041] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes at least one user information field, each of the user information fields includes a duration allocation field, and each of the duration allocation fields is used to indicate a first transmission duration of a TXOP shared with one of the second APs;

[0042] Among them, the first transmission duration corresponding to each of the above-mentioned second APs is greater than or equal to the second transmission duration required for the corresponding second AP to perform data transmission within the above-mentioned first TXOP; the first transmission duration and the second transmission duration corresponding to each of the above-mentioned second APs are less than the third transmission duration of the above-mentioned first TXOP.

[0043] In the above embodiment, a first AP can share a TXOP with a second AP using the duration allocation field in each user information field. This facilitates neighboring APs to quickly identify the neighboring AP corresponding to each user information field, thereby improving TXOP sharing efficiency. Furthermore, the first transmission duration of the TXOP shared by the first AP for each second AP is greater than or equal to the second transmission duration required by the second AP and less than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP. This ensures that each second AP can complete data transmission within the first TXOP, thus guaranteeing communication efficiency and integrity for neighboring APs.

[0044] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the above method further includes:

[0045] The first AP sends a first wireless frame, where the first wireless frame is used to discover whether a neighboring AP needs the first AP to share a TXOP within the first TXOP;

[0046] The first radio frame includes at least one of the following:

[0047] A first information field, where the first information field is used to indicate a third transmission duration, where the third transmission duration is the remaining transmission duration of the first TXOP when the first AP sends the first radio frame;

[0048] The first flag bit indicates that the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs through a first value, and indicates that the first TXOP does not support sharing with any neighboring APs through a second value.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the first AP can discover whether a neighboring AP needs to share a TXOP with the first AP through the first radio frame, which is conducive to improving TXOP sharing efficiency. The first AP can indicate the third transmission duration of the first TXOP and whether the first TXOP supports sharing with the neighboring AP through the first radio frame. Therefore, the neighboring AP that receives the first radio frame can accurately determine whether the first AP needs to share the TXOP with the neighboring AP within the first TXOP based on the third transmission duration and whether the first TXOP supports sharing with the neighboring AP, which is conducive to further improving TXOP sharing efficiency.

[0050] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the above method further includes:

[0051] The first AP receives a second radio frame sent by at least one second AP, where each second radio frame is used to indicate that a corresponding neighboring AP requires the first AP to share a TXOP within the first TXOP.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the second AP can indicate to the first AP through the second wireless frame that it needs to share the TXOP, which helps the first AP to quickly determine the second AP among the neighboring APs that needs to share the TXOP based on the second wireless frame, and then share the TXOP for each second AP, thereby improving the TXOP sharing efficiency.

[0053] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, each of the above-mentioned second wireless frames includes a second information field, and the above-mentioned second information field is used to indicate a second transmission duration required for the corresponding second AP to transmit data within the above-mentioned first TXOP.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the first AP can determine the second transmission duration for each second AP to transmit data through the second wireless frame, and thus can determine the first transmission duration of the TXOP shared by each second AP based on the second transmission duration for each second AP to transmit data, thereby improving the efficiency and accuracy of determining the first transmission duration, thereby ensuring that the first transmission duration corresponding to each second AP can meet the data transmission requirements of the corresponding second AP and ensure communication quality.

[0055] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first AP sending the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes:

[0056] After receiving the second wireless frame sent by each of the second APs, the first AP sends the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame after a short interframe interval.

[0057] In the above embodiment, after receiving each second radio frame, the first AP may send a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame after a short interframe interval, thereby avoiding collision and conflict between the second radio frame and the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, and ensuring that TXOP sharing can be achieved through the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame.

[0058] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, which may be performed by a third AP. The method includes:

[0059] The third AP receives a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, wherein the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by the first AP to at least one second AP, and the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is used to instruct neighboring APs to transmit data according to each TXOP shared by the first AP, each of the second APs is a neighboring AP that needs to transmit data within the first TXOP of the first AP, and the third AP is any neighboring AP of the first AP.

[0060] The third AP transmits data according to each TXOP shared by the first AP.

[0061] In the above embodiment, when the first AP shares the TXOP with the second AP among the neighboring APs through the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, the third AP can determine the TXOPs shared by the first AP with each second AP through the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, and then perform data transmission according to the TXOPs shared by the first AP. This is conducive to improving the rational allocation of communication resources, avoiding transmission interference between APs, and improving AP access efficiency.

[0062] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes at least one user information field, each of the user information fields includes a duration allocation field, and each of the duration allocation fields is used to indicate a first transmission duration of a TXOP shared with one of the second APs;

[0063] Among them, the first transmission duration corresponding to each of the above-mentioned second APs is greater than or equal to the second transmission duration required for the corresponding second AP to perform data transmission within the above-mentioned first TXOP; the first transmission duration and the second transmission duration corresponding to each of the above-mentioned second APs are less than the third transmission duration of the above-mentioned first TXOP.

[0064] In the above embodiment, a first AP can share a TXOP with a second AP using the duration allocation field in each user information field. This facilitates neighboring APs to quickly identify the neighboring AP corresponding to each user information field, thereby improving TXOP sharing efficiency. Furthermore, the first transmission duration of the TXOP shared by the first AP for each second AP is greater than or equal to the second transmission duration required by the second AP and less than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP. This ensures that each second AP can complete data transmission within the first TXOP, thus guaranteeing communication efficiency and integrity for neighboring APs.

[0065] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the third AP transmits data according to the TXOP shared by the first AP, including:

[0066] When the first AP shares the TXOP with the third AP, the third AP performs data transmission within a first transmission duration of the TXOP shared by the first AP for the third AP, and does not perform data transmission outside the first transmission duration.

[0067] When the first AP does not share the TXOP with the third AP, and the communication range of the third AP overlaps with the communication range of at least one fourth AP among the second APs, the third AP does not transmit data within the first transmission duration corresponding to each fourth AP;

[0068] When the first AP does not share the TXOP with the third AP, and the communication range of the third AP does not overlap with the communication range of at least one fifth AP in each of the second APs, the third AP stops data transmission when the first transmission duration corresponding to each of the fifth APs ends.

[0069] In the above embodiment, when a first AP shares a TXOP with a third AP, the third AP may only transmit data during the first transmission duration of the TXOP shared with it by the first AP, thereby ensuring the third AP's data transmission while avoiding interference with the data transmission of other APs. If the first AP does not share a TXOP with the third AP, if there is a fourth AP whose communication range overlaps with that of the third AP, the third AP may not transmit data during the first transmission duration corresponding to the fourth AP to avoid interfering with the data transmission of the fourth AP. If the first AP does not share an AP with the third AP, if there is a fifth AP whose communication range overlaps with that of the third AP, the third AP may stop data transmission at the end of the first transmission duration of the fifth AP to avoid interfering with the data transmission of the first AP.

[0070] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the above method further includes:

[0071] The third AP receives a first wireless frame, where the first wireless frame is used to discover whether a neighboring AP needs the first AP to share a TXOP within the first TXOP;

[0072] The first radio frame includes at least one of the following:

[0073] A first information field, where the first information field is used to indicate a third transmission duration, where the third transmission duration is the remaining transmission duration of the first TXOP when the first AP sends the first radio frame;

[0074] The first flag bit indicates that the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs through a first value, and indicates that the first TXOP does not support sharing with any neighboring APs through a second value.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the first AP can use the first radio frame to discover whether a neighboring AP needs to share a TXOP with the first AP, thereby improving TXOP sharing efficiency. The third AP can use the first radio frame to determine the third transmission duration of the first TXOP and whether the first TXOP supports sharing with the neighboring AP, thereby determining whether the first AP needs to share the TXOP with the neighboring AP within the first TXOP, further improving TXOP sharing efficiency.

[0076] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the above method further includes:

[0077] When the third AP does not need to perform data transmission in the first TXOP, the third AP does not respond to the first wireless frame;

[0078] When the third AP needs to perform data transmission within the first TXOP, if the first TXOP does not support sharing with any neighboring AP, or if the second transmission duration required for the third AP to perform data transmission within the first TXOP is greater than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP, the third AP does not respond to the first wireless frame.

[0079] When the third AP needs to transmit data within the first TXOP, if the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs, and the second transmission duration required for the third AP to transmit data within the first TXOP is less than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP, the third AP sends a second wireless frame, and the second wireless frame is used to indicate that the third AP needs the first AP to share the TXOP within the first TXOP.

[0080] In the above embodiment, the third AP may not respond to the first radio frame when data transmission is not required within the first TXOP, when the first TXOP does not support sharing with any neighboring APs, or when the second transmission duration required for data transmission is less than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP. The third AP may indicate through the second radio frame that it needs to share the TXOP with the first AP when data transmission is required within the first TXOP, when the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs, and when the second transmission duration required for data transmission is less than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP. Based on the above approach, the response mechanism of the neighboring AP after receiving the first radio frame can be improved, which helps the first AP quickly determine the neighboring AP with which it needs to share the TXOP.

[0081] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second wireless frame includes a second information field, and the second information field is used to indicate a second transmission duration required for the third AP to transmit data within the first TXOP.

[0082] In the above embodiment, the third AP can indicate the second transmission duration for data transmission through the second wireless frame, so that the first AP can determine the first transmission duration of the TXOP shared by the third AP based on the second transmission duration for data transmission of each third AP, thereby improving the efficiency and accuracy of determining the first transmission duration, thereby ensuring that the first transmission duration corresponding to the third AP can meet the data transmission requirements of the third AP and ensure communication quality.

[0083] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an AP, including:

[0084] a processing module, configured to determine a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, wherein the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by a first AP to at least one second AP, the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame being used to instruct neighboring APs to transmit data according to the respective TXOPs shared by the first AP, the second AP being a neighboring AP that needs to transmit data within a first TXOP of the first AP;

[0085] The transceiver module is used to send the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame.

[0086] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an AP, including:

[0087] a transceiver module configured to receive a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, wherein the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by a first AP to at least one second AP, the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame being configured to instruct neighboring APs to transmit data according to the respective TXOPs shared by the first AP, each of the second APs being a neighboring AP that needs to transmit data within the first TXOP of the first AP;

[0088] The processing module is configured to transmit data according to each TXOP shared by the first AP.

[0089] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an AP, comprising one or more processors;

[0090] The AP is used to execute the communication method provided in the first aspect and the optional implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0091] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an AP, comprising one or more processors;

[0092] The AP is used to execute the communication method provided in the second aspect and the optional implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0093] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, comprising one or more processors;

[0094] In which, the above-mentioned communication device can act as a first AP to execute the communication method provided in the first aspect and the optional implementation method of the first aspect, or act as a third AP to execute the communication method provided in the second aspect and the optional implementation method of the second aspect.

[0095] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a storage medium, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in the first aspect, the second aspect, the optional implementation of the first aspect, and the optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0096] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a program product. When the program product is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in the first aspect, the second aspect, the optional implementation of the first aspect, and the optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0097] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the first aspect, the second aspect, the optional implementation of the first aspect, and the optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0098] In an eleventh aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a chip or a chip system, wherein the chip or chip system includes a processing circuit configured to execute the method described in the first aspect, the second aspect, the optional embodiment of the first aspect, and the optional embodiment of the second aspect.

[0099] In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication system, which includes a first AP and a third AP; wherein the first AP is configured to execute the method described in the first aspect and the optional implementation method of the first aspect, and the third AP is configured to execute the method described in the second aspect and the optional implementation method of the second aspect.

[0100] It is understandable that the above-mentioned AP, communication system, communication device, storage medium, program product, computer program, chip, or chip system is used to perform the method proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding method and will not be repeated here.

[0101] The present disclosure provides a communication method, device, and storage medium. In some embodiments, the terms "communication method" and "information processing method" are interchangeable, the terms "communication device" and "information processing device" are interchangeable, and the terms "information processing system" and "communication system" are interchangeable.

[0102] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional implementation methods in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0103] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0104] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0105] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular, such as "a", "an", "the", "above", "above", "the", etc., may mean "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one", etc. For example, when using articles such as "a", "an", "the" in English in translation, the noun following the article may be understood as a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0106] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0107] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one," "one or more," "a plurality of," "multiple," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0108] In some embodiments, descriptions such as "at least one of A and B," "A and / or B," "A in one case, B in another case," or "in response to one case A, in response to another case B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); and in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0109] In some embodiments, "A or B" and other descriptions may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0110] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects and do not constitute any restriction on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. For the statement of the description object, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary restriction should be constituted due to the use of prefixes. For example, if the description object is a "field", the ordinal number before the "field" in the "first field" and the "second field" does not limit the position or order between the "fields". "First" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they limit the order of the "first field" and the "second field". For another example, if the description object is a "level", the ordinal number before the "level" in the "first level" and the "second level" does not limit the priority between the "levels". For another example, the number of description objects is not limited by the ordinal number and can be one or more. Taking "first device" as an example, the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device", then the "first device" and the "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. For another example, if the description object is "information", then the "first information" and the "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their contents can be the same or different.

[0111] In some embodiments, “including A,” “comprising A,” “used to indicate A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0112] In some embodiments, terms such as "in response to...", "in response to determining...", "in the case of...", "at the time of...", "when...", "if...", "if...", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0113] In some embodiments, terms such as "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not less than", and "above" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", and "below" can be replaced with each other.

[0114] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0115] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0116] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of any elements, any rows, and any columns can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0117] In Wi-Fi systems, devices that successfully contend for a channel reserve a period of time for data transmission. This period is called a transmission opportunity (TXOP). The device that successfully contends for and reserves a TXOP is called the TXOP holder. Within a TXOP, the TXOP holder can actively transmit data, while other devices can only receive data or send response frames indicating their receipt. When an AP is the TXOP holder, it can allocate a portion of its reserved TXOP time to its associated STAs. During the allocated TXOP time, STAs can send uplink data to the AP or to other STAs with which it has established a peer-to-peer (P2P) link.

[0118] The TXOP holder AP can act as a Sharing AP to distribute its reserved TXOP to other APs. However, the existing mechanism of sharing TXOPs between APs may still cause communication interference between APs.

[0119] For example, as shown in Figure 1a, when AP2 and AP3 are both neighbor APs of AP1 and are within AP1's communication range, but AP2 and AP3 are not within each other's communication range, when AP1 shares the reserved TXOP with AP2 using a Multi-User Request to Send TXOP Sharing Trigger (MU-RTS TXS Trigger) frame, AP2 can send a Clear To Send (CTS) frame to AP1 and then transmit data with the associated STA2-1. After receiving the data transmitted by AP2, STA2-1 can send an Acknowledgment frame to confirm receipt of the data.

[0120] When AP3 detects a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame sent by AP1 that is not destined for AP3, AP3 suspends or postpones data transmission within the TXOP shared by AP1 to avoid interfering with AP2's data transmission within AP1's shared TXOP. In practice, after AP2 acquires AP1's shared TXOP, AP2's transmission within BSS2 and AP3's transmission within BSS3 do not interfere with each other. If AP3 suspends data transmission during this period, communication resources will be wasted.

[0121] For example, as shown in Figure 1b, if AP2 and AP3 are both neighbor APs of AP1 and within AP1's communication range, but AP2 and AP3 are not within each other's communication range, when AP1 shares the reserved TXOP with AP2 using a Multi-User Request to Send TXOP Sharing Trigger (MU-RTS TXS Trigger) frame, AP2 can send a Clear To Send (CTS) frame to AP1 and then conduct data transmission with its associated STA2-1. After receiving the data transmitted by AP2, STA2-1 can send an Acknowledgment frame to confirm receipt of the data. If AP3 hears an MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame sent by AP1 but the target is not itself, it continues data transmission within BSS3. If AP2 completes data transmission early within the acquired TXOP, it sends a Contention-Free (CF-end) frame to AP1, returning the remaining TXOP. At this time, the data transmission of AP3 may cause AP1 to be unable to obtain the remaining TXOP or cause interference to the data transmission of AP1 in BSS1.

[0122] To address the above issues, the following will further describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure in a clear and complete manner with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure and do not constitute all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without creative effort shall fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0123] FIG2 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0124] As shown in FIG. 2 , the communication system 200 includes an AP 201 and at least one AP 202 .

[0125] The AP 201 and the AP 202 may be independent devices, or may be devices supporting the Multi-Link Operation (MLO) technology. For example, the AP 201 and the AP 202 may be AP MLDs.

[0126] In some embodiments, AP 201 and AP 202 may be terminal devices or network devices with Wi-Fi chips.

[0127] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0128] The following embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to the communication system 200 shown in Figure 2, or a portion thereof, but are not limited thereto. The entities shown in Figure 2 are illustrative only. The communication system may include all or part of the entities shown in Figure 2, or may include other entities outside of Figure 2. The number and form of the entities are arbitrary, and the entities may be physical or virtual. The link relationships between the entities are illustrative only. The entities may be linked or unlinked, and the links may be in any manner, including direct or indirect, wired or wireless.

[0129] The various embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to wireless local area networks (WLANs), such as IEEE 802.11 system standards, such as 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax, or their successors, such as 802.11bn, 802.11bf, and 802.11be. The 802.11be standard is also known as Wi-Fi 7 or the extremely high-throughput (EHT) standard, or even a later generation standard. Alternatively, the various embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applied to wireless local area network systems, such as Internet of Things (IoT) networks or Vehicle to X (V2X) networks. Of course, the embodiments of the present disclosure can also be applied to other possible communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, and future fifth generation (5G) communication system.

[0130] FIG3 is an interactive diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication method shown in FIG3 includes:

[0131] In step S31 , a first AP sends a first radio frame, where the first radio frame is used to find out whether a neighboring AP needs the first AP to share a TXOP within a first TXOP.

[0132] In some embodiments, the first AP is a holder of a TXOP, which may also be called a Sharing AP. The first TXOP is a TXOP reserved by the first AP. The first AP sends a first wireless frame to all neighboring APs.

[0133] In some embodiments, the first radio frame is used to discover whether a neighboring AP needs the first AP to share a TXOP within the first TXOP, that is, to determine a neighboring AP with which the first AP needs to share a TXOP for data transmission.

[0134] In some embodiments, the first radio frame may include at least one of a first information field and a first identification bit.

[0135] The first information field is used to indicate the third transmission duration of the first TXOP.

[0136] Among them, the first identification bit indicates through the first value that the first TXOP supports sharing with the neighbor AP, that is, the first value indicates that part of the transmission duration of the third transmission duration of the first TXOP can be shared with the neighbor AP; the first identification bit indicates through the second value that the first TXOP does not support sharing with the neighbor AP, that is, the second value indicates that the third transmission duration of the first TXOP is not allowed to be shared with the neighbor AP.

[0137] The first value and the second value are different, for example, the first value may be 1 and the second value may be 0, which is not limited here.

[0138] Optionally, the first identification bit may be an AP-2-AP TXS identification bit, or may be other identification bits in the first radio frame, which is not limited here.

[0139] Step S32: The third AP determines whether data transmission is required within the first TXOP.

[0140] In some embodiments, the third AP is any neighbor AP of the first AP.

[0141] In some embodiments, after receiving the first wireless frame, the third AP may determine whether to perform data transmission within the first TXOP, that is, determine whether the first AP needs to share the TXOP with the third AP within the first TXOP to perform data transmission according to the TXOP shared by the first AP.

[0142] If the third AP determines that data transmission is not required in the first TXOP, step S35 is executed. If the third AP determines that data transmission is required in the first TXOP, step S33 is executed.

[0143] Step S33: The third AP determines whether the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs.

[0144] In some embodiments, the third AP may determine whether the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs according to the first radio frame, that is, determine whether the first AP supports sharing the TXOP with neighboring APs within the first TXOP.

[0145] As an example, when the first wireless frame includes a first identification bit, if the identification value of the first identification bit is a first value, the third AP determines that the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs; if the identification value of the first identification bit is a second value, the third AP determines that the first TXOP does not support sharing with any neighboring AP.

[0146] If the third AP determines that the first TXOP does not support sharing with neighboring APs, step S35 is executed. If the third AP determines that the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs, step S34 is executed.

[0147] It should be noted that the judgment processes of step S32 and step S33 can be interchanged or performed simultaneously, that is, when the third AP determines that data transmission is not required within the first TXOP or determines that the first TXOP does not support sharing with neighboring APs, step S35 is executed; when the third AP determines that data transmission is required within the first TXOP and determines that the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs, step S34 is executed.

[0148] Step S34: The third AP determines whether the second transmission duration required for data transmission in the first TXOP is greater than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP.

[0149] In some embodiments, if data transmission is required within a first TXOP and the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs, the third AP may determine a second transmission duration required for data transmission within the first TXOP. Furthermore, if the third AP determines that the second transmission duration is greater than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP, step S35 is executed; if the third AP determines that the second transmission duration is less than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP, step S36 is executed.

[0150] Step S35: The third AP does not respond to the first wireless frame.

[0151] In step S36 , the third AP sends a second radio frame, where the second radio frame is used to indicate that the third AP needs to share the TXOP with the first AP within the first TXOP.

[0152] In some embodiments, the third AP may send a second radio frame to the first AP.

[0153] The second radio frame is used to indicate that the third AP needs the first AP to share the TXOP within the first TXOP, that is, the third AP needs to transmit data through the TXOP shared by the first AP.

[0154] In some embodiments, the second radio frame may further include a second information field, where the second information field is used to indicate a second transmission duration required for the third AP to transmit data within the first TXOP.

[0155] That is, for the first AP, the first AP may receive a second radio frame sent by each neighboring AP, where each second radio frame is used to indicate whether the corresponding neighbor requires the first AP to share the TXOP within the first TXOP for data transmission.

[0156] Likewise, each second radio frame may further include a second information field, and the second information field in each second radio frame is used to indicate a second transmission duration required for the corresponding neighbor AP to transmit data within the first TXOP.

[0157] In step S37 , the first AP sends a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame. The MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by the first AP to at least one second AP. The MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is used to instruct neighboring APs to transmit data according to the TXOP shared with each second AP.

[0158] In some embodiments, after receiving the second radio frame sent by at least one second AP, the first AP may send a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, where the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is used to share the TXOP with each second AP.

[0159] The MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is also used to instruct each neighbor AP to transmit data according to the TXOP shared by the first AP (to each second AP).

[0160] Each second AP is a neighboring AP that needs to perform data transmission within the first TXOP of the first AP.

[0161] The second transmission duration required for each second AP to transmit data in the first TXOP is less than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP.

[0162] Each second AP may be called a Shared AP.

[0163] In some embodiments, the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame may include at least one user information field (User Info field), and each user information field corresponds to a second AP.

[0164] Each user information field includes an Allocation Duration field, and each Allocation Duration field is used to indicate a first transmission duration of a TXOP shared with a second AP.

[0165] The first transmission duration indicated by the duration allocation field in each user information field is greater than or equal to the second transmission duration required for the second AP corresponding to the user information field to transmit data in the first TXOP.

[0166] The first transmission duration indicated by the duration allocation field in each user information field is smaller than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP.

[0167] In some embodiments, each user information field may further indicate other parameter information of the TXOP shared with a second AP through at least one other information field. For example, the start time of the TXOP shared with a second AP may be indicated through one other information field.

[0168] In some embodiments, the first AP may send the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame after a short interframe space (SIFS) after receiving the second radio frame sent by each second AP.

[0169] In step S38 , the third AP determines whether the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame shares the TXOP with the third AP.

[0170] In some embodiments, after receiving the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, the third AP may determine whether the first AP shares the TXOP with it through the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame.

[0171] Among them, if the third AP does not respond to the first wireless frame sent by the first AP, it can be determined that the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame does not share TXOP with the third AP; if the third AP sends a second wireless frame to the first AP, it can be determined that the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame shares TXOP with the third AP.

[0172] Optionally, when the first wireless frame includes at least one user information field, and each user information field indicates the first transmission duration of the TXOP shared with a second AP through a duration allocation field, after the third AP receives the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, it can determine whether the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes the user information field corresponding to the third AP.

[0173] If the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes the user information field corresponding to the third AP, the third AP determines that the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame shares the TXOP with it. If the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame does not include the user information field corresponding to the third AP, the third AP determines that the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame does not share the TXOP with it.

[0174] In some embodiments, if the third AP determines that the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame shares the TXOP with the third AP, step S39 is executed. If the third AP determines that the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame does not share the TXOP with the third AP, step S310 is executed.

[0175] In step S39 , the third AP transmits data within the first transmission duration corresponding to the TXOP shared by the first AP.

[0176] In some embodiments, the third AP may determine a first transmission duration of the TXOP shared by the first AP, thereby performing data transmission with the associated STA within the first transmission duration, and stopping data transmission after the first transmission duration ends.

[0177] Among them, the third AP can transmit data with the associated STA within the first transmission duration after receiving the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, or can transmit data with the associated STA within the first transmission duration after receiving the trigger frame after receiving the trigger frame sent by the first AP to instruct the third AP to perform data transmission.

[0178] In step S310 , the third AP does not perform data transmission within the first transmission duration corresponding to each fourth AP, and stops data transmission at the end of the first transmission duration corresponding to each fifth AP.

[0179] In some embodiments, each fourth AP is an AP among the second APs whose communication range overlaps with the communication range of the third AP, and each fifth AP is an AP among the second APs whose communication range does not overlap with the communication range of the third AP.

[0180] In some embodiments, the third AP does not transmit data within the first transmission duration corresponding to each fourth AP.

[0181] The third AP may determine the first transmission duration corresponding to each fourth AP according to the user information field in the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame.

[0182] Among them, the third AP can reset the network allocation vector (NAV) according to the information of the Duration field in the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame (such as the transmission duration of the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, etc.), so that the third AP does not transmit data within the first transmission duration corresponding to each fourth AP.

[0183] In some embodiments, the third AP terminates data transmission when the first transmission duration corresponding to each fifth AP ends.

[0184] The third AP may determine the first transmission duration corresponding to each fifth AP based on the user information field in the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, and maintain the current NAV before the end of the first transmission duration corresponding to each fifth AP. The NAV is reset at the end of the first transmission duration corresponding to each fifth AP, so that the third AP terminates data transmission at the end of the first transmission duration corresponding to the fifth AP.

[0185] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of the aforementioned steps and embodiments. For example, any one of steps S31 to S310 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any number of steps in steps S31 to S310 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0186] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4 , the method is executed by a first AP and includes:

[0187] Step S41 : Determine a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame. The MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by a first AP to at least one second AP. The MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is used to instruct neighboring APs to transmit data according to each TXOP shared by the first AP.

[0188] In some embodiments, the first AP is a holder of the first TXOP, and the first AP may be referred to as a Sharing AP. The first AP may share the TXOP with at least one second AP within the first TXOP it holds.

[0189] The MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame may be used to share a TXOP with each second AP. The MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame may also be used to instruct each neighboring AP to transmit data according to the TXOP shared by the first AP (to each second AP).

[0190] Each second AP is a neighboring AP that needs to perform data transmission within the first TXOP of the first AP.

[0191] The second transmission duration required for each second AP to transmit data in the first TXOP is less than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP.

[0192] Each second AP may be called a Shared AP.

[0193] In some embodiments, the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame may include at least one user information field (User Info field), and each user information field corresponds to a second AP.

[0194] Each user information field includes an Allocation Duration field, and each Allocation Duration field is used to indicate a first transmission duration of a TXOP shared with a second AP.

[0195] The first transmission duration indicated by the duration allocation field in each user information field is greater than or equal to the second transmission duration required for the second AP corresponding to the user information field to transmit data in the first TXOP.

[0196] The first transmission duration indicated by the duration allocation field in each user information field is smaller than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP.

[0197] In some embodiments, each user information field may further indicate other parameter information of the TXOP shared with a second AP through at least one other information field. For example, the start time of the TXOP shared with a second AP may be indicated through one other information field.

[0198] Step S42: Send a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame.

[0199] In some embodiments, after determining the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, the first AP sends the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame to all neighboring APs.

[0200] In some embodiments, before determining the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, the first AP may send a first radio frame to each neighboring AP, where the first radio frame is used to find out whether the neighboring AP requires the first AP to share the TXOP within the first TXOP.

[0201] That is, the first AP can discover whether the neighboring AP needs the first AP to share the TXOP within the first TXOP through the first radio frame, that is, to determine the neighboring AP with which the first AP needs to share the TXOP for data transmission.

[0202] Optionally, the first wireless frame may include at least one of a first information field and a first identification bit.

[0203] The first information field is used to indicate the third transmission duration of the first TXOP.

[0204] Among them, the first identification bit indicates through the first value that the first TXOP supports sharing with the neighbor AP, that is, the first value indicates that part of the transmission duration of the third transmission duration of the first TXOP can be shared with the neighbor AP; the first identification bit indicates through the second value that the first TXOP does not support sharing with the neighbor AP, that is, the second value indicates that the third transmission duration of the first TXOP is not allowed to be shared with the neighbor AP.

[0205] The first value and the second value are different, for example, the first value may be 1 and the second value may be 0, which is not limited here.

[0206] Optionally, the first identification bit may be an AP-2-AP TXS identification bit, or may be other identification bits in the first radio frame, which is not limited here.

[0207] In some embodiments, after sending the first radio frame, the first AP may receive a second radio frame sent by a neighboring AP.

[0208] For any second radio frame, the second radio frame is sent by the corresponding neighboring AP to the first AP after receiving the first radio frame when the following conditions are met. The conditions include: determining that data transmission is required within the first TXOP, determining that the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs, and that the second transmission duration of data transmission by the neighboring AP within the first TXOP is less than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP.

[0209] Optionally, each second radio frame may further include a second information field, where the second information field is used to indicate a second transmission duration required for the corresponding neighbor AP to transmit data within the first TXOP.

[0210] In some embodiments, after receiving at least one second wireless frame, the first AP may regard the neighboring AP that sends the second wireless frame as a second AP, thereby determining and sending a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame to share the TXOP with each second AP, and at the same time instruct each neighboring AP through the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame to transmit data according to each TXOP shared by the first AP.

[0211] In some embodiments, the first AP may send the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame after a short interframe space (SIFS) after receiving each second radio frame.

[0212] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of the aforementioned steps and embodiments. For example, any one of steps S41 and S42 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S41 and S42 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0213] FIG5 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG5 , the method is executed by a third AP and includes:

[0214] Step S51: Receive a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, where the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by a first AP to at least one second AP. The MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is used to instruct neighboring APs to transmit data according to the TXOPs shared by the first AP.

[0215] In some embodiments, a first AP is a holder of a first TXOP and may be referred to as a Sharing AP. The first AP may share the TXOP with at least one second AP within the first TXOP it holds. The third AP may be any neighboring AP of the first AP.

[0216] The MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame may be used to share a TXOP with each second AP. The MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame may also be used to instruct each neighboring AP to transmit data according to the TXOP shared by the first AP (to each second AP).

[0217] Each second AP is a neighboring AP that needs to perform data transmission within the first TXOP of the first AP.

[0218] The second transmission duration required for each second AP to transmit data in the first TXOP is less than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP.

[0219] Each second AP may be called a Shared AP.

[0220] In some embodiments, the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame may include at least one user information field (User Info field), and each user information field corresponds to a second AP.

[0221] Each user information field includes an Allocation Duration field, and each Allocation Duration field is used to indicate a first transmission duration of a TXOP shared with a second AP.

[0222] The first transmission duration indicated by the duration allocation field in each user information field is greater than or equal to the second transmission duration required for the second AP corresponding to the user information field to transmit data in the first TXOP.

[0223] The first transmission duration indicated by the duration allocation field in each user information field is smaller than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP.

[0224] In some embodiments, each user information field may further indicate other parameter information of the TXOP shared with a second AP through at least one other information field. For example, the start time of the TXOP shared with a second AP may be indicated through one other information field.

[0225] Step S52: Perform data transmission according to each TXOP shared by the first AP.

[0226] In some embodiments, after receiving the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, the third AP may determine whether the first AP shares the TXOP with it through the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame.

[0227] Optionally, when the first wireless frame includes at least one user information field, and each user information field indicates the first transmission duration of the TXOP shared with a second AP through a duration allocation field, after the third AP receives the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, it can determine whether the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes the user information field corresponding to the third AP.

[0228] If the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes the user information field corresponding to the third AP, the third AP determines that the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame shares the TXOP with it. If the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame does not include the user information field corresponding to the third AP, the third AP determines that the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame does not share the TXOP with it.

[0229] In some embodiments, if the third AP determines that the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame shares the TXOP with the third AP, the third AP transmits data within the first transmission duration corresponding to the TXOP shared by the first AP.

[0230] That is, the third AP may determine the first transmission duration of the TXOP shared with it by the first AP, thereby performing data transmission with the associated STA within the first transmission duration, and stopping data transmission after the first transmission duration ends.

[0231] Among them, the third AP can transmit data with the associated STA within the first transmission duration after receiving the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, or can transmit data with the associated STA within the first transmission duration after receiving the trigger frame after receiving the trigger frame sent by the first AP to instruct the third AP to perform data transmission.

[0232] In some embodiments, if the third AP determines that the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame does not share the TXOP with the third AP, it does not perform data transmission during the first transmission duration corresponding to each fourth AP, and stops data transmission at the end of the first transmission duration corresponding to each fifth AP.

[0233] Each fourth AP is an AP among the second APs whose communication range overlaps with the communication range of the third AP, and each fifth AP is an AP among the second APs whose communication range does not overlap with the communication range of the third AP.

[0234] Specifically, the third AP does not transmit data within the first transmission duration corresponding to each fourth AP.

[0235] The third AP may determine the first transmission duration corresponding to each fourth AP according to the user information field in the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame.

[0236] Among them, the third AP can reset the network allocation vector (NAV) according to the information of the Duration field in the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame (such as the transmission duration of the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, etc.), so that the third AP does not transmit data within the first transmission duration corresponding to each fourth AP.

[0237] Specifically, the third AP terminates data transmission when the first transmission duration corresponding to each fifth AP ends.

[0238] The third AP may determine the first transmission duration corresponding to each fifth AP based on the user information field in the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, and maintain the current NAV before the end of the first transmission duration corresponding to each fifth AP. The NAV is reset at the end of the first transmission duration corresponding to each fifth AP, so that the third AP terminates data transmission at the end of the first transmission duration corresponding to the fifth AP.

[0239] In some embodiments, before receiving the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, the third AP may further receive the first radio frame sent by the first AP.

[0240] The first radio frame is used to find out whether the neighboring AP needs the first AP to share the TXOP within the first TXOP, that is, to determine the neighboring AP with which the first AP needs to share the TXOP for data transmission.

[0241] In some embodiments, the first radio frame may include at least one of a first information field and a first identification bit.

[0242] The first information field is used to indicate the third transmission duration of the first TXOP.

[0243] Among them, the first identification bit indicates through the first value that the first TXOP supports sharing with the neighbor AP, that is, the first value indicates that part of the transmission duration of the third transmission duration of the first TXOP can be shared with the neighbor AP; the first identification bit indicates through the second value that the first TXOP does not support sharing with the neighbor AP, that is, the second value indicates that the third transmission duration of the first TXOP is not allowed to be shared with the neighbor AP.

[0244] The first value and the second value are different, for example, the first value may be 1 and the second value may be 0, which is not limited here.

[0245] Optionally, the first identification bit may be an AP-2-AP TXS identification bit, or may be other identification bits in the first radio frame, which is not limited here.

[0246] In some embodiments, after receiving the first wireless frame, the third AP needs to perform the following operations:

[0247] Determining whether to perform data transmission within the first TXOP, that is, determining whether the first AP needs to share the TXOP with the third AP within the first TXOP to perform data transmission according to the TXOP shared by the first AP;

[0248] Determining whether the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs, that is, determining whether the first AP supports sharing the TXOP with neighboring APs within the first TXOP;

[0249] It is determined whether a second transmission duration required for data transmission in the first TXOP is greater than a third transmission duration of the first TXOP.

[0250] In which, when the third AP determines whether the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs, it can determine the identification value of the first identification bit in the first wireless frame. If the identification value of the first identification bit is the first value, the third AP determines that the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs. If the identification value of the first identification bit is the second value, the third AP determines that the first TXOP does not support sharing with any neighboring AP.

[0251] If the third AP determines that data transmission is not required within the first TXOP and / or that the first TXOP does not support sharing with neighboring APs and / or that the second transmission duration for data transmission within the first TXOP is less than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP, the third AP does not respond to the first radio frame. If the third AP determines that data transmission is required within the first TXOP, that the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs, and that the second transmission duration required for data transmission within the first TXOP is less than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP, the third AP sends a second radio frame to the first AP, where the second radio frame indicates that the third AP needs to share the TXOP with the first AP within the first TXOP.

[0252] Optionally, the second radio frame may further include a second information field, where the second information field is used to indicate a second transmission duration required for the third AP to transmit data within the first TXOP.

[0253] That is, for the first AP, the first AP may receive a second radio frame sent by each neighboring AP, where each second radio frame is used to indicate whether the corresponding neighbor requires the first AP to share the TXOP within the first TXOP for data transmission.

[0254] Likewise, each second radio frame may further include a second information field, and the second information field in each second radio frame is used to indicate a second transmission duration required for the corresponding neighbor AP to transmit data within the first TXOP.

[0255] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of the aforementioned steps and embodiments. For example, any one of steps S51 to S352 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any number of steps in steps S51 to S52 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0256] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an AP proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG6 , the AP 600 may include: a processing module 601 and a transceiver module 602 .

[0257] In some embodiments, the processing module 601 is configured to determine a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, wherein the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by a first AP to at least one second AP, the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is configured to instruct neighboring APs to transmit data according to each TXOP shared by the first AP, and the second AP is a neighboring AP that needs to transmit data within a first TXOP of the first AP.

[0258] The transceiver module 602 is configured to send the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame.

[0259] Optionally, the transceiver module 602 is configured to execute at least one of the transceiver steps (eg, step S31, step S37, step S42, but not limited thereto) executed by the first AP in any of the above methods, which will not be described in detail here.

[0260] Optionally, the processing module 601 is configured to execute at least one of the processing steps (such as step S41 , but not limited thereto) executed by the first AP in any of the above methods, which will not be described in detail here.

[0261] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an AP proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG7 , the AP 700 may include a transceiver module 701 and a processing module 702 .

[0262] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 701 is configured to receive a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame; wherein the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by a first AP to at least one second AP, and the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is used to instruct neighboring APs to transmit data according to each TXOP shared by the first AP, and each second AP is a neighboring AP that needs to transmit data within the first TXOP of the first AP;

[0263] The processing module 702 is configured to perform data transmission according to each TXOP shared by the first AP.

[0264] Optionally, the transceiver module 701 is configured to execute at least one of the transceiver steps (eg, step S36, step S51, but not limited thereto) executed by the third AP in any of the above methods, which will not be described in detail here.

[0265] Optionally, the processing module 702 is used to execute at least one of the processing steps (such as steps S32-S35, steps S38-S310, and step S52, but not limited thereto) performed by the third AP in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here.

[0266] It should be understood that the division of the above units or modules is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they may be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they may be physically separated. In addition, the units or modules may be implemented in the form of a processor calling software: for example, including a processor connected to a memory, the memory storing instructions, and the processor calling the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or the functions of the above units or modules, where the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory inside or outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The above-mentioned hardware circuits can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the functions of some or all of the above units or modules are realized by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit can be realized by a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by configuring the configuration file, thereby realizing the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above devices can be realized in the form of software called by the processor, or in the form of hardware circuits, or in part by the form of software called by the processor, and the remaining part by the form of hardware circuits.

[0267] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capability. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capability, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP); in another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of the hardware circuit, and the logical relationship of the above hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable, such as a hardware circuit implemented by a processor as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and implementing the hardware circuit configuration can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0268] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Communication device 800 can be a first AP or a third AP, or can be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the first AP or the third AP in implementing any of the above methods. The communication device can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiments.

[0269] As shown in Figure 8, the communication device 800 includes one or more processors 801. The processor 801 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (such as a base station, baseband chip, terminal device, terminal device chip, DU or CU, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. The communication device 800 is used to perform any of the above methods.

[0270] In some embodiments, the communication device 800 further includes one or more memories 802 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memory 802 may also be outside the communication device 800.

[0271] In some embodiments, the communication device 800 further includes one or more transceivers 803. When the communication device 800 includes one or more transceivers 803, the transceiver 803 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (for example, steps S31, S36-S37, S42, and S51, but not limited thereto), and the processor 801 performs at least one of the other steps (for example, steps S32-S35, S38-S310, S41, and S52, but not limited thereto).

[0272] In some embodiments, a transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, and transceiver circuit may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit may be used interchangeably.

[0273] In some embodiments, the communication device 800 may include one or more interface circuits 804. Optionally, the interface circuit 804 is connected to the memory 802. The interface circuit 804 may be configured to receive signals from the memory 802 or other devices, and may be configured to send signals to the memory 802 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 804 may read instructions stored in the memory 802 and send the instructions to the processor 801.

[0274] The communication device 800 described in the above embodiment may be an AP or a STA, but the scope of the communication device 800 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 800 may not be limited by FIG. 7 . The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the above communication device may be: 1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the above IC collection may also include a storage component for storing data and programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, an intelligent terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handheld device, a mobile unit, an in-vehicle device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0275] 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip 900 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The chip 900 includes one or more processors 901, and the chip 900 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0276] In some embodiments, chip 900 further includes one or more interface circuits 903. Optionally, interface circuit 903 is connected to memory 902. Interface circuit 903 can be used to receive signals from memory 902 or other devices, and interface circuit 903 can be used to send signals to memory 902 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 903 can read instructions stored in memory 902 and send the instructions to processor 901.

[0277] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 903 executes at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (for example, step S31, step S36-step S37, step S42, step S51, but not limited to these), and the processor 1001 executes at least one of the other steps (for example, step S32-step S35, step S38-step S310, step S41, step S52, but not limited to these).

[0278] In some embodiments, terms such as interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, and transceiver may be used interchangeably.

[0279] In some embodiments, the chip 900 further includes one or more memories 902 for storing instructions. Alternatively, all or part of the memory 902 may be external to the chip 900.

[0280] The present disclosure also provides a storage medium having instructions stored thereon. When the instructions are executed on the communication device 800, the communication device 800 executes any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0281] The present disclosure also provides a program product, which, when executed by the communication device 800, enables the communication device 800 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0282] The present disclosure also proposes a computer program, which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to execute any of the above methods. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and an explanation of the technical principles used. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of disclosure involved in the present disclosure is not limited to the technical solutions formed by a specific combination of the above-mentioned technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above-mentioned technical features or their equivalent features without departing from the above-mentioned disclosed concepts. For example, the above-mentioned features are replaced with the technical features with similar functions disclosed in the present disclosure (but not limited to) and the technical solutions formed.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The first AP determines that a multi-user request sends a transmission opportunity sharing trigger MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, wherein the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by the first AP to at least one second AP, and the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is used to instruct a neighbor AP to perform data transmission according to each TXOP shared by the first AP, and the second AP is a neighbor AP that needs to perform data transmission within a first TXOP of the first AP; The first AP sends the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes at least one user information field, each of the user information fields includes a duration allocation field, and each of the duration allocation fields is used to indicate a first transmission duration of a TXOP shared with one of the second APs; Among them, the first transmission duration corresponding to each of the second APs is greater than or equal to the second transmission duration required for the corresponding second AP to perform data transmission within the first TXOP; the first transmission duration and the second transmission duration corresponding to each of the second APs are less than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The first AP sends a first wireless frame, where the first wireless frame is used to find out whether a neighboring AP needs the first AP to share a TXOP in the first TXOP; The first radio frame includes at least one of the following: A first information field, where the first information field is used to indicate a third transmission duration, where the third transmission duration is a remaining transmission duration of the first TXOP when the first AP sends the first radio frame; The first flag bit indicates that the first TXOP supports sharing with neighbor APs through a first value, and indicates that the first TXOP does not support sharing with any neighbor APs through a second value.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first AP receives a second radio frame sent by at least one second AP, where each of the second radio frames is used to indicate that a corresponding neighbor AP requires the first AP to share a TXOP within the first TXOP.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that Each of the second radio frames includes a second information field, where the second information field is used to indicate a second transmission duration required for the corresponding second AP to perform data transmission in the first TXOP.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The first AP sends the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, including: After receiving the second wireless frame sent by each of the second APs, the first AP sends the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame after a short inter-frame interval.

7. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The third AP receives a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame; wherein the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by the first AP to at least one second AP, and the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is used to instruct neighboring APs to transmit data according to each TXOP shared by the first AP, each of the second APs is a neighboring AP that needs to transmit data within the first TXOP of the first AP, and the third AP is any neighboring AP of the first AP; The third AP performs data transmission according to each TXOP shared by the first AP.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes at least one user information field, each of the user information fields includes a duration allocation field, and each of the duration allocation fields is used to indicate a first transmission duration of a TXOP shared with one of the second APs; Among them, the first transmission duration corresponding to each of the second APs is greater than or equal to the second transmission duration required for the corresponding second AP to perform data transmission within the first TXOP; the first transmission duration and the second transmission duration corresponding to each of the second APs are less than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The third AP performs data transmission according to the TXOP shared by the first AP, including: When the first AP shares the TXOP with the third AP, the third AP performs data transmission within a first transmission duration of the TXOP shared by the first AP for the third AP, and does not perform data transmission outside the corresponding first transmission duration; When the first AP does not share the TXOP with the third AP, and the communication range of the third AP overlaps with the communication range of at least one fourth AP in each of the second APs, the third AP does not transmit data within the first transmission duration corresponding to each of the fourth APs; When the first AP does not share the TXOP with the third AP, and the communication range of the third AP does not overlap with the communication range of at least one fifth AP in each of the second APs, the third AP stops data transmission when the first transmission duration corresponding to each of the fifth APs ends.

10. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The third AP receives a first wireless frame, where the first wireless frame is used to find out whether a neighboring AP needs the first AP to share a TXOP in the first TXOP; The first radio frame includes at least one of the following: A first information field, where the first information field is used to indicate a third transmission duration, where the third transmission duration is a remaining transmission duration of the first TXOP when the first AP sends the first radio frame; The first flag bit indicates that the first TXOP supports sharing with neighbor APs through a first value, and indicates that the first TXOP does not support sharing with any neighbor APs through a second value.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the third AP does not need to perform data transmission in the first TXOP, the third AP does not respond to the first wireless frame; When the third AP needs to perform data transmission in the first TXOP, if the first TXOP does not support sharing with any neighboring AP, or the second transmission duration required for the third AP to perform data transmission in the first TXOP is greater than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP, the third AP does not respond to the first wireless frame; When the third AP needs to transmit data within the first TXOP, if the first TXOP supports sharing with neighboring APs, and the second transmission duration required for the third AP to transmit data within the first TXOP is less than the third transmission duration of the first TXOP, the third AP sends a second wireless frame, and the second wireless frame is used to indicate that the third AP needs the first AP to share TXOP within the first TXOP.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The second wireless frame includes a second information field, where the second information field is used to indicate a second transmission duration required by the third AP to perform data transmission in the first TXOP.

13. An AP, characterized in that: include: a processing module, configured to determine a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame, wherein the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by a first AP to at least one second AP, the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is used to instruct a neighbor AP to perform data transmission according to each TXOP shared by the first AP, and the second AP is a neighbor AP that needs to perform data transmission within a first TXOP of the first AP; The transceiver module is used to send the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame.

14. An AP, characterized in that: include: A transceiver module, configured to receive a MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame; wherein the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame includes a TXOP shared by a first AP to at least one second AP, and the MU-RTS TXS Trigger frame is used to instruct neighboring APs to transmit data according to each TXOP shared by the first AP, and each of the second APs is a neighboring AP that needs to transmit data within a first TXOP of the first AP; The processing module is used to perform data transmission according to each TXOP shared by the first AP.

15. An AP, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; The AP is used to execute the communication method described in any one of claims 1-6 or 7-12.

16. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that: When the instruction is executed on a communication device, the communication device is enabled to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or claims 7 to 12.

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