Channel switching method and device, equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a channel switching method and device, equipment and a storage medium, and relates to the field of wireless communication. The method comprises: sending a first frame to a first station STA in a primary channel, the first frame being used for indicating the first STA to switch from the primary channel to a first secondary channel. And the flexibility of channel switching is improved. The system of the first STA can be an old system before the UHR equipment, and can also be the UHR equipment and a new system after the UHR equipment, so that the old system equipment and the new system equipment can be respectively switched to the secondary channel to work, the load of the primary channel can be relieved, the channel utilization rate can be improved, particularly, the utilization rate of the secondary channel can be improved, and the resource waste can be reduced.

Description

Channel switching method, device, equipment and storage medium Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of wireless communications, and in particular to a channel switching method, apparatus, device, and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In related technologies, some channel switching methods have been proposed, considering that devices within the Basic Service Set (BSS) usually operate on the primary channel by default, which can easily cause channel interference and congestion problems. However, these channel switching methods are either unable to take into account the channel switching of legacy devices (such as those before Wi-Fi 8) and new devices (such as Wi-Fi 8 and later), or the execution of channel switching is limited by the target wake time (TWT) service cycle, or the primary channel of the entire BSS will change. In fact, these methods still cannot effectively solve the channel interference and congestion problems.

[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a channel switching method that can effectively solve the interference and congestion problems of the channel.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a channel switching method, apparatus, device, and storage medium, and the technical solution is as follows:

[0006] According to one aspect of the present application, a channel switching method is provided, the method being performed by an access point (AP), the method comprising:

[0007] A first frame is sent to a first station (STA) on a primary channel, where the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to a secondary channel.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present application, a channel switching method is provided, where the method is performed by a first STA and includes:

[0009] A first frame sent by the AP is received on the primary channel, where the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to a secondary channel.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present application, a channel switching method is provided, where the method is performed by a second STA, and the method includes:

[0011] A second frame sent by an access point AP is received on the primary channel, where the second frame is used to instruct the second STA to switch from the primary channel to a secondary channel.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present application, a channel switching device is provided, the device comprising:

[0013] The first sending module is configured to send a first frame to a first station STA on a primary channel, where the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to a secondary channel.

[0014] According to one aspect of the present application, a channel switching device is provided, the device comprising:

[0015] The second receiving module is configured to receive a first frame sent by an access point AP on a primary channel, where the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to a secondary channel.

[0016] According to one aspect of the present application, a channel switching device is provided, the device comprising:

[0017] The third receiving module is configured to receive a second frame sent by an access point AP on a primary channel, where the second frame is used to instruct the second STA to switch from the primary channel to a secondary channel.

[0018] According to one aspect of the present application, a wireless device is provided, which includes: a processor; a transceiver connected to the processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to load and execute the executable instructions to implement the channel switching method as described in the above aspect.

[0019] According to one aspect of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which executable instructions are stored. The executable instructions are loaded and executed by a processor to implement the channel switching method as described in the above aspect.

[0020] According to one aspect of the present application, a computer program product is provided, which includes computer instructions, wherein the computer instructions are stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and a processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer instructions, so that the computer device executes to implement the channel switching method as described in the above aspect.

[0021] According to one aspect of the present application, a chip is provided, which includes a programmable logic circuit and / or program instructions, and when the chip is running, is used to implement the channel switching method described in the above aspect.

[0022] According to one aspect of the present application, a computer program is provided, which includes computer instructions. A processor of a computer device executes the computer instructions, so that the computer device executes the channel switching method as described in the above aspect.

[0023] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application include at least the following beneficial effects:

[0024] The AP sends a first frame on the primary channel to the first STA, instructing the first STA to switch from the primary channel to the secondary channel. This significantly improves channel switching flexibility because the primary channel of the entire BSS does not need to be changed. Since the first STA's standard can be either an older standard prior to UHR equipment or a newer standard after UHR equipment, both older and newer standard devices can switch to the secondary channel, alleviating load and interference issues on the primary channel, improving channel utilization, especially the utilization of secondary channels, and reducing resource waste. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0026] FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of a channel switching in the related art;

[0027] FIG2 shows a schematic diagram of the format of a channel switching announcement element in the related art;

[0028] FIG3 shows a schematic diagram of the format of an extended channel switching announcement element in the related art;

[0029] FIG4 shows a schematic diagram of a format of a channel switching announcement frame in the related art;

[0030] FIG5 shows a schematic diagram of a format of a secondary channel offset element in the related art;

[0031] FIG6 shows a schematic diagram of the format of an extended channel switching announcement frame in the related art;

[0032] FIG7 shows a schematic diagram of a Wi-Fi system provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0033] FIG8 is a schematic flow chart showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0034] FIG9 is a schematic flow chart showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0035] FIG10 is a schematic flow chart showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0036] FIG11 is a schematic flow chart showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0037] FIG12 is a schematic diagram showing a format of a DS0 frame provided in some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0038] FIG13 is a schematic diagram showing the format of a DSO element provided in some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0039] FIG14 shows a schematic diagram of a format of a channel switching control field provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0040] FIG15 is a schematic diagram showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0041] FIG16 is a schematic diagram showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0042] FIG17 is a schematic diagram showing a format of a management frame provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0043] FIG18 is a schematic diagram showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0044] FIG19 is a schematic diagram showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0045] FIG20 is a schematic diagram showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0046] FIG21 is a schematic diagram showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0047] FIG22 shows a structural block diagram of a channel switching device provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0048] FIG23 shows a structural block diagram of a channel switching device provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0049] FIG24 shows a structural block diagram of a channel switching device provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application;

[0050] FIG25 shows a schematic structural diagram of a wireless communication device provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present application more clear, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, with examples shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present application, as detailed in the appended claims.

[0052] The terms used in this application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application. As used in this application and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," "the," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0053] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used in this application to describe various information, this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein can be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determination". In this specification, when expressing the meaning expressed by a Boolean value, it will be expressed as '0' for 'first meaning' and '1' for 'second meaning'. Without loss of generality, those skilled in the art will understand that its representative meaning can be swapped, that is, '1' for 'first meaning' and '0' for 'second meaning'.

[0054] First, the relevant technologies involved in the embodiments of this application are introduced:

[0055] (1) Basic Service Set (BSS)

[0056] The BSS is the basic topology of wireless local area networks (WLANs). The communication devices that make up a BSS include an access point (AP) and several stations (STAs). After joining the AP's wireless domain, each STA establishes an association with the AP. STAs can transmit data between the AP and exchange data with each other through the AP.

[0057] (2) High Efficiency (HE) Subchannel Selective Transmission (SST)

[0058] In HE SST related technologies, an 80MHz non-AP STA is allowed to operate on the secondary 80MHz of a 160MHz operating bandwidth or a 20MHz non-AP STA is allowed to operate on a wider bandwidth outside the primary 20MHz bandwidth. Such operation is allowed to occur within a single target wake time (TWT) service period (SP) pre-negotiated by the TWT agreement, so this operation follows a semi-static pattern. Downlink transmission or trigger-based uplink transmission can be performed within the TWT service period (HE SST (Subchannel Selective Transmission) allows an 80MHz non-AP to operate on the secondary 80MHz of a 160MHz operating bandwidth or a 20MHz non-AP to operate outside the primary 20MHz of a wider operating bandwidth. The operation is permitted during pre-negotiated TWT SPs of an individual TWT agreement and hence, follows a semi-static pattern. DL or trigger-based UL can occur inside the SPs).

[0059] In the TWT mechanism, a schedule is established between the STA and the AP (this schedule is agreed upon by the STA and the AP). This schedule consists of TWT service periods. When the service period agreed upon by the STA and the AP arrives, the STA wakes up and exchanges data. After the data transmission is completed, the STA returns to sleep. Each STA can independently negotiate a service period with the AP and each STA can have a unique TWT service period.

[0060] Simply put, HE SST allows the AP and STA to negotiate a TWT SP, within which the AP and STA can communicate using secondary channels. However, SST also has restrictions on the use of secondary channels. For example, the primary channel cannot be busy when using a secondary channel, and only downlink or triggered uplink communication can be carried out within the SP.

[0061] (3) Dynamic Subband Operation (DSO)

[0062] In DSO-related technologies, transmission between AP and STA is allowed in units of Transmission Opportunity (TXOP). The AP schedules STA to work on a certain / certain secondary channels by sending control frames on the primary channel. The AP and STA can perform uplink and / or downlink transmission on the secondary channels.

[0063] As shown in Figure 1, at the beginning of any 320 MHz wide TXOP, the AP sends an indication to a DSO-capable non-AP STA, requiring the non-AP STA to transition to the secondary 160 MHz for this TXOP and then continuing the frame exchange on the secondary 160 MHz. The specific steps are as follows:

[0064] The AP sends a subband switch control frame to the DSO non-AP STA being scheduled. The subband switch control frame is a special initial control frame (could be a modified Multiuser Request-to-Send (MU-RTS) frame, or a Buffer Status Report Polling (BSRP) frame, or a newly defined frame) that indicates transition to the secondary 160MHz.

[0065] The subband-switch control frame has sufficient padding to cover subband switch latency (i.e., latency required by the non-AP to switch from the primary 160MHz to secondary 160MHz).

[0066] Depending on the negotiated capabilities of the DSO-capable non-AP, the following options are possible:

[0067] Option 1: The subband-switch initial control frame is used only for subband switch by DSO non-APs and does not elicit any response. SIFS later, the AP sends a second control frame (which can be a regular MU-RTS / BSRP) that elicits a response in the secondary 160MHz bandwidth.

[0068] Option 2: The subband-switch initial control frame is used for subband switch by DSO non-APs and elicits a response in the secondary 160MHz bandwidth.

[0069] The subband-switch initial control frame may be in non-HT duplicate format, again depending on the negotiated capabilities.Thereafter, the DSO TXOP can contain multiple SIFS-spaced DL / triggered UL exchanges with the DSO non-APs.At the end of the TXOP (for example, detected through a gap of SIFS+delta time), the DSO non-AP switches back to operating on the primary 160MHz bandwidth.

[0070] It should be pointed out that the embodiment of Figure 1 schematically indicates the working mode of DSO. Based on the principle of Figure 1, DSO is not limited to being executed on the two 160MHz sub-bands formed by the 320MHz bandwidth, and Figure 1 does not constitute a limitation on the working mode or working scenario of DSO.

[0071] (4) Channel Switching Methods

[0072] The AP and STA in the related art support the following channel switching methods:

[0073] 1) The AP sends frames carrying the Channel Switch Announcement Element / Extended Channel Switch Announcement Element, such as Beacon frames, Probe Response frames, Channel Switch Announcement frames, and Extended Channel Switch Announcement frames, to inform STAs to switch from the primary channel to other channels.

[0074] a) The format of the channel switch announcement element is shown in Figure 2. The number below the field indicates the number of octets of the field, where:

[0075] The Channel Switch Mode field indicates any transmission restrictions before a channel switch. A non-directional multi-gigabit (non-DMG) AP or a non-DMG independent basic service set (IBSS) STA sets the Channel Switch Mode field to 0 or 1 when transmitting. If a non-DMG STA receives a Channel Switch Mode field with a value of 1 and the BSS in which the non-DMG STA is located is not an IBSS, the non-DMG STA must not transmit any frames on the channel until the scheduled channel switch occurs. An IBSS STA can interpret a Channel Switch Mode field value of 1 as a suggestion. A Channel Switch Mode field equal to 0 does not impose any requirement on the STA that receives the Channel Switch Announcement frame.

[0076] The New Channel Number field is set to the number of the channel to which the STA is moving.

[0077] For nonmesh STAs, the Channel Switch Count field is set to the number of TBTTs until the STA sending the Channel Switch Announcement element switches to the new channel. The value 1 indicates that the switch occurs at the next TBTT (the ensuing Beacon frame is created assuming the new channel), and the value 0 indicates that the switch occurs at any time after the frame containing the element is transmitted.

[0078] b) The format of the Extended Channel Switch Announcement element is shown in Figure 3. The number below the field indicates the number of octets of the field, where:

[0079] The channel switch mode field, new channel number field, and channel switch count field are all consistent with those in the channel switch announcement element.

[0080] The New Operating Class field is set to the number of the operating class after the channel switch. The operating class value is an index into sets of values ​​for radio operation in a regulatory domain. An operating class value indicates:

[0081] The frequencies corresponding to channel numbers;

[0082] The channel center frequencies that may be used;

[0083] The maximum channel width that may be used;

[0084] Behavioral constraints.

[0085] 2) The AP sends a Channel Switch Announcement Frame / Extended Channel Switch Announcement Frame to inform the STA to switch from the primary channel to another channel.

[0086] c) The format of the channel switch announcement frame is shown in Figure 4. The number below the field indicates the number of bytes (octets) of the field, where:

[0087] The Category field is set to 0, indicating that the frame is a Spectrum Management action frame.

[0088] The Spectrum Management Action field is set to 4, indicating that the frame is a channel switch announcement frame.

[0089] · Details of the channel switch announcement elements are as described above.

[0090] The format of the Secondary Channel Offset Element is shown in Figure 5. The number below the field indicates the number of octets in the field, where:

[0091] This element is present when switching to a 40 MHz or wider channel. It can be present when switching to a 20 MHz channel.

[0092] The Secondary Channel Offset field in the Secondary Channel Offset element represents the position of the secondary channel relative to the primary channel. The meaning of the value of the Secondary Channel Offset field is shown in Table 1 below:

[0093] Table 1 Meaning of the value of the secondary channel offset field

[0094] d) The format of the extended channel switch announcement frame is shown in Figure 6. The number below the field indicates the number of bytes (octets) of the field, where:

[0095] The Category field is set to 0, indicating that the frame is a Spectrum Management action frame.

[0096] The Public Action field is set to 4, indicating that the frame is an extended channel switch announcement frame.

[0097] The Channel Switch Mode field, New Operating Class field, New Channel Number field, and Channel Switch Count field are the same as those described above.

[0098] The Mesh Channel Switch Parameters element is present when a mesh STA performs MBSS channel switching. The Mesh Channel Switch Parameters element is not included for channel switching other than for an MBSS channel switch.

[0099] New Country Element: The New Country element is present when an AP or mesh STA performs extended channel switching to a new Country, new Operating Class Table, or a changed set of operating classes relative to the contents of the Country element sent in the Beacon; otherwise, this element is not present.

[0100] This Wide Bandwidth Channel Switch element is present when extended channel switching to a channel width wider than 40 MHz; otherwise, this element is not present.

[0101] Each New Transmit Power Envelope Element that is present is defined to have the same format as the Transmit Power Envelope element and includes a distinct value of the Local Maximum Transmit Power Unit Interpretation subfield. If present, the New Transmit Power Envelope element indicates the maximum transmit powers for the BSS for the indicated bandwidths with an indicated unit interpretation after extended channel switching.

[0102] The Address 1 field of an Extended Channel Switch Announcement frame shall be set to the broadcast address. This means that the Extended Channel Switch Announcement frame can only be broadcast to all STAs. However, the Channel Switch Announcement frame is not limited to being broadcast to STAs and can also be unicast and / or multicast.

[0103] It is worth noting that the channel switching method mentioned in "(4) Channel Switching Method" causes the main channels of the entire BSS where the AP and STAs are located to be switched, and the time when the switching occurs and the channel information after the switching are indicated in the elements mentioned above.

[0104] (5) Request-to-Send (RTS) / Clear-to-Send (CTS)

[0105] To join a BSS, a STA must be able to communicate with the AP. This is a straightforward and logical approach, but a potential problem can arise: a STA can communicate with the AP but cannot hear or be heard by other STAs. To avoid collisions, a listening STA sets the Network Allocation Vector (NAV) timer for each transmission (think of it as virtual carrier sensing) and listens to the RF channel (think of it as physical carrier sensing) when it hears another STA's transmission. If a station cannot hear or be heard by other stations, the probability of a collision increases. The RTS / CTS mechanism helps avoid collisions by implementing NAV distribution, which reserves the medium for a data frame before transmission begins.

[0106] However, considering that legacy equipment (such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11be) and new equipment (such as Ultra-High Reliability (UHR) equipment) will coexist for a period of time, the above channel switching methods all have shortcomings: SST technology supports devices of 802.11ax and its successor standards in limited circumstances, and cannot schedule devices of earlier standards (such as 802.11ac and 802.11n) to work on secondary channels. DSO technology only considers how UHR devices and their future evolutionary devices use secondary channels, and cannot schedule devices of earlier standards (such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11be) to work on secondary channels. The channel switching mentioned in "(4) Channel Switching Method" is a BSS-level channel switching for devices of new and old standards, that is, it can only switch the transmission channel of the entire BSS, but cannot flexibly allocate each STA to work on different secondary channels.

[0107] Based on the above problems, this application proposes a channel switching method that helps solve the above problems, supporting old-standard (such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11be) devices and new-standard devices (such as UHR devices) to switch to secondary channels to work, which is conducive to alleviating the load of the main channel in scenarios with a large number of devices and improving channel utilization.

[0108] FIG7 shows a schematic diagram of a Wi-Fi system provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The Wi-Fi system includes terminal devices and terminal devices, or terminal devices and network devices, or APs and STAs, which are not limited in this application. This application uses the Wi-Fi system including AP 610 and STA 620 as an example for description.

[0109] In some scenarios, an AP can be referred to as an AP STA, meaning that in a sense, an AP is also a type of STA. In some scenarios, a STA can be referred to as a non-AP STA (non-AP STA).

[0110] In some embodiments, STAs may include AP STAs and non-AP STAs.

[0111] Communication in a Wi-Fi system can be between an AP and a non-AP STA, between a non-AP STA and a non-AP STA, or between a STA and a peer STA. A peer STA refers to a device that communicates with a STA. For example, a peer STA may be an AP or a non-AP STA.

[0112] An AP acts as a bridge between a wired network and a wireless network. Its primary function is to connect wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. An AP device can be a terminal device or a network device equipped with a Wi-Fi chip.

[0113] It should be understood that the role of STA in the communication system is not absolute. For example, in some scenarios, when a mobile phone is connected to a router, the mobile phone is a non-AP STA. When the mobile phone serves as a hotspot for other mobile phones, the mobile phone plays the role of AP.

[0114] APs and non-AP STAs can be devices used in the Internet of Vehicles, IoT nodes and sensors in the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cameras, smart remote controls, smart water and electricity meters in smart homes, and sensors in smart cities.

[0115] In some embodiments, a non-AP STA can support various current and future 802.11 family WLAN standards, including 802.11be, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a. A non-AP STA can also be used in a network environment supporting a next-generation WLAN system, which is a WLAN system evolved from the 802.11ax system and is backward compatible with the 802.11ax system. Next-generation Wi-Fi communication refers to any new generation of Wi-Fi communication after Wi-Fi 7 based on the IEEE 802.11be specification, such as Extremely High Throughput (EHT) communication and Ultra High Reliability (UHR) communication. For example, a non-AP STA is a UHR STA.

[0116] In some embodiments, the AP may be a device that supports various current and future 802.11 family WLAN standards, such as 802.11be, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a. The AP may also be used in a network environment supporting a next-generation WLAN system, which is an evolved WLAN system from the 802.11ax system and is backward compatible with the 802.11ax system. Next-generation Wi-Fi communication refers to any new generation of Wi-Fi communication after Wi-Fi 7 based on the IEEE 802.11be specification, such as EHT communication and UHR communication. For example, the AP is a UHR AP.

[0117] In the embodiment of the present application, the STA may be a mobile phone, tablet computer, e-book reader, laptop computer, desktop computer, television, virtual reality (VR) device, augmented reality (AR) device, mixed reality (MR) device, extended reality (XR) device, baffle reality (BR) device, cinematic reality (CR) device, deceived reality (DR) device, wireless device in industrial control, set-top box, wireless device in self-driving, in-vehicle communication device, wireless device in remote medical care, wireless device in smart grid, wireless device in transportation safety, wireless device in smart city or wireless device in smart home, wireless communication chip, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. Circuit, ASIC), System on Chip (SoC), etc.

[0118] The Wi-Fi system in the embodiment of the present application can support frequency bands including but not limited to: low frequency bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz) and high frequency bands (45 GHz, 60 GHz).

[0119] There may be one or more links between a STA and an AP.

[0120] In some embodiments, STAs and APs support multi-band communication, for example, simultaneously communicating on the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, 45 GHz, and 60 GHz frequency bands, or simultaneously communicating on different channels within the same frequency band (or different frequency bands), thereby improving the communication throughput and / or reliability between devices. Such devices are generally referred to as multi-band devices, or multi-link devices (MLDs), and are sometimes also referred to as multi-link entities or multi-band entities. A multi-link device can be either an AP or a STA. If the multi-link device is an AP, it includes one or more APs; if the multi-link device is a STA, it includes one or more non-AP STAs.

[0121] A multi-link device including one or more APs is called an AP, and a multi-link device including one or more non-AP STAs is called a Non-AP. In the embodiment of the application, the Non-AP can be called a STA.

[0122] In some embodiments, a STA exists in the form of one or more BSSs, which are a collection of STAs that can successfully synchronize to communicate with each other. A BSS may or may not include an AP.

[0123] In some embodiments, the AP may include multiple APs, the Non-AP may include multiple STAs, multiple links may be formed between the APs in the AP and the STAs in the Non-AP, and the APs in the AP and the corresponding STAs in the Non-AP may communicate through the corresponding links.

[0124] In some embodiments, an AP is a device deployed in a WLAN / Wi-Fi system to provide wireless communication capabilities for STAs. STAs may be: User Equipment (UE), Access Terminal, Subscriber Unit, Subscriber Station, Mobile Station, Mobile Station, Remote Station, Remote Terminal, Mobile Device, Wireless Communication Device, User Agent, or User Equipment. STAs may also be cellular phones, cordless phones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted devices, or wearable devices, but the present application does not limit this.

[0125] In some embodiments, both the AP and the STA support the IEEE 802.11 standard, but are not limited to the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0126] FIG8 is a flow chart of a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application. Taking the method executed by an AP as an example, the method includes at least some of the following steps:

[0127] Step 720: Send a first frame to the first STA on the primary channel, where the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to the secondary channel.

[0128] The AP and the first STA belong to the same BSS, which includes one AP and at least one STA. The primary channel refers to the primary channel of the BSS.

[0129] The AP may be AP 610 shown in FIG6 , for example, the AP is a UHR AP. The first STA may be STA 620 shown in FIG6 , for example, the first STA's standard includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11be. For another example, the first STA is a UHR STA, or the standard of the first STA includes a standard corresponding to a UHR STA or a later-evolved standard.

[0130] The AP's operating channels include a primary channel and at least one secondary channel. The bandwidths of the primary channel and the secondary channel may be the same or different. The bandwidths of the secondary channels may be the same or different.

[0131] After establishing an association with the AP, the first STA operates on the primary channel; or, initially, the first STA operates on the primary channel; or, the first STA operates on the primary channel by default; or, the first STA operates on the primary channel based on AP scheduling. Operating on the primary channel can be understood as the first STA transmitting at least one of data frames, control frames, and management frames with the AP on the primary channel, and / or the first STA exchanging at least one of data frames, control frames, and management frames with other STAs through the AP on the primary channel. Other STAs refer to STAs within the BSS other than the first STA.

[0132] The first STA is one STA; or, the first STA includes at least two STAs, and the systems of the at least two STAs are the same or different.

[0133] The first channel is at least one secondary channel on which the AP operates. If the first channel is a secondary channel, the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to this secondary channel, that is, to instruct the first STA to switch from operating on the primary channel to operating on the first channel. If the first channel is at least two secondary channels, then the at least two secondary channels included in the first channel are called sub-channels of the first channel, and the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to these at least two secondary channels, that is, to instruct the first STA to switch from operating on the primary channel to operating on the first channel composed of these at least two secondary channels. These at least two secondary channels are called sub-channels of the first channel, and the first channel can be considered as a combined channel composed of these at least two secondary channels. The bandwidth of each sub-channel of the first channel is the same or different.

[0134] In some embodiments, the first STA works on the first channel, which can be understood as the first STA interacting with the AP for data on the first channel; or understood as the first STA interacting with the AP for at least one of data frames, control frames, and management frames on the first channel.

[0135] The first frame includes: a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a probe response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a probe response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, and at least one of a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element.

[0136] In some embodiments, after receiving the first frame, the first STA will regard the first channel as the new primary channel, but in fact, the primary channel of the BSS is still the primary channel before the first STA receives the first frame. Or it can be understood that the first frame makes the first STA believe that the primary channel of the BSS has changed, and regards the first channel as the changed primary channel of the BSS, so that it works on the first channel; but the AP understands that the primary channel of the BSS has not changed, and the management and control of the entire BSS are still carried out on the primary channel, and the first channel is still regarded as a secondary channel of the BSS. Or it can be understood that for the AP, the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to the first channel, but for the first STA, the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the original primary channel to the new primary channel (i.e., the first channel).

[0137] In summary, the method provided by the present application instructs the first STA to switch from the main channel to the secondary channel by sending a first frame to the first STA on the main channel. Since there is no need to change the main channel of the entire BSS, the flexibility of channel switching is greatly improved. Since the standard of the first STA can be the old standard before the UHR device or the new standard after the UHR device, it supports both the old standard device and the new standard device to switch to the secondary channel respectively, which is conducive to alleviating the load and interference problems of the main channel, improving the channel utilization rate, especially improving the utilization rate of the secondary channel, and reducing resource waste.

[0138] FIG9 is a flow chart of a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application. Taking the method executed by an AP as an example, the method includes at least some of the following steps:

[0139] Step 810: Send a first frame to the first STA on the primary channel, where the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to the secondary channel.

[0140] The AP, the first STA, and the second STA all belong to the same BSS, which includes one AP and at least one STA. The primary channel refers to the primary channel of the BSS.

[0141] The AP may be the AP 610 shown in FIG6 , for example, the AP is a UHR AP. The first STA may be the STA 620 shown in FIG6 , and the second STA may be the STA 620 shown in FIG6 .

[0142] The AP's operating channels include a primary channel and at least one secondary channel. The bandwidths of the primary channel and the secondary channel may be the same or different. The bandwidths of the secondary channels may be the same or different.

[0143] After establishing an association with the AP, the first STA operates on the primary channel; or, initially, the first STA operates on the primary channel; or, the first STA operates on the primary channel by default; or, the first STA operates on the primary channel based on AP scheduling. Operating on the primary channel can be understood as the first STA transmitting at least one of data frames, control frames, and management frames with the AP on the primary channel, and / or the first STA exchanging at least one of data frames, control frames, and management frames with other STAs through the AP on the primary channel. Other STAs refer to STAs within the BSS other than the first STA.

[0144] The first STA is one STA; or, the first STA includes at least two STAs, and the systems of the at least two STAs are the same or different.

[0145] The first channel is at least one secondary channel on which the AP operates. If the first channel is a secondary channel, the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to this secondary channel, that is, to instruct the first STA to switch from operating on the primary channel to operating on the first channel. If the first channel is at least two secondary channels, then the at least two secondary channels included in the first channel are called sub-channels of the first channel, and the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to these at least two secondary channels, that is, to instruct the first STA to switch from operating on the primary channel to operating on the first channel composed of these at least two secondary channels. These at least two secondary channels are called sub-channels of the first channel, and the first channel can be considered as a combined channel composed of these at least two secondary channels. The bandwidth of each sub-channel of the first channel is the same or different.

[0146] The first frame includes at least one of a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a probe response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a probe response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, other frames carrying a channel switch announcement element, and other frames carrying an extended channel switch announcement element. The other frames are frames other than the probe response frame and the beacon frame.

[0147] The first frame includes at least one of a channel switch mode (Channel Switch Mode) field, a new channel number (New Channel Number) field, and a channel switch count (Channel Switch Count) field.

[0148] In some embodiments, when the value of the channel switching mode field is a first value, the channel switching mode field is used to instruct the first STA to immediately stop sending any frames after receiving the first frame; when the value of the channel switching mode field is a second value, the channel switching mode field is not used to indicate any requirements to the first STA, or it can be understood that the channel switching mode field is used to not indicate any requirements to the first STA. Exemplarily, the first value includes "1" and the second value includes "0".

[0149] In some embodiments, the new channel number field included in the first frame is used to indicate the first channel. It can also be understood that the value of the new channel number field included in the first frame is the number corresponding to the first channel.

[0150] In some embodiments, the Channel Switch Count field has a third value. The Channel Switch Count field is used to instruct the first STA to switch to the first channel in the current TXOP after receiving the first frame. Alternatively, the Channel Switch Count field is used to instruct the first STA to switch to the first channel as soon as possible (or as best effort) after receiving the first frame. Exemplarily, the third value includes "0."

[0151] In some embodiments, the first frame is sent via at least one of unicast, multicast, and broadcast.

[0152] In some embodiments, before executing step 810, the AP receives a probe request frame sent by the first STA.

[0153] In some embodiments, before the AP sends the first frame to the first STA, the AP obtains the channel information reported by the first STA through frame interaction with the first STA, and determines that one or more secondary channels are suitable as the channel after switching. That is, the AP determines that the first STA is suitable for switching to the first channel through frame interaction with the first STA. Exemplarily, the AP sends a spectrum management request frame (Spectrum Measurement Request Frame) to the first STA, and the first STA replies with a spectrum management report frame (Spectrum Measurement Report Frame) to the AP. It should be understood that the spectrum management request frame and the spectrum management report frame are only examples and not limitations. The AP and the first STA can also interact through other frames besides the spectrum management request frame and the spectrum management report frame to determine the first channel. It should be understood that the step of determining the first channel through frame interaction between the AP and the first STA is optional and not mandatory.

[0154] In some embodiments, after receiving the first frame, the first STA will understand this channel switch as a switch of the primary channel, that is, it will regard the first channel as the new primary channel, but in fact, the primary channel of the BSS is still the primary channel before the first STA receives the first frame. Or it can be understood that the first frame makes the first STA believe that the primary channel of the BSS has changed, and regards the first channel as the changed primary channel, so that it works on the first channel; but the AP understands that the primary channel has not changed, and the management and control of the entire BSS is still carried out on the primary channel, and the first channel is still regarded as a secondary channel. Or it can be understood that for the AP, the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to the first channel, but for the first STA, the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the original primary channel to the new primary channel (i.e., the first channel).

[0155] Step 820: Send a second frame to the second STA on the primary channel. The second frame is used to instruct the second STA to switch from the primary channel to the secondary channel.

[0156] After establishing an association with the AP, the second STA operates on the primary channel; or, initially, the second STA operates on the primary channel; or, the second STA operates on the primary channel by default; or, the second STA operates on the primary channel based on AP scheduling. Operating on the primary channel can be understood as the second STA transmitting at least one of data frames, control frames, and management frames with the AP on the primary channel, and / or the second STA exchanging at least one of data frames, control frames, and management frames with other STAs through the AP on the primary channel. Other STAs refer to STAs within the BSS other than the second STA.

[0157] The second STA is one STA; or, the second STA includes at least two STAs, and the systems of the at least two STAs are the same or different.

[0158] The secondary channel is at least one secondary channel on which the AP operates. If the secondary channel is one secondary channel, the second frame is used to instruct the second STA to switch from the primary channel to this secondary channel, that is, to instruct the second STA to switch from operating on the primary channel to operating on the secondary channel. If the secondary channel is at least two secondary channels, then the at least two secondary channels included in the secondary channel are called sub-channels of the secondary channel, and the second frame is used to instruct the second STA to switch from the primary channel to the at least two secondary channels, that is, to instruct the second STA to switch from operating on the primary channel to operating on the secondary channel composed of the at least two secondary channels. These at least two secondary channels are called sub-channels of the secondary channel, and the secondary channel can be considered as a combined channel composed of these at least two secondary channels. The bandwidth of each sub-channel of the secondary channel is the same or different.

[0159] In some embodiments, the second STA works in the second channel, which can be understood as the second STA interacting with the AP for data in the second channel; or understood as the second STA interacting with the AP for at least one of data frames, control frames, and management frames in the second channel.

[0160] The second frame includes: a subband switching control frame, a MU-RTS frame, a cache status report polling frame, a beacon frame carrying a dynamic subband operation DSO element, a probe response frame carrying a DSO element, a probe response frame carrying a DSO element and a channel switching announcement element, a probe response frame carrying a DSO element and an extended channel switching announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a DSO element and a channel switching announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a DSO element and an extended channel switching announcement element, other frames carrying a DSO element and a channel switching announcement element, and other frames carrying a DSO element and an extended channel switching announcement element. Among them, other frames refer to frames other than probe response frames and beacon frames.

[0161] The first channel is the same as the second channel; or, the first channel is different from the second channel; or, there is an overlap between the first channel and the second channel; or, the first channel is a subchannel of the second channel; or, the second channel is a subchannel of the first channel.

[0162] In some embodiments, the standard of the first STA is different from the standard of the second STA. Optionally, the standard of the first STA includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11be; and the standard of the second STA includes the standard corresponding to the UHR STA and / or a future standard derived from the standard corresponding to the UHR STA.

[0163] In some embodiments, the standard of the first STA is the same as the standard of the second STA. Optionally, the standard of the first STA includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11be, a standard corresponding to a UHR STA, or a future standard derived from the evolution of a standard corresponding to a UHR STA; and the standard of the second STA includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11be, a standard corresponding to a UHR STA, or a future standard derived from the evolution of a standard corresponding to a UHR STA.

[0164] In some embodiments, after receiving the second frame, the second STA understands that the BSS's primary channel has not changed and continues to treat the secondary channel as a secondary channel. Alternatively, for the AP, the second frame instructs the second STA to switch from the primary channel to the secondary channel. Similarly, for the second STA, the second frame instructs the second STA to switch from the primary channel to the secondary channel.

[0165] Step 830: Send the third frame to the first STA;

[0166] The third frame includes an RTS frame, or an MU-RTS frame, or a Quality of Service Null (QoS Null) frame, wherein the QoS Null frame is a data frame having only a header and an empty payload.

[0167] In some embodiments, if the receiver of the third frame is an HT device and / or a very high throughput (VHT) device, the third frame includes an RTS frame; if the receiver of the third frame is at least one of a HE device, an EHT device, and a UHR device, the third frame includes an RTS frame and / or an MU-RTS frame.

[0168] In some embodiments, step 830 may be implemented as step 830a or step 830b.

[0169] Step 830a: Send the third frame to the first STA on the first channel.

[0170] In some embodiments, after the first frame is sent to the first STA on the main channel and SIFS has passed, the third frame is sent to the first STA on the first channel; or, after the first frame is sent to the first STA on the main channel and a first time period has passed, the third frame is sent to the first STA on the first channel; wherein the first time period is longer than SIFS.

[0171] Step 830b: Send the third frame to the first STA by dynamic puncturing.

[0172] In some embodiments, after the main channel sends the first frame to the first STA and SIFS has passed, the third frame is sent to the first STA by dynamic punching; or, after the main channel sends the first frame to the first STA and a first time period has passed, the third frame is sent to the first STA by dynamic punching; wherein the first time period is longer than SIFS.

[0173] In some embodiments, the AP sends the third frame on all channels (including primary channels and secondary channels) within the BSS, and dynamically punches secondary channels except the primary channel and the first channel, thereby sending the third frame to the first STA through dynamic punching.

[0174] In some embodiments, the AP dynamically punctures secondary channels except the primary channel and the first sub-channel, and sends the third frame to the first STA on the primary channel and the first sub-channel, thereby sending the third frame to the first STA through dynamic puncturing.

[0175] In some embodiments, the AP determines an interval between a transmission time of the first frame and a transmission time of the third frame based on a capability of the first STA.

[0176] In some embodiments, the interval between the transmission time of the first frame and the transmission time of the third frame is set by the AP and the first STA based on their respective capabilities during a previous capability interaction phase (e.g., the phase in which the AP and the first STA establish an association). If the first STA has a higher capability, the interval between the transmission time of the first frame and the transmission time of the third frame is shorter, such as SIFS. If the first STA has a lower capability, the interval between the transmission time of the first frame and the transmission time of the third frame is longer, such as the first time period.

[0177] In some embodiments, the interval between the transmission time of the first frame and the transmission time of the third frame is determined by the AP based on the performance of the first STA during a previous channel switch. For example, if the time required for the first STA to perform the channel switch during the previous channel switch was greater than the first time period, then the interval between the transmission time of the first frame and the transmission time of the third frame is greater than the first time period.

[0178] Step 840: Receive the fourth frame replied by the first STA;

[0179] The fourth frame includes a CTS frame, an Acknowledgement (ACK) frame, or a Block Acknowledgement (BA) frame.

[0180] In some embodiments, if the third frame is an RTS frame or an MU-RTS frame, the fourth frame is a CTS frame; if the third frame is a QoS Null frame, the fourth frame is an ACK frame or a BA frame.

[0181] In some embodiments, the fourth frame replied by the first STA is received on the first channel; or the fourth frame replied by the first STA is received on at least one sub-channel of the first channel.

[0182] If the third and fourth frames are exchanged between the AP and the first STA, on the one hand, it can be checked whether the first STA has successfully switched to the first channel, and on the other hand, the channel can be reserved again on the secondary channel and the hidden terminal problem can be eliminated to ensure that the first STA can use the secondary channel normally.

[0183] In some embodiments, after the first STA switches to the first channel, since the TXOP owner (Holder) of the channel included in the entire large bandwidth is still the AP itself, the third frame and the fourth frame may not be exchanged between the AP and the first STA.

[0184] Step 850: Send a third frame to the second STA;

[0185] The third frame includes an RTS frame, or an MU-RTS frame, or a QoS Null frame.

[0186] In some embodiments, step 850 may be implemented as step 850a or step 850b.

[0187] Step 850a: Send a third frame to the second STA on the secondary channel.

[0188] In some embodiments, after the second frame is sent to the second STA on the main channel and SIFS has passed, the third frame is sent to the second STA on the secondary channel; or, after the second frame is sent to the second STA on the main channel and a first time period has passed, the third frame is sent to the second STA on the secondary channel; wherein the first time period is longer than SIFS.

[0189] Step 850b: Send the third frame to the second STA through dynamic puncturing.

[0190] In some embodiments, after the main channel sends the second frame to the second STA and SIFS has passed, the third frame is sent to the second STA by dynamic punching; or, after the main channel sends the second frame to the second STA and a first time period has passed, the third frame is sent to the second STA by dynamic punching; wherein the first time period is longer than SIFS.

[0191] In some embodiments, the AP sends the third frame on all channels (including primary channels and secondary channels) within the BSS, and dynamically punches secondary channels except the primary channel and the secondary channel, thereby sending the third frame to the second STA through dynamic punching.

[0192] In some embodiments, the AP dynamically punctures secondary channels other than the primary channel and the secondary channel, and sends the third frame to the second STA on the primary channel and the secondary channel, thereby sending the third frame to the second STA through dynamic puncturing.

[0193] In some embodiments, the AP determines an interval between a transmission time of the second frame and a transmission time of the third frame based on a capability of the second STA.

[0194] In some embodiments, the interval between the transmission time of the second frame and the transmission time of the third frame is set by the AP and the second STA based on their respective capabilities during a previous capability interaction phase (e.g., the phase in which the AP and the second STA establish an association). If the second STA has a higher capability, the interval between the transmission time of the second frame and the transmission time of the third frame is shorter, such as SIFS. If the second STA has a lower capability, the interval between the transmission time of the second frame and the transmission time of the third frame is longer, such as the first time period.

[0195] In some embodiments, the interval between the transmission time of the second frame and the transmission time of the third frame is determined by the AP based on the second STA's previous channel switch performance. For example, if the second STA required longer than the first time period to perform the channel switch during the previous channel switch, then the interval between the transmission time of the second frame and the transmission time of the third frame is longer than the first time period.

[0196] Step 860: Receive the fourth frame replied by the second STA;

[0197] In some embodiments, the fourth frame replied by the second STA is received on the secondary channel; or the fourth frame replied by the second STA is received on at least one sub-channel of the secondary channel.

[0198] If the third and fourth frames are exchanged between the AP and the second STA, on the one hand, it can be checked whether the second STA has successfully switched to the secondary channel. On the other hand, the channel can be reserved again on the secondary channel and the hidden terminal problem can be eliminated to ensure that the second STA can use the secondary channel normally.

[0199] In some embodiments, after the second STA switches to the secondary channel, since the TXOP owner of the channel included in the entire large bandwidth is still the AP itself, the third frame and the fourth frame may not be exchanged between the AP and the second STA.

[0200] Step 870: Send a fifth frame to the second STA on the secondary channel. The fifth frame is used to instruct the second STA to switch from the secondary channel to the primary channel.

[0201] The fifth frame includes at least one of a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a probe response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a probe response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, other frames carrying a channel switch announcement element, and other frames carrying an extended channel switch announcement element. Other frames refer to frames other than probe response frames and beacon frames.

[0202] In some embodiments, the fifth frame includes at least one of a channel switching mode field, a new channel number field, and a channel switching count field.

[0203] In some embodiments, when the value of the Channel Switching Mode field is a first value, the Channel Switching Mode field is used to instruct the second STA to immediately stop sending any frames after receiving the fifth frame. When the value of the Channel Switching Mode field is a second value, the Channel Switching Mode field is not used to indicate any requirements to the second STA. Exemplarily, the first value includes "1" and the second value includes "0."

[0204] In some embodiments, the new channel number field included in the fifth frame is used to indicate the primary channel. It can also be understood that the value of the new channel number field included in the fifth frame is the number corresponding to the primary channel.

[0205] In some embodiments, the Channel Switch Count field has a third value, which instructs the second STA to switch to the primary channel in the current TXOP after receiving the fifth frame. Alternatively, the Channel Switch Count field instructs the second STA to switch to the primary channel as soon as possible (or as best effort) after receiving the fifth frame. Exemplarily, the third value includes "0."

[0206] In some embodiments, after receiving the fifth frame, the second STA understands that the BSS's primary channel has not changed and continues to treat the secondary channel as the secondary channel and the primary channel as the BSS's primary channel. Alternatively, for the AP, the fifth frame instructs the second STA to switch from the secondary channel to the primary channel. Similarly, for the second STA, the second frame also instructs the second STA to switch from the secondary channel to the primary channel.

[0207] In some embodiments, the second STA automatically switches to the primary channel when a first condition is met, which helps improve the flexibility of channel switching and channel usage and reduce signaling consumption. The first condition includes at least one of the following: the second STA does not need to send any frames to the AP during the second time period; the second STA does not intend to send any frames to the AP during the second time period; the second STA does not send any frames to the AP during the second time period; the AP does not need to send any frames to the second STA during the second time period; the AP does not intend to send any frames to the second STA during the second time period; the AP does not send any frames to the second STA during the second time period.

[0208] The second time period includes one of the following:

[0209] The second time period is a default duration, such as Priority Interframe Space (PIFS), PIFS+delta (delta>0), Distributed (Coordination Function) Interframe Space (DIFS), etc.

[0210] The duration indicated by the DSO frame sent by the AP;

[0211] At the end of the current TXOP, the UHR STA automatically switches back to the primary channel.

[0212] Optionally, delta includes the time indicated by the channel switching delay field.

[0213] Step 880: Send a sixth frame to the first STA on the primary channel. The sixth frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to the main channel.

[0214] The sixth frame includes at least one of a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a probe response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a probe response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, other frames carrying a channel switch announcement element, and other frames carrying an extended channel switch announcement element. Other frames refer to frames other than probe response frames and beacon frames.

[0215] In some embodiments, the sixth frame includes at least one of a channel switching mode field, a new channel number field, and a channel switching count field.

[0216] In some embodiments, when the value of the Channel Switching Mode field is a first value, the Channel Switching Mode field is used to instruct the first STA to immediately stop sending any frames after receiving the sixth frame. When the value of the Channel Switching Mode field is a second value, the Channel Switching Mode field is not used to indicate any requirements to the first STA. Exemplarily, the first value includes "1" and the second value includes "0."

[0217] In some embodiments, the new channel number field included in the sixth frame is used to indicate the primary channel. It can also be understood that the value of the new channel number field included in the sixth frame is the number corresponding to the primary channel.

[0218] In some embodiments, the Channel Switch Count field has a third value, which instructs the first STA to switch to the primary channel in the current TXOP after receiving the sixth frame. Alternatively, the Channel Switch Count field instructs the first STA to switch to the primary channel as soon as possible (or as best effort) after receiving the sixth frame. Exemplarily, the third value includes "0."

[0219] In some embodiments, after receiving the sixth frame, the first STA will understand this channel switch as a switch of the main channel, that is, switching from the current main channel (i.e., the first channel) to the new main channel (i.e., the original main channel), but in fact, the main channel of the BSS at this time is still the main channel before the first STA receives the sixth frame. Or it can be understood that the sixth frame makes the first STA believe that the main channel of the BSS has changed, and regards the first channel as the main channel of the BSS before the change, and the main channel as the main channel of the BSS after the change; but the AP understands that the main channel of the BSS has not changed. Or it can be understood that, for the AP, the sixth frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the first channel to the main channel, but for the first STA, the sixth frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the original main channel (i.e., the first channel) to the new main channel (i.e., the main channel).

[0220] In some embodiments, the first STA automatically switches to the primary channel when a first condition is met, which helps improve the flexibility of channel switching and channel usage and reduce signaling consumption. The first condition includes at least one of the following: the first STA does not need to send any frames to the AP during the second time period; the first STA does not intend to send any frames to the AP during the second time period; the first STA does not send any frames to the AP during the second time period; the AP does not need to send any frames to the first STA during the second time period; the AP does not intend to send any frames to the first STA during the second time period; the AP does not send any frames to the first STA during the second time period.

[0221] The second time period includes one of the following:

[0222] The second time period is the default duration, such as PIFS, PIFS+delta (delta>0), DIFS, etc.

[0223] The duration indicated by the DSO frame sent by the AP;

[0224] At the end of the current TXOP, the UHR STA automatically switches back to the primary channel.

[0225] In some embodiments, the AP obtains a longer TXOP duration, and some or all of the above steps can be performed within the same TXOP, resulting in a higher gain for the channel switching method provided herein. In some embodiments, the AP obtains a shorter TXOP duration, and some or all of the above steps are performed within multiple TXOPs, resulting in a lower gain for the channel switching method provided herein.

[0226] In summary, the method provided by the present application supports both old-standard devices and new-standard devices to switch to the secondary channel to work respectively, and also supports switching both old-standard devices and new-standard devices back to the main channel to work respectively, thereby realizing flexible switching of the working channels of old-standard devices and new-standard devices without changing the main channel of the BSS. This is beneficial for alleviating the load of the main channel and improving the channel utilization rate, especially improving the utilization rate of the secondary channel, making full use of the large bandwidth characteristics of future UHR technology, and reducing resource waste. In addition, it supports STA to switch back to the main channel to work, thereby avoiding the situation where STA cannot detect the control frames and / or management frames sent by the AP on the secondary channel, and ensuring that STA can operate normally while flexibly switching channels.

[0227] FIG10 is a flow chart showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application. Taking the method performed by the first STA as an example, the method includes at least some of the following steps:

[0228] Step 910: Send a probe request frame to the AP on the primary channel;

[0229] The AP and the first STA belong to the same BSS, which includes one AP and at least one STA. The primary channel refers to the primary channel of the BSS.

[0230] The AP may be the AP 610 shown in FIG6 , for example, the AP is a UHR AP. The first STA may be the STA 620 shown in FIG6 .

[0231] The AP's operating channels include a primary channel and at least one secondary channel. The bandwidths of the primary channel and the secondary channel may be the same or different. The bandwidths of the secondary channels may be the same or different.

[0232] After establishing an association with the AP, the first STA operates on the primary channel; or, initially, the first STA operates on the primary channel; or, the first STA operates on the primary channel by default; or, the first STA operates on the primary channel based on AP scheduling. Operating on the primary channel can be understood as the first STA transmitting at least one of data frames, control frames, and management frames with the AP on the primary channel, and / or the first STA exchanging at least one of data frames, control frames, and management frames with other STAs through the AP on the primary channel. Other STAs refer to STAs within the BSS other than the first STA.

[0233] The first STA is one STA; or, the first STA includes at least two STAs, and the systems of the at least two STAs are the same or different.

[0234] In some embodiments, the standard of the first STA includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11be, a standard corresponding to a UHR STA, and a future standard evolved from a standard corresponding to a UHR STA.

[0235] It should be understood that step 910 is an optional step and not a required step.

[0236] Step 920: Receive the first frame sent by the AP on the primary channel, where the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to the secondary channel.

[0237] The first channel is at least one secondary channel on which the AP operates. If the first channel is a secondary channel, the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to this secondary channel, that is, to instruct the first STA to switch from operating on the primary channel to operating on the first channel. If the first channel is at least two secondary channels, then the at least two secondary channels included in the first channel are called sub-channels of the first channel, and the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to these at least two secondary channels, that is, to instruct the first STA to switch from operating on the primary channel to operating on the first channel composed of these at least two secondary channels. These at least two secondary channels are called sub-channels of the first channel, and the first channel can be considered as a combined channel composed of these at least two secondary channels. The bandwidth of each sub-channel of the first channel is the same or different.

[0238] The first frame includes at least one of a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a probe response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a probe response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, other frames carrying a channel switch announcement element, and other frames carrying an extended channel switch announcement element. The other frames are frames other than the probe response frame and the beacon frame.

[0239] The first frame includes at least one of a channel switching mode field, a new channel number field, and a channel switching count field.

[0240] In some embodiments, when the value of the channel switching mode field is a first value, the channel switching mode field is used to instruct the first STA to immediately stop sending any frames after receiving the first frame. When the value of the channel switching mode field is a second value, the channel switching mode field is not used to indicate any requirements to the first STA. Exemplarily, the first value includes "1" and the second value includes "0."

[0241] In some embodiments, the new channel number field included in the first frame is used to indicate the first channel. It can also be understood that the value of the new channel number field included in the first frame is the number corresponding to the first channel.

[0242] In some embodiments, the Channel Switch Count field has a third value. The Channel Switch Count field is used to instruct the first STA to switch to the first channel in the current TXOP after receiving the first frame. Alternatively, the Channel Switch Count field is used to instruct the first STA to switch to the first channel as soon as possible (or as best effort) after receiving the first frame. Exemplarily, the third value includes "0."

[0243] In some embodiments, the first frame is sent via at least one of unicast, multicast, and broadcast.

[0244] In some embodiments, when the AP does not receive a probe request frame sent by the first STA, the AP proactively sends at least one of the following frames to the first STA:

[0245] Unicast probe response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element;

[0246] Unicast probe response frame carrying the extended channel switch announcement element;

[0247] Multicast probe response frames carrying channel switch announcement elements;

[0248] Multicast probe response frames carrying extended channel switch announcement elements;

[0249] Broadcast probe response frames carrying channel switch announcement elements;

[0250] Broadcast probe response frames carrying the extended channel switch announcement element.

[0251] If the AP proactively sends a broadcast probe response frame, the Receiver Address (RA) field in the broadcast probe response frame is set to the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the first STA and / or the multicast addresses corresponding to the first STA and other STAs. Other STAs refer to SRAs other than the first STA in the BSS.

[0252] Step 930: Switch from the primary channel to the primary channel;

[0253] Based on the first frame received, channel switching is performed from the primary channel to the secondary channel.

[0254] Exemplarily, the value of the new channel number field included in the first frame is the number corresponding to the first channel. The channel switching mode field included in the first frame is a first value (for example, a value of "1"), and the first STA immediately stops sending any frames after receiving the first frame, and after switching to the first channel, sends frames that have not been transmitted on the main channel before the channel switch. The value of the channel switching count field included in the first frame is a third value (for example, a value of "0"), and the first STA switches to the first channel as soon as possible within the current TXOP. Based on the capabilities of the first STA, the first STA may complete the channel switch within a dozen to dozens of microseconds.

[0255] Step 940: Receive the third frame sent by the AP on the first channel;

[0256] The third frame includes an RTS frame, or an MU-RTS frame, or a QoS Null frame.

[0257] In some embodiments, the first STA receives the first frame on the primary channel after SIFS has passed; or, the first STA receives the third frame on the primary channel after the first time period has passed and the first time period has passed; wherein the first time period is longer than SIFS.

[0258] Step 950: Reply the fourth frame to the AP on the first channel;

[0259] The fourth frame includes a CTS frame, an ACK frame, or a BA frame.

[0260] In some embodiments, if the third frame is an RTS frame or an MU-RTS frame, the fourth frame is a CTS frame; if the third frame is a QoS Null frame, the fourth frame is an ACK frame or a BA frame.

[0261] In some embodiments, the first STA replies to the AP with the fourth frame on the first sub-channel; or, the first STA replies to the AP with the fourth frame on at least one sub-channel of the first sub-channel.

[0262] If the third frame and the fourth frame are exchanged between the AP and the first STA, on the one hand, it is helpful for the AP to check whether the first STA has successfully switched to the first channel. On the other hand, it can reserve the channel again on the secondary channel and eliminate the hidden terminal problem to ensure that the first STA can use the secondary channel normally.

[0263] In some embodiments, after the first STA switches to the first channel, since the TXOP owner of the channel included in the entire large bandwidth is still the AP itself, the third frame and the fourth frame may not be exchanged between the AP and the first STA.

[0264] Step 960: Receive the sixth frame sent by the AP on the primary channel, where the sixth frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to the primary channel.

[0265] The sixth frame includes at least one of a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a probe response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a probe response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, other frames carrying a channel switch announcement element, and other frames carrying an extended channel switch announcement element. Other frames refer to frames other than probe response frames and beacon frames.

[0266] In some embodiments, the sixth frame includes at least one of a channel switching mode field, a new channel number field, and a channel switching count field.

[0267] In some embodiments, when the value of the Channel Switching Mode field is a first value, the Channel Switching Mode field is used to instruct the first STA to immediately stop sending any frames after receiving the sixth frame. When the value of the Channel Switching Mode field is a second value, the Channel Switching Mode field is not used to indicate any requirements to the first STA. Exemplarily, the first value includes "1" and the second value includes "0."

[0268] In some embodiments, the new channel number field included in the sixth frame is used to indicate the primary channel. It can also be understood that the value of the new channel number field included in the sixth frame is the number corresponding to the primary channel.

[0269] In some embodiments, the Channel Switch Count field has a third value, which instructs the first STA to switch to the primary channel in the current TXOP after receiving the sixth frame. Alternatively, the Channel Switch Count field instructs the first STA to switch to the primary channel as soon as possible (or as best effort) after receiving the sixth frame. Exemplarily, the third value includes "0."

[0270] Step 970: Switch from the primary channel to the primary channel;

[0271] In some embodiments, based on the received sixth frame, a channel switch is performed from the primary channel to the primary channel.

[0272] Exemplarily, the value of the new channel number field included in the sixth frame is the number corresponding to the main channel. The channel switching mode field included in the sixth frame is the second value (for example, the value is "0"), indicating that the AP does not make any requirements on the switching mode after the first STA receives the sixth frame. The first STA can immediately stop sending any frames, and after switching to the main channel, send frames that have not been completed in the first channel transmission before the channel switch; the first STA can also switch to the main channel after completing the current transmission. The value of the channel switching count field included in the first frame is the third value (for example, the value is "0"), and the first STA switches to the main channel as soon as possible within the current TXOP. Based on the capabilities of the first STA, the first STA may complete the channel switch within a dozen microseconds to dozens of microseconds.

[0273] In some embodiments, the first STA automatically switches to the primary channel when a first condition is met, which helps improve the flexibility of channel switching and channel usage and reduce signaling consumption. The first condition includes at least one of the following: the first STA does not need to send any frames to the AP during the second time period; the first STA does not intend to send any frames to the AP during the second time period; the first STA does not send any frames to the AP during the second time period; the AP does not need to send any frames to the first STA during the second time period; the AP does not intend to send any frames to the first STA during the second time period; the AP does not send any frames to the first STA during the second time period.

[0274] The second time period includes one of the following:

[0275] The second time period is the default duration, such as PIFS, PIFS+delta (delta>0), DIFS, etc.

[0276] The duration indicated by the DSO frame sent by the AP;

[0277] At the end of the current TXOP, the UHR STA automatically switches back to the primary channel.

[0278] Step 980: Receive the third frame sent by the AP on the primary channel;

[0279] The third frame includes an RTS frame, or an MU-RTS frame, or a QoS Null frame.

[0280] In some embodiments, the first STA receives the third frame on the main channel after receiving the sixth frame on the first channel and SIFS has passed; or, the first STA receives the third frame on the main channel after receiving the sixth frame on the first channel and a first time period has passed; wherein the first time period is longer than SIFS.

[0281] Step 990: Reply the fourth frame to the AP on the primary channel.

[0282] The fourth frame includes a CTS frame, an ACK frame, or a BA frame.

[0283] In some embodiments, if the third frame is an RTS frame or an MU-RTS frame, the fourth frame is a CTS frame; if the third frame is a QoS Null frame, the fourth frame is an ACK frame or a BA frame.

[0284] If the third frame and the fourth frame are exchanged between the AP and the first STA, on the one hand, it is helpful for the AP to check whether the first STA has successfully switched back to the main channel. On the other hand, it can reserve the channel again on the main channel and eliminate the hidden terminal problem to ensure that the first STA can use the main channel normally.

[0285] In some embodiments, after the first STA switches back to the primary channel, since the TXOP owner of the channel included in the entire large bandwidth is still the AP itself, the third frame and the fourth frame may not be exchanged between the AP and the first STA.

[0286] In some embodiments, after the first STA switches to the primary channel based on the first frame, it receives a frame on the primary channel instructing the first STA to switch to another secondary channel, and the first STA then switches to the other secondary channel. Optionally, the first STA exchanges third and fourth frames with the AP on the other secondary channel, and / or the first STA receives a frame on the other secondary channel instructing the first STA to switch to the primary channel, and the first STA then switches to the primary channel.

[0287] In some embodiments, the AP obtains a longer TXOP duration, and some or all of the above steps can be performed within the same TXOP, resulting in a higher gain for the channel switching method provided herein. In some embodiments, the AP obtains a shorter TXOP duration, and some or all of the above steps are performed within multiple TXOPs, resulting in a lower gain for the channel switching method provided herein.

[0288] In summary, the method provided by the present application supports the first STA to perform flexible channel switching. Since the first STA can include both old-standard devices and new-standard devices, it realizes the flexible switching of the working channels of the old-standard devices and the new-standard devices without changing the main channel of the BSS. It is beneficial to alleviate the load and interference of the main channel, and to improve the channel utilization rate, especially to improve the utilization rate of the secondary channel and reduce resource waste. In addition, the interaction between the third frame and the fourth frame is beneficial to confirming the completion of the channel switching of the first STA, and avoids the problem of hidden terminals, thereby improving the reliability and stability of the transmission. In addition, it supports the first STA to switch back to the main channel to work, avoiding the situation where the first STA cannot detect the control frames and / or management frames sent by the AP on the secondary channel, and ensures that the first STA can operate normally while flexibly switching channels.

[0289] FIG11 is a flow chart showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application. Taking the method performed by the second STA as an example, the method includes at least some of the following steps:

[0290] Step 1010: Receive a second frame sent by the AP on the primary channel, where the second frame is used to instruct the second STA to switch from the primary channel to the secondary channel.

[0291] The AP and the second STA belong to the same BSS, which includes one AP and at least one STA. The primary channel refers to the primary channel of the BSS.

[0292] The AP may be the AP 610 shown in FIG6 , for example, the AP is a UHR AP. The second STA may be the STA 620 shown in FIG6 .

[0293] The AP's operating channels include a primary channel and at least one secondary channel. The bandwidths of the primary channel and the secondary channel may be the same or different. The bandwidths of the secondary channels may be the same or different.

[0294] After establishing an association with the AP, the second STA operates on the primary channel; or, initially, the second STA operates on the primary channel; or, the second STA operates on the primary channel by default; or, the second STA operates on the primary channel based on AP scheduling. Operating on the primary channel can be understood as the second STA transmitting at least one of data frames, control frames, and management frames with the AP on the primary channel, and / or the second STA exchanging at least one of data frames, control frames, and management frames with other STAs through the AP on the primary channel. Other STAs refer to STAs within the BSS other than the second STA.

[0295] The second STA is one STA; or, the second STA includes at least two STAs, and the systems of the at least two STAs are the same or different.

[0296] In some embodiments, the standard of the second STA includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11be, a standard corresponding to a UHR STA, and a future standard evolved from a standard corresponding to a UHR STA.

[0297] In some embodiments, the second frame includes: a subband switching control frame, a MU-RTS frame, a cache status report polling frame, a beacon frame carrying a dynamic subband operation DSO element, a probe response frame carrying a DSO element, a probe response frame carrying a DSO element and a channel switching announcement element, a probe response frame carrying a DSO element and an extended channel switching announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a DSO element and a channel switching announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a DSO element and an extended channel switching announcement element, other frames carrying a DSO element and a channel switching announcement element, and other frames carrying a DSO element and an extended channel switching announcement element. Among them, other frames refer to frames other than probe response frames and beacon frames.

[0298] In some embodiments, the second frame is a DSO frame. The frame format of the DSO frame is shown in Figure 12, where the number below the field indicates the number of octets of the field, which includes a Category field, a Spectrum Management Action field or a Public Action field, and at least one of a variable DSO element.

[0299] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the values ​​of the fields or elements are merely examples and do not mean to limit the values ​​of the fields or elements, nor do they mean to limit the meanings of the fields or elements.

[0300] For example, the Category field is set to 0, indicating that the frame is a spectrum management action frame. The Spectrum Management Action field is set to any value between 5 and 255. For example, if the Spectrum Management Action field is set to 5, it indicates that the frame is a DSO frame.

[0301] For example, the category field is set to 4, indicating that the frame is an action frame of the common type. The common action field is set to any value between 47 and 255. For example, if the common action field is set to 47, it indicates that the frame is a DSO frame.

[0302] In some embodiments, the format of the DSO element is shown in Figure 13, and the number below the field represents the number of bytes (Octets) of the field. In some embodiments, the DSO element includes some or all of the fields shown in Figure 13. Among them: the Element Identity (Element ID) field is set to 255; the Length (Length) field is the length of the DSO element; the Element ID Extension (Element ID Extension) field is set to any value of 94-113, 115, 117-255. For example, the Element ID Extension field is set to 117, which means that the element is a DSO element; the format and meaning of the Channel Switching Mode field are as described above and will not be repeated here; the format and meaning of the Target Operating Class Field can refer to the "New Operating Class Field" described above, which will not be repeated here; the format and meaning of the Target Channel Number Field can refer to the "New Channel Number Field" described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0303] In some embodiments, the format of the Channel Switch Control Field is shown in FIG14 , where the number below the field indicates the number of bits in the field. In some embodiments, the Channel Switch Control Field includes some or all of the fields shown in FIG14 .

[0304] If the Channel Switch Delay Present Subfield is set to 0, it means that there is no Channel Switch Delay Field in the DSO element, which means that the second STA that receives the DSO frame needs to complete the channel switch in the shortest possible time, such as within SIFS. If the Channel Switch Delay Present Subfield is set to 1, it means that there is a Channel Switch Delay Field in the DSO element, which means that the second STA that receives the DSO frame needs to complete the channel switch within the sum of the time indicated by the Channel Switch Delay Field and SIFS. Exemplarily, the time unit indicated by the Channel Switch Delay Field is microseconds (μs).

[0305] If the Explicit Switch Back Indication Subfield is set to 1, it means that the second STA needs to receive the DSO frame indication sent by the AP before it can switch back to the primary channel according to the indication in the DSO frame. At this time, the Switch Back Delay Present Subfield is set to 0, and the Switch Back Delay Field does not exist in the DSO element.

[0306] If the explicit switch back subfield is set to 0, it means that the second STA does not need to receive the DSO frame indication sent by the AP. It will combine the indication of the switch back delay subfield and automatically switch back to the main channel by default upon timeout. Therefore, it can also be understood as implicit switching back to the main channel.

[0307] ·When the Explicit Switch Back subfield is set to 0, if the Switch Back Delay Occurrence subfield is set to 0, it means that there is no Switch Back Delay field in the DSO element. At this time, the second STA that receives the DSO frame needs to complete the channel switch in the shortest possible time, such as completing the channel switch within PIFS. When the Explicit Switch Back subfield is set to 1, if the Switch Back Delay Occurrence subfield is set to 1, it means that there is a Switch Back Delay field in the DSO element. At this time, the second STA that receives the DSO frame needs to complete the channel switch within the sum of the time indicated by the Channel Switch Delay field and PIFS. Exemplarily, the time unit indicated by the Channel Switch Delay field is microseconds (μs). The time indicated by the Channel Switch Delay field.

[0308] It is worth noting that the specific values ​​of the Channel Switch Delay and Switch Back Delay fields can be set by the AP and the second STA based on their respective capabilities during the initial capability interaction phase (e.g., during the phase when the AP and the second STA establish an association). If the second STA has strong channel switching capabilities, the Channel Switch Delay and Switch Back Delay fields can be set to smaller values ​​(even 0); if the second STA has weak channel switching capabilities, the Channel Switch Delay and Switch Back Delay fields can be set to larger values.

[0309] In some embodiments, the DSO frame shown in FIG11 carries more elements in addition to the DSO element. For example, the Secondary Channel Offset Element in the Channel Switch Announcement Frame, and / or the Wide Bandwidth Channel Switch Element, and / or the New Transmit Power Envelope Element, and / or the New Country Element in the Extended Channel Switch Announcement Frame. These elements / information can assist the AP in using the DSO frame to allow the second STA to perform more other functions when switching channels, such as indicating the offset of the secondary channel relative to the primary channel, switching to a wider bandwidth, and the transmit power to be used after switching. For specific functions, please refer to the relevant instructions and descriptions in the Channel Switch Announcement Frame and / or the Extended Channel Switch Announcement Frame mentioned above, which will not be repeated here.

[0310] Step 1020: Switch from the primary channel to the secondary channel;

[0311] The secondary channel is at least one secondary channel on which the AP operates. If the secondary channel is a single secondary channel, the second frame instructs the second STA to switch from the primary channel to this secondary channel, i.e., instructing the second STA to switch from operating on the primary channel to operating on the secondary channel. If the secondary channel is at least two secondary channels, then these at least two secondary channels are called sub-channels of the secondary channel, and the second frame instructs the second STA to switch from the primary channel to these at least two secondary channels, i.e., instructing the second STA to switch from operating on the primary channel to operating on these at least two secondary channels. The bandwidth of each sub-channel of the secondary channel may be the same or different.

[0312] Based on the received second frame, channel switching is performed from the primary channel to the secondary channel.

[0313] Step 1030: Receive the third frame sent by the AP on the second channel;

[0314] The third frame includes an RTS frame, or an MU-RTS frame, or a QoS Null frame.

[0315] In some embodiments, the second STA receives the third frame on the secondary channel after receiving the second frame on the primary channel and SIFS has passed; or, the second STA receives the third frame on the secondary channel after receiving the second frame on the primary channel and a first time period has passed; wherein the first time period is longer than SIFS.

[0316] Step 1040: Reply the fourth frame to the AP on the second channel;

[0317] The fourth frame includes a CTS frame, an ACK frame, or a BA frame.

[0318] In some embodiments, if the third frame is an RTS frame or an MU-RTS frame, the fourth frame is a CTS frame; if the third frame is a QoS Null frame, the fourth frame is an ACK frame or a BA frame.

[0319] In some embodiments, the second STA replies to the AP with a fourth frame on the secondary channel; or, the second STA replies to the AP with a fourth frame on at least one sub-channel of the secondary channel.

[0320] If the third and fourth frames are exchanged between the AP and the second STA, on the one hand, it is helpful for the AP to check whether the second STA has successfully switched to the secondary channel. On the other hand, it can reserve the channel again on the secondary channel and eliminate the hidden terminal problem to ensure that the second STA can use the secondary channel normally.

[0321] In some embodiments, after the second STA switches to the secondary channel, since the TXOP owner of the channel included in the entire large bandwidth is still the AP itself, the third frame and the fourth frame may not be exchanged between the AP and the second STA.

[0322] Step 1050: Receive the fifth frame sent by the AP on the secondary channel, where the fifth frame is used to instruct the second STA to switch from the secondary channel to the primary channel.

[0323] The fifth frame includes at least one of a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a probe response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a probe response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, other frames carrying a channel switch announcement element, and other frames carrying an extended channel switch announcement element. Other frames refer to frames other than probe response frames and beacon frames.

[0324] In some embodiments, the fifth frame includes at least one of a channel switching mode field, a new channel number field, and a channel switching count field.

[0325] In some embodiments, when the value of the Channel Switching Mode field is a first value, the Channel Switching Mode field is used to instruct the second STA to immediately stop sending any frames after receiving the fifth frame. When the value of the Channel Switching Mode field is a second value, the Channel Switching Mode field is not used to indicate any requirements to the second STA. Exemplarily, the first value includes "1" and the second value includes "0."

[0326] In some embodiments, the new channel number field included in the fifth frame is used to indicate the primary channel. It can also be understood that the value of the new channel number field included in the fifth frame is the number corresponding to the primary channel.

[0327] In some embodiments, the Channel Switch Count field has a third value, which instructs the second STA to switch to the primary channel in the current TXOP after receiving the fifth frame. Alternatively, the Channel Switch Count field instructs the second STA to switch to the primary channel as soon as possible (or as best effort) after receiving the fifth frame. Exemplarily, the third value includes "0."

[0328] Step 1060: Switch from the secondary channel to the primary channel;

[0329] In some embodiments, the second STA performs channel switching from the secondary channel to the primary channel based on the received fifth frame.

[0330] Exemplarily, the value of the new channel number field included in the sixth frame is the number corresponding to the main channel. The channel switching mode field included in the sixth frame is the second value (for example, the value is "0"), indicating that the AP does not make any requirements on the switching mode after the first STA receives the sixth frame. The first STA can immediately stop sending any frames, and after switching to the main channel, send frames that have not been completed in the first channel transmission before the channel switch; the first STA can also switch to the main channel after completing the current transmission. The value of the channel switching count field included in the first frame is the third value (for example, the value is "0"), and the first STA switches to the main channel as soon as possible within the current TXOP. Based on the capabilities of the first STA, the first STA may complete the channel switch within a dozen microseconds to dozens of microseconds.

[0331] In some embodiments, the second STA automatically switches to the primary channel when a first condition is met. The first condition includes at least one of the following: the second STA does not need to send any frames to the AP within the second time period; the second STA is not prepared to send any frames to the AP within the second time period; the second STA does not send any frames to the AP within the second time period; the AP does not need to send any frames to the second STA within the second time period; the AP is not prepared to send any frames to the second STA within the second time period; the AP does not send any frames to the second STA within the second time period.

[0332] The second time period includes one of the following:

[0333] The second time period is a default duration, such as Priority Interframe Space (PIFS), PIFS+delta (delta>0), Distributed (Coordination Function) Interframe Space (DIFS), etc.

[0334] The second time period is the duration indicated by the DS0 frame sent by the AP;

[0335] At the end of the current TXOP, the UHR STA automatically switches back to the primary channel.

[0336] Optionally, delta includes the time indicated by the channel switching delay field.

[0337] Step 1070: Receive the third frame sent by the AP on the primary channel;

[0338] The third frame includes an RTS frame, or an MU-RTS frame, or a QoS Null frame.

[0339] In some embodiments, the second STA receives the third frame on the main channel after receiving the fifth frame on the secondary channel and SIFS has passed; or, the second STA receives the third frame on the main channel after receiving the fifth frame on the secondary channel and a first time period has passed; wherein the first time period is longer than SIFS.

[0340] Step 1080: Reply the fourth frame to the AP on the primary channel.

[0341] The fourth frame includes a CTS frame, an ACK frame, or a BA frame.

[0342] In some embodiments, if the third frame is an RTS frame or an MU-RTS frame, the fourth frame is a CTS frame; if the third frame is a QoS Null frame, the fourth frame is an ACK frame or a BA frame.

[0343] If the third and fourth frames are exchanged between the AP and the second STA, on the one hand, it is helpful for the AP to check whether the second STA has successfully switched back to the main channel. On the other hand, it can reserve the channel again on the main channel and eliminate the hidden terminal problem to ensure that the second STA can use the main channel normally.

[0344] In some embodiments, after the second STA switches back to the primary channel, since the TXOP owner of the channel included in the entire large bandwidth is still the AP itself, the third frame and the fourth frame may not be exchanged between the AP and the second STA.

[0345] In some embodiments, after the second STA switches to the secondary channel based on the second frame, it receives a frame on the secondary channel instructing the second STA to switch to another secondary channel, and the second STA then switches to the other secondary channel. Optionally, the second STA exchanges third and fourth frames with the AP on the other secondary channel, and / or the second STA receives a frame on the other secondary channel instructing the second STA to switch to the primary channel, and the second STA then switches to the primary channel.

[0346] In some embodiments, the AP obtains a longer TXOP duration, and some or all of the above steps can be performed within the same TXOP, resulting in a higher gain for the channel switching method provided herein. In some embodiments, the AP obtains a shorter TXOP duration, and some or all of the above steps are performed within multiple TXOPs, resulting in a lower gain for the channel switching method provided herein.

[0347] In summary, the method provided by the present application supports the second STA to perform flexible channel switching. Since the second STA can include old-standard devices as well as new-standard devices, it realizes the flexible switching of the working channels of the old-standard devices and the new-standard devices without changing the main channel of the BSS. It is beneficial to alleviate the load and interference of the main channel, and to improve the channel utilization rate, especially to improve the utilization rate of the secondary channel and reduce resource waste. In addition, the interaction between the third frame and the fourth frame is beneficial to confirming the completion of the channel switching of the second STA, and avoids the problem of hidden terminals, thereby improving the reliability and stability of the transmission. In addition, a newly designed DSO frame and DSO element are provided, which makes the channel switching of the second STA more flexible and simple, and improves the spectrum utilization. In addition, it supports the second STA to switch back to the main channel to work, thereby avoiding the situation where the second STA cannot detect the control frames and / or management frames sent by the AP on the secondary channel, and ensures that the second STA can operate normally while flexibly switching channels.

[0348] FIG15 is a schematic diagram showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application, and is described by taking the method executed by an AP and a STA as an example.

[0349] A BSS includes an AP and at least one STA, such as AP 121, STA 122, STA 123, and STA 124. AP 121 is granted access to a wide-bandwidth channel. For example, the channel bandwidth granted to AP 121 totals 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, or 480 MHz, etc., which may include at least two channels. The bandwidths of these at least two channels can be the same or different, and one of these at least two channels is a primary channel. For example, these at least two channels may include two 20 MHz channels, four 20 MHz channels, eight 20 MHz channels, eight 40 MHz channels, sixteen 20 MHz channels, or twenty-four 20 MHz channels.

[0350] For example, an AP obtains the right to use four 20 MHz channels, totaling 80 MHz.

[0351] In the initial state, all STAs (STA 122, STA 123, and STA 124) in the BSS operate on the primary channel CH1. For example, STA 122 is an HT STA or a VHT STA, STA 123 is an HE STA or an EHT STA, and STA 124 is a UHR STA.

[0352] When a large number of devices operate on the primary channel CH1 or the primary channel is crowded, in order to reduce the load pressure on the primary channel, the AP 121 allows some or all STAs to operate on the secondary channel.

[0353] AP 121 sends a channel switch announcement frame 1 (CSAF1 for short) to STA 122 on the primary channel CH1, instructing STA 122 to switch from the primary channel CH1 to the secondary channel CH4. That is, AP 121 is the transmitter (Tx) of CSAF1, and STA 122 is the receiver (Rx) of CSAF1. For example, if the channel switch mode in the channel switch announcement element in CSAF1 is set to 1, STA 122 immediately stops sending any frames after receiving CSAF1; if the channel switch mode in the channel switch announcement element in CSAF1 is set to 0, CSAF1 does not specify the behavior of STA 122 after receiving CSAF1. The new channel number element in CSAF1 indicates the number corresponding to the secondary channel CH4. The channel switch count field in CSAF1 takes a value of 0, instructing STA 122 to switch to the secondary channel CH4 as soon as possible within the current TXOP. CSAF1 can also carry other elements, as described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0354] When the RA field in CSAF1 is set to a unicast address (such as the address of STA 122), the channel switching instruction of CSAF1 only takes effect on the STA that receives CSAF1 (such as STA 122); when the RA field in CSAF1 is set to a multicast address (such as the multicast address corresponding to STA 122 and STA 123), the channel switching instruction of CSAF1 takes effect on the STA group that receives CSAF1 (such as STA 122 and STA123); when the RA field in CSAF1 is set to a broadcast address (such as sending to all STAs in the BSS), the channel switching instruction of CSAF1 takes effect on all STAs that receive CSAF1 (such as all STAs in the BSS).

[0355] AP 121 sends an RTS frame to STA 122 on the secondary channel CH4, and STA 122 replies with a CTS frame to AP 121 on the secondary channel CH4.

[0356] AP 121 and STA 122 may perform data transmission on the secondary channel CH4. For example, AP 121 sends a data frame to STA 122 on the secondary channel CH4, and STA 122 responds with an ACK frame to AP 121 on the secondary channel CH4.

[0357] AP 121 sends a channel switch announcement frame 2 (CSAF2) on primary channel CH1 to STA 123, instructing STA 123 to switch from primary channel CH1 to secondary channel CH3. In other words, AP 121 is the sender of CSAF2, and STA 123 is the receiver of CSAF2. The settings of the fields or elements contained in CSAF2 can be referred to CSAF1 and are not repeated here.

[0358] AP 121 sends an RTS frame or an MU-RTS frame to STA 123 on the secondary channel CH3, and STA 123 replies with a CTS frame to AP 121 on the secondary channel CH3.

[0359] AP 121 and STA 123 may perform data transmission on the secondary channel CH3. For example, AP 121 sends a data frame to STA 123 on the secondary channel CH3, and STA 123 replies with an ACK frame to AP 121 on the secondary channel CH3 (not shown).

[0360] AP 121 sends a DSO frame to STA 124 on primary channel CH1, instructing STA 124 to switch from primary channel CH1 to secondary channel CH2. In other words, AP 121 is the sender of the DSO frame, and STA 124 is the receiver of the DSO frame. The settings of the fields or elements contained in the DSO frame can be referred to as described above and will not be repeated here.

[0361] The AP 121 sends an RTS frame or an MU-RTS frame to the STA 124 on the secondary channel CH2, and the STA 124 replies with a CTS frame to the AP 121 on the secondary channel CH2.

[0362] AP 121 and STA 124 may perform data transmission on the secondary channel CH2. For example, STA 124 sends a data frame to AP 121 on the secondary channel CH2, and AP 121 replies with an ACK frame to STA 124 on the secondary channel CH2 (not shown).

[0363] In summary, the method provided by this application supports both legacy and new-standard devices switching to secondary channels, enabling flexible switching of operating channels between legacy and new-standard devices without changing the primary channel of the BSS. This helps alleviate the load on the primary channel and improves channel utilization, especially the utilization of secondary channels, fully utilizing the large bandwidth characteristics of future UHR technology and reducing resource waste.

[0364] FIG16 is a schematic diagram showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application, and is described by taking the method executed by an AP and a STA as an example.

[0365] A BSS includes an AP and at least one STA, such as AP 121, STA 122, STA 123, and STA 124. AP 121 is granted access to a wide-bandwidth channel. For example, the total channel bandwidth granted to AP 121 is 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, or 480 MHz, etc., which may include at least two channels. The bandwidths of these at least two channels can be the same or different, and one of these at least two channels is a primary channel. For example, these at least two channels may include: two 20 MHz channels, four 20 MHz channels, eight 20 MHz channels, eight 40 MHz channels, sixteen 20 MHz channels, twenty-four 20 MHz channels, three 20 MHz channels plus one 40 MHz channel, etc.

[0366] For example, an AP obtains the right to use four 40 MHz channels totaling 160 MHz.

[0367] In the initial state, all STAs (STA 122, STA 123, and STA 124) in the BSS operate on the primary channel CH1. For example, STA 122 is an HT STA or a VHT STA, STA 123 is an HE STA or an EHT STA, and STA 124 is a UHR STA.

[0368] When a large number of devices operate on the primary channel CH1 or the primary channel is crowded, in order to reduce the load pressure on the primary channel, the AP 121 allows some or all STAs to operate on the secondary channel.

[0369] AP 121 proactively sends a probe response frame 1 (PRF1) to STA 122. That is, AP 121 sends PRF1 to STA 122 without receiving a probe request frame from STA 122. PRF1 instructs STA 122 to switch from primary channel CH1 to secondary channel CH4. In other words, AP 121 is the sender of PRF1, and STA 122 is the receiver of PRF1. PRF1 includes a channel switch announcement element or an extended channel switch announcement element. The format and meaning of the channel switch announcement element or the extended channel switch announcement element are described above and are not further described here.

[0370] AP 121 sends an RTS frame to STA 122 on the secondary channel CH4, and STA 122 replies with a CTS frame to AP 121 on the secondary channel CH4.

[0371] AP 121 and STA 122 may perform data transmission on the secondary channel CH4. For example, AP 121 sends a data frame to STA 122 on the secondary channel CH4, and STA 122 responds with an ACK frame to AP 121 on the secondary channel CH4.

[0372] AP 121 actively sends a probe response frame 2 (PRF2) to STA 123, instructing STA 123 to switch from the primary channel CH1 to the secondary channel CH3. That is, AP 121 is the sender of PRF2 and STA 123 is the receiver of PRF2.

[0373] AP 121 sends an RTS frame or an MU-RTS frame to STA 123 on the secondary channel CH3, and STA 123 replies with a CTS frame to AP 121 on the secondary channel CH3.

[0374] AP 121 and STA 123 may perform data transmission on the secondary channel CH3.

[0375] AP 121 sends a DS0 frame to STA 124, instructing STA 124 to switch from primary channel CH1 to secondary channel CH2. In other words, AP 121 is the sender of the DS0 frame and STA 124 is the receiver of the DS0 frame. The settings of the fields or elements contained in the DS0 frame can be referred to as described above and will not be repeated here.

[0376] The AP 121 sends an RTS frame or an MU-RTS frame to the STA 124 on the secondary channel CH2, and the STA 124 replies with a CTS frame to the AP 121 on the secondary channel CH2.

[0377] AP 121 and STA 124 may perform data transmission on the secondary channel CH2.

[0378] For example, AP 121 sends data frames on the secondary channels CH2 and CH3, and STA 123 and STA 124 reply with BA frames to AP 121 on the secondary channels CH2 and CH3.

[0379] The probe response frame is a management frame. For example, the format of the management frame is shown in Figure 17. The number below the field indicates the number of octets of the field, where:

[0380] When B3 and B2 of the Frame Control field are set to "00" and B7, B6, B5, and B4 are set to "0101," the management frame is a probe response frame. B3 and B2 belong to the Type field, while B7, B6, B5, and B4 belong to the Subtype field.

[0381] The Duration field indicates the duration of the management frame.

[0382] The Address 1 field indicates the Receiver Address / Receiving Station Address (RA), which is the MAC address of the receiver.

[0383] The Address 2 field indicates the Transmitter Address / Transmitting Station Address (TA), which is the MAC address of the sender.

[0384] The Address 3 field indicates the BSS ID of the BSS where the receiver is located.

[0385] The Sequence Control field indicates the sending sequence number corresponding to the management frame.

[0386] The HT Control field carries control commands.

[0387] The Frame Check Sequence (FCS) field is used to perform integrity checks on the management frame.

[0388] The format design of the frame body is shown in Table 2, but it does not mean that the management frame must carry all the orders in Table 2 at the same time. The management frame can carry one or more orders shown in Table 2.

[0389] Table 2 Management frame body

[0390] Among them, order 10 is used for channel switching announcement, order 29 is used to carry extended channel switching announcement, and order a is used to carry the DSO element as described above.

[0391] In some embodiments, the frame body of the probe response frame carries a channel switch announcement element of order 10 and / or an extended channel switch announcement element of order 29.

[0392] In some embodiments, the frame body of the probe response frame carries a DSO element of order a.

[0393] To sum up, the method provided by this application supports both old-standard devices and new-standard devices to switch to secondary channels respectively, without changing the main channel of the entire BSS, and realizes flexible switching of working channels of old-standard devices and new-standard devices. It is beneficial to alleviate the load of the main channel and improve the channel utilization rate, especially the utilization rate of the secondary channel, and make full use of the large bandwidth characteristics of future UHR technology to reduce resource waste.

[0394] FIG18 is a schematic diagram showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application, and is described by taking the method executed by an AP and a STA as an example.

[0395] A BSS includes an AP and at least one STA, such as AP 121, STA 122, STA 123, and STA 124. AP 121 is granted access to a wide-bandwidth channel. For example, the total channel bandwidth granted to AP 121 is 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, or 480 MHz, etc., which may include at least two channels. The bandwidths of these at least two channels can be the same or different, and one of these at least two channels is a primary channel. For example, these at least two channels may include: two 20 MHz channels, four 20 MHz channels, eight 20 MHz channels, eight 40 MHz channels, sixteen 20 MHz channels, twenty-four 20 MHz channels, three 20 MHz channels plus one 40 MHz channel, etc.

[0396] For example, an AP obtains the right to use four 40 MHz channels totaling 160 MHz.

[0397] In the initial state, all STAs (STA 122, STA 123, and STA 124) in the BSS operate on the primary channel CH1. For example, STA 122 is an HT STA or a VHT STA, STA 123 is an HE STA or an EHT STA, and STA 124 is a UHR STA.

[0398] When a large number of devices operate on the primary channel CH1 or the primary channel is crowded, in order to reduce the load pressure on the primary channel, the AP 121 allows some or all STAs to operate on the secondary channel.

[0399] AP 121 sends an Extended Channel Switch Announcement Frame 1 (ECSAF1) on primary channel CH1 to STA 122, instructing STA 122 to switch from primary channel CH1 to secondary channel CH4. In other words, AP 121 is the sender of ECSAF1, and STA 122 is the receiver of ECSAF1. The fields or elements included in the Extended Channel Switch Announcement are described above and are not repeated here.

[0400] AP 121 sends an RTS frame to STA 122 using puncturing. As shown in the figure, AP 121 sends the RTS frame to STA 122 on the large bandwidth consisting of CH1, CH2, CH3, and CH4. Since STA 122 has switched to CH4, the AP punctures CH2 and CH3. Ultimately, AP 121 sends the RTS frame on CH1 and CH4. However, since the RTS frame is sent to STA 122 (for example, the RA address in the RTS frame is STA 122's MAC address), only STA 122 responds with a CTS frame to AP 121 on CH4. STA 122's CTS response to AP 121 on CH4 indicates that STA 122 has successfully switched to CH4.

[0401] AP 121 proactively sends a probe response frame 2 (PRF2) to STA 123 on primary channel CH1, instructing STA 123 to switch from primary channel CH1 to secondary channel CH3. In other words, AP 121 is the sender of PRF2, and STA 123 is the receiver of PRF2. The fields or elements included in the probe response frame are described above and are not repeated here.

[0402] AP 121 sends an RTS or MU-RTS frame to STA 123 using puncturing. As shown in the figure, AP 121 sends an RTS or MU-RTS frame to STA 123 over the large bandwidth consisting of CH1, CH2, CH3, and CH4. Since STA 123 has switched to CH3, the AP punctures CH2 and CH4. Ultimately, AP 121 sends an RTS or MU-RTS frame on CH1 and CH3. However, since the RTS or MU-RTS frame is intended for STA 123 (for example, the RA address in the RTS or MU-RTS frame is STA 123's MAC address), only STA 123 responds with a CTS frame to AP 121 on CH3. STA 123's CTS response to AP 121 on CH3 indicates that STA 123 has successfully switched to CH3.

[0403] AP 121 sends a DSO frame to STA 124 on primary channel CH1, instructing STA 124 to switch from primary channel CH1 to secondary channel CH2. In other words, AP 121 is the sender of the DSO frame, and STA 124 is the receiver of the DSO frame. The settings of the fields or elements contained in the DSO frame can be referred to as described above and will not be repeated here.

[0404] AP 121 sends a QoS Null frame to STA 124 on the secondary channel CH2, and STA 124 responds with an ACK frame on the secondary channel CH2 to AP 121. STA 124 responds with an ACK frame to AP 121 on CH2, indicating that STA 124 has successfully switched to CH2.

[0405] In summary, the method provided by the present application supports both old-standard devices and new-standard devices to switch to the secondary channel to work respectively, and realizes the flexible switching of the working channels of the old-standard devices and the new-standard devices without changing the main channel of the BSS. It is beneficial to alleviate the load of the main channel and improve the channel utilization rate, especially to improve the utilization rate of the secondary channel, make full use of the large bandwidth characteristics of future UHR technology, and reduce resource waste. In addition, the interaction between the RTS frame and the CTS frame, or the interaction between the QoS Null frame and the ACK frame, is conducive to confirming whether each STA has successfully switched to the secondary channel, and is conducive to avoiding the hidden terminal problem.

[0406] FIG19 is a schematic diagram showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application, and is described by taking the method executed by an AP and a STA as an example.

[0407] A BSS includes an AP and at least one STA, such as AP 121, STA 122, STA 123, and STA 124. AP 121 is granted access to a wide-bandwidth channel. For example, the total channel bandwidth granted to AP 121 is 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, or 480 MHz, etc., which may include at least two channels. The bandwidths of these at least two channels can be the same or different, and one of these at least two channels is a primary channel. For example, these at least two channels may include: two 20 MHz channels, four 20 MHz channels, eight 20 MHz channels, eight 40 MHz channels, sixteen 20 MHz channels, twenty-four 20 MHz channels, three 20 MHz channels plus one 40 MHz channel, etc.

[0408] For example, an AP obtains the right to use four 40 MHz channels totaling 160 MHz.

[0409] In the initial state, all STAs (STA 122, STA 123, and STA 124) in the BSS operate on the primary channel CH1. For example, STA 122 is an HT STA or a VHT STA, STA 123 is an HE STA or an EHT STA, and STA 124 is a UHR STA.

[0410] When a large number of devices operate on the primary channel CH1 or the primary channel is crowded, in order to reduce the load pressure on the primary channel, the AP 121 allows some or all STAs to operate on the secondary channel.

[0411] AP 121 sends an Extended Channel Switch Announcement Frame 1 (ECSAF1) on primary channel CH1 to STA 122, instructing STA 122 to switch from primary channel CH1 to secondary channel CH4. In other words, AP 121 is the sender of ECSAF1, and STA 122 is the receiver of ECSAF1. The fields or elements included in the Extended Channel Switch Announcement are described above and are not repeated here.

[0412] AP 121 does not confirm or check whether STA 122 has successfully switched to CH 4. Alternatively, AP 121 directly sends data frames to STA 122 on CH 4, or STA 122 directly sends data frames to AP 121 after switching to CH 4.

[0413] AP 121 proactively sends a probe response frame 2 (PRF2) to STA 123 on primary channel CH1, instructing STA 123 to switch from primary channel CH1 to secondary channel CH3. In other words, AP 121 is the sender of PRF2, and STA 123 is the receiver of PRF2. The fields or elements included in the probe response frame are described above and are not repeated here.

[0414] AP 121 sends a QoS Null frame to STA 123 on the secondary channel CH3, and STA 123 responds with an ACK frame on the secondary channel CH3 to AP 121. STA 123 responds with an ACK frame to AP 121 on CH3, indicating that STA 123 has successfully switched to CH3.

[0415] AP 121 sends a DSO frame to STA 124 on primary channel CH1, instructing STA 124 to switch from primary channel CH1 to secondary channel CH2. In other words, AP 121 is the sender of the DSO frame, and STA 124 is the receiver of the DSO frame. The settings of the fields or elements contained in the DSO frame can be referred to as described above and will not be repeated here.

[0416] AP 121 does not confirm or check whether STA 124 has successfully switched to CH2. Alternatively, AP 121 directly sends data frames to STA 124 on CH2, or STA 124 directly sends data frames to AP 121 after switching to CH2.

[0417] After completing data transmission with AP 121 on CH2, STA 124 automatically switches back to CH1 from CH2 at the end of the current TXOP.

[0418] AP 121 sends a channel switch announcement frame 1 (CSAF1) to STA 122 on the secondary channel CH4, instructing STA 122 to switch from the secondary channel CH4 to the primary channel CH1.

[0419] AP 121 sends an extended channel switch announcement frame 1 (ECSAF1) to STA 123 on secondary channel CH3, instructing STA 123 to switch from secondary channel CH3 to secondary channel CH4.

[0420] In summary, the method provided by the present application supports both old-standard devices and new-standard devices to switch to the secondary channel to work respectively, and realizes the flexible switching of the working channels of the old-standard devices and the new-standard devices without changing the main channel of the BSS. It is beneficial to alleviate the load of the main channel and improve the channel utilization rate, especially to improve the utilization rate of the secondary channel, make full use of the large bandwidth characteristics of future UHR technology, and reduce resource waste. Moreover, the AP can directly transmit data with the STA on the secondary channel without confirming whether the STA has switched to the secondary channel, which simplifies the channel switching process and improves the overall efficiency of data transmission. In addition, it also supports the STA to automatically switch back to the main channel after completing data transmission on the secondary channel, which greatly improves the flexibility of channel use.

[0421] Figure 20 shows a schematic diagram of a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application, taking the method executed by an AP and a STA as an example for explanation.

[0422] A BSS includes an AP and at least one STA, such as AP 121, STA 122, STA 123, and STA 124. AP 121 is granted access to a wide-bandwidth channel. For example, the total channel bandwidth granted to AP 121 is 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, or 480 MHz, etc., which may include at least two channels. The bandwidths of these at least two channels can be the same or different, and one of these at least two channels is a primary channel. For example, these at least two channels may include: two 20 MHz channels, four 20 MHz channels, eight 20 MHz channels, eight 40 MHz channels, sixteen 20 MHz channels, twenty-four 20 MHz channels, three 20 MHz channels plus one 40 MHz channel, etc.

[0423] For example, an AP obtains the right to use four 40 MHz channels totaling 160 MHz.

[0424] In the initial state, all STAs (STA 122, STA 123, and STA 124) in the BSS operate on the primary channel CH1. For example, STA 122 is an HT STA or a VHT STA, STA 123 is an HE STA or an EHT STA, and STA 124 is a UHR STA.

[0425] When a large number of devices operate on the primary channel CH1 or the primary channel is crowded, in order to reduce the load pressure on the primary channel, the AP 121 allows some or all STAs to operate on the secondary channel.

[0426] AP 121 sends an Extended Channel Switch Announcement Frame 1 (ECSAF1) on primary channel CH1 to STA 122, instructing STA 122 to switch from primary channel CH1 to secondary channel CH4. In other words, AP 121 is the sender of ECSAF1, and STA 122 is the receiver of ECSAF1. The fields or elements included in the Extended Channel Switch Announcement are described above and are not repeated here.

[0427] AP 121 does not confirm or check whether STA 122 has successfully switched to CH 4. Alternatively, AP 121 directly sends data frames to STA 122 on CH 4, or STA 122 directly sends data frames to AP 121 after switching to CH 4.

[0428] AP 121 proactively sends beacon frame 1 (B1) carrying a channel switch announcement element on primary channel CH1 to STA 123, instructing STA 123 to switch from primary channel CH1 to secondary channel CH3. In other words, AP 121 is the sender of B1, and STA 123 is the receiver of B1. The configuration of the channel switch announcement element is described above and will not be repeated here.

[0429] AP 121 sends a QoS Null frame to STA 123 on the secondary channel CH3, and STA 123 responds with an ACK frame on the secondary channel CH3 to AP 121. STA 123 responds with an ACK frame to AP 121 on CH3, indicating that STA 123 has successfully switched to CH3.

[0430] AP 121 sends beacon frame 2 (B2) carrying the DSO element to STA 124 on primary channel CH1, instructing STA 124 to switch from primary channel CH1 to secondary channel CH2. In other words, AP 121 is the sender of B2, and STA 124 is the receiver of B2. The configuration of the DSO element can be referred to above and will not be repeated here.

[0431] AP 121 does not confirm or check whether STA 124 has successfully switched to CH2. Alternatively, AP 121 directly sends data frames to STA 124 on CH2, or STA 124 directly sends data frames to AP 121 after switching to CH2.

[0432] After STA 124 completes data transmission with AP 121 on CH2, it automatically switches back to CH1 from CH2 after PIFS.

[0433] AP 121 sends a channel switch announcement frame 1 (CSAF1) to STA 122 on the secondary channel CH4, instructing STA 122 to switch from the secondary channel CH4 to the primary channel CH1.

[0434] AP 121 sends an extended channel switch announcement frame 1 (ECSAF1) to STA 123 on secondary channel CH3, instructing STA 123 to switch from secondary channel CH3 to secondary channel CH4.

[0435] In summary, the method provided by the present application supports both old-standard devices and new-standard devices to switch to the secondary channel to work respectively, and realizes the flexible switching of the working channels of old-standard devices and new-standard devices without changing the main channel of the BSS. It is beneficial to alleviate the load of the main channel and improve the channel utilization rate, especially to improve the utilization rate of the secondary channel, make full use of the large bandwidth characteristics of future UHR technology, and reduce resource waste. In addition, the AP can directly transmit data with the STA on the secondary channel without confirming whether the STA has switched to the secondary channel, which simplifies the channel switching process and improves the overall efficiency of data transmission. In addition, it also supports the STA to automatically switch back to the main channel after completing data transmission on the secondary channel, which greatly improves the flexibility of channel use. In addition, the design of the DSO element enables the frame carrying the DSO element to have the functions of both the detection response frame and the DSO frame, reducing the signaling overhead.

[0436] FIG21 is a schematic diagram showing a channel switching method provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application, and is described by taking the method executed by an AP and a STA as an example.

[0437] A BSS includes an AP and at least one STA, such as AP 121, STA 122, STA 123, and STA 124. AP 121 is granted access to a wide-bandwidth channel. For example, the total channel bandwidth granted to AP 121 is 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, or 480 MHz, etc., which may include at least two channels. The bandwidths of these at least two channels can be the same or different, and one of these at least two channels is a primary channel. For example, these at least two channels may include: two 20 MHz channels, four 20 MHz channels, eight 20 MHz channels, eight 40 MHz channels, sixteen 20 MHz channels, twenty-four 20 MHz channels, three 20 MHz channels plus one 40 MHz channel, etc.

[0438] For example, an AP obtains the right to use four 40 MHz channels totaling 160 MHz.

[0439] In the initial state, all STAs (STA 122, STA 123, and STA 124) in the BSS operate on the primary channel CH1. For example, STA 122 is an HT STA or a VHT STA, STA 123 is an HE STA or an EHT STA, and STA 124 is a UHR STA.

[0440] When a large number of devices operate on the primary channel CH1 or the primary channel is crowded, in order to reduce the load pressure on the primary channel, the AP 121 allows some or all STAs to operate on the secondary channel.

[0441] AP 121 actively broadcasts a probe response frame or a beacon frame, which carries both a channel switch announcement element / extended channel switch announcement element and a DSO element.

[0442] STA 122 receives the probe response frame or beacon frame, and switches from the primary channel CH1 to the secondary channel CH4 based on the setting of the channel switch announcement element or the extended channel switch announcement element therein.

[0443] STA 123 receives the probe response frame or beacon frame, and switches from the primary channel CH1 to the secondary channel CH3 based on the setting of the channel switch announcement element or the extended channel switch announcement element therein.

[0444] Upon receiving the probe response frame or beacon frame, STA 124 switches from the primary channel CH1 to the secondary channel CH2 based on the setting of the DSO element therein.

[0445] AP 121 does not confirm or check whether STA 122 has successfully switched to CH 4. Alternatively, AP 121 directly sends data frames to STA 122 on CH 4, or STA 122 directly sends data frames to AP 121 after switching to CH 4.

[0446] AP 121 sends a QoS Null frame to STA 123 on the secondary channel CH3, and STA 123 responds with an ACK frame on the secondary channel CH3 to AP 121. STA 123 responds with an ACK frame to AP 121 on CH3, indicating that STA 123 has successfully switched to CH3.

[0447] AP 121 does not confirm or check whether STA 124 has successfully switched to CH2. Alternatively, AP 121 directly sends data frames to STA 124 on CH2, or STA 124 directly sends data frames to AP 121 after switching to CH2.

[0448] AP 121 sends a channel switch announcement frame 1 (CSAF1) to STA 124 on CH2, instructing STA 124 to switch from CH2 back to CH1.

[0449] In summary, the method provided by the present application supports both old-standard devices and new-standard devices to switch to secondary channels respectively to work, and realizes flexible switching of the working channels of old-standard devices and new-standard devices without changing the main channel of the BSS. It is beneficial to alleviate the load and interference of the main channel, and to improve the channel utilization rate, especially to improve the utilization rate of the secondary channel, make full use of the large bandwidth characteristics of future UHR technology, and reduce resource waste. In addition, the AP can directly transmit data with the STA on the secondary channel without confirming whether the STA has switched to the secondary channel, which simplifies the channel switching process and improves the overall efficiency of data transmission. In addition, the design of the DSO element enables the frame carrying the DSO element to have the functions of both the detection response frame and the DSO frame, reducing the signaling overhead. In addition, the method of implementing STA channel switching by broadcasting a beacon frame or a detection response frame by the AP, because the beacon frame or the detection response frame carries a variety of elements related to channel switching, different STAs perform channel switching based on different elements, which greatly reduces the signaling overhead and improves the simplicity of channel switching.

[0450] FIG22 shows a block diagram of a channel switching device provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application. The device includes at least some of the following modules: a first sending module 2110 and a first receiving module 2130:

[0451] The first sending module 2110 is configured to send a first frame to a first STA on a primary channel, where the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to a secondary channel.

[0452] In some embodiments, the first sending module 2110 is further configured to send a second frame to the second STA on the primary channel, where the second frame is configured to instruct the second STA to switch from the primary channel to a secondary channel.

[0453] In some embodiments, the standard of the first STA is different from the standard of the second STA.

[0454] In some embodiments, the standard of the first STA includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11be;

[0455] The standard of the second STA includes a standard corresponding to an ultra-high reliability UHR STA.

[0456] In some embodiments, the standard of the first STA is the same as the standard of the second STA.

[0457] In some embodiments, the standard of the first STA includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11be, and a standard corresponding to an ultra-reliable UHR STA;

[0458] The standard of the second STA includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11be, and a standard corresponding to a UHR STA.

[0459] In some embodiments, the second frame includes at least one of the following: a subband switching control frame, a MU-RTS frame, a cache status report polling frame, a beacon frame carrying a dynamic subband operation DSO element, a probe response frame carrying a DSO element, a probe response frame carrying a DSO element and a channel switching announcement element, a probe response frame carrying a DSO element and an extended channel switching announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a DSO element and a channel switching announcement element, and a beacon frame carrying a DSO element and an extended channel switching announcement element.

[0460] In some embodiments, the first sending module 2110 is further configured to send a third frame to the second STA on the secondary channel, where the secondary channel is at least one secondary channel on which the AP operates.

[0461] In some embodiments, the first sending module 2110 is further configured to send the third frame to the second STA on the secondary channel after the second frame is sent to the second STA on the primary channel and a short frame interval SIFS elapses;

[0462] Alternatively, after sending the second frame to the second STA on the primary channel and a first time period has passed, sending the third frame to the second STA on the secondary channel;

[0463] The first time period is longer than the SIFS.

[0464] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a first receiving module 2130 for receiving a fourth frame replied by the second STA on the second channel; or receiving the fourth frame replied by the second STA on at least one sub-channel in the second channel.

[0465] In some embodiments, the first sending module 2110 is further configured to send a third frame to the second STA by dynamic puncturing.

[0466] In some embodiments, the first sending module 2110 is further configured to send the third frame to the second STA by dynamic puncturing after the second frame is sent to the second STA on the primary channel and a short frame interval SIFS has elapsed;

[0467] Alternatively, after the second frame is sent to the second STA on the primary channel and a first time period has passed, the third frame is sent to the second STA by dynamic puncturing;

[0468] The first time period is longer than the SIFS.

[0469] In some embodiments, the first receiving module 2130 is further configured to receive a fourth frame replied by the second STA on the second channel.

[0470] In some embodiments, the first sending module 2110 is further configured to send a third frame to the first STA on the first secondary channel, where the first secondary channel is at least one secondary channel on which the AP operates.

[0471] In some embodiments, the first sending module 2110 is further configured to send the third frame to the first STA on the primary channel after the first frame is sent to the first STA on the primary channel and a short frame interval SIFS elapses;

[0472] Alternatively, after sending the first frame to the first STA on the primary channel and a first time period has passed, sending the third frame to the first STA on the secondary channel;

[0473] The first time period is longer than the SIFS.

[0474] In some embodiments, the first receiving module 2130 is further configured to receive a fourth frame replied by the first STA on the first channel.

[0475] In some embodiments, the first sending module 2110 is further configured to send a third frame to the first STA by dynamic puncturing.

[0476] In some embodiments, the first sending module 2110 is further configured to send the third frame to the first STA by dynamic puncturing after the first frame is sent to the first STA on the primary channel and a short frame interval (SIFS) has elapsed;

[0477] Alternatively, after the first frame is sent to the first STA on the primary channel and a first time period has passed, the third frame is sent to the first STA by dynamic puncturing;

[0478] The first time period is longer than the SIFS.

[0479] In some embodiments, the first receiving module 2130 is further configured to receive a fourth frame replied by the first STA on the first channel.

[0480] In some embodiments, the third frame includes an RTS frame, or an MU-RTS frame, or a Quality of Service (QoS) Null frame.

[0481] In some embodiments, the fourth frame comprises a CTS frame, or an acknowledgment frame, or a BA frame.

[0482] In some embodiments, the first sending module 2110 is further configured to send a fifth frame to the second STA on the secondary channel, where the fifth frame is configured to instruct the second STA to switch from the secondary channel to the primary channel.

[0483] In some embodiments, the fifth frame includes at least one of: a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a probe response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a probe response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, and a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element.

[0484] In some embodiments, the first sending module 2110 is further used to send a sixth frame to the first STA on the first channel, where the sixth frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the first channel to the main channel.

[0485] In some embodiments, the sixth frame includes at least one of: a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a probe response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a probe response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, and a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element.

[0486] In some embodiments, the first frame includes: a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a probe response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a probe response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, and at least one of a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element.

[0487] In some embodiments, the first frame includes at least one of a channel switching mode field, a new channel number field, and a channel switching count field.

[0488] In some embodiments, the first frame includes the channel switching mode field;

[0489] When the value of the channel switching mode field is the first value, the channel switching mode field is used to instruct the first STA to stop sending any frames immediately after receiving the first frame;

[0490] When the value of the channel switching mode field is the second value, the channel switching mode field is not used to indicate any requirement to the first STA.

[0491] In some embodiments, the first frame includes the new channel number field;

[0492] The new channel number field is used to indicate the first channel.

[0493] In some embodiments, the first frame includes a channel switch count field, and the value of the channel switch count field is a third value;

[0494] The channel switching count field is used to indicate that after receiving the first STA, the first STA switches to the first channel in the current transmission opportunity TXOP.

[0495] In some embodiments, the first sending module 2110 is further configured to send the first frame via at least one of unicast, multicast, and broadcast.

[0496] In some embodiments, the first receiving module 2130 is further configured to receive a probe request frame sent by the first STA.

[0497] In summary, the device provided by the present application supports both old-standard devices and new-standard devices to switch to the secondary channel to work respectively, and also supports switching both old-standard devices and new-standard devices back to the main channel to work respectively, thereby realizing flexible switching of the working channels of old-standard devices and new-standard devices without changing the main channel of the BSS. This is beneficial for alleviating the load of the main channel and improving the channel utilization rate, especially improving the utilization rate of the secondary channel, making full use of the large bandwidth characteristics of future UHR technology, and reducing resource waste. In addition, it supports STA to switch back to the main channel to work, thereby avoiding the situation where STA cannot detect the control frames and / or management frames sent by the AP on the secondary channel, and ensuring that STA can operate normally while flexibly switching channels.

[0498] FIG23 shows a block diagram of a channel switching device provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application. The device includes at least some of the following modules: a second receiving module 2210, a second sending module 2230, and a first processing module 2250.

[0499] The second receiving module 2210 is configured to receive a first frame sent by an access point AP on a primary channel, where the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to a secondary channel.

[0500] In some embodiments, the standard of the first STA includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11be, and a standard corresponding to an ultra-reliable UHR STA.

[0501] In some embodiments, the second receiving module 2210 is further configured to receive a third frame sent by the AP on the first channel, where the first channel is at least one secondary channel on which the AP operates.

[0502] In some embodiments, the third frame includes an RTS frame, or an MU-RTS frame, or a Quality of Service (QoS) Null frame.

[0503] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a second sending module 2230 configured to reply a fourth frame to the AP on the first channel; or reply a fourth frame to the AP on at least one sub-channel of the first channel.

[0504] In some embodiments, the fourth frame comprises a CTS frame, or an acknowledgment frame, or a block acknowledgement BA frame.

[0505] In some embodiments, the second receiving module 2210 is further configured to receive a sixth frame sent by the AP on the first channel, where the sixth frame is configured to instruct the first STA to switch from the first channel to the primary channel.

[0506] In some embodiments, the sixth frame includes at least one of: a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a probe response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a probe response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, and a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element.

[0507] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a first processing module 2250 configured to switch from the first sub-channel to the primary channel, and / or switch from the primary channel to the first sub-channel.

[0508] In some embodiments, the first frame includes: a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a probe response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a probe response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, and at least one of a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element.

[0509] In some embodiments, the first frame includes at least one of a channel switching mode field, a new channel number field, and a channel switching count field.

[0510] In some embodiments, the first frame includes the channel switching mode field;

[0511] When the value of the channel switching mode field is the first value, the channel switching mode field is used to instruct the first STA to stop sending any frames immediately after receiving the first frame;

[0512] When the value of the channel switching mode field is the second value, the channel switching mode field is not used to indicate any requirement to the first STA.

[0513] In some embodiments, the first frame includes the new channel number field; the new channel number field is used to indicate the first channel.

[0514] In some embodiments, the first frame includes a channel switch count field, and the value of the channel switch count field is a third value;

[0515] The channel switching count field is used to indicate that after receiving the first STA, the first STA switches to the first channel in the current transmission opportunity TXOP.

[0516] In some embodiments, the first frame is sent via at least one of unicast, multicast, and broadcast.

[0517] In some embodiments, the second sending module 2230 is further configured to send a probe request frame to the AP.

[0518] In summary, the device provided by the present application is capable of performing flexible channel switching. Since the device can include both old-standard devices and new-standard devices, it realizes the flexible switching of the working channels of old-standard devices and new-standard devices without changing the main channel of the BSS. It is beneficial to alleviate the load and interference of the main channel, and to improve the channel utilization rate, especially to improve the utilization rate of the secondary channel and reduce resource waste. In addition, the interaction between the third frame and the fourth frame is beneficial to confirming the completion of the channel switching of the device, and avoids the problem of hidden terminals, thereby improving the reliability and stability of the transmission. In addition, it supports the device to switch back to the main channel to work, avoiding the situation where the device cannot detect the control frames and / or management frames sent by the AP on the secondary channel, and ensures that the device can operate normally while flexibly switching channels.

[0519] FIG24 shows a block diagram of a channel switching device provided by some exemplary embodiments of the present application. The device includes at least some of the following modules: a third receiving module 2310, a third sending module 2330, and a second processing module 2350:

[0520] The third receiving module 2310 is configured to receive a second frame sent by an access point AP on a primary channel, where the second frame is used to instruct the second STA to switch from the primary channel to a secondary channel.

[0521] In some embodiments, the standard of the second STA includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11be, and a standard corresponding to an ultra-reliable UHR STA.

[0522] In some embodiments, the third receiving module 2310 is further configured to receive a third frame sent by the AP on the secondary channel, where the secondary channel is at least one secondary channel on which the AP operates.

[0523] In some embodiments, the third frame includes an RTS frame, or an MU-RTS frame, or a Quality of Service (QoS) Null frame.

[0524] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a third sending module 2330, configured to reply a fourth frame to the AP on the secondary channel; or reply a fourth frame to the AP on at least one sub-channel of the secondary channel.

[0525] In some embodiments, the fourth frame comprises a CTS frame, or an acknowledgment frame, or a block acknowledgement BA frame.

[0526] In some embodiments, the third receiving module 2310 is further used to receive a fifth frame sent by the AP on the secondary channel, where the fifth frame is used to instruct the second STA to switch from the secondary channel to the primary channel.

[0527] In some embodiments, the fifth frame includes at least one of: a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a probe response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a probe response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, and a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element.

[0528] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a second processing module 2350 configured to switch from the secondary channel to the primary channel, and / or switch from the primary channel to the secondary channel.

[0529] In some embodiments, the second frame includes: a subband switching control frame, a MU-RTS frame, a cache status report polling frame, a beacon frame carrying a dynamic subband operation DSO element, a probe response frame carrying a DSO element, a probe response frame carrying a DSO element and a channel switching announcement element, a probe response frame carrying a DSO element and an extended channel switching announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a DSO element and a channel switching announcement element, and a beacon frame carrying a DSO element and an extended channel switching announcement element.

[0530] In some embodiments, the second frame is sent via at least one of unicast, multicast, and broadcast.

[0531] In some embodiments, the third sending module 2330 is further configured to send a probe request frame to the AP.

[0532] In summary, the device provided by the present application is capable of performing flexible channel switching. Since the device can include both old-standard devices and new-standard devices, it realizes flexible switching of the working channels of old-standard devices and new-standard devices without changing the main channel of the BSS. It is beneficial to alleviate the load and interference of the main channel, and to improve the channel utilization rate, especially to improve the utilization rate of the secondary channel and reduce resource waste. In addition, the interaction between the third frame and the fourth frame is beneficial to confirming the completion of the channel switching of the device, and avoids the problem of hidden terminals, thereby improving the reliability and stability of the transmission. In addition, newly designed DSO frames and DSO elements are provided, which make the channel switching of the device more flexible and simple, and improve the spectrum utilization rate. In addition, it supports the device to switch back to the main channel to work, avoiding the situation where the device cannot detect the control frames and / or management frames sent by the AP on the secondary channel, and ensures that the device can operate normally while flexibly switching channels.

[0533] It should be noted that the device provided in the above embodiment is only illustrated by the division of the above functional modules. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0534] Regarding the device in this embodiment, the specific manner in which each module performs operations has been described in detail in the embodiment of the method and will not be elaborated here.

[0535] Figure 25 shows a structural diagram of a wireless communication device (AP or STA) provided in some exemplary embodiments of the present application. The wireless communication device 2400 includes: a processor 2401, a receiver 2402, a transmitter 2403, a memory 2404 and a bus 2405.

[0536] The processor 2401 includes one or more processing cores. The processor 2401 executes various functional applications and information processing by running software programs and modules. In some embodiments, the processor 2401 can be used to implement the functions and steps of the first processing module 2250 and / or the second processing module 2350 described above.

[0537] The receiver 2402 and transmitter 2403 can be implemented as a communication component, which can be a communication chip. In some embodiments, the receiver 2402 can be used to implement the functions and steps of the first receiving module 2130 and / or the second receiving module 2210 and / or the third receiving module 2310 described above. In some embodiments, the transmitter 2403 can be used to implement the functions and steps of the first transmitting module 2110 and / or the second transmitting module 2230 and / or the third transmitting module 2330 described above.

[0538] The memory 2404 is connected to the processor 2401 via a bus 2405. The memory 2404 may be used to store at least one instruction, and the processor 2401 may be used to execute the at least one instruction to implement each step in the above method embodiment.

[0539] In addition, the memory 2404 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof. Volatile or non-volatile storage devices include but are not limited to: magnetic disks or optical disks, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), static random-access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, and programmable read-only memory (PROM).

[0540] In some embodiments, the receiver 2402 receives signals / data independently, or the processor 2401 controls the receiver 2402 to receive signals / data, or the processor 2401 requests the receiver 2402 to receive signals / data, or the processor 2401 cooperates with the receiver 2402 to receive signals / data.

[0541] In some embodiments, the transmitter 2403 independently sends signals / data, or the processor 2401 controls the transmitter 2403 to send signals / data, or the processor 2401 requests the transmitter 2403 to send signals / data, or the processor 2401 cooperates with the transmitter 2403 to send signals / data.

[0542] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, in which at least one program is stored. The at least one program is loaded and executed by a processor, and the computer-readable storage medium is used to implement the channel switching method provided by the above-mentioned various method embodiments.

[0543] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, a chip is further provided, which includes a programmable logic circuit and / or program instructions. When the chip runs on a communication device, it is used to implement the channel switching methods provided by the above-mentioned various method embodiments.

[0544] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, a computer program product is further provided. When the computer program product is executed on a processor of a computer device, the computer device is enabled to execute the above-mentioned channel switching method.

[0545] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, a computer program is further provided. The computer program includes computer instructions. A processor of a computer device executes the computer instructions, so that the computer device executes the above-mentioned channel switching method.

[0546] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in one or more of the above examples, the functions described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any media that facilitates the transmission of computer programs from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0547] It should be understood that the frame format and element format shown in the embodiments of the present application are exemplary cases. In different embodiments or different designs, it is not ruled out that at least one of the positions of the fields in the frame / element, the arrangement order with other fields, the number of bytes occupied, and the number of bits occupied may be changed. The present application does not limit the specific format of each frame or each element.

[0548] The above description is merely an optional embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A channel switching method, characterized in that: The method is performed by an access point AP, and the method includes: A first frame is sent to a first station STA on a primary channel, where the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to a secondary channel.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: A second frame is sent to the second STA on the primary channel, where the second frame is used to instruct the second STA to switch from the primary channel to the secondary channel.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The standard of the first STA is different from the standard of the second STA.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The standard of the first STA includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11be; The standard of the second STA includes a standard corresponding to an ultra-high reliability UHR STA.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The standard of the first STA is the same as the standard of the second STA.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The standard of the first STA includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11be, and a standard corresponding to an ultra-high reliability UHR STA; The standard of the second STA includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11be, and a standard corresponding to a UHR STA.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: The second frame includes at least one of the following: Subband switching control frame, MU-RTS frame, cache status report polling frame, beacon frame carrying dynamic subband operation DSO element, probe response frame carrying DSO element, probe response frame carrying DSO element and channel switching announcement element, probe response frame carrying DSO element and extended channel switching announcement element, beacon frame carrying DSO element and channel switching announcement element, beacon frame carrying DSO element and extended channel switching announcement element.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A third frame is sent to the second STA on the secondary channel, where the secondary channel is at least one secondary channel in which the AP operates.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The sending a third frame to the second STA on the second channel includes: After sending the second frame to the second STA on the primary channel and a short frame interval SIFS has elapsed, sending the third frame to the second STA on the secondary channel; Alternatively, after the second frame is sent to the second STA on the primary channel and a first time period has passed, the third frame is sent to the second STA on the secondary channel; The first time period is longer than the SIFS.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receive the fourth frame replied by the second STA on the second channel; or, The fourth frame replied by the second STA is received on at least one sub-channel in the second channel.

11. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The third frame is sent to the second STA by means of dynamic puncturing.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The sending the third frame to the second STA by means of dynamic puncturing includes: After the second frame is sent to the second STA on the primary channel and a short frame interval SIFS has elapsed, the third frame is sent to the second STA by means of dynamic puncturing; Alternatively, after the second frame is sent to the second STA through the primary channel and a first time period has passed, the third frame is sent to the second STA by means of dynamic puncturing; The first time period is longer than the SIFS.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A fourth frame replied by the second STA is received on the second channel.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A third frame is sent to the first STA on the first secondary channel, where the first secondary channel is at least one secondary channel in which the AP operates.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The sending a third frame to the first STA on the first channel includes: After sending the first frame to the first STA on the primary channel and a short frame interval SIFS has elapsed, sending the third frame to the first STA on the first secondary channel; Alternatively, after the first frame is sent to the first STA through the primary channel and a first time period has passed, the third frame is sent to the first STA through the primary channel; The first time period is longer than the SIFS.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: A fourth frame replied by the first STA is received on the first channel.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The third frame is sent to the first STA by means of dynamic puncturing.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The sending the third frame to the first STA by means of dynamic puncturing includes: After the first frame is sent to the first STA on the primary channel and a short frame interval SIFS has elapsed, the third frame is sent to the first STA by means of dynamic puncturing; Alternatively, after the first frame is sent to the first STA through the primary channel and a first time period has passed, the third frame is sent to the first STA by means of dynamic puncturing; The first time period is longer than the SIFS.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The method further comprises: The fourth frame replied by the first STA is received on the first channel; or the fourth frame replied by the first STA is received on at least one sub-channel of the first channel.

20. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 19, characterized in that: The third frame includes an RTS frame, or an MU-RTS frame, or a QoS Null frame.

21. The method according to claim 10 or 13 or 16 or 19, characterized in that: The fourth frame includes a CTS frame, or an acknowledgement frame, or a block acknowledgement BA frame.

22. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 21, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A fifth frame is sent to the second STA on the secondary channel, where the fifth frame is used to instruct the second STA to switch from the secondary channel to the primary channel.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The fifth frame includes: at least one of a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a detection response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a detection response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, and a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element.

24. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 23, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A sixth frame is sent to the first STA on the first channel, where the sixth frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the first channel to the main channel.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that The sixth frame includes: at least one of a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a detection response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a detection response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, and a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element.

26. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 25, characterized in that: The first frame includes: at least one of: a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a detection response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a detection response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, and a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that The first frame includes at least one of a channel switching mode field, a new channel number field, and a channel switching count field.

28. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that The first frame includes the channel switching mode field; When the value of the channel switching mode field is the first value, the channel switching mode field is used to instruct the first STA to stop sending any frame immediately after receiving the first frame; When the value of the channel switching mode field is the second value, the channel switching mode field is not used to indicate any requirement to the first STA.

29. The method according to claim 27 or 28, characterized in that The first frame includes the new channel number field; The new channel number field is used to indicate the first channel.

30. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 29, characterized in that: The first frame includes a channel switching count field, and a value of the channel switching count field is a third value; The channel switching count field is used to indicate that the first STA switches to the first channel in the current transmission opportunity TXOP after receiving the first STA.

31. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 30, characterized in that: The first frame is sent in at least one of unicast, multicast, and broadcast.

32. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 31, characterized in that: Before the primary channel sends the first frame to the first station STA, the method further includes: Receive the probe request frame sent by the first STA.

33. A channel switching method, characterized in that: The method is performed by a first station STA, and the method includes: A first frame sent by an access point AP is received on the primary channel, where the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to a secondary channel.

34. The method according to claim 33, characterized in that The standard of the first STA includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11be, and a standard corresponding to an ultra-high reliability (UHR) STA.

35. The method according to claim 33 or 34, characterized in that The method further comprises: The third frame sent by the AP is received on the first secondary channel, where the first secondary channel is at least one secondary channel in which the AP works.

36. The method according to claim 35, characterized in that The third frame includes an RTS frame, or an MU-RTS frame, or a QoS Null frame.

37. The method according to claim 35 or 36, characterized in that The method further comprises: Reply a fourth frame to the AP on the first channel; or reply a fourth frame to the AP on at least one sub-channel of the first channel.

38. The method according to claim 37, characterized in that The fourth frame includes a CTS frame, or an acknowledgement frame, or a block acknowledgement BA frame.

39. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 38, characterized in that The method further comprises: The sixth frame sent by the AP is received on the first channel, where the sixth frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the first channel to the main channel.

40. The method according to claim 39, characterized in that The sixth frame includes: at least one of a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a detection response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a detection response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, and a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element.

41. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 40, characterized in that The method further comprises: Switch from the first channel to the main channel.

42. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 41, characterized in that The first frame includes: at least one of: a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a detection response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a detection response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, and a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element.

43. The method according to claim 42, characterized in that The first frame includes at least one of a channel switching mode field, a new channel number field, and a channel switching count field.

44. The method according to claim 43, characterized in that The first frame includes the channel switching mode field; When the value of the channel switching mode field is the first value, the channel switching mode field is used to instruct the first STA to stop sending any frame immediately after receiving the first frame; When the value of the channel switching mode field is the second value, the channel switching mode field is not used to indicate any requirement to the first STA.

45. The method according to claim 43 or 44, characterized in that The first frame includes the new channel number field; The new channel number field is used to indicate the first channel.

46. ​​The method according to any one of claims 43 to 45, characterized in that The first frame includes a channel switching count field, and a value of the channel switching count field is a third value; The channel switching count field is used to indicate that the first STA switches to the first channel in the current transmission opportunity TXOP after receiving the first STA.

47. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 46, characterized in that The first frame is sent in at least one of unicast, multicast, and broadcast.

48. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 47, characterized in that Before receiving the first frame sent by the AP on the primary channel, the method further includes: Send a probe request frame to the AP.

49. A channel switching method, characterized in that: The method is performed by a second station STA, and the method includes: A second frame sent by an access point AP is received on the primary channel, where the second frame is used to instruct the second STA to switch from the primary channel to a secondary channel.

50. The method according to claim 49, characterized in that The standard of the second STA includes at least one of 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11be, and a standard corresponding to an ultra-high reliability (UHR) STA.

51. The method according to claim 49 or 50, characterized in that The method further comprises: The third frame sent by the AP is received on the secondary channel, where the secondary channel is at least one secondary channel in which the AP works.

52. The method according to claim 51, characterized in that The third frame includes an RTS frame, or an MU-RTS frame, or a QoS Null frame.

53. The method according to claim 51 or 52, characterized in that The method further comprises: Reply the fourth frame to the AP on the secondary channel; or reply the fourth frame to the AP on at least one sub-channel of the secondary channel.

54. The method according to claim 53, characterized in that The fourth frame includes a CTS frame, or an acknowledgement frame, or a block acknowledgement BA frame.

55. The method according to any one of claims 49 to 54, characterized in that The method further comprises: The fifth frame sent by the AP is received on the secondary channel, where the fifth frame is used to instruct the second STA to switch from the secondary channel to the primary channel.

56. The method according to claim 55, characterized in that The fifth frame includes: at least one of a channel switch announcement frame, an extended channel switch announcement frame, a detection response frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, a detection response frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a channel switch announcement element, and a beacon frame carrying an extended channel switch announcement element.

57. The method according to any one of claims 49 to 56, characterized in that The method further comprises: Switch from the secondary channel to the primary channel.

58. The method according to any one of claims 49 to 57, characterized in that The second frame includes: a subband switching control frame, a MU-RTS frame, a cache status report polling frame, a beacon frame carrying a dynamic subband operation DSO element, a detection response frame carrying a DSO element, a detection response frame carrying a DSO element and a channel switching announcement element, a detection response frame carrying a DSO element and an extended channel switching announcement element, a beacon frame carrying a DSO element and a channel switching announcement element, and a beacon frame carrying a DSO element and an extended channel switching announcement element.

59. The method according to any one of claims 49 to 58, characterized in that The second frame is sent in at least one of unicast, multicast, and broadcast.

60. The method according to any one of claims 49 to 59, characterized in that: Before receiving the second frame sent by the AP on the primary channel, the method further includes: Send a probe request frame to the AP.

61. A channel access device, characterized in that: The device comprises: The first sending module is used to send a first frame to a first station STA on a primary channel, where the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to a secondary channel.

62. A channel access device, characterized in that: The device comprises: The second receiving module is used to receive a first frame sent by an access point AP on a primary channel, where the first frame is used to instruct the first STA to switch from the primary channel to a secondary channel.

63. A channel access device, characterized in that: The device comprises: The third receiving module is used to receive a second frame sent by the access point AP on the primary channel, where the second frame is used to instruct the second STA to switch from the primary channel to the secondary channel.

64. A wireless device, characterized in that: The wireless device comprises: processor; a transceiver connected to the processor; a memory for storing executable instructions for the processor; The processor is configured to load and execute the executable instructions to implement the channel switching method as described in any one of claims 1 to 32, claims 33 to 48, or claims 49 to 60.

65. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The readable storage medium stores executable instructions, and the executable instructions are loaded and executed by the processor to implement the channel switching method as described in any one of claims 1 to 32, claims 33 to 48, or claims 49 to 60.

66. A chip, characterized in that: The chip includes a programmable logic circuit or a program, and the chip is used to implement the channel switching method as described in any one of claims 1 to 32, claims 33 to 48, or claims 49 to 60.

67. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes computer instructions, which are stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer instructions, so that the computer device executes the channel switching method as described in any one of claims 1 to 32 or claims 33 to 48 or claims 49 to 60.

68. A computer program, characterized in that The computer program includes computer instructions, and the processor of the computer device executes the computer instructions, so that the computer device performs the channel switching method as described in any one of claims 1 to 32, claims 33 to 48, or claims 49 to 60.

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