Communication method, site device, access point device and communication system

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method, station equipment, access point equipment and a communication system. The communication method comprises the following steps: a target station (STA) receives a multi-user request sending trigger (MU-RTS Trigger) frame sent by a first access point (AP) in a secondary channel; determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame or not according to whether an overlapped basic service set physical layer protocol data unit (OBSS) PPDU is monitored or not before switching to the secondary channel; wherein the MU-RTS Trigger frame comprises the first time length information of occupying the secondary channel by the first AP (Access Point); one or more first identification domains, wherein the first identification domains are used for identifying whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel; and a second identification domain corresponding to each of the first identification domains, wherein the second identification domain is used for identifying that a target STA sends a channel for responding to a clear to send (CTS) frame of the MU-RTS Trigger frame. According to the embodiment of the invention, the access mechanism between the primary channel and the secondary channel is further improved, so that the transmission requirement of the UHR is met.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Currently, Wi-Fi technology research focuses on Ultra High Reliability (UHR), with the goal of improving the reliability of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) connections, reducing latency, improving manageability, increasing throughput at different signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) levels, and reducing device-level power consumption.

[0003] In UHR, a secondary channel access method is proposed to reduce access latency. Therefore, the access mechanism between primary and secondary channels needs to be further improved to meet the transmission requirements of UHR. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a site device, an access point device, and a communication system to further improve the access mechanism between a primary channel and a secondary channel.

[0005] In one aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0006] The target station device STA receives a multi-user request to send trigger MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by the first access point device AP on the secondary channel;

[0007] determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether an overlapping basic service set physical layer protocol data unit (OBSS) PPDU is monitored before switching to the secondary channel;

[0008] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0009] First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0010] One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0011] A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, the second identification field is used to identify: a channel on which the target STA sends a Clear to Send (CTS) frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0012] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0013] The first access point device AP switches to the secondary channel and determines the MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0014] Sending the MU-RTS Trigger frame on the secondary channel;

[0015] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0016] First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0017] One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0018] A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, wherein the second identification field is used to identify a channel on which the target site device STA sends a CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0019] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a station device, where the station device is a target station device STA, and the target STA includes:

[0020] A receiving module, configured to receive a multi-user request to send trigger MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by a first access point device AP on a secondary channel;

[0021] A first determining module is configured to determine whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether an overlapping basic service set physical layer protocol data unit (OBSS) PPDU is monitored before switching to the secondary channel;

[0022] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0023] First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0024] One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0025] A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, the second identification field is used to identify: a channel on which the target STA sends a Clear to Send (CTS) frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0026] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an access point device, wherein the access point device is a first access point device AP, and the first AP includes:

[0027] A second determining module is configured to switch to the secondary channel and determine a MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0028] A sending module, configured to send the MU-RTS Trigger frame on the secondary channel;

[0029] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0030] First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0031] One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0032] A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, wherein the second identification field is used to identify a channel on which the target site device STA sends a CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0033] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a station device, where the station device is a target station device STA, including:

[0034] one or more processors;

[0035] The target STA is used to execute the communication method described in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an access point device, wherein the access point device is a first access point device AP, including:

[0037] one or more processors;

[0038] The first AP is used to implement the communication method described in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication system, comprising a station device and an access point device; wherein, the station device is a target station device STA, and the access point device is a first access point device AP;

[0040] The first access point device AP switches to the secondary channel and determines the MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0041] Sending the MU-RTS Trigger frame to a target STA on the secondary channel;

[0042] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0043] First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0044] One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0045] A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, the second identification field is used to identify: a channel on which the target STA sends a CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0046] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a storage medium storing instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the communication method as described in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the target STA determines the time to return to the main channel based on whether it responds to the MU-RTS Trigger frame and the time to send the CTS frame, so as to achieve timely return to the main channel, avoid data loss and transmission delay of the main channel, and effectively improve the spectrum efficiency and throughput of the system. At the same time, on the basis of returning to the main channel in advance, a reasonable return time is determined to avoid interference with the transmission of the OBSS PPDU. Specifically, the first AP and the target STA switch to the secondary channel and successfully access the secondary channel to exchange frames; if there are some STAs that have not monitored the OBSS Traffic, and the legacy STA does not have the ability to access the secondary channel, it still remains on the main channel; after switching to the secondary channel, if the first AP and the target STA do not return to the main channel in time, they will not be able to communicate with the above-mentioned STA, resulting in unnecessary data loss and transmission delay.

[0048] Additional aspects and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be given in part in the following description, which will become apparent from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following drawings required for describing the embodiments are introduced. The following drawings are merely some embodiments of the present disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0050] Figure 1 An exemplary schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0051] Figure 2 An exemplary interactive diagram of a method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0052] Figure 3 One of the flow charts of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0053] Figure 4A second flow chart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0054] Figure 5 The third flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0055] Figure 6 A fourth flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0056] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the target STA proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0057] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first AP proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0058] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0059] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the chip proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a station device, an access point device, and a communication system.

[0061] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0062] The target station device STA receives a multi-user request to send trigger MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by the first access point device AP on the secondary channel;

[0063] determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether an overlapping basic service set physical layer protocol data unit (OBSS) PPDU is monitored before switching to the secondary channel;

[0064] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0065] First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0066] One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0067] A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, the second identification field is used to identify: a channel on which the target STA sends a Clear to Send (CTS) frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the target STA determines the time to return to the main channel based on whether it responds to the MU-RTS Trigger frame and the time to send the CTS frame, so as to achieve timely return to the main channel, avoid data loss and transmission delay of the main channel, and effectively improve the spectrum efficiency and throughput of the system. At the same time, on the basis of returning to the main channel in advance, a reasonable return time is determined to avoid interference with the transmission of the OBSS PPDU. Specifically, the first AP and the target STA switch to the secondary channel and successfully access the secondary channel for frame exchange; if there are some STAs that have not monitored the OBSS Traffic, and the legacy STA does not have the ability to access the secondary channel, it still remains on the main channel; after switching to the secondary channel, if the first AP and the target STA do not return to the main channel in time, they will not be able to communicate with the above-mentioned STA, resulting in unnecessary data loss and transmission delay.

[0069] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0070] The first access point device AP switches to the secondary channel and determines the MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0071] Sending the MU-RTS Trigger frame on the secondary channel;

[0072] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0073] First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0074] One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0075] A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, wherein the second identification field is used to identify a channel on which the target site device STA sends a CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0076] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a station device, an access point device, and a communication system. In some embodiments, the terms communication method, signal transmission method, wireless frame transmission method, etc. are interchangeable, and the terms information processing system, communication system, etc. are interchangeable.

[0077] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional implementation methods in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0078] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0079] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0080] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0081] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one," "one or more," "a plurality of," "multiple," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0082] In some embodiments, descriptions such as "at least one of A and B," "A and / or B," "A in one case, B in another case," or "in response to one case A, in response to another case B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); and in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0083] In some embodiments, "A or B" and other descriptions may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0084] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects and do not constitute any restriction on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. For the statement of the description object, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary restriction should be constituted due to the use of prefixes. For example, if the description object is a "field", the ordinal number before the "field" in the "first field" and the "second field" does not limit the position or order between the "fields". "First" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they limit the order of the "first field" and the "second field". For another example, if the description object is a "level", the ordinal number before the "level" in the "first level" and the "second level" does not limit the priority between the "levels". For another example, the number of description objects is not limited by the ordinal number and can be one or more. Taking "first device" as an example, the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device", then the "first device" and the "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different; for another example, if the description object is "information", then the "first information" and the "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their contents can be the same or different.

[0085] In some embodiments, “including A,” “comprising A,” “used to indicate A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0086] In some embodiments, terms such as "in response to...", "in response to determining...", "in the case of...", "at the time of...", "when...", "if...", "if...", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0087] In some embodiments, terms such as "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not less than", and "above" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", and "below" can be replaced with each other.

[0088] In some embodiments, devices and equipment can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. In some cases, they can also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject", etc.

[0089] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0090] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0091] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of any elements, any rows, and any columns can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0092] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0093] like Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 100 includes a target station device (Station, STA) 101 and a first access point device (Access Point, AP) 102.

[0094] In some embodiments, the target site device 101 includes, for example, a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal that supports WiFi communication. Optionally, the wireless communication terminal includes, but is not limited to, at least one of a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device that supports WiFi communication, a car with WiFi communication, a smart car, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device used in industrial control, a wireless terminal device used in self-driving, a wireless terminal device used in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device used in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device used in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device used in a smart city, and a wireless terminal device used in a smart home.

[0095] Specifically, the target site device 101 may be a terminal device or network device with a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) chip. Optionally, the target site device 101 may support multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11bf, and 802.11bn, as well as the next generation 802.11 protocol, but is not limited thereto.

[0096] In some embodiments, the first access point device 102 can be an access point for a mobile terminal to enter a wired network. The AP is equivalent to a bridge connecting a wired network and a wireless network. Its main function is to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. Specifically, the AP can be a terminal device or a network device with a wireless fidelity chip. Optionally, the AP can support multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b and 802.11a, 802.11bf, 802.11bn, and support the next generation 802.11 protocol, but is not limited to this.

[0097] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the AP and STA may be devices supporting multiple connections, for example, they may be represented as a multi-connection access point device (AP MLD) and a multi-connection site device (Non-Access Point Multi-Link Device, Non-AP MLD), respectively; the AP MLD may represent an access point supporting multi-connection communication functions, and the non-AP MLD may represent a site supporting multi-connection communication functions.

[0098] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0099] The following embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to Figure 1 The communication system 100, or a portion thereof, is shown but is not limited thereto. Figure 1 The various entities shown are examples, and the communication system may include Figure 1 All or part of the subject, and may also include Figure 1The number and form of other subjects are arbitrary, each subject can be physical or virtual, the connection relationship between the subjects is illustrative, the subjects can be connected or disconnected, and the connection can be in any way, which can be direct or indirect, wired or wireless.

[0100] The various embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to wireless local area networks (WLANs), such as those using the 802.11 series of protocols. In a WLAN, a Basic Service Set (BSS) is a fundamental component of a WLAN. A BSS network consists of station devices with some association within a specific coverage area. One scenario of association is that stations communicate directly with each other in an ad hoc network, which is called an Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS). Another more common scenario is that in a BSS network, there is only one central station dedicated to managing the BSS, called an access point, and all other STAs in the network are associated with it. Other stations in the BSS network that are not the central station are called terminals, also called non-AP STAs. Terminals and non-AP STAs are collectively referred to as STAs. When describing STAs, there is no need to distinguish between APs and non-AP STAs. In the same BSS network, due to distance, transmission power, and other factors, a STA cannot detect other STAs that are farther away from it, and the two STAs are each other's hidden nodes.

[0101] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is an interactive diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 As shown, the above method includes:

[0102] Step 201: A first access point device AP switches to a secondary channel and determines a Multi-User-Request To Send Trigger (MU-RTS Trigger) frame. The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0103] First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0104] One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0105] A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, wherein the second identification field is used to identify a channel on which the target site device STA sends a CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0106] In a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), channels are usually divided into primary channels and secondary channels (or non-primary channels, or auxiliary channels, non-primary channels); among them, secondary channels can contain one or more sub-channels. For example, if the division is based on 20MHz as the basic bandwidth unit, when the channel bandwidth is 20MHz, there is only one primary channel with a bandwidth of 20MHz; when the channel bandwidth is greater than 20MHz, a channel with a bandwidth of 20MHz is included as the primary channel, and the remaining one or more 20MHz channels are secondary channels. The primary 20MHz channel is the common channel of operation for stations that are members of the basic service set (BSS). Stations in the BSS can compete for channels on the primary 20MHz channel to seize channel resources.

[0107] To reduce access latency, a non-primary channel access (NPCA) mechanism is proposed. When the receiving and receiving parties sense that a device from an overlapping Basic Service Set (BSS, OBSS) or a device from another BSS is transmitting a physical protocol data unit (PPDU) on the primary channel, a network allocation vector timer (NAV timer) is set and maintained in the primary channel. During the NAV timer, the device will not attempt to access the channel, thereby avoiding data transmission conflicts.

[0108] Specifically, NAV timer is a virtual carrier monitoring method. In WLAN, physical carrier monitoring and virtual carrier monitoring are usually used to determine whether the channel is busy or idle. The current channel is considered idle only when and only when both the physical carrier and virtual carrier monitoring show that the channel is idle. Among them, virtual carrier monitoring is to determine whether it is idle through the NAV timer maintained by the device. NAV timer is used to define how long the current channel needs to be occupied. For example, during data communication, the device occupying the channel will inform other devices of its channel occupation time through the Duration field in the data packet. Devices that have not obtained channel resources maintain or update their own NAV count values ​​by comparing the Duration field values ​​in the data packets received from other devices. When the NAV count value is 0, virtual carrier monitoring considers that the current channel is idle.

[0109] Specifically, taking the transmission of an OBSS PPDU on the primary channel as an example, during channel contention, if the primary channel is in an OBSS busy state (OBSS interference), for example, if a wireless device detects a physical protocol data unit (PPDU) sent by a device outside the BSS on the primary channel, the wireless device considers the primary channel to be in an OBSS busy state. If the primary channel is in an OBSS busy state, communication can be switched to a secondary channel to fully utilize channel resources, thereby improving communication system throughput and maximizing channel resource utilization.

[0110] In the disclosed embodiment, the first AP switches to the secondary channel and determines a MU-RTS Trigger frame. For example, the first AP senses that the primary channel is in an OBSS Traffic state and switches to the secondary channel for communication. It is understood that in addition to the MU-RTS Trigger frame, other initial control frames (Initial Control Frames) such as Buffer Status Report Poll (BSRP) frames or other frames may also be used, and the disclosed embodiment does not impose any limitations thereon.

[0111] The first AP carries the following contents (1) to (3) in the MU-RTS Trigger frame:

[0112] Content (1): information about a first duration of time during which the first AP occupies the secondary channel;

[0113] Content (2), one or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel (Temporary Channel), which is used by the STA to determine whether the first AP determines whether to switch back to the primary channel;

[0114] Content (3), a second identification field corresponding to each of the first identification fields, the second identification field is used to identify: the channel on which the target STA (the STA corresponding to the Association Identifier (AID) in the User Info field) sends a CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0115] For example, when the first identification field in User Info field-1 is set to 1, B0 in the corresponding second identification field is set to 0, and B1 to B7 are set to 61, 62, and 65, respectively, indicating that the channels used by the STA (target STA) corresponding to the AID in User Info field_1 to send the CTS frame are: the lowest 20 MHz channel based on the temporary channel, the second lowest 20 MHz channel based on the temporary channel, and the lowest 40 MHz channel based on the temporary channel.

[0116] In some embodiments, the first identification field is carried in a user information field (User Info field) of the MU-RTS Trigger frame; and / or

[0117] The second identification field is carried in the resource unit allocation (RU Allocation) field of the User Info field.

[0118] Step 202: Send the MU-RTS Trigger frame on the secondary channel.

[0119] Step 203: The target STA receives the MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by the first AP on the secondary channel.

[0120] The target STA that receives the MU-RTS Trigger frame, that is, the STA that matches the AID field of the UserInfo field in the MU-RTS Trigger frame, performs a response operation to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0121] It is understandable that a non-target STA, that is, a STA that does not match the AID field of the User Info field in the MU-RTS Trigger frame, does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0122] In some embodiments, the first duration information is carried in a Duration field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0123] The first duration in the first duration information includes the sum of at least two durations:

[0124] The duration of the first AP sending the pending frame;

[0125] The duration for the target STA to send at least one CTS frame;

[0126] The duration for the first AP to send the HE TB PPDU frame;

[0127] The target STA confirms the duration of the HE TB PPDU frame;

[0128] At least one inter-frame space, where the inter-frame space may be a short inter-frame space (Short Inter-frame Space), an arbitration inter-frame space (AIFS), or the like.

[0129] For example, the first duration is: the sum of the time it takes for the first AP to send a pending frame, 1 CTS frame, the time it takes to send the possible HETB PPDU, the confirmation time for sending the requested HE TB PPDU (if necessary), and some possible inter-frame intervals; ensuring that the duration of the MU-RTS Trigger frame can meet the needs of the target STA sending a CTS frame and the exchange of HE TB PPDU frames between the target STA and the first AP.

[0130] Step 204: The target STA determines whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame based on whether it monitors the OBSS PPDU before switching to the secondary channel.

[0131] Among them, if the target STA does not monitor the OBSS PPDU before switching to the secondary channel, the target STA may send a CTS frame to the first AP after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame. The CTS frame is used to confirm that the target STA has received the MU-RTS Trigger frame; or the target STA may not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0132] If the target STA monitors the OBSS PPDU before switching to the secondary channel, it needs to determine whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame based on whether the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0133] The target STA determines the time to return to the main channel based on whether it responds to the MU-RTS Trigger frame and the time to send the CTS frame, so as to return to the main channel in time, avoid data loss and transmission delay of the main channel, and effectively improve the system spectrum efficiency and throughput. At the same time, on the basis of returning to the main channel in advance, a reasonable return time is determined to avoid interference with the transmission of the OBSSPPDU. Specifically, the first AP and the target STA switch to the secondary channel and successfully access the secondary channel to exchange frames; if there are some STAs that have not listened to the OBSS PPDU, and the legacy STA does not have the ability to access the secondary channel, it still remains on the main channel; after switching to the secondary channel, if the first AP and the target STA do not return to the main channel in time, they will not be able to communicate with the above-mentioned STAs, resulting in unnecessary data loss and transmission delay. Therefore, the first AP and the target STA should return to the main channel before the main channel is busy due to the OBSS PPDU.

[0134] join Figure 3 An optional implementation of the embodiment of the present disclosure, applied to a target STA, mainly includes the following steps:

[0135] Step 301: A target STA receives a MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by a first AP on a secondary channel.

[0136] The target STA executes steps 302 and 303 respectively depending on whether it monitors the OBSS PPDU before switching to the secondary channel.

[0137] In step 302, if no OBSS PPDU is detected before switching to the secondary channel, the target STA sends a CTS frame to the first AP on the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame, or the target STA does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0138] If the target STA does not monitor the OBSS PPDU before switching to the secondary channel, the target STA may send a CTS frame to the first AP after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame; for example, after an interval of 1 short frame interval, the target STA may send a CTS frame to the first AP in response to the channel indicated by the second identification field in the User Info field corresponding to the AID; or the target STA may not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0139] Step 303: Before switching to the secondary channel, the OBSS PPDU is monitored, and whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame is determined based on whether the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0140] Among them, step 303 further includes step 304, step 305, and step 306.

[0141] In step 304, if the channel occupied by the OBSS Traffic does not overlap with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, the target STA sends a CTS frame to the first AP in response after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame and after a short frame interval. The duration in the CTS frame is divided into the following cases 1 and 2:

[0142] In case 1, the first duration does not exceed the duration that the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel, and the Duration field in the CTS frame is set to the second duration; the second duration is the difference between the first duration indicated by the first duration information and the sum of the following durations:

[0143] The duration of the target STA sending the CTS frame;

[0144] The duration for the target STA to send an acknowledgment frame;

[0145] The duration of the interval between two frames;

[0146] If the first duration of the first AP's occupation of the secondary channel does not exceed the duration of the OBSS PPDU's occupation of the primary channel, that is, the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel longer, the first AP and the target STA do not need to return to the primary channel in advance; the Duration field of the CTS frame is set to the second duration, that is, the first duration of the first AP's occupation of the secondary channel, minus the duration of sending the CTS frame, the duration of the target STA's sending the confirmation frame (ACK frame or BA frame), and the duration of the interval between the two frames; that is, within the first duration of the first AP's occupation of the secondary channel, except for the necessary frame interaction time, the target STA remains on the secondary channel for the remaining time and does not need to return to the primary channel in advance, so as to avoid interference with the OBSS PPDU caused by early return.

[0147] In case 2, the first duration exceeds the duration that the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel, and the Duration field in the CTS frame is set to a third duration; the third duration is the duration that the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel, minus the sum of the following durations:

[0148] The duration of the target STA sending the CTS frame;

[0149] The duration for the target STA to send an acknowledgment frame;

[0150] The duration between two frames.

[0151] If the first duration of the first AP's occupation of the secondary channel exceeds the duration of the OBSS PPDU's occupation of the primary channel, i.e., the first AP's occupation of the secondary channel is longer, the first AP and the target STA may return to the primary channel in advance, for example, after the OBSS PPDU's occupation of the primary channel ends. The target STA then sets the Duration field of the CTS frame to a third duration, i.e., the duration of the OBSS PPDU's occupation of the primary channel minus the duration of sending the CTS frame, the duration of the target STA's sending an acknowledgment frame (ACK frame or BA frame), and the duration of the interval between two frames. Specifically, within the duration of the first AP's occupation of the secondary channel, excluding the duration of the OBSS PPDU's occupation of the primary channel and the necessary frame exchange time, the target STA may return to the primary channel in advance for the remaining time (after the OBSS PPDU's occupation of the primary channel has ended), thereby avoiding primary channel data loss and transmission delay. Based on the early return to the primary channel, a reasonable return time is determined to avoid interference with the transmission of the OBSS PPDU.

[0152] Step 305: If the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU does not overlap with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, the target STA does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0153] If the channel indicated by the second identification field in the User Info field corresponding to the AID does not overlap with the channel occupied by the monitored OBSS Traffic, the target STA does not respond.

[0154] In step 306, the target STA monitors the OBSS PPDU before switching to the secondary channel, and the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, then the target STA does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0155] Among them, if the channel indicated by the second identification field in the User Info field corresponding to the AID overlaps with the channel occupied by the monitored OBSS Traffic, the target STA does not respond to avoid sending a CTS frame on the channel indicated by the second identification field to interfere with the transmission of the OBSS PPDU.

[0156] In some embodiments, after the target STA receives the MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by the first AP on the secondary channel, the method further includes:

[0157] Before the first duration expires, switching to the primary channel;

[0158] Before the third time period expires, switching to the primary channel;

[0159] After receiving the CF-end frame (ending the contention-free period), it switches to the primary channel.

[0160] The target STA may switch back to the primary channel before the first duration arrives, before the third duration arrives, or after receiving the CF-end frame; or, switch back to the primary channel at the first of the three.

[0161] join Figure 4 An optional implementation of the embodiment of the present disclosure, applied to a first AP, mainly includes the following steps:

[0162] Step 401: A first access point device AP switches to a secondary channel and determines a Multi-User-Request To Send Trigger (MU-RTS Trigger) frame. The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0163] First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0164] One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0165] A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, wherein the second identification field is used to identify a channel on which the target site device STA sends a CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0166] Step 402: Send the MU-RTS Trigger frame on the secondary channel.

[0167] In some embodiments, after step 402, the first AP may perform at least one of the following steps 403 to 405:

[0168] Step 403: If the physical layer start receiving indication information is not received within the CTS timeout period, it is determined that the MU-RTSTrigger frame has failed to be sent; wherein, the physical layer start receiving indication information may be PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication or PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. If the above information is not received within the CTS timeout period, the first AP may determine that the MU-RTS Trigger frame has failed to be sent.

[0169] Step 404: If a physical layer starts receiving indication information within the CTS timeout period, and no CTS frame is received before receiving the physical layer reception completion indication information, it is determined that the MU-RTS Trigger frame fails to be sent; if a physical layer starts receiving indication information within the CTS timeout period, but no CTS frame is received before receiving the physical layer reception completion indication information (for example, PHY-RXEND.indication primitive), the first AP can determine that the MU-RTSTrigger frame fails to be sent.

[0170] Step 405: If a physical layer start reception indication is received within the CTS timeout period and a CTS frame is received before a physical layer reception completion indication is received, the first AP determines that the MU-RTS Trigger frame is successfully sent. If a physical layer start reception indication is received within the CTS timeout period and a CTS frame is received before a physical layer reception completion indication (e.g., a PHY-RXEND.indication primitive) is received, the first AP may determine that the MU-RTS Trigger frame is successfully sent.

[0171] In some embodiments, after step 405, the first AP may perform at least one of the following steps 406 to 409:

[0172] Step 406: Perform frame exchange with the STA that sent the CTS frame, such as transmitting PPDU.

[0173] Step 407: If the received CTS frame includes a CTS frame with the Duration field set to the second duration and a CTS frame with the Duration field set to the third duration, the first AP sends a CF-end frame before the third duration arrives, and switches to the main channel after sending the CF-end frame; if the CTS frame includes frames with durations of the second duration and the third duration respectively, the first AP sends a CF-end frame before the third duration arrives to end the contention-free period, and switches to the main channel after sending the CF-end frame; for example, if the third duration is shorter than the second duration, the third duration is used as the time reference to return to the main channel to avoid data loss and transmission delay in the main channel.

[0174] Step 408: If the received CTS frame does not include a CTS frame whose Duration field is set to the second duration, the first AP switches to the primary channel before the third duration expires.

[0175] If the CTS frame does not include a frame with a duration of the second duration, for example, only a frame with a duration of the third duration, then the first AP occupies the secondary channel for a longer time, longer than the time the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel; the first AP sends a CF-end frame before the third duration arrives to end the contention-free period, and switches to the primary channel after sending the CF-end frame; that is, within the time the first AP occupies the secondary channel, except for the time the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel and the necessary frame interaction time, the target STA can return to the primary channel in advance during the remaining time (the OBSS PPDU's occupation of the primary channel has ended), thereby avoiding data loss and transmission delay on the primary channel.

[0176] Step 409: If the received CTS frame does not include a CTS frame whose Duration field is set to the third duration, the first AP switches to the primary channel before the first duration expires.

[0177] If the CTS frame does not include a frame with a duration of the third duration, for example, only a frame with a duration of the second duration, then the first AP occupies the secondary channel for a longer time, longer than the time the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel; then the first AP switches to the primary channel before the first duration arrives; that is, within the first duration of the first AP occupying the secondary channel, except for the necessary frame interaction time, the target STA remains in the secondary channel for the remaining time, and there is no need to return to the primary channel in advance, so as to avoid interference with the OBSS PPDU caused by the early return.

[0178] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc. are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0179] In some embodiments, terms such as "moment", "time point", "time", and "time position" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "duration", "period", "time window", "window", and "time" can be replaced with each other.

[0180] In some embodiments, terms such as wireless access scheme and waveform may be used interchangeably.

[0181] In some embodiments, terms such as "certain", "preset", "preset", "setting", "indicated", "a certain", "any", and "first" can be interchangeable. "Specific A", "preset A", "preset A", "setting A", "indicated A", "a certain A", "any A", and "first A" can be interpreted as A pre-specified in a protocol, etc., or as A obtained through setting, configuration, or indication, etc., or as specific A, a certain A, any A, or first A, etc., but not limited to this.

[0182] In some embodiments, the determination or judgment can be performed by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), or by a true or false value (Boolean value) represented by true or false, or by comparison of numerical values ​​(for example, comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited thereto.

[0183] In some embodiments, "not expecting to receive" can be interpreted as not receiving on time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources, or as not performing subsequent processing on the data after receiving it; "not expecting to send" can be interpreted as not sending, or as sending but not expecting the recipient to respond to the content sent.

[0184] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of the aforementioned steps and embodiments. For example, step 201 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 202 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 203 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 204 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 301 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 302 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 303 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 304 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 305 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 401 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 402 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 403 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 404 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step 405 can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of step 201 and step 202 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 202 and step 203 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 203 and step 204 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step 301 and step 302 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. 2 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 301 and step 303 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 304 and step 303 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 305 and step 303 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 305 and step 303 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 401 and step 402 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 402 and step 403 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 402 and step 404 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 402 and step 405 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 405 and step 406 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 405 and step 407 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 405 and step 408 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of step 405 and step 409 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but are not limited thereto.

[0185] In some embodiments, see Figures 2 to 4 Other optional implementations recorded before or after the corresponding description.

[0186] Figure 5 This is one of the flow charts of the communication method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0187] like Figure 5 As shown, the above method can be applied to the target STA 101, and the above method includes:

[0188] Step 501: A target station device STA receives a multi-user request to send trigger MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by a first access point device AP on a secondary channel.

[0189] Step 502: Determine whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame based on whether an overlapping basic service set physical layer protocol data unit (OBSS) PPDU is monitored before switching to the secondary channel.

[0190] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0191] First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0192] One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0193] A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, the second identification field is used to identify: a channel on which the target STA sends a Clear to Send (CTS) frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0194] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame based on whether an OBSSPPDU is monitored before switching to the secondary channel includes:

[0195] If no OBSS PPDU is monitored before switching to the secondary channel, the target STA, after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame, sends a CTS frame to the first AP on the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, or the target STA does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0196] Before switching to the secondary channel, the OBSS PPDU is monitored, and whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame is determined based on whether the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0197] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame based on whether the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTSTrigger frame includes:

[0198] If the channel occupied by the OBSS Traffic does not overlap with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, the target STA sends a CTS frame to the first AP in response after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame and after an interval of one short frame interval;

[0199] The first duration does not exceed the duration that the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel, and the Duration field in the CTS frame is set to the second duration;

[0200] The first duration exceeds the duration that the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel, and the Duration field in the CTS frame is set to the third duration;

[0201] If the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU does not overlap with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, the target STA does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0202] If the target STA monitors the OBSS PPDU before switching to the secondary channel, and the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, the target STA does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0203] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second duration is the difference obtained by subtracting the sum of the following durations from the first duration indicated by the first duration information:

[0204] The duration of the target STA sending the CTS frame;

[0205] The duration for the target STA to send an acknowledgment frame;

[0206] The duration between two short frame intervals;

[0207] The third duration is the duration of the OBSS PPDU occupying the primary channel, minus the sum of the following durations:

[0208] The duration of the target STA sending the CTS frame;

[0209] The duration for the target STA to send an acknowledgment frame;

[0210] The duration between two short frame intervals.

[0211] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by the first AP on the secondary channel, the method further includes:

[0212] Before the first duration expires, switching to the primary channel;

[0213] Before the third time period expires, switching to the primary channel;

[0214] After receiving the CF-end frame, switch to the primary channel.

[0215] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first duration information is carried in the Duration field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0216] The first duration in the first duration information includes the sum of at least two durations:

[0217] The duration of the first AP sending the pending frame;

[0218] The duration of the target STA sending the CTS frame;

[0219] The duration for the first AP to send the HE TB PPDU frame;

[0220] The target STA confirms the duration of the HE TB PPDU frame;

[0221] The duration of at least one interframe space.

[0222] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of the aforementioned steps and embodiments. For example, step 501 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step 502 may be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of step 501 and step 502 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0223] In some embodiments, see Figure 5 Other optional implementations recorded before or after the corresponding description.

[0224] Figure 6 This is a second flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0225] like Figure 6 As shown, the method includes:

[0226] Step 601: The first access point device AP switches to a secondary channel and determines a MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0227] Step 602: Send the MU-RTS Trigger frame on the secondary channel.

[0228] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0229] First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0230] One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0231] A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, wherein the second identification field is used to identify a channel on which the target site device STA sends a CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0232] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first duration information is carried in the Duration field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0233] The first duration in the first duration information includes the sum of at least two durations:

[0234] The duration of the first AP sending the pending frame;

[0235] The duration for the target STA to send at least one CTS frame;

[0236] The duration for the first AP to send the HE TB PPDU frame;

[0237] The target STA confirms the duration of the HE TB PPDU frame;

[0238] The duration of at least one interframe space.

[0239] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first identification field is carried in the user information field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0240] and / or

[0241] The second identification field is carried in the resource unit allocation RU Allocation field of the User Info field.

[0242] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, after sending the MU-RTS Trigger frame, the method further includes at least one of the following:

[0243] If no physical layer start reception indication information is received within the CTS timeout period, it is determined that the MU-RTS Trigger frame fails to be sent;

[0244] If a physical layer start reception indication message is received within a CTS timeout period and a CTS frame is not received before a physical layer reception completion indication message is received, it is determined that the MU-RTS Trigger frame fails to be sent;

[0245] The MU-RTS Trigger frame is determined to be sent successfully if the physical layer starts receiving indication information and receives the CTS frame before receiving the physical layer receiving completion indication information within the CTS timeout period.

[0246] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of determining whether the MU-RTS Trigger frame is successfully sent includes at least one of the following:

[0247] Perform frame exchange with the STA that sent the CTS frame;

[0248] If the received CTS frame includes a CTS frame with the Duration field set to the second duration and a CTS frame with the Duration field set to the third duration, the first AP sends a CF-end frame before the third duration expires, and switches to the primary channel after sending the CF-end frame;

[0249] If the received CTS frame does not include a CTS frame whose Duration field is set to the second duration, the first AP switches to the primary channel before the third duration expires;

[0250] If the received CTS frame does not include a CTS frame whose Duration field is set to the third duration, the first AP switches to the primary channel before the first duration expires.

[0251] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second duration is the difference obtained by subtracting the sum of the following durations from the first duration indicated by the first duration information:

[0252] The duration of the target STA sending the CTS frame;

[0253] The duration for the target STA to send an acknowledgment frame;

[0254] The duration between two short frame intervals;

[0255] The third duration is the duration of the OBSS PPDU occupying the primary channel, minus the sum of the following durations:

[0256] The duration of the target STA sending the CTS frame;

[0257] The duration for the target STA to send an acknowledgment frame;

[0258] The duration between two short frame intervals.

[0259] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of the aforementioned steps and embodiments. For example, step 601 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step 602 may be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of step 601 and step 602 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0260] In some embodiments, see Figure 6 Other optional implementations recorded before or after the corresponding description.

[0261] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network function node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0262] It should be understood that the division of the various units or modules in the above device is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they may be fully or partially integrated into a physical entity, or they may be physically separated. In addition, the units or modules in the device may be implemented in the form of a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and the memory stores instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or implement the functions of the various units or modules of the above device, wherein the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the device or a memory outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The above-mentioned hardware circuits can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which realizes the functions of some or all of the above units or modules by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit can be realized by a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by configuring the configuration file, thereby realizing the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above devices can be realized in the form of software called by the processor, or in the form of hardware circuits, or in part by the form of software called by the processor, and the rest by hardware circuits.

[0263] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capability. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capability, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP); in another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of the hardware circuit, and the logical relationship of the above hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable, such as a hardware circuit implemented by a processor as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the processor loads a configuration document to implement the process of hardware circuit configuration, which can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0264] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the site equipment proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 As shown, the station device is a target station device STA, and the target STA 700 may include: at least one of a receiving module 701 , a first determining module 702 , and the like.

[0265] In some embodiments, the receiving module 701 is configured to receive a multi-user request to send trigger MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by a first access point device AP on a secondary channel; the first determining module 702 is configured to determine whether to respond to the MU-RTSTrigger frame based on whether an overlapping basic service set physical layer protocol data unit (OBSS) PPDU is monitored before switching to the secondary channel;

[0266] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0267] First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0268] One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0269] A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, the second identification field is used to identify: a channel on which the target STA sends a Clear to Send (CTS) frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0270] Optionally, the receiving module 701 is configured to execute at least one of the communication steps (e.g., step 203, step 301, step 501, but not limited thereto) performed by the target STA 101 in any of the above methods, which are not described in detail here. The first determining module 702 is configured to execute at least one of the communication steps (e.g., step 204, step 502, but not limited thereto), which are not described in detail here.

[0271] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first AP proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 As shown, the first AP 800 may include at least one of a second determining module 801 and a sending module 802 .

[0272] In some embodiments, the second determining module 801 is configured to switch to a secondary channel and determine a MU-RTSTrigger frame;

[0273] A sending module 802 is configured to send the MU-RTS Trigger frame on the secondary channel;

[0274] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0275] First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0276] One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0277] A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, the second identification field is used to identify: the channel on which the target site device STA sends the CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame

[0278] Optionally, the first receiving module 801 is configured to execute at least one of the communication steps (e.g., step 201, step 401, and step 601, but not limited thereto) performed by the first AP 102 in any of the above methods, and will not be described in detail here. The sending module 802 is configured to execute at least one of the communication steps (e.g., step 202, step 402, and step 602, but not limited thereto), and will not be described in detail here.

[0279] Figure 9This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal 900 (e.g., user equipment) proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Terminal 900 can be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports a network device implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports a terminal implementing any of the above methods. Terminal 900 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiments.

[0280] like Figure 9 As shown, terminal 900 includes one or more processors 901. Processor 901 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control communication devices (such as base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal device chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Terminal 900 is used to perform any of the above methods.

[0281] In some embodiments, the terminal 900 further includes one or more memories 902 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 902 may be located outside the terminal 900.

[0282] In some embodiments, the terminal 900 further includes one or more transceivers 904. When the terminal 900 includes one or more transceivers 904, the transceiver 904 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (for example, step 201, step 202, step 203, step 301, step 304, step 402, step 401, step 402, step 406, step 501, and step 602, but not limited thereto), and the processor 901 performs at least one of the other steps (for example, step 204, step 302, step 303, step 305, step 306, step 401, step 403, step 404, step 405, step 407, step 408, step 409, step 502, and step 601, but not limited thereto).

[0283] In some embodiments, a transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, and transceiver circuit may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit may be used interchangeably.

[0284] In some embodiments, terminal 900 may include one or more interface circuits 903. Optionally, interface circuit 903 is connected to memory 902. Interface circuit 903 may be configured to receive signals from memory 902 or other devices, and may be configured to send signals to memory 902 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 903 may read instructions stored in memory 902 and send the instructions to processor 901.

[0285] The terminal 900 described in the above embodiment may be a communication device such as a user equipment, but the scope of the terminal 900 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the terminal 900 may not be limited thereto. Figure 9 The communication device may be an independent device or a part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the above IC collection may also include a storage component for storing data and programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, an intelligent terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handheld device, a mobile unit, an in-vehicle device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0286] Figure 10 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 1000 proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. For the case where the terminal 900 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to Figure 10 The structure of the chip 1000 is shown, but is not limited thereto.

[0287] The chip 1000 includes one or more processors 1001 , and the chip 1000 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0288] In some embodiments, chip 1000 further includes one or more 1003. Optionally, interface circuit 1003 is connected to memory 1002. Interface circuit 1003 can be used to receive signals from memory 1002 or other devices, and interface circuit 1003 can be used to send signals to memory 1002 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 1003 can read instructions stored in memory 1002 and send the instructions to processor 1001.

[0289] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 1003 executes at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (for example, step 201, step 202, step 203, step 301, step 304, step 402, step 401, step 402, step 406, step 501, step 602, but not limited to these), and the processor 1001 executes at least one of the other steps (for example, step 204, step 302, step 303, step 305, step 306, step 401, step 403, step 404, step 405, step 407, step 408, step 409, step 502, step 601, but not limited to these).

[0290] In some embodiments, terms such as interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, and transceiver may be used interchangeably.

[0291] In some embodiments, the chip 1000 further includes one or more memories 1002 for storing instructions. Alternatively, all or part of the memory 1002 may be external to the chip 1000.

[0292] The present disclosure also provides a storage medium having instructions stored thereon. When the instructions are executed on the terminal 900, the terminal 900 executes any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a transient storage medium.

[0293] The present disclosure also provides a program product, which, when executed by the terminal 900, enables the terminal 900 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0294] The present disclosure also proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any one of the above methods.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The target station device STA receives a multi-user request to send trigger MU-RTSTrigger frame sent by the first access point device AP on the secondary channel; Determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether an overlapping basic service set physical layer protocol data unit (OBSSPPDU) is monitored before switching to the secondary channel; The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes: First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel; One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel; A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, the second identification field is used to identify: a channel on which the target STA sends a Clear to Send (CTS) frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: The determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether an OBSS PPDU is monitored before switching to the secondary channel includes: If no OBSS PPDU is monitored before switching to the secondary channel, the target STA, after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame, sends a CTS frame to the first AP on the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, or the target STA does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame; Before switching to the secondary channel, the OBSS PPDU is monitored, and whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame is determined based on whether the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTSTrigger frame.

3. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein: The determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame includes: If the channel occupied by the OBSS Traffic does not overlap with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, the target STA sends a CTS frame to the first AP in response after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame and after an interval of one short frame interval; The first duration does not exceed the duration that the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel, and the Duration field in the CTS frame is set to the second duration; The first duration exceeds the duration that the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel, and the Duration field in the CTS frame is set to the third duration; If the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU does not overlap with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, the target STA does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame; If the target STA monitors the OBSS PPDU before switching to the secondary channel, and the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, the target STA does not respond to the MU-RTSTrigger frame.

4. The communication method according to claim 3, wherein: The second duration is the difference between the first duration indicated by the first duration information and the sum of the following durations: The duration of the target STA sending the CTS frame; The duration for the target STA to send an acknowledgment frame; The duration between two short frame intervals; The third duration is the duration of the OBSS PPDU occupying the primary channel, minus the sum of the following durations: The duration of the target STA sending the CTS frame; The duration for the target STA to send an acknowledgment frame; The duration between two short frame intervals.

5. The communication method according to any one of claims 3 or 4, characterized in that: After receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by the first AP on the secondary channel, the method further includes: Before the first duration expires, switching to the primary channel; Before the third time period expires, switching to the primary channel; After receiving the CF-end frame, switch to the primary channel. The communication method according to claim 1 , wherein: The first duration information is carried in the Duration field of the MU-RTSTrigger frame; The first duration in the first duration information includes the sum of at least two durations: The duration for the first AP to send the pending frame; The duration of the target STA sending the CTS frame; The duration for the first AP to send the HE TB PPDU frame; The target STA confirms the duration of the HE TB PPDU frame; The duration of at least one short frame interval.

7. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The first access point device AP switches to the secondary channel and determines the MU-RTS Trigger frame; Sending the MU-RTS Trigger frame on the secondary channel; The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes: First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel; One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel; A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, wherein the second identification field is used to identify a channel on which the target site device STA sends a CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

8. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein: The first duration information is carried in the Duration field of the MU-RTSTrigger frame; The first duration in the first duration information includes the sum of at least two durations: The duration for the first AP to send the pending frame; The duration for the target STA to send at least one CTS frame; The duration for the first AP to send the HE TB PPDU frame; The target STA confirms the duration of the HE TB PPDU frame; The duration of at least one interframe space.

9. The communication method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: After sending the MU-RTS Trigger frame, the method further includes at least one of the following: If no physical layer start reception indication information is received within the CTS timeout period, it is determined that the MU-RTS Trigger frame fails to be sent; If a physical layer start reception indication message is received within a CTS timeout period and a CTS frame is not received before a physical layer reception completion indication message is received, it is determined that the MU-RTS Trigger frame fails to be sent; The MU-RTS Trigger frame is determined to be sent successfully if the physical layer starts receiving indication information and receives the CTS frame before receiving the physical layer receiving completion indication information within the CTS timeout period.

10. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein: The method of determining that the MU-RTS Trigger frame is successfully sent includes at least one of the following: Perform frame exchange with the STA that sent the CTS frame; If the received CTS frame includes a CTS frame with the Duration field set to the second duration and a CTS frame with the Duration field set to the third duration, the first AP sends a CF-end frame before the third duration expires, and switches to the primary channel after sending the CF-end frame; If the received CTS frame does not include a CTS frame whose Duration field is set to the second duration, the first AP switches to the primary channel before the third duration expires; If the received CTS frame does not include a CTS frame whose Duration field is set to the third duration, the first AP switches to the primary channel before the first duration expires.

11. The communication method according to claim 10, wherein: The second duration is the difference obtained by subtracting the sum of the following durations from the first duration indicated by the first duration information: The duration of the target STA sending the CTS frame; The duration for the target STA to send an acknowledgment frame; The duration between two short frame intervals; The third duration is the duration of the OBSS PPDU occupying the primary channel, minus the sum of the following durations: The duration of the target STA sending the CTS frame; The duration for the target STA to send an acknowledgment frame; The duration between two short frame intervals.

12. A station device, wherein the station device is a target station device STA, characterized in that: Target STAs include: A receiving module, configured to receive a multi-user request to send trigger MU-RTSTrigger frame sent by a first access point device AP on a secondary channel; A first determining module is configured to determine whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether an overlapping basic service set physical layer protocol data unit (OBSS) PPDU is monitored before switching to the secondary channel; The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes: First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel; One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel; A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, the second identification field is used to identify: a channel on which the target STA sends a Clear to Send (CTS) frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

13. An access point device, the access point device being a first access point device AP, characterized in that: The first AP includes: A second determining module is configured to switch to the secondary channel and determine a MU-RTS Trigger frame; A sending module, configured to send the MU-RTS Trigger frame on the secondary channel; The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes: First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel; One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel; A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, wherein the second identification field is used to identify a channel on which the target site device STA sends a CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

14. A station device, wherein the station device is a target station device STA, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; The target STA is used to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

15. An access point device, the access point device being a first access point device AP, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; The first AP is used to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 7 to 11.

16. A communication system, characterized in that: It includes a site device and an access point device; wherein the site device is a target site device STA, and the access point device is a first access point device AP; The first access point device AP switches to the secondary channel and determines the MU-RTS Trigger frame; Sending the MU-RTS Trigger frame to a target STA on the secondary channel; The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes: First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel; One or more first identification fields, where the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel; A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, the second identification field is used to identify: a channel on which the target STA sends a CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

17. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that: When the instruction is executed on a communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or execute the communication method according to any one of claims 7 to 11.

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