Frame transmission method and device, and communication equipment

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a frame transmission method and device and communication equipment. The method comprises the steps that first equipment sends or receives an MAC frame; wherein the MAC frame has a first frame structure, and the first frame structure is different from a traditional frame structure; the first equipment is communication equipment based on environment energy.

Description

Frame transmission method and device, and communication equipment Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of wireless communication technology, and specifically to a frame transmission method and apparatus, and communication equipment. Background Art

[0002] Ambient energy-based communication devices primarily draw their energy from the environment. Compared to traditional communication devices, these devices have several characteristics, including shorter operating durations, primarily small data packets, and lower capacity. Therefore, if these devices continue to use the same frame structure as traditional communication devices, they could suffer from excessive energy consumption, low transmission efficiency, or even inability to transmit properly.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a frame transmission method and apparatus, communication equipment, a chip, a computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product, and a computer program.

[0005] The frame transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application includes:

[0006] The first device sends or receives a Media Access Control (MAC) frame; wherein the MAC frame has a first frame structure, and the first frame structure is different from a traditional frame structure; the first device is an environmental energy-based communication device.

[0007] The frame transmission device provided in the embodiment of the present application includes:

[0008] A communication unit is used to send or receive a MAC frame; wherein the MAC frame has a first frame structure, which is different from a traditional frame structure; and the first device is an environmental energy-based communication device.

[0009] The communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application includes a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to perform the above-mentioned frame transmission method.

[0010] The chip provided in the embodiment of the present application is used to implement the above-mentioned frame transmission method.

[0011] Specifically, the chip includes: a processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the above-mentioned frame transmission method.

[0012] The computer-readable storage medium provided in an embodiment of the present application is used to store a computer program, which enables a computer to execute the above-mentioned frame transmission method.

[0013] The computer program product provided in an embodiment of the present application includes computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the above-mentioned frame transmission method.

[0014] The computer program provided in the embodiment of the present application, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the above-mentioned frame transmission method.

[0015] Through the above technical solution, the first device is a communication device based on environmental energy, and the MAC frame sent or received by the first device has a first frame structure, which is different from the traditional frame structure; compared with the traditional frame structure, the first frame structure is simpler and can be understood as a minimalist frame structure. This frame structure is suitable for communication devices based on environmental energy, and can avoid the problems of excessive energy consumption, low transmission efficiency, and even inability to transmit normally in communication devices based on environmental energy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0017] FIG1 is a diagram of a communication system architecture used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] FIG2 is a diagram of another communication system architecture used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the PPDU structure;

[0020] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the traditional structure of a MAC frame;

[0021] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the traditional structure of the frame control field;

[0022] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a conventional frame structure;

[0023] FIG7 is a flow chart of a frame transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] FIG8-1 is a schematic diagram of a MAC frame structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 8-2 is a second schematic diagram of the MAC frame structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 8-3 is a third schematic diagram of the MAC frame structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a frame control field provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a frame transmission device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following will describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0032] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) systems, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) systems, etc.

[0033] FIG1 is an example of a communication system architecture applied in an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] As shown in Figure 1, the communication system may include an access point (AP) 110 and a station (STA) 120 that accesses the network through AP 110. In some scenarios, AP 110 may be referred to as an AP STA, meaning that, in a sense, AP 110 is also a type of STA. In some scenarios, STA 120 may be referred to as a non-AP STA. In some scenarios, STA 120 may include both AP STAs and non-AP STAs. Communication in the communication system may include communication between AP 110 and STA 120, communication between STA 120 and STA 120, or communication between STA 120 and a peer STA. A peer STA may refer to a device communicating with the peer of STA 120. For example, a peer STA may be an AP or a non-AP STA.

[0035] AP 110 can be used as a bridge between wired and wireless networks, connecting wireless network clients together and then connecting the wireless network to Ethernet. AP 110 can be a terminal device (such as a mobile phone) or a network device (such as a router) equipped with a WiFi chip.

[0036] It should be noted that the role of STA 120 in the communication system is not absolute. In other words, the role of STA 120 in the communication system can switch between AP and STA. For example, in some scenarios, when a mobile phone is connected to a router, the mobile phone is a STA. When the mobile phone is used as a hotspot for other mobile phones, the mobile phone plays the role of AP.

[0037] In some embodiments, AP 110 and STA 120 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.

[0038] In some embodiments, AP 110 may be a device supporting the 802.11be standard. The AP may also be a device supporting various current and future 802.11 family WLAN standards, such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a. In some embodiments, STA 120 may support the 802.11be standard. The STA may also support various current and future 802.11 family WLAN standards, such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a.

[0039] In some embodiments, AP 110 and / or STA 120 can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface (such as a ship); can also be deployed in the air (for example, on an airplane, balloon, and satellite, etc.).

[0040] In some embodiments, STA 120 may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless device in industrial control, a set-top box, a wireless device in self-driving, an in-vehicle communication device, a wireless device in remote medical, a wireless device in a smart grid, a wireless device in transportation safety, a wireless device in a smart city or a wireless device in a smart home, an in-vehicle communication device, a wireless communication chip / application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) / system on chip (SoC), etc. that supports WLAN / WiFi technology.

[0041] For example, STA 120 can also be a wearable device. Wearable devices can also be called wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that use wearable technology to intelligently design and develop wearable devices, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not just hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. In a broad sense, wearable smart devices include those that are full-featured, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0042] It should be understood that Figure 1 is merely an example of the present application and should not be construed as limiting the present application. For example, Figure 1 only exemplarily illustrates one AP and two STAs. In some embodiments, the communication system may include multiple APs and other numbers of STAs, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0043] FIG2 is an example of another communication system architecture applied in an embodiment of the present application.

[0044] As shown in Figure 2, the communication system may include a terminal device 210 and a network device 220. The network device 220 may communicate with the terminal device 210 via an air interface. The terminal device 210 and the network device 220 support multi-service transmission.

[0045] It should be understood that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Internet of Things (IoT) system, Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) system, enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC) system, 5G communication system (also known as New Radio (NR) communication system), or future communication systems, etc.

[0046] 1 , network device 220 may be an access network device that communicates with terminal device 210. The access network device may provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area and may communicate with terminal device 210 (eg, UE) located within the coverage area.

[0047] The network device 220 may be a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG RAN) device, a base station (gNB) in an NR system, or a wireless controller in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN), or the network device 220 may be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a hub, a switch, a bridge, a router, or a network device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN).

[0048] The terminal device 210 may be any terminal device, including but not limited to a terminal device connected to the network device 220 or other terminal devices by wire or wireless connection.

[0049] For example, the terminal device 210 may refer to an access terminal, user equipment (UE), a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device. The access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, an IoT device, a satellite handheld terminal, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, or a terminal device in a future evolution network, etc.

[0050] The terminal device 210 can be used for device-to-device (D2D) communication.

[0051] The wireless communication system may further include a core network device 230 for communicating with the base station. The core network device 230 may be a 5G core network (5G Core, 5GC) device, such as an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), an Authentication Server Function (AUSF), a User Plane Function (UPF), or a Session Management Function (SMF). Optionally, the core network device 130 may also be an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) device of the LTE network, such as a Session Management Function + Core Packet Gateway (SMF+PGW-C) device. It should be understood that SMF+PGW-C can simultaneously implement the functions that can be implemented by SMF and PGW-C. During the network evolution process, the above-mentioned core network device may also be called other names, or a new network entity may be formed by dividing the functions of the core network, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0052] Figure 2 exemplarily shows a base station, a core network device and two terminal devices. Optionally, the wireless communication system may include multiple base station devices and each base station may include other numbers of terminal devices within its coverage area, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0053] It should be noted that Figures 1 and 2 illustrate only the systems to which this application applies, and the methods described in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to other systems. Furthermore, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and / or" herein simply describes an association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exists simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship. It should also be understood that the term "indication" in the embodiments of this application can be direct, indirect, or indicate an associated relationship. For example, "A indicates B" can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can obtain information through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can obtain information through C; or it can mean that A and B have an associated relationship. It should also be understood that the term "corresponding" in the embodiments of this application can mean that two objects have a direct or indirect correspondence, an associated relationship, or a relationship between an indicator and the indicated, a configuration and the configured, and so on. It should also be understood that the “predefined” or “predefined rules” mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (for example, including a terminal device and a network device), and the present application does not limit its specific implementation method. For example, predefined can refer to a definition in a protocol. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” can refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, such as an LTE protocol, an NR protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

[0054] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the relevant technologies of the embodiments of the present application are described below. The following relevant technologies can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0055] Zero-power communication uses energy harvesting and backscatter communication technology. A zero-power communication system consists of network equipment and zero-power terminals. The network equipment is used to send power supply signals and downlink communication signals to the zero-power terminal and receive backscatter signals from the zero-power terminal. As an example, the zero-power terminal includes an energy harvesting module, a backscatter communication module, and a low-power computing module. In addition, the zero-power terminal may also have a memory and / or a sensor. The memory is used to store some basic information (such as item identification, etc.), and the sensor is used to obtain sensor data such as ambient temperature and ambient humidity.

[0056] Based on the energy source and usage of zero-power terminals, zero-power terminals can be divided into the following types:

[0057] (1) Passive zero-power terminal

[0058] Zero-power terminals do not require internal batteries. When they approach network equipment, they are within the near-field radiation generated by the network equipment's antenna. Therefore, the zero-power terminal's antenna generates an induced current through electromagnetic induction. This induced current drives the zero-power terminal's low-power computing module (also known as the low-power chip circuit) to perform tasks such as demodulating forward link signals and modulating backward link signals. For backscatter links, zero-power terminals use backscattering to transmit signals.

[0059] It can be seen that the passive zero-power terminal does not require a built-in battery to drive either the forward link or the reverse link, and is a true zero-power terminal.

[0060] Since passive zero-power terminals do not require batteries, their RF circuits and baseband circuits are very simple. For example, they do not require low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), power amplifiers (PAs), crystal oscillators, ADCs, etc. Therefore, they have many advantages such as small size, light weight, low price, and long service life.

[0061] (2) Semi-passive zero-power terminal

[0062] Semi-passive zero-power terminals do not have conventional batteries themselves, but instead use energy harvesting modules to harvest radio wave energy and store it in an energy storage unit (such as a capacitor). This energy storage unit then powers the zero-power terminal's low-power computing module (also known as a low-power chip circuit) to perform tasks such as demodulating forward link signals and modulating backward link signals. For backscatter links, the zero-power terminal uses backscattering to transmit signals.

[0063] It can be seen that the semi-passive zero-power terminal does not require a built-in battery to drive either the forward link or the reverse link. Although energy stored in capacitors is used during operation, the energy comes from the energy of radio waves collected by the energy harvesting module. Therefore, it is also a true zero-power terminal.

[0064] Semi-passive zero-power consumption terminals inherit many advantages of passive zero-power consumption terminals, and therefore have many advantages such as small size, light weight, low price, and long service life.

[0065] (3) Active zero-power terminal

[0066] In some scenarios, zero-power terminals can also be active zero-power terminals, which can have built-in batteries. The battery is used to drive the low-power computing module (i.e., low-power chip circuit) of the zero-power terminal to perform tasks such as demodulating forward link signals and modulating reverse link signals. However, for backscatter links, zero-power terminals use backscattering to transmit signals. Therefore, the zero-power nature of these terminals is primarily due to the fact that reverse link signal transmission does not require the terminal's own power, but rather uses backscattering.

[0067] Active zero-power terminals use a built-in battery to power the RF chip, increasing communication distance and improving communication reliability. Therefore, they are used in scenarios with relatively high requirements for communication distance and latency.

[0068] As industry applications expand, the types of connected objects and application scenarios increase, placing higher demands on the price and power consumption of communication equipment. The application of battery-free, low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) devices has become a key technology for the cellular Internet of Things (IoT), expanding the types and number of network-connected terminals and truly realizing the interconnection of everything. IoT devices can be based on zero-power communication technologies, such as radio frequency identification (RFID), and can be extended to suit the cellular Internet of Things.

[0069] Passive IoT devices can draw their energy from the environment, known as ambient IoT (AMP IoT) devices. These devices harvest energy from ambient sources, such as wireless signals, solar energy, and thermal energy. Passive or semi-passive zero-power terminals in zero-power communications are typical examples of passive IoT devices.

[0070] In Wi-Fi systems, information (or data) is transmitted based on the Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU). As shown in Figure 3, the PPDU consists of a physical layer header and a data portion. The physical layer header consists of three parts: the Short Training Field (STF), the Long Training Field (LTF), and the signal. The STF consists primarily of 10 short symbols (denoted as t1-t10), each 0.8µs long, and primarily implements frame synchronization and coarse frequency synchronization. T1-t7 primarily implements signal detection, automatic gain control (AGC), and diversity selection, while T8-t10 primarily implements coarse frequency synchronization, offset estimation, and timing synchronization. The LTF primarily implements fine frequency synchronization and channel estimation. SIGNAL carries information related to the data portion, including data transmission rate, packet length, reserved bits, and tail bits.

[0071] The data portion of the PPDU carries the MAC frame. As shown in Figure 4, the MAC frame structure consists of the following parts: MAC header, frame body, and frame check sequence (FCS). The MAC header includes the following parts: Frame Control field, Duration / ID field, first address (A1) field, second address (A2) field, third address (A3) field, sequence control field, fourth address (A4) field, quality of service control (QoS Control) field, high-throughput control (HT Control) field, frame body field, and frame check sequence (FCS).

[0072] Duration / ID occupies 2 bytes (i.e. 16 bits) and is used to indicate how long the frame and its confirmation frame will occupy the channel. It is used to record the value of the network allocation amount (NAV). The time limit for accessing the medium is specified by NAV. When the 15th bit is set to 0, Duration / ID is used to set NAV. This value represents how many milliseconds the current transmission is expected to use the medium. The workstation must monitor any frame headers received and update the NAV accordingly. Any value that exceeds the expected medium usage time will update the NAV and prevent other workstations from accessing the medium.

[0073] Address 1 represents the address of the receiver. In some cases, the receiver is the destination, but not always. The destination is the station responsible for processing the network layer packet in the frame. The receiver is the station responsible for decoding the radio into an 802.11 frame. If Address 1 is set to a broadcast or multicast address, the Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) must also be checked. A station will only respond to broadcast or multicast messages from the same BSS; messages from different BSSs are ignored.

[0074] Address 2 represents the sender's address, used to send acknowledgments. In some cases, the sender is also the source address, but not always. The source address refers to the station that originates the network layer protocol packet in the frame; the sender is responsible for sending the frame onto the wireless link.

[0075] Address 3 is used for filtering by base stations and transmission systems, but the usage of this information field depends on the type of network used.

[0076] Address 4 is generally not used and is only used in wireless distribution systems (WDS).

[0077] The Sequence Control field occupies 2 bytes (16 bits) and is used to reassemble frame fragments and discard duplicate frames. It consists of a 4-bit fragment number (FN) and a 12-bit sequence number (SN). The fragment number is used when upper-layer packets are fragmented. The first fragment has a fragment number of 0, and the fragment number of each subsequent fragment increases by 1, facilitating frame reassembly. All frame fragments have the same sequence number; if a frame is retransmitted, the sequence number remains unchanged. The sequence number acts as a counter of transmitted frames, calculated as the modulo value of 4096. This counter starts at 0 and increments by 1 with each upper-layer packet processed by the MAC layer. In the event of a retransmission, the sequence number remains unchanged, facilitating frame processing and discarding duplicate frames. In short, the sequence number numbers the frames sent by the sender, allowing for the screening of retransmitted frames to ensure frame accuracy.

[0078] QoS Control is a new MAC layer field in 802.11e that is used for priority control. This field is present only when the data frame is of the QoS data subtype.

[0079] HT Control is a new MAC layer field added in 802.11n. Starting with 802.11n, the MAC supports 40M bandwidth, combining two 20M bandwidths into a single 40M bandwidth. This field provides some control for high-throughput data. This field is present only when the frame is configured as a high-throughput frame. HT Control appears not only in data frames but also in management frames, with the order field set to 1 to indicate that the frame contains HT Control.

[0080] Frame Body is used to carry the information sent or received.

[0081] The FCS includes a 32-bit cyclic redundancy check (CRC) for error detection. This allows workstations to verify the integrity of received frames. On Ethernet, if the FCS of a frame is incorrect, it is immediately discarded; otherwise, it is passed to the upper layer protocol for processing. On 802.11 networks, frames that pass the integrity check also require an acknowledgment from the receiver. For example, a data frame received correctly must receive a positive acknowledgment; otherwise, it must be retransmitted. 802.11 does not provide a negative acknowledgment mechanism for frames that fail the FCS check; the workstation must wait for the acknowledgment timeout before retransmitting.

[0082] The Frame Control field of the MAC header contains some important information, as shown in Figure 5, including: Protocol Version subfield, Type subfield, Subtype subfield, To DS subfield, From DS subfield, More Fragments subfield, Retry subfield, Power Management subfield, More Data subfield, Protected Frame subfield, Order subfield, and +HTC subfield.

[0083] Protocol Version is used to indicate the protocol version. A value of 0 represents the 802.11 protocol version, and a value of 1 represents the 802.11ah protocol version.

[0084] Type indicates the frame type. A value of 00 represents a management frame, 01 represents a control frame, 10 represents a data frame, and 11 is reserved and unused. Control frames are used for handshakes and positive acknowledgements during contention periods, ending the non-contention period, and other purposes. Management frames are used for negotiation and relationship control between STAs and APs, such as association, authentication, and synchronization. Data frames are used to transmit data during both contention and non-contention periods.

[0085] Subtype indicates the subtype of a frame. For example, if the Type value is 01, a Subtype value of 1011 represents a Request to Send (RTS) frame, and a Subtype value of 1100 represents a Clear to Send (CTS) frame. You can specify the specific frame type using the Type and Subtype fields.

[0086] To DS is used to indicate whether the frame is sent by the BSS to the DS, that is, the frame sent by the wireless link to the wireless workstation.

[0087] From DS is used to indicate whether the frame is sent from the DS to the BSS, that is, the frame sent from the wireless workstation to the wireless link.

[0088] More Fragment is used to indicate whether a long frame is fragmented and whether there are other frames. If so, the value of More Fragment is set to 1. Specifically, if the upper layer packet is segmented by the MAC layer, the value of More Fragment is set to 1 for all fragments except the last one.

[0089] Retry is used to indicate that the segment is a retransmission of a previously transmitted segment. Specifically, when a frame needs to be retransmitted, the Retry value is set to 1 for the retransmitted frame to help the receiving end eliminate duplicate frames.

[0090] Power Management indicates the power management mode used by the transmitter after transmitting a frame. In other words, it indicates the power management status of the transmitter after the current frame exchange process is completed. A value of 1 indicates power save mode, and a value of 0 indicates active mode.

[0091] More Data indicates that more frames are buffered in the station. When there is at least one data frame to be sent, the value of More Data is set to 1. More Data is only used for management data frames. In control frames, the value of More Data is set to 0.

[0092] Protected Frame indicates that the frame body is encrypted according to the algorithm. If the frame body contains data processed by the key, the value of Protected Frame is set to 1, otherwise it is set to 0.

[0093] Order indicates that frames and frame fragments can be delivered in order. However, the MAC addresses of both the sender and receiver must pay the additional cost of strictly numbering the frame fragments. If "strictly ordered" delivery is in effect, the value of Order is set to 1.

[0094] +HTC is an indicator bit related to HT Control.

[0095] The energy required for IoT devices powered by ambient energy primarily comes from the environment. Compared to traditional communication devices, these devices have certain characteristics, such as short operating durations, primarily small data packets, and low capacity. Therefore, if these devices continue to use the same frame structure as traditional communication devices, they may experience excessive energy consumption, low transmission efficiency, or even failure to transmit normally. To address this issue, the following technical solutions are proposed in the embodiments of this application.

[0096] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments. The above related technologies can be combined arbitrarily with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and all of them fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least part of the following contents.

[0097] The frame structures shown in Figures 4 and 5 can be simplified to some extent. As shown in Figure 6, the Duration / ID field, QoS Control field, and HT Control field in the MAC frame shown in Figure 4 can be deleted, resulting in a new MAC frame structure. The To DS subfield, Retry subfield, and Order subfield in the Frame Control field shown in Figure 5 can be deleted. In addition, the End of Service Period subfield, Relayed Frame subfield, and Acknowledgement Policy subfield can be added, resulting in a new Frame Control field structure.

[0098] FIG7 is a flow chart of a frame transmission method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7 , the frame transmission method may include the following steps:

[0099] Step 701: A first device sends or receives a MAC frame; wherein the MAC frame has a first frame structure, which is different from a traditional frame structure; and the first device is an environmental energy-based communication device.

[0100] In an embodiment of the present application, the first device is a communication device based on ambient energy, such as an IoT device based on ambient energy, wherein the type of ambient energy may be wireless signals, solar energy, thermal energy, etc.

[0101] In some implementations, the first device is a STA. Step 701 may be described as: the STA sends a MAC frame to the AP or the STA receives a MAC frame sent by the AP. The communication system where the STA and the AP are located may be shown in FIG1 .

[0102] In some implementations, the first device is a terminal device. Step 701 can be described as: the terminal device sends a MAC frame to the network device or the terminal device receives a MAC frame sent by the network device. The communication system where the terminal device and the network device are located can be shown in FIG2 .

[0103] It should be noted that the MAC frame sent by the first device is an uplink frame, and the MAC frame received by the first device is a downlink frame.

[0104] In the embodiments of the present application, the frame structure (also referred to as the frame format) used by the ambient energy-based communication device is different from the traditional frame structure. Here, the traditional frame structure refers to the frame structure used by traditional communication devices. Figures 4, 5, and 6 illustrate a typical traditional frame structure.

[0105] In the embodiment of the present application, the first frame structure is different from the traditional frame structure and includes at least one of the following:

[0106] The address field in the first frame structure is different from the address field in the traditional frame structure;

[0107] The sequence control field in the first frame structure is different from the sequence control field in the traditional frame structure;

[0108] Compared with the traditional frame structure, the first frame structure does not include a sequence control field;

[0109] The frame control field in the first frame structure is different from the frame control field in the traditional frame structure.

[0110] It can be understood that the first frame structure is a new frame structure generated by optimizing the traditional frame structure. The following describes in detail the differences between the first frame structure and the traditional frame structure.

[0111] Solution 1: Optimizing the address domain

[0112] In some implementations, the address field in the first frame structure is different from the address field in the traditional frame structure. This is reflected in one or more of the following aspects:

[0113] 1) Compared with the traditional frame structure, the first frame structure does not include the third address field and the fourth address field;

[0114] 2) The first address field and the second address field in the first frame structure are different from the first address field and the second address field in the traditional frame structure.

[0115] Here, the first address field is Address 1 (abbreviated as A1) of the MAC header; the second address field is Address 2 (abbreviated as A2) of the MAC header; the third address field is Address 3 (abbreviated as A3) of the MAC header; and the fourth address field is Address 4 (abbreviated as A4) of the MAC header.

[0116] For the first frame structure, the MAC header does not include the third and fourth address fields. This is because in communication systems (such as zero-power communication systems), services terminate at the AP or network device. Therefore, A3 and A4 are not required during communication. In addition, the first and second address fields in the MAC header have new interpretations, which are provided below.

[0117] Case 1) When the MAC frame is a downlink frame, in the first frame structure, the first address field is used to indicate the address of the receiving end, and the value of the first address field is the association identifier (AID) or ID or truncated ID of the receiving end; the second address field is used to indicate the address of the sending end, and the value of the second address field is the address identifier of the sending end or the MAC address or the truncated MAC address or the BSSID or the truncated BSSID.

[0118] Here, optionally, the first address field occupies two bytes or one byte, and the second address field occupies two bytes or one byte.

[0119] In one example, a STA receives a MAC frame sent by an AP, and the MAC frame is a downlink frame. In this case, A1 is the address of the receiving end (i.e., the address of the STA), which can occupy two bytes or one byte. The value of A1 is the AID, ID, or truncated ID of the STA, where the number of STAs that the AID can support is 65535 (AID values ​​range from 0 to 65535, with 0 reserved). A2 is the address of the transmitting end (i.e., the address of the AP), which can occupy two bytes or one byte. The value of A2 is the address identifier of the AP notified to the STA when the AP associates with the STA, or it can also be the AP's MAC address, or a truncated MAC address, or a BSSID, or a truncated BSSID.

[0120] Case 2) When the MAC frame is an uplink frame, in the first frame structure, the first address field is used to indicate the address of the receiving end, and the value of the first address field is the address identifier or MAC address or truncated MAC address or BSSID or truncated BSSID of the receiving end; the second address field is used to indicate the address of the sending end, and the value of the second address field is the AID or ID or truncated ID of the sending end.

[0121] Here, optionally, the first address field occupies two bytes or one byte, and the second address field occupies two bytes or one byte.

[0122] In one example, a STA sends a MAC frame to an AP, and the MAC frame is an uplink frame. In this case, A1 is the address of the receiving end (i.e., the address of the AP), which can occupy two bytes or one byte. The value of A1 is the address identifier of the AP notified to the STA when the AP associates with the STA, or it can be the MAC address of the AP, a truncated MAC address, a BSSID, or a truncated BSSID. A2 is the address of the sending end (i.e., the address of the STA), which can occupy two bytes or one byte. The value of A2 is the AID, ID, or truncated ID of the STA, where the number of STAs that the AID can support is 65535 (AID values ​​range from 0 to 65535, with 0 reserved).

[0123] Option 2: Optimization of sequence control domain

[0124] In some implementations, the sequence control field in the first frame structure differs from the sequence control field in the conventional frame structure. This is reflected in the following aspects: When the MAC frame is a downlink frame, the first frame structure does not include the sequence control field. When the MAC frame is an uplink frame, the first frame structure includes the sequence control field.

[0125] Here, the sequence control field is the sequence control field of the MAC header.

[0126] For the first frame structure, the MAC header portion includes a sequence control field depending on the uplink and downlink conditions. For downlink conditions, the sequence control field is not included. For uplink conditions, the sequence control field is included.

[0127] The N1 bit in the sequence control field is used to indicate the sequence number and / or the N2 bit in the sequence control field is used to indicate the fragment number. The values ​​of N1 and N2 can vary: Option 1) N1 > 1 and N2 = 0, in which case the sequence control field is used only to indicate the sequence number; Option 2) N1 = 0 and N2 > 0, in which case the sequence control field is used only to indicate the fragment number; Option 3) N1 > 1 and N2 > 0, in which case the sequence control field is used to indicate both the sequence number and the fragment number.

[0128] For option 1), the value of N1 is less than 12. For option 2), the value of N2 is less than 4. For option 3), the sum of N1 and N2 is less than 16. Furthermore, the value of N1 is less than 12 and the value of N2 is less than 4.

[0129] In some implementations, in the first frame structure, the sequence control field is located within the MAC header and outside the frame control field; or, the sequence control field is located within the MAC header and within the frame control field.

[0130] In one example, if multiple data packets are sent and / or there are segmentations, the corresponding MAC frame needs to include a sequence control field to indicate the sequence number of the data packet and / or the number of the segment in a data packet. Furthermore, if multiple data packets are sent but there are no segmentations, the sequence control field included in the corresponding MAC frame indicates the sequence number of the data packet. If a single packet is sent but there are segmentations, the sequence control field included in the corresponding MAC frame indicates the number of the segment in a data packet. If multiple data packets are sent and there are also segmentations, the sequence control field included in the corresponding MAC frame indicates the sequence number of the data packet and the number of the segment in a data packet. If there are no multiple data packets sent and there are no segmentations, the corresponding MAC frame does not need to include a sequence control field, and further segmentation subfields and further data subfields are not required.

[0131] In one example, for a single packet transmission without segmentation requirements, the sequence control field in the corresponding MAC frame can be deleted. If segmentation is not required but multiple data packets are being transmitted, the corresponding MAC frame must have a sequence control field. The sequence control field indicates the sequence number, which is used to number the data packets. Due to the small number of data packets, the sequence control field can occupy fewer bits (e.g., 3 bits) compared to a traditional frame structure. This type of sequence control field is referred to as a compressed sequence control field. The sequence control field can be located within the MAC header and outside the frame control field; alternatively, the sequence control field can be located within the MAC header and within the frame control field. In one scenario, a STA receives a MAC frame sent by an AP. The MAC frame is a downlink frame. In this scenario, the MAC frame sent by the AP may be a control frame or a management frame. There is no data frame requirement, and the sequence control field may not be present in the MAC frame. In another scenario, a STA sends a MAC frame to the AP. The MAC frame is an uplink frame. In this scenario, the MAC frame sent by the STA may be a control frame, a management frame, or a data frame. The sequence control field may be present in the MAC frame.

[0132] Solution 3: Optimization of the frame control field

[0133] In some embodiments, the frame control field in the first frame structure is different from the frame control field in the traditional frame structure. Here, the frame control field is also the frame control field of the MAC header. The difference in the frame control field is reflected in one or more of the following aspects:

[0134] 1) In the first frame structure, the frame control field includes a protocol version subfield;

[0135] The protocol version subfield is used to indicate whether the direction of the MAC frame is an uplink frame or a downlink frame; or,

[0136] The protocol version subfield is used to indicate the device type of the first device; or,

[0137] The protocol version subfield is used to indicate the energy supply type of the first device; or,

[0138] The protocol version subfield is used to indicate the frame structure of the MAC frame.

[0139] In one example, the protocol version subfield occupies 2 bits or 1 bit, with different values ​​representing different meanings. Option 1) The protocol version subfield is used to indicate whether the MAC frame is an uplink or downlink frame. Uplink and downlink frames correspond to different frame structures. Option 2) The protocol version subfield is used to indicate the device type or power supply type of the first device. Different device types or power supply types correspond to different device capabilities, resulting in different corresponding frame structures. For example, solar power can transmit multiple consecutive packets, and its corresponding frame structure requires a sequence control field; while RF power can only transmit a single data packet at a time, its corresponding frame structure does not require a sequence control field. Option 3) The protocol version subfield is used to indicate a specific frame structure, such as a minimalist frame structure, a simplified frame structure, or a traditional frame structure. The minimalist frame structure is smaller than the simplified frame structure, and the simplified frame structure is smaller than the traditional frame structure. In the scenario of non-segmented, single-packet transmission, where only one data packet is transmitted at a time, the situation is simpler, requiring fewer information fields in the frame structure and / or the number of bits occupied by the information fields is smaller. Therefore, a minimalist frame structure or a simplified frame structure (also known as the first frame structure) is appropriate. In scenarios where multiple packets of data are sent and / or packet segmentation is supported, the situation is more complicated, more information fields are required in the frame structure, and / or the number of bits occupied by the information fields is larger. Therefore, a traditional frame structure is suitable.

[0140] 2) In the first frame structure, the frame control field includes a type subfield and / or a subtype subfield; the type subfield is used to indicate the frame type of the MAC frame; and the subtype subfield is used to indicate the frame subtype of the MAC frame.

[0141] Here, when the MAC frame is a downlink frame, the type subfield occupies N3 bits and / or the subtype subfield occupies N4 bits; when the MAC frame is an uplink frame, the type subfield occupies N5 bits and / or the subtype subfield occupies N6 bits; wherein, the value of N3 is different from the value of N5; and / or, the value of N4 is different from the value of N6.

[0142] In some embodiments, the value of N3 is smaller than the value of N5; and / or the value of N4 is smaller than the value of N6.

[0143] In one example, the frame type may include management frames, control frames, data frames, etc. The subtype of the frame may vary depending on the frame type. For example, the frame type may be indicated by a 2-bit type subfield, while the subtype may be indicated by a 3-bit subtype subfield. For downlink and uplink, the type subfield and / or subtype subfield may be different. For example, for downlink, the frame types include only management frames and control frames, so the type may be indicated by a 1-bit type subfield. For uplink, the frame types include management frames, control frames, and data frames, so the type may be indicated by a 2-bit type subfield.

[0144] 3) In the first frame structure, the frame control field does not include the To DS subfield and / or the From DS subfield; or, the frame control field includes the To DS subfield and / or the From DS subfield and / or the first subfield, and the first subfield is used to indicate the direction of the MAC frame; the To DS subfield is used to indicate whether the MAC frame is a frame sent from the BSS to the DS; and the From DS subfield is used to indicate whether the MAC frame is a frame sent from the DS to the BSS.

[0145] In some embodiments, in addition to the to DS subfield and / or from DS subfield, if the first frame structure contains an information field for determining the direction of the MAC frame, the frame control field does not include the to DS subfield and / or from DS subfield; if the first frame structure does not contain an information field for determining the direction of the MAC frame, the frame control field includes the to DS subfield and / or from DS subfield and / or the first subfield.

[0146] In one example, if the direction of the MAC frame can be distinguished by other information fields (such as the protocol version subfield, the first address field, the second address field, etc.), the frame control field may not include the To DS subfield and / or the From DS subfield. Otherwise, the frame control field needs to include the To DS subfield and / or the From DS subfield and / or a new subfield (i.e., the first subfield) to indicate the direction of the MAC frame.

[0147] 4) When the MAC frame is a downlink frame, in the first frame structure, the Frame Control field does not include the More Fragments subfield and / or More Data subfield. The More Fragments subfield is used to indicate whether there are more fragments to be transmitted, and the More Data subfield is used to indicate whether there is more data to be transmitted. When the MAC frame is an uplink frame, in the first frame structure, the Frame Control field includes the More Fragments subfield and / or More Data subfield. The More Fragments subfield is used to indicate whether there are more fragments to be transmitted, and the More Data subfield is used to indicate whether there is more data to be transmitted.

[0148] In one example, if multiple data packets are not sent, the corresponding MAC frame does not need to include more data subfields. If segmented transmission is not performed, the corresponding MAC frame does not need to include more segment subfields.

[0149] 5) In the first frame structure, the frame control field includes an acknowledgment policy (Ack policy) subfield, and the acknowledgment policy subfield is used to indicate whether feedback is required and / or the feedback type.

[0150] In an example, the confirmation policy subfield is used to indicate whether feedback is required and may occupy 1 bit.

[0151] In one example, the confirmation policy subfield is used to indicate whether feedback is required and the feedback type, and may occupy 2 bits. For example, a 2-bit value of the first value is used to indicate that one-by-one feedback is required, a 2-bit value of the second value is used to indicate that one-by-one feedback is required, and a 2-bit value of the third value is used to indicate that no feedback is required.

[0152] 6) In the first frame structure, the frame control field includes at least one of the second subfield, the third subfield, the fourth subfield, and the fifth subfield;

[0153] The second subfield is used to indicate a first time interval, which is the time interval between the time of the next uplink transmission and the time of the current uplink transmission, or the time interval between the time of sending the next trigger signal and the time of sending the current trigger signal;

[0154] The third subfield is used to indicate that the first device enters the sleep state and / or does not enter the sleep state;

[0155] The fourth subfield is used to indicate that the first device has an uplink transmission to be transmitted and / or does not have an uplink transmission to be transmitted;

[0156] The fifth subfield is used to indicate a power supply request signal from the first device.

[0157] In the above solution, some information fields in the frame control field can also be moved to the MAC header, that is, moved outside the frame control field. Some information fields in the MAC header can also be moved to the frame control field.

[0158] In the embodiment of the present application, data can be transmitted on the control plane or on the user plane.

[0159] In some embodiments, when the MAC frame is a management frame or a control frame, data is transmitted on the control plane. Accordingly, the first frame structure includes a MAC header and an FCS; or the first frame structure includes a MAC header, a frame body, and an FCS. Data sent or received by the first device is indicated by an information field in the MAC header; and / or the data sent or received by the first device is carried as an information element in the frame body.

[0160] In some implementations, when the MAC frame is a data frame, data is transmitted on the user plane, and accordingly, the first frame structure includes a MAC header, a frame body, and an FCS. Data sent or received by the first device is carried in the frame body.

[0161] It should be noted that the above solutions can be implemented individually or in any combination.

[0162] Through the above-mentioned scheme of the embodiment of the present application, a new MAC frame structure is realized. Several MAC frame structures are listed below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is not limited to the MAC frame structures listed below. In combination with the above-mentioned scheme, more types of MAC frame structures can be provided.

[0163] In one example, as shown in Figure 8-1, the MAC frame structure includes a frame control field, an A1 field, an A2 field, a frame body, and an FSC. A MAC frame can be a data frame, with data carried in the frame body. Alternatively, a MAC frame can be a management frame or a control frame, with data carried as an information element in the frame body.

[0164] In one example, as shown in Figure 8-2, the MAC frame structure includes: a frame control field, an A1 field, an A2 field, and an FSC. The MAC frame can be a management frame or a control frame, and the data can be the content indicated by the A2 field.

[0165] In one example, as shown in Figure 8-3, the MAC frame structure includes a frame control field, an A1 field, an A2 field, a frame body, and an FSC. In Option 1, the frame control field occupies 2 bytes, the A1 field occupies 2 bytes, the A2 field occupies 2 bytes, the frame body occupies a variable number of bytes, and the FSC occupies 4 bytes. In Option 2, the frame control field occupies 2 bytes, the A1 field occupies 1 or 2 bytes, the A2 field occupies 1 or 2 bytes, the frame body occupies a variable number of bytes, and the FSC occupies 4 bytes.

[0166] In one example, as shown in FIG9 , for a MAC frame sent by a STA, the frame control field includes: a protocol version subfield, a type subfield, a subtype subfield, a direction subfield (i.e., the first subfield) or a From DS subfield, a sequence control subfield, a confirmation policy subfield, a power request subfield (i.e., the fifth subfield), and a delay next transmission subfield (i.e., the second subfield). For a MAC frame sent by an AP, the frame control field includes: a protocol version subfield, a type subfield, a subtype subfield, a direction subfield (i.e., the first subfield) or a From DS subfield, a TXOP indication subfield, and a confirmation policy subfield. The TXOP indication subfield here is used to indicate the TXOP for the AP to perform channel preemption and can be shared with STAs.

[0167] The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present application is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the technical concept of the present application, the technical solution of the present application can be subjected to a variety of simple modifications, and these simple modifications all fall within the scope of protection of the present application. For example, the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present application will no longer describe the various possible combinations separately. For another example, the various different embodiments of the present application can also be arbitrarily combined, as long as they do not violate the idea of ​​the present application, they should also be regarded as the contents disclosed in the present application. For another example, under the premise of no conflict, the various embodiments and / or the technical features in each embodiment described in the present application can be arbitrarily combined with the prior art, and the technical solution obtained after the combination should also fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0168] It should also be understood that in the various method embodiments of the present application, the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not imply a precedence in the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the terms "downlink," "uplink," and "sidelink" are used to indicate the transmission direction of signals or data, where "downlink" is used to indicate the first direction of transmission of signals or data from a site to a user equipment in a cell, "uplink" is used to indicate the second direction of transmission of signals or data from a user equipment in a cell to a site, and "sidelink" is used to indicate the third direction of transmission of signals or data from user equipment 1 to user equipment 2. For example, "downlink signal" indicates that the transmission direction of the signal is the first direction. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. Specifically, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0169] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a frame transmission apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a first device. As shown in FIG10 , the frame transmission apparatus includes:

[0170] The communication unit 1001 is configured to send or receive a MAC frame, wherein the MAC frame has a first frame structure, which is different from a traditional frame structure; and the first device is an environmental energy-based communication device.

[0171] In some embodiments, the first frame structure is different from a traditional frame structure and includes at least one of the following:

[0172] The address field in the first frame structure is different from the address field in the traditional frame structure;

[0173] The sequence control field in the first frame structure is different from the sequence control field in the traditional frame structure;

[0174] Compared with the traditional frame structure, the first frame structure does not include a sequence control field;

[0175] The frame control field in the first frame structure is different from the frame control field in the traditional frame structure.

[0176] In some implementations, the address field in the first frame structure is different from the address field in the traditional frame structure and includes at least one of the following:

[0177] Compared with the traditional frame structure, the first frame structure does not include the third address field and the fourth address field;

[0178] The first address field and the second address field in the first frame structure are different from the first address field and the second address field in the traditional frame structure.

[0179] In some implementations, when the MAC frame is a downlink frame, in the first frame structure,

[0180] The first address field is used to indicate the address of the receiving end, and the value of the first address field is the AID or ID or truncated ID of the receiving end;

[0181] The second address field is used to indicate the address of the sending end, and the value of the second address field is the address identifier or MAC address or truncated MAC address or BSSID or truncated BSSID of the sending end.

[0182] In some implementations, the first address field occupies two bytes or one byte, and the second address field occupies two bytes or one byte.

[0183] In some implementations, when the MAC frame is an uplink frame, in the first frame structure,

[0184] The first address field is used to indicate the address of the receiving end, and the value of the first address field is the address identifier or MAC address or truncated MAC address or BSSID or truncated BSSID of the receiving end;

[0185] The second address field is used to indicate the address of the sending end, and the value of the second address field is the AID or ID or truncated ID of the sending end.

[0186] In some implementations, the first address field occupies two bytes or one byte, and the second address field occupies two bytes or one byte.

[0187] In some implementations, when the MAC frame is a downlink frame, the first frame structure does not include a sequence control field.

[0188] In some implementations, when the MAC frame is an uplink frame, the first frame structure includes a sequence control field.

[0189] In some embodiments, the N1 bit in the sequence control field is used to indicate a sequence number and / or the N2 bit in the sequence control field is used to indicate a fragment number.

[0190] In some embodiments, N1>1 and N2=0, the sequence control field is only used to indicate the sequence number; or, N1=0 and N2>0, the sequence control field is only used to indicate the fragment number; or, N1>1 and N2>0, the sequence control field is used to indicate the sequence number and the fragment number.

[0191] In some embodiments, the value of N1 is less than 12; and / or, the value of N2 is less than 4; and / or,

[0192] The sum of N1 and N2 is less than 16.

[0193] In some embodiments, in the first frame structure, the frame control field includes a protocol version subfield;

[0194] The protocol version subfield is used to indicate whether the direction of the MAC frame is an uplink frame or a downlink frame; or,

[0195] The protocol version subfield is used to indicate the device type of the first device; or,

[0196] The protocol version subfield is used to indicate the energy supply type of the first device; or,

[0197] The protocol version subfield is used to indicate the frame structure of the MAC frame.

[0198] In some embodiments, in the first frame structure, the frame control field includes a type subfield and / or a subtype subfield;

[0199] The type subfield is used to indicate the frame type of the MAC frame;

[0200] The subtype subfield is used to indicate the frame subtype of the MAC frame.

[0201] In some embodiments, when the MAC frame is a downlink frame, the type subfield occupies N3 bits and / or the subtype subfield occupies N4 bits; when the MAC frame is an uplink frame, the type subfield occupies N5 bits and / or the subtype subfield occupies N6 bits; the value of N3 is different from the value of N5; and / or the value of N4 is different from the value of N6.

[0202] In some embodiments, the value of N3 is smaller than the value of N5; and / or the value of N4 is smaller than the value of N6.

[0203] In some embodiments, in the first frame structure,

[0204] The Frame Control Field does not contain any information to and / or from the Distribution System DS sub-field; or,

[0205] The frame control field includes a to DS subfield and / or a from DS subfield and / or a first subfield, where the first subfield is used to indicate the direction of the MAC frame;

[0206] The to DS subfield is used to indicate whether the MAC frame is a frame sent from the BSS to the DS; the from DS subfield is used to indicate whether the MAC frame is a frame sent from the DS to the BSS.

[0207] In some embodiments, in addition to the to DS subdomain and / or from DS subdomain,

[0208] If the first frame structure includes an information field for determining the direction of the MAC frame, the frame control field does not include a to DS subfield and / or a from DS subfield;

[0209] If the first frame structure does not contain an information field for determining the direction of the MAC frame, the frame control field includes a to-DS subfield and / or a from-DS subfield and / or a first subfield.

[0210] In some embodiments, when the MAC frame is a downlink frame, in the first frame structure, the frame control field does not include a more fragments subfield and / or more data subfield, the more fragments subfield is used to indicate whether there are more fragments to be transmitted, and the more data subfield is used to indicate whether there is more data to be transmitted.

[0211] In some embodiments, when the MAC frame is an uplink frame, in the first frame structure, the frame control field includes more fragments subfields and / or more data subfields, the more fragments subfields are used to indicate whether there are more fragments to be transmitted, and the more data subfields are used to indicate whether there are more data to be transmitted.

[0212] In some implementations, in the first frame structure, the frame control field includes an acknowledgment policy subfield, where the acknowledgment policy subfield is used to indicate whether feedback is required and / or the type of feedback.

[0213] In some embodiments, in the first frame structure, the frame control field includes at least one of a second subfield, a third subfield, a fourth subfield, and a fifth subfield;

[0214] The second subfield is used to indicate a first time interval, where the first time interval is the time interval between the time of the next uplink transmission and the time of the current uplink transmission, or the time interval between the time of sending the next trigger signal and the time of sending the current trigger signal;

[0215] The third subfield is used to indicate that the first device enters a sleep state and / or does not enter a sleep state;

[0216] The fourth subfield is used to indicate that the first device has an uplink transmission to be transmitted and / or does not have an uplink transmission to be transmitted;

[0217] The fifth subfield is used to indicate a power supply request signal of the first device.

[0218] In some implementations, in the first frame structure, the sequence control field is located within the MAC header and outside the frame control field; or, the sequence control field is located within the MAC header and within the frame control field.

[0219] In some implementations, when the MAC frame is a management frame or a control frame, the first frame structure includes a MAC header and an FCS; or, the first frame structure includes a MAC header, a frame body, and an FCS.

[0220] In some embodiments, the data sent or received by the first device is indicated by an information field in the MAC header; and / or the data sent or received by the first device is carried in the frame body as an information element.

[0221] In some implementations, when the MAC frame is a data frame, the first frame structure includes a MAC header, a frame body, and an FCS.

[0222] In some implementations, the data sent or received by the first device is carried in the frame body.

[0223] Those skilled in the art should understand that the relevant description of the above-mentioned frame transmission device in the embodiment of the present application can be understood with reference to the relevant description of the frame transmission method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0224] Figure 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device can be a first device. The communication device 1100 shown in Figure 11 includes a processor 1110, which can call and execute a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0225] Optionally, as shown in FIG11 , the communication device 1100 may further include a memory 1120. The processor 1110 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 1120 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0226] The memory 1120 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1110 , or may be integrated into the processor 1110 .

[0227] Optionally, as shown in FIG11 , the communication device 1100 may further include a transceiver 1130 , and the processor 1110 may control the transceiver 1130 to communicate with other devices, specifically, to send information or data to other devices, or to receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0228] The transceiver 1130 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 1130 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0229] The communication device 1100 may specifically be the first device of the embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 1100 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in each method of the embodiment of the present application, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0230] Figure 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip 1200 shown in Figure 12 includes a processor 1210, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0231] Optionally, as shown in FIG12 , the chip 1200 may further include a memory 1220. The processor 1210 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 1220 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0232] The memory 1220 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1210 , or may be integrated into the processor 1210 .

[0233] Optionally, the chip 1200 may further include an input interface 1230. The processor 1210 may control the input interface 1230 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0234] Optionally, the chip 1200 may further include an output interface 1240. The processor 1210 may control the output interface 1240 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0235] The chip can be applied to the first device in the embodiment of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0236] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0237] It should be understood that the processor of the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0238] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0239] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM RAM (DR RAM), etc. In other words, the memories in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0240] The present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program. The computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the first device in the present invention, and the computer program causes a computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in the various methods of the present invention. For the sake of brevity, these procedures are not further described here.

[0241] The present application also provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions. This computer program product can be applied to the first device in the present application, and the computer program instructions cause a computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in each method of the present application. For the sake of brevity, these instructions are not further described here.

[0242] The present application also provides a computer program. This computer program can be applied to the first device in the present application. When the computer program is executed on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the corresponding process implemented by the first device in each method of the present application. For the sake of brevity, it is not further described here.

[0243] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0244] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0245] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0246] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0247] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0248] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0249] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A frame transmission method, the method comprising: The first device sends or receives a media access control MAC frame; wherein the MAC frame has a first frame structure, and the first frame structure is different from a traditional frame structure; the first device is an environmental energy-based communication device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first frame structure is different from the traditional frame structure and includes at least one of the following: The address field in the first frame structure is different from the address field in the traditional frame structure; The sequence control field in the first frame structure is different from the sequence control field in the traditional frame structure; Compared with the conventional frame structure, the first frame structure does not include a sequence control field; The frame control field in the first frame structure is different from the frame control field in the traditional frame structure.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The address field in the first frame structure is different from the address field in the traditional frame structure, and includes at least one of the following: Compared with the conventional frame structure, the first frame structure does not include the third address field and the fourth address field; The first address field and the second address field in the first frame structure are different from the first address field and the second address field in the traditional frame structure.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: In the case where the MAC frame is a downlink frame, in the first frame structure, The first address field is used to indicate the address of the receiving end, and the value of the first address field is the association identifier AID or ID or truncated ID of the receiving end; The second address field is used to indicate the address of the sender, and the value of the second address field is the address identifier or MAC address or truncated MAC address or basic service set identifier BSSID or truncated BSSID of the sender.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The first address field occupies two bytes or one byte, and the second address field occupies two bytes or one byte.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein: In the case where the MAC frame is an uplink frame, in the first frame structure, The first address field is used to indicate the address of the receiving end, and the value of the first address field is the address identifier or MAC address or truncated MAC address or BSSID or truncated BSSID of the receiving end; The second address field is used to indicate the address of the sender, and the value of the second address field is the AID or ID or truncated ID of the sender.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The first address field occupies two bytes or one byte, and the second address field occupies two bytes or one byte.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein: In the case where the MAC frame is a downlink frame, the first frame structure does not include a sequence control field.

9. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein: In the case where the MAC frame is an uplink frame, the first frame structure includes a sequence control field.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The N1 bit in the sequence control field is used to indicate a sequence number and / or the N2 bit in the sequence control field is used to indicate a fragment number.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: N1>1 and N2=0, the sequence control field is only used to indicate the sequence number; or, N1=0 and N2>0, the sequence control field is only used to indicate the fragment number; or, N1>1 and N2>0, the sequence control field is used to indicate the sequence number and the fragment number.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein: The value of N1 is less than 12; and / or, The value of N2 is less than 4; and / or, The sum of N1 and N2 is less than 16.

13. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 12, wherein: In the first frame structure, the frame control field includes a protocol version subfield; The protocol version subfield is used to indicate whether the direction of the MAC frame is an uplink frame or a downlink frame; or, The protocol version subfield is used to indicate the device type of the first device; or, The protocol version subfield is used to indicate the energy supply type of the first device; or, The protocol version subfield is used to indicate the frame structure of the MAC frame.

14. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 13, wherein: In the first frame structure, the frame control field includes a type subfield and / or a subtype subfield; The type subfield is used to indicate the frame type of the MAC frame; The subtype subfield is used to indicate the frame subtype of the MAC frame.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: When the MAC frame is a downlink frame, the type subfield occupies N3 bits and / or the subtype subfield occupies N4 bits; When the MAC frame is an uplink frame, the type subfield occupies N5 bits and / or the subtype subfield occupies N6 bits; The value of N3 is different from the value of N5; and / or the value of N4 is different from the value of N6.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The value of N3 is smaller than the value of N5; and / or the value of N4 is smaller than the value of N6.

17. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 16, wherein: In the first frame structure, The frame control field does not contain any information to and / or from the distribution system DS subfield; or, The frame control field includes a to DS subfield and / or a from DS subfield and / or a first subfield, wherein the first subfield is used to indicate the direction of the MAC frame; The to DS subfield is used to indicate whether the MAC frame is a frame sent by the BSS to the DS; The from DS subfield is used to indicate whether the MAC frame is a frame sent from the DS to the BSS.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein: In addition to the to DS subdomain and / or from DS subdomain, If the first frame structure contains an information field for determining the direction of the MAC frame, the frame control field does not include a to DS subfield and / or a from DS subfield; If the first frame structure does not contain an information field for determining the direction of the MAC frame, the frame control field includes a to DS subfield and / or from DS subfield and / or a first subfield.

19. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 18, wherein: In the case where the MAC frame is a downlink frame, in the first frame structure, the frame control field does not include a more fragments subfield and / or more data subfield, the more fragments subfield is used to indicate whether there are more fragments to be transmitted, and the more data subfield is used to indicate whether there are more data to be transmitted.

20. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 18, wherein: In the case where the MAC frame is an uplink frame, in the first frame structure, the frame control field includes more fragments subfields and / or more data subfields, the more fragments subfields are used to indicate whether there are more fragments to be transmitted, and the more data subfields are used to indicate whether there are more data to be transmitted.

21. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 20, wherein: In the first frame structure, the frame control field includes an acknowledgment policy subfield, and the acknowledgment policy subfield is used to indicate whether feedback is required and / or the feedback type.

22. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 21, wherein: In the first frame structure, the frame control field includes at least one of a second subfield, a third subfield, a fourth subfield, and a fifth subfield; The second subfield is used to indicate a first time interval, where the first time interval is the time interval between the time of the next uplink transmission and the time of the current uplink transmission or the time interval between the time of the next trigger signal transmission and the time of the current trigger signal transmission; The third subfield is used to indicate that the first device enters a sleep state and / or does not enter a sleep state; The fourth subfield is used to indicate that the first device has an uplink transmission to be transmitted and / or does not have an uplink transmission to be transmitted; The fifth subfield is used to indicate a signal that the first device requests a power supply.

23. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 22, wherein: In the first frame structure, The sequence control field is located within the MAC header and outside the frame control field; or, The sequence control field is located within the MAC header and within the frame control field.

24. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 23, wherein: When the MAC frame is a management frame or a control frame, The first frame structure includes a MAC header and a frame check sequence FCS; or, The first frame structure includes a MAC header, a frame body and an FCS.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein: The data sent or received by the first device is indicated by the information field in the MAC header; and / or, The data sent or received by the first device is carried in the frame body as an information element.

26. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 23, wherein: When the MAC frame is a data frame, The first frame structure includes a MAC header, a frame body and an FCS.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein: The data sent or received by the first device is carried in the frame body.

28. A frame transmission device, the device comprising: A communication unit, used for sending or receiving a MAC frame; wherein the MAC frame has a first frame structure, and the first frame structure is different from a traditional frame structure; and the first device is a communication device based on environmental energy.

29. The device according to claim 28, wherein The first frame structure is different from the traditional frame structure and includes at least one of the following: The address field in the first frame structure is different from the address field in the traditional frame structure; The sequence control field in the first frame structure is different from the sequence control field in the traditional frame structure; Compared with the conventional frame structure, the first frame structure does not include a sequence control field; The frame control field in the first frame structure is different from the frame control field in the traditional frame structure.

30. A communication device comprising: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory so that the terminal device executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 27.

31. A chip, comprising: A processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 27.

32. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, the computer program causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 27.

33. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions for causing a computer to execute the method of any one of claims 1 to 27.

34. A computer program causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 27.

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