Access point cooperative transmission method, access point and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to the technical field of wireless communication, and discloses an access point cooperative transmission method, an access point and a storage medium. In the invention, when multiple APs cooperate, a first device shares an acquired transmission opportunity to at least one second device for data transmission; in a partial or whole duration of transmission opportunity sharing, information is transmitted to the third device to maintain a channel occupation state, thereby avoiding data transmission interference and even transmission interruption caused by channel or transmission opportunity preemption, further avoiding the phenomenon that original transmission data is delayed to be transmitted, enhancing the reliability of multi-AP cooperation, and improving the user experience. The method accords with the characteristic of ultrahigh reliability of Wi-Fi 8.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of wireless communication, in particular to an access point cooperative transmission method, an access point and a storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the field of Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi for short), in order to further increase throughput and improve reliability, the mode of Multi-AP (AP stands for Access Point) cooperation gradually becomes a research hotspot. As the name implies, Multi-AP cooperation is to complete communication through cooperation or collaboration of multiple APs.

[0003] The inventor finds that at least the following problems exist in the related art: When multiple APs cooperate, because of the difference in the positions of the APs or the difference in the coverage ranges, other devices nearby may think that the channel is idle at some moments, and thus occupy the channel. However, in fact, the channel is not idle, but is being used by some APs or some Wi-Fi terminals to normally transmit data. After the nearby other devices occupy the channel to receive and transmit data, interference is generated to the Wi-Fi devices. The Wi-Fi devices lose the channel or the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP). For example, in the process of MAP cooperation, at least two cooperating APs can be called Sharing AP and Shared AP, or request AP and response AP. One of the APs is in a transmission state, and the other AP is in a state of not transmitting any signal and not transmitting any data. At this moment, a third device working in the same frequency band nearby can be another terminal, or an AP, or a cellular network device (base station or terminal). The third device is far away from one of the APs, and the third device thinks that the channel of the AP in the silence state is idle after channel sensing, and thus starts to transmit data on the channel, thereby causing collision and interference with the transmission of one of the two APs, and even causing loss of TXOP in the process of MAP cooperation. SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present application aim to provide an access point cooperative transmission method, an access point and a storage medium, which avoid interference of data transmission caused by occupation of the channel or the transmission opportunity, and even generation of transmission interruption, and thus avoid the phenomenon of postponing transmission of original transmission data, enhance the reliability of Multi-AP cooperation, and meet the characteristics of Wi-Fi 8 ultra-high reliability.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application provides an access point cooperative transmission method applied to a first device, comprising: sharing a transmission opportunity obtained by the first device with at least one second device for data transmission; and transmitting information to a third device during a part or all of the duration of the transmission opportunity sharing, wherein the first device is an access point device, and the information at least contains one of the following: data, a training sequence, a preamble, a part or all of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), RTS / CTS, a beacon frame.

[0006] An embodiment of the present application further provides an access point, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory connected with the at least one processor in communication; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the access point cooperative transmission method described above.

[0007] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium storing a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the access point cooperative transmission method described above.

[0008] In the embodiment of the present application, when multiple APs cooperate, the first device shares a transmission opportunity obtained by the first device with at least one second device for data transmission; and the information at least contains one of the following: data, a training sequence, a preamble, a part or all of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), RTS / CTS, a beacon frame, thereby avoiding the data transmission from being interfered by the channel or transmission opportunity being preempted, even the transmission interruption phenomenon, and further avoiding the original transmission data from being delayed, enhancing the reliability of the multiple AP cooperation, and meeting the characteristics of Wi-Fi 8 ultra-high reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings that are not intended to be limiting of the embodiments so as to illustrate exemplary principles of the embodiments, the same reference numerals in the various drawings indicate the same or similar elements, and the drawings are not necessarily to scale, unless otherwise specifically indicated.

[0010] Figure 1 is a flow chart of an access point cooperative transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0011] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the position relationship of devices according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0012] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of transmission during a silence interval according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0013] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of placeholder information transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the beamforming signal coverage area provided according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the access point structure according to another embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0016] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will understand that many technical details are presented in the various embodiments of the present invention to facilitate a better understanding of this application. However, the technical solutions claimed in this application can be implemented even without these technical details and various changes and modifications based on the following embodiments. The division of the various embodiments below is for ease of description and should not constitute any limitation on the specific implementation of the present invention. The various embodiments can be combined with and referenced by each other without contradiction.

[0017] One embodiment of the present invention relates to an access point cooperative transmission method, which can be applied to a first device, the first device being an access point device, and capable of multi-AP cooperation with a second device. In this embodiment, during multi-AP cooperation, the first device shares its acquired transmission opportunities with at least one second device for data transmission; during part or all of the duration of the shared transmission opportunities, information is transmitted to a third device to maintain channel occupancy. This information includes at least one of the following: data, training sequences, preambles, and some or all physical layer protocol data units, thereby avoiding interference with data transmission caused by channel or transmission opportunity preemption, and even transmission interruption. This also avoids the phenomenon of delayed transmission of the original data, enhancing the reliability of multi-AP cooperation and aligning with the ultra-high reliability characteristics of Wi-Fi 8. The implementation details of the access point cooperative transmission method of this embodiment are described below. The following details are provided for ease of understanding and are not essential for implementing this solution.

[0018] like Figure 1 As shown, in step 101, the acquired transmission opportunity is shared with at least one second device for data transmission; the first device is an access point device; wherein, the first device is an access point device; in one example, the second device may be a cooperative access point device that cooperates with the first device in multiple APs, or the second device may be a terminal device attached to any cooperative access point device that cooperates with the first device in multiple APs.

[0019] Multi-AP cooperation is a way that multiple APs complete communication through cooperation or collaboration. Specifically, the multi-AP cooperation methods include Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA), Cooperative Restricted Target Wake Time (Co-R-TWT), Cooperative Beamforming (Co-Beamforming), Cooperative Spatial Reuse (Co-SR), and Cooperative Channel Recommendation (Co-CR). More specifically:

[0020] Co-TDMA, one AP shares a part of the TXOP obtained by itself through competition to another AP for communication. Thus, the other AP does not need to obtain the TXOP through competition for the channel, and in the case of dense APs, the other AP can quickly access the channel.

[0021] Co-R-TWT, in the R-TWT service period (SP) of one AP, other terminals associated with the AP do not transmit data. Through the multi-AP cooperation method, the AP adjacent to another cooperative AP and the terminals associated with the AP do not transmit data during the R-TWT SP. The advantage is that the protection of R-TWT is extended to adjacent other APs and their terminals.

[0022] Co-Beamforming, two APs use beamforming for terminals in an overlapping coverage area to cover or avoid certain terminals. Through beam Nulling, the coverage in certain directions is suppressed to reduce the interference to edge terminals.

[0023] Co-SR, one AP recommends a maximum transmission power to another AP. The one AP and the other AP can work in the same frequency band, adjust the appropriate transmission power, and ensure their own transmission without interfering with the other party. The SR (Spatial Reuse) supported in the current 802.11 standard sets a threshold, and the transmission power of the AP performing SR cannot exceed the power, which in many cases causes excessive protection of the target AP, thereby excessively limiting the power of the current AP performing spatial reuse. Only the data transmission of the current AP is affected. Co-SR avoids the above shortcomings through negotiation.

[0024] Co-CR, one AP recommends a working channel to another AP nearby. The benefit is that the one AP and the other AP work on different channels, reducing mutual interference due to the same frequency work.

[0025] These cooperation modes all work under a unified Multi-Access Point Coordination Framework (MAPC framework), which is divided into the following steps: cooperative AP / sharing AP discovery, MAPC negotiation, MAPC transmission, MAPC parameter update, tear down, and other steps.

[0026] In step 102, the first device transmits information to the third device during part or all of the duration of the transmission opportunity share; wherein the information contains at least one of the following: data, training sequence, preamble, part or all of the Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU), Request To Send / Clear To Send (RTS / CTS), beacon. PPDU refers to the PPDU type supported by the current Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) device, not limited to High Throughput / Non-High Throughput (HT / NON-HT) PPDU, High Efficiency / Extremely High Throughput / Ultra High Reliability (HE / EHT / UHR) PPDU, Extended Range / Extra Long Range (ER / ELR) PPDU, Multi-User (MU) PPDU, or Single-User (SU) PPDU. Among them, RTS / CTS is used for channel usage request and response; the beacon is used to broadcast the information of the current access point.

[0027] It is worth noting that, since the word "silence" has its unique definition in the standards of the field, it may deviate from the definition and description in this invention, therefore, the definition of each term that will appear in this text is explicitly defined here, these definitions are only temporary self-defined terms provided for easy understanding, and are not the naming agreed upon by the field, therefore, there may be changes.

[0028] As for the "silence time" mentioned herein, it can not be called silence time, which refers to the time when the first device waits for the second device to finish transmission and return a response, or the time length when the first device shares the transmission opportunity with the second device, or other time when the channel can be preempted or even lost due to the first device not transmitting signals or not transmitting data.

[0029] As for the "information" transmitted to the third device for maintaining the channel occupancy state mentioned herein, in order to facilitate description and avoid misleading the information sent when the first device and the third device normally interact, it is temporarily named "placeholder information" herein. Among them, the third device is at least one terminal device, or an access point device, or a multi-connection device.

[0030] If the above naming rules are followed, step 102 refers to the first device transmitting placeholder information with the third device. In this way, the first device can be prevented from being preempted by other devices in the multi-AP cooperative state in the silence time.

[0031] In one example, the positional relationship of the first device, the second device and the third device is as shown in Figure 2 In this example, the first device is referred to as AP1, and the second device is referred to as AP2. The positional relationship of this embodiment is provided for ease of understanding and is not essential to implement the scheme. AP1 and AP2 form a multi-AP cooperative communication, and the specific communication mode is not limited to Co-TDMA, Co-R-TWT, Co-Beamforming, Co-SR, and Co-CR. There is a third device near AP1, which coexists with AP1 and competes for the channel. Because Wi-Fi often works in a frequency band that does not belong to Wi-Fi itself, there may be other devices in the frequency band where Wi-Fi works, such as Bluetooth devices, cellular network devices, or UWB devices, or another Wi-Fi device. The device type of this device is not limited, and is collectively referred to as a third device, which can coexist and compete for the channel with AP1 or AP2.

[0032] Among them, the silence interval in step 102 is the time period when the first device completely stops sending any signal during the validity period of the transmission opportunity if it does not transmit the placeholder information. For example, Figure 3 When AP1 shares the TXOP with AP2, waits for the transmission process of AP2, and until the next time AP1 transmits a signal, it is the silence time of AP1, that is, the silence interval of the first device. In this time, the AP cannot receive and transmit, or cannot transmit information. The entire system formed by AP1 and AP2 relies on AP2 (or the interruption attached to AP2) to occupy the channel. When the third device is far away from AP2, the third device will consider the channel to be idle, thereby preoccupying the channel. The cooperation of AP1 and AP2 is affected.

[0033] In one example, transmitting information to the third device by beamforming can be transmitting information to the third device by beamforming to avoid the signal interference range of the second device and transmitting placeholder information to the third device for maintaining the channel occupancy state. That is, in a period when a participating AP in the multi-AP cooperation should be silent, the AP transmits placeholder information to occupy the channel by beamforming.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, in the silent time of AP2, AP2 can transmit information to occupy the channel. In the silent time of AP1, a third device nearby perceives that AP1 does not transmit and considers the channel to be idle, and then occupies the channel. Therefore, in order to maintain the occupancy of the TXOP in the process of cooperation between AP1 and AP2, AP1 cannot remain silent. AP1 transmits in the original silent time, transmits data by beamforming to avoid the direction of AP2, and occupies the channel. In one example, the effect of beamforming of AP1 is shown in FIG. 3. AP1 uses a beamforming manner to avoid interference in the direction of AP2 and covers other directions, and then transmits data to occupy the channel by using the beamforming manner. This avoids the third device occupying the channel in the silent time of AP1. Figure 4 Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 2, in the silent time of AP2, AP2 can transmit information to occupy the channel. In the silent time of AP1, a third device nearby perceives that AP1 does not transmit and considers the channel to be idle, and then occupies the channel. Therefore, in order to maintain the occupancy of the TXOP in the process of cooperation between AP1 and AP2, AP1 cannot remain silent. AP1 transmits in the original silent time, transmits data by beamforming to avoid the direction of AP2, and occupies the channel. In one example, the effect of beamforming of AP1 is shown in FIG. 3. AP1 uses a beamforming manner to avoid interference in the direction of AP2 and covers other directions, and then transmits data to occupy the channel by using the beamforming manner. This avoids the third device occupying the channel in the silent time of AP1.

[0035] In one example, transmitting information to the third device by beamforming can be transmitting information to the third device by beamforming to avoid the signal interference range of the second device and transmitting placeholder information to the third device for maintaining the channel occupancy state. That is, in a period when a participating AP in the multi-AP cooperation should be silent, the AP transmits placeholder information to occupy the channel by beamforming.

[0036] In one example, the preset trigger condition includes: the configuration information is configured to allow the first device to start beamforming; or, the negotiation result negotiated with the second device and / or the third device is to allow the first device to start beamforming; wherein the configuration information is single-bit encoding, or multiple independent bit field encoding, or bitmap encoding; the negotiation information for negotiation with the second device and / or the third device is single-bit encoding, or multiple independent bit field encoding, or bitmap encoding; the configuration information is contained in one or any combination of the following: negotiation request frame, negotiation response frame, initial control frame, initial response frame; the negotiation information is contained in one or any combination of the following: negotiation request frame, negotiation response frame, initial control frame, initial response frame.

[0037] In one example, whether to use beamforming can include the following cases:

[0038] ​In some cases, whether AP1 transmits data occupying the channel using beamforming is configurable. The configuration information is contained in Interference Coordination Frame (ICF) or Interference Coordination Request (ICR) or MAP negotiation frame or MAP invitation frame or MAP response frame. The data can be one bit, i.e. using single bit coding, where 0 means using beamforming and 1 means not using beamforming. Or it can be a bitmap corresponding to the current MAP coordination types, for example, the current 5 MAP types, which is a 5-bit field or 5 1-bit fields. 00000 means using beamforming and 11111 means not using beamforming. The configuration is a field or a domain, which is a bit for all MAP coordination methods, where 0 means using beamforming and 1 means not using beamforming.

[0039] In some cases, whether to use beamforming transmission is default and bound to the MAP coordination method. For example, in Co-BF, AP1 must use beamforming to transmit data occupying the channel without configuration. For example, in Co-SR, AP1 must not use beamforming to transmit data occupying the channel without configuration.

[0040] In some cases, at least two APs performing MAP coordination, one of the APs, whether the AP transmits data occupying the channel in the original quiet time, is configurable. The configuration is a field or a domain, which is a bit for all MAP coordination methods. In some cases, corresponding to the current MAP coordination types, for example, the current 5 MAP types, which is a 5-bit field or 5 1-bit fields. 00000 means that the five types all use data transmission method occupying the channel in the quiet time, and 11111 means that the five types do not use beamforming in the quiet time. The configuration is contained in the invitation frame, invitation request frame, invitation response frame, request frame, response frame, negotiation frame, ICF frame, or ICR frame, or trigger frame.

[0041] In one example, the negotiation, or configuration, process is as follows: In the multi-AP coordination process, the negotiation frame, ICF frame, is transmitted to another MAP coordination AP, which contains the negotiation information, or configuration information. The other MAP coordination AP responds by transmitting a response frame, or ICR frame, to the AP, which contains the negotiation information, or configuration information, indicating the response to the previous request; or does not contain the negotiation information, or configuration information, but only a field, or domain, such as a bit, 0 indicating support for the previous request, and 1 indicating no support.

[0042] In one example, in some cases, the AP1 silence time cannot exceed a certain pre-set threshold. In some cases, the threshold is set at factory, or set by the administrator, or determined by negotiation between AP1 and AP2, and in some cases, the threshold is contained in the negotiation frame, response frame, Interference Coordination Frame (ICF) frame, or Interference Coordination Request (ICR) frame, or trigger frame.

[0043] In some cases, the duration of the data transmitted during the original silence time cannot exceed a pre-set threshold.

[0044] In one example, the content of the information (placeholder information) transmitted to the third device includes one of the following: repeating transmission of part or all of the most recently transmitted data frame, repeating transmission of part or all of a preset sequence in time, repeating transmission of a preset sequence in the frequency domain; in particular, the following cases are included: in some cases, at least one AP in multi-AP cooperation, the data content transmitted in the original silence time is the data normally transmitted to other terminals. In some cases, at least one AP in multi-AP cooperation, the data content transmitted in the original silence time is the most recently transmitted data frame of the AP. The at least one AP repeatedly transmits the complete or partial data frame or data content of the most recently transmitted in the silence time. In some cases, the at least one AP repeatedly transmits the complete or partial data frame or data content of the most recently or last transmitted in the silence time. The repeated transmissions are separated by SIFS. In addition, the content of the placeholder information can also include the case of simulating low-delay EDCA channel occupation, for example: in some cases, the at least one AP transmits a Request To Send (RTS) or Clear To Send (CTS) frame in the silence time. In some cases, the at least one AP repeatedly transmits the RTS or CTS frame in the silence time, and the repeated transmissions are separated by SIFS. Or each transmission is separated by a preset time. In some cases, the RTS or CTS frame is an improved RTS or CTS, in which part of the content is consistent with the standard RTS or CTS.

[0045] In one example, the transmission power of the information (placeholder information) transmitted to the third device cannot exceed a preset maximum transmission power, or cannot be lower than a preset minimum transmission power; the transmission duration of the information (placeholder information) transmitted to the third device cannot be lower than a preset minimum transmission duration, or cannot be greater than a preset maximum transmission duration. In particular, the following cases are included: in some cases, the transmission power of the data in the original silence time cannot be lower than a preset threshold. In some cases, the power is configurable. The preset threshold is included in the invitation frame, response frame, negotiation frame, ICF frame, or ICR frame, or trigger frame. In some cases, the transmission power of the data in the original silence time cannot be higher than a preset threshold. In some cases, the power is configurable. The preset threshold is included in the invitation frame, response frame, negotiation frame, ICF frame, or ICR frame, or trigger frame. In some cases, the transmission power of the data in the original silence time cannot be higher than a first preset threshold and cannot be lower than a second preset threshold. In some cases, the power is configurable. The first preset threshold and the second threshold are included in the invitation frame, response frame, negotiation frame, ICF frame, or ICR frame, or trigger frame.

[0046] In one example, the transmission of information (placeholder information) to the third device is continuous; or, there is a regular time interval in the transmission of information (placeholder information) to the third device. Specifically, the following cases are included: in some cases, the duration of data transmitted in the original silence time cannot be lower than a preset threshold. In some cases, the transmitted data is separated by a short interframe space (SIFS). In some cases, during the duration of data transmitted in the silence time, the transmitted data is normal data transmission, and the target is other terminals located outside the overlapping area of AP1 and AP2. In some cases, the terminal is associated with AP1. In some cases, the terminal initially accesses AP1.

[0047] In one example, the silence interval includes: in the MAP cooperation process (including the discovery step), the non-transmission time of the current AP, the shared time of the shared AP, the shared TXOP time of the shared AP, the TXOP temporary switching time, and the shared TXOP time. The main meaning is that, in the MAP cooperation process (including the discovery step), due to the shared TXOP, the owner of the shared TXOP is transferred, and the original TXOP AP cannot transmit data for a period of time, or cannot transmit data for a part of the time; or in the MAP cooperation process (including the discovery step), an AP transmits a frame (data frame, negotiation frame, or request frame) to another AP and waits for the response of the other AP. In some cases, the part of the time is the uplink transmission time of the terminal of the shared AP. For example, the time of transmitting a request frame or an ICF frame. In some cases, the part of the time is the downlink transmission time of the terminal of the shared AP. For example, the time of transmitting a response frame or an ICR frame. In some cases, the part of the time is the downlink and uplink transmission time of the terminal of the shared AP. In some cases, the part of the time is the uplink transmission time of the terminal of the shared AP. For example, the time of transmitting a request frame or an ICF frame. In some cases, the part of the time is the downlink transmission time of the terminal of the shared AP. For example, the time of transmitting a response frame or an ICR frame. In some cases, the part of the time is the downlink and uplink transmission time of the terminal of the shared AP.

[0048] In one example, the transmission of information to the third device can also be: in the process of multi-AP cooperation operation, transmitting information to the third device, and the multi-AP cooperation operation at least includes one of the following operations or any combination thereof: discovery operation, negotiation operation, transmission operation, update operation, and cancellation operation.

[0049] In one example, the multi-AP cooperation is not limited to two APs cooperating with each other. In some cases, the number of MAP cooperating APs is more than two. In some cases, the multi-AP cooperation includes more than one type of MAC cooperation. In such cases, the AP1 transmits data in the time that it is supposed to be silent, uses beamforming to avoid the MAP cooperating APs, or the multiple types of MAC cooperation. The specific implementation can refer to the above-mentioned two-AP cooperation manner. For example, the beamforming of the AP1 has multiple zeroing or nulling areas, or the multiple zeroing areas are connected together, or the multiple zeroing areas are avoided or zeroed in the same beamforming. In some cases, the zeroing area comes from at least one CSI measurement or at least one CSI report. In some cases, the zeroing area comes from the indication of other APs, which is included in the newly defined management frame, action frame, or negotiation request frame, negotiation response frame, or ICF frame or ICR frame.

[0050] In one example, the first device terminates the transmission of information (occupancy information) to the third device when a preset occupancy termination condition is triggered; wherein the occupancy termination condition includes one of the following: the transmission time length of the information (occupancy information) transmitted to the third device reaches a preset maximum transmission time length, the multi-AP cooperation between the first device and the second device is removed or updated, the part or all of the duration of the transmission opportunity for transmitting information to the third device (i.e. the silent time defined herein) ends, and the occupancy termination instruction is received from the second device and / or the third device. More specifically, the way to end the transmission includes the following cases: in some cases, the MAP cooperating AP transmits data in the silent time. The AP terminates the transmission of data because the transmission reaches a preset maximum transmission time length. Or, the termination of transmission is due to the need to remove or update the parameters of the multi-AP cooperation. Or, the termination of transmission is due to the end of the waiting or receiving time. Or, the AP terminates the transmission of data because the silent time ends. In some cases, the AP terminates the transmission of data because the AP receives certain specific data or specific signaling. In some cases, the data or signaling is transmitted in the current connection or the previous channel. In some cases, the data or signaling is transmitted to the AP in a connection other than the current connection.

[0051] In one example, the placeholder information is transmitted by a designated terminal, including the following cases: in some cases, the data transmitted in the original AP1 silence time plays a role in occupying the channel. The data is transmitted by a terminal associated with the AP1 designated terminal. The data is transmitted by a terminal associated with the AP1 designated terminal. The specific indication method is included in the ICF, or trigger frame, or request frame, and the specific indication method is a field containing the STA ID or MAC address of the terminal. In some cases, the transmission time is included in the indication, such as transmission after SIFS time after the terminal transmits the response frame, or according to the TBTT indication, or according to the microsecond indication; or include the transmission power. In some cases, the transmission content is not specified. In some cases, the transmission content is the data to be transmitted in the terminal buffer. In some cases, the access point specifies the transmission content. The transmission content is a specific sequence. In some cases, part or all of the above data or specific sequence is repeatedly transmitted in the time domain or frequency domain. In some cases, a certain data frame, action frame, or management frame is repeatedly transmitted, such as repeatedly transmitting the response frame, ICF frame, or negotiation frame. In some cases, the above content is repeatedly transmitted in the frequency domain.

[0052] In the embodiment, when multiple APs cooperate, the first device shares the transmission opportunity obtained with at least one second device for data transmission; during part or all of the duration of the transmission opportunity sharing, information transmitted to the third device maintains the channel occupation state, and the information at least includes one of the following: data, training sequence, preamble, part or all of the physical layer protocol data unit, thereby avoiding the data transmission being disturbed or even interrupted due to the channel or transmission opportunity being preempted, and further avoiding the original transmission data being delayed, enhancing the reliability of the multi-AP cooperation, and meeting the characteristics of Wi-Fi 8 ultra-high reliability.

[0053] The steps of the above method are only for clear description, and can be combined into one step or split into multiple steps in implementation, as long as the same logical relationship is included, and all are within the protection scope of the application; adding insignificant modifications or introducing insignificant designs in the algorithm or process, but not changing the core design of the algorithm and process, are within the protection scope of the application.

[0054] It is worth mentioning that each module involved in the embodiment is a logical module, which can be a physical unit, a part of a physical unit, or a combination of multiple physical units in actual application. In addition, in order to highlight the innovative part of the application, units not closely related to solving the technical problems proposed in the application are not introduced in the embodiment, but this does not mean that there are no other units in the embodiment.

[0055] Another embodiment of the present application relates to an access point, comprising at least one processor 501; and a memory 502 connected with the at least one processor in communication; wherein the memory 502 stores instructions executable by the at least one processor 501, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor 501 to enable the at least one processor 501 to perform the method of access point cooperation transmission as described above. Figure 6

[0056] The memory 502 and the processor 501 are connected in a bus mode, the bus can include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, the bus connects one or more processors 501 and various circuits of the memory 502 together. The bus can also connect various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage stabilizers and power management circuits together, which are well known in the art, and therefore, further description is not given herein. The bus interface provides an interface between the bus and the transceiver. The transceiver can be one element or multiple elements such as multiple receivers and transmitters, which provide a unit for communicating with various other devices on the transmission medium. The data processed by the processor 501 is transmitted on the wireless medium through the antenna, further, the antenna also receives data and transmits the data to the processor 501.

[0057] The processor 501 is responsible for managing the bus and general processing, and can also provide various functions including timing, peripheral interface, voltage regulation, power management and other control functions. The memory 502 can be used to store data used by the processor 501 in performing operations.

[0058] Another embodiment of the present application relates to a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. The computer program is executed by a processor to implement the method embodiments described above.

[0059] That is, those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the steps of the above-mentioned method embodiments can be completed by programs instructing related hardware, the programs are stored in a storage medium, and include a plurality of instructions for causing a device (which can be a single-chip microcomputer, a chip, etc.) or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in various embodiments of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), a random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), a magnetic disk or an optical disk and various program code storage media.

[0060] ​Those skilled in the art can understand that the above-mentioned embodiments are specific examples for implementing the present application, and various changes can be made in form and details in practical application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An access point cooperative transmission method, characterized in that, Applied to a first device, comprising: sharing the acquired transmission opportunity with at least one second device for data transmission; transmitting information to a third device during part or all of the transmission opportunity sharing period; wherein the first device is an access point device; wherein the information at least contains one of the following: data, training sequence, preamble, part or all of PPDU, RTS / CTS, beacon frame.

2. The access point cooperation transmission method of claim 1, wherein, The second device is a cooperative access point device cooperating with the first device in multi-AP cooperation; or, the second device is a terminal device attached to any cooperative access point device cooperating with the first device in multi-AP cooperation.

3. The access point cooperation transmission method of claim 1, wherein, The information transmitted to the third device includes: transmitting information to the third device by beamforming.

4. The access point coordinated transmission method of claim 3, wherein, The information transmitted to the third device by beamforming includes: After meeting the preset trigger condition, transmitting information to the third device by beamforming; Wherein, the preset trigger condition includes: the configuration information is configured to allow the first device to start the beamforming mode; or, The negotiation result negotiated with the second device and / or the third device allows the first device to start the beamforming mode; Wherein, the configuration information is single-bit encoding, or multiple independent bit field encoding, or bitmap encoding; The negotiation information for negotiation with the second device and / or the third device is single-bit encoding, or multiple independent bit field encoding, or bitmap encoding; The configuration information is contained in one of the following or any combination thereof: negotiation request frame, negotiation response frame, initial control frame, initial response frame; The negotiation information is contained in one of the following or any combination thereof: negotiation request frame, negotiation response frame, initial control frame, initial response frame.

5. The access point coordinated transmission method of claim 1, wherein, The information transmitted to the third device further includes: During the multi-AP cooperation operation, transmitting information to the third device; Wherein, the multi-AP cooperation operation at least contains one of the following operations or any combination thereof: discovery operation, negotiation operation, transmission operation, update operation, and cancellation operation.

6. The access point cooperation transmission method of claim 1, wherein, The transmission power of the information transmitted to the third device cannot exceed the preset maximum transmission power, or cannot be lower than the preset minimum transmission power; The transmission time length of the information transmitted to the third device cannot be lower than the preset minimum transmission time length, or cannot be greater than the preset maximum transmission time length.

7. The access point cooperation transmission method of claim 1, wherein, The content of the information transmitted to the third device includes one of the following: repeating part or all of the recently transmitted data frames, repeating part or all of the preset sequence in time, and repeating filling the preset sequence in frequency domain; The transmission process of the information transmitted to the third device is continuous; or, there is a regular time interval in the transmission process of the information transmitted to the third device.

8. The access point cooperation transmission method of claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: When the preset abort placeholder condition is triggered, terminate transmitting the information to the third device; The suspension placeholder condition comprises one of the following: a transmission time length of the information transmitted to the third device reaches a preset maximum transmission time length, multi-AP cooperation between the first device and the second device is cancelled or updated, a partial or entire duration of the transmission opportunity for transmitting the information to the third device ends, or a suspension placeholder instruction is received from the second device and / or the third device.

9. An access point, comprising: Comprise: at least one processor; and, a memory in communication with the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the access point cooperative transmission method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A computer readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that, The computer program is executed by the processor to implement the access point cooperative transmission method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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