Communication method, communication device and communication system

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method, communication equipment and a communication system. The communication method comprises the following steps: after a first device and a second device perform a non-primary channel access (NPCA) operation and switch from a basic service set primary channel (BSS) Primary channel to a primary channel NPCA Primary channel after the NPCA operation, receiving a first wireless frame sent by the second device; the first wireless frame comprises channel information of a first channel; the first channel is an effective channel through which a second device successfully competes and accesses in the NPCA Primary Channel and obtains a TXOP, and the first wireless frame is used for initializing frame exchange with the first device; and determining a second channel for data reception according to the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the device. In the embodiment of the invention, the NPCA Primary Channel of the second equipment can be ensured to be successfully accessed in a competitive manner, and the bandwidth of the effective channel of the TXOP is matched with the bandwidth of the channel supported by the first equipment, so that the reliability of data transmission in an NPCA mechanism is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, communication device and communication system. Background Technology

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

[0003] To further improve channel access or frequency utilization efficiency and transmission efficiency in broadband systems, a Non-Primary Channel Access (NPCA) mechanism has been proposed. However, in this mechanism, when a device performs NPCA operation, the channel information determined by the device may differ from that determined by the peer device, resulting in low data transmission reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a communication method, communication device, and communication system to further improve the reliability of data transmission in the NPCA mechanism.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method executed by a first device, the method comprising:

[0006] After the first device and the second device perform a non-primary channel access NPCA operation, switching from the Basic Service Set Primary Channel (BSSPrimary Channel) to the primary channel (NPCA Primary Channel) after the NPCA operation, the first device receives the first radio frame sent by the second device.

[0007] The first radio frame contains channel information of the first channel; the first channel is the valid channel through which the second device successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel; the first radio frame is used to initialize frame exchange with the first device.

[0008] A second channel for data reception is determined based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the first device.

[0009] Secondly, this disclosure also provides a communication method executed by a second device, the method comprising:

[0010] After the first device and the second device perform a non-primary channel access NPCA operation, switching from the Basic Service Set Primary Channel (BSSPrimary Channel) to the primary channel (NPCA Primary Channel) after the NPCA operation, the first device sends a first radio frame to the first device, instructing the first device to determine the second channel for data reception based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the first device.

[0011] The first radio frame contains channel information of the first channel; the first channel is the valid channel through which the second device successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel, and the first radio frame is used to initiate frame exchange with the first device.

[0012] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a communication device for performing the communication method described in the first or second aspect.

[0013] Fourthly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a communication device, including:

[0014] One or more processors;

[0015] The communication device is used to execute the communication method described in the first or second aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0016] Fifthly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a communication system, including a first device and a second device;

[0017] The first device is configured to implement the communication method described in the first aspect, and the second device is configured to implement the communication method described in the second aspect.

[0018] Sixthly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the communication method as described in the first aspect of this disclosure, or to perform the communication method as described in the second aspect of this disclosure.

[0019] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a program product, including at least one of a program and instructions, wherein when the program or instructions are executed by a communication device, they implement the communication method described in the first aspect or the communication method described in the second aspect.

[0020] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, after the first device and the second device perform NPCA operation and switch from the BSS Primary Channel to the NPCA Primary Channel, the first device receives a first radio frame sent by the second device (the first radio frame is used to initialize frame exchange with the first device). Based on the channel information of the first channel carried in the first radio frame, the first device determines the effective channel through which the second device successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel. Based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the first device, the second channel for data reception is determined. In this way, it can be ensured that the bandwidth of the effective channel through which the second device successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel matches the channel bandwidth supported by the first device, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission in the NPCA mechanism.

[0021] Additional aspects and advantages of embodiments of this disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and will become apparent from the description or may be learned by practice of this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments are introduced below. The following drawings are only some embodiments of this disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0024] Figure 2 This is one of the interactive schematic diagrams of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0025] Figure 3a This is the second interactive schematic diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0026] Figure 3b This is the third interactive schematic diagram of the communication method provided in this embodiment of the disclosure;

[0027] Figure 4a This is one of the scenario diagrams illustrating the communication method provided in this embodiment of the disclosure;

[0028] Figure 4b This is a second scenario illustration of the communication method provided in this embodiment of the disclosure;

[0029] Figure 4c This is the third scenario illustration of the communication method provided in this embodiment of the disclosure;

[0030] Figure 5a This is the fourth scenario illustration of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0031] Figure 5b This is the fifth scenario illustration of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0032] Figure 5c This is a schematic diagram of a scenario for the communication method provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 6 This is one of the flowcharts illustrating the communication method provided in this embodiment of the disclosure;

[0034] Figure 7 This is a second schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0035] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first device proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0036] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second device proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0037] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the terminal structure proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0038] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the chip structure proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0039] This disclosure presents a communication method, communication device, and communication system.

[0040] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method executed by a first device, the method comprising:

[0041] After the first device and the second device perform a non-primary channel access NPCA operation, switching from the Basic Service Set Primary Channel (BSSPrimary Channel) to the primary channel (NPCA Primary Channel) after the NPCA operation, the first device receives the first radio frame sent by the second device.

[0042] The first radio frame contains channel information of the first channel; the first channel is the valid channel through which the second device successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel; the first radio frame is used to initialize frame exchange with the first device.

[0043] A second channel for data reception is determined based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the first device.

[0044] In the above embodiments, after the first device and the second device perform NPCA operation and switch from the BSS Primary Channel to the NPCA Primary Channel, the first device receives a first radio frame sent by the second device (the first radio frame is used to initialize frame exchange with the first device). Based on the channel information of the first channel carried in the first radio frame, the first device determines the effective channel through which the second device successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel. Based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the first device, the second channel for data reception is determined. In this way, it can be ensured that the bandwidth of the effective channel through which the second device successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel matches the channel bandwidth supported by the first device, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission in the NPCA mechanism.

[0045] Secondly, this disclosure also provides a communication method executed by a second device, the method comprising:

[0046] After the first device and the second device perform a non-primary channel access NPCA operation, switching from the Basic Service Set Primary Channel (BSSPrimary Channel) to the primary channel (NPCA Primary Channel) after the NPCA operation, the first device sends a first radio frame to the first device, instructing the first device to determine the second channel for data reception based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the first device.

[0047] The first radio frame contains channel information of the first channel; the first channel is the valid channel through which the second device successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel, and the first radio frame is used to initiate frame exchange with the first device.

[0048] In the above embodiments, after the first device and the second device perform NPCA operation and switch from the BSS Primary Channel to the NPCA Primary Channel, the second device sends a first radio frame to the first device (the first radio frame is used to initialize frame exchange with the first device). The first radio frame carries channel information that determines the effective channel (i.e., the first channel) through which the second device has successfully competed for access and obtained TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel. It instructs the first device to determine the second channel for data reception based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the first device. In this way, it can be ensured that the bandwidth of the effective channel through which the second device successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel matches the channel bandwidth supported by the first device, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission in the NPCA mechanism.

[0049] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a communication device, which is used to perform optional implementations of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0050] Fourthly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a communication device, including:

[0051] One or more processors;

[0052] The communication device is used to execute either the optional implementation of the first aspect or the optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0053] Fifthly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a communication system, including a first device and a second device; wherein the first device is configured to perform the optional implementation as described in the first aspect, and the second device is configured to perform the optional implementation as described in the second aspect.

[0054] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the optional implementation described in the first or second aspect.

[0055] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a program product that, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the method as described in the optional implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0056] Eighthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods described in an optional implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0057] Ninthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a chip or chip system. The chip or chip system includes processing circuitry configured to perform the method described according to an optional implementation of the first or second aspect above.

[0058] It is understood that the aforementioned communication devices, communication systems, storage media, program products, computer programs, chips, or chip systems are all used to execute the methods proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects they can achieve can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and will not be repeated here.

[0059] This disclosure provides communication methods, communication devices, and communication systems. In some embodiments, the terms "communication method" and "signal transmission method," "wireless frame transmission method," etc., can be used interchangeably, as can the terms "information processing system" and "communication system."

[0060] This disclosure is not exhaustive, but merely illustrative of some embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. Unless otherwise specified, each step in a particular embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a particular embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily interchanged. Furthermore, the optional implementation methods in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; moreover, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, for example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0061] In each of the disclosed embodiments, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0062] The terminology used in the embodiments of this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0063] In the embodiments of this disclosure, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0064] In some embodiments, the terms “at least one of A or B, at least one of A and B”, “one or more”, “a plurality of”, “multiple”, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0065] In some embodiments, the notation "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another", "in response to one case A, in response to another case B", etc., may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of whether there is a branch B); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of whether there is a branch A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, both A and B are executed. The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0066] In some embodiments, the notation "A or B" may include the following technical solutions, depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of whether a branch B exists); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of whether a branch A exists); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0067] The prefixes "first," "second," etc., used in the embodiments of this disclosure are merely for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not impose restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the descriptive objects. The description of the descriptive objects is found in the claims or the context of the embodiments, and the use of prefixes should not constitute unnecessary restrictions. For example, if the descriptive object is a "field," the ordinal numbers preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of "first field" and "second field." Similarly, if the descriptive object is a "level," the ordinal numbers preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not restrict the priority between "levels." Furthermore, the number of descriptive objects is not limited by ordinal numbers and can be one or more. For example, in "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the object being described is "device", then "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. Similarly, if the object being described is "information", then "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0068] In some embodiments, “including A,” “containing A,” “for indicating A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0069] In some embodiments, terms such as "time / frequency" and "time-frequency domain" refer to the time domain and / or frequency domain.

[0070] In some embodiments, terms such as “in response to…”, “in response to determining…”, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “when…”, “if…”, etc. can be used interchangeably. These descriptions all refer to the device making a corresponding action under certain objective circumstances. They do not necessarily limit the time, nor do they require the device to make a judgment action when implementing it, nor do they mean that there must be other limitations.

[0071] In some embodiments, the terms “greater than,” “greater than or equal to,” “not less than,” “more than,” “more than or equal to,” “not less than,” “higher than,” “higher than or equal to,” “not lower than,” and “above” can be used interchangeably, as can the terms “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not greater than,” “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not more than,” “lower than,” “lower than or equal to,” “not higher than,” and “below”.

[0072] In some embodiments, devices, etc., may be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to those described in the embodiments. Terms such as “device,” “equipment,” “circuit,” “network element,” “network function,” “network device,” “function,” “node,” “unit,” “section,” “system,” “network,” “chip,” “chip system,” “entity,” and “subject” are interchangeable.

[0073] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in a network (e.g., access network devices, core network devices, etc.).

[0074] In addition, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can be replaced with terms corresponding to inter-terminal communication (e.g., "side"). For example, uplink channel and downlink channel can be replaced with side channel, and uplink link and downlink link can be replaced with side link.

[0075] In some embodiments, "link" can mean "connection" or "link"; in various embodiments, "connection" and "link" can be used interchangeably.

[0076] In some embodiments, the acquisition of data, information, etc., may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is situated.

[0077] In some embodiments, data, information, etc., may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0078] Furthermore, each element, each row, or each column in the table of this disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any element, any row, or any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0079] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0080] like Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 100 includes a first device 101 and a second device 102.

[0081] Optionally, the first device may include an access point (AP) 101 or a station (STA), and the second device may include a STA or an AP.

[0082] In some embodiments, the first device may be associated with a second device. For example, the first device may include an access point (AP) and the second device may include a standby station (STA); or, the first device may include a STA and the second device may include an access point (AP).

[0083] Optionally, the access point device may include, but is not limited to, a regular AP or a mobile AP.

[0084] In some embodiments, the access point device can be an access point for mobile terminals to access a wired network. An AP acts as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, its main function being to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. Specifically, an AP can be a terminal device or network device with a Wi-Fi chip. Optionally, the AP can support various WLAN standards such as 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11bf, and 802.11bn, as well as the next-generation 802.11 protocol, but is not limited to these.

[0085] In some embodiments, the site equipment includes, for example, a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal that supports Wi-Fi communication. Optionally, the wireless communication terminal may be at least one of, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a wearable device, an IoT device that supports Wi-Fi communication, a car with Wi-Fi communication capabilities, a smart car, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, and a wireless terminal device in a smart home.

[0086] Specifically, the site equipment can be a terminal device or network device with a Wi-Fi chip. Optionally, the site equipment can support multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11bf, and 802.11bn, as well as the next-generation 802.11 protocol, but is not limited to these.

[0087] Optionally, in this embodiment of the disclosure, AP and STA can be devices that support multiple links. For example, they can be represented as Access Point Multi-Link Device (AP MLD) and Non-Access Point Multi-Link Device (Non-AP MLD), respectively. AP MLD can represent an access point that supports multiple link communication functions, and non-AP MLD can represent a site that supports multiple link communication functions.

[0088] It is understood that the communication system described in this disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0089] The following embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to Figure 1 The communication system 100 shown, or a part thereof, but not limited to it. Figure 1 The entities shown are illustrative; a communication system may include... Figure 1 All or part of the main body, or may include Figure 1 Other entities besides the main body, the number and form of each entity are arbitrary, each entity can be physical or virtual, the connection relationship between the entities is illustrative, the entities can be unconnected or connected, and the connection can be in any way, it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection, it can be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0090] The embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), such as LANs using the 802.11 series of protocols. In a WLAN, a Basic Service Set (BSS) is a fundamental component. An BSS network consists of site devices with some association within a specific coverage area. One type of association is where sites communicate directly with each other in a self-organizing network; this is called an Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS). Another more common scenario is that in a BSS network, there is only one central site dedicated to managing the BSS, called an Access Point (AP) device, while other sites in the BSS network that are not APs are called terminals, also known as non-AP STAs. APs and non-AP STAs are collectively referred to as STAs. When describing STAs, it is not necessary to distinguish between APs and non-AP STAs. Within the same BSS network, due to distance, transmission power, etc., a STA cannot detect other STAs that are far away; they are each other's hidden nodes.

[0091] In some embodiments, the device can determine whether the channel is busy or idle by using both physical carrier listening and virtual carrier listening. The channel is considered idle only if both physical carrier listening and virtual carrier listening indicate that the channel is idle.

[0092] Virtual carrier sensing (VCS) determines channel availability by using a Network Allocation Vector (NAV) maintained by the device. The NAV can be understood as a timer that defines the duration a channel should be occupied. When devices communicate, the device acquiring channel resources informs other devices of its channel occupancy time using the Duration field in its transmitted data packets. Devices that haven't acquired channel resources can maintain or update their NAV values ​​by comparing the Duration field value in received packets. When the NAV value is 0, VCS considers the channel idle.

[0093] In some embodiments, a site device supporting the High-Efficiency (HE) communication protocol (referred to as an HE STA) typically maintains two NAVs: an Intra-BSS NAV and a Basic NAV. Virtual Carrier Sense (CS) indicates that the medium is idle if and only if both NAVs are 0; otherwise, it indicates that the medium is busy.

[0094] In some embodiments, when a device detects that the primary channel within its BSS is busy, it considers the channel busy, fails to compete for the channel, and cannot perform frame switching on that channel. Generally, the device transmits within a BSS with an operating bandwidth greater than 20 MHz. For example, the transmission channel for Physical Layer Protocol Data Units (PPDUs) includes the primary channel (20 MHz Primary Channel, P20 channel) within the BSS's operating bandwidth, which has a bandwidth of 20 MHz. When the P20 channel is busy, even if the secondary channel within the BSS is idle, the device cannot perform frame switching on the secondary channel. This mechanism limits spectrum utilization and throughput improvement to some extent and is detrimental to low-latency service transmission.

[0095] In some embodiments, to further improve channel access or frequency utilization efficiency and transmission efficiency in broadband systems, the concept of a Non-primary Channel Access (NPCA) mechanism (NPCA Operation) is proposed. Specifically, in the NPCA mechanism, when a device detects Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) service data on the BSS Primary Channel, the device can switch to the non-primary channel and compete for channel access on the non-primary channel. After successfully competing for the channel, frame switching can be performed on the non-primary channel.

[0096] In some embodiments, under the NPCA mechanism, the target channel (i.e., the NPCA Primary Channel) to which a device supporting the NPCA mechanism (NPCA device) switches from the Primary Channel has the following motion: For example, all APs in a multiple BSSID set advertise the same NPCA Primary Channel; an AP supporting the NPCA mechanism advertises at most one NPCA Primary Channel, wherein the NPCA Primary Channel is within the operating bandwidth of the BSS where the AP is located, and is not within the punctured 20MHz subchannel. That is, when an event triggering NPCA Operation occurs, APs and STAs that have enabled NPCA Operation will switch from the BSS Primary Channel to the NPCA Primary Channel, and then participate in channel contention and / or frame switching on the NPCA Primary Channel.

[0097] However, determining the unique NPCA Primary Channel is crucial in the NPCA mechanism. First, the NPCA Primary Channels of NPCA devices within the BSS must be consistent after handover; otherwise, communication will be impossible after the NPCA device performs the handover. Second, the selection of the NPCA Primary Channel should minimize interference outside the operating bandwidth. For example, after an NPCA device hands over to the NPCA Primary Channel and successfully competes for the channel, it needs to transmit within a bandwidth that will not generate out-of-band interference. If the NPCA Primary Channel is not chosen appropriately, the transmission to the NPCA Primary Channel may interfere with the OBSS traffic (OBSS service data transmission) that triggered the NPCA Operation.

[0098] In some embodiments, when selecting the NPCA Primary Channel, on the one hand, the access point device will only enable / activate NPCA operation if the BSS operating bandwidth is greater than or equal to 80MHz; on the other hand, for BSSs with operating bandwidths of 160MHz and 320MHz, devices within these BSSs can only select from two non-primary channels when choosing the NPCA Primary Channel: one with a bandwidth of 80MHz (i.e., Secondary 80MHz) and one with a bandwidth of 160MHz (i.e., Secondary 160MHz). However, even if the selection of the NPCA Primary Channel is restricted to the Secondary 80MHz or Secondary 160MHz channel, multiple selection methods still exist. For non-AP STAs, if the receive channel bandwidth is not standardized after switching to the NPCA Primary Channel, it can easily lead to the failure of initial control frame and response frame interaction on the NPCA Primary Channel, thereby affecting subsequent frame switching.

[0099] Therefore, a non-primary channel access operation method, procedure, and apparatus are proposed to standardize the transmission procedure under the NPCA Primary channel.

[0100] Figure 2 This is one of the interactive schematic diagrams of a communication method according to an embodiment of this disclosure. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the above method includes:

[0101] Step 201: After the first device and the second device perform a non-primary channel access (NPCA) operation and switch from the Basic Service Set Primary Channel (BSS Primary Channel) to the primary channel after the NPCA operation, the second device sends a first radio frame to the first device; correspondingly, the first device receives the first radio frame sent by the second device.

[0102] The first radio frame contains channel information of the first channel; the first channel is the valid channel through which the second device successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel, and the first radio frame is used to initiate frame exchange with the first device.

[0103] Optionally, the first device may include an AP or a STA, and the second device may include a STA or an AP; this disclosure does not limit the specific device. For example, the first device may include an AP, and the second device may include a STA; or, for another example, the first device may include a STA, and the second device may include an AP.

[0104] Optionally, both the first and second devices support NPCA operation. Accordingly, the device that supports NPCA operation can be called an NPCA device. For example, the AP that supports NPCA operation is called an NPCA AP, and the non-AP STA that supports NPCA operation is called an NPCA non-AP STA.

[0105] Optionally, the first radio frame may include, but is not limited to, an initial control frame, used to initiate frame exchange with the first device. The initial control frame may include, but is not limited to, a BSRP Trigger frame (BSRP stands for buffer status report poll), a non-trigger-based BSRP NTB Trigger frame (NTB stands for non-trigger-based; the guard interval field in the BSRP frame is set to 3), and a multi-user request to send (MU-RTS Trigger frame; MU stands for multi-user, RTS stands for request to send).

[0106] Optionally, the BSS Primary Channel is the common channel for communication between APs and non-AP STAs within their respective BSSs. Taking a basic channel bandwidth of 20MHz as an example, the BSS Primary Channel is the Primary 20MHz (P20) channel; the NPCA Primary Channel is the 20MHz temporary primary channel that the AP selects / broadcasts to when a device within its BSS performs an NPCA operation.

[0107] Optionally, the conditions for the first or second device to perform NPCA operation may include: the first or second device detecting overlapping basic service set (OBSS) activity in the BSS Primary Channel, causing the BSS Primary Channel to be busy. Specifically, this may include strong interference from OBSS activity, such as a long duration (e.g., reaching a set duration) or high intensity (e.g., reaching a set intensity). In these cases, the BSS Primary Channel can be considered busy, meaning the OBSS activity meets the conditions for the first or second device to perform NPCA operation. Conversely, if the duration of OBSS activity does not reach the set duration, or the intensity of OBSS activity does not reach the set intensity, the OBSS activity can be considered as not meeting the conditions for the first or second device to perform NPCA operation.

[0108] OBSS activity refers to the communication process between devices within a neighboring BSS. Specifically, it may include a first or second device detecting inter-BSS physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs; PPDU stands for Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit) or radio frame sequences that are being exchanged within a neighboring BSS.

[0109] Optionally, the first or second device may perform an NPCA operation and switch from the BSS Primary Channel to the NPCA Primary Channel if it detects that the OBSS activity meets the conditions for the first or second device to perform an NPCA operation within its BSS.

[0110] Optionally, after the first device and the second device switch from the BSS Primary Channel to the NPCA Primary Channel, the first device and the second device can compete for channel access and obtain the TXOP. Within the valid channel after successfully competing for access and obtaining the TXOP, the first device and the second device send an initial control frame to the peer device to initiate frame exchange with the peer device. In this embodiment, the example of the second device successfully competing for access and obtaining the TXOP, and then sending an initial control frame to the first device to initiate frame exchange with the first device, is used for illustration.

[0111] Optionally, when the second device competes for access to the NPCA Primary Channel, it may specifically compete for access to a non-primary channel of the NPCA Primary Channel that includes the operating bandwidth.

[0112] In some embodiments, a mode for temporarily expanding bandwidth, namely Dynamic Band Expansion (DBE) operation mode, is provided to improve spectrum utilization efficiency and flexibility. In DBE operation mode, devices can dynamically expand their operating bandwidth according to real-time channel conditions to match available spectrum resources. By flexibly managing multi-band resources, data transmission rates, coverage, and reliability can be optimized to meet the dynamic adaptation needs of the network. Furthermore, with the diversification of Wi-Fi frequency bands (such as 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz, etc.), available channels may be discontinuous or partially occupied, and traditional fixed bandwidths (such as 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz) cannot efficiently utilize fragmented spectrum.

[0113] Optionally, the operating bandwidth may be the basic service set bandwidth (BSS bandwidth, or BSS BW) when the device does not support or enable DBE mode;

[0114] Optionally, the operating bandwidth can be the extended bandwidth (DBEbandwidth) when the device is in DBE mode.

[0115] Optionally, the channel information of the first channel may include, but is not limited to, the channel bandwidth of the first channel, the location information of the first channel in the NPCA Primary Channel, etc., and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0116] Optionally, the operating bandwidth can be divided into one or more 20MHz sub-channels, using 20MHz as the basic bandwidth. The first radio frame may include a first field carrying channel information for the first channel. This first field may include at least one byte, where each bit indicates a 20MHz sub-channel, and the parameter value of each bit identifies whether the corresponding sub-channel is the first channel. For example, for a given bit, a parameter value set to "1" indicates that the corresponding sub-channel is the first channel; a parameter value set to "0" indicates that the corresponding sub-channel is not the first channel.

[0117] Step 202: The first device determines a second channel for receiving data based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the first device.

[0118] Optionally, after the first device acquires the first wireless frame, it can determine the second channel for receiving data based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the first device.

[0119] Optionally, the channel bandwidth of the second channel may be less than or equal to the channel bandwidth of the first channel; the channel bandwidth of the second channel may be less than the channel bandwidth supported by the first device; the channel bandwidth of the second channel may be less than or equal to the smaller value between the channel bandwidth of the first channel and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device.

[0120] Optionally, if the first device is an AP, the AP can determine the second channel for data reception based on the channel bandwidth of the first channel.

[0121] Optionally, if the first device is a STA, the STA can determine the second channel for data reception by the first device based on the channel bandwidth of the first channel and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device.

[0122] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, after the first device and the second device perform NPCA operation and switch from the BSS Primary Channel to the NPCA Primary Channel, the first device receives a first radio frame sent by the second device (the first radio frame is used to initialize frame exchange with the first device). Based on the channel information of the first channel carried in the first radio frame, the first device determines the effective channel for the second device to successfully compete for access and obtain TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel. Based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the first device, the second channel for data reception is determined. In this way, it can be ensured that the channel bandwidth of the first channel and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device are matched with the channel bandwidth of the second channel, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission in the NPCA mechanism.

[0123] Figure 3a and Figure 3b These are other interactive schematic diagrams illustrating the communication method according to embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 3a This illustration takes the example of the first device being a non-AP STA and the second device being an AP. Figure 3b The following example illustrates the concept of the first device being an access point (AP) and the second device being a non-AP STA. Figure 3a and Figure 3b As shown, the above method includes:

[0124] Step 301: The AP sends a third radio frame to the STA; correspondingly, the STA receives the third radio frame sent by the AP.

[0125] The third radio frame includes channel information of the NPCA Primary Channel, which performs NPCA operations within the operating bandwidth.

[0126] Optionally, the third radio frame may include, but is not limited to, a beacon frame, a probe response frame, or a UHR link reconfiguration notification frame based on the UHR protocol.

[0127] Optionally, the BSS Primary Channel is the common channel for communication between the AP and non-AP STA within their respective BSS, namely the Primary 20MHz (P20) channel; the NPCA Primary Channel is the 20MHz temporary primary channel that the AP selects / broadcasts to when a device within its BSS performs NPCA operation.

[0128] Optionally, when the AP announces the start / enable of NPCA operation mode via a Beacon frame, Probe Response frame, or UHR Link Reconfiguration Notify frame, the AP may carry NPCA Operation parameter information in the Beacon frame, Probe Response frame, or UHR Link Reconfiguration Notify frame, indicating the channel information of the NPCA Primary Channel in which the device within the BSS performs NPCA operation.

[0129] Optionally, the operating bandwidth may be the basic service set bandwidth (BSS bandwidth, or BSS BW) when the device does not support or enable DBE mode;

[0130] Optionally, the operating bandwidth can be the extended bandwidth (DBEbandwidth) when the device is in DBE mode.

[0131] Optionally, when the AP announces its upcoming activation / enabling of DBE mode via a Beacon frame, Probe Response frame, or UHR Link Reconfiguration Notify frame, the AP may carry DBE parameter information and / or NPCA Operation operation parameter information in the Beacon frame, Probe Response frame, or UHR Link Reconfiguration Notify frame. Optionally, the AP may indicate the channel information of the NPCA Primary Channel for which the device within the BSS performs NPCA operations within the BSS BW via the NPCA Operation operation parameter information. Optionally, the AP may indicate the channel information of the NPCA Primary Channel for which the device within the BSS performs NPCA operations within the DBE BW via the DBE parameter information.

[0132] Optionally, the operating bandwidth can be divided into one or more 20MHz sub-channels, using 20MHz as the basic bandwidth. The third radio frame may include a second field carrying channel information for the NPA Primary Channel. This second field may include at least one byte, where each bit indicates a 20MHz sub-channel, and the parameter value of each bit identifies whether the corresponding sub-channel is an NPA Primary Channel. For example, for a given bit, a parameter value of "1" indicates that the corresponding sub-channel is an NPA Primary Channel; a parameter value of "0" indicates that the corresponding sub-channel is not an NPA Primary Channel.

[0133] Optionally, the AP can select / broadcast the NPCA Primary Channel based on the bandwidth information of the operating bandwidth.

[0134] Optionally, for a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 80MHz, the AP can select one 20MHz segment within the secondary 40MHz of the operating bandwidth as the NPCA Primary Channel when performing NPCA Primary Channel selection (broadcast). For example, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 4a Within a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 80MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth in either the left diagonal fill or the square fill portion as the NPCA Primary Channel in a non-primary channel (S40) with a bandwidth of 40MHz.

[0135] Optionally, for a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 160MHz, when the AP selects (broadcasts) the NPCA Primary Channel, it can use one 20MHz channel within the Secondary 80MHz (S80) of the operating bandwidth as the NPCA Primary Channel. For ease of description, the 40MHz channel containing the NPCA Primary Channel is referred to as the NPCA P40 channel, and the remaining 40MHz channels in S80 excluding the NPCA P40 channel are referred to as the NPCA S40 channel. For example, see... Figure 4b Within a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 160MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth from the left diagonal fill portion, the square fill portion, the right diagonal fill portion, or the horizontal fill portion as the NPCA Primary Channel in the NPCA S80 channel.

[0136] For a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 320MHz, when the AP selects (broadcasts) the NPCA Primary Channel, it can use a 20MHz channel within the Secondary 160MHz (S160) of the operating bandwidth as the NPCA Primary Channel. For ease of explanation, the 40MHz channel containing the NPCA Primary Channel is referred to as the NPCA P40 channel, the 80MHz channel in S160 containing NPCA P40 is referred to as NPCA P80, the remaining 40MHz channel in NPCA P80 excluding NPCA P40 is referred to as the NPCAS40 channel, and the remaining 80MHz channel in S160 excluding NPCA P80 is referred to as the NPCA S80 channel. For example, see... Figure 4c Within a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 320MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth in the S160 channel as the NPCA Primary Channel, which may be either a left diagonal fill portion, a square fill portion, a right diagonal fill portion, a horizontal fill portion, a black dot fill portion, a white dot fill portion, a vertical line fill portion, or a diamond fill portion.

[0137] Step 302: When the AP and its associated non-AP STA detect OBSS activity on the BSS Primary Channel and the OBSS activity meets the conditions for performing NPCA operation, the AP and non-AP STA perform NPCA operation and switch from the BSS Primary Channel to the NPCA Primary Channel.

[0138] Optionally, the conditions for an AP or non-AP STA to perform NPCA operation may include: the BSS Primary Channel becoming busy due to the AP or non-AP STA detecting overlapping basic service set (OBSS) activity in the BSS Primary Channel. Specifically, this may include strong interference from OBSS activity, such as a long duration (e.g., reaching a set duration) or high intensity (e.g., reaching a set intensity). In these cases, the BSS Primary Channel can be considered busy, meaning the OBSS activity meets the conditions for an AP or non-AP STA to perform NPCA operation. Conversely, if the duration of OBSS activity does not reach the set duration, or the intensity of OBSS activity does not reach the set intensity, the OBSS activity can be considered as not meeting the conditions for an AP or non-AP STA to perform NPCA operation.

[0139] OBSS activity refers to the communication process of devices within a neighboring BSS. Specifically, it can include the detection by an AP or non-AP STA of inter-BSS physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs; PPDU stands for Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit) or radio frame sequences being exchanged within a neighboring BSS.

[0140] Optionally, if the AP or non-AP STA detects OBSS activity within its BSS that meets the conditions for the AP or non-AP STA to perform NPCA operation, it may perform NPCA operation, switching from the BSS Primary Channel to the NPCA Primary Channel.

[0141] See Figure 3a In step 303a, the AP sends a first radio frame to the non-AP STA; correspondingly, the non-AP STA receives the first radio frame sent by the AP.

[0142] The first radio frame contains channel information of the first channel; the first channel is the valid channel through which the AP successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCAPrimary Channel, and the first radio frame is used to initialize frame exchange with non-AP STAs.

[0143] Optionally, the first radio frame may include, but is not limited to, an initial control frame, used to initiate frame exchange with the non-AP STA. The initial control frame may include, but is not limited to, a BSRP Trigger frame, a BSRP NTB Trigger frame, and a MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0144] Optionally, when the AP competes for access in the NPCA Primary Channel, it may specifically compete for access to non-primary channels that include the NPCA Primary Channel in the operating bandwidth.

[0145] Optionally, the channel information of the first channel may include, but is not limited to, the channel bandwidth of the first channel, the location information of the first channel in the NPCA Primary Channel, etc., and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0146] Optionally, the operating bandwidth can be divided into one or more 20MHz sub-channels, using 20MHz as the basic bandwidth. The first radio frame may include a first field carrying channel information for the first channel. This first field may include at least one byte, where each bit indicates a 20MHz sub-channel, and the parameter value of each bit identifies whether the corresponding sub-channel is the first channel. For example, for a given bit, a parameter value set to "1" indicates that the corresponding sub-channel is the first channel; a parameter value set to "0" indicates that the corresponding sub-channel is not the first channel.

[0147] Step 304a: The non-AP STA determines a second channel for data reception based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the non-AP STA.

[0148] Optionally, after acquiring the first radio frame, the non-AP STA can determine the second channel for data reception based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the non-AP STA.

[0149] Optionally, the channel bandwidth of the second channel may be less than or equal to the channel bandwidth of the first channel; the channel bandwidth of the second channel may be less than the channel bandwidth supported by the first device; the channel bandwidth of the second channel may be less than or equal to the smaller value between the channel bandwidth of the first channel and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device.

[0150] In this embodiment of the disclosure, after the AP and non-AP STA perform NPCA operation and switch from the BSS Primary Channel to the NPCA Primary Channel, the non-AP STA receives the first radio frame sent by the AP (the first radio frame is used to initialize frame exchange with the non-AP STA). Based on the channel information of the first channel carried in the first radio frame, the AP is determined to have successfully competed for access and obtained the valid channel TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel. Based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the non-AP STA, the second channel for data reception is determined. In this way, it can be ensured that the channel bandwidth of the first channel and the channel bandwidth supported by the non-AP STA are matched with the channel bandwidth of the second channel, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission in the NPCA mechanism.

[0151] Optionally, in some embodiments, determining the second channel for data reception based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the non-AP STA includes at least one of the following:

[0152] (a) When the operating bandwidth is 80MHz:

[0153] When the bandwidth of the first channel is 20MHz and the channel bandwidth supported by the non-AP STA is 20MHz, the second channel is the NPCA Primary Channel;

[0154] When the bandwidth of the first channel is 40MHz and the channel bandwidth supported by the non-AP STA is 40MHz / 80MHz, the second channel is the S40 channel; the S40 channel is a channel that does not include the BSS PrimaryChannel and has a bandwidth of 40MHz.

[0155] Optionally, taking 20MHz as the basic channel bandwidth as an example, the bandwidth of the NPCA Primary Channel is typically 20MHz. If the AP successfully competes for access in the NPCA Primary Channel and obtains a valid channel bandwidth of 20MHz for the TXOP, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 20MHz, then the first channel can be directly used as the second channel, meaning both are NPCA Primary Channel. For example, see... Figure 5aWithin a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 80MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth from either the left-hand diagonal fill or the square fill portion of the S40 channel as the NPCA Primary Channel. Correspondingly, if the bandwidth of the first channel is 20MHz and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is also 20MHz, the first channel can be directly used as the second channel, meaning both are NPCA Primary Channels.

[0156] Optionally, if the AP successfully competes for access in the NPCA Primary Channel and obtains a valid channel with a bandwidth of 40MHz for the TXOP, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 40MHz, the first channel can be directly used as the second channel; that is, both are channels without the BSS Primary Channel and have a bandwidth of 40MHz. For example, see... Figure 5a Within a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 80MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth from either the left-hand diagonal fill or the square fill portion of the S40 channel as the NPCA Primary Channel. Correspondingly, if the bandwidth of the first channel is 40MHz and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is also 40MHz, the first channel can be directly used as the second channel, meaning both are S40 channels.

[0157] Optionally, if the AP successfully competes for access in the NPCA Primary Channel and obtains a valid channel bandwidth of 40MHz for TXOP, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 80MHz (i.e., the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is greater than the channel bandwidth of the first channel), then the non-primary channel S40 with a bandwidth of 40MHz in the operating bandwidth of the BSS where the first device is located can be used as the second channel, i.e., a channel that does not include the BSS Primary Channel and has a bandwidth of 40MHz. For example, see... Figure 5a Within a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 80MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth from either the left-hand diagonal fill or the square fill portion of the S40 channel as the NPCA Primary Channel. Correspondingly, if the bandwidth of the first channel is 40MHz and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 80MHz, the first channel can be directly used as the second channel, meaning both are S40 channels.

[0158] (ii) When the operating bandwidth is 160MHz:

[0159] If the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 20MHz, and the non-AP STA supports a channel bandwidth of 20MHz, then the second channel is the NPCA Primary Channel.

[0160] If the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 40MHz, and the channel bandwidth supported by the non-AP STA is 40MHz / 80MHz, then the second channel is an NPCA P40 channel; the NPCA P40 channel is a channel that includes the NPCAPrimary Channel and has a bandwidth of 40MHz.

[0161] When the bandwidth of the first channel is 80MHz and the channel bandwidth supported by the non-AP STA is 80MHz / 160MHz, the second channel is the S80 channel; the S80 channel is a channel that does not include the BSS PrimaryChannel and has a bandwidth of 80MHz.

[0162] Optionally, if the AP successfully competes for access in the NPCA Primary Channel and obtains a valid channel bandwidth of TXOP greater than or equal to 20MHz, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 20MHz, the BSS Primary Channel can be used as the second channel. For example, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 5b Within a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 160MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth from the left-hand diagonal-filled portion, the square-filled portion, the right-hand diagonal-filled portion, or the horizontal-filled portion of the S80 channel as the NPCA Primary Channel. Correspondingly, if the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 20MHz, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 20MHz, the BSS Primary Channel can be used as the second channel.

[0163] Optionally, if the AP successfully competes for access in the NPCA Primary Channel and obtains a valid channel with a bandwidth greater than or equal to 40MHz for TXOP, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 40MHz, the channel containing the NPCA Primary Channel and with a bandwidth of 40MHz can be used as the second channel. For example, see... Figure 5bWithin a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 160MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth from the left-hand diagonal-filled portion, the square-filled portion, the right-hand diagonal-filled portion, or the horizontal-filled portion of the S80 channel as the NPCA Primary Channel. Correspondingly, if the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 40MHz, and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 40MHz, the NPCA P40 channel can be used as the second channel.

[0164] Optionally, if the AP successfully competes for access in the NPCA Primary Channel and obtains a valid channel with a bandwidth greater than or equal to 40MHz for TXOP, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 80MHz, the channel containing the NPCA Primary Channel and with a bandwidth of 40MHz can be used as the second channel. For example, see... Figure 5b Within a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 160MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth from the left-hand diagonal-filled portion, the square-filled portion, the right-hand diagonal-filled portion, or the horizontal-filled portion of the S80 channel as the NPCA Primary Channel. Correspondingly, if the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 40MHz, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 80MHz, the NPCA P40 channel can be used as the second channel.

[0165] Optionally, if the AP successfully competes for access in the NPCA Primary Channel and obtains a valid channel with a bandwidth of 80MHz for the TXOP, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 80MHz, a channel with a bandwidth of 80MHz that does not include the BSS Primary Channel can be used as the second channel. For example, see... Figure 5b Within a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 160MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth from the left-hand diagonal-filled portion, the square-filled portion, the right-hand diagonal-filled portion, or the horizontal-filled portion of the S80 channel as the NPCA Primary Channel. Correspondingly, if the bandwidth of the first channel is 80MHz and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 80MHz, the S80 channel can be used as the second channel.

[0166] Optionally, if the AP successfully competes for access in the NPCA Primary Channel and obtains a valid channel bandwidth of 80MHz for the TXOP, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 160MHz, then the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is greater than the channel bandwidth of the first channel. In this case, the non-primary channel S80 with a bandwidth of 80MHz in the operating bandwidth of the BSS where the first device is located can be used as the second channel. That is, both the first and second channels are channels that do not include the BSS Primary Channel and have a bandwidth of 80MHz. For example, see... Figure 5b Within a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 160MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth from the left-hand diagonal-filled portion, the square-filled portion, the right-hand diagonal-filled portion, or the horizontal-filled portion of the S80 channel as the NPCA Primary Channel. Correspondingly, if the bandwidth of the first channel is 80MHz and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 160MHz, the S80 channel can be used as the second channel.

[0167] (iii) When the operating bandwidth is 320MHz:

[0168] If the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 20MHz, and the non-AP STA supports a channel bandwidth of 20MHz, then the second channel is the NPCA Primary Channel.

[0169] If the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 40MHz, and the non-AP STA supports a channel bandwidth of 40MHz, then the second channel is an NPCA P40 channel.

[0170] If the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 80MHz, and the channel bandwidth supported by the non-AP STA is 80MHz, then the second channel is an NPCA P80 channel; the NPCA P80 channel is a channel that includes the NPCAPrimary Channel and has a bandwidth of 80MHz.

[0171] When the bandwidth of the first channel is 160MHz and the channel bandwidth supported by the non-AP STA is 160MHz / 320MHz, the second channel is the S160 channel; the S160 channel is a channel that does not include the BSS PrimaryChannel and has a bandwidth of 160MHz.

[0172] Optionally, if the AP successfully competes for access in the NPCA Primary Channel and obtains a valid channel with a bandwidth greater than or equal to 20MHz for TXOP, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 20MHz, the first channel can be directly used as the second channel, i.e., both are NPCA Primary Channel. For example, see... Figure 5c Within a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 320MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth from the following portions of the S160 channel: left diagonal fill, square fill, right diagonal fill, horizontal fill, black dot fill, white dot fill, vertical line fill, or diamond fill as the NPCA Primary Channel. Correspondingly, if the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 20MHz, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 20MHz, the BSS Primary Channel can be used as the second channel.

[0173] Optionally, if the AP successfully competes for access in the NPCA Primary Channel and obtains a valid channel with a bandwidth greater than or equal to 40MHz for TXOP, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 40MHz, the channel containing the NPCA Primary Channel and with a bandwidth of 40MHz can be used as the second channel. For example, see... Figure 5c Within a 320MHz operating bandwidth BSS, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth from the following portions of the S160 channel: left diagonal fill, square fill, right diagonal fill, horizontal fill, black dot fill, white dot fill, vertical line fill, or diamond fill as the NPCA Primary Channel. Correspondingly, if the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 40MHz, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 40MHz, the NPCA P40 channel can be used as the second channel.

[0174] Optionally, if the AP successfully competes for access in the NPCA Primary Channel and obtains a valid channel with a bandwidth greater than or equal to 80MHz for TXOP, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 80MHz, the channel containing the NPCA Primary Channel and with a bandwidth of 80MHz can be used as the second channel. For example, see... Figure 5cWithin a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 320MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth from the following portions of the S160 channel: left diagonal fill, square fill, right diagonal fill, horizontal fill, black dot fill, white dot fill, vertical line fill, or diamond fill as the NPCA Primary Channel. Correspondingly, if the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 80MHz, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 80MHz, the NPCA P80 channel can be used as the second channel.

[0175] Optionally, if the AP successfully competes for access in the NPCA Primary Channel and obtains a valid channel with a bandwidth of 160MHz for the TXOP, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 160MHz, the first channel can be directly used as the second channel; that is, both are channels without the BSS Primary Channel and have a bandwidth of 160MHz. For example, see... Figure 5c Within a 320MHz operating bandwidth BSS, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth from the following S160 channels as the NPCA Primary Channel: either the left diagonal fill portion, the square fill portion, the right diagonal fill portion, the horizontal fill portion, the black dot fill portion, the white dot fill portion, the vertical line fill portion, or the diamond fill portion. Correspondingly, if the bandwidth of the first channel is 160MHz and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is also 160MHz, the first channel can be used as the second channel, meaning both are S160 channels.

[0176] Optionally, if the AP successfully competes for access in the NPCA Primary Channel and obtains a valid channel with a bandwidth of 160MHz for TXOP, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 320MHz, a channel with a bandwidth of 160MHz that does not include the BSS Primary Channel can be used as the second channel. For example, see... Figure 5c Within a 320MHz operating bandwidth BSS, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth from the following portions of the S160 channel: left diagonal fill, square fill, right diagonal fill, horizontal fill, black dot fill, white dot fill, vertical line fill, or diamond fill as the NPCA Primary Channel. Correspondingly, if the first channel bandwidth is 160MHz and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 320MHz, the S160 channel can be used as the second channel.

[0177] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second channel does not include disabled sub-channels broadcast by the AP.

[0178] Optionally, the disabled sub-channels may include, but are not limited to: channels corresponding to the punched bandwidth, or sub-channels that may cause out-of-band interference to the communication process.

[0179] Optionally, neither the non-AP STA nor the AP communicates within the disabled sub-channels; that is, the non-AP STA does not receive data within the disabled sub-channels.

[0180] Step 305a: The non-AP STA sends a second radio frame to the AP;

[0181] Wherein, the channel bandwidth for transmitting the second wireless frame is less than or equal to the channel bandwidth of the second channel.

[0182] Optionally, the non-AP STA may respond to the first radio frame within a channel bandwidth less than or equal to that of the second channel.

[0183] Optionally, the second radio frame may include, but is not limited to, a multi-site device block acknowledgement (M-STA BA, where M-STA stands for multi-STA and BA stands for block acknowledgement) frame or a clear to send (CTS) frame.

[0184] See Figure 3b In step 303b, the non-AP STA sends a first radio frame to the AP; correspondingly, the AP receives the first radio frame sent by the non-AP STA.

[0185] The first radio frame contains channel information of the first channel; the first channel is the valid channel through which a non-AP STA successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel, and the first radio frame is used to initiate frame exchange with the non-AP STA.

[0186] Optionally, the first radio frame may include, but is not limited to, an initial control frame for initiating frame exchange with the AP. The initial control frame may include, but is not limited to, a non-trigger-based buffer status report polling frame (BSRP NTB Trigger frame; NTB stands for non-trigger-based; BSRP NTB Trigger frame (i.e., the guard interval field in the BSRP frame is set to 3)).

[0187] Optionally, when a non-AP STA competes for access to the NPCA Primary Channel, it may specifically compete for access to a non-primary channel of the NPCA Primary Channel that includes the operating bandwidth.

[0188] Optionally, the channel information of the first channel may include, but is not limited to, the channel bandwidth of the first channel, the location information of the first channel in the NPCA Primary Channel, etc., and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0189] Optionally, the operating bandwidth can be divided into one or more 20MHz sub-channels, using 20MHz as the basic bandwidth. The first radio frame may include a first field carrying channel information for the first channel. This first field may include at least one byte, where each bit indicates a 20MHz sub-channel, and the parameter value of each bit identifies whether the corresponding sub-channel is the first channel. For example, for a given bit, a parameter value set to "1" indicates that the corresponding sub-channel is the first channel; a parameter value set to "0" indicates that the corresponding sub-channel is not the first channel.

[0190] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first wireless frame sent by the receiving second device is:

[0191] With an operating bandwidth of 80MHz, the AP receives the first radio frame on the S40 channel;

[0192] With an operating bandwidth of 160MHz, the AP receives the first radio frame on the S80 channel;

[0193] With an operating bandwidth of 320MHz, the AP receives the first radio frame on the S160 channel.

[0194] In a wireless local area network (WLAN), a Basic Service Set (BSS) can consist of an Access Point (AP) and one or more Stations (STAs) communicating with the AP. In other words, the channel bandwidth supported by the AP is its operational bandwidth.

[0195] At this point, after the AP and non-AP STA switch to the NPCA Primary Channel, the AP can receive the first radio frame on a non-primary channel that does not include the BSS Primary Channel, depending on the operating bandwidth. That is, with an operating bandwidth of 80MHz, the AP receives the first radio frame on the S40 channel; with an operating bandwidth of 160MHz, the AP receives the first radio frame on the S80 channel; and with an operating bandwidth of 320MHz, the AP receives the first radio frame on the S160 channel.

[0196] Step 304b: The AP determines a second channel for data reception based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the AP.

[0197] Optionally, after the AP obtains the first radio frame, it can determine the second channel for data reception based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the non-AP STA.

[0198] Optionally, the channel bandwidth of the second channel may be less than or equal to the channel bandwidth of the first channel; the channel bandwidth of the second channel may be less than the channel bandwidth supported by the first device; the channel bandwidth of the second channel may be less than or equal to the smaller value between the channel bandwidth of the first channel and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device.

[0199] Optionally, in some embodiments, determining the second channel for data reception based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the AP includes:

[0200] Determine that the bandwidth of the second channel does not exceed the bandwidth of the first channel;

[0201] As mentioned above, the channel bandwidth supported by the AP is the operating bandwidth. After a non-AP STA successfully competes for a channel and obtains the TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel, the AP can determine the second channel for data reception based solely on the channel bandwidth of the first channel, as long as the bandwidth of the second channel does not exceed the bandwidth of the first channel.

[0202] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second channel does not include disabled sub-channels broadcast by the AP.

[0203] Optionally, the disabled sub-channels may include, but are not limited to: channels corresponding to the punched bandwidth, or sub-channels that may cause out-of-band interference to the communication process.

[0204] Optionally, neither the non-AP STA nor the AP communicates in the disabled sub-channels; that is, the AP does not receive data in the disabled sub-channels.

[0205] Step 305b: The AP sends a second radio frame to the non-AP STA;

[0206] Wherein, the channel bandwidth for transmitting the second wireless frame is less than or equal to the channel bandwidth of the second channel.

[0207] Optionally, the second radio frame may include, but is not limited to, a CTS frame.

[0208] Optionally, the AP may respond to the first radio frame within a channel bandwidth less than or equal to that of the second channel.

[0209] In some embodiments, a method, procedure, and apparatus for non-primary channel access operation are provided. Specifically, after an NPCA AP and an NPCA non-AP STA switch to the NPCA Primary channel, as a TXOP Responder, they need to receive data within a suitable channel bandwidth. When an NPCA non-AP STA acts as a TXOP Responder on the NPCA Primary channel, it determines the Primary 40MHz and Primary 80MHz channel bandwidths that may exist under NPCA operation within the Secondary channel bandwidth, based on the NPCA Primary Channel informed by its associated AP; further, it determines the received channel bandwidth in conjunction with its own supported channel bandwidth. Specifically, the method may include the following specific procedures:

[0210] 1. The AP sends a third radio frame, which contains the target temporary primary channel (NPCA primary channel) that the NPCA AP and its associated NPCA non-AP STA in the BSS where the AP is located switch from the BSS primary channel when performing NPCA operation.

[0211] Optionally, for a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 80MHz, the AP can select one 20MHz segment within the secondary 40MHz of the operating bandwidth as the NPCA Primary Channel when performing NPCA Primary Channel selection (broadcast). For example, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 4a Within a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 80MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth in the left diagonal fill or square fill portion of the S40 channel as the NPCA Primary Channel.

[0212] Optionally, for a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 160MHz, when the AP selects (broadcasts) the NPCA Primary Channel, it can use one 20MHz channel within the Secondary 80MHz (S80) of the operating bandwidth as the NPCA Primary Channel. For ease of explanation, as shown in the diagram below, the 40MHz channel containing the NPCA Primary Channel is referred to as the NPCA P40 channel, and the remaining 40MHz channels in S80 excluding NPCA P40 are referred to as the NPCA S40 channel. For example, see... Figure 4b Within a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 160MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth in the S80 channel, either the left diagonal fill portion, the square fill portion, the right diagonal fill portion, or the horizontal fill portion, as the NPCA Primary Channel.

[0213] For a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 320MHz, when the AP selects (broadcasts) the NPCA Primary Channel, it can use a 20MHz channel within the Secondary 160MHz (S160) of the operating bandwidth as the NPCA Primary Channel. For ease of explanation, as shown in the diagram below, the 40MHz channel containing the NPCA Primary Channel is called the NPCA P40 channel, the 80MHz channel in S160 containing NPCA P40 is called NPCA P80, the remaining 40MHz channel in NPCA P80 excluding NPCA P40 is called the NPCA S40 channel, and the remaining 80MHz channel in S160 excluding NPCA P80 is called the NPCA S80 channel. For example, see... Figure 4c Within a BSS with an operating bandwidth of 320MHz, the AP can select 20MHz of bandwidth in the S160 channel as the NPCA Primary Channel, which may be either a left diagonal fill portion, a square fill portion, a right diagonal fill portion, a horizontal fill portion, a black dot fill portion, a white dot fill portion, a vertical line fill portion, or a diamond fill portion.

[0214] Optionally, the operating bandwidth may be the basic service set bandwidth (BSS bandwidth, or BSS BW) when the device does not support or enable DBE mode;

[0215] Optionally, the operating bandwidth can be the extended bandwidth (DBEbandwidth) when the device is in DBE mode.

[0216] 2. When the AP and its associated NPCA non-AP STA detect OBSS activity on the BSS Primary Channel and meet the conditions for performing NPCA operation, the AP and NPCA non-AP STA switch from the BSS Primary Channel to the NPCA Primary Channel.

[0217] 3. After the AP and NPCA non-AP STA switch to the NPCA Primary channel,

[0218] 3.1 If the AP successfully competes for the channel and obtains the TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel, and the effective bandwidth is the first channel (as mentioned above) Figure 3a When the AP sends an initial control frame (as described above) through the first channel (NPCA Primary Channel), the AP sends the initial control frame through the first channel. Figure 3a The first radio frame in the sequence, such as a BSRP Trigger frame, BSRP NTB Trigger frame, or MU-RTS Trigger frame, initiates frame exchange with the target non-AP STA;

[0219] Non-AP STAs that switch to the NPCA Primary Channel and do not contend for access to the channel will, based on their supported channel bandwidth (such as the supported channel bandwidth indicated by the Supported ChannelWidth Set in the HT / VHT / HE / EHT Capability Information field) and the NPCA Primary Channel, access the second channel (as described above). Figure 3b Reception is performed within the first channel. The second channel can be specifically as follows:

[0220] (1) The operating bandwidth is 80MHz:

[0221] The non-AP STA itself supports a channel bandwidth of 20MHz STA, and the second channel is the NPCA Primary channel; for example, see Figure 5a .

[0222] The non-AP STA itself supports a channel bandwidth of 40MHz or 80MHz STA, and the second channel is an S40 channel; for example, see Figure 5a .

[0223] (2) The operating bandwidth is 160MHz:

[0224] The non-AP STA itself supports a channel bandwidth of 20MHz STA, and the second channel is the NPCA Primary channel; for example, see Figure 5b .

[0225] The non-AP STA itself supports a 40MHz STA channel bandwidth, and the second channel is an NPCA P40 channel; for example, see Figure 5b .

[0226] The non-AP STA itself supports channel bandwidths of 80MHz or 160MHz STA, and the second channel is an S80 channel; for example, see Figure 5b .

[0227] (3) The operating bandwidth is 320MHz:

[0228] The non-AP STA itself supports a channel bandwidth of 20MHz STA, and the second channel is the NPCA Primary channel; for example, see Figure 5c .

[0229] The non-AP STA itself supports a channel bandwidth of 40MHz STA, and the second channel is an NPCA P40 channel; for example, see Figure 5c .

[0230] The non-AP STA itself supports a channel bandwidth of 80MHz STA, and the second channel is an NPCA P80 channel; for example, see Figure 5c .

[0231] The non-AP STA itself supports channel bandwidths of 160MHz or 320MHz STAs, and the second channel is an S160 channel; for example, see Figure 5c .

[0232] 3.2 If an NPCA non-AP STA successfully competes for a channel and obtains a TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel, and the effective bandwidth is the third channel (as mentioned above) Figure 3b When the NPCA non-APSTA transmits the initial control frame (as described above) through the third channel (NPCA Primary Channel), the NPCA non-APSTA transmits the initial control frame (as described above) through the third channel. Figure 3b The first wireless frame in the process, such as the BSRP NTB Trigger frame, initiates the frame exchange with the AP;

[0233] The AP that switched to the NPCA Primary Channel without contention for access in the fourth channel (as described above) Figure 3bIt is received under the second channel. The second channel can be specifically as follows:

[0234] The operating bandwidth is 80MHz: the fourth channel is a secondary 40MHz channel;

[0235] The operating bandwidth is 160MHz: the fourth channel is a secondary 80MHz channel;

[0236] The operating bandwidth is 320MHz: the fourth channel is a secondary 160MHz channel;

[0237] 4. After receiving the initial control frame, the AP and NPCA non-AP STA, when switching to the NPCA Primary channel, perform the following operations:

[0238] 4.1 Corresponding to 3.1, after receiving the initial control frame, the NPCA non-AP STA sends a response frame to the AP, such as an M-STA BA (Multi-STA Block Acknowledgment) frame. The bandwidth of sending the response frame does not exceed the bandwidth of the first channel and the bandwidth of the second channel.

[0239] 4.2 Corresponding to 3.2, after receiving the initial control frame, the AP sends a response frame, such as an M-STA BA frame or a CTS frame, to the NPCA non-AP STA that sent the initial control frame. The bandwidth of the response frame sent does not exceed the bandwidth of the third channel and the bandwidth of the fourth channel.

[0240] Based on the above method, the effective interaction between the initial control frame and subsequent frame exchange after the NPCA device switches to the NPCA Primary channel can be effectively guaranteed, thereby improving transmission efficiency and reliability and further improving the NPCA Operation process.

[0241] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc., are not limited to the names described in the embodiments. Terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0242] In some embodiments, terms such as “moment,” “point in time,” “time,” and “time location” can be used interchangeably, as can terms such as “duration,” “segment,” “time window,” “window,” and “time.”

[0243] In some embodiments, terms such as wireless access scheme and waveform can be used interchangeably.

[0244] In some embodiments, terms such as "certain," "preset," "default," "set," "indicated," "a certain," "any," and "first" can be used interchangeably. "Certain A," "preset A," "default A," "set A," "indicated A," "a certain A," "any A," and "first A" can be interpreted as A pre-defined in a protocol or the like, or as A obtained through setting, configuration, or instruction, or as specific A, a certain A, any A, or first A, but are not limited thereto.

[0245] In some embodiments, the determination or judgment can be made by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), or by a true or false value (boolean), or by a comparison of numerical values ​​(e.g., a comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited thereto.

[0246] In some embodiments, "not expecting to receive" can be interpreted as not receiving on time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources, or as not performing subsequent processing on the data after receiving it; "not expecting to send" can be interpreted as not sending, or as sending but not expecting the receiver to respond to the sent content.

[0247] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include the foregoing steps and at least one of the embodiments. For example, step 201 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 202 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 301 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 302 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 303a can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 304a can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 305a can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 303b can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 304b can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step 305b can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of step 201 and step 202 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 301 and step 302 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 301, step 302 and step 303a can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of step 303a and step 304a can be implemented as an independent embodiment. The combination of steps 302, 303a, and 304a can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of steps 303a, 304a, and 305a can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of steps 301, 302, 303a, 304a, and 305a can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of steps 301, 302, and 303b can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of steps 303b and 304b can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of steps 301, 302, 303b, and 304b can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of steps 303b, 304b, and 305b can be implemented as an independent embodiment; and the combination of steps 301, 302, 303b, 304b, and 305b can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0248] In some embodiments, see Figure 5c Other optional implementation methods described before or after the corresponding instruction manual.

[0249] Figure 6 This is one of the flowcharts illustrating a non-master channel access method according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0250] like Figure 6 As shown, the above method can be applied to the first device 101, and the method includes:

[0251] Step 601: After the first device and the second device perform a non-primary channel access NPCA operation and switch from the Basic Service Set Primary Channel (BSS Primary Channel) to the primary channel (NPCA Primary Channel) after the NPCA operation, the first device receives the first radio frame sent by the second device.

[0252] The first radio frame contains channel information of the first channel; the first channel is the valid channel through which the second device successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel; the first radio frame is used to initialize frame exchange with the first device.

[0253] A second channel for data reception is determined based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the first device.

[0254] Optionally, in this embodiment of the disclosure, when the first device includes a non-AP STA and the second device includes an AP, determining the second channel for data reception based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the first device includes at least one of the following:

[0255] When the operating bandwidth is 80MHz, the bandwidth of the first channel is 20MHz, and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 20MHz, the second channel is the NPCA Primary Channel.

[0256] When the operating bandwidth is 80MHz, the bandwidth of the first channel is 40MHz, and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 40MHz / 80MHz, the second channel is the S40 channel; the S40 channel is a channel that does not include the BSSPrimary Channel and has a bandwidth of 40MHz.

[0257] When the operating bandwidth is 160MHz, the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 20MHz, and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 20MHz, the second channel is the NPCA Primary Channel.

[0258] When the operating bandwidth is 160MHz, the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 40MHz, and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 40MHz, the second channel is an NPCA P40 channel; the NPCA P40 channel is a channel that includes the NPCA Primary Channel and has a bandwidth of 40MHz.

[0259] When the operating bandwidth is 160MHz, the bandwidth of the first channel is 80MHz, and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 80MHz / 160MHz, the second channel is the S80 channel; the S80 channel is a channel that does not include the BSSPrimary Channel and has a bandwidth of 80MHz.

[0260] When the operating bandwidth is 320MHz, the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 20MHz, and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 20MHz, the second channel is the NPCA Primary Channel.

[0261] When the operating bandwidth is 320MHz, the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 40MHz, and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 40MHz, the second channel is an NPCA P40 channel.

[0262] When the operating bandwidth is 320MHz, the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 80MHz, and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 80MHz, the second channel is an NPCA P80 channel; the NPCA P80 channel is a channel that includes the NPCA Primary Channel and has a bandwidth of 80MHz.

[0263] When the operating bandwidth is 320MHz, the bandwidth of the first channel is 160MHz, and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 160MHz / 320MHz, the second channel is the S160 channel; the S160 channel is a channel that does not include the BSS Primary Channel and has a bandwidth of 80MHz.

[0264] Optionally, in this embodiment of the disclosure, when the first device includes an AP and the second device includes a non-AP STA, the first radio frame sent by the second device is received as follows:

[0265] With an operating bandwidth of 80MHz, the AP receives the first radio frame on the S40 channel;

[0266] With an operating bandwidth of 160MHz, the AP receives the first radio frame on the S80 channel;

[0267] With an operating bandwidth of 320MHz, the AP receives the first radio frame on the S160 channel.

[0268] Optionally, in this embodiment of the disclosure, the operating bandwidth includes at least one of the following operating bandwidths:

[0269] The bandwidth of the basic service set in which the first device and the second device are located, BSS Bandwidth, which includes the maximum operating bandwidth supported by the devices within the BSS;

[0270] In Dynamic Bandwidth Extension (DBE) mode, the operating bandwidth is extended.

[0271] Optionally, in this embodiment of the disclosure, when the first device includes an AP and the second device includes a non-AP STA, determining the second channel for data reception based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the first device includes:

[0272] Determine that the bandwidth of the second channel does not exceed the bandwidth of the first channel;

[0273] Optionally, in this embodiment of the disclosure, the second channel does not include the disabled sub-channels broadcast by the APs in the first device and the second device.

[0274] Optionally, in this embodiment of the disclosure, the method further includes:

[0275] Send a second wireless frame to the second device;

[0276] Wherein, the channel bandwidth for transmitting the second wireless frame is less than or equal to the channel bandwidth of the second channel.

[0277] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0278] Figure 7 This is a second schematic flowchart of a non-master channel access method according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0279] like Figure 7 As shown, the above method can be applied to the second device 102, and the method includes:

[0280] Step 701: After the first device and the second device perform a non-primary channel access NPCA operation and switch from the Basic Service Set Primary Channel (BSS Primary Channel) to the primary channel (NPCA Primary Channel) after the NPCA operation, the first device sends a first radio frame to the first device, instructing the first device to determine the second channel for data reception based on the first channel and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device.

[0281] The first radio frame contains channel information of the first channel; the first channel is the valid channel through which the second device successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel, and the first radio frame is used to initiate frame exchange with the first device.

[0282] Optionally, in this embodiment of the disclosure, the method further includes:

[0283] Receive the second wireless frame sent by the first device;

[0284] Wherein, the channel bandwidth of the first device transmitting the second wireless frame is less than or equal to the channel bandwidth of the second channel.

[0285] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0286] This disclosure also proposes an apparatus (also referred to as a communication device, etc.) for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is proposed that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. Furthermore, another apparatus is proposed that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network functional node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0287] It should be understood that the division of units or modules in the above device is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units or modules in the device can be implemented by a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor connected to a memory containing instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of the units or modules in the above device. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory can be internal or external to the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units or modules can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The functionality of some or all of the units or modules is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through configuration files, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above device can be implemented entirely through processor-called software, entirely through hardware circuits, or partially through processor-called software with the remaining parts implemented through hardware circuits.

[0288] In this embodiment, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. The logical relationships of the aforementioned hardware circuits are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. Furthermore, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU), a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), or a Deep Learning Processing Unit (DPU).

[0289] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. The first device is used to perform any of the above methods. In some embodiments, such as Figure 8 As shown, the first device 800 may include a transceiver module 801 and a processing module 802.

[0290] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 801 is configured to receive a first radio frame sent by the second device after the first device and the second device perform a non-primary channel access NPCA operation and switch from the Basic Service Set Primary Channel (BSS Primary Channel) to the primary channel (NPCAPrimary Channel) after the NPCA operation.

[0291] The first radio frame contains channel information of the first channel; the first channel is the valid channel through which the second device successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel, and the first radio frame is used to initiate frame exchange with the first device.

[0292] The aforementioned processing module 802 is used to determine a second channel for data reception based on the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the first device.

[0293] Optionally, the transceiver module 801 is used to execute at least one of the transceiver steps (e.g., steps 201, 301, 303a, 304a, 305a, 303b, 304b, 305b, 601, but not limited thereto) executed by the first device 101 in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here. The processing module 802 is used to execute at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps 202, 302, 304a, 304b, 602, but not limited thereto) executed by the first device 101 in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0294] In some embodiments, the transceiver module can be interchanged with the transceiver, the sending module, and the receiving module, and the processing module can be interchanged with the processor and the determining module.

[0295] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second device proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. The second device is used to perform any of the above methods. In some embodiments, such as Figure 9 As shown, the second device 900 may include a transceiver module 901.

[0296] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 901 is configured to send a first radio frame to the first device after the first device and the second device perform a non-primary channel access NPCA operation, switching from the Basic Service Set Primary Channel (BSS Primary Channel) to the primary channel (NPCAP Primary Channel) after the NPCA operation, instructing the first device to determine a second channel for data reception based on the first channel and the channel bandwidth supported by the first device.

[0297] The first radio frame contains channel information of the first channel; the first channel is the valid channel through which the second device successfully competes for access and obtains TXOP in the NPCA Primary Channel, and the first radio frame is used to initiate frame exchange with the first device.

[0298] Optionally, the transceiver module 901 is used to execute at least one of the transceiver steps (e.g., steps 201, 301, 303a, 304a, 305a, 303b, 304b, 305b, 701, but not limited thereto) executed by the second device 102 in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here. The second device 900 may further include a processing module, which is used to execute at least one of the communication steps (e.g., step 302, but not limited thereto) executed by the second device 102 in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0299] In some embodiments, the transceiver module can be interchanged with the transceiver, the sending module, and the receiving module.

[0300] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 1000 proposed in this embodiment. The communication device 1000 can be a network device (e.g., access network device, core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., user equipment, etc.), a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal in implementing any of the above methods. The communication device 1000 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0301] like Figure 10 As shown, the communication device 1000 is used to execute any of the above methods. In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 includes one or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control communication devices (e.g., base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal device chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Optionally, the communication device 1000 is used to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 1001 are used to invoke instructions to cause the communication device 1000 to execute any of the above methods.

[0302] In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 further includes one or more transceivers 1002. When the communication device 1000 includes one or more transceivers 1002, the transceiver 1002 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method (e.g., steps 201, 301, 303a, 304a, 305a, 303b, 304b, 305b, 601, 701, but not limited thereto), and the processor 1001 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., steps 202, 302, 304a, 304b, 602, but not limited thereto). In optional embodiments, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated together. Optionally, terms such as transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, and interface can be used interchangeably; terms such as transmitter, transmitter unit, transmitter, and transmitter circuit can be used interchangeably; and terms such as receiver, receiver unit, receiver, and receiver circuit can be used interchangeably.

[0303] In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 further includes one or more memories 1003 for storing data and / or instructions. Optionally, one or more processors 1001 are used to invoke instructions stored in the memory 1003 to cause the communication device 1000 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, all or part of the memory 1003 may also be located outside the communication device 1000. In an optional embodiment, the communication device 1000 may include one or more interface circuits 1004. Optionally, the interface circuit 1004 is connected to the memory 1002 and can be used to receive data and / or instructions from the memory 1002 or other devices, and can be used to send data and / or instructions to the memory 1002 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 1004 can read data and / or instructions stored in the memory 1002 and send the data and / or instructions to the processor 1001.

[0304] The communication device 1000 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 1000 described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 1000 may vary. Figure 10The limitations. The communication device may be a standalone device or part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) a standalone integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally including storage components for storing data, programs and / or instructions; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal device, smart terminal device, cellular phone, wireless device, handheld device, mobile unit, vehicle device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0305] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 1100 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. For cases where the communication device 1000 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to... Figure 11 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the structure of chip 1100, but it is not limited to this.

[0306] Chip 1100 includes one or more processors 1101. Chip 1100 is used to perform any of the above methods.

[0307] In some embodiments, chip 1100 further includes one or more interface circuits 1102. Optionally, terms such as interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pin can be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 1100 further includes one or more memories 1103 for storing data and / or instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 1103 may be located outside of chip 1100. Optionally, interface circuit 1102 is connected to memory 1103, and interface circuit 1102 can be used to receive data and / or instructions from memory 1103 or other devices, and interface circuit 1102 can be used to send data and / or instructions to memory 1103 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 1102 can read data and / or instructions stored in memory 1103 and send the data and / or instructions to processor 1101.

[0308] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 1102 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method (e.g., steps 201, 301, 303a, 304a, 305a, 303b, 304b, 305b, 601, 701, but not limited thereto). The interface circuit 1102 performing the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method refers, for example, to the interface circuit 1102 performing data and / or instruction interaction between the processor 1101, the chip 1100, the memory 1103, or the transceiver device. In some embodiments, the processor 1101 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., steps 202, 302, 304a, 304b, 602, but not limited thereto).

[0309] The modules and / or devices described in the various embodiments, such as virtual devices, physical devices, and chips, can be combined or separated arbitrarily as needed. Optionally, some or all steps can also be performed collaboratively by multiple modules and / or devices, which is not limited here.

[0310] This disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0311] This disclosure also proposes a program product, including a program and / or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, cause the communication device to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product. Optionally, the program product is stored on the storage medium.

[0312] This disclosure also proposes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is performed by a first device, and the method comprises: After a first device and a second device perform a non-primary channel access (NPCA) operation and switch from a basic service set primary channel (BSSPrimary Channel) to a NPCA primary channel (NPCA Primary Channel), a first wireless frame sent by the second device is received; The first wireless frame contains channel information of a first channel; the first channel is an effective channel of the second device successfully contending for access to and obtaining a TXOP on the NPCA Primary Channel, and the first wireless frame is used to initialize frame exchange with the first device; A second channel for data reception is determined according to the first channel and / or a channel bandwidth supported by the first device.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized by, In a case where the first device comprises a non-AP STA and the second device comprises an AP, the determination of the second channel for data reception according to the first channel and / or the channel bandwidth supported by the first device comprises at least one of the following: In a case where an operating bandwidth is 80 MHz, a bandwidth of the first channel is 20 MHz, and a channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 20 MHz, the second channel is the NPCA Primary Channel; In a case where an operating bandwidth is 80 MHz, a bandwidth of the first channel is 40 MHz, and a channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 40 MHz / 80 MHz, the second channel is an S40 channel; the S40 channel is a channel that does not contain the BSSPrimary Channel and has a bandwidth of 40 MHz; In a case where an operating bandwidth is 160 MHz, a bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 20 MHz, and a channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 20 MHz, the second channel is the NPCA Primary Channel; In a case where an operating bandwidth is 160 MHz, a bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 40 MHz, and a channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 40 MHz, the second channel is a NPCA P40 channel; the NPCA P40 channel is a channel that contains the NPCA Primary Channel and has a bandwidth of 40 MHz; In a case where an operating bandwidth is 160 MHz, a bandwidth of the first channel is 80 MHz, and a channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 80 MHz / 160 MHz, the second channel is an S80 channel; the S80 channel is a channel that does not contain the BSSPrimary Channel and has a bandwidth of 80 MHz; In a case where an operating bandwidth is 320 MHz, a bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 20 MHz, and a channel bandwidth supported by the first device is 20 MHz, the second channel is the NPCA Primary Channel; In a case where the operating bandwidth is 320MHz, the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 40MHz, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 40MHz, the second channel is an NPCA P40 channel; In a case where the operating bandwidth is 320MHz, the bandwidth of the first channel is greater than or equal to 80MHz, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 80MHz, the second channel is an NPCA P80 channel; the NPCA P80 channel is a channel containing the NPCA Primary Channel and having a bandwidth of 80MHz; In a case where the operating bandwidth is 320MHz, the bandwidth of the first channel is 160MHz, and the first device supports a channel bandwidth of 160MHz / 320MHz, the second channel is an S160 channel; the S160 channel is a channel not containing the BSS Primary Channel and having a bandwidth of 80MHz.

3. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, In a case where the first device comprises an AP and the second device comprises a non-AP STA, the receiving of the first wireless frame sent by the second device comprises: In a case where the operating bandwidth is 80MHz, the AP receives the first wireless frame on an S40 channel; In a case where the operating bandwidth is 160MHz, the AP receives the first wireless frame on an S80 channel; In a case where the operating bandwidth is 320MHz, the AP receives the first wireless frame on an S160 channel.

4. The communication method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by, The operating bandwidth comprises at least one of the following operating bandwidths: A bandwidth BSS Bandwidth of a basic service set in which the first device and the second device are located, the BSS Bandwidth comprising a maximum operating bandwidth supported by devices in the BSS; An operating bandwidth after bandwidth extension in a dynamic bandwidth extension DBE mode.

5. The communication method according to claim 1 or 3, characterized by, In a case where the first device comprises an AP and the second device comprises a non-AP STA, the determining of the second channel for data reception according to the first channel and / or a channel bandwidth supported by the first device comprises: The bandwidth of the second channel is determined not to exceed the bandwidth of the first channel.

6. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by, The second channel does not contain a disabled subchannel broadcast by the AP in the first device and the second device.

7. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by, The method further comprises: sending a second wireless frame to the second device; wherein a channel bandwidth of the sending of the second wireless frame is less than or equal to a channel bandwidth of the second channel.

8. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is performed by a second device, and the method comprises: after a first device and a second device perform non-primary channel access NPCA operation and switch from a basic service set primary channel BSS Primary Channel to an NPCA primary channel NPCA Primary Channel after the NPCA operation, sending a first wireless frame to the first device, instructing the first device to determine a second channel for data reception according to a first channel and a channel bandwidth supported by the first device; The first wireless frame contains channel information of a first channel, and the first channel is an effective channel of the second device successfully contending for access and obtaining a TXOP on the NPCA Primary Channel, and the first wireless frame is used to initialize frame exchange with the first device.

9. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein, The method further includes: receiving a second wireless frame sent by the first device; The first device sends the second wireless frame in a channel bandwidth less than or equal to a channel bandwidth of the second channel.

10. A communication device, characterized by The communication device is configured to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1-6 or 8-9.

11. A storage medium, the storage medium storing instructions, wherein, The instructions, when executed on the communication device, cause the communication device to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1-7 or the communication method of any one of claims 8-9.

12. A program product comprising at least one of a program, instructions, characterized in that The program or the instructions, when executed by the communication device, implement the communication method of any one of claims 1-7 or the communication method of any one of claims 8-9.

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