Communication method, communication device and communication system

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to a communication method, communication equipment and a communication system. The communication method comprises the following steps: a station device determines a first wireless frame; wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is ready to roam by a source access point device (AP) or to be switched to a candidate AP; the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station equipment; when the station device roams or is switched to the coverage area of the candidate AP, the station device sends the capability information of the station device to the source AP through the first wireless frame, so that the source AP judges whether switching or roaming can occur or selects a target AP for switching or roaming, thereby preparing and assisting the station device to complete the roaming or switching process, and the switching or roaming of the station device is avoided. According to the invention, seamless switching of the station equipment among a plurality of APs is realized, continuity of data communication is ensured, communication jitter is reduced, and transmission delay is reduced, so that the method is suitable for UHR requirements.

Description

Communication method, communication device, and communication system TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communication, and in particular to a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system. BACKGROUND

[0002] Currently, the contents researched by Wi-Fi technology, such as Ultra High Reliability (UHR), have the vision of improving the reliability of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) connection, reducing delay, improving manageability, increasing throughput at different Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) levels, and reducing device-level power consumption, etc.

[0003] In UHR, a Station (STA) establishes initial association with an Access Point (AP) and starts data communication, and if the Station roams or switches to the coverage of a target Access Point, it is necessary to ensure that the continuity of data communication can be maintained during the roaming or switching of the Station to the target Access Point. Therefore, it is necessary to further improve the roaming or switching mechanism of the Station between multiple Access Points to meet the UHR transmission requirements.

[0004] SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system to provide a further improved roaming or switching mechanism of a Station between multiple APs to meet the UHR transmission requirements.

[0006] In one aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, which comprises:

[0007] The Station determines a first wireless frame; wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the Station is preparing to roam or switch from a source AP to a candidate Access Point (AP); and the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, which identifies the capability information of the Station.

[0008] The first wireless frame is sent.

[0009] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication method, which comprises:

[0010] The source AP receives a first wireless frame sent by a Station; wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the Station is preparing to roam or switch from the source AP to a candidate Access Point (AP); and the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, which identifies the capability information of the Station.

[0011] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication method, which comprises:

[0012] The target AP receives the first wireless frame forwarded by the source AP; wherein the first wireless frame is sent by a station device to the source AP,

[0013] The first wireless frame identifies that the station device is preparing to roam or switch to a candidate access point device (AP) by the source AP; the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device.

[0014] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication device, which is a station device, and the station device comprises:

[0015] A determining module is configured to determine a first wireless frame; wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is preparing to roam or switch to a candidate access point device (AP) by the source AP; the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device.

[0016] A sending module is configured to send the first wireless frame.

[0017] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication device, which is a source AP, and the source AP comprises:

[0018] A first receiving module is configured to receive a first wireless frame sent by a station device; wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is preparing to roam or switch to a candidate access point device (AP) by the source AP; the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device.

[0019] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication device, which is a target AP, and the target AP comprises:

[0020] A second receiving module is configured to receive a first wireless frame forwarded by a source AP; wherein the first wireless frame is sent by a station device to the source AP,

[0021] The first wireless frame identifies that the station device is preparing to roam or switch to a candidate access point device (AP) by the source AP; the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device.

[0022] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication device, which is a station device, and the station device comprises:

[0023] one or more processors;

[0024] The station device is configured to perform the communication method described in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication device, which is a source AP, comprising:

[0026] one or more processors;

[0027] The source AP is configured to perform the communication method described in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication device, which is a target AP, comprising:

[0029] one or more processors;

[0030] The target AP is configured to perform the communication method described in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication system comprising a station device, a source AP, and a target AP.

[0032] The station device determines and sends a first wireless frame to the source AP, wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is preparing to roam or switch to a candidate AP device AP by the source AP, and the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device.

[0033] The source AP receives the first wireless frame sent by the station device, determines a target AP from the candidate AP, and forwards the first wireless frame to the target AP.

[0034] The target AP receives the first wireless frame forwarded by the source AP.

[0035] The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a storage medium storing instructions, when the instructions are run on a communication device, the communication device performs the communication method described in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the station device roams or switches to the coverage range of the candidate AP, the station device sends its capability information to the source AP through the first wireless frame, so that the source AP judges whether the switching or roaming can occur or selects the target AP for the switching or roaming, thereby preparing and assisting the station device to complete the roaming or switching process, to realize seamless switching of the station device between multiple APs, ensure the continuity of data communication, reduce communication jitter, and reduce transmission delay, thereby being applicable to UHR requirements.

[0037] Additional aspects and advantages of the embodiments disclosed herein will be more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0038] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following describes the drawings required for the embodiments, and the following drawings are only some of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and do not specifically limit the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0039] FIG. 1 is one exemplary schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] FIG. 2 is one exemplary interactive schematic diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] FIG. 3 is one flow schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0042] FIG. 4 is another flow schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] FIG. 5 is a third flow schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0044] FIG. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a station device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] FIG. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a source AP according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0046] FIG. 8 is a structural schematic diagram of a target AP according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] FIG. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0048] FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] The embodiments of the present disclosure propose a communication method, a communication device and a communication system.

[0050] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure propose a communication method, the method comprising:

[0051] The station device determines a first wireless frame; wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is ready to roam or handover to a candidate access point device (AP) by a source AP; the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device;

[0052] The first wireless frame is sent.

[0053] In the above embodiments, the station device sends its capability information to the source AP through the first wireless frame, so that the source AP determines whether the handover or roaming can occur or selects a target AP for the handover or roaming, thereby preparing and assisting the station device to complete the roaming or handover process, to realize seamless switching of the station device between multiple APs, ensure continuity of data communication, reduce communication jitter, and reduce transmission delay, thereby being applicable to UHR requirements.

[0054] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first wireless frame further comprises at least one of:

[0055] second identification information identifying the candidate AP and the source AP;

[0056] first link identification (link ID) information identifying that the candidate AP is a multi-connection device and multiple links of the candidate AP;

[0057] TID mapping information identifying whether there is TID-To-Link mapping information after the station device roams or switches to the candidate AP, or identifying whether the TID-To-Link mapping information after the station device roams or switches to the candidate AP is the same as the TID-To-Link mapping information of the source AP;

[0058] TWT information identifying whether there is a TWT mechanism negotiated between the station device and the source AP.

[0059] In the above embodiments, the communication parameters carried in the first wireless frame are perfected to realize completion of the roaming or handover process by the station device.

[0060] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the candidate AP and the source AP belong to the same ESS, and the second identification information comprises a MAC address of the ESS.

[0061] or

[0062] The candidate AP and the source AP do not belong to the same ESS, and the second identification information comprises an ESS identifier of the source AP and an ESS identifier of the candidate AP.

[0063] In the above embodiments, address information of the candidate AP and the source AP is identified.

[0064] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the capability information of the station device comprises at least one of:

[0065] capability information supporting dRU transmission, SS capability information, BW capability information, and MCS mode information.

[0066] In the above embodiment, a type of the capability information of the station device is provided.

[0067] In some embodiments of the first aspect, after the first wireless frame is sent, the method comprises:

[0068] receiving a second wireless frame sent by the source AP; wherein the second wireless frame identifies a target AP determined by the source AP from the candidate APs;

[0069] sending, by the source AP, a roaming request frame or a handover request frame to the target AP.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the station device sends its capability information to the source AP through the first wireless frame, so that the source AP determines whether the handover or roaming can occur or selects a target AP for the handover or roaming.

[0071] In some embodiments of the first aspect, after the roaming request frame or the handover request frame is sent by the source AP to the target AP, the method comprises:

[0072] receiving a roaming response frame or a handover response frame forwarded by the source AP.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the roaming or handover process is perfected.

[0074] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the roaming response frame or the handover response frame comprises: a TSF time offset value under each link; the TSF time offset value is a time offset value between the source AP and the target AP.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the TSF time offset value is carried for time synchronization between the station device and the target AP after the station device is switched or roamed.

[0076] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the first wireless frame comprises a roaming announcement frame or a handover announcement frame.

[0077] In the above embodiment, an optional manner of the first wireless frame is provided.

[0078] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, which comprises:

[0079] receiving, by a source AP, a first wireless frame sent by a station device; wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is ready to be roamed or handed over to a candidate access point device (AP) by the source AP; the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device.

[0080] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first wireless frame further comprises at least one of:

[0081] second identification information identifying the candidate AP and the source AP;

[0082] first link identification (link ID) information identifying the candidate AP as a multi-connection device and a plurality of links of the candidate AP;

[0083] TID mapping information identifying whether there is TID-To-Link mapping information after the station device roams or switches to the candidate AP, or identifying whether the TID-To-Link mapping information after the station device roams or switches to the candidate AP is the same as the TID-To-Link mapping information of the source AP;

[0084] TWT information identifying whether the station device and the source AP negotiate a TWT mechanism.

[0085] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the candidate AP and the source AP belong to the same ESS, and the second identification information comprises a MAC address of the ESS.

[0086] or

[0087] the candidate AP and the source AP do not belong to the same ESS, and the second identification information comprises an ESS identifier of the source AP and an ESS identifier of the candidate AP.

[0088] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the capability information of the station device comprises at least one of:

[0089] capability information supporting dRU transmission, SS capability information, BW capability information, and MCS mode information.

[0090] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, after receiving the first wireless frame sent by the station device, the method comprises:

[0091] determining a target AP from the candidate APs, forwarding the first wireless frame to the target AP, and

[0092] sending a second wireless frame to the station device, wherein the target AP is identified in the second wireless frame.

[0093] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0094] receiving a roaming request frame or a switching request frame sent by the station device;

[0095] forwarding the roaming request frame or the handover request frame to the target AP.

[0096] In some embodiments in combination with the second aspect, the method further comprises:

[0097] receiving a roaming response frame or a handover response frame sent by the target AP;

[0098] forwarding the roaming response frame or the handover response frame to the station device.

[0099] In some embodiments in combination with the second aspect, the roaming response frame or the handover response frame comprises: a TSF time offset value under each link; the TSF time offset value is a time offset value between the source AP and the target AP.

[0100] In some embodiments in combination with the second aspect, the first wireless frame comprises a roaming announcement frame or a handover announcement frame.

[0101] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, the method comprising:

[0102] receiving, by a target AP, a first wireless frame forwarded by a source AP; wherein the first wireless frame is sent by a station device to the source AP, the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is preparing to roam or handover to a candidate access point device (AP) from the source AP; the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device.

[0103] In some embodiments in combination with the third aspect, the method further comprises:

[0104] receiving a roaming request frame or a handover request frame forwarded by a source AP; wherein the roaming request frame or the handover request frame is sent by a station device to the source AP.

[0105] In some embodiments in combination with the third aspect, the method further comprises:

[0106] sending the roaming response frame or the handover response frame to the source AP.

[0107] In some embodiments in combination with the third aspect, the roaming response frame or the handover response frame comprises: a TSF time offset value under each link; the TSF time offset value is a time offset value between the source AP and the target AP.

[0108] In a fourth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device, which is a station device, comprising at least one of a determining module and a sending module; wherein the station device is configured to perform the optional implementation manners of the first aspect.

[0109] In a fifth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device, which is a source AP, comprising a first receiving module; wherein the source AP is configured to perform the optional implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0110] In a sixth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device, which is a target AP, comprising a second receiving module; wherein the target AP is configured to perform the optional implementation manners of the third aspect.

[0111] In a seventh aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device, which is a station device, comprising:

[0112] one or more processors;

[0113] wherein the station device is configured to perform the optional implementation manners of the first aspect.

[0114] In an eighth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device, which is a source AP, comprising:

[0115] one or more processors;

[0116] wherein the source AP is configured to perform the optional implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0117] In a ninth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device, which is a target AP, comprising:

[0118] one or more processors;

[0119] wherein the target AP is configured to perform the optional implementation manners of the third aspect.

[0120] In a tenth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication system, comprising a station device, a source AP and a target AP.

[0121] wherein the station device determines and sends a first wireless frame to the source AP; wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is ready to roam or switch to a candidate access point device AP by the source AP; the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device.

[0122] the source AP receives the first wireless frame sent by the station device, determines a target AP from the candidate APs, and forwards the first wireless frame to the target AP.

[0123] The target AP receives the first wireless frame forwarded by the source AP.

[0124] In a eleventh aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a storage medium, which stores instructions, when the instructions are executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method described in the optional implementation manners of the first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect.

[0125] In a twelfth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a program product, when the program product is executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method described in the optional implementation manners of the first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect.

[0126] In a thirteenth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer program, when the computer program is executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in the optional implementation manners of the first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect.

[0127] In a fourteenth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a chip or chip system. The chip or chip system includes processing circuitry configured to perform the method described in the optional implementation manners of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0128] It can be understood that the above-mentioned station device, source AP, target AP, communication system, storage medium, program product, computer program, chip or chip system are all used to perform the method proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding method, which will not be described here.

[0129] The embodiments of the present disclosure propose a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system. In some embodiments, the communication method and the signal sending method, the wireless frame sending method, and the like can be replaced with each other, and the information processing system and the communication system can be replaced with each other.

[0130] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive, but only illustrate some embodiments, and are not specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure. In the case of no contradiction, each step in an embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be combined arbitrarily, for example, the scheme after removing some steps in an embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in an embodiment can be exchanged arbitrarily, in addition, the optional implementation manners in an embodiment can be combined arbitrarily; in addition, the embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, for example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, and an embodiment can be combined with the optional implementation manners of other embodiments.

[0131] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms and / or descriptions among the embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred to if there is no special description and logical conflict, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0132] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing the specific embodiments and not as a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0133] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, "a plurality of" refers to two or more.

[0134] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one of", "one or more", "a plurality of", "multiple", and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0135] In some embodiments, the description modes such as "at least one of A, B", "A and / or B", "A in one case and B in another case", "in response to a case A, in response to a case B", and the like can include the following technical solutions according to the case: in some embodiments, A is executed regardless of B; in some embodiments, B is executed regardless of A; in some embodiments, A and B are selectively executed; in some embodiments, A and B are executed. When there are more branches such as A, B, C, and the like, the above is similar.

[0136] In some embodiments, the description modes such as "A or B" and the like can include the following technical solutions according to the case: in some embodiments, A is executed regardless of B; in some embodiments, B is executed regardless of A; in some embodiments, A and B are selectively executed. When there are more branches such as A, B, C, and the like, the above is similar.

[0137] The prefix words of "first", "second" and the like in the embodiments of the present disclosure are merely used to distinguish different description objects, and do not constitute limitation on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. The description of the description objects should refer to the description in the claims or embodiments, and should not constitute redundant limitation because of the use of the prefix words. For example, the description objects are "fields", and the ordinal words before "fields" in "first field" and "second field" do not limit the position or order between "fields". "First" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" modified thereby are in the same message, nor do they limit the order of "first field" and "second field". For another example, the description objects are "levels", and the ordinal words before "levels" in "first level" and "second level" do not limit the priority between "levels". For another example, the quantity of the description objects is not limited by the ordinal words, and can be one or more. For example, "first device", wherein the quantity of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefix words can be the same or different. For example, the description objects are "devices", and "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. For another example, the description objects are "information", and "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their contents can be the same or different.

[0138] In some embodiments, "including A", "containing A", "for indicating A", "carrying A" can be interpreted as directly carrying A, or indirectly indicating A.

[0139] In some embodiments, the terms of "in response to", "in response to determining", "in the case of", "when", "when", "if", "if" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0140] In some embodiments, the terms of "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", "above" and the like can be replaced with each other, and the terms of "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", "below" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0141] In some embodiments, the apparatuses and devices can be interpreted as entities, and can also be interpreted as virtual, whose names are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and in some cases can also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject", and the like.

[0142] In some embodiments, the data, information, and the like can be obtained in compliance with the laws and regulations of the country where the data, information, and the like are obtained.

[0143] In some embodiments, the data, information, and the like can be obtained after obtaining the consent of the user.

[0144] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiments of the present 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.

[0145] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0146] As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 100 includes a station device (Station, STA) 101, a source access point device (Access Point, AP) 102, and a candidate access point device or target access point device 103.

[0147] In some embodiments, the station device 101 includes, for example, a wireless communication chip supporting WiFi communication function, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal. Optionally, the wireless communication terminal is at least one of, for example, a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device supporting WiFi communication function, a car with WiFi communication function, a smart car, a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver function, 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 smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in smart city, and a wireless terminal device in smart home, but is not limited thereto.

[0148] Specifically, the station device 101 can be a terminal device or a network device with a wireless fidelity (WiFi) chip. Optionally, the station device 101 can support multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11bf, 802.11bn, and the next generation 802.11 protocol, but is not limited thereto.

[0149] In some embodiments, the access point device 102 and the target access point device 103 can be access points for mobile terminals to enter a wired network. The AP serves as a bridge connecting the wired network and the wireless network, and its main function is to connect various wireless network clients together and then access the Ethernet network through the wireless network. Specifically, the AP can be a terminal device or a network device with a wireless fidelity chip. Optionally, the AP can support multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11bf, 802.11bn, and the next generation 802.11 protocol, but is not limited thereto.

[0150] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the AP and the STA can be devices supporting multi-link, for example, can be respectively denoted as an access point multi-link device (AP MLD) and a non-access point multi-link device (Non-AP MLD); the AP MLD can represent an access point supporting multi-link communication function, and the non-AP MLD can represent a station supporting multi-link communication function.

[0151] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiments of the present disclosure is for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. It can be known by those skilled in the art that, with the evolution of system architecture and the appearance of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0152] The following embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1 or part of the subject, but are not limited thereto. The subjects shown in FIG. 1 are illustrative, and the communication system can include all or part of the subjects in FIG. 1, or other subjects other than those in FIG. 1. The number and form of each subject is arbitrary, each subject can be physical or virtual, the connection relationship between each subject is illustrative, each subject can not be connected or can be connected, and the connection can be in any way, can be direct connection or indirect connection, can be wired connection or wireless connection.

[0153] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to a wireless local area network (WLAN) such as a local area network using an 802.11 series protocol. In a WLAN, a basic service set (BSS) is a basic component of a WLAN. A BSS network is composed of station devices having some association within a certain coverage area. One situation of association is that stations directly communicate with each other in an ad hoc network, which is referred to as an independent BSS (IBSS). Another more common situation is that in a BSS network, there is only one central station with a full-time management BSS, referred to as an access point device, and other STAs in the network are associated with it. Other stations in the BSS network that are not central stations are referred to as terminals, also referred to as non-AP STAs. When describing a STA, it is not necessary to distinguish between AP and non-AP STAs. In the same BSS network, due to distance, transmission power, and other reasons, one STA cannot detect other STAs that are far away from it, and the two are each other's hidden nodes.

[0154] FIG. 2 is an interaction diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the above method includes:

[0155] In step 201, the station device 101 determines a first wireless frame; the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is preparing to roam or handover to a candidate access point device AP 103 by a source AP; the first wireless frame includes first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device.

[0156] In a wireless local area network, when a station device moves within the coverage of a Wi-Fi network, it can need to switch from one AP to another to maintain the continuity and stability of network connection. For example, in a dense Wi-Fi network environment, in order to balance the load of different APs and optimize network performance, an AP can recommend a station device to switch to another AP; or in some cases, due to spectrum congestion or interference, etc., a certain AP can not be able to provide good quality of service. In this case, the station device can improve the connection quality by roaming or switching to other APs; or when it is necessary to expand the coverage of the Wi-Fi network, multiple APs can be used to cover a larger area. In this case, the station device can need to roam or switch between different APs or AP MLDs.

[0157] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, when a station device needs to roam or switch between different APs, the station device sends a first wireless frame to a source AP currently serving the station device, and carries first identification information in the first wireless frame; the first identification information in the first wireless frame identifies the capability information of the station device.

[0158] The capability information of the station device includes at least one of the following: capability information of supporting distributed resource unit (dRU) transmission, spatial stream (SS) capability information, bandwidth (BW) capability information, and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) mode information.

[0159] The capability information of supporting dRU transmission, for example, the bandwidth supported by the dRU of the station device, for example, can be 20 megahertz (MHz), 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz; or further can include the number of distributed resource units included in the bandwidth supported by the dRU, the number of subcarriers included in each distributed resource unit, etc. The spatial stream SS capability information, for example, the number of spatial streams supported by the station device; the BW capability information, for example, the BW value supported by the station device; and the MCS mode information, for example, the number of spatial streams, the modulation mode, the transmission power, etc.

[0160] The station device can be a STA, a non-Access Point Multi-Link Device (non-AP MLD), or a multi-link station device affiliated to the non-AP MLD. The source AP is an AP to which the station device is currently associated or affiliated to, or a current serving AP of the station device. The target AP and the candidate AP can be target access point devices to which the station device is about to roam or handover, such as a target AP, a candidate AP MLD, or a target AP MLD. In addition, it should be noted that in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the target AP is one of the candidate APs, and in some embodiments and the accompanying drawings, the target AP and the candidate AP are both labeled as 103 for ease of description.

[0161] The first wireless frame is a wireless communication frame sent by the station device, which is used to send the capability information of the station device to the source AP, so that the source AP determines whether the handover or roaming can occur or selects a target AP for the handover or roaming. Alternatively, the first wireless frame can be a plurality of types of message frames, such as but not limited to a roaming notification frame, a transition notification frame, or other newly defined wireless frames, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the types of the first wireless frame.

[0162] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, roaming or handover refers to the process of switching a wireless terminal or a station device from a currently associated access point device (source AP) to another access point device (target AP), that is, the process of moving the wireless terminal or the STA from one BSS to another BSS. In the process of WLAN roaming or Wi-Fi roaming, the STA can move in a Wi-Fi network belonging to the same extended service set (ESS) at will, such as switching from one BSS to another BSS in the same ESS, and the service is not interrupted by keeping the same user identifier, such as an internet protocol (IP) address, that is, the IP address obtained by the client at the beginning of connecting to the network does not change during the entire roaming process. Specifically, roaming refers to, for example, roaming of a station device from one AP to another AP, or roaming of a station device from one AP MLD to another AP MLD; handover refers to, for example, handover of a station device from one affiliated AP of an AP MLD to another affiliated AP of the AP MLD.

[0163] Specifically, when the station device is in Wi-Fi communication with the associated source AP, if the station device roams or switches to the coverage of the candidate AP, according to the existing fast transition (FT) mechanism, the station device usually needs to re-associate with the target AP and perform a four-step handshake key negotiation before continuing data communication, which will cause data communication interruption and cannot guarantee continuous data transmission. For example, the station device is in data transmission with the source AP through Wi-Fi, when the station device moves into the coverage of the target AP and prepares to roam or switch to the target AP, the station device needs to re-establish association with the target AP and perform new key negotiation. Communication interruption will occur due to the long time consumption in this process, causing data transmission interruption or discontinuity, resulting in communication jitter. At the same time, due to the time required for re-association and key negotiation as well as IP address reallocation, communication latency will be increased, affecting the real-time performance of data transmission.

[0164] In addition, the existing adding link mechanism or removing link mechanism adopts a reconfiguration mechanism for AP addition or reduction, which is usually applicable within the same basic service set (BSS). The main purpose of this mechanism is to dynamically add or reduce APs within the same BSS to optimize network performance and resource utilization. Although this mechanism can optimize AP management within the same BSS, it does not directly solve the problem of data communication interruption during roaming of the station device, and cannot meet the needs of seamless data switching of the station device roaming to other APs or access point multi-link devices (AP MLDs).

[0165] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the station device roams or switches to the coverage of the candidate AP, the capability information of the station device is sent to the source AP through the first wireless frame, so that the source AP judges whether switching or roaming can occur, or selects a target AP for switching or roaming, thereby preparing and assisting the station device to complete the roaming or switching process, avoiding data communication interruption, reducing communication jitter, reducing communication latency, and improving overall network performance. The station device can roam or switch between different BSSs, which not only maintains continuity and stability in communication and avoids data communication interruption and communication jitter.

[0166] Step 202, the station device 101 sends the first wireless frame.

[0167] Step 203, the source AP 102 receives the first wireless frame sent by the station device 101.

[0168] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the source AP receives the first wireless frame sent by the station device, judges whether the switching or roaming can occur, or selects a target AP for the switching or roaming, so as to prepare and assist the station device to complete the roaming or switching process

[0169] In some embodiments, the first wireless frame further comprises at least one of the following:

[0170] Second identification information, first link identification (link ID) information, traffic identification (TID) mapping information, and target wake time (TWT) information.

[0171] The second identification information is used to identify the candidate AP and the source AP.

[0172] The first link ID information identifies that the candidate AP is a multi-connection device, and the station device establishes multiple links with the candidate AP; for example, when the station device needs to roam with an AP supporting multi-connection, the link identification (link ID) information of the candidate AP is carried, so that the source AP knows that the station device intends to switch to an AP supporting multi-connection. This helps the source AP to correctly identify that the candidate AP is a multi-connection device, which helps the source AP to perform corresponding measures to prepare the roaming process of the station device, thereby reducing the possibility of roaming delay and data communication interruption.

[0173] Traffic identification (TID) mapping information is used to identify whether there is TID-To-Link mapping information after the station device roams or switches to the candidate AP; for example, the TID mapping information occupies one bit, and the bit position is "1", which indicates that there is TID-To-Link mapping information; the bit position is "0", which indicates that there is no TID-To-Link mapping information.

[0174] Or the TID mapping information identifies whether the TID-To-Link mapping information after the station device roams or switches to the candidate AP is the same as the TID-To-Link mapping information of the source AP; for example, the TID mapping information occupies one bit, and the bit position is "1", which indicates that the TID-To-Link mapping information is the same as the TID-To-Link mapping information of the source AP; the bit position is "0", which indicates that the TID-To-Link mapping information is not the same as the TID-To-Link mapping information of the source AP. Since the station device and the source AP may have established a TID mapping link protocol, it is necessary to continue to execute the TID mapping link protocol after roaming or switching to the candidate AP.

[0175] TWT information, identifying whether the station device negotiates TWT mechanism with the source AP; for example, the TWT information occupies one bit, and the bit position is "1", indicating that the station device negotiates TWT mechanism with the source AP; and the bit position is "0", indicating that there is no TWT mechanism. In addition, if the station device negotiates TWT mechanism with the source AP, the TWT mechanism can be forwarded to the target AP or the candidate AP by the source AP.

[0176] In some embodiments, the candidate AP and the source AP belong to the same Extended Service Set (ESS), and the second identification information comprises a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the ESS.

[0177] Or

[0178] The candidate AP and the source AP do not belong to the same ESS, and the second identification information comprises an ESS identifier of the source AP and an ESS identifier of the candidate AP.

[0179] Generally, the service range of a BSS can cover a small office or a family, and it is difficult to serve a wider area. 802.11 allows several BSSs to be connected in series as an ESS to extend the coverage area of the wireless network. That is, the ESS is to connect several BSSs together by using a backbone network, and all APs in the same ESS use the same set identifier (SSID), and STAs belonging to the same ESS can communicate with each other, even if the STAs are located in different BSSs or move in the BSS area. In addition, the ESS can enable an outsider to communicate with other workstations in the ESS using a single MAC address; therefore, if the candidate AP and the source AP belong to the same ESS, the second identification information can include (or can not include) the MAC address of the ESS, which can be the identifier of a logical entity managing multiple APs or AP MLDs in the ESS, such as the virtual MAC address of the logical entity; it can be understood that the logical entity can be a virtual entity.

[0180] If the candidate AP and the source AP do not belong to the same ESS, the second identification information comprises an ESS identifier of the source AP and an ESS identifier of the candidate AP, respectively identifying the source AP and the candidate AP; the ESS identifier can be the SSID, for example.

[0181] Step 204, the source AP 102 determines a target AP from the candidate AP 103, and forwards the first wireless frame to the target AP.

[0182] After the source AP receives the first wireless frame, according to the content carried in the first wireless frame, such as the capability information of the station device, the dRU support information, the multi-link information to be established by the station device and the candidate AP, the TWT mechanism information established with the source associated AP MLD, etc., the station device determines a target AP from the candidate AP as the final switching target or roaming target; the selection process may, for example, satisfy any one of the following: the capability information of the target AP can meet the capability information requirements of the station device, can meet the dRU support information of the station device, or can use the multi-link established with the station device, and can support the TWT mechanism established with the source AP.

[0183] The source AP determines the target AP and forwards the first wireless frame to the target AP; it can be understood that the first wireless frame is forwarded, for example, the content in the first wireless frame is forwarded, for example, one or more of the first identification information, the second identification information, the first link ID information, the TID mapping information, and the TWT information are forwarded.

[0184] Step 205: The station device 101 sends the switching request frame or the roaming request frame to the target AP 103 through the source AP 102.

[0185] The station device sends the switching request frame or the roaming request frame to the source AP, and the source AP forwards the switching request frame or the roaming request frame (or forwards the content requested by the switching request frame or the roaming request frame) to the target AP, so that the target AP can timely learn the roaming or switching intention of the station device, and be ready to establish a connection with the station device according to the information carried in the switching request frame or the roaming request frame, to ensure the continuity and stability of data communication, and avoid the problems of data loss, communication jitter, and increased transmission delay caused by communication interruption during the roaming or switching process.

[0186] Step 206: The target AP 103 receives the switching request frame or the roaming request frame sent by the source AP 102.

[0187] The target AP receives the roaming request frame or the switching request frame forwarded by the source AP.

[0188] Step 207: The target AP 103 sends the roaming response frame or the switching response frame to the source AP 102.

[0189] In some embodiments, the roaming request frame or the switching request frame further includes:

[0190] A Timing Synchronization Function (TSF) time offset value under each link; the TSF time offset value is the time offset value between the source AP and the target AP.

[0191] The roaming request frame or the switching request frame includes the time offset value between the source AP and the target AP at each link, so that the station device determines the time offset value between the station device and the target AP according to the time offset value between the station device and the source AP and the time offset value between the source AP and the target AP.

[0192] In step 208, the source AP 102 forwards the roaming response frame or the switching response frame to the station device.

[0193] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the source AP forwards the roaming response frame or the switching response frame to the station device after receiving the response frame sent by the target AP. After the switching or roaming is completed, the station device can update its network configuration information, such as updating the IP address or other network parameters, to ensure normal communication with the target AP. In addition, the station device can also send confirmation or feedback information to the source AP to ensure the smooth progress of the switching or roaming process. Such feedback can help other devices in the network to understand the status of the station device and make corresponding adjustments.

[0194] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the station device roams or switches to the coverage of the candidate AP, the station device sends its capability information to the source AP through the first wireless frame, so that the source AP determines whether the switching or roaming can occur or selects the target AP for the switching or roaming, thereby preparing and assisting the station device to complete the roaming or switching process, to realize seamless switching of the station device between multiple APs, ensure the continuity of data communication, reduce communication jitter, and reduce transmission delay, thereby being applicable to UHR requirements.

[0195] In some embodiments, the names of information and the like are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and the terms of "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "code point", "bit", "data", "program", "chip", and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0196] In some embodiments, the terms of "time", "time point", "time", "time position", and the like can be replaced with each other, and the terms of "time length", "time period", "time window", "window", "time", and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0197] In some embodiments, the terms of wireless access scheme, waveform, and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0198] In some embodiments, the terms of “certain”, “preseted”, “preset”, “set”, “indicated”, “certain”, “arbitrary”, “first”, and the like can be replaced with each other, and “certain A”, “preset A”, “preset A”, “set A”, “indicated A”, “certain A”, “arbitrary A”, “first A” can be interpreted as A predetermined in a protocol or the like, or can be interpreted as A obtained by setting, configuration, or indication, or can be interpreted as certain A, certain A, arbitrary A, or first A, and the like, but are not limited thereto.

[0199] In some embodiments, the determination or judgment can be performed by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), or can be performed by a true or false value (Boolean value) represented by true or false, or can be performed by comparison of numerical values (for example, comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited thereto.

[0200] In some embodiments, “not expecting to receive” can be interpreted as not receiving in the time domain resource and / or the frequency domain resource, or can be interpreted as not performing subsequent processing on the data or the like after receiving the data or the like; “not expecting to send” can be interpreted as not sending, or can be interpreted as sending but not expecting the receiver to respond to the content of the sending.

[0201] The communication method related to the embodiments of the present disclosure can 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 204 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 205 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 207 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 208 can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of step 201 and step 202 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 202 and step 203 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 203 and step 204 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 204 and step 205 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 205 and step 206 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 206 and step 207 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 207 and step 208 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 208 and step 209 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but are not limited thereto.

[0202] In some embodiments, other optional implementations described before or after the corresponding description of FIG. 2 can be referred to.

[0203] FIG. 3 is one of flow diagrams of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0204] As shown in FIG. 3, the above method can be applied to the station device 101, and the above method includes:

[0205] Step 301: The station device determines a first wireless frame; wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is preparing to roam or switch to a candidate access point device AP by a source AP; the first wireless frame includes first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device;

[0206] Step 302: The first wireless frame is sent.

[0207] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first wireless frame further includes at least one of the following:

[0208] Second identification information identifying the candidate AP and the source AP;

[0209] First link identification link ID information identifying that the candidate AP is a multi-connection device and multiple links of the candidate AP;

[0210] TID mapping information identifying whether there is TID-To-Link mapping information after the station device roams or switches to the candidate AP, or identifying whether the TID-To-Link mapping information after the station device roams or switches to the candidate AP is the same as the TID-To-Link mapping information of the source AP;

[0211] TWT information identifying whether there is a TWT mechanism negotiated by the station device and the source AP.

[0212] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the candidate AP and the source AP belong to the same ESS, and the second identification information includes a MAC address of the ESS.

[0213] Or

[0214] The candidate AP and the source AP do not belong to the same ESS, and the second identification information includes an ESS identifier of the source AP and an ESS identifier of the candidate AP.

[0215] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the capability information of the station device includes at least one of the following:

[0216] Capability information supporting dRU transmission, SS capability information, BW capability information, and MCS mode information.

[0217] Optionally, after the sending the first wireless frame, the method includes:

[0218] Step 303, receiving a second wireless frame sent by the source AP; wherein the second wireless frame identifies a target AP determined by the source AP from the candidate APs;

[0219] Step 304, sending a roaming request frame or a handover request frame to the target AP by the source AP.

[0220] Optionally, after the sending the roaming request frame or the handover request frame by the source AP to the target AP, the method includes:

[0221] receiving a roaming response frame or a handover response frame forwarded by the source AP.

[0222] Optionally, the roaming response frame or the handover response frame includes a TSF time offset value under each link; the TSF time offset value is a time offset value between the source AP and the target AP.

[0223] Optionally, the first wireless frame includes a roaming announcement frame or a handover announcement frame.

[0224] The communication method related to the embodiments of the present disclosure can include the foregoing steps and at least one of the embodiments. For example, step 301 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 302 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 303 and step 304 can be implemented as an independent embodiment; step 301 and step 302 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but are not limited thereto.

[0225] In some embodiments, other optional implementations described before or after the corresponding description of FIG. 3 can be referred to.

[0226] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0227] As shown in FIG. 4, the above method can be applied to the source AP 102, and the above method includes:

[0228] Step 401, the source AP receives a first wireless frame sent by a station device; wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is ready to roam or handover to a candidate access point device AP by the source AP; the first wireless frame includes first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device.

[0229] Optionally, the first wireless frame further includes at least one of:

[0230] second identification information identifying the candidate AP and the source AP;

[0231] first link identification (link ID) information identifying that the candidate AP is a multi-connection device and multiple links of the candidate AP;

[0232] TID mapping information identifying whether there is TID-To-Link mapping information after the station device roams or switches to the candidate AP, or identifying whether the TID-To-Link mapping information after the station device roams or switches to the candidate AP is the same as the TID-To-Link mapping information of the source AP;

[0233] TWT information identifying whether the station device and the source AP negotiate a TWT mechanism.

[0234] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the candidate AP and the source AP belong to the same ESS, and the second identification information includes a MAC address of the ESS.

[0235] or

[0236] The candidate AP and the source AP do not belong to the same ESS, and the second identification information includes an ESS identifier of the source AP and an ESS identifier of the candidate AP.

[0237] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the capability information of the station device includes at least one of the following:

[0238] capability information supporting dRU transmission, SS capability information, BW capability information, and MCS mode information.

[0239] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, after receiving the first wireless frame sent by the station device, the method includes:

[0240] Step 402, determining a target AP from the candidate APs, forwarding the first wireless frame to the target AP, and

[0241] Step 403, sending a second wireless frame to the station device; wherein the target AP is identified in the second wireless frame.

[0242] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes:

[0243] Step 405, receiving a roaming request frame or a switching request frame sent by the station device;

[0244] Step 406, forwarding the roaming request frame or the switching request frame to the target AP.

[0245] Optionally, in embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further comprises:

[0246] Step 407, receiving a roaming response frame or a switching response frame sent by the target AP;

[0247] Step 408, forwarding the roaming response frame or the switching response frame to the station device.

[0248] Optionally, in embodiments of the present disclosure, the roaming response frame or the switching response frame comprises: a TSF time offset value under each link; the TSF time offset value is a time offset value between the source AP and the target AP.

[0249] Optionally, in embodiments of the present disclosure, the first wireless frame comprises a roaming announcement frame or a switching announcement frame.

[0250] The communication method related to embodiments of the present disclosure can comprise the foregoing steps and at least one of the embodiments. For example, step 401 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 402 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 403 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 404 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 405 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 404 can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of step 402 and step 403 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 404 and step 405 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 407 and step 408 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but not limited thereto.

[0251] In some embodiments, other optional implementations described before or after the description of 4 can be referred to.

[0252] FIG. 5 is a third flow diagram of a communication method according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0253] As shown in FIG. 5, the above method can be applied to the target AP 103, and the above method comprises:

[0254] Step 501, the target AP receives the first wireless frame forwarded by the source AP; wherein the first wireless frame is sent by the station device to the source AP, and the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is ready to roam or switch to a candidate access point device AP by the source AP; the first identification information is included in the first wireless frame, and the first identification information identifies the capability information of the station device.

[0255] Optionally, in embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further comprises:

[0256] Receiving a roaming request frame or a handover request frame forwarded by the source AP, wherein the roaming request frame or the handover request frame is sent by the station device to the source AP.

[0257] Optionally, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0258] Step 502: sending the roaming response frame or the handover response frame to the source AP.

[0259] The communication method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can include the foregoing steps and at least one of the embodiments. For example, step 501 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 502 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of step 501 and step 502 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0260] In some embodiments, other optional implementations can be described before or after the description of the corresponding description of 5.

[0261] The embodiments of the present disclosure also propose an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods, for example, an apparatus including units or modules for implementing each step performed by a terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is also proposed, including units or modules for implementing each step performed by a network device (such as an access network device, a core network function node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0262] It should be understood that the division of each unit or module in the above apparatus is only a logical function division, and all or part of them can be integrated into a physical entity or physically separated in actual implementation. In addition, the units or modules in the apparatus can be implemented in the form of processor calling software: for example, the apparatus includes a processor, the processor is connected with a memory, the memory stores instructions, and the processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to realize the functions of any of the above methods or the units or modules of the above apparatus, wherein the processor is a general processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory in the apparatus or a memory outside the apparatus. Alternatively, the units or modules in the apparatus can be implemented in the form of hardware circuit, and the functions of part or all of the units or modules can be realized by the design of the hardware circuit. The above hardware circuit can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the functions of part or all of the units or modules are realized by the design of the logical relationship between the elements in the circuit; for another example, in another implementation, the above hardware circuit is a programmable logic device (PLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) is taken as an example, which can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by a configuration file, so as to realize the functions of part or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above apparatus can be all implemented in the form of processor calling software, or all implemented in the form of hardware circuit, or part implemented in the form of processor calling software and the remaining part implemented in the form of hardware circuit.

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

[0264] FIG. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a station device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, the station device 600 can include at least one of a determining module 601, a sending module 602, and the like.

[0265] In some embodiments, the determining module 601 is configured to determine a first wireless frame, wherein the first wireless frame indicates that the station device is ready to roam or switch to a candidate access point device AP from a source AP; the first wireless frame includes first identification information, and the first identification information indicates capability information of the station device; and the sending module 602 is configured to send the first wireless frame.

[0266] Optionally, the determining module 601 is configured to perform at least one of the communication steps (for example, steps 201 and 501, but not limited thereto) performed by the station device 101 in any of the above methods. Details are not described herein again. The sending module 602 is configured to perform at least one of steps 202 and 302. Details are not described herein again.

[0267] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a source AP according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, the source AP 700 can include a first receiving module 701.

[0268] In some embodiments, the first receiving module 701 is configured to receive a first wireless frame sent by a station device, wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is preparing to roam or handover to a candidate access point device (AP) by the source AP, and the first wireless frame includes first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device.

[0269] Optionally, the first receiving module 701 is configured to perform at least one of the communication steps (for example, step 203, step 401, but not limited thereto) performed by the source AP 102 in any of the above methods, which will not be described herein again.

[0270] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a target AP according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8, the target AP 800 can include a second receiving module 801.

[0271] In some embodiments, the second receiving module 801 is configured to receive a first wireless frame forwarded by a source AP, wherein the first wireless frame is sent by a station device to the source AP, the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is preparing to roam or handover to a candidate access point device (AP) by the source AP, and the first wireless frame includes first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device.

[0272] Optionally, the second receiving module 801 is configured to perform at least one of the communication steps (for example, step 206, step 501, but not limited thereto) performed by the target AP 103 in any of the above methods, which will not be described herein again.

[0273] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a terminal 900 (for example, a user equipment, etc.) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The terminal 900 can be a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc. supporting a network device to implement any of the above methods, and can also be a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc. supporting a terminal to implement any of the above methods. The terminal 900 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments, and specific implementation can be referred to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0274] As shown in FIG. 9, the terminal 900 includes one or more processors 901. The processor 901 can be a general processor or a special-purpose processor, etc., for example, can be a baseband processor or a central processor. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, the central processor can be used to control a communication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute programs, and process data of the programs. The terminal 900 is configured to perform any of the above methods.

[0275] In some embodiments, the terminal 900 further includes one or more memories 902 for storing instructions. Alternatively, all or part of the memory 902 can also be outside the terminal 900.

[0276] In some embodiments, the terminal 900 further includes one or more transceivers 904. When the terminal 900 includes one or more transceivers 904, the transceiver 904 performs at least one of the communication steps (such as steps 202, 203, 205, 206, 207, 302, 303, 304, 401, 403, 404, 406, 501, 502, but not limited to) in the above methods, and the processor 901 performs at least one of the other steps (such as steps 201, 204, 208, 301, 402, 405, but not limited to).

[0277] In some embodiments, the transceiver can include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which can be separate or integrated together. Alternatively, the terms transceiver, transceiving unit, transceiver, transceiving circuit, etc. can be replaced with each other, the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, transmitting circuit, etc. can be replaced with each other, and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, etc. can be replaced with each other.

[0278] In some embodiments, the terminal 900 can include one or more interface circuits 903. Alternatively, the interface circuit 903 is connected with the memory 902, and the interface circuit 903 can be used to receive signals from the memory 902 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory 902 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 903 can read the instructions stored in the memory 902 and send the instructions to the processor 901.

[0279] The terminal 900 described in the above embodiments can be a communication device such as a user equipment, but the scope of the terminal 900 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the terminal 900 can not be limited by FIG. 9. The communication device can be a stand-alone device or can be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device can be: (1) a stand-alone integrated circuit (IC), or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a set of one or more ICs, which can optionally also include storage for storing data, programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded within other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal device, smart terminal device, cellular phone, wireless device, handset, mobile unit, car-mounted device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, and the like; (6) other devices, and the like.

[0280] FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of a chip 1000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the case where the terminal 900 is a chip or a chip system, the structural schematic diagram of the chip 1000 shown in FIG. 10 can be referred to, but is not limited thereto.

[0281] The chip 1000 includes one or more processors 1001, and the chip 1000 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0282] In some embodiments, the chip 1000 further includes one or more interface circuits 1003. Optionally, the interface circuit 1003 is connected to the memory 1002, and the interface circuit 1003 can be configured to receive signals from the memory 1002 or other devices, and the interface circuit 1003 can be configured to send signals to the memory 1002 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 1003 can read instructions stored in the memory 1002 and send the instructions to the processor 1001.

[0283] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 1003 performs at least one of the communication steps (such as steps 202, 203, 205, 206, 207, 302, 303, 304, 401, 403, 404, 406, 501, 502, but not limited thereto) in the above methods, and the processor 1001 performs at least one of the other steps (such as steps 201, 204, 208, 301, 402, 405, but not limited thereto).

[0284] In some embodiments, the terms interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, transceiver, and the like can be replaced by each other.

[0285] In some embodiments, chip 1000 also includes one or more memories 1002 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of memory 1002 can be external to chip 1000.

[0286] The disclosure also provides a storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed on terminal 900, cause terminal 900 to perform any of the methods described above. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but this is not a limitation, as the storage medium can also be a storage medium readable by other apparatus. Optionally, the storage medium can be a non-transitory storage medium, but this is not a limitation, as the storage medium can also be a transitory storage medium.

[0287] The disclosure also provides a program product which, when executed by terminal 900, causes terminal 900 to perform any of the methods described above. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0288] The disclosure also provides a computer program which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the methods described above.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: The station device determines a first wireless frame; wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is preparing to roam or switch to a candidate AP by a source access point device AP; the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device; The first wireless frame is sent.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized by, The first wireless frame further comprises at least one of the following: Second identification information identifying the candidate AP and the source AP; First link identification link ID information identifying that the candidate AP is a multi-connection device and multiple links of the candidate AP; Transmission identification TID mapping information identifying whether there is TID-To-Link mapping information after the station device roams or switches to the candidate AP, or identifying whether the TID-To-Link mapping information after the station device roams or switches to the candidate AP is the same as the TID-To-Link mapping information of the source AP; Target wake-up time TWT information identifying whether there is a TWT mechanism negotiated by the station device and the source AP.

3. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein, The candidate AP and the source AP belong to the same ESS, and the second identification information comprises a MAC address of the ESS. Or The candidate AP and the source AP do not belong to the same ESS, and the second identification information comprises an ESS identifier of the source AP and an ESS identifier of the candidate AP.

4. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by, The capability information of the station device comprises at least one of the following: Capability information supporting dRU transmission, SS capability information, BW capability information, and MCS mode information.

5. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by, After the first wireless frame is sent, the method comprises: A second wireless frame sent by the source AP is received; wherein the second wireless frame identifies a target AP determined by the source AP from the candidate AP; A roaming request frame or a switching request frame is sent to the target AP through the source AP.

6. The communication method according to claim 5, wherein, After the roaming request frame or the switching request frame is sent to the target AP through the source AP, the method comprises: A roaming response frame or a switching response frame forwarded by the source AP is received.

7. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein, The roaming response frame or the switching response frame comprises a TSF time offset value under each link; and the TSF time offset value is a time offset value between the source AP and the target AP.

8. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by, The first wireless frame comprises a roaming announcement frame or a switching announcement frame.

9. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: The source AP receives a first wireless frame sent by a station device; wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is preparing to roam or switch to a candidate AP by the source AP; the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device.

10. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein, The first wireless frame further comprises at least one of the following: Second identification information identifying the candidate AP and the source AP; First link identification link ID information identifying that the candidate AP is a multi-connection device and multiple links of the candidate AP; TID mapping information, indicating whether there is TID-To-Link mapping information after the station device roams or switches to the candidate AP, or indicating whether the TID-To-Link mapping information after the station device roams or switches to the candidate AP is the same as the TID-To-Link mapping information of the source AP; TWT information, indicating whether there is TWT mechanism negotiated by the station device and the source AP.

11. The communication method according to claim 10, wherein, The candidate AP and the source AP belong to the same ESS, and the second identification information includes a MAC address of the ESS. Or The candidate AP and the source AP do not belong to the same ESS, and the second identification information includes an ESS identifier of the source AP and an ESS identifier of the candidate AP.

12. The communication method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized by, The capability information of the station device includes at least one of the following: The capability information of supporting dRU transmission, SS capability information, BW capability information, and MCS mode information.

13. The communication method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized by, After receiving the first wireless frame sent by the station device, the method includes: Determining a target AP from the candidate APs, forwarding the first wireless frame to the target AP, and Sending a second wireless frame to the station device; wherein the target AP is identified in the second wireless frame.

14. The communication method according to claim 13, wherein, The method further includes: Receiving a roaming request frame or a switching request frame sent by the station device; Forwarding the roaming request frame or the switching request frame to the target AP.

15. The communication method according to claim 14, wherein, The method further includes: Receiving a roaming response frame or a switching response frame sent by the target AP; Forwarding the roaming response frame or the switching response frame to the station device.

16. The communication method according to claim 15, wherein, The roaming response frame or the switching response frame includes a TSF time offset value under each link; the TSF time offset value is a time offset value between the source AP and the target AP.

17. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized by, The first wireless frame includes a roaming announcement frame or a switching announcement frame.

18. A method of communication, comprising: The method includes: The target AP receives the first wireless frame forwarded by the source AP; wherein the first wireless frame is sent by the station device to the source AP, the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is ready to roam or switch to a candidate access point device AP by the source AP; the first identification information included in the first wireless frame identifies the capability information of the station device.

19. The communication method of claim 18, wherein, The method further includes: Receiving a roaming request frame or a switching request frame forwarded by the source AP; wherein the roaming request frame or the switching request frame is sent by the station device to the source AP.

20. The communication method according to claim 19, wherein, The method further includes: Sending a roaming response frame or a switching response frame to the source AP.

21. The communication method according to claim 20, wherein, The roaming response frame or the switching response frame includes a time synchronization function (TSF) time offset value under each link; the TSF time offset value is a time offset value between the source AP and the target AP.

22. A communication device, the communication device being a station device, characterized by The station device includes: A determination module configured to determine that the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is ready to roam or switch to a candidate access point device AP by the source AP; the first identification information included in the first wireless frame identifies the capability information of the station device; A sending module configured to send the first wireless frame.

23. A communication device, the communication device being a source AP, characterized in that, The source AP includes: The first receiving module is configured to receive a first wireless frame sent by a station device; wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is preparing to roam or switch to a candidate access point device (AP) from the source AP; the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device. The first identification information identifies capability information of the station device.

24. A communication device, the communication device being a target AP, characterized in that, The target AP comprises: The second receiving module is configured to receive a first wireless frame forwarded by a source AP; wherein the first wireless frame is sent by a station device to the source AP, and the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is preparing to roam or switch to a candidate access point device (AP) from the source AP; the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device.

25. A communication device, the communication device being a station device, characterized by The first identification information identifies capability information of the station device. One or more processors; The station device is configured to perform the communication method in any one of claims 1 to 8.

26. A communication device, the communication device being a source AP, characterized by, The first identification information identifies capability information of the station device. One or more processors; The source AP is configured to perform the communication method in any one of claims 9 to 17.

27. A communication device, the communication device being a target AP, characterized in that, The first identification information identifies capability information of the station device. One or more processors; The target AP is configured to perform the communication method in any one of claims 18 to 21.

28. A communication system, characterized by The station device, the source AP, and the target AP; The station device determines and sends a first wireless frame to the source AP; wherein the first wireless frame identifies that the station device is preparing to roam or switch to a candidate AP from the source AP; the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information identifies capability information of the station device. The source AP receives the first wireless frame sent by the station device, determines a target AP from the candidate APs, and forwards the first wireless frame to the target AP. The target AP receives the first wireless frame forwarded by the source AP.

29. A storage medium, the storage medium storing instructions, wherein, When the instructions run on the communication device, the communication device is caused to perform the communication method in any one of claims 1 to 8, or perform the communication method in any one of claims 9 to 17, or perform the communication method in any one of claims 18 to 21.

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