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: an access point (AP) receives a first wireless frame in a process of establishing initial association with a station (STA); wherein the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information is used for identifying first time delay information when the STA carries out channel switching; the first time delay information is used for the AP to determine second time delay information for scheduling the STA to perform channel switching, and a setting mechanism for the time delay information of the equipment is further improved.

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 the delay, improving the manageability, increasing the throughput at different Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) levels, and reducing the device-level power consumption, and the like.

[0003] In the existing Wi-Fi actual application, due to the difference in the capability of the hardware supported by the STA, a certain switching time length may be required when switching from one channel to another channel, and when the AP schedules the STA to switch the channel, the scheduling delay information may not be consistent with the actual channel switching delay information of the STA, which causes the AP or the STA to be unable to receive the information sent by the opposite end, and affects the communication process between the AP and the STA. Therefore, it is necessary to further improve the setting mechanism of the delay information of the device.

[0004] SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system to provide a further improved setting mechanism of the delay information of the device.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method performed by an access point device (AP), and the method comprises:

[0007] In a process of establishing an initial association with a station device (STA), a first wireless frame is received; wherein the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information is used to identify first delay information of the STA for channel switching.

[0008] The first delay information is used by the AP to determine second delay information of the STA for channel switching.

[0009] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication method performed by a station device (STA), and the method comprises:

[0010] In a process of establishing an initial association with an access point device (AP), a first wireless frame is determined; wherein the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information is used to identify first delay information of the STA for channel switching.

[0011] The first time delay information is used by the AP to determine second time delay information for scheduling the channel switching of the STA.

[0012] The first wireless frame is transmitted.

[0013] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device, which comprises an access point device AP, and comprises:

[0014] The receiving module is configured to receive a first wireless frame in a process of establishing an initial association with a station device STA, wherein the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information is used to identify first time delay information for channel switching of the STA.

[0015] The first time delay information is used by the AP to determine second time delay information for scheduling the channel switching of the STA.

[0016] In a fourth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device, which comprises a station device STA, and comprises:

[0017] The determining module is configured to determine a first wireless frame in a process of establishing an initial association with an access point device AP, wherein the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information is used to identify first time delay information for channel switching of the STA.

[0018] The first time delay information is used by the AP to determine second time delay information for scheduling the channel switching of the STA.

[0019] The transmitting module is configured to transmit the first wireless frame.

[0020] In a fifth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device, which comprises an access point device AP, and comprises:

[0021] One or more processors;

[0022] The access point device is configured to perform the communication method of the first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] In a sixth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device, which comprises a station device STA, and comprises:

[0024] One or more processors;

[0025] The station device is configured to perform the communication method of the second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] In a seventh aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication system, comprising an access point device AP and a station device STA.

[0027] The STA is configured to determine a first wireless frame in a process of establishing initial association with the AP, wherein the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information is used to identify first time delay information of channel switching of the STA, and the first time delay information is used by the AP to determine second time delay information of scheduling channel switching of the STA, and the first wireless frame is sent.

[0028] The AP is configured to receive the first wireless frame in the process of establishing initial association with the STA.

[0029] In an eighth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a storage medium, which stores instructions, and when the instructions are run on a communication device, the communication device performs the communication method in the first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure or performs the communication method in the second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0030] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the STA determines a first wireless frame in a process of establishing initial association with the AP, and the first identification information carried by the first wireless frame is used to identify first time delay information of channel switching of the STA, so that the AP determines second time delay information of scheduling channel switching of the STA according to the first time delay information of channel switching of the STA. In this way, the AP determines the time delay information required for scheduling the STA according to the difference in hardware capability supported by the STA, and avoids the problem that the inconsistency between the AP and the STA in channel switching due to the defect of the hardware of the STA, and affects the communication process between the AP and the STA.

[0031] Additional aspects and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in part in the description that follows, and will become apparent from the description, or will be learned by practice according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following describes the drawings required for the embodiment description. The following drawings are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and do not specifically limit the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG. 2 is one of the interaction schematic diagrams of a communication method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG. 3 is another of the interaction schematic diagrams of a communication method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0036] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a scenario of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a scenario of a communication system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a flow of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a flow of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a structure of an access point device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a station device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0042] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a chip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a communication device and a communication system.

[0045] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, performed by an access point device AP, comprising:

[0046] receiving a first wireless frame in a process of establishing an initial association with a station device STA; wherein the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, the first identification information being used to identify first time delay information of channel switching of the STA;

[0047] The first time delay information is used by the AP to determine second time delay information of scheduling the STA to perform channel switching.

[0048] In the above embodiments, the AP can determine the time delay information required for scheduling the STA according to the difference in hardware capabilities supported by the STA, so as to avoid the problem of inconsistency in channel switching time delay between the AP and the STA due to defects in the hardware of the STA, and to affect the communication process between the AP and the STA.

[0049] In some embodiments in combination with the first aspect, in a case where the STA supports switching to different secondary channels, the first time delay information comprises time delay information of the STA switching to each of the secondary channels.

[0050] In the above embodiments, in a case where the STA supports switching to different secondary channels, the AP can determine the time delay information required for scheduling the STA according to the time delay information of the STA switching to each of the secondary channels.

[0051] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in a case where the STA does not support multi-link communication, the first identification information is carried in a first element of the first wireless frame.

[0052] Or

[0053] In a case where the STA supports multi-link communication, the first identification information is carried in a common info field; wherein the common info field is carried in a multi-link (ML) information element of the first wireless frame.

[0054] In the above embodiments, the carrying position of the first identification information can be determined according to whether the STA supports multi-link communication.

[0055] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the first wireless frame further includes second identification information, and the second identification information is used to identify that the STA supports secondary channel access communication.

[0056] In the above embodiments, the STA can identify whether the STA supports secondary channel access communication through the second identification information carried in the first wireless frame.

[0057] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0058] determining a second wireless frame; wherein the second wireless frame includes third identification information, and the third identification information is used to identify the second latency information;

[0059] sending the second wireless frame.

[0060] In the above embodiments, the AP determines and sends the second wireless frame, and identifies the second latency information of the channel switching scheduled by the AP to the STA through the third identification information in the second wireless frame.

[0061] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in a case where the second wireless frame is a unicast frame, the second latency information is greater than or equal to the first latency information of the STA receiving the second wireless frame;

[0062] Or

[0063] In a case where the second wireless frame is a broadcast frame or a groupcast frame, the second latency information is greater than or equal to the first latency information of the channel switching of the second STA; and the second STA is the STA with the longest first latency information among at least one STA that has established an initial association with the AP.

[0064] In the above embodiment, when the AP determines the second time delay information for scheduling the STA to perform channel switching, the STA receiving the second wireless frame can be determined according to the transmission mode of the second wireless frame, and the second time delay information for scheduling the corresponding STA can be determined according to the first time delay information of the receiving STA.

[0065] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in a case where the STA supports switching to different secondary channels, the second time delay information is greater than or equal to the maximum value of the time delay information for the STA switching to each of the secondary channels.

[0066] In the above embodiment, in a case where the STA supports switching to different secondary channels, the AP can determine the second time delay information for scheduling the STA to perform channel switching according to the time delay information for the STA switching to each secondary channel.

[0067] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, executed by a station device STA, and the method comprises:

[0068] In a process of establishing an initial association with an access point device AP, a first wireless frame is determined, wherein the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information is used to identify first time delay information for the STA to perform channel switching;

[0069] The first time delay information is used by the AP to determine second time delay information for scheduling the STA to perform channel switching.

[0070] The first wireless frame is transmitted.

[0071] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in a case where the STA supports switching to different secondary channels, the first time delay information comprises time delay information for the STA switching to each of the secondary channels.

[0072] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in a case where the STA does not support multi-link communication, the first identification information is carried in a first element of the first wireless frame.

[0073] Or

[0074] In a case where the STA supports multi-link communication, the first identification information is carried in a common info field; and the common info field is carried in a multi-link (ML) information element of the first wireless frame.

[0075] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the first wireless frame further comprises second identification information, and the second identification information is used to identify that the STA supports secondary channel access communication.

[0076] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the method further comprises:

[0077] receiving a second wireless frame; wherein the second wireless frame comprises third identification information, the third identification information being used to identify the second latency information.

[0078] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in a case where the second wireless frame is a unicast frame, the second latency information is greater than or equal to first latency information of a STA receiving the second wireless frame;

[0079] or

[0080] in a case where the second wireless frame is a broadcast frame or a groupcast frame, the second latency information is greater than or equal to first latency information of a first STA performing channel switching; the first STA being a STA with the longest first latency information among at least one STA that has established initial association with the AP.

[0081] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in a case where the STA supports switching to different secondary channels, the second latency information is greater than or equal to a maximum value of latency information of corresponding STAs switching to each of the secondary channels.

[0082] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device, which comprises an access point device AP, the AP comprising at least one of a determination module and a sending module; wherein the AP is configured to perform the optional implementation manners of the first aspect.

[0083] In a fourth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device, which comprises a station device STA, the STA comprising a receiving module; wherein the STA is configured to perform the optional implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0084] In a fifth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device, which comprises an access point device AP, comprising:

[0085] one or more processors;

[0086] wherein the AP is configured to perform the optional implementation manners of the first aspect.

[0087] In a sixth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device, which comprises a station device STA, comprising:

[0088] one or more processors;

[0089] The station device is configured to perform the optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0090] In a seventh aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication system, comprising an access point device and a station device; wherein the access point device is configured to perform the optional implementation of the first aspect, and the station device is configured to perform the optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0091] In an eighth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a storage medium, which stores instructions, when the instructions are run on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the optional implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0092] In a ninth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a program product, when the program product is executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0093] In a tenth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer program, when the computer program is run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0094] In an eleventh aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a chip or a chip system. The chip or the chip system comprises a processing circuit configured to perform the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect and the third aspect.

[0095] It can be understood that the above-mentioned communication device, communication system, storage medium, program product, computer program, chip or chip system are all used to perform the method proposed by 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.

[0096] The embodiments of the present disclosure propose a communication method, a communication device and a communication system. In some embodiments, the terms of communication method and signal sending method, wireless frame sending method, etc. can be replaced with each other, and the terms of information processing system and communication system can be replaced with each other.

[0097] 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 part of the 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, part or all of the steps of different embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, an embodiment can be combined with the optional implementation manners of other embodiments.

[0098] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent if there is no special description and logical conflict, and can be referred to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0099] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and not as a limitation on the present disclosure.

[0100] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0101] 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.

[0102] In some embodiments, the writing manner of "at least one of A, B", "A and / or B", "A in one case and B in another case", "responding to a case A, responding to another case B", and the like can include the following technical solutions according to the case: in some embodiments, A (A is executed regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed regardless of A); in some embodiments, A and B are selected to be executed (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, A and B (A and B are executed). When there are more branches of A, B, C, etc., it is similar to the above.

[0103] In some embodiments, the writing manner of "A or B" and the like can include the following technical solutions according to the case: in some embodiments, A (A is executed regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed regardless of A); in some embodiments, A and B are selected to be executed (A and B are selectively executed). When there are more branches of A, B, C, etc., it is similar to the above.

[0104] 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 objects are described in the claims or embodiments in the context of the description, and should not be construed as redundant limitation because of the use of the prefix words. For example, the description object is "field", and the ordinal words before "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not limit the position or order between "fields", and "first" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" modified thereby are in the same message or not, nor limit the order of "first field" and "second field". For another example, the description object is "level", and the ordinal words before "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not limit the priority between "levels". For another example, the quantity of the description object is not limited by the ordinal words, and can be one or more. For example, "first device", wherein the quantity of "device" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefix words can be the same or different, for example, the description object is "device", and "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and the types thereof can be the same or different; for another example, the description object is "information", and "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and the contents thereof can be the same or different.

[0105] In some embodiments, "including A", "containing A", "for indicating A", "carrying A" can be interpreted as directly carrying A, or indirectly indicating A.

[0106] 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.

[0107] 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.

[0108] 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.

[0109] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as an apparatus contained in the network, for example, an access network device, a core network device, and the like.

[0110] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, and the like can comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is located.

[0111] In some embodiments, data, information, and the like can be obtained after obtaining the consent of the user.

[0112] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiments of the 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.

[0113] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0114] As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 100 includes an access point device (AP) 101 and a station device (STA) 102.

[0115] In some embodiments, the access point device 101 can be an access point for a mobile terminal to enter a wired network. The AP is equivalent to 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 like, and support the next generation 802.11 protocol, but is not limited thereto.

[0116] In some embodiments, the station device 102 includes, for example, a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal supporting Wi-Fi communication function. Optionally, the wireless communication terminal is at least one of, for example, a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device supporting Wi-Fi communication function, a car with Wi-Fi communication function, a smart car, a tablet (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, a wireless terminal device in smart home, but not limited thereto.

[0117] Specifically, the station device 102 can be a terminal device or a network device with a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) chip. Optionally, the station device 102 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 not limited thereto.

[0118] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the number of STAs 102 associated with the AP 101 can include at least two.

[0119] 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.

[0120] 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 by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can know that, with the evolution of system architecture and the appearance of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed by the embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0121] The embodiments of the present disclosure described below can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1 or part of the subjects, but are not limited thereto. The subjects shown in FIG. 1 are exemplary, and the communication system can include all or part of the subjects in FIG. 1, or other subjects other than FIG. 1. The number and form of each subject is arbitrary, each subject can be real or virtual, the connection relationship between each subject is exemplary, each subject can not be connected or can be connected, the connection can be in any way, can be direct connection or indirect connection, can be wired connection or wireless connection.

[0122] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as a local area network using 802.11 series protocols. 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 called an independent BSS (IBSS). Another more common situation is that there is only one central station with a full-time management BSS in the BSS network, which is called an access point device, and other stations in the BSS network that are not APs are called terminals, also called non-AP STAs, APs and non-AP STAs are collectively called STAs. When describing a STA, it is not necessary to distinguish between APs and non-AP STAs. In the same BSS network, due to distance, transmission power, etc., one STA cannot detect other STAs far away from it, and the two are each other's hidden nodes.

[0123] 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:

[0124] In step 201, the STA 102 determines a first wireless frame in the process of establishing an initial association with the access point device AP 101; wherein the first wireless frame includes first identification information, and the first identification information is used to identify first time delay information of channel switching of the STA 102;

[0125] The first time delay information is used by the AP 101 to determine second time delay information for scheduling the STA 102 to perform channel switching.

[0126] In a WLAN, a channel is usually divided into a primary channel and a secondary channel (or non-primary channel); wherein the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) can contain one or more sub-channels. For example, if a 20MHz is taken as a basic bandwidth unit, when the channel bandwidth is 20MHz, there is only one primary channel with a bandwidth of 20MHz; when the channel bandwidth is greater than 20MHz, one of the 20MHz channels is taken as the primary channel, and the remaining one or more 20MHz channels are taken as secondary channels. The primary 20MHz channel is the common channel of operation for stations that are members of the basic service set, and the stations in the BSS can perform channel contention on the primary 20MHz channel to occupy the channel resources. Alternatively, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the channels other than the primary channel in the channel can be secondary channels or non-primary channels, and the secondary channels appearing in the present disclosure can be applicable to the non-primary channels.

[0127] As an example, as shown in FIG. 4, the primary channel is, for example, the primary 20MHz channel in FIG. 4; wherein the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) can contain one or more sub-channels, for example, the 20MHz secondary channel and the 40MHz secondary channel (or non-primary channel) in FIG. 4.

[0128] Referring to FIG. 5, in the process of performing channel contention on the channel, if the primary channel is in an OBSS busy state (OBSS interference), as shown in the T1 time period and the T2 time period in FIG. 5, for example, occupied by other devices in the same OBSS as the WLAN, the other devices send physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) on the primary channel, and the primary channel is in the OBSS busy state. If the primary channel is in the OBSS busy state, in order to be able to fully utilize the channel resources, the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) communication can be switched to, so as to improve the communication system throughput and maximize the utilization of channel resources. For example, in FIG. 5, the 20MHz secondary channel (or non-primary channel) communication is switched to in the T1 time period, or the 40MHz secondary channel (or non-primary channel) communication is switched to in the T2 time period.

[0129] If the primary channel is in an idle state, as shown in the T3 time period in FIG. 5, the AP 101 and the STA 102 can send PPDUs to each other.

[0130] In addition, when communicating on the primary channel (secondary channel busy or non-primary channel), when the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) is idle, the primary and secondary channels (or the primary and non-primary channels) can be aggregated for communication to improve the throughput of the system; as an example, as shown in FIG. 5, during the transmission of each frame, the primary channel and at least one secondary channel (or non-primary channel) can be aggregated for transmission.

[0131] In actual Wi-Fi applications, the communication capability value supported by the AP can always be greater than the communication capability value supported by the STA, and the AP and the STA can only communicate at the communication capability value supported by the STA, resulting in waste of the communication resources supported by the AP and greater than the communication capability value supported by the STA. For example, if the AP supports a communication bandwidth of 320 MHz, and the STA supports a maximum communication bandwidth of 80 MHz or 160 MHz, if the AP communicates with the STA, the maximum communication bandwidth that can be used is 160 MHz, and another 160 MHz supported by the AP cannot be used, resulting in waste of communication resources.

[0132] In order to better use the channel bandwidth, based on the mechanism that the STA can switch into the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) for communication, a mechanism is further provided in which the AP allocates secondary channel resources (or non-primary channel resources) to at least one STA associated with the AP based on the communication capability of the STA associated with the AP, so as to maximize the use of the working bandwidth supported by the AP. Specifically, the AP can obtain a TXOP (transmission opportunity) through an EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access) mechanism under its working bandwidth, and allocate secondary channel resources (or non-primary channel resources) to at least one STA associated with the AP by sending an initial control frame.

[0133] Optionally, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure is applicable to both devices supporting multi-link communication and devices not supporting multi-link communication. If the AP is attached to an AP MLD and the STA is attached to a non-AP MLD, the working bandwidth supported by the AP can be the same or different under each link, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit this. In this specification, the operation under each link is taken as an example for description.

[0134] Optionally, when the AP allocates channel resource information to at least two STAs respectively, the AP can directly allocate the entire channel bandwidth to the STAs according to the supported operating bandwidth of the AP, or divide the channel bandwidth into multiple RUs (resource units) such as 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, 106-tone RUs, 242-tone RUs, etc., and allocate RUs, MRUs (Multiple Resource Units), and dRUs (distributed Radio units) in the channel bandwidth to the STAs in units of RUs.

[0135] As an example, when the supported operating bandwidth of the AP is 40 MHz, and the STAs associated with the AP include STA1, STA2, and STA3, the AP can directly allocate the 40 MHz channel bandwidth to the STAs, or allocate a 106-tone RU to STA1, a 106-tone RU + a 52-tone RU to STA2, and a 106-tone dRU to STA3.

[0136] As another example, when the supported operating bandwidth of the AP is 320 MHz, the STAs 102 associated with the AP include STA1 and STA2, and the maximum supported operating bandwidth of STA1 is 160 MHz and the maximum supported operating bandwidth of STA2 is 160 MHz, the AP can allocate P160 MHz (primary channel-160 MHz) to STA1, i.e., allocate the resources of P160 MHz to STA1 for uplink and downlink communication, and allocate S160 MHz (secondary channel-160 MHz) to STA2, i.e., allocate the resources of S160 MHz to STA2 for uplink and downlink communication, or the AP can allocate P160 MHz to STA2 and S160 MHz to STA1.

[0137] Generally, after sending the initial control frame, the AP needs to receive the feedback of the STA within a SIFS (Short interframe space, for example, 16us (microsecond)) or send a trigger frame to the STA through a secondary channel (or a non-primary channel) within the SIFS. However, due to the defects of the STA hardware, the capabilities of the supported hardware of the STA are different, and it may take a certain switching time to switch from one channel to another channel. The switching delay of the STA for channel switching may be greater than 16us, and therefore, within 16us, the STA may not be able to switch to the secondary channel (or the non-primary channel), and thus, the trigger frame sent by the AP through the secondary channel (or the non-primary channel) cannot be received. Or, the STA feeds back to the AP only after 16us, and therefore, a mechanism needs to be provided to avoid this situation.

[0138] Optionally, the first wireless frame can include, but is not limited to, a probe Request frame, an association Request frame, or a Reassociation Request frame.

[0139] Optionally, the first wireless frame can include a padding field, and the first identification information can be carried in the padding field.

[0140] Optionally, the first delay information of the STA for channel switching can include the time length required by the STA for channel switching, for example, 16us, 32us, etc. Optionally, the padding field can include a sequence of all 1s.

[0141] Since the first identification information carried in the first wireless frame can identify the first delay information of the STA 102 for channel switching, the AP 101 can determine the second delay information for scheduling the channel switching of the STA 102 according to the first delay information of the STA 102 for channel switching, and the first identification information can be specifically carried in the padding field. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first wireless frame can also be referred to as a padding delay information change frame.

[0142] With the change of the supported working bandwidth of the STA 102, the first delay information of the STA 102 for channel switching can also change. In the case where the first delay information of the STA 102 for channel switching changes, the STA 102 can re-send the padding delay information change frame to the AP 101.

[0143] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the STA 102 determines a first wireless frame in the process of establishing an initial association with the AP 101; the first delay information of the channel switching of the STA 102 is identified by the first identification information carried by the first wireless frame, so that the AP 101 determines the second delay information of scheduling the channel switching of the STA 102 according to the first delay information of the channel switching of the STA 102; in this way, the delay information required by the AP 101 to schedule the STA 102 is determined according to the difference in the hardware capability supported by the STA 102, and the problem of inconsistency between the AP 101 and the STA 102 in the channel switching due to the defect of the hardware of the STA 102 is avoided, which affects the reception of the feedback of the STA 102 by the AP 101, or affects the reception of the trigger frame sent by the AP 101 by the STA 102.

[0144] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the STA 102 supports switching to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels), the first delay information includes the delay information of the STA 102 switching to each of the secondary channels (or non-primary channels).

[0145] Optionally, for each secondary channel (or non-primary channel), the delay information of the STA 102 switching to the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) can include but is not limited to the parameter information of the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) and the switching delay of the STA 102 switching from the primary channel to the secondary channel (or non-primary channel). For example, the first delay information can include a plurality of bits, each bit corresponding to a secondary channel (or non-primary channel), and the parameter value of the bit is used to identify the switching delay of the STA 102 switching from the primary channel to the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) corresponding to the bit.

[0146] Optionally, the parameter information of the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) can include but is not limited to the bandwidth information of the secondary channel (or non-primary channel), the channel ID information of the secondary channel (or non-primary channel), the spatial stream (SS) information, and the Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) information.

[0147] Optionally, in the case that the STA 102 supports switching to multiple (i.e., at least two) secondary channels (or non-primary channels), the switching delay of the STA 102 switching from the primary channel to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels) can be different. For example, in the case that the operating bandwidth of the BSS in which the STA 102 is located is 160 MHz, the bandwidth of the primary channel is 40 MHz, the bandwidth of the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) 1 is 40 MHz, the bandwidth of the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) 2 is 40 MHz, and the bandwidth of the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) 3 is 40 MHz, the switching delay of the AP 101 switching from the primary channel to the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) 1, the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) 2, and the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) 3 can be different.

[0148] In the case that the STA 102 supports switching to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels) and the switching delay of the STA 102 switching from the primary channel to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels) is the same, the first delay information can include only the delay information of the STA 102 switching to any one of the secondary channels (or non-primary channels), or can include the delay information of the STA 102 switching to each of the secondary channels (or non-primary channels) respectively. In the case that the STA 102 supports switching to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels) and the switching delay of the STA 102 switching from the primary channel to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels) is completely different or partially different, the first delay information can include the delay information of the STA 102 switching to each of the secondary channels (or non-primary channels) respectively.

[0149] Optionally, in the case that the STA 102 does not support multi-link communication, the first identification information is carried in a first element of the first wireless frame.

[0150] Or

[0151] In the case that the STA 102 supports multi-link communication, the first identification information is carried in a common info field (common info field, info is short for information).

[0152] Optionally, the first element can include a newly defined information element, or can include a UHR operation (UHR operation; UHR is short for Ultra High Reliability) information element.

[0153] Optionally, in the case that the STA 102 does not support multi-link communication, the first delay information can be identified by three bits in the first element.

[0154] As an example, referring to Table 1, field formats of the common info field are shown:

[0155] Table 1:

[0156] Referring to Table 1, the fields of the common info field can include a Common Info Length field, an MLD MAC Address field, a Link ID Info field, a BSS Parameters Change Count field, a Medium Synchronization Delay Information field, an EML Capabilities field, an MLD Capabilities And Operations field, an AP MLD ID field, and an Extended MLD Capabilities And Operations field.

[0157] The Common Info Length field occupies 1 byte, the MLD MAC Address field occupies 6 bytes, the Link ID Info field occupies 0 or 1 byte, the BSS Parameters Change Count field occupies 0 or 1 byte, the Medium Synchronization Delay Information field occupies 0 or 2 bytes, the EML Capabilities field occupies 0 or 2 bytes, the MLD Capabilities And Operations field occupies 0 or 2 bytes, the AP MLD ID field occupies 0 or 1 byte, and the Extended MLD Capabilities And Operations field occupies 0 or 2 bytes.

[0158] Optionally, in the case that the STA 102 supports multi-link communication, a new field can be added in the common info field based on the field format of the common info field shown in Table 1 to identify the first delay information. Optionally, the new field can occupy 1 byte.

[0159] As an example, in the case that the STA 102 supports multi-link communication and the AP 101 supports multi-link communication, the AP 101 affiliated to the AP MLD includes the AP 4, the AP 5, and the AP 6, and the non-AP STA 102 affiliated to the non-AP MLD includes the STA 4, the STA 5, and the STA 6, the AP 4 can communicate with the STA 4 through Link 1, the AP 5 can communicate with the STA 5 through Link 2, and the AP 6 can communicate with the STA 6 through Link 3. Then, in the first wireless frame, the first identification information carried in the common info field can include: the first delay information of the STA 4 performing channel switching under Link 1, the first delay information of the STA 5 performing channel switching under Link 2, and the first delay information of the STA 6 performing channel switching under Link 3.

[0160] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first wireless frame further includes second identification information, and the second identification information is used to identify that the STA 102 supports secondary channel (or non-primary channel) access communication.

[0161] Optionally, the first wireless frame includes a user information field (user information, referred to as user info), and the second identification information can be carried in the user info field.

[0162] In some embodiments, the second identification information can be 1 bit, and the support capability information of the STA 102 for the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) access communication can be identified by the parameter value of the bit. For example, in the case that the parameter value of the bit is set to 1, it is identified that the STA 102 supports the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) access communication; in the case that the parameter value of the bit is set to 0, it is identified that the STA 102 does not support the secondary channel (or non-primary channel) access communication.

[0163] Step 202: The STA 102 sends the first wireless frame to the AP 101.

[0164] Step 203: The AP 101 receives the first wireless frame sent by the STA 102.

[0165] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the STA 102 involved in steps 201 to 203 can be any one of the STAs 102 associated with the AP 101.

[0166] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, after step 203, the method further includes:

[0167] In step 301, the AP 101 determines a second wireless frame; wherein the second wireless frame includes third identification information, and the third identification information is used to identify the second time delay information.

[0168] In some embodiments, the second wireless frame includes an initial control frame, for example, but not limited to, a multi user-request to send (MU-RTS) frame and a buffer state report polling frame (BSRP frame).

[0169] Optionally, the second wireless frame can include a padding field, and the third identification information can be carried in the padding field.

[0170] Optionally, referring to the above, the AP 101 can determine the second time delay information for scheduling the channel switching of the STA 102 according to the first time delay information of the channel switching of at least one STA 102 associated with the AP 101.

[0171] Optionally, the AP 101 can schedule one or more STAs 102 associated with the AP 101 by sending the second wireless frame.

[0172] Optionally, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure is applicable to both devices supporting multi-link communication and devices not supporting multi-link communication.

[0173] In the case that the AP 101 is attached to an AP MLD and the STA 102 is attached to a non-AP MLD, the AP 101 can determine the second wireless frame under each link, which is not limited by the embodiments of the present disclosure. In this specification, the AP 101 is taken as an example which does not support multi-link communication, or the operation of the AP 101 under one of the links is taken as an example in the case that the AP 101 is attached to an AP MLD, and the way of determining the second wireless frame is described.

[0174] Optionally, the second time delay information can be determined according to the transmission mode of the first wireless frame. According to the propagation mode of the first wireless frame, the first wireless frame can be divided into a unicast frame, a broadcast frame or a groupcast frame.

[0175] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, in the case that the second wireless frame is a unicast frame, the second time delay information is greater than or equal to the first time delay information of the STA 102 receiving the second wireless frame.

[0176] or

[0177] In the case that the second wireless frame is a broadcast frame or a groupcast frame, the second delay information is greater than or equal to first delay information of the second STA 102 for channel switching; the second STA 102 is the STA 102 with the longest first delay information among at least one STA 102 that has established initial association with the AP 101.

[0178] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, in the case that the STA 102 supports switching to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels), the second delay information is greater than or equal to the maximum value in the delay information corresponding to the STA 102 switching to each of the secondary channels (or non-primary channels).

[0179] Optionally, in the case that the second wireless frame is a unicast frame, the STA 102 receiving the second wireless frame can be any one of the STAs 102 associated with the AP 101.

[0180] Optionally, in the case that the second wireless frame is a unicast frame and the STA 102 receiving the second wireless frame supports switching to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels), in the case that the switching delay of the STA 102 switching from the primary channel to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels) is the same, the second delay information can be greater than or equal to the first delay information of the STA 102 switching to any one of the secondary channels (or non-primary channels); in the case that the switching delay of the STA 102 switching from the primary channel to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels) is completely different or partially different, the second delay information can be greater than or equal to the maximum value in the delay information including the STA 102 switching to each of the secondary channels (or non-primary channels).

[0181] Optionally, in the case that the second STA 102 with the longest first delay information is determined among the at least one STA 102 which has established initial association with the AP 101, (1) if the switching delay of the STA 102 from the primary channel to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels) is the same, or the STA 102 only supports switching to one secondary channel (or non-primary channel), the first delay information of each STA 102 can be directly compared to determine the second STA 102 and the second delay information; for example, in the case that the STA 102 which has established initial association with the AP 101 includes STA1, STA2 and STA3, and the first delay information of the STA1 for channel switching is 16us, the first delay information of the STA2 for channel switching is 16us, and the first delay information of the STA3 for channel switching is 32us, then the second STA 102 can be determined as the STA3, and the delay information of the AP 101 for channel switching can be greater than or equal to 32us. (2) If the switching delay of the STA 102 from the primary channel to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels) is completely different or partially different, the maximum value in the delay information of each STA 102 switching to each secondary channel (or non-primary channel) can be compared to determine the second STA 102.

[0182] In step 302, the AP 101 sends the second wireless frame to the STA 102.

[0183] Optionally, in step 302, if the second wireless frame is a unicast frame, the number of the STA 102 can include one; if the second wireless frame is a broadcast frame or a groupcast frame, the number of the STA 102 can include at least two.

[0184] In step 303, the STA 102 receives the second wireless frame sent by the AP 101.

[0185] Optionally, after the STA 102 receives the second wireless frame sent by the AP 101, the AP 101 communicates with the STA 102 in the channel resource allocated to the STA 102.

[0186] Optionally, in the process of the AP 101 communicating with the STA 102, the AP 101 can send a DL MIMO PPDU (down-link MIMO PPDU, downlink multiple-input multiple-output physical layer protocol data unit; MIMO means Multiple-Input Multiple-Output, multiple-input multiple-output, abbreviated as multiple-input multiple-output) to the STA 102, and the STA 102 can send an UL TB PPDU (up-link Trigger-Based PPDU, uplink trigger-based physical layer protocol data unit) to the AP 101, etc.

[0187] Optionally, in embodiments of the present disclosure, in order to further reduce the amount of data required for data transmission, improve transmission rate and communication efficiency, etc., when the second time delay information is set, the second time delay information can be set to be equal to the corresponding first time delay information.

[0188] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc. 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", "bit", "data", "program", "chip", etc. can be replaced with each other.

[0189] In some embodiments, the terms of "time", "time point", "time position", etc. can be replaced with each other, and the terms of "time length", "time period", "time window", "window", "time", etc. can be replaced with each other.

[0190] In some embodiments, the terms of "wireless access scheme", "waveform", etc. can be replaced with each other.

[0191] In some embodiments, the terms of "certain", "preseted", "preset", "set", "indicated", "certain", "arbitrary", "first", etc. 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 specified in advance in a protocol, etc., can be interpreted as A obtained by setting, configuring, or indicating, etc., can be interpreted as certain A, certain A, arbitrary A, or first A, etc., but are not limited thereto.

[0192] In some embodiments, the determination or judgment can be performed by a value (0 or 1) represented by 1 bit, can be performed by a true or false value (Boolean value) represented by true or false, can be performed by comparison of numerical values (for example, comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited thereto.

[0193] In some embodiments, "not expecting to receive" can be interpreted as not receiving on the time domain resource and / or the frequency domain resource, or can be interpreted as, after receiving the data, etc., not performing subsequent processing on the data, etc.; "not expecting to send" can be interpreted as not sending, or can be interpreted as sending but not expecting the receiving party to respond to the content of the sending.

[0194] 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 203 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 301 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 302 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 303 can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of step 201 and step 202 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 201, step 202 and step 203 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 301 and step 302 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 301, step 302 and step 303 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 201, step 202, step 203 and step 301 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 201, step 202, step 203, step 301 and step 302 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 201, step 202, step 203, step 301, step 302 and step 303 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but not limited thereto.

[0195] In some embodiments, reference can be made to the other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 5.

[0196] FIG. 6 is one of flow diagrams of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0197] As shown in FIG. 6, the above method can be applied to the access point device 101, and the above method includes:

[0198] Step 601, in the process of establishing an initial association with the STA 102, a first wireless frame is received; wherein the first wireless frame includes first identification information, and the first identification information is used to identify first time delay information of channel switching of the STA 102;

[0199] The first time delay information is used by the AP 101 to determine second time delay information of scheduling channel switching of the STA 102.

[0200] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, in the case that the STA 102 supports switching to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels), the first delay information comprises delay information of the STA 102 switching to each of the secondary channels (or non-primary channels).

[0201] The optional implementation of step 601 can refer to the optional implementation of steps 201 to 203 of FIG. 2 and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0202] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, in the case that the STA 102 does not support multi-link communication, the first identification information is carried in a first element of the first wireless frame.

[0203] Or

[0204] In the case that the STA 102 supports multi-link communication, the first identification information is carried in a common info field; wherein the common info field is carried in a multi-link (ML) information element of the first wireless frame.

[0205] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first wireless frame further comprises second identification information, and the second identification information is used to identify that the STA 102 supports secondary channel (or non-primary channel) access communication.

[0206] In some embodiments, before step 601, the method further comprises:

[0207] determining a second wireless frame; wherein the second wireless frame comprises third identification information, and the third identification information is used to identify the second delay information;

[0208] sending the second wireless frame.

[0209] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, in the case that the second wireless frame is a unicast frame, the second delay information is greater than or equal to the first delay information of the STA 102 receiving the second wireless frame;

[0210] Or

[0211] In the case that the second wireless frame is a broadcast frame or a groupcast frame, the second delay information is greater than or equal to the first delay information of the second STA 102 performing channel switching; the second STA 102 is the STA 102 with the longest first delay information among at least one STA 102 that has established initial association with the AP 101.

[0212] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, in a case where the STA 102 supports switching to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels), the second time delay information is greater than or equal to a maximum value of time delay information corresponding to switching of the STA 102 to each of the secondary channels (or non-primary channels).

[0213] In some embodiments, other optional implementations described before or after the description of FIG. 6 can be referred to.

[0214] FIG. 7 is a second flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0215] As shown in FIG. 7, the above method can be applied to the station device 102, and the above method includes the following steps.

[0216] In step 701, a first wireless frame is determined in a process of establishing an initial association with the access point device 101 AP 101; wherein the first wireless frame includes first identification information, and the first identification information is used to identify first time delay information of channel switching of the STA 102.

[0217] The first time delay information is used by the AP 101 to determine second time delay information of scheduling channel switching of the STA 102.

[0218] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, in a case where the STA 102 supports switching to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels), the first time delay information includes time delay information of switching of the STA 102 to each of the secondary channels (or non-primary channels).

[0219] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, in a case where the STA 102 does not support multi-link communication, the first identification information is carried in a first element of the first wireless frame.

[0220] Or

[0221] In a case where the STA 102 supports multi-link communication, the first identification information is carried in a common info field; wherein the common info field is carried in a multi-link (ML) information element of the first wireless frame.

[0222] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first wireless frame further includes second identification information, and the second identification information is used to identify that the STA 102 supports secondary channel (or non-primary channel) access communication.

[0223] Optional implementations of step 701 can refer to optional implementations of step 201 of FIG. 2 and other associated parts of the embodiments related to FIG. 2, which will not be described here.

[0224] Step 702, sending the first wireless frame.

[0225] The optional implementation of step 702 can refer to the optional implementation of step 202 of FIG. 2 and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0226] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, after step 702, the method further includes:

[0227] receiving a second wireless frame; wherein the second wireless frame includes third identification information, and the third identification information is used to identify the second time delay information.

[0228] Optionally, in the case that the second wireless frame is a unicast frame, the second time delay information is greater than or equal to the first time delay information of the STA 102 receiving the second wireless frame.

[0229] Or

[0230] In the case that the second wireless frame is a broadcast frame or a groupcast frame, the second time delay information is greater than or equal to the first time delay information of the first STA 102 performing channel switching; the first STA 102 is the STA 102 with the longest first time delay information among at least one STA 102 that has established initial association with the AP 101.

[0231] Optionally, in the case that the STA 102 supports switching to different secondary channels (or non-primary channels), the second time delay information is greater than or equal to the maximum value of the time delay information of the corresponding STA 102 switching to each secondary channel (or non-primary channel).

[0232] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can include the foregoing steps and at least one of the embodiments. For example, step 701 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 702 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of step 701 and step 702 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0233] In some embodiments, other optional implementations can be recorded before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 7.

[0234] The embodiments of the present disclosure also propose a device for implementing any of the above methods, for example, a device including units or modules for implementing each step performed by a terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another device is 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.

[0235] 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 connected with a memory, the memory stores instructions, and the processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or realize the functions of each unit or module of the above apparatus, wherein the processor is, for example, a general processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within 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 above units or modules are realized by the design of the logical relationship of the elements in the circuit; for 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 above units or modules. All units or modules of the above apparatus can be implemented in the form of processor calling software, or all units or modules can be implemented in the form of hardware circuit, or part of the units or modules are implemented in the form of processor calling software, and the remaining part is implemented in the form of hardware circuit.

[0236] In 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 reconfigurable. 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 a 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 part or all of the units or modules described above. 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.

[0237] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an access point device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8, the access point device 800 can include at least one of a receiving module 801 and the like.

[0238] In some embodiments, the receiving module 801 is configured to receive a first wireless frame in a process of establishing an initial association with a station device STA, wherein the first wireless frame includes first identification information, and the first identification information is used to identify first time delay information of channel switching of the STA.

[0239] The first time delay information is used by the AP to determine second time delay information of scheduling channel switching of the STA.

[0240] Optionally, the receiving module 801 is configured to perform at least one of the receiving steps (for example, steps 203, 302, and 602, but not limited thereto) performed by the access point device 101 in any of the above methods. Details are not described herein again.

[0241] The access point device 800 can comprise a determining module configured to perform at least one of the communication steps (for example, step 301, step 601, but not limited thereto) performed by the access point device 101 in any of the above methods. Details are not repeated here.

[0242] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a station device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 9, the station device 900 can comprise a determining module 901 and a sending module 902.

[0243] In some embodiments, the determining module 901 is configured to determine a first wireless frame in a process of establishing an initial association with an access point device AP; wherein the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information is used to identify first time delay information of channel switching of the STA;

[0244] The first time delay information is used by the AP to determine second time delay information of scheduling channel switching of the STA;

[0245] The sending module 902 is configured to send the first wireless frame.

[0246] Optionally, the determining module 901 is configured to perform at least one of the communication steps (for example, step 201, but not limited thereto) performed by the station device 102 in any of the above methods. Details are not repeated here. The sending module 902 is configured to perform at least one of the transceiving steps (for example, step 202, step 303, step 701, but not limited thereto) performed by the station device 102 in any of the above methods. Details are not repeated here.

[0247] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a terminal 1000 (for example, a user equipment, etc.) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The terminal 1000 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 1000 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. Details can be referred to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0248] As shown in FIG. 10, the terminal 1000 comprises one or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 can be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, etc. For example, the processor 1001 can be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be configured to process communication protocols and communication data. The central processing unit can be configured to control a communication device (for example, a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute a program, and process data of the program. The terminal 1000 is configured to perform any of the above methods.

[0249] In some embodiments, the terminal 1000 further includes one or more memories 1002 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 1002 can also be outside the terminal 1000.

[0250] In some embodiments, the terminal 1000 further includes one or more transceivers 1004. When the terminal 1000 includes one or more transceivers 1004, the transceiver 1004 performs at least one of the communication steps (such as steps 202, 203, 302, 303, 602, 701, but not limited to) in the above-described methods, and the processor 1001 performs at least one of the other steps (such as steps 201, 301, 601, not limited to).

[0251] In some embodiments, the transceiver can include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which can be separate or integrated together. Optionally, 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.

[0252] In some embodiments, the terminal 1000 can include one or more interface circuits 1003. Optionally, the interface circuit 1003 is connected with the memory 1002, and the interface circuit 1003 can be used to receive signals from the memory 1002 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory 1002 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 1003 can read the instructions stored in the memory 1002 and send the instructions to the processor 1001.

[0253] The terminal 1000 described in the above embodiments can be a communication device such as a user equipment, but the scope of the terminal 1000 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the terminal 1000 can not be limited by FIG. 10. 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, optionally, the set of ICs can also include storage components for storing data, programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal device, smart terminal device, cellular phone, wireless device, handset, mobile unit, vehicle-mounted device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) other, etc.

[0254] FIG. 11 is a structural schematic diagram of a chip 1100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the case that the terminal 1300 can be a chip or a chip system, the structural schematic diagram of the chip 1100 shown in FIG. 11 can be referred to, but is not limited thereto.

[0255] The chip 1100 comprises one or more processors 1101, and the chip 1100 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0256] In some embodiments, the chip 1100 further comprises one or more interface circuits 1103. Optionally, the interface circuit 1103 is connected with the memory 1102, and the interface circuit 1103 can be configured to receive signals from the memory 1102 or other devices, and the interface circuit 1103 can be configured to send signals to the memory 1102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 1103 can read instructions stored in the memory 1102 and send the instructions to the processor 1101.

[0257] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 1103 performs at least one of the communication steps (such as step 202, step 203, step 302, step 303, step 602, step 701, but not limited thereto) in the above methods, and the processor 1101 performs at least one of the other steps (such as step 201, step 301, step 601, but not limited thereto).

[0258] In some embodiments, the terms of interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, transceiver, etc. can be replaced with each other.

[0259] In some embodiments, the chip 1100 further comprises one or more memories 1102 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memory 1102 can be outside the chip 1100.

[0260] The present disclosure further proposes a storage medium, and instructions are stored on the storage medium. When the instructions are run on the terminal 1000, the terminal 1000 executes any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto, and it can also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium can be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto, and it can also be a transitory storage medium.

[0261] The present disclosure further proposes a program product, and the program product is executed by the terminal 1000, so that the terminal 1000 executes any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0262] The present disclosure further proposes a computer program, and when the computer program is run on a computer, the computer executes any of the above methods.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is performed by an access point device AP, and the method comprises: In a process of establishing an initial association with a station device STA, a first wireless frame is received; wherein the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information is used to identify first time delay information of the STA for channel switching; The first time delay information is used by the AP to determine second time delay information for scheduling the STA for channel switching.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the STA supports switching to different secondary channels, the first time delay information comprises time delay information of the STA for switching to each of the secondary channels.

3. The communication method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, in a case where the STA does not support multi-link communication, the first identification information is carried in a first element of the first wireless frame; or in a case where the STA supports multi-link communication, the first identification information is carried in a common info field; wherein the common info field is carried in a multi-link (ML) information element of the first wireless frame. The first wireless frame further comprises second identification information, and the second identification information is used to identify that the STA supports secondary channel access communication.

4. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by, The method further comprises:

5. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by, determining a second wireless frame; wherein the second wireless frame comprises third identification information, and the third identification information is used to identify the second time delay information; sending the second wireless frame.

6. The communication method according to claim 5, wherein, in a case where the second wireless frame is a unicast frame, the second time delay information is greater than or equal to first time delay information of a STA receiving the second wireless frame; or in a case where the second wireless frame is a broadcast frame or a groupcast frame, the second time delay information is greater than or equal to first time delay information of a second STA for channel switching; the second STA is a STA with the longest first time delay information among at least one STA that has established an initial association with the AP.

7. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein, in a case where the STA supports switching to different secondary channels, the second time delay information is greater than or equal to a maximum value in time delay information of a corresponding STA for switching to each of the secondary channels. The method is performed by a station device STA, and the method comprises:

8. A communication method characterized by comprising: In a process of establishing an initial association with an access point device AP, a first wireless frame is determined; wherein the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information is used to identify first time delay information of the STA for channel switching; The first time delay information is used by the AP to determine second time delay information for scheduling the STA for channel switching; sending the first wireless frame.

9. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein, in a case where the STA supports switching to different secondary channels, the first time delay information comprises time delay information of the STA for switching to each of the secondary channels.

10. The communication method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein, ​ In a case that the STA does not support multi-link communication, the first identification information is carried in a first element of the first wireless frame; Or In a case that the STA supports multi-link communication, the first identification information is carried in a common info field; The common info field is carried in a multi-link (ML) information element of the first wireless frame.

11. The communication method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized by, The first wireless frame further includes second identification information, the second identification information being used to identify that the STA supports sub-channel access communication.

12. The communication method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized by, The method further includes: receiving a second wireless frame; wherein the second wireless frame includes third identification information, the third identification information being used to identify the second latency information.

13. The communication method of claim 12, wherein, in a case that the second wireless frame is a unicast frame, the second latency information is greater than or equal to first latency information of a STA receiving the second wireless frame; Or in a case that the second wireless frame is a broadcast frame or a groupcast frame, the second latency information is greater than or equal to first latency information of a first STA performing channel switching; the first STA being a STA with the longest first latency information among at least one STA that has established an initial association with the AP.

14. The communication method of claim 13, wherein, in a case that the STA supports switching to different sub-channels, the second latency information is greater than or equal to a maximum value among latency information of the STA switching to each of the sub-channels.

15. A communication device, characterized by The communication device includes an access point device (AP), comprising: a receiving module, configured to, in a process of establishing an initial association with a station device (STA), receive a first wireless frame; wherein the first wireless frame includes first identification information, the first identification information being used to identify first latency information of the STA performing channel switching; the first latency information being used by the AP to determine second latency information of scheduling the STA to perform channel switching.

16. A communication device, characterized by The communication device is a station device (STA), comprising: a determining module, configured to, in a process of establishing an initial association with an access point device (AP), determine a first wireless frame; wherein the first wireless frame includes first identification information, the first identification information being used to identify first latency information of the STA performing channel switching; the first latency information being used by the AP to determine second latency information of scheduling the STA to perform channel switching; a sending module, configured to send the first wireless frame.

17. A communication device, characterized by The communication device includes an access point device (AP), comprising: one or more processors; wherein the communication device is configured to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

18. A communication device, characterized by The communication device includes a station device (STA), comprising: one or more processors; wherein the communication device is configured to perform the communication method of any one of claims 8 to 14.

19. A communication system, characterized by The communication device includes an access point device (AP) and a station device (STA); In the method, the STA is configured to determine a first wireless frame in a process of establishing initial association with an access point device (AP); the first wireless frame comprises first identification information, and the first identification information is used to identify: first time delay information of channel switching of the STA; the first time delay information is used by the AP to determine second time delay information of scheduling channel switching of the STA; and the first wireless frame is transmitted. The AP is configured to receive the first wireless frame in the process of establishing initial association with the STA.

20. A storage medium, the storage medium storing instructions, wherein, The instructions, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1-7, or perform the communication method of any one of claims 8-14.

21. A program product, characterized by The program product, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1-7, or perform the communication method of any one of claims 8-14.

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