Communication method of terminal side

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method of a terminal side, which is used for realizing coexistence of Wi-Fi STA (Station), Wi-Fi P2P (Peer-to-Peer) and Bluetooth. The method comprises the step that the terminal can communicate in a first time division multiplexing mode. The first time division multiplexing mode takes a sending period of a Wi-Fi beacon frame as a reference period, and the reference period comprises a Wi-Fi time slot and a Bluetooth time slot. Wherein the time length of the Wi-Fi time slot exceeds the sum of the time length of the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window period, the time length of the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window period and the minimum interval time between the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window period and the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window period. By means of the design, the terminal can periodically execute Wi-Fi communication and Bluetooth communication, long-time interruption of three communication technologies is effectively avoided, and the communication loss phenomenon is prevented.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and more specifically to a communication method on the terminal side. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous iteration and popularization of mobile terminal technology, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (BT) communication technologies have become standard features in smartphones, smart wearable devices, and other terminal products, deeply integrated into users' daily data transmission and device interconnection scenarios. Among these, the application forms of Wi-Fi communication technology are becoming increasingly diverse, with common core modes including Wi-Fi STA (Station, client mode) and Wi-Fi P2P (Peer-to-Peer mode). Wi-Fi STA mode is used for terminal devices to connect to a wireless router to access the internet, meeting users' network access needs such as browsing web pages and downloading data. Wi-Fi P2P mode allows terminal devices to establish direct peer-to-peer connections without relying on a router, enabling high-speed file transfer and resource sharing at close range. The combination of these two modes provides users with a comprehensive wireless communication experience.

[0003] However, a key technical bottleneck exists in existing wireless communication technologies: both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth communication use the 2.4GHz open frequency band for signal transmission by default. This band has limited channel resources, and when a terminal needs to perform both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth communication simultaneously, frequency band conflicts and signal interference are highly likely to occur, leading to problems such as communication rate attenuation, decreased connection stability, increased data transmission latency, and even connection interruption. Therefore, the coexistence and coordination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on the terminal side has always been a complex technical challenge in the field of wireless communication. Especially in practical applications, terminal devices often need to run multiple wireless communication services simultaneously, such as scenarios where Wi-Fi P2P, Wi-Fi STA, and Bluetooth communication services are all running concurrently. In such scenarios, the simultaneous occupation of the 2.4GHz band by these three communication services further exacerbates signal interference and channel contention, making the coexistence and coordination of the terminal even more difficult and seriously affecting the user experience and communication reliability.

[0004] To resolve the aforementioned coexistence conflict between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the industry has proposed a conventional technical solution: switching one of the Wi-Fi communication modes (e.g., Wi-Fi P2P mode) to operate on the 5G band. Since the 5G band and the 2.4G band used by Bluetooth are independent and have no signal overlap, this solution simplifies the complex issue of multi-mode coexistence to a combination of "Wi-Fi P2P mode (5G band) + Wi-Fi STA mode (2.4G band) + Bluetooth mode (2.4G band)". In this case, the terminal only needs to coordinate the coexistence relationship between Wi-Fi STA and Bluetooth within the 2.4G band, significantly reducing the overall technical difficulty of coordinating coexistence and becoming one of the current mainstream solutions.

[0005] However, the above solutions have significant limitations in applicability. Currently, a large number of low-end and older terminal devices still exist on the market, whose hardware configurations only include 2.4GHz radio frequency communication modules and lack 5GHz communication capabilities. For these terminal devices that only support 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, the coexistence problem cannot be simplified by switching to the 5GHz band, resulting in the persistent conflict between Wi-Fi P2P, Wi-Fi STA, and Bluetooth modes on the 2.4GHz band. This technological gap not only limits the functional expansion of low-end terminal devices but also fails to meet the actual needs of users for multi-mode wireless communication on low-cost devices. Therefore, how to achieve stable coexistence of Wi-Fi P2P, Wi-Fi STA, and Bluetooth communication modes on terminal devices that only support 2.4GHz Wi-Fi has become a critical technical challenge that urgently needs to be addressed in the current wireless communication field. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this disclosure proposes a terminal-side communication method that enables the coexistence of three communication modes—Wi-Fi P2P, Wi-Fi STA, and Bluetooth—in the 2.4 GHz band.

[0007] The terminal-side communication method disclosed herein is used to achieve the coexistence of Wi-Fi STA, Wi-Fi P2P, and Bluetooth. The method includes: the terminal communicating using one or more time-division multiplexing modes; wherein the one or more time-division multiplexing modes include a first time-division multiplexing mode. The first time-division multiplexing mode uses the transmission period of the Wi-Fi beacon frame as its base period, and the base period of the first time-division multiplexing mode includes Wi-Fi time slots and Bluetooth time slots, wherein the duration of the Wi-Fi time slot exceeds the sum of the duration of the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window, the duration of the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window, and the minimum interval time between the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window and the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window.

[0008] The time-division multiplexing mode proposed in this disclosure uses the transmission period of Wi-Fi beacon frames as a base period, and achieves long-term communication by periodically repeating this base period. Each base period includes a dedicated Wi-Fi time slot for Wi-Fi communication and a dedicated Bluetooth time slot for Bluetooth communication. This design enables the terminal to periodically perform Wi-Fi and Bluetooth communication, effectively avoiding long-term interruptions of the three communication technologies and preventing communication loss.

[0009] In one embodiment, the one or more time-division multiplexing modes further include a second time-division multiplexing mode. The second time-division multiplexing mode uses twice the transmission period of the Wi-Fi beacon frame as its base period. The base period of the second time-division multiplexing mode includes a first Wi-Fi time slot, a second Wi-Fi time slot, and a Bluetooth time slot located between the first Wi-Fi time slot and the second Wi-Fi time slot. The duration of either the first Wi-Fi time slot or the second Wi-Fi time slot is less than the sum of the duration of the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window, the duration of the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window, and the minimum interval between the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window and the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window.

[0010] In one embodiment, the one or more time-division multiplexing modes further include a third time-division multiplexing mode. The third time-division multiplexing mode uses the transmission period of the Wi-Fi beacon frame as its base period, and the base period of the third time-division multiplexing mode includes a first Wi-Fi time slot, a second Wi-Fi time slot, and a Bluetooth time slot located between the first Wi-Fi time slot and the second Wi-Fi time slot. The longest duration of the first Wi-Fi time slot is the transmission window duration of the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame, and the longest duration of the second Wi-Fi time slot is the transmission window duration of the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame.

[0011] In one embodiment, when Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels, the first time-division multiplexing mode is further divided into two alternating sub-cycles, the two sub-cycles including a first sub-cycle and a second sub-cycle, wherein the duration of each sub-cycle is equal to the base cycle of the first time-division multiplexing mode. Furthermore, the step of the terminal communicating using the first time-division multiplexing mode includes: based on the fact that Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA communication within the Wi-Fi time slot of the first sub-cycle, and performs Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slot of the first sub-cycle; and the terminal performs Wi-Fi P2P communication within the Wi-Fi time slot of the second sub-cycle, and performs Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slot of the second sub-cycle.

[0012] In one embodiment, the step of the terminal performing Wi-Fi STA communication within the Wi-Fi time slot of the first sub-cycle includes: the terminal receiving a Wi-Fi STA beacon frame within the Wi-Fi time slot of the first sub-cycle; the step of the terminal performing Wi-Fi P2P communication within the Wi-Fi time slot of the second sub-cycle includes: the terminal receiving a Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame within the Wi-Fi time slot of the second sub-cycle.

[0013] In one embodiment, the step of the terminal communicating using the first time-division multiplexing mode includes: based on Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operating on the same channel, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA communication and Wi-Fi P2P communication within the Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the first time-division multiplexing mode, and the terminal performs Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slot of the reference period of the first time-division multiplexing mode.

[0014] In one embodiment, the step of the terminal performing Wi-Fi STA communication and Wi-Fi P2P communication within the Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the first time division multiplexing mode includes: the terminal receiving Wi-Fi STA beacon frames and Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames within the Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period.

[0015] In one embodiment, the step of the terminal communicating using the second time-division multiplexing mode includes: based on the fact that Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA communication within the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the second time-division multiplexing mode; the terminal performs Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slot of the reference period of the second time-division multiplexing mode; and the terminal performs Wi-Fi P2P communication within the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the second time-division multiplexing mode.

[0016] In one embodiment, the step of the terminal communicating using the second time-division multiplexing mode includes: based on Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operating on the same channel, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA communication and Wi-Fi P2P communication within the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the second time-division multiplexing mode; the terminal performs Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slot of the reference period of the second time-division multiplexing mode; and the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA communication and Wi-Fi P2P communication within the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the second time-division multiplexing mode.

[0017] In one embodiment, the step of the terminal performing Wi-Fi STA communication within the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period includes: the terminal receiving a Wi-Fi STA beacon frame within the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period. The step of the terminal performing Wi-Fi P2P communication within the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period includes: the terminal receiving a Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame within the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period.

[0018] In one embodiment, the start time of the first Wi-Fi time slot is aligned with the start time of the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window, and the end time of the second Wi-Fi time slot is aligned with the end time of the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window.

[0019] In one embodiment, the step of the terminal communicating using the third time division multiplexing mode includes: the terminal performing Wi-Fi STA communication within the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the third time division multiplexing mode; the terminal performing Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slot of the reference period of the third time division multiplexing mode; and the terminal performing Wi-Fi P2P communication within the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the third time division multiplexing mode.

[0020] In one embodiment, the step of the terminal performing Wi-Fi STA communication in the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period includes: the terminal receiving a Wi-Fi STA beacon frame in the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period; the step of the terminal performing Wi-Fi P2P communication in the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period includes: the terminal receiving a Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame in the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Other features and advantages of the invention will be better understood through the following detailed description of preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals denote the same or similar parts.

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a first time-division multiplexing mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels.

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a first time-division multiplexing mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on the same channel.

[0024] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a second time-division multiplexing mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels.

[0025] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a second time-division multiplexing mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on the same channel.

[0026] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a third time-division multiplexing mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels.

[0027] Figure 6A schematic diagram of a third time-division multiplexing mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on the same channel. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions of this disclosure will be further described in detail below through embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this specification, the same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar components. The following description of the embodiments of this disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to explain the overall inventive concept of this disclosure and should not be construed as a limitation thereof.

[0029] The terms “comprising,” “including,” and similar terms as used in this disclosure should be understood as open-ended terms, meaning “including / including but not limited to,” implying that other content may also be included. The term “based on” means “at least partially based on.” The term “one embodiment” means “at least one embodiment”; the term “another embodiment” means “at least one additional embodiment,” and so on. Furthermore, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described herein, as well as the features of those different embodiments or examples.

[0030] This disclosure provides a terminal-side communication method for enabling the coexistence of Wi-Fi STA, Wi-Fi P2P, and Bluetooth. The method includes: the terminal communicating using one or more time-division multiplexing modes. The one or more time-division multiplexing modes include a first time-division multiplexing mode. The first time-division multiplexing mode uses the transmission period of a Wi-Fi beacon frame as its base period. The base period of the first time-division multiplexing mode includes Wi-Fi time slots and Bluetooth time slots. The duration of the Wi-Fi time slot exceeds the sum of the duration of the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window, the duration of the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window, and the minimum interval between the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window and the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window.

[0031] Wi-Fi STA is the most common basic setup mode in the Wi-Fi protocol. User terminals, such as mobile phones, act as STA (Station) clients, connecting to the Wi-Fi STA network through access points (APs), such as routers. For example, in our daily lives, using a mobile phone to connect to a router set up at home and watching videos or downloading files via high-speed data streaming is using Wi-Fi STA communication. When a terminal device is conducting Wi-Fi STA communication, it means that the terminal is sending data to or receiving data from the access point based on the communication protocol corresponding to Wi-Fi STA.

[0032] Wi-Fi P2P is a direct device connection mode in the Wi-Fi protocol. In this mode, two devices compete to elect one as the P2P Group Owner (GO, whose role is similar to an access point), and the other as the P2P Group Client (GC) to connect. For example, when mobile phones transfer files directly using applications such as Xiaomi Share, Huawei Share, or Apple AirDrop, this is Wi-Fi P2P communication. At this time, the two mobile phones can form an independent temporary network without relying on a Wi-Fi router or mobile network. When the terminal device is conducting Wi-Fi P2P communication, the device sends and receives data with the P2P GO or P2P GC through the Wi-Fi P2P protocol.

[0033] Bluetooth (BT) is a low-power, short-range wireless communication technology. For example, a user can wear a wireless Bluetooth headset and connect to a terminal such as a mobile phone via the Bluetooth protocol to make calls. At this time, the terminal device is conducting Bluetooth communication, sending and receiving data to and from another Bluetooth-enabled device (such as the Bluetooth headset mentioned above) via the Bluetooth protocol.

[0034] As mentioned above, the technical problem this disclosure aims to solve is that when a terminal device simultaneously enables Wi-Fi STA, Wi-Fi P2P, and Bluetooth communication functions, due to hardware limitations, these three communication functions can only operate in the 2.4 GHz frequency band. Under this condition, the goal is to achieve stable coexistence of these three communication functions to avoid signal interference, communication interruptions, or significant performance degradation caused by frequency band overlap. In other words, it is necessary to solve the problem of how to ensure that Wi-Fi STA, Wi-Fi P2P, and Bluetooth work together and maintain communication quality on the terminal side in the 2.4 GHz frequency band. For example, while a mobile phone connects to a home router to watch videos via Wi-Fi STA (operating in the 2.4 GHz band), it can simultaneously transfer documents to nearby devices via Wi-Fi P2P (operating in the 2.4 GHz band), and Bluetooth headphones (operating in the 2.4 GHz band) can still play audio normally. The communication speed, connection stability, and latency of all three are within an acceptable range for the user, and problems such as video stuttering, file transfer interruptions, and headphone disconnections will not occur.

[0035] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] This disclosure proposes a terminal-side communication method for achieving coexistence of Wi-Fi STA, Wi-Fi P2P, and Bluetooth. The method includes: the terminal communicating using one or more time-division multiplexing modes. The one or more time-division multiplexing modes include a first time-division multiplexing mode.

[0037] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a first time-division multiplexing mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels. For example, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA communication on channel 1 of the 2.4 GHz band, which corresponds to a frequency range of approximately 2.402 GHz to 2.422 GHz. As another example, the terminal performs Wi-Fi P2P communication on channel 6 of the 2.4 GHz band, which corresponds to a frequency range of approximately 2.427 GHz to 2.447 GHz. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a first time-division multiplexing mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on the same channel. For example, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P communication on channel 1 of the 2.4 GHz band.

[0038] exist Figure 1 , Figure 2 In the following diagram illustrating time-division multiplexing, the horizontal axis represents time. As time progresses, the terminal continuously switches between Wi-Fi STA communication, Wi-Fi P2P communication, and Bluetooth communication. The black horizontal lines (high and low) distinguish between Wi-Fi time slots and Bluetooth time slots within this time-division multiplexing mode. The higher horizontal line 101 indicates the terminal is in a Wi-Fi time slot, during which it performs Wi-Fi communication, such as solely for Wi-Fi STA communication, solely for Wi-Fi P2P communication, or simultaneously for both. The lower horizontal line 102 indicates the terminal is in a Bluetooth time slot, during which it performs Bluetooth communication.

[0039] In the diagram, the orange strip 103 represents the target beacon transmission time (TBTT) window for the Wi-Fi STA, while the red strip 104 represents the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window. The Wi-Fi STA or Wi-Fi GC broadcasts a beacon frame at regular intervals. This beacon frame provides clock synchronization references, declares network identity, and announces network characteristics. The transmission period for a Wi-Fi beacon frame is typically 102.4ms. Figure 1As illustrated in the following schematic diagram, the cycle is presented in 8 time units, each representing a duration of 12.8 ms. If the terminal does not receive a Wi-Fi beacon frame for a period of time, it may result in the loss of Wi-Fi broadcast data; if the terminal does not receive a Wi-Fi beacon frame for a longer period of time, it may result in a forced disconnection of the connection and an interruption of Wi-Fi service. The beacon frame transmission window refers to a short period of time surrounding the point in time of beacon frame transmission, used to complete the beacon frame transmission and related necessary operations. The length of the beacon frame transmission window varies depending on the specific implementation. For example, in this disclosure, the length of the window is presented in one time unit, which is approximately 12.8 ms. In other embodiments, the beacon frame transmission window may only last 8 to 15 ms, and this is not limited here.

[0040] exist Figure 1 or Figure 2 In the diagram, referring to the black horizontal lines, the first time-division multiplexing mode uses the Wi-Fi beacon frame transmission period as its base period. This base period includes both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth time slots. The duration of the Wi-Fi time slot exceeds the sum of the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame window duration, the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame window duration, and the minimum interval between the Wi-Fi P2P and Wi-Fi STA beacon frame windows.

[0041] This disclosure proposes a manually partitioned time-division multiplexing mode for enabling coexistence communication of Wi-Fi STA, Wi-Fi P2P, and Bluetooth technologies. This mode uses the transmission period of the Wi-Fi beacon frame as a base period, achieving long-term communication by periodically repeating this base period. Each base period includes dedicated Wi-Fi time slots for Wi-Fi communication and dedicated Bluetooth time slots for Bluetooth communication. This design allows the terminal to periodically perform Wi-Fi and Bluetooth communication, effectively avoiding prolonged interruptions of both communication technologies and preventing communication loss.

[0042] Access points (APs) for Wi-Fi STA services send Wi-Fi STA beacon frames, while group owners (GOs) for Wi-Fi P2P services send Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames. For example... Figure 1In the example shown, the duration of both the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame window and the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame window is one time unit, and the minimum interval between them is one time unit. The sum of these three (Wi-Fi STA beacon frame window duration, Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame window duration, and the minimum interval between them) (denoted as SUM) is three time units. The terminal can determine the proportion of Wi-Fi time slots (m%) based on the time slot requirements of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi services. By multiplying the base period (8 time units) by m%, the continuous duration of Wi-Fi time slots that the terminal can provide can be calculated. When the calculated continuous duration of Wi-Fi time slots exceeds the SUM value (3 time units), the terminal will use the first time division multiplexing mode for communication.

[0043] Continue to refer to Figure 1 The number "1" on the orange strip 103 indicates that Wi-Fi STA operates on channel 1 of the 2.4 GHz band, and the number "6" on the red strip 104 indicates that Wi-Fi P2P operates on channel 6 of the 2.4 GHz band. When Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels, the first time-division multiplexing mode is further divided into two alternating sub-cycles, namely sub-cycle a and sub-cycle b. The duration of each sub-cycle is equal to the base cycle of the first time-division multiplexing mode. That is, the duration of each sub-cycle is also 8 time units.

[0044] The steps of the terminal communicating using the first time division multiplexing mode further include: the terminal performing Wi-Fi STA communication in the Wi-Fi time slot of the first sub-cycle a; and the terminal performing Bluetooth communication in the Bluetooth time slot of the first sub-cycle a.

[0045] In the first sub-period a, reference Figure 1A solid orange band 103a indicates that Wi-Fi STA beacon frames can be received normally by the terminal, while a diagonally filled red band 104b indicates that Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames are not received by the terminal. During the Wi-Fi time slot of the first sub-cycle a, the terminal transmits and receives data with the AP (such as a router) in the Wi-Fi STA service. During this period, the terminal can send data packets to the AP and also receive data packets sent by the AP. More specifically, the steps for the terminal to perform Wi-Fi STA communication during the Wi-Fi time slot of the first sub-cycle a include: the terminal receiving Wi-Fi STA beacon frames during the Wi-Fi time slot of the first sub-cycle a. During this period, since the terminal is not communicating with another device in the Wi-Fi P2P service, the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames sent by that device are not received by the terminal. In the latter half of the first sub-cycle a, the terminal transmits data packets with a Bluetooth device (such as a wireless Bluetooth headset) to achieve Bluetooth communication.

[0046] The steps of the terminal communicating using the first time division multiplexing mode further include: the terminal performing Wi-Fi P2P communication in the Wi-Fi time slot of the second sub-cycle b, and the terminal performing Bluetooth communication in the Bluetooth time slot of the second sub-cycle b.

[0047] In the second sub-period b, reference Figure 1 The orange stripe 103b with diagonal fill indicates that the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame was not received by the terminal, while the solid red stripe 104a indicates that the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame was received normally by the terminal. During the Wi-Fi time slot of the second sub-cycle b, the terminal sends and receives data with another device (which may act as a GO or GC) in the Wi-Fi P2P service. During this period, the terminal can send data packets to and receive data packets sent by the device. More specifically, the steps for the terminal to perform Wi-Fi P2P communication during the Wi-Fi time slot of the second sub-cycle b include: the terminal receiving Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames during the Wi-Fi time slot of the second sub-cycle b. During this period, since the terminal is not communicating with the AP in the Wi-Fi STA service, the Wi-Fi STA beacon frames sent by the AP are not received by the terminal. In the latter half of the second sub-cycle b, the terminal performs Bluetooth communication with a Bluetooth device.

[0048] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates the first time-division multiplexing mode when Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels. Figure 2 This diagram illustrates the first time-division multiplexing mode when Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on the same channel. (Reference) Figure 2The number "1" on the orange stripe 103a indicates that Wi-Fi STA is operating on channel 1 of the 2.4 GHz band, and the number "1" on the red stripe 104a indicates that Wi-Fi P2P is operating on channel 1 of the 2.4 GHz band. When Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P are operating on the same channel, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P communication within the Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the first time-division multiplexing mode, and performs Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slot of the reference period of the first time-division multiplexing mode.

[0049] Specifically, refer to Figure 2 The steps for a terminal to perform Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P communication within a Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period in the first time-division multiplexing mode include: the terminal receiving Wi-Fi STA beacon frames and Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames within the Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period. Within the Wi-Fi time slot, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P communication on the same channel. In one example, a "carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance" (CSMA / CA) mechanism can be used to avoid collisions between the two communication methods.

[0050] pass Figure 1 and Figure 2 As the example illustrates, this disclosure uses the transmission period of the Wi-Fi beacon frame as the base period (i.e., the smallest period unit) for time-division multiplexing, and divides the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth time slots based on this period. This design has the following advantages: First, the interval between two adjacent Bluetooth communications always maintains a fixed time length (4 time units in the figure), and the duration of each Bluetooth communication also remains fixed (4 time units in the figure), thus ensuring the stability of Bluetooth communication and avoiding stuttering caused by intermittent disconnections. Second, using the beacon frame period as the base period ensures that the terminal receives Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames to the maximum extent. Specifically: when Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P are on different channels, the terminal can receive one Wi-Fi STA beacon frame and one Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame every two base periods (16 time units in the figure); when Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P are on the same channel, theoretically, the terminal can receive all Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames. This design effectively ensures the continuous connectivity of the terminal's Wi-Fi STA service and Wi-Fi P2P service.

[0051] As described above, when the calculated continuous duration of Wi-Fi time slots available to the terminal exceeds the SUM value, the terminal will use the first time-division multiplexing mode for communication. Furthermore, the terminal can also use a second time-division multiplexing mode among one or more of these modes. If the continuous duration of Wi-Fi time slots available to the terminal is less than the SUM value, the terminal will use the second time-division multiplexing mode described below for communication.

[0052] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a second time-division multiplexing mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels. Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a second time-division multiplexing mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on the same channel.

[0053] exist Figure 3 or Figure 4 Referring to the black horizontal lines, the second time-division multiplexing mode uses twice the transmission period of a Wi-Fi beacon frame as its base period (i.e., 16 time units). The base period of the second time-division multiplexing mode includes the first Wi-Fi time slot, the second Wi-Fi time slot, and the Bluetooth time slot located between the first and second Wi-Fi time slots. The duration of either the first or second Wi-Fi time slot is less than the sum of the following three values ​​(i.e., the SUM value): the duration of the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window, the duration of the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window, and the minimum interval between the Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission windows.

[0054] exist Figure 3 In this system, the minimum interval between the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window and the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window is two time units. The sum of the duration of the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window, the duration of the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window, and the minimum interval between the Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission windows (i.e., the SUM value) is four time units. When the continuous duration of Wi-Fi time slots available to the terminal is less than the SUM value, the second time-division multiplexing mode further divides the time available for Wi-Fi communication within the base period into a first Wi-Fi time slot and a second Wi-Fi time slot.

[0055] refer to Figure 3Within the base period, in addition to the first and second Wi-Fi time slots, there are also Bluetooth time slots a and b existing between the first and second Wi-Fi time slots. Optionally, the start time of the first Wi-Fi time slot is aligned with the start time of the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window, and the end time of the second Wi-Fi time slot is aligned with the end time of the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window. Through this division, the first Wi-Fi time slot can encompass the entire Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window, the second Wi-Fi time slot can encompass the entire Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window, and the distribution of Bluetooth time slots a and b on the time axis exhibits a more balanced periodicity.

[0056] exist Figure 3 In the example shown, the Wi-Fi STA service operates on channel 1, and the Wi-Fi P2P service operates on channel 6. When Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA communication within the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period in the second time-division multiplexing mode. Specifically, within the first Wi-Fi time slot, as shown by the solid orange stripe 103a, the terminal receives Wi-Fi STA beacon frames. Furthermore, the terminal performs Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slots (including Bluetooth time slot a and Bluetooth time slot b) of the reference period in the second time-division multiplexing mode. During this period, the terminal cannot receive any network packets from the Wi-Fi service.

[0057] Continue to refer to Figure 3 When Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels, the terminal performs Wi-Fi P2P communication within the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period in the second time division multiplexing mode. Specifically, within the second Wi-Fi time slot, as shown by the solid red stripe 104a, the terminal receives Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames.

[0058] exist Figure 4In the example shown, both Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P services operate on channel 1. When Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on the same channel, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P communication within the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period in the second time-division multiplexing mode. For example, the terminal can employ the aforementioned "carrier sense multiple access / collision avoidance" mechanism to avoid conflicts between the two communication methods. Specifically, in the first Wi-Fi time slot, as shown by the solid-filled orange stripe 103a, the terminal receives Wi-Fi STA beacon frames. Furthermore, the terminal performs Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slots (including Bluetooth time slot a and Bluetooth time slot b) of the reference period in the second time-division multiplexing mode; during this period, the terminal cannot receive any network packets from the Wi-Fi service.

[0059] Continue to refer to Figure 4 When Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on the same channel, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA communication and Wi-Fi P2P communication within the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the second time division multiplexing mode. Specifically, within the second Wi-Fi time slot, as shown by the solid red stripe 104a, the terminal receives Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames.

[0060] In addition, one or more time-division multiplexing modes that the terminal can employ include a third time-division multiplexing mode. If the current Wi-Fi service (including Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P) has almost no data transmission or only a very small amount of data transmission, then the terminal can use the third time-division multiplexing mode for communication.

[0061] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a third time-division multiplexing mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels. Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a third time-division multiplexing mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on the same channel.

[0062] exist Figure 5 or Figure 6Referring to the black horizontal lines, the third time-division multiplexing mode uses the Wi-Fi beacon frame transmission period as its base period (i.e., 8 time units). The base period of the third time-division multiplexing mode includes the first Wi-Fi time slot, the second Wi-Fi time slot, and the Bluetooth time slot located between the first and second Wi-Fi time slots. The longest duration of the first Wi-Fi time slot is equal to the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window duration, and the longest duration of the second Wi-Fi time slot is equal to the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window duration. In one example, the duration of the first Wi-Fi time slot is equal to the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window duration, and the duration of the second Wi-Fi time slot is equal to the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window duration.

[0063] exist Figure 5 In the example shown, Wi-Fi STA service operates on channel 1, and Wi-Fi P2P service operates on channel 6. Figure 6 In the example shown, both Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P services operate on channel 1. Regardless of whether Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on the same channel, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA communication within the first Wi-Fi time slot of the base period in the third time division multiplexing mode. Specifically, within the first Wi-Fi time slot, as shown by the solid-filled orange stripe 103a, the terminal receives Wi-Fi STA beacon frames. Upon receiving the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame, the terminal can immediately switch the time slot to Bluetooth service.

[0064] The terminal performs Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slots (including Bluetooth time slot a and Bluetooth time slot b) of the base period in the third time division multiplexing mode. During this period, neither the Wi-Fi STA network nor the Wi-Fi P2P network transmits network packets to the terminal.

[0065] Continue to refer to Figure 5 or Figure 6 Regardless of whether Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on the same channel, the terminal performs Wi-Fi P2P communication within the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period in the third time division multiplexing mode. Specifically, within the second Wi-Fi time slot, as shown by the solid red stripe 104a, the terminal receives Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames. Upon receiving a Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame, the terminal can immediately switch the time slot to Bluetooth service.

[0066] When both Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P services are in low-power mode, the terminal can use a third time-division multiplexing mode to enable collaborative operation of Wi-Fi STA, Wi-Fi P2P, and Bluetooth. In this mode, both the first and second Wi-Fi time slots are limited to receiving only Wi-Fi beacon frames and transmitting the minimum necessary data. This design is particularly suitable for scenarios where the terminal (such as a mobile phone) is in power-saving mode, where the device only needs to periodically receive beacon frames to maintain the connection with the access point (AP) or group owner (GO). Compared to other time-division multiplexing modes, the third time-division multiplexing mode shortens the duration of Wi-Fi time slots while ensuring basic Wi-Fi connectivity.

[0067] It should be noted that in this technical solution, Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P services have equal priority, and their communication timing can be interchanged. The ordinal numbers "first" and "second" mentioned in the text are used only for identification and do not indicate actual time order or priority. For example, when Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels and the terminal uses the first time-division multiplexing mode, the terminal can first perform Wi-Fi P2P communication and Bluetooth communication in the second sub-cycle, and then perform Wi-Fi STA communication and Bluetooth communication in the first sub-cycle, continuously cycling through this alternating method. As another example, when Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels and the terminal uses the second or third time-division multiplexing mode, the terminal can first perform Wi-Fi P2P communication in the second Wi-Fi time slot, and after a Bluetooth time slot, then perform Wi-Fi STA communication in the first Wi-Fi time slot. Accordingly, the terminal first receives the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame in the second Wi-Fi time slot, and after a Bluetooth time slot, it then receives the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame in the first Wi-Fi time slot.

[0068] The terminal-side communication method proposed in this disclosure combines the operating characteristics of Wi-Fi STA, Wi-Fi P2P, and Bluetooth services, and designs multiple time-division multiplexing modes to achieve coordinated operation of multiple services. Specifically, while accommodating the reception requirements of Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames, this method optimizes time slot allocation to ensure that Bluetooth communication time slots are evenly distributed along the time axis, thereby significantly reducing interference to Bluetooth communication. For example, this method can prevent Bluetooth communication from experiencing stuttering due to prolonged interruptions. Furthermore, by employing the aforementioned time-division multiplexing modes, the terminal can receive Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames to the maximum extent, thus ensuring a stable connection with both the Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P networks.

[0069] Furthermore, although exemplary embodiments have been described herein, their scope includes any and all embodiments based on this disclosure that have equivalent elements, modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., schemes involving intersections of various embodiments), adaptations, or alterations. Elements in the claims will be interpreted broadly based on the language used in the claims and are not limited to the examples described in this specification or during the implementation of this disclosure, and such examples will be interpreted as non-exclusive. Therefore, this specification and examples are intended to be considered illustrative only, and the true scope and spirit are indicated by the various claims in the claims and the full scope of their equivalents.

[0070] The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the above examples (or one or more thereof) can be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments can be used by those skilled in the art when reading the above description. Furthermore, in the above specific embodiments, various features may be grouped together to simplify the disclosure. Features disclosed that are not claimed in the claims are not essential to any claim. Rather, the subject matter of this disclosure may be less than all the features of a particular disclosed embodiment.

[0071] Therefore, the claims are incorporated herein by way of example or embodiment, wherein each claim is an independent, separate embodiment, and these embodiments are contemplated to be combined with each other in various combinations or arrangements. The scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by reference to the appended claims and the full scope of their equivalents.

Claims

1. A terminal-side communication method for enabling the coexistence of Wi-Fi STA, Wi-Fi P2P, and Bluetooth, the method comprising: The terminal communicates using one or more time-division multiplexing modes. Wherein, the one or more time-division multiplexing modes include a first time-division multiplexing mode. The first time-division multiplexing mode uses the transmission period of Wi-Fi beacon frames as its base period. The base period of the first time-division multiplexing mode includes Wi-Fi time slots and Bluetooth time slots. The duration of the Wi-Fi time slot exceeds the sum of the duration of the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window, the duration of the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window, and the minimum interval between the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window and the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more time-division multiplexing modes also include a second time-division multiplexing mode. The second time-division multiplexing mode uses twice the transmission period of the Wi-Fi beacon frame as its base period. The base period of the second time-division multiplexing mode includes a first Wi-Fi time slot, a second Wi-Fi time slot, and a Bluetooth time slot located between the first Wi-Fi time slot and the second Wi-Fi time slot. The duration of the first Wi-Fi time slot or the second Wi-Fi time slot is less than the sum of the duration of the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window, the duration of the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window, and the minimum interval time between the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame transmission window and the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The one or more time-division multiplexing modes also include a third time-division multiplexing mode. The third time-division multiplexing mode uses the transmission period of the Wi-Fi beacon frame as its base period. The base period of the third time-division multiplexing mode includes a first Wi-Fi time slot, a second Wi-Fi time slot, and a Bluetooth time slot located between the first Wi-Fi time slot and the second Wi-Fi time slot. The longest duration of the first Wi-Fi time slot is the transmission window duration of the Wi-Fi STA beacon frame, and the longest duration of the second Wi-Fi time slot is the transmission window duration of the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, When Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels, the first time division multiplexing mode is further divided into two alternating sub-cycles, the two sub-cycles including a first sub-cycle and a second sub-cycle, wherein the duration of each sub-cycle is equal to the reference cycle of the first time division multiplexing mode; Furthermore, the step of the terminal communicating using the first time-division multiplexing mode includes: Since Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA communication within the Wi-Fi time slot of the first sub-cycle, and performs Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slot of the first sub-cycle; and The terminal performs Wi-Fi P2P communication within the Wi-Fi time slot of the second sub-cycle, and the terminal performs Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slot of the second sub-cycle.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The step of the terminal performing Wi-Fi STA communication within the Wi-Fi time slot of the first sub-cycle includes: the terminal receiving a Wi-Fi STA beacon frame within the Wi-Fi time slot of the first sub-cycle; The step of the terminal performing Wi-Fi P2P communication in the Wi-Fi time slot of the second sub-cycle includes: the terminal receiving Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames in the Wi-Fi time slot of the second sub-cycle.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The steps for the terminal to communicate using the first time-division multiplexing mode include: Since Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on the same channel, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA communication and Wi-Fi P2P communication within the Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the first time division multiplexing mode, and performs Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slot of the reference period of the first time division multiplexing mode.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The steps for the terminal to perform Wi-Fi STA communication and Wi-Fi P2P communication within the Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the first time division multiplexing mode include: The terminal receives Wi-Fi STA beacon frames and Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames within the Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The steps for the terminal to communicate using the second time-division multiplexing mode include: Since Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on different channels, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA communication within the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the second time division multiplexing mode; The terminal performs Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slot of the reference period in the second time-division multiplexing mode; and The terminal performs Wi-Fi P2P communication within the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the second time-division multiplexing mode.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The steps for the terminal to communicate using the second time-division multiplexing mode include: Since Wi-Fi STA and Wi-Fi P2P operate on the same channel, the terminal performs Wi-Fi STA communication and Wi-Fi P2P communication within the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the second time division multiplexing mode; The terminal performs Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slot of the reference period in the second time-division multiplexing mode; and The terminal performs Wi-Fi STA communication and Wi-Fi P2P communication within the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period of the second time division multiplexing mode.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein, The step of the terminal performing Wi-Fi STA communication in the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period includes: the terminal receiving a Wi-Fi STA beacon frame in the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period; The step of the terminal performing Wi-Fi P2P communication in the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period includes: the terminal receiving Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames in the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period.

11. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The start time of the first Wi-Fi time slot is aligned with the start time of the Wi-FiSTA beacon frame transmission window, and the end time of the second Wi-Fi time slot is aligned with the end time of the Wi-Fi P2P beacon frame transmission window.

12. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The steps for the terminal to communicate using the third time-division multiplexing mode include: The terminal performs Wi-Fi STA communication within the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period in the third time division multiplexing mode; The terminal performs Bluetooth communication within the Bluetooth time slot of the reference period of the third time division multiplexing mode; and The terminal performs Wi-Fi P2P communication within the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period in the third time division multiplexing mode.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The step of the terminal performing Wi-Fi STA communication in the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period includes: the terminal receiving a Wi-Fi STA beacon frame in the first Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period; The step of the terminal performing Wi-Fi P2P communication in the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period includes: the terminal receiving Wi-Fi P2P beacon frames in the second Wi-Fi time slot of the reference period.

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