Communication method, access point device, expander device and computer program product

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication method executed at an access point (AP) device. The communication method comprises the following steps: receiving information of a client device associated with an expander device from the expander device connected with the AP device; obtaining information of a source device receiving a frame to detect a client device associated with the expander device; and in response to at least one of the client devices associated with the extender device being not detected within a time threshold, enabling a request to send and a send-to-send RTS / CTS mechanism to send data to the extender device. The disclosure also relates to an access point device, a communication method performed at an expander device, an expander device and a computer program product.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a communication method performed at an access point (AP) device, a communication method performed at an extender device, an AP device, an extender device, and a computer program product. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a wireless communication network, there is a case that two clients both take the same AP device as a destination but the two clients cannot hear each other (i.e., are hidden nodes to each other). In this case, the two clients can send data to the AP device at the same time, causing collision at the AP device, resulting in packet loss and retransmission by both sides, and a sharp drop in channel utilization. In order to solve the collision of hidden nodes, the IEEE 802.11 standard introduces a request to send and clear to send (RTS / CTS) mechanism. In the IEEE 802.11 standard, the RTS / CTS mechanism is enabled when the length of a medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (MPDU) to be sent is greater than or equal to an RTS threshold (the default value is 2347 bytes), and the RTS / CTS mechanism reduces the collision window that a long frame can encounter to the collision of RTS / CTS short frames, improves channel utilization, and effectively suppresses the retransmission storm caused by hidden nodes.

[0003] In order to cover all possible interfering nodes and maximize the protection, the IEEE 802.11 standard specifies that the RTS frame and the CTS frame are sent at the lowest rate in the basic rate set (e.g., 1 Mbps in the IEEE 802.11b standard and 6 Mbps in the IEEE 802.11a / g / n standard). With the evolution of the IEEE 802.11 standard, the maximum rate of the physical layer is constantly increasing, and the low-speed RTS frame and CTS frame are easy to cause air interface time slice consumption, thereby reducing the air interface capacity, especially in a high-competition environment. Therefore, there is a need for further improvement of the existing RTS / CTS mechanism. SUMMARY

[0004] The present disclosure provides a communication method performed at an access point (AP) device, a communication method performed at an extender device, an AP device, an extender device, and a computer program product.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a communication method performed at an access point (AP) device is provided, the communication method comprising: receiving, from an extender device connected with the AP device, information of client devices associated with the extender device; obtaining information of source devices of received frames to detect the client devices associated with the extender device; and enabling a request to send and clear to send (RTS / CTS) mechanism for sending data or management frames to the extender device in response to not detecting at least one of the client devices associated with the extender device within a time threshold.

[0006] According to another embodiment of the disclosure, an access point (AP) device is provided, comprising: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to at least one of the one or more processors, the memory having stored thereon a set of computer program instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the AP device to perform the above-described communication method performed at an access point device.

[0007] According to yet another embodiment of the disclosure, a computer program product is provided, having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause an access point device to perform the above-described communication method performed at an access point device.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a communication method performed at an extender device is provided, the communication method comprising: receiving, from an access point (AP) device connected with the extender device, information of client devices associated with the AP device; obtaining information of source devices of received frames to detect the client devices associated with the AP device; and enabling a request to send and clear to send (RTS / CTS) mechanism for sending data to the AP device in response to not detecting at least one of the client devices associated with the AP device within a time threshold.

[0009] According to another embodiment of the disclosure, an extender device is provided, comprising: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to at least one of the one or more processors, the memory having stored thereon a set of computer program instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the extender device to perform the above-described communication method performed at an extender device.

[0010] According to yet another embodiment of the disclosure, a computer program product is provided, having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause an access point device to perform the above-described communication method performed at an extender device.

[0011] The communication method, the access point device and the extender device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure identify hidden nodes by exchanging client information and listening to clients, and implement RTS / CTS protection. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0013] Figure 1 An exemplary architecture 100 of a wireless communication system according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0014] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating an RTS / CTS communication procedure 200 between two communication devices according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0015] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a communication method 300 performed at an AP device according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0016] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a communication method 400 performed at an extender device according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0017] Figure 5 is an exemplary block diagram illustrating a computing device 500 according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figure can be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of certain aspects. However, it will be apparent to one ordinarily skilled in the art that certain aspects can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and / or units have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the discussion with unnecessary detail.

[0020] Discussions herein using terms such as, for example, "receiving", "enabling", "detecting", "resolving", "sending", "executing", or the like, can refer to the actions and / or processes of a computer, computing platform, computing system, or other electronic computing device that manipulates and / or transforms data represented as physical (e.g., electronic) quantities within the computer's registers and / or memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer's registers and / or memories or other information storage medium that can store instructions to perform the operations and / or processes.

[0021] References to "one aspect", "an aspect", "certain aspects", certain example aspects" or "various aspects" indicate that the aspect described can include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every aspect can not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic.

[0022] As used herein, the indefinite articles "a", "an", or "the" are not intended to refer to a quantity of one, but rather to at least one. The use of "including", "containing", or "comprising" and variations thereof herein are meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. "Such as" is not used in a limiting sense, but rather for explanatory purposes. Unless otherwise limited, the term "connected" and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect electrical or communicative connections.

[0023] The description of various embodiments of the present disclosure is presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the described embodiments. The technical features involved in different embodiments of the present disclosure described below can be combined with each other as long as there is no conflict between them. Furthermore, it should be understood that the wording and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be considered limiting.

[0024] In the present disclosure, an AP, which is interchangeably referred to as a wireless access point (WAP), is a communication device that can communicate with and allow non- access point (non-AP) devices (e.g., stations (STAs) or client devices) in a wireless local area network (WLAN) to connect to a wired network. The AP is typically connected to a router as a standalone device (e.g., over a wired network), but it can also be integrated with or used in a router. Likewise, in the present disclosure, a non-AP (e.g., a client device or a station, which is interchangeably referred to as a STA) is a communication device that can communicate with an AP to obtain various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. The STA can be any device that contains a media access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) interface to the wireless medium (WM) in compliance with IEEE 820.11 standards. For example, the STA can be a laptop computer, a desktop personal computer (PC), a personal digital assistant (PDA), an access point, or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) phone, etc. in a WLAN environment. The STA can be fixed or mobile. In a WLAN environment, the terms "STA," "client device," "wireless client," "user," and "user device" can be used interchangeably.

[0025] In the present disclosure, a STA in a WLAN can work as an AP at different occasions, and vice versa. This is because a communication device in the context of IEEE 820.11 (Wi-Fi) technology can include both STA hardware components and AP hardware components. In this way, the communication device can switch between a STA mode and an AP mode based on actual WLAN conditions and / or requirements. In various embodiments below, a non-AP STA can refer to a STA (client device) in a WLAN that is not implemented as an AP.

[0026] Figure 1 An exemplary architecture 100 of a wireless communication system according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 1, the architecture 100 includes a WLAN 102 that includes a plurality of STAs 104 and an AP 106. The WLAN 102 can be implemented in accordance with IEEE 820.11 standards. The STAs 104 can be implemented as client devices, and the AP 106 can be implemented as an access point. The STAs 104 and the AP 106 can be implemented as communication devices that include both STA hardware components and AP hardware components. In this way, the STAs 104 and the AP 106 can switch between a STA mode and an AP mode based on actual WLAN conditions and / or requirements. Figure 1As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system includes an AP 101, a range extender (RE) 102, and four client devices 103-a, 103-b, 104-a, and 104-b. Examples of client devices can include, for example, smartphones, tablets, computers, and other devices with wireless communication capabilities. The AP 101 has a service coverage range of Area A, enabling client devices 103-a and 103-b associated with the AP 101 within Area A to connect to a wired network. The RE 102 is wirelessly communicatively connected with the AP 101 and has a service coverage range of Area B, enabling client devices 104-a and 104-b associated with the RE 102 within Area B to connect to the wired network. The RE 102 extends the wireless network provided by the AP 101 to places where the signal was not originally received (outside of Area A) or where the signal was weak (on the edge of Area A). It should be understood that the roles of the AP and the RE can be dynamically switched, and some devices can have both functionalities, for example, the RE 102 can act as both a relay for the AP 101 and an access point for another communication device, or the AP 101 can act as both an access point for the RE 102 and a relay for another communication device. Further, Figure 1 The architecture shown in FIG. 1 is exemplary only and does not impose any limitations on any embodiments of the present disclosure. The number of client devices associated with the AP device can be greater than or fewer than the two client devices as depicted, and the number of client devices associated with the RE device can be greater than or fewer than the two client devices as depicted. Further, the AP device can connect multiple RE devices, and one RE device can further connect another RE device to further extend the network coverage range.

[0027] In Figure 1In the example, although client device 103-b is not directly connected to RE 102, if client devices 103-b and 104-b can detect each other's preambles or perform energy detection on each other's signals, then client devices 103-b and 104-b are not hidden nodes. Before transmitting data, client device 103-b performs a Channel Clearance Assessment (CCA). If client device 103-b detects co-frequency energy from client device 104-b exceeding a threshold (e.g., greater than -62dBm for 20MHz) or receives a valid preamble, client device 103-b determines the channel is busy and backs off; if the channel is idle, client device 103-b transmits data; and vice versa. In this case, client devices 103-b and 104-b will not operate concurrently in the same time slot, and collisions are suppressed in advance. If client devices 103-b and 104-a cannot hear each other's signals, then client devices 103-b and 104-a constitute hidden nodes. When they send signals to RE 102 at the same time, a collision may occur, resulting in packet loss and retransmission.

[0028] In a typical mesh network, access points (APs) and receivers (REs) may be deployed far apart. In this case, client devices associated with an AP may form hidden nodes for the RE and client devices associated with the RE, and client devices associated with the RE may form hidden nodes for the AP and client devices associated with the AP. Figure 1 In the example, since client device 104-a is not within the coverage area A of AP 101, client device 104-a and AP 101 cannot hear each other. Therefore, collisions may occur when client device 104-a and AP 101 communicate with RE 102, and client device 104-a and AP 101 constitute hidden nodes for each other. Similarly, client device 103-a and RE 102 constitute hidden nodes for each other. Furthermore, the transmit power of AP and RE is often significantly higher than that of client devices; for example, the transmit power of AP and RE is around 20 dBm, while the transmit power of client devices is 10-14 dBm. This may result in client devices being able to receive signals from AP or RE, but the uplink frame energy of the client device at AP or RE is below the demodulation and / or energy detection threshold, making AP or RE not constitute hidden nodes for the client device, but the client device does constitute a hidden node for AP or RE.

[0029] As mentioned earlier, the IEEE 802.11 standard introduces the RTS / CTS mechanism to solve the problem of hidden nodes. Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating an RTS / CTS communication process 200 between two communication devices according to an embodiment of this disclosure is provided.Figure 2 As shown, when the source station 202 wants to send data to the destination station 204, the source station 202 first performs channel sensing (i.e., physical carrier sensing through the Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) / Collision Avoidance (CA) mechanism) before contending for channel resources, waiting for a Distributed Inter-Frame Space (DIFS) duration. If the channel is not occupied during the DIFS, the source station 202 can send an RTS frame to the destination station 204. The duration carried by the RTS frame is set to the total time that three Short Inter-Frame Spaces (SIFS), a subsequent CTS frame, data frames, and an acknowledgement (ACK) frame need to occupy. Other stations 206, after receiving the RTS frame, will update the Network Allocation Vector (NAV) according to the duration and remain silent during the duration. The other stations 206 can be multiple stations. After receiving the RTS frame, the destination station 204 waits for a SIFS duration before broadcasting a CTS frame. The duration carried by the CTS frame is set to the total time that two SIFS, data frames, and an ACK frame need to occupy. Other stations 206, after receiving the CTS frame, will update the NAV according to the duration and remain silent during the duration. If the source station 202 receives the CTS frame, it indicates that the bi-directional link for reception and transmission will not be occupied for the reservation period specified in the RTS, and the source station 202 can send data. If the source station 202 does not receive the CTS frame, it indicates that there is a link conflict, and the source station 202 proceeds to backoff and retries later. After receiving the CTS frame, the source station 202 waits for a SIFS duration before sending a data frame. The duration carried by the data frame is set to the total time that one SIFS and an ACK frame need to occupy. Other stations 206, after receiving the data frame, will update the NAV according to the duration and remain silent during the duration. After correctly receiving the data frame, the destination station 204 waits for a SIFS duration before sending an ACK frame. The duration carried by the ACK frame is set to zero, and the NAV expires. The source station 202 receives the ACK frame, and the transmission is successful. Other stations 206 resume channel contention after the NAV expires. As can be seen, hidden node conflicts can be avoided through the RTS / CTS mechanism. Figure 2 The source station 202, the destination station 204, and the other stations 206 in FIG. 1 can be any one of an AP device (e.g., the AP 101 in FIG. 1), an extender device (e.g., the RE 102 in FIG. 1), or a client device (e.g., the client devices 103-a, 103-b, 104-a, and 104-b in FIG. 1). Figure 1 The AP 101 in FIG. 1. Figure 1 The RE 102 in FIG. 1. Figure 1 The client devices 103-a, 103-b, 104-a, and 104-b in FIG. 1. Figure 2 The data frame mentioned in FIG. 1 contains the scenario of a management frame.

[0030] The current IEEE 802.11 standard specifies that the enabling mechanism of RTS / CTS protection is that the length of the MPDU to be transmitted is greater than or equal to the RTS threshold (the default value is 2347 bytes). This enabling mechanism of RTS / CTS protection protects the transmission of longer data packets and reduces the retransmission consumption. On this basis, the enabling condition of dynamically setting the RTS threshold is derived, but the essence is the same. The RTS / CTS mechanism enabled by the RTS threshold limit is not suitable for services with small data packet length, which are more likely to be delay and packet loss rate sensitive services (such as games), and the retransmission caused by data packet collision will significantly worsen the service experience. Another enabling mechanism of RTS / CTS protection is based on the environmental interference index, and RTS / CTS protection is enabled when the interference index exceeds a certain threshold. However, in a home environment (for example, a rural residence), the environmental interference index can be low, and the RTS / CTS protection enabled based on the environmental interference index will not be suitable. Therefore, the existing enabling mechanism of RTS / CTS protection needs further improvement, as described below.

[0031] Figure 3 A flowchart of a communication method 300 performed at an AP device according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. As shown, the communication method 300 includes steps 302-306. Figure 3

[0032] At step 302, the AP device receives information of client devices associated with an extender device connected to the AP device from the extender device. The extender device is connected to the AP device to extend the wireless network coverage. As previously described, in some embodiments, the extender device is arranged to be spaced apart from the AP device so that a client device far away from the AP device can establish a connection with the wired network through the extender device. The information of the client devices associated with the extender device refers to the information of all client devices associated with the extender device, and the client devices associated with the extender device can be non-AP devices and AP devices that are directly communicatively connected with the extender device. In some embodiments, the extender device can send the information of the client devices associated with the extender device to the AP device through an upper layer (for example, an application layer (such as a TCP layer, a UDP layer, etc.), a second layer (such as a MAC layer)) service. In some embodiments, the information of the client devices associated with the extender device includes a device identifier of the client device, for example, a media access control (MAC) address of the client device or other information that uniquely identifies the client (such as an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) unique identifier, an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), a serial number, etc.).

[0033] ​At step 304, the AP device obtains information of the source device of the received frame to detect the client device associated with the extender device. After receiving the information of the client device associated with the extender device, the AP device listens to the received frames (e.g., control frames and management frames) to detect whether the client device associated with the extender device is within the receiving range of the AP device. In some embodiments, the AP device can listen to the received management frames and control frames to obtain the source address (e.g., MAC address) of the received management frames and control frames, and determine that the client device associated with the extender device is within the coverage of the AP device when the obtained source address is the same as the address of the client device associated with the extender device. The AP device can obtain the source address of all received management frames and control frames to determine whether all client devices associated with the extender device are within the coverage of the AP device. The source address of the received management frames and control frames can be obtained by parsing the address (e.g., MAC address) of the source device from the management frames and control frames.

[0034] At step 306, the AP device enables the RTS / CTS mechanism for sending data or management frames to the extender device in response to not detecting at least one of the client devices associated with the extender device within a time threshold. If one of the client devices associated with the extender device is not detected within the preset time threshold, it is determined that the client device is not within the coverage of the AP device, i.e., the client device constitutes a hidden node of the AP device. In this case, the RTS / CTS mechanism needs to be enabled when the AP device sends data or management frames to the extender device to avoid collision caused by the AP device and the client device simultaneously sending information to the extender device. If all client devices associated with the extender device are detected, it is determined that all client devices associated with the extender device are within the coverage of the AP device and do not constitute a hidden node of the AP device. In this case, the RTS / CTS mechanism does not need to be enabled when the AP device sends data or management frames to the extender device.

[0035] Figure 3 The communication method 300 exemplified in the foregoing can efficiently identify hidden nodes, and the AP device can start RTS / CTS protection after identifying the hidden nodes, thereby solving the problem of collision and packet loss caused by hidden nodes when the AP and the RE are far apart. In particular, the communication method 300 can solve the problem of hidden nodes in a low-interference environment. Since the communication method 300 can dynamically start RTS / CTS protection to avoid collision, the method can improve the wireless performance of network nodes and improve the user experience of online surfing.

[0036] Further, in some embodiments, the communication method 300 can further include enabling the RTS / CTS mechanism for sending data or management frames to the extender device in response to the distance between the AP device and the extender device being beyond a distance threshold. In some embodiments, the distance between the AP device and the extender device can be determined by detecting the received signal strength. Since the extender device is to enable the client devices far away from the AP device to establish connection with the wired network through the extender device, when the extender device is far away from the AP device, some of the client devices associated with the extender device are likely to be hidden nodes of the AP device. In view of this, the RTS / CTS mechanism can also be enabled based on the distance between the AP device and the extender device being beyond the distance threshold.

[0037] In addition, in some embodiments, the communication method 300 can further include enabling a listening mode of the AP device to resolve the device identification of the source device carried in the received frame in response to receiving the information of the client device associated with the extender device. In the current IEEE 802.11a standard, after receiving the management frame and the control frame, the physical layer hardware of the communication device will extract the received address (RA) and compare it with the MAC address of itself after completing the preamble synchronization and demodulating the MAC frame header. If the RA is neither the unicast address of itself nor the broadcast address and the MAC address of itself is not in the multicast group corresponding to the RA, the physical layer hardware will directly discard the frame without resolving the MAC address of the source device. In the current IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) standard, the basic service set coloring (BSS Coloring) technology is introduced, in which a unique color code is allocated to each BSS, and the client devices associated with the AP device will have the same coloring as the AP device. The color code is embedded in the signal (SIG) field of the physical layer convergence protocol header (PHY header). Similarly, if the physical layer resolves a different color frame from the PHY header, the MAC address of the source device does not need to be resolved to discard or ignore the frame. Therefore, the AP device can not be able to listen to the MAC address of the client device (source device) carried in the frame sent by the client device associated with the extender device. In view of this, by enabling the listening mode, the AP device will not directly discard the frame in the case that the extracted RA is not the unicast address of itself or a different color frame is extracted, and still further resolve the MAC address of the source device carried in the frame, ensuring that the device identification of the source device of all received control frames and management frames can be detected to identify the hidden nodes.

[0038] In some implementations, the data or management frames sent by the AP device to the extender device have a size greater than the RTS threshold; in other implementations, the data or management frames sent by the AP device to the extender device have a size smaller than the RTS threshold. In other words, communication method 300 is suitable for sending data or management frames of various sizes, overcoming the limitation of the current IEEE 802.11 standard's RTS / CTS mechanism, which is only applicable to long data packets.

[0039] In some implementations, the communication method 300 further includes periodically detecting client devices associated with the extender device to determine whether to enable the RTS / CTS mechanism for sending data or management frames to the extender device. As mentioned earlier, client devices associated with the extender device can be mobile; therefore, client devices associated with the extender device may be within the coverage area of ​​the AP device (i.e., not constituting a hidden node of the AP device) or outside the coverage area of ​​the AP device (i.e., constituting a hidden node of the AP device) at different times. By periodically detecting client devices associated with the extender device, the dynamic activation of the RTS / CTS mechanism can be achieved.

[0040] Furthermore, access point (AP) devices and extender devices often communicate via multiple wireless backhaul links. In some implementations, an enabled RTS / CTS mechanism is applied to multiple wireless backhaul links between the AP device and the extender device to ensure that no collisions or packet loss occur on any of the wireless backhaul links.

[0041] It should be understood that Figure 3 The AP device mentioned in communication method 300 can be similar to Figure 1 In AP 101, the extender device can be similar to Figure 1 In RE 102, the client device associated with the extender device can be similar to... Figure 1 Client devices 104-a and 104-b in the middle.

[0042] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a communication method 400 performed at an extender device according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 4 As shown, the communication method 400 includes steps 402-406.

[0043] In step 402, the extender device receives information about client devices associated with the AP device from the AP device connected to the extender device. The information about client devices associated with the AP device refers to information about all client devices associated with the AP device, and these client devices can be non-AP devices and AP devices that are directly connected to the AP device. In some implementations, the AP device can send the information about client devices associated with the AP device to the extender device via upper-layer (e.g., application layer (such as TCP layer, UDP layer, etc.) or second-layer (such as MAC layer) services. In some implementations, the information about client devices associated with the AP device includes the client device's device identifier, such as the client device's Media Access Control (MAC) address or other uniquely identifying information about the client (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP) address, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) unique identifier, International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), serial number, etc.).

[0044] In step 404, the extender device acquires information about the source device of the received frame to detect client devices associated with the AP device. After receiving information about client devices associated with the AP device, the extender device listens to received frames (e.g., control frames and management frames) to detect whether client devices associated with the AP device are within the extender device's receiving range. In some implementations, the extender device can listen to received management and control frames to obtain the source addresses (e.g., MAC addresses) of the received management and control frames, and determine that the client device is within the extender device's coverage range when the obtained source address matches the address of a client device associated with the AP device. The extender device can acquire the source addresses of all received management and control frames to determine whether all client devices associated with the AP device are within the extender device's coverage range. Acquiring the source addresses of received management and control frames can be achieved by resolving the source device addresses (e.g., MAC addresses) from the management and control frames.

[0045] In step 406, in response to the fact that at least one of the client devices associated with the AP device is not detected within a time threshold, the extender device enables the RTS / CTS mechanism to send data or management frames to the AP device. If one of the client devices associated with the AP device is not detected within the preset time threshold, it is determined that the client device is not within the coverage area of ​​the extender device; that is, the client device constitutes a hidden node of the extender device. In this case, the RTS / CTS mechanism needs to be enabled when the extender device sends data or management frames to the AP device to avoid collisions caused by the extender device and the client device simultaneously sending information to the AP device. If all client devices associated with the AP device are detected, it is determined that all client devices associated with the AP device are within the coverage area of ​​the extender device and do not constitute a hidden node of the extender device. In this case, the RTS / CTS mechanism does not need to be enabled when the extender device sends data or management frames to the AP device.

[0046] Figure 4 The communication method 400 illustrated efficiently identifies hidden nodes. After the extender device identifies a hidden node, it can activate RTS / CTS protection, which can solve the collision and packet loss problem caused by hidden nodes when the AP and RE are far apart. In particular, communication method 400 can solve the problem of hidden nodes in low-interference environments. Since communication method 400 can dynamically activate RTS / CTS protection to avoid collisions, this method can improve the wireless performance of network nodes and enhance the user's internet access experience.

[0047] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the communication method 400 may also include: activating an RTS / CTS mechanism to send data or management frames to the AP device in response to the distance between the AP device and the extender device exceeding a distance threshold. In some embodiments, the distance between the AP device and the extender device can be determined by detecting the received signal strength.

[0048] Additionally, in some implementations, the communication method 400 may further include: in response to receiving information from a client device associated with the AP device, enabling the extender device's listening mode to parse the device identifier of the source device carried in the received frame. By enabling the listening mode, the extender device will not directly discard the frame if the extracted RA is not its own unicast address or if a frame with a different color is extracted. Instead, it will further parse the MAC address of the source device carried in the received frame, ensuring that the device identifier of the source device of all received control and management frames can be detected to identify hidden nodes.

[0049] In some implementations, the data or management frames sent by the extender device to the AP device have a size greater than the RTS threshold; in other implementations, the data or management frames sent by the extender device to the AP device have a size smaller than the RTS threshold. In other words, communication method 400 is suitable for sending data or management frames of various sizes, overcoming the limitation of the current IEEE 802.11 standard's RTS / CTS mechanism, which is only applicable to long data packets.

[0050] In some implementations, the communication method 400 further includes periodically detecting client devices associated with the AP device to determine whether to enable the RTS / CTS mechanism for sending data or management frames to the AP device. As mentioned earlier, client devices associated with the AP device can be mobile; therefore, client devices associated with the AP device may be within the coverage area of ​​the extender device (i.e., not constituting a hidden node of the extender device) or outside the coverage area of ​​the extender device (i.e., constituting a hidden node of the extender device) at different times. By periodically detecting client devices associated with the AP device, the dynamic activation of the RTS / CTS mechanism can be achieved.

[0051] Furthermore, access point (AP) devices and extender devices often communicate via multiple wireless backhaul links. In some implementations, an enabled RTS / CTS mechanism is applied to multiple wireless backhaul links between the AP device and the extender device to ensure that no collisions or packet loss occur on any of the wireless backhaul links.

[0052] It should be understood that Figure 4 The AP device mentioned in communication method 400 can be similar to Figure 1 In AP 101, the extender device can be similar to Figure 1 In RE 102, the client device associated with the AP device can be similar to... Figure 1 Client devices 103-a and 103-b in the middle.

[0053] Figure 5 This is an exemplary block diagram illustrating a computing device 500 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0054] It should be noted that Figure 5 The computing device described in the text can correspond to, for example, Figures 1-4 It can be one or more of the AP device, extender device and client device described herein, and can be used to perform actions involved in enabling the RTS / CTS mechanism, such as methods 300 and 400 as described above.

[0055] refer to Figure 5The computing device 500 according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include one or more processors 510 and a memory 520. Instructions are stored in the memory 510. At least one of the one or more processors 510 is coupled to the memory 520, and when the instructions are executed by at least one of the one or more processors 510, the computing device 500 performs the aforementioned communication methods 300 and 400.

[0056] Examples of processor 510 may include microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other hardware circuits capable of performing instruction-level arithmetic, signal processing, or control functions. Processor 510 can execute software. Software should be broadly understood as instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software modules, application programs, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or other forms. This software may be stored in memory 520.

[0057] Memory 520 may be a non-volatile computer-readable medium. For example, non-volatile computer-readable media include magnetic storage devices (such as hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic stripes), optical disks (such as optical discs (CDs) or digital versatile optical discs (DVDs)), smart cards, flash memory devices (such as cards, flash memory sticks, or USB flash drives), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, removable disks, and any other suitable medium that can be used to store software and / or instructions and is accessible and readable by a computer. One or more processors 510 and memory 520 may be connected via a bus for communicating information. The bus may consist of a single bus or multiple different buses.

[0058] Furthermore, a computer program product is also provided according to embodiments of this disclosure. This computer program product stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause one or more steps of the communication methods 300 and / or 400 as described above to be performed. As an example, the computer program product includes a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium having instructions executable by a processor. Memory 520 may reside in processor 510, be external to processor 510, or be distributed across multiple entities including processor 510. Memory 520 may be embodied in the computer program product. For example, the computer program product may include a computer-readable medium within packaging material. Those skilled in the art will recognize how the functionality described throughout this disclosure can be implemented depending on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

[0059] Furthermore, according to another embodiment of this disclosure, a computer program product for wireless communication is disclosed. As an example, the computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therein, and the program instructions are executable by a processor. When executed, the program instructions cause the processor to perform one or more of the processes described above, and details are omitted herein for the sake of brevity.

[0060] This disclosure can be a system, method, and / or computer program product at any possible level of technical detail integration. A computer program product may include a computer-readable storage medium (or medium) having computer-readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to perform aspects of this disclosure.

[0061] Unless specifically stated otherwise, references to singular elements are not intended to mean "one and only one," but rather "one or more." Similarly, unless specifically stated otherwise or contradicting descriptions elsewhere, references to plural elements are not intended to mean "more than one," but rather "one or more." Terms such as "if," "when," and "when..." should be interpreted as meaning "under the condition of" rather than implying an immediate temporal relationship or response. That is, these phrases (e.g., "when") do not imply an immediate action in response to or during the occurrence of an action, but simply imply that an action will occur if a condition is met, without requiring a specific or immediate temporal constraint on the occurrence of the action.

[0062] It should be noted that the flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate possible architectures, functions, and operations of methods and apparatus according to various embodiments of this application. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, program segment, or portion of code containing at least one executable instruction for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative embodiments, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order than that marked in the drawings. For example, two blocks shown consecutively may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, may be implemented by a system based on dedicated hardware that performs the specified function or operation, or by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

Claims

1. A communication method executed at an access point (AP) device, the communication method comprising: Receive information from the extender device connected to the AP device about the client device associated with the extender device; Obtain information about the source device of the received frame to detect the client device associated with the extender device; as well as In response to the failure to detect at least one of the client devices associated with the extender device within a time threshold, a request to send data or management frames to the extender device and an allow-to-send RTS / CTS mechanism are enabled.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The communication method further includes: In response to the distance between the AP device and the extender device exceeding a distance threshold, the RTS / CTS mechanism for sending data or management frames to the extender device is activated.

3. The communication method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The communication method further includes: In response to receiving information from a client device associated with the extender device, the AP device enables a listening mode to parse the device identifier of the source device carried in the received frame.

4. The communication method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The information of the client device includes the device identifier of the client device.

5. The communication method according to claim 4, wherein, The device identifier is the Media Access Control (MAC) address.

6. The communication method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The communication method further includes: The client devices associated with the extender device are periodically checked to determine whether the RTS / CTS mechanism for sending data or management frames to the extender device is enabled.

7. The communication method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The data or management frames sent to the extender device have a size smaller than the RTS threshold.

8. The communication method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The RTS / CTS mechanism is applied to multiple backhaul links between the AP device and the extender device.

9. An access point (AP) device, comprising: One or more processors; as well as A memory coupled to at least one of the one or more processors, the memory storing a set of computer program instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the AP device to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A computer program product having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause an access point device to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. A communication method executed at an extender device, the communication method comprising: Receive information about client devices associated with the access point (AP) device connected to the extender device; Obtain information about the source device of the received frame to detect the client device associated with the AP device; as well as In response to the failure to detect at least one of the client devices associated with the AP device within a time threshold, a request to send data to the AP device and an allow-to-send RTS / CTS mechanism are enabled.

12. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein, The communication method further includes: In response to the distance between the extender device and the AP device exceeding a distance threshold, the RTS / CTS mechanism for sending data to the AP device is activated.

13. The communication method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, The communication method further includes: In response to receiving information from a client device associated with the AP device, the extender device enables a listening mode to parse the device identifier of the source device carried in the received frame.

14. The communication method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, The information of the client device includes the device identifier of the client device.

15. The communication method according to claim 4, wherein, The device identifier is the Media Access Control (MAC) address.

16. The communication method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, The communication method further includes: The client devices associated with the AP device are periodically checked to determine whether the RTS / CTS mechanism for sending data or management frames to the AP device is enabled.

17. The communication method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, The data sent to the AP device has a size smaller than the RTS threshold.

18. The communication method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, The RTS / CTS mechanism is applied to multiple backhaul links between the AP device and the extender device.

19. An extender device, comprising: One or more processors; as well as A memory coupled to at least one of the one or more processors, the memory storing a set of computer program instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the extender device to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 11 to 18.

20. A computer program product having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause an extender device to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 11 to 18.

Images