Multi-band communication method, interface parameter updating method, AP equipment and ML equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a multi-band communication method, an interface parameter updating method, AP equipment and ML equipment, and belongs to the technical field of communication. The method comprises the steps that in the process that AP equipment authenticates STA equipment, the AP equipment sends a target message to the STA equipment, the AP equipment comprises a plurality of APs, and the APs work on different frequency bands. Wherein the target message comprises a plurality of multi-band elements, the plurality of multi-band elements are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of APs, each multi-band element in the plurality of multi-band elements comprises band information of the corresponding AP, and the plurality of multi-band elements are used for indicating the STA equipment to perform association and key derivation with the plurality of APs. According to the method and the device, the STA equipment can be quickly switched among the plurality of APs.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The original application has the application number 201911159823.8 and the original application date is November 22, 2019. The entire contents of the original application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a multi-band communication, interface parameter update method, access point (AP) device, and multiple-link (ML) device. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of wireless technology, more and more devices support multi-band communication, such as devices that can communicate simultaneously on the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band. Even when the number of antennas is limited, multi-band devices can switch between different bands to select the optimal band and ensure communication quality.

[0004] Multi-band devices can be called ML devices. ML devices can perform multi-link aggregation (MLA), which means that an ML device uses multiple links to send data simultaneously in order to improve the transmission rate. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a multi-band communication method, an interface parameter update method, an AP device, and an ML device, which facilitates rapid switching between multiple APs for a station (STA) device. The technical solution is as follows: Firstly, a multi-band communication method is provided. In this method, during the authentication process between the AP device and the STA device, the AP device sends a target message to the STA device. The AP device includes multiple APs, which operate on different frequency bands.

[0006] It should be noted that when the AP device authenticates the STA device, it means that the AP device performs identity verification on the STA device at the link layer, which usually includes association and key derivation.

[0007] In addition, the target message includes multiple multi-band elements, which correspond one-to-one with the multiple APs. Each of the multiple multi-band elements contains the frequency band information of the corresponding AP. These multiple multi-band elements are used to instruct the STA device to associate with the multiple APs and derive keys.

[0008] In this embodiment, the AP device can carry multiple multi-band elements in the target message sent to the STA device to send relevant information about the frequency bands in which the multiple APs it includes operate to the STA device, thereby instructing the STA device to associate with the multiple APs and derive keys. This facilitates rapid switching between the multiple APs by the STA device.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the target message is an association response frame generated during the association process, and / or the target message is a key message generated during the key derivation process.

[0010] Optionally, when the target message is a key message generated during the key derivation process, the target message also includes a robust secure network information element, which contains a request type. This request type is either a single-link association type and its corresponding key derivation type, or it is a multi-link association type and its corresponding key derivation type.

[0011] It should be noted that the single-link association type means that a single-link association can be established with the AP device, the multi-link association type means that multiple-link associations can be established with the AP device, and the key derivation type is used to indicate the encryption protocol that can be used when deriving keys with the AP device.

[0012] In one possible scenario, the STA device includes multiple STAs operating on different frequency bands, with different MAC (Media Access Control) addresses for each STA. These multiple STAs correspond to a first service access point (SAP), and the multiple APs correspond to a second service access point (SAP).

[0013] The association request frame sent by the STA device to the AP device includes a first information element, which contains the MAC address of the first SAP; or, the address field of the frame header of the association request frame sent by the STA device to the AP device contains the MAC address of the first SAP.

[0014] The association response frame sent by the AP device to the STA device includes a second information element, which contains the MAC address of the second SAP; or, the address field of the frame header of the association response frame sent by the AP device to the STA device contains the MAC address of the second SAP.

[0015] It should be noted that the MAC address of the first SAP is used to generate a key during the key derivation process, and this key can be used on all links in the ML-entity corresponding to the first SAP. The MAC address of the second SAP is used to generate a key during the key derivation process, and this key can be used on all links in the ML-entity corresponding to the second SAP.

[0016] Furthermore, the first information element may also include indication information for indicating the encryption algorithm preferred by the STA device, and / or, the first information element may also include the MAC address of each of the plurality of STAs. The second information element may also include indication information for indicating the encryption algorithm preferred by the AP device, and / or, the second information element may also include the MAC address of each of the plurality of APs.

[0017] It should be noted that when the association request frame includes the MAC address of the first SAP and the MAC address of each of the multiple STAs, the MAC address of the first SAP is used to generate the encryption key for unicast data frames during the key derivation process, and the MAC address of each STA is used to generate the encryption key for multicast data frames during the key derivation process. When the association response frame includes the MAC address of the second SAP and the MAC address of each of the multiple APs, the MAC address of the second SAP is used to generate the encryption key for unicast data frames during the key derivation process, and the MAC address of each AP is used to generate the encryption key for multicast data frames during the key derivation process.

[0018] It is worth noting that the STA device and the AP device can negotiate the key during the key derivation process based on the MAC address of the first SAP, the MAC address of the second SAP, the encryption algorithm preferred by the STA device, the encryption algorithm preferred by the AP device, the MAC address of each STA among the multiple STAs, and the MAC address of each AP among the multiple APs, thereby improving the key negotiation efficiency.

[0019] In another possible scenario, the association request frame sent by the STA device to the AP device includes a third information element. This third information element contains multi-AP association indication information, which is used to request simultaneous association with multiple APs and key derivation.

[0020] The association response frame sent by the AP device to the STA device includes a second information element, which contains the MAC address of the second SAP; or, the address field of the frame header of the association response frame sent by the AP device to the STA device contains the MAC address of the second SAP. The MAC address of the second SAP is used to generate a key during the key derivation process.

[0021] Furthermore, the second information element may also include indication information for indicating the preferred encryption algorithm used by the AP device, and / or, the second information element may also include the MAC address of each of the plurality of APs.

[0022] In this embodiment, when the association request frame sent by the STA device to the AP device carries multi-AP association indication information, it indicates that the STA device wants to associate and derive keys with multiple APs in the AP device simultaneously. At this time, the AP device can carry the MAC address of the second SAP in the association response frame returned to the STA device, and further, it can carry the MAC address of each of the multiple APs and an indication of the preferred encryption algorithm used by the AP device. Thus, the STA device can subsequently complete key derivation with the multiple APs based on the MAC address of the second SAP, the MAC address of each of the multiple APs, and the preferred encryption algorithm used by the AP device.

[0023] Furthermore, to prevent the STA device from arbitrarily switching between the multiple APs, the beacon frame sent by each of the multiple APs may include an access control policy information element. The access control policy information element includes at least one of the following: the number of multiple APs, the access policy of each of the multiple APs, handover threshold indication information, or STA association restrictions.

[0024] It should be noted that the switching threshold indication information is used to instruct the STA device to perform AP switching when the signal quality drops to the first threshold, and the STA association restriction is used to indicate the types of STAs that each AP is allowed to associate with among multiple APs.

[0025] In addition, for any one of multiple APs, an AP's access policy includes at least one of a service policy or a timeout information. The service policy indicates the highest Access Category (AC) or TID of data packets allowed to be transmitted by an AP, while the timeout information indicates that the STA device should perform AP handover if it does not receive a data packet with the highest AC or TID allowed by an AP within a preset time period.

[0026] Secondly, a multi-band communication method is provided. In this method, during the FST process between two ML devices, one ML device sends an FST frame to the other ML device, and the FST frame includes multi-band elements.

[0027] It should be noted that the multi-band element includes a packet-level MLA supported field, which indicates whether packet-level multi-link aggregation is supported.

[0028] In this embodiment, after one ML device sends an FST frame to another ML device, the other ML device can determine whether the first ML device supports packet-level multi-link aggregation. Thus, the two ML devices performing FST can know whether each other supports packet-level multi-link aggregation and perform FST accordingly, thereby facilitating a faster and more accurate FST completion process for both parties.

[0029] In one possible implementation, one of the two ML devices is a STA device, and the other is an AP device. The multi-band element in the FST frame sent by the STA device to the AP device includes a Noncollocated supported field, which indicates whether Noncollocated multi-link aggregation is supported.

[0030] In this embodiment, the STA device can carry a "Noncollocated supported" field in the multi-band element of the FST frame sent to the AP device to indicate whether the STA device supports multi-link aggregation with multiple APs belonging to different physical devices. This allows the AP device to adjust its communication strategy with the STA device accordingly.

[0031] In another possible implementation, one of the two ML devices is a STA device, and the other is an AP device. The multi-band element in the FST frame sent by the AP device to the STA device includes a multi-band connectivity capability field, which contains a Noncollocated AP indicator bit. The Noncollocated AP indicator bit is used to indicate whether multi-link aggregation with APs belonging to other physical devices is supported.

[0032] In this embodiment, the AP device can carry a Noncollocated AP indicator bit in the multi-band connectivity capability field of the multi-band element in the FST frame sent to the STA device, to indicate whether the AP in the AP device supports multi-link aggregation with APs belonging to other physical devices. This allows the STA device to adjust its communication strategy with the AP device accordingly.

[0033] In another possible implementation, one of the two ML devices is a STA device, and the other is an AP device. The FST frame sent by the STA device to the AP device includes a mobility domain element. The mobility domain element includes a Noncollocated supported field, which indicates whether Noncollocated multi-link aggregation is supported; or, the mobility domain element includes a Noncollocated flow-level MLASupported field and a Noncollocated packet-level MLA Supported field. The Noncollocated flow-level MLA Supported field indicates whether Noncollocated multi-link aggregation is supported when performing flow-level multi-link aggregation, and the Noncollocated packet-level MLA Supported field indicates whether Noncollocated multi-link aggregation is supported when performing packet-level multi-link aggregation.

[0034] In this embodiment, the STA device can carry a "Noncollocated supported" field in the mobility field element of the FST frame sent to the AP device to indicate whether the STA device supports multi-link aggregation with multiple APs belonging to different physical devices. This allows the AP device to adjust its communication strategy with the STA device accordingly. Alternatively, the STA device can carry a "Noncollocated flow-level MLA Supported" field and a "Noncollocated packet-level MLASupported" field in the mobility field element of the FST frame sent to the AP device to indicate whether the STA device supports multi-link aggregation with multiple APs belonging to different physical devices when performing flow-level and packet-level multi-link aggregation, respectively. This also allows the AP device to adjust its communication strategy with the STA device accordingly.

[0035] Furthermore, the multi-band element also includes a first flag bit, which is used to indicate whether the multi-band element includes a link identification field, which is used to indicate the frequency band to which the two ML devices will transfer the FST session.

[0036] Furthermore, the multi-band element also includes a second flag bit, which is used to indicate whether the multi-band element includes a multi-band control field, which includes a packet-level MLA supported field.

[0037] Thirdly, a multi-band communication method is provided. In this method, during packet-level multi-link aggregation, the two ML devices communicate using their respective SAP MAC addresses, and each ML device's SAP corresponds to multiple network interfaces included in each ML device.

[0038] It should be noted that for either of these two ML devices, the SAP of that ML device corresponds to the multiple network interfaces included in that ML device. That is, the SAP of this ML device is one ML-SAP corresponding to the multiple network interfaces performing packet-level multi-link aggregation within that ML device. The MAC address of this SAP of the ML device can be a newly assigned MAC address, or it can be the MAC address of one of the multiple network interfaces.

[0039] In this embodiment, during packet-level multi-link aggregation, the two ML devices communicate using their respective SAP MAC addresses. This allows the two ML devices to achieve fast and accurate multi-band communication.

[0040] Optionally, during communication between the two ML devices, the address field of the data frame sent by one ML device to the other ML device includes the SAP MAC address of the other ML device.

[0041] Optionally, during communication between two ML devices, the address field of a control frame sent by one ML device to the other ML device includes the SAP MAC address of the other ML device or the MAC address of a network interface of the other ML device, and the address field of a management frame sent by one device to the other ML device includes the SAP MAC address of the other ML device or the MAC address of a network interface of the other ML device. Alternatively, during communication between the two ML devices, the address fields of both control frames and management frames sent by one ML device to the other ML device include the MAC address of a network interface of the other ML device. Or, during communication between the two ML devices, the address field of a designated control frame sent by one ML device to the other ML device includes the SAP MAC address of the other ML device, and the address fields of both management frames and control frames (excluding the designated control frame) sent by one ML device to the other ML device include the MAC address of a network interface of the other ML device.

[0042] It is worth noting that in this embodiment of the application, a link can belong to multiple ML-entities simultaneously, that is, one network interface can correspond to multiple ML-entities. In this case, in addition to having a MAC address (that is, the MAC address of the ML-SAP corresponding to each ML-entity), each ML-entity is also assigned a multi-link entity identifier, which can be used in other stages except the multi-link aggregation setup stage.

[0043] For example, during communication between two ML devices, the header of the control frame sent by one ML device to the other includes an aggregate control field, which contains a multi-link entity identifier and control information.

[0044] In one possible implementation, during communication between two ML devices, the action frame sent by one ML device to the other includes a category field, the value of which is the same as the value of the category field included in the FST frame. In this case, the action frame and the FST frame in this embodiment share a category value, thereby enabling multi-link aggregation operations to be implemented using the FST mechanism.

[0045] Specifically, when the action frame is a multi-link aggregation setting request frame or a multi-link aggregation setting response frame, the action frame includes a fourth information element, which is used to indicate multi-link entity information. Thus, during the multi-link aggregation setting process, the ML device can quickly and accurately perform multi-link aggregation setting based on the multi-link entity information contained in the fourth information element.

[0046] It should be noted that the fourth information element includes at least one of the following: whether it is the same location field, the MAC address field of the multi-link aggregation initiator, the MAC address field of the multi-link aggregation responder, the multi-link entity identifier field, the navigation channel information field, or the member link information list field. The member link information list field is used to indicate the information of each member link.

[0047] Fourthly, an interface parameter update method is provided. In this method, the ML device updates the parameters of the enabled network interfaces among its multiple network interfaces based on the state changes of each network interface. The multiple network interfaces operate on different frequency bands and share the antenna configured in the ML device.

[0048] It should be noted that this parameter may include at least one of the following: capability information or operating parameters. For example, this parameter may include at least one of the following: the number of configured transmit and receive antennas, the maximum number of transmit or receive streams that can be supported, whether simultaneous transmit and receive with other network interfaces is supported, the highest modulation and coding scheme that the devices at both ends of the link are allowed to use when there is adjacent channel interference, the safety margin that the transmitting end of the link needs to reserve, channel bandwidth, or transmit power.

[0049] In this embodiment, a change in the state of a network interface refers to the network interface changing from an on state to a off state, or from an off state to an on state. When a network interface changes state, the sharing of antennas configured in the ML device by multiple network interfaces will change. At this time, the parameters of the on-screen network interfaces will change, so the ML device can update the parameters of the on-screen network interfaces to ensure their normal use, thereby ensuring the normal communication of the ML device.

[0050] The ML device updates the parameters of the enabled network interfaces among its multiple network interfaces based on the status changes of each network interface. This includes: after enabling one network interface among the multiple network interfaces or disabling one network interface among the multiple network interfaces, the ML device configures the parameters of each of the enabled network interfaces among the multiple network interfaces, and sends the parameters of all enabled network interfaces through each enabled network interface.

[0051] In this embodiment, when the ML device activates or deactivates one of the multiple network interfaces, the number of activated network interfaces changes. This alters the sharing of antennas configured in the ML device across these multiple network interfaces, necessitating the ML device to reconfigure the parameters of each activated network interface. Furthermore, after configuring the network interface parameters, the ML device can transmit the parameters of all activated network interfaces through each of these interfaces. Thus, other devices establishing communication connections with any network interface of the ML device can obtain the parameters of all activated network interfaces from the information transmitted by that network interface. This allows the other devices to adjust their communication strategies accordingly, such as establishing communication connections with all activated network interfaces or switching from a currently connected network interface to another. This embodiment does not limit the scope of this embodiment.

[0052] Fifthly, an AP device is provided, comprising: a sending module for sending a target message to a STA device during the authentication process of the AP device. The AP device includes multiple APs operating on different frequency bands. The target message includes multiple multi-band elements, each corresponding one-to-one with one of the multiple APs. Each multi-band element contains the frequency band information of the corresponding AP, and the multiple multi-band elements are used to instruct the STA device to associate with the multiple APs and derive keys.

[0053] Sixthly, an ML device is provided, comprising: a transmitting module, configured to transmit FST frames to other ML devices during an FST process between the ML device and other ML devices, wherein the FST frame includes a multi-band element. The multi-band element includes a packet-level MLA supported field, which indicates whether packet-level multi-link aggregation is supported.

[0054] In a seventh aspect, an ML device is provided, the ML device including: a communication module, used to communicate with other ML devices using the SAP MAC address of the ML device during packet-level multi-link aggregation between the ML device and other ML devices, wherein the SAP of the ML device corresponds to multiple network interfaces included in the ML device.

[0055] Eighthly, an ML device is provided, the ML device including: an update module, used to update the parameters of the enabled network interfaces among the multiple network interfaces according to the status change of each network interface among the multiple network interfaces included therein, the parameters including at least one of capability information or operating parameters, the multiple network interfaces operating on different frequency bands, and the multiple network interfaces sharing an antenna configured in the ML device.

[0056] A ninth aspect provides a computer device including a processor and a memory. The memory stores a program that supports the computer device in executing the multi-band communication method provided in the first aspect, and stores data related to implementing the multi-band communication method described in the first aspect. The processor is configured to execute the program stored in the memory. The computer device may further include a communication bus for establishing a connection between the processor and the memory.

[0057] A tenth aspect provides a computer device including a processor and a memory. The memory stores a program that supports the computer device in executing the multi-band communication method provided in the second aspect, and stores data related to implementing the multi-band communication method described in the second aspect. The processor is configured to execute the program stored in the memory. The computer device may further include a communication bus for establishing a connection between the processor and the memory.

[0058] Eleventhly, a computer device is provided, comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing programs that support the computer device in executing the multi-band communication method provided in the third aspect, and storing data related to implementing the multi-band communication method described in the third aspect. The processor is configured to execute the programs stored in the memory. The computer device may further include a communication bus for establishing a connection between the processor and the memory.

[0059] In a twelfth aspect, a computer device is provided, comprising a processor and a memory. The memory stores a program that supports the computer device in executing the interface parameter update method provided in the fourth aspect above, and stores data related to implementing the multi-band communication method described in the fourth aspect above. The processor is configured to execute the program stored in the memory. The computer device may further include a communication bus for establishing a connection between the processor and the memory.

[0060] In a thirteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored therein, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the multi-band communication method described in the first aspect.

[0061] In a fourteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored therein, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the multi-band communication method described in the second aspect above.

[0062] In a fifteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored therein, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the multi-band communication method described in the third aspect above.

[0063] In a sixteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored therein, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the interface parameter update method described in the fourth aspect above.

[0064] In a seventeenth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the multi-band communication method described in the first aspect.

[0065] In the eighteenth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the multi-band communication method described in the second aspect above.

[0066] In a nineteenth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the multi-band communication method described in the third aspect above.

[0067] In a twentieth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the interface parameter update method described in the fourth aspect above.

[0068] The technical effects achieved by the fifth, ninth, thirteenth and seventeenth aspects mentioned above are similar to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding technical means in the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0069] The technical effects achieved by the sixth, tenth, fourteenth, and eighteenth aspects mentioned above are similar to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding technical means in the second aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0070] The technical effects achieved by the seventh, eleventh, fifteenth and nineteenth aspects mentioned above are similar to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding technical means in the third aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0071] The technical effects achieved by aspects 8, 12, 16 and 20 above are similar to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding technical means in aspect 4 above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0072] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating communication between a STA device and an AP device according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a Collocated multi-link aggregation provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a noncollocated multi-link aggregation provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the first multi-band communication method provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 5 This is a flowchart of the second multi-band communication method provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the format of multi-band elements included in an FST frame, provided by related technologies; Figure 7 This is a flowchart of the third multi-band communication method provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of an action frame format provided by related technologies; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the format of a fourth information element provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the format of a multi-link aggregation session conversion element provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the format of a multi-link aggregation conversion stream element provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the format of a redirection flow element provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 13 This is a flowchart of an interface parameter update method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an AP device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first type of ML device provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second type of ML device provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the third type of ML device provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0073] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0074] It should be understood that "multiple" as mentioned in this application refers to two or more. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates "or," for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in this document is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first," "second," etc., do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that "first," "second," etc., do not necessarily imply differences.

[0075] Before providing a detailed explanation of the embodiments of this application, the application scenarios involved in the embodiments of this application will be described first.

[0076] With the development of wireless technology, more and more devices support multi-band communication, such as devices that can communicate simultaneously on the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands. Even when the number of antennas is limited, multi-band devices can switch between different bands to select the optimal band and ensure communication quality.

[0077] Multi-band devices can be either STA (Stationary Targeting) devices or AP (Access Point) devices. STA devices typically include multiple STAs, which can operate on different frequency bands or different channels within the same frequency band. AP devices typically include multiple APs, which can operate on different frequency bands or different channels within the same frequency band. Each STA or AP in a multi-band device has a network interface, which can be an IEEE 802.11 interface, etc. In other words, multi-band devices include multiple network interfaces.

[0078] like Figure 1 As shown, if a STA device wants to communicate with an AP device, each STA in the STA device needs to be associated with the corresponding AP in the AP device. In this way, each STA in multiple STA devices can establish a connection with the corresponding AP on its own link, thereby realizing multi-band communication between the STA device and the AP device.

[0079] Multi-band devices can also be called ML devices, meaning both STA devices and AP devices can be referred to as ML devices. ML devices can perform multi-link aggregation, which means that an ML device uses multiple links to send data simultaneously to improve the transmission rate.

[0080] The following section explains the relevant concepts of multi-link aggregation.

[0081] On the one hand, multi-link aggregation can be divided into flow-level multi-link aggregation and packet-level multi-link aggregation. Flow-level multi-link aggregation refers to a single ML device using multiple links to simultaneously send data packets with different Traffic Identifiers (TIDs). Packet-level multi-link aggregation refers to a single ML device using multiple links to simultaneously send data packets with the same TID. The TID identifies the service type to which the data packet belongs.

[0082] For packet-level multi-link aggregation, all links performing packet-level multi-link aggregation within an ML device constitute a multi-link entity (ML-entity), and each ML-entity corresponds to a multi-link service access point (ML-SAP). That is, multiple network interfaces within an ML device used for packet-level multi-link aggregation correspond to one ML-SAP. Each ML-SAP has a MAC address, which can be newly assigned or the same as the MAC address of one of its corresponding network interfaces.

[0083] On the other hand, multi-link aggregation can be divided into collocated multi-link aggregation and noncollocated multi-link aggregation. For example... Figure 2 As shown, Collocated multi-link aggregation refers to multiple STAs belonging to the same physical device whose APs are aggregated in a STA device. For example... Figure 3 As shown, Noncollocated multi-link aggregation refers to multiple STAs in a STA device whose corresponding APs belong to different physical devices.

[0084] The Fast Session Transition (FST) mechanism will be explained next.

[0085] The IEEE 802.11 protocol defines a Frequency Switching (FST) mechanism for switching the transmission of data packets for a specific TID (Time ID) or all TIDs of a Multiprocessor (ML) device from one frequency band to another. Specifically, the FST mechanism has two modes: Transparent and Nontransparent. In Transparent mode, multiple network interfaces within each of the two ML devices at both ends of the link use the same MAC address. In Nontransparent mode, multiple network interfaces within either of the two ML devices at both ends of the link use different MAC addresses.

[0086] The following describes a multi-band communication method provided by an embodiment of this application.

[0087] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-band communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. See also... Figure 4 The method includes: Step 401: During the authentication process of the AP device to the STA device, the AP device sends a target message to the STA device.

[0088] It should be noted that the authentication performed by the AP device on the STA device refers to the AP device authenticating the STA device at the link layer, which typically includes association and key derivation. During the association process, the STA device can send an association request frame to the AP device, and then the AP device can send an association response frame to the STA device. During the key derivation process, the STA device and the AP device can exchange multiple key messages to negotiate the key, which is used to protect the communication data transmitted between the STA device and the AP device.

[0089] Additionally, the AP device can be an ML device, meaning it can operate on multiple frequency bands simultaneously. For example, the AP device may include multiple APs operating on different frequency bands, and these APs may have different MAC addresses. For instance, the AP device may include AP1, AP2, and AP3; AP1 may operate on the 2.4GHz band, AP2 on the 5GHz band, and AP3 on the 6GHz band. The MAC address of each AP can be the MAC address of its network interface.

[0090] Furthermore, the STA device can be a multi-band device. In one possibility, the STA device is a single-link (SL) device, operating on only one frequency band at a time. The STA device can switch between multiple APs included in the AP device, such as dynamically switching between APs based on service latency requirements. In another possibility, the STA device is an ML device, meaning it can operate on multiple frequency bands simultaneously. The STA device can include multiple STAs operating on different frequency bands, and these STAs can have different MAC addresses. The MAC address of each STA can be the MAC address of its network interface.

[0091] It should be noted that the target message includes multiple multi-band elements, each corresponding one-to-one with one of the multiple access points (APs) included in the AP device. Each multi-band element contains the frequency band information of the corresponding AP. These elements are used to instruct the STA device to associate with and derive keys from the multiple APs. The AP's frequency band information refers to the information related to the frequency band in which the AP operates; association and key derivation can be performed based on this information.

[0092] It is worth noting that in this embodiment, the AP device can carry multiple multi-band elements in the target message sent to the STA device to send relevant information about the frequency bands in which the multiple APs it includes operate to the STA device, thereby instructing the STA device to associate with the multiple APs and derive keys. This facilitates rapid switching between the multiple APs by the STA device.

[0093] In one possible implementation, the target message may be an association response frame generated during the association process, and / or the target message may be a key message generated during the key derivation process.

[0094] Optionally, when the target message is a key message generated during the key derivation process, the target message may also include a Robust Security Network information element (RSN IE), which contains a request type, such as the value of the reserved bit of the Robust Security Network information element being the request type.

[0095] It should be noted that the request type can be a single-link association type and its corresponding key derivation type, or it can be a multi-link association type and its corresponding key derivation type. A single-link association type means that a single-link association with the AP device is possible, while a multi-link association type means that multiple-link associations with the AP device are possible. The key derivation type indicates the encryption protocol that can be used when deriving keys with the AP device.

[0096] The following explains the case where the STA device is an ML device. Multiple STAs performing multi-link aggregation within this STA device correspond to one ML-SAP (which can be referred to as the first SAP). Multiple APs performing multi-link aggregation within this AP device correspond to one ML-SAP (which can be referred to as the second SAP).

[0097] The association request frame sent by the STA device to the AP device may include a first information element (IE), which may contain the MAC address of the first SAP. Alternatively, the address field of the frame header of the association request frame sent by the STA device to the AP device may contain the MAC address of the first SAP.

[0098] The association response frame sent by the AP device to the STA device may include a second information element, which may contain the MAC address of the second SAP. Alternatively, the address field of the frame header of the association response frame sent by the AP device to the STA device may contain the MAC address of the second SAP.

[0099] It should be noted that the MAC address of the first SAP is used to generate a key during the key derivation process, and this key can be used on all links in the ML-entity corresponding to the first SAP. The MAC address of the second SAP is used to generate a key during the key derivation process, and this key can be used on all links in the ML-entity corresponding to the second SAP.

[0100] Furthermore, the first information element may also include indication information for indicating the encryption algorithm preferred by the STA device, and / or, the first information element may also include the MAC address of each of the plurality of STAs. The second information element may also include indication information for indicating the encryption algorithm preferred by the AP device, and / or, the second information element may also include the MAC address of each of the plurality of APs.

[0101] It should be noted that when the association request frame includes the MAC address of the first SAP and the MAC address of each of the multiple STAs, the MAC address of the first SAP is used to generate the encryption key for unicast data frames during the key derivation process, and the MAC address of each STA is used to generate the encryption key for multicast data frames during the key derivation process. When the association response frame includes the MAC address of the second SAP and the MAC address of each of the multiple APs, the MAC address of the second SAP is used to generate the encryption key for unicast data frames during the key derivation process, and the MAC address of each AP is used to generate the encryption key for multicast data frames during the key derivation process.

[0102] It is worth noting that, in this embodiment of the application, the STA device and the AP device can negotiate the key during the key derivation process based on the MAC address of the first SAP, the MAC address of the second SAP, the encryption algorithm preferred by the STA device, the encryption algorithm preferred by the AP device, the MAC address of each STA among the plurality of STAs, and the MAC address of each AP among the plurality of APs, thereby improving the key negotiation efficiency.

[0103] The following explains the case where the STA device is an SL device. Multiple APs performing multi-link aggregation within this AP device correspond to one ML-SAP (which can be referred to as a second SAP).

[0104] The association request frame sent by the STA device to the AP device includes a third information element, which contains multi-AP association indication information. This multi-AP association indication information is used to request simultaneous association and key derivation with multiple APs.

[0105] The associated response frame sent by the AP device to the STA device includes a second information element, which contains the MAC address of the second SAP; or, the address field of the frame header of the associated response frame sent by the AP device to the STA device contains the MAC address of the second SAP.

[0106] Furthermore, the second information element may also include indication information for indicating the preferred encryption algorithm used by the AP device, and / or, the second information element may also include the MAC address of each of the plurality of APs.

[0107] It should be noted that when the association request frame sent by the STA device to the AP device carries multi-AP association indication information, it indicates that the STA device wants to associate and derive keys with multiple APs within the AP device simultaneously. In this case, the AP device can include the MAC address of the second SAP in the association response frame returned to the STA device. Furthermore, it can also include the MAC address of each of the multiple APs and an indication of the preferred encryption algorithm used by the AP device. Thus, the STA device can subsequently derive keys with the multiple APs based on the MAC address of the second SAP, the MAC addresses of each of the multiple APs, and the preferred encryption algorithm used by the AP device.

[0108] It is worth noting that while fast handover can reduce latency for the STA device, allowing the STA to switch arbitrarily between multiple APs would degrade the Quality of Service (QoS) of other STA devices. Therefore, the AP device can include an Access Control Policy (IE) element in the beacon frame sent by each of the multiple APs. This IE element can contain one or more indications, which may include at least one of the following: the number of APs, the access policy of each AP, handover threshold indications, or STA association restrictions.

[0109] It should be noted that for any one of these multiple APs, the access policy for that AP may include at least one of the following: a service policy or a timeout information. The service policy indicates the highest AC or TID of data packets allowed to be transmitted by that AP. The timeout information instructs the STA device to perform AP switching if it does not receive data packets with the highest AC or TID allowed to be transmitted by that AP within a preset time period. The preset time period can be pre-set, such as 5 minutes.

[0110] Additionally, the handover threshold indication information is used to instruct the STA device to perform AP handover when the signal quality drops to a first threshold. The first threshold can be preset; when the signal quality drops to the first threshold, it indicates that the signal quality is relatively poor. Signal quality can be measured in various ways, such as by the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) value, but this application embodiment does not limit this method.

[0111] Furthermore, the STA association restriction is used to indicate the types of STAs that each AP is allowed to associate with among the plurality of APs. The STA type may include HT type, VHT type, HE type, EHT type, multi-band supported, multi-band not supported, etc., which are not limited in this embodiment of the application.

[0112] In this embodiment, the AP device includes multiple APs operating on different frequency bands. During the authentication process between the AP device and the STA device, the AP device can send a target message carrying multiple multi-frequency band elements to the STA device. This allows the AP device to send information about the frequency bands operated by its multiple APs to the STA device, instructing the STA device to associate with the multiple APs and derive keys. This facilitates rapid switching between the multiple APs for the STA device.

[0113] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-band communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. See also... Figure 5 The method includes: Step 501: During the FST process between the two ML devices, one ML device sends an FST frame to the other ML device, which includes multi-band elements.

[0114] It should be noted that this multi-band element includes a "packet-level MLA supported" field, which indicates whether packet-level multi-link aggregation is supported. Thus, when one ML device sends an FST frame to another ML device, the other ML device can determine whether the first ML device supports packet-level multi-link aggregation.

[0115] In addition, the FST frame can be a data frame, control frame, management frame, etc., sent between the two ML devices during the FST process. For example, the FST frame can be an FST Setup Request frame, an FST Setup Response frame, an FST Teardown frame, an FST Ack Request frame, an FST Ack Response frame, etc.

[0116] It is worth noting that the FST mechanism in related technologies already supports flow-level multi-link aggregation, but does not support packet-level multi-link aggregation. For example, Figure 6This is a schematic diagram illustrating the format of multi-band elements included in an FST frame, provided by related technologies. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the multi-band element may include multiple fields, such as Element ID, Length, Multi-band Control, Band ID, Operating Class, Channel Number, Basic Service Set (BSS) Identifier (BSSID), Beacon Interval, Timing Synchronization Function (TSF) Offset, Multi-band Connection Capability, FST Session Timeout, STA MAC Address, Pairwise Cipher Suite Count, and Pairwise Cipher Suite List. The Multi-band Control field can include information such as STA Role, STA MAC Address Present, Pairwise Cipher Suite Present, FST Not Supported, and On-channel tunneling (OCT) Not Supported. The Multi-band connectioncapability field can include information such as AP, Personal Basic Service Set (PBSS) control point (i.e., PBSS control point (PCP)), Tunneled direct link setup (TDLS), and Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS).

[0117] This application extends the FST mechanism in related technologies by defining a new operational signaling indication for packet-level multi-link aggregation. Specifically, it adds a "packet-level MLA supported" field to the multi-band element to indicate whether packet-level multi-link aggregation is supported. This allows two ML devices performing FST to determine whether each other supports packet-level multi-link aggregation and perform FST accordingly, facilitating faster and more accurate FST completion.

[0118] In one possible implementation, one of the two ML devices is a STA device, and the other is an AP device. The multi-band element in the FST frame sent by the STA device to the AP device includes a Noncollocated supported field, which indicates whether Noncollocated multi-link aggregation is supported.

[0119] In this embodiment, a "Noncollocated supported" field can be added to the multi-band element to indicate whether noncollocated multi-link aggregation is supported. That is, the STA device can carry the "Noncollocated supported" field in the multi-band element of the FST frame sent to the AP device to indicate whether the STA device supports multi-link aggregation with multiple APs belonging to different physical devices. This allows the AP device to adjust its communication strategy with the STA device accordingly.

[0120] In another possible implementation, one of the two ML devices is a STA device, and the other is an AP device. The FST frame sent by the STA device to the AP device includes a mobility domain element. This mobility domain element includes a "Noncollocated supported" field, which indicates whether noncollocated multi-link aggregation is supported. Alternatively, the mobility domain element includes "Noncollocated flow-level MLA Supported" and "Noncollocated packet-level MLA Supported" fields. The "Noncollocated flow-level MLA Supported" field indicates whether noncollocated multi-link aggregation is supported during flow-level multi-link aggregation, and the "Noncollocated packet-level MLA Supported" field indicates whether noncollocated multi-link aggregation is supported during packet-level multi-link aggregation.

[0121] In this embodiment, a "Noncollocated supported" field can be added to the mobility field element of the FST frame to indicate whether noncollocated multi-link aggregation is supported. That is, the STA device can carry a "Noncollocated supported" field in the mobility field element of the FST frame sent to the AP device to indicate whether the STA device supports multi-link aggregation with multiple APs belonging to different physical devices. This allows the AP device to adjust its communication strategy with the STA device accordingly.

[0122] Alternatively, in this embodiment, the "Noncollocated flow-level MLA Supported" and "Noncollocated packet-level MLA Supported" fields can be added to the mobility field element in the FST frame to indicate whether noncollocated multi-link aggregation is supported during flow-level and packet-level multi-link aggregation, respectively. That is, the STA device can carry the "Noncollocated flow-level MLA Supported" and "Noncollocated packet-level MLA Supported" fields in the mobility field element of the FST frame sent to the AP device to indicate whether the STA device supports multi-link aggregation with multiple APs belonging to different physical devices during flow-level and packet-level multi-link aggregation, respectively. This facilitates the AP device in adjusting its communication strategy with the STA device accordingly.

[0123] In another possible implementation, one of the two ML devices is a STA device, and the other is an AP device. The multi-band element in the FST frame sent by the AP device to the STA device includes a multi-band connectivity capability field, which contains a Noncollocated AP indication bit. This Noncollocated AP indication bit is used to indicate whether multi-link aggregation with APs belonging to other physical devices is supported.

[0124] In this embodiment, a Noncollocated AP indicator bit can be added to the multi-band connectivity capability field of the multi-band element to indicate whether multi-link aggregation with APs belonging to other physical devices is supported. That is, the AP device can carry the Noncollocated AP indicator bit in the multi-band connectivity capability field of the multi-band element in the FST frame sent to the STA device to indicate whether the AP in the AP device supports multi-link aggregation with APs belonging to other physical devices. This allows the STA device to adjust its communication strategy with the AP device accordingly.

[0125] Furthermore, the aforementioned multi-band element may also include a first flag bit, which indicates whether the multi-band element includes a link identity field. Specifically, when the value of the first flag bit is a preset value (such as 1), the multi-band element includes a link identity field; when the value of the first flag bit is not a preset value, the multi-band element does not include a link identity field. The link identity field is used to indicate the frequency band to which the two ML devices will transfer the FST session, that is, the value of the link identity field is used to identify the frequency band to which the two ML devices will transfer the FST session.

[0126] Furthermore, the aforementioned multi-band element may also include a second flag bit, which indicates whether the multi-band element includes a multi-band control field. Specifically, when the value of the second flag bit is a preset value (e.g., 1), the multi-band element includes a multi-band control field; when the value of the second flag bit is not a preset value, the multi-band element does not include a multi-band control field. The multi-band control field may include the aforementioned packet-level MLA supported field, noncollocated supported field, link identifier field, etc.

[0127] In this embodiment, during FST (First-Stop) between two ML (Multi-Level Machine) devices, one ML device sends an FST frame to the other. This FST frame includes a multi-band element, which includes a packet-level MLA supported field. This packet-level MLA supported field indicates whether packet-level multi-link aggregation is supported. In this way, the two ML devices performing FST can determine whether each other supports packet-level multi-link aggregation and perform FST accordingly, thus facilitating a faster and more accurate FST completion process.

[0128] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-band communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. See also... Figure 7 The method includes: Step 701: During packet-level multi-link aggregation, the two ML devices communicate using their respective SAP MAC addresses.

[0129] It should be noted that for either of these two ML devices, the SAP of that ML device corresponds to the multiple network interfaces included in that ML device. That is, the SAP of this ML device is one ML-SAP corresponding to the multiple network interfaces performing packet-level multi-link aggregation within that ML device. The MAC address of this SAP of the ML device can be a newly assigned MAC address, or it can be the MAC address of one of the multiple network interfaces.

[0130] Optionally, during the communication between the two ML devices, the address field of the data frame sent by one ML device to the other ML device contains the SAP MAC address of the other ML device, which is used to indicate that the data frame is operating on multiple network interfaces corresponding to the SAP of the other ML device.

[0131] Optionally, in a first possible implementation, during the communication between the two ML devices, the address field of the control frame sent by one ML device to the other ML device contains the SAP MAC address of the other ML device or the MAC address of a network interface of the other ML device, and the address field of the management frame sent by the one ML device to the other ML device contains the SAP MAC address of the other ML device or the MAC address of a network interface of the other ML device.

[0132] It should be noted that when the address field of the control frame contains the SAP MAC address of another ML device, it indicates that the control frame is operating on multiple network interfaces corresponding to the SAP of that other ML device. When the address field of the control frame contains the MAC address of one network interface of the other ML device, it indicates that the control frame is operating on that single network interface of the other ML device. Similarly, when the address field of the management frame contains the SAP MAC address of another ML device, it indicates that the management frame is operating on multiple network interfaces corresponding to the SAP of that other ML device. When the address field of the management frame contains the MAC address of one network interface of the other ML device, it indicates that the management frame is operating on that single network interface of the other ML device.

[0133] In a second possible implementation, during communication between the two ML devices, the address fields of the control and management frames sent by one ML device to the other ML device both contain the MAC address of a network interface of the other ML device. In this case, both the control and management frames are used to operate on that network interface of the other ML device.

[0134] In a third possible implementation, during communication between the two ML devices, the address field of a designated control frame sent by one ML device to the other includes the SAP MAC address of the other ML device. Furthermore, the address fields of management frames and control frames (excluding the designated control frame) sent by the same ML device to the other ML device all contain the MAC address of a network interface of the other ML device. This designated control frame can be pre-configured; in this case, it is used to operate on multiple network interfaces corresponding to the SAP of the other ML device. The management frame and the control frames (excluding the designated control frame) are all used to operate on this single network interface of the other ML device.

[0135] It is worth noting that, in this embodiment of the application, a single link can belong to multiple multi-link entities (ML-entities) simultaneously, meaning that one network interface can correspond to multiple ML-entities. In this case, each ML-entity, in addition to having a MAC address (i.e., the MAC address of the ML-SAP corresponding to each ML-entity), is also assigned a multi-link entity identifier, which can be used in stages other than the multi-link aggregation setup (MLA setup) stage.

[0136] For example, during communication between the two ML devices, the header of the control frame sent by one ML device to the other ML device may include an Aggregation Control (A-Control) field. This A-Control field may include a multi-link entity identifier and control information to instruct the multiple network interfaces corresponding to the ML-entity represented by the multi-link entity identifier to perform the operations indicated by the control information.

[0137] The format of the action frame in the management frame provided in related technologies is described below. For example, Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a motion frame format provided by related technologies. For example... Figure 8As shown, the action frame includes fields such as Frame control, Duration, Address 1 (Destination Address (DA)), Address 2 (Sender Address (SA)), BSSID, Sequence control, Frame body, and FrameCheck Sequence (FCS). The Frame body field may include fields such as Category, Action, and IE List.

[0138] In one possible implementation, as described in this embodiment, during communication between the two ML devices, the action frame sent by one ML device to the other includes a category field, the value of which is the same as the value of the category field included in the FST frame. In this case, the action frame and the FST frame in this embodiment share a category value, thereby enabling multi-link aggregation operations to be implemented using the FST mechanism.

[0139] Of course, in practical applications, the action frames in this embodiment may belong to different Category values ​​than the FST frames. In this case, it is necessary to redefine both flow-level multi-link aggregation operations and packet-level multi-link aggregation operations. At this time, the implementation of the multi-link aggregation operations does not depend on the FST mechanism, and the newly defined multi-link aggregation operations can be used to further improve the FST mechanism. For example, for flow-level multi-link aggregation, both Transparent and Nontransparent modes can be supported; for packet-level multi-link aggregation, only Transparent mode can be supported. In particular, for Noncollocated multi-link aggregation, there is a possibility that it can only be initiated by the STA.

[0140] It is worth noting that the action frame provided in this application embodiment can be called a multi-link aggregation action frame (MLAAction frame).

[0141] The following describes the design for implementing this action frame on the FST mechanism. For example, the format of this action frame can be shown in Table 1 below: Table 1

[0142] Specifically, when the value of the FST Action field is different, the fixed fields and information elements carried in the action frame will be different. For example, the meanings of the different values ​​of the FST Action field are shown in Table 2 below: Table 2

[0143] It should be noted that the embodiments of this application only illustrate the format of the action frame using Tables 1 and 2 above as examples, and Tables 1 and 2 above do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0144] Specifically, when the action frame is a multi-link aggregation setting request frame or a multi-link aggregation setting response frame, the action frame may include a fourth information element, which is used to indicate multi-link entity information. Thus, during the multi-link aggregation setting process, the ML device can quickly and accurately perform multi-link aggregation setting based on the multi-link entity information contained in the fourth information element.

[0145] For example, Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the format of a fourth information element provided in an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 9As shown, the fourth information element may include fields such as Element ID, Length, MLAControl, ML-Entity ID, MLAinitiator MAC Address, MLA responder MAC Address, Pairwise Cipher Suite count, Home link info, Number of member links, and Member link info list. The MLAControl field may include fields such as STA role, Collocated or not, and Transparent or nontransparent mode. The Member link info list field may include fields such as Link ID, STA MAC Address, BSS ID, Operating Class, Band ID, Channel Number, Beacon Interval, and TSF offset.

[0146] Specifically, the "Collocated or not" field indicates whether the configured multi-link aggregation is Collocated or Noncollocated. The "MLA initiator MAC Address" and "MLAresponder MAC Address" fields indicate the SAP MAC addresses of the two ML devices at both ends of the link. The "Home linkinfo" field indicates the navigation channel of the ML-entity, restricting multi-link aggregation management to be performed via the navigation channel, and can also restrict Block Ack Request (BAR) / Block Ack (BA) operations to be performed only via the navigation channel. The "Number of member links" field indicates how many member links the ML-entity contains. The Memberlink info list field is used to indicate information about each member link. The Memberlink info list field can include multiple link info fields, each indicating information about one member link. Specifically, the Memberlink info list field can indicate information by carrying multiple existing multi-band elements, or by defining a new extended multi-band element, or by defining a new extended multi-band element and combining it with existing multi-band elements. In addition, it can also carry an indicator bit to indicate whether the Memberlink info list field contains a certain multi-band element.

[0147] In another possible implementation, the "Collocated or not" field can be omitted from the multi-link aggregation control field. Instead, it can be included in each link info field as a "Collocated Transparent or not" field. This field indicates whether the AP supports Transparent mode under Collocated multi-link aggregation and whether the configured multi-link aggregation is in Transparent or Nontransparent mode. When the configured multi-link aggregation is in Transparent mode, each link info field may not contain the address information at both ends of the member link; otherwise, each link info field must contain the address information at both ends of the member link. Furthermore, each link info field can also include an indicator bit indicating whether, in Transparent mode, the MAC address of the ML-SAP corresponding to the member link is the same as the MAC address of the network interface. If they are the same, each link info field only needs to contain the MAC address of the ML-SAP corresponding to the member link; if they are different, each link info field must contain both the MAC address of the ML-SAP corresponding to the member link and the MAC addresses of the multiple network interfaces corresponding to the ML-SAP of the member link.

[0148] For the Number of pairwise cipher suite and Pairwise cipher suite list fields, in Transparent mode, these two fields can be directly included in the fourth information element; while in Nontransparent mode, these two fields can be included in each linkinfo field instead of the fourth information element.

[0149] For the MLA initiator MAC Address field and the MLA responder MAC Address field, these two fields can be omitted from the fourth information element and instead be carried directly after the FST Action field in the action frame.

[0150] Furthermore, the fourth information element may also carry indication information for indicating the operating mode between member links of the ML-Entity, which can be asynchronous or synchronous. If it is synchronous, the fourth information element may also carry indication information for indicating whether the corresponding transmission is a single Presentation Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) or multiple independent PPDUs.

[0151] It should be noted that, similar to the FST mechanism, the multi-link aggregation operation allows a session to be switched from one ML-entity to another. For this purpose, a new multi-link aggregation session transition element (MLAsession Transition element) is defined, which can be carried in the action frame.

[0152] For example, the format of this multi-link aggregation session transformation element can be as follows: Figure 10 As shown, this multi-link aggregation session transformation element may include fields such as Element ID, Length, MLA Session ID, MLA Session Control, New ML-entity info, and Old ML-entity info. The MLA Session Control field includes a Session Type field. The New ML-entity info field includes fields such as ML-entity ID, ML-SAP Address of initiator, and ML-SAP Address of responder. The ML-entity ID can be a single identifier or the MAC address of the corresponding ML-SAP server for the multi-link entity.

[0153] In addition, similar to the FST mechanism, multi-link aggregation operations can also switch a data stream in an ML-entity to another ML-entity. To this end, a new multi-link aggregation switching stream element (MLA Switching streamelement) is defined, which can be carried in the action frame.

[0154] For example, the format of this multi-link aggregation transformation stream element can be as follows: Figure 11 As shown, this multi-link aggregation conversion stream element includes fields such as Element ID, Length, Old ML-entity ID, New ML-entity ID, Non-QoS dataframe, Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), Number of streams switching, and Stream info list. The Stream info list field may include fields such as Service ID (TID) and Direction. The Direction field can be a 1-bit indicator, indicating whether it is a one-way TID switch from the initiator to the responder or a two-way TID switch from the initiator to the responder; alternatively, the Direction field can be a 2-bit indicator, indicating whether it is a one-way TID switch from the initiator to the responder, a one-way TID switch from the responder to the initiator, or a two-way TID switch from the initiator to the responder.

[0155] Alternatively, the devices at both ends of the link can establish multiple ML-entities at once, and carry multiple fourth information elements in the action frame, as well as a newly defined stream steering element. This stream steering element is used to indicate the TID of the data packet carried by each ML-entity.

[0156] For example, the format of this redirection stream element can be as follows: Figure 12 As shown, this redirection flow element may include fields such as Element ID, Length, Number of ML-entities, ML-entity ID, and Traffic info.

[0157] Finally, multi-link aggregation operations should also support adding a link to an ML-entity, removing a link from an ML-entity, or even deleting the entire ML-entity. Therefore, one possible approach is to define a new information element in the action frame, carrying a sub-action field to specify the operation, along with link info and ML-entity info fields to indicate the corresponding link and ML-entity. Another possible approach is to directly use the FST Action field to specify the operation.

[0158] In this embodiment, during packet-level multi-link aggregation, the two ML devices communicate using their respective SAP MAC addresses. This allows the two ML devices to achieve fast and accurate multi-band communication.

[0159] The following describes an interface parameter update method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0160] Figure 13 This is a flowchart of an interface parameter update method provided in an embodiment of this application. See also... Figure 13 The method includes: Step 1301: The ML device updates the parameters of the enabled network interfaces among its multiple network interfaces based on the status changes of each network interface.

[0161] It should be noted that the multiple network interfaces of this ML device operate on different frequency bands, and these multiple network interfaces share the antennas configured in the ML device. For example, the ML device is configured with 3 antennas and includes 3 network interfaces. When all 3 network interfaces are enabled, each network interface can use one antenna. When only one network interface is enabled, that network interface can use all 3 antennas.

[0162] In addition, a network interface state change refers to the network interface changing from an on state to a off state, or from an off state to an on state. When a network interface undergoes a state change, the sharing of antennas configured in the ML device by multiple network interfaces will change. At this time, the parameters of the already on network interfaces will change, allowing the ML device to update the parameters of the on network interfaces to ensure their normal use and thus guarantee the normal communication of the ML device.

[0163] Furthermore, the parameters of the network interface include at least one of the following: capability information or operating parameters. For example, the parameters of the network interface may include at least one of the following: the number of configured transmit and receive antennas, the maximum number of transmit or receive streams that can be supported, whether it supports simultaneous transmit and receive with other network interfaces, the highest modulation and coding scheme that the devices at both ends of the link are allowed to use when there is adjacent channel interference, the safety margin that the transmitting end of the link needs to reserve, channel bandwidth, or transmit power.

[0164] Specifically, step 1301 can be performed as follows: after the ML device opens one of the multiple network interfaces or closes one of the multiple network interfaces, it configures the parameters of each of the multiple network interfaces that have been opened, and sends the parameters of all the opened network interfaces through each of the opened network interfaces.

[0165] It should be noted that when the ML device activates or deactivates one of its multiple network interfaces, the number of activated network interfaces changes. This alters the sharing of antennas configured on the ML device across these multiple network interfaces, necessitating the ML device to reconfigure the parameters of each activated network interface. Furthermore, after configuring the network interface parameters, the ML device can transmit the parameters of all activated network interfaces through each of these interfaces. Thus, other devices establishing communication connections with any network interface of the ML device can obtain the parameters of all activated network interfaces from the information transmitted by that network interface. This allows the other devices to adjust their communication strategies accordingly, such as establishing communication connections with all activated network interfaces or switching from a currently connected network interface to another. This embodiment of the present application does not limit the scope of this limitation.

[0166] In this embodiment, the ML device includes multiple network interfaces that operate on different frequency bands and share an antenna configured within the ML device. The ML device updates the parameters of the enabled network interfaces based on the state changes of each of its multiple network interfaces. This ensures the normal operation of the enabled network interfaces, thereby guaranteeing normal communication for the ML device.

[0167] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an AP device provided in an embodiment of this application. See also... Figure 14 The AP device includes: The sending module 1401 is used to send a target message to the STA device during the authentication process between the AP device and the STA device. The AP device includes multiple APs operating on different frequency bands. The target message includes multiple multi-band elements, each corresponding to one of the multiple APs. Each multi-band element contains the frequency band information of the corresponding AP. The multiple multi-band elements are used to instruct the STA device to associate with the multiple APs and derive keys.

[0168] Optionally, the target message is an association response frame generated during the association process, and / or the target message is a key message generated during the key derivation process.

[0169] Optionally, when the target message is a key message generated during the key derivation process, the target message also includes a robust secure network information element. The robust secure network information element contains a request type, which is either a single-link association type and its corresponding key derivation type, or a multi-link association type and its corresponding key derivation type.

[0170] Optionally, the STA device includes multiple STAs, which operate on different frequency bands, have different MAC addresses, and correspond to a first SAP and a second SAP. The association request frame sent by the STA device to the AP device includes a first information element, which contains the MAC address of the first SAP; or, the address field of the frame header of the association request frame sent by the STA device to the AP device contains the MAC address of the first SAP; wherein, the MAC address of the first SAP is used to generate a key during the key derivation process. The association response frame sent by the AP device to the STA device includes a second information element, which contains the MAC address of the second SAP; or, the address field of the frame header of the association response frame sent by the AP device to the STA device contains the MAC address of the second SAP; wherein, the MAC address of the second SAP is used to generate a key during the key derivation process.

[0171] Optionally, the first information element may further include indication information for indicating the encryption algorithm preferred by the STA device, and / or the first information element may further include the MAC address of each of the multiple STAs; The second information element also includes indication information for indicating the preferred encryption algorithm used by the AP device, and / or, the second information element also includes the MAC address of each of the multiple APs.

[0172] Optionally, the association request frame sent by the STA device to the AP device includes a third information element, which contains multi-AP association indication information. The multi-AP association indication information is used to request simultaneous association with multiple APs and key derivation. The association response frame sent by the AP device to the STA device includes a second information element, which contains the MAC address of the second SAP; or, the address field of the frame header of the association response frame sent by the AP device to the STA device contains the MAC address of the second SAP; wherein, the MAC address of the second SAP is used to generate a key during the key derivation process.

[0173] Optionally, the beacon frame sent by each of the multiple APs includes an access control policy information element, which contains at least one of the following: the number of multiple APs, the access policy of each of the multiple APs, handover threshold indication information, or STA association restrictions. Among them, the handover threshold indication information is used to instruct the STA device to perform AP handover when the signal quality drops to the first threshold, and the STA association restriction is used to indicate the types of STAs that each AP is allowed to associate with among multiple APs.

[0174] Optionally, for any one of the multiple APs, the access policy of an AP includes at least one of the following: service policy or timeout information; The service policy is used to indicate the highest AC or TID of a data packet that an AP is allowed to transmit, and the timeout information is used to indicate that the STA device should switch APs if it does not receive a data packet with the highest AC or TID that an AP is allowed to transmit within a preset time.

[0175] In this embodiment, the AP device includes multiple APs operating on different frequency bands. During the authentication process between the AP device and the STA device, the AP device can send a target message carrying multiple multi-frequency band elements to the STA device. This allows the AP device to send information about the frequency bands operated by its multiple APs to the STA device, instructing the STA device to associate with the multiple APs and derive keys. This facilitates rapid switching between the multiple APs for the STA device.

[0176] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an ML device provided in an embodiment of this application. See also... Figure 15 The ML device includes: The sending module 1501 is used to send an FST frame to other ML devices during the FST process between the ML device and other ML devices. The FST frame includes multi-band elements. Among them, the multi-band element includes the packet-level MLA supported field, and the packet-level MLA supported field is used to indicate whether packet-level multi-link aggregation is supported.

[0177] Optionally, the ML device is a STA device, and the other ML devices are AP devices; the multi-band element in the FST frame sent by the STA device to the AP device includes a Noncollocated supported field, which is used to indicate whether Noncollocated multi-link aggregation is supported.

[0178] Optionally, the ML device is a STA device, and the other ML devices are AP devices; The multi-band element in the FST frame sent by the AP device to the STA device includes a multi-band connectivity capability field, which contains a Noncollocated AP indicator bit. The Noncollocated AP indicator bit is used to indicate whether multi-link aggregation with APs belonging to other physical devices is supported.

[0179] Optionally, the ML device is a STA device, and the other ML devices are AP devices. The FST frame sent by the STA device to the AP device includes mobility domain elements. The mobility domain element includes a Noncollocated supported field, which indicates whether Noncollocated multi-link aggregation is supported; or, the mobility domain element includes a Noncollocated flow-level MLA Supported field and a Noncollocated packet-level MLASupported field, where the Noncollocated flow-level MLA Supported field indicates whether Noncollocated multi-link aggregation is supported when performing flow-level multi-link aggregation, and the Noncollocated packet-level MLA Supported field indicates whether Noncollocated multi-link aggregation is supported when performing packet-level multi-link aggregation.

[0180] Optionally, the multi-band element also includes a first flag bit, which is used to indicate whether the multi-band element includes a link identification field, which is used to indicate the frequency band to which the ML device and other ML devices will transfer the FST session.

[0181] Optionally, the multi-band element also includes a second flag bit, which is used to indicate whether the multi-band element includes a multi-band control field, which includes a packet-level MLA supported field.

[0182] In this embodiment, during FST (First-Stop) between two ML (Multi-Level Machine) devices, one ML device sends an FST frame to the other. This FST frame includes a multi-band element, which includes a packet-level MLA supported field. This packet-level MLA supported field indicates whether packet-level multi-link aggregation is supported. In this way, the two ML devices performing FST can determine whether each other supports packet-level multi-link aggregation and perform FST accordingly, thus facilitating a faster and more accurate FST completion process.

[0183] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an ML device provided in an embodiment of this application. See also... Figure 16 The ML device includes: The communication module 1601 is used to communicate with other ML devices using the SAP MAC address of the ML device during packet-level multi-link aggregation between the ML device and other ML devices. The SAP of the ML device corresponds to multiple network interfaces included in the ML device.

[0184] Optionally, during communication between the ML device and other ML devices, the address field of the data frame sent by the ML device to the other ML device includes the SAP MAC address of the other ML device.

[0185] Optionally, during communication between the ML device and other ML devices, the address field of the control frame sent by the ML device to the other ML device includes the SAP MAC address of the other ML device or the MAC address of a network interface of the other ML device, and the address field of the management frame sent by the ML device to the other ML device includes the SAP MAC address of the other ML device or the MAC address of a network interface of the other ML device; or During communication between this ML device and other ML devices, the address fields of the control frames and management frames sent by this ML device to other ML devices all contain the MAC address of a network interface of one of the other ML devices; or During communication between the ML device and other ML devices, the address field of the specified control frame sent by the ML device to other ML devices contains the SAP MAC address of the other ML device, and the address fields of the management frame and the control frame other than the specified control frame sent by the ML device to other ML devices both contain the MAC address of a network interface of the other ML device.

[0186] Optionally, during the communication between the ML device and other ML devices, the header of the control frame sent by the ML device to other ML devices includes an aggregate control field, which includes a multi-link entity identifier and control information.

[0187] Optionally, during communication between the ML device and other ML devices, the action frame sent by the ML device to the other ML device includes a category field, and the value of the category field is the same as the value of the category field included in the FST frame.

[0188] Optionally, when the action frame is a multi-link aggregation setting request frame or a multi-link aggregation setting response frame, the action frame includes a fourth information element, which is used to indicate multi-link entity information.

[0189] Optionally, the fourth information element includes at least one of the following: whether it is the same location field, MAC address field of multi-link aggregation initiator, MAC address field of multi-link aggregation responder, multi-link entity identifier field, navigation channel information field, or member link information list field, wherein the member link information list field is used to indicate the information of each member link.

[0190] In this embodiment, during packet-level multi-link aggregation, the two ML devices communicate using their respective SAP MAC addresses. This allows the two ML devices to achieve fast and accurate multi-band communication.

[0191] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an ML device provided in an embodiment of this application. See also... Figure 17 The ML device includes: The update module 1701 is used to update the parameters of the enabled network interfaces among the multiple network interfaces it includes based on the status changes of each network interface. The parameters include at least one of capability information or operation parameters. The multiple network interfaces operate on different frequency bands and share the antenna configured in the ML device.

[0192] Optionally, based on the state changes of each of the multiple network interfaces included, the parameters of the enabled network interfaces among the multiple network interfaces are updated, including: After enabling one of the multiple network interfaces or disabling one of the multiple network interfaces, configure the parameters of each of the enabled network interfaces and send the parameters of all enabled network interfaces through each enabled network interface.

[0193] Optionally, the parameters include at least one of the following: the number of transmit and receive antennas configured, the maximum number of transmit or receive streams that can be supported, whether simultaneous transmit and receive with other network interfaces is supported, the highest modulation and coding scheme that the devices at both ends of the link are allowed to use when there is adjacent channel interference, the safety margin that the transmitting end of the link needs to reserve, channel bandwidth, or transmit power.

[0194] In this embodiment, the ML device includes multiple network interfaces that operate on different frequency bands and share an antenna configured within the ML device. The ML device updates the parameters of the enabled network interfaces based on the state changes of each of its multiple network interfaces. This ensures the normal operation of the enabled network interfaces, thereby guaranteeing normal communication for the ML device.

[0195] It should be noted that the devices provided in the above embodiments are only illustrated by the division of the above functional modules. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. In addition, the devices provided in the above embodiments and the method embodiments of this application belong to the same concept, and their specific implementation process can be found in the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0196] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer device provided in an embodiment of this application. The computer device may be... Figure 14 The AP device shown, or Figures 15-17 Any of the ML devices shown. See also Figure 18 The computer device includes at least one processor 1801, a communication bus 1802, a memory 1803, and at least one communication interface 1804.

[0197] The processor 1801 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of the program of the present application.

[0198] The communication bus 1802 may include a path for transmitting information between the aforementioned components.

[0199] The memory 1803 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions; it may also be a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions; it may also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media, or other magnetic storage devices; or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 1803 may exist independently and be connected to the processor 1801 via the communication bus 1802. The memory 1803 may also be integrated with the processor 1801.

[0200] The communication interface 1804 uses any transceiver-like device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, Radio Access Network (RAN), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), etc.

[0201] In a specific implementation, as one example, the processor 1801 may include one or more CPUs, such as Figure 18 CPU0 and CPU1 are shown in the diagram.

[0202] In a specific implementation, as one example, a computer device may include multiple processors, such as... Figure 18 The processors 1801 and 1805 are shown. Each of these processors can be a single-core processor or a multi-core processor. Here, "processor" can refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores used to process data (such as computer program instructions).

[0203] The aforementioned computer device can be a general-purpose computer device or a special-purpose computer device. In specific implementations, the computer device can be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a network server, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal device, a communication device, or an embedded device. The embodiments of this application do not limit the type of computer device.

[0204] The memory 1803 stores program code 1810 for executing the scheme of this application, and the processor 1801 executes the program code 1810 stored in the memory 1803. This computer device can implement the corresponding method embodiments of this application through the processor 1801 and the program code 210 in the memory 1803.

[0205] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer, or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., Solid State Disks (SSDs)).

[0206] The above descriptions are embodiments provided in this application and are not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A multi-band communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second multi-link ML device, the method includes: A multi-link aggregation setting request frame is received from the first ML device, the multi-link aggregation setting request frame including a fourth information element for instructing the first ML device to request packet-level multi-link aggregation of multi-link entity information; A multi-link aggregation setting response frame is sent to the first ML device. The multi-link aggregation setting response frame includes a fourth information element for instructing the second ML device to determine the multi-link entity information for packet-level multi-link aggregation.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The fourth information element includes a multi-link aggregation control field, a multi-link entity identifier field, a member link number field, and a member link information list field, wherein the member link information list field is used to indicate the information of each member link.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The member link information list field includes multiple link information fields, each of which includes: link identifier field, station STA media access control MAC address field, basic service set identifier field, beacon interval field, and timed synchronization function bias field.

4. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The multi-link aggregation control fields include: STA role field, whether it is the same location field, and transparent mode or non-transparent mode field; the whether it is the same location field is used to indicate whether the multi-link aggregation is set to be a multi-link aggregation in the same location or a multi-link aggregation in a different location; the transparent mode or non-transparent mode field is used to indicate whether the access point AP supports transparent mode under multi-link aggregation in the same location, and to indicate whether the multi-link aggregation is set to be transparent mode or non-transparent mode.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, Both the multi-link aggregation setting request frame and the multi-link aggregation setting response frame are action frames based on the Fast Session Transfer (FST) mechanism. The action frame includes a type field and an FST function field. When the value of the FST function field is a first value, it indicates that the action frame is a multi-link aggregation setting request frame. When the value of the FST function field is a second value, it indicates that the action frame is a multi-link aggregation setting response frame.

6. The method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The multi-link aggregation setting request frame includes the MAC address field of the first ML device, and the multi-link aggregation setting response frame includes the MAC address field of the second ML device.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, Both the first ML device MAC address field and the second ML device MAC address field are included in the fourth information element.

8. The method as described in claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The first ML device MAC address field is used to indicate the MAC address of the service access point SAP of the first ML device, and the second ML device MAC address field is used to indicate the MAC address of the SAP of the second ML device.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The SAP MAC address of the first ML device and the SAP MAC address of the second ML device are included in the address field of the data frame used for communication between the first ML device and the second ML device.

10. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, During communication between the first ML device and the second ML device, the address field of the control frame sent by one of the ML devices to the other ML device contains the SAP MAC address of the other ML device or the MAC address of a network interface of the other ML device, and the address field of the management frame sent by the one ML device to the other ML device contains the SAP MAC address of the other ML device or the MAC address of a network interface of the other ML device; or During communication between the first ML device and the second ML device, the address fields of control frames and management frames sent by one of the ML devices to the other ML device both contain the MAC address of a network interface of the other ML device; or During the communication between the first ML device and the second ML device, the address field of the designated control frame sent by one of the ML devices to the other ML device contains the SAP MAC address of the other ML device, and the address fields of the management frame and the control frame other than the designated control frame sent by the one ML device to the other ML device both contain the MAC address of a network interface of the other ML device.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The fourth information element further includes at least one of the following: a pair of cipher suites digital field, a pair of cipher suites list field, and a navigation channel information field.

12. The method according to any one of claims 2-11, characterized in that, The fourth information element also includes indication information for indicating the operation mode between member links of a multi-link entity, the operation mode including asynchronous mode or synchronous mode.

13. A multi-link ML device, characterized in that, The ML device includes a memory and a processor; The memory is used to store computer programs; The processor is used to execute the computer program to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-12.

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