Method for establishing access point candidate set and communication device

Abstract

Provided are a method for establishing an AP candidate set and a communication device, the method comprising: a first AP generating AP candidate set information of the first AP, the AP candidate set information of the first AP being used for indicating information of an AP initiating multi-AP transmission; and the first AP sends the AP candidate set information of the first AP. According to the scheme provided by the invention, the first AP generates and sends the AP candidate set information of the first AP, so that other APs can obtain the candidate set information established by the first AP, and based on the AP candidate set information, other APs can further decide whether to join the candidate set established by the first AP. Therefore, the AP candidate information is sent by the first AP, so that the first AP can effectively manage the AP candidate set established by the first AP, and confusion is avoided.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application number 202280024578.3, application date March 28, 2022, entitled "Method for Establishing Access Point Candidate Set and Communication Device". Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a method for establishing a candidate set of access points and a communication device. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of wireless networks and the increasing popularity of wireless local area network (WLAN) technology, WLAN devices are becoming increasingly dense. Because access points (APs) are easy to deploy, this increasing density of APs also leads to more inter-cell interference.

[0004] When an AP shares transmission resources or opportunities with other APs, it needs to determine which APs to share with. Currently, all APs that may participate in multi-AP cooperative transmission constitute a large AP candidate set. Within this large AP candidate set, there may be multiple APs initiating multi-AP transmission, as well as multiple APs sharing transmission resources or opportunities. Any sharing AP can share its transmission resources or opportunities with any one or more of the shared APs.

[0005] For any given sharing AP, not every shared AP is suitable for multi-AP transmission. Furthermore, the presence of multiple sharing APs makes management of the shared APs difficult; each shared AP doesn't know which sharing AP is managing it, and it's hard to ensure that the AP identifiers (identities, IDs) of the shared APs are unique, leading to confusion. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a method and communication device for establishing a candidate set of access points, which facilitates the management of multiple APs and can avoid confusion.

[0007] In a first aspect, a method for establishing an access point candidate set is provided, the method comprising: a first AP generating AP candidate set information of the first AP, wherein the AP candidate set information of the first AP is used to indicate information of the AP that initiates multi-AP transmission; The first AP sends the AP candidate set information of the first AP.

[0008] The solution provided in this application involves a first AP generating and sending its AP candidate set information, enabling other APs to access this information. Based on this AP candidate set information, other APs can then decide whether to join the candidate set established by the first AP. Therefore, by having the first AP send its AP candidate information, it can effectively manage its established AP candidate set and avoid confusion.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the AP candidate set information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of shared APs supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP; The information of the third AP, wherein the third AP is a shared AP that has joined the AP candidate set of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third AP, the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the third AP, the Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of the third AP, the Identifier ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has any shared AP already been added to the AP candidate set of the first AP? The collaborative mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the collaboration mode includes at least one of the following modes: Coordinated Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Coordinated Spatial Multiplexing, Coordinated Beamforming, and Joint Transmission.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the third AP corresponds to one or more of the aforementioned collaborative modes; or, The AP candidate set of the first AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperation modes.

[0012] In this application embodiment, the third AP may correspond to one or more of the above-mentioned cooperation modes, or the AP candidate set of the first AP may correspond to one or more of the above-mentioned cooperation modes, or the AP candidate sets of the third AP and the first AP may correspond to one or more of the above-mentioned cooperation modes, without limitation.

[0013] The solution provided in this application allows the third AP (i.e., the AP being shared in the AP candidate set already joined by the first AP) to correspond to one or more of the aforementioned cooperation modes. On the one hand, this provides the first AP with more choices when sharing transmission resources; on the other hand, by sending out the third AP's cooperation mode as candidate set information, the first AP can consider choosing the same cooperation mode as the third AP when joining its candidate set, facilitating unified and effective management of APs joined by the first AP in its candidate set. The first AP's AP candidate set corresponding to one or more cooperation modes allows other APs joining the first AP's candidate set to choose whether to join based on the first AP's cooperation mode; furthermore, the first AP having one or more cooperation modes facilitates unified management of other APs in its candidate set or allows for flexible selection of cooperation modes based on the other APs joining its candidate set, improving management efficiency.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: The first AP receives a first frame sent by the second AP. The first frame includes first information, which is used to request to join the AP candidate set of the first AP. The first AP sends a second frame to the second AP based on the first information. The second frame includes first indication information, which indicates that the second AP is allowed to join the first AP's AP candidate set, or that the first indication information does not allow the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0015] The solution provided in this application involves a first AP receiving a first frame from a second AP. This first frame includes first information requesting to join the first AP's AP candidate set. The first AP can then send a second frame to the second AP based on this first information. This second frame includes first indication information indicating whether the first AP agrees or disagrees with joining the first AP's AP candidate set, thus allowing the first AP to establish its own candidate set. In other words, after the first AP sends out the candidate set information corresponding to its AP candidate set, other APs will send requests to join the first AP's AP candidate set based on this information. The first AP then decides whether to agree to the request from the AP that sent the request message. This facilitates the establishment of AP candidate sets by the first AP and other APs based on their own circumstances, enabling the first AP to effectively manage other APs joining its candidate set.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the second frame further includes fourth indication information, which is used to indicate that the second frame is a response frame.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the type of the first frame or the second frame is a common action frame or a protected common action frame.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the first information included in the first frame may be carried in the common action field or the AP candidate set parameter field.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the first indication information included in the second frame may be carried in the status code field or the AP candidate set parameter field.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the AP candidate set parameter field includes at least one of the following: The set ID of the AP candidate set to which the second AP requests to join, and the cooperation mode adopted by the second AP after requesting to join the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: The first AP receives the second information, which includes information about the second AP. The first AP sends a second frame to the second AP based on the first information, including: The first AP sends the second frame to the second AP based on the first information and the second information; The information of the second AP includes at least one of the following: The second AP can support the maximum number of AP candidate sets to be added; Information about the AP candidate sets that the second AP has joined, including the number of AP candidate sets that have joined, the MAC addresses of the APs that have joined the AP candidate sets, the BSSIDs of the APs that have joined the AP candidate sets, and the ID of the second AP in the AP candidate sets that have joined. Whether the second AP is allowed to be invited to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set that has already been joined; Has the second AP been added to the AP candidate set? Does the second AP support being a sharing AP or a shared AP?

[0022] The solution provided in this application allows a first AP to receive second information sent from a second AP, and to send a second frame including first indication information to the second AP based on the second and first information, indicating whether it agrees or disagrees with the second AP joining the first AP's AP candidate set, thereby enabling the first AP to establish its own candidate set. This solution, by further combining the second and first information and sending a second frame including the first indication information to the second AP, can effectively establish the first AP's AP candidate set, and further enhance the multi-AP collaboration capability.

[0023] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, if the first indication information indicates agreement to the second AP joining the first AP's AP candidate set, the second frame further includes second indication information, which indicates the ID assigned to the second AP.

[0024] The solution provided in this application allows the second frame sent by the first AP to the second AP to include first indication information. If the first indication information indicates agreement for the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set, the second frame may also include second indication information indicating the ID assigned to the second AP. This further facilitates the first AP's management of APs joining its AP candidate set. Specifically, assuming the first AP comprises multiple APs, and these multiple APs assign the same ID to the second AP—that is, when the second AP joins multiple AP candidate sets, and each AP candidate set assigns the second AP the same ID—during the sharing of transmission resources, the second AP can distinguish which AP in which candidate set is sharing transmission resources with it, and will not experience confusion due to being assigned the same ID.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: The first AP sends a third frame to the second AP, the third frame including third information, the third information being used to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set; The first AP receives a fourth frame sent by the second AP. The fourth frame includes third indication information, which indicates whether the second AP agrees to the invitation from the first AP.

[0026] The solution provided in this application allows a first AP to send a third frame containing third information to a second AP, inviting the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set. The second AP can then send a fourth frame containing third indication information to the first AP, indicating whether it agrees to or disagrees with the first AP's invitation. In this application, by actively inviting the second AP to join its AP candidate set, the first AP can selectively send invitations to the second AP, effectively establishing its AP candidate set and enhancing the collaboration capabilities between APs.

[0027] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the first information is further used to invite the first AP to join the AP candidate set of the second AP; the first indication information is further used to instruct the first AP to agree to join the AP candidate set of the second AP, or the first indication information is further used to instruct the first AP not to agree to join the AP candidate set of the second AP.

[0028] The solution provided in this application allows the first information to be used both to request joining the AP candidate set of the first AP and to invite the first AP to join the AP candidate set of the second AP. Similarly, the first indication information can be used both to indicate agreement or disagreement with the second AP joining the AP candidate set of the first AP and to indicate agreement or disagreement with the first AP joining the AP candidate set of the second AP. By using the same information to request joining the AP candidate set of the first AP and to invite the first AP to join the AP candidate set of the second AP, and by using the same indication information to indicate agreement or disagreement with the request and to indicate agreement or disagreement with the invitation, resources can be saved.

[0029] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the first AP agrees to the second AP joining the first AP's AP candidate set, and the method further includes: The first AP sends a fifth frame to the second AP, the fifth frame including fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to instruct the second AP to be removed from the first AP's AP candidate set; or... The first AP receives a sixth frame sent by the second AP. The sixth frame includes sixth indication information, which is used by the second AP to request removal from the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0030] The solution provided in this application allows the first AP to delete some or all of its AP candidate set during the process of establishing its AP candidate set, so that the APs included in the first AP's AP candidate set can be flexibly changed, which can further improve the collaboration between APs.

[0031] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the fifth or sixth frame may further include a reason field indicating the reason for deletion.

[0032] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: The first AP receives a seventh frame sent by the second AP. The seventh frame includes seventh indication information, which is used to request the acquisition of the first AP's AP candidate set information.

[0033] The solution provided in this application is that after receiving the seventh frame, which includes the seventh indication information, sent by the second AP, the first AP sends the AP candidate set information of the first AP to the second AP. That is, the first AP sends its AP candidate set information in a targeted manner, thereby improving the efficiency of establishing the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0034] Secondly, a method for establishing an access point (AP) candidate set is provided, the method comprising: a second AP receiving AP candidate set information of a first AP, wherein the AP candidate set information of the first AP is used to indicate information of the AP that initiates multi-AP transmission; The second AP sends a first frame to the first AP based on the AP candidate set information of the first AP. The first frame includes first information, which is used to request to join the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0035] The solution provided in this application allows the second AP to send a first frame to the first AP after receiving the AP candidate set information from the first AP. The first frame includes first information for requesting to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, enabling the first AP to establish its own candidate set. This facilitates the first AP's effective management of its established AP candidate set and avoids confusion.

[0036] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the AP candidate set information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of shared APs supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP; The information of the third AP, wherein the third AP is a shared AP that has joined the AP candidate set of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third AP, the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the third AP, the Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of the third AP, the Identifier ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has any shared AP already been added to the AP candidate set of the first AP? The collaborative mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0037] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the collaboration mode includes at least one of the following modes: Coordinated Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Coordinated Spatial Multiplexing, Coordinated Beamforming, and Joint Transmission.

[0038] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the third AP corresponds to one or more of the aforementioned collaborative modes; or, The AP candidate set of the first AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperation modes.

[0039] The solution provided in this application allows the third AP (i.e., the AP being shared in the AP candidate set already joined by the first AP) to correspond to one or more of the aforementioned cooperation modes, giving the first AP more choices when sharing transmission resources. Furthermore, the first AP sends out the third AP's cooperation mode as candidate set information, which helps other APs joining the first AP's candidate set to consider choosing the same cooperation mode as the third AP, facilitating unified and effective management of APs joined by the first AP in the AP candidate set. The first AP's AP candidate set corresponding to one or more cooperation modes allows the second AP to choose whether to join the first AP's AP candidate set based on the first AP's cooperation mode. Moreover, the first AP having one or more cooperation modes facilitates unified management of other APs joined by it or allows for flexible selection of cooperation modes based on the other APs joined by it, improving management efficiency.

[0040] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: The second AP receives a second frame sent by the first AP. The second frame includes first indication information, which indicates that the second AP is allowed to join the first AP's AP candidate set, or that the first indication information does not allow the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0041] The solution provided in this application allows the second AP to receive a second frame sent by the first AP. The second frame includes first indication information indicating whether the second AP agrees or disagrees with joining the first AP's AP candidate set. The second AP can join or not join the first AP's AP candidate set according to the indication of the first indication information, so that the first AP can establish its own candidate set.

[0042] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the second frame further includes fourth indication information, which is used to indicate that the second frame is a response frame.

[0043] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the type of the first frame or the second frame is a common action frame or a protected common action frame.

[0044] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the first information included in the first frame may be carried in the common action field or the AP candidate set parameter field.

[0045] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the first indication information included in the second frame may be carried in the status code field or the AP candidate set parameter field.

[0046] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the AP candidate set parameter field includes at least one of the following: The set ID of the AP candidate set to which the second AP requests to join, and the cooperation mode adopted by the second AP after requesting to join the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0047] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: The second AP sends second information to the first AP, the second information including information of the second AP, wherein the information of the second AP includes at least one of the following: The second AP can support the maximum number of AP candidate sets to be added; Information about the AP candidate sets that the second AP has joined, including the number of AP candidate sets that have joined, the MAC addresses of the APs that have joined the AP candidate sets, the BSSIDs of the APs that have joined the AP candidate sets, and the ID of the second AP in the AP candidate sets that have joined. Whether the second AP is allowed to be invited to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set that has already been joined; Has the second AP been added to the AP candidate set? Does the second AP support being a sharing AP or a shared AP?

[0048] The solution provided in this application allows the second AP to send second information to the first AP, enabling the first AP to combine the second information with the first information to build its own candidate set, thereby enhancing the ability of multi-AP collaboration.

[0049] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, if the first indication information indicates agreement to the second AP joining the first AP's AP candidate set, the second frame further includes second indication information, which is used to indicate the ID assigned to the second AP.

[0050] The solution provided in this application allows the second frame sent by the first AP to the second AP to include first indication information. If the first indication information indicates agreement for the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set, the second frame may also include second indication information indicating the ID assigned to the second AP. This further facilitates the first AP's management of APs joining its AP candidate set. Specifically, assuming the first AP comprises multiple APs, and these multiple APs assign the same ID to the second AP—that is, when the second AP joins multiple AP candidate sets, and each AP candidate set assigns the second AP the same ID—during the sharing of transmission resources, the second AP can distinguish which AP in which candidate set is sharing transmission resources with it, and will not experience confusion due to being assigned the same ID.

[0051] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: The second AP receives a third frame sent by the first AP. The third frame includes third information, which is used to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set. The second AP sends a fourth frame to the first AP based on the third information. The fourth frame includes third indication information, which indicates whether the second AP agrees to the invitation from the first AP.

[0052] The solution provided in this application allows the second AP to receive a third frame containing third information sent by the first AP, used to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set. The second AP can then send a fourth frame containing third indication information to the first AP, indicating whether it agrees to or disagrees with the first AP's invitation. In this application, by receiving the third information from the first AP inviting the second AP to join its AP candidate set, and then sending the third indication information to the first AP, the second AP can effectively establish its AP candidate set, thereby enhancing the collaboration capabilities between APs.

[0053] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the first information is further used to invite the first AP to join the AP candidate set of the second AP; the first indication information is further used to instruct the first AP to agree to join the AP candidate set of the second AP, or the first indication information is further used to instruct the first AP not to agree to join the AP candidate set of the second AP.

[0054] The solution provided in this application allows the first information to be used both to request joining the AP candidate set of the first AP and to invite the first AP to join the AP candidate set of the second AP. Similarly, the first indication information can be used both to indicate agreement or disagreement with the second AP joining the AP candidate set of the first AP and to indicate agreement or disagreement with the first AP joining the AP candidate set of the second AP. By using the same information to request joining the AP candidate set of the first AP and to invite the first AP to join the AP candidate set of the second AP, and by using the same indication information to indicate agreement or disagreement with the request and to indicate agreement or disagreement with the invitation, resources can be saved.

[0055] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the first AP agrees to the second AP joining the first AP's AP candidate set, and the method further includes: The second AP receives a fifth frame sent by the first AP, the fifth frame including fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to instruct the second AP to be removed from the first AP's AP candidate set; or, The second AP sends a sixth frame to the first AP. The sixth frame includes a sixth indication message, which is used by the second AP to request removal from the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0056] The solution provided in this application allows the first AP to delete some or all of its AP candidate set during the process of establishing its AP candidate set, so that the APs included in the first AP's AP candidate set can be flexibly changed, which can further improve the collaboration between APs.

[0057] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the fifth or sixth frame may further include a reason field indicating the reason for deletion.

[0058] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: The second AP sends a seventh frame to the first AP. The seventh frame includes a seventh indication information, which is used to request the first AP to obtain the AP candidate set information.

[0059] The solution provided in this application allows the second AP to send a seventh frame including seventh indication information to the first AP in order to request the AP candidate set information of the first AP, thereby improving the efficiency of the first AP in establishing its AP candidate set.

[0060] Thirdly, a method for establishing an AP candidate set is provided, the method comprising: a first AP sending a third frame to a second AP, the third frame including third information, the third information being used to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set; The first AP receives a fourth frame sent by the second AP. The fourth frame includes third indication information, which indicates that the second AP agrees to the invitation of the first AP, or that the third indication information indicates that the second AP does not agree to the invitation of the first AP.

[0061] The solution provided in this application allows a first AP to send a third frame containing third information to a second AP, inviting the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set. The second AP can then send a fourth frame containing third indication information to the first AP, indicating whether it agrees to or disagrees with the first AP's invitation. In this application, by actively inviting the second AP to join its AP candidate set, the first AP can selectively send invitations to the second AP, effectively establishing its AP candidate set and enhancing the collaboration capabilities between APs.

[0062] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: The second AP sends its information to the first AP.

[0063] The first AP receives information from the second AP; The first AP sends a third frame to the second AP, including: The first AP sends the third frame to the second AP based on the information from the second AP.

[0064] The solution provided in this application allows the second AP to first send its information to the first AP. After receiving the information, the first AP can send a second frame containing second information to the second AP to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set. The second AP can then send a fourth frame containing fourth instruction information to the first AP to indicate whether the second AP agrees to or disagrees with the first AP's invitation. This effectively establishes the first AP's AP candidate set and further enhances the ability of multi-AP collaboration.

[0065] The information of the second AP includes at least one of the following: The second AP can support the maximum number of AP candidate sets to be added; The information of the AP candidate set that the second AP has joined includes the number of AP candidate sets that have joined, the MAC address of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, the BSSID of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, and the ID of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set; Whether the second AP is allowed to be invited to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set that has already been joined; Has the second AP been added to the AP candidate set? Does the second AP support being a sharing AP or a shared AP?

[0066] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the fourth frame further includes eighth indication information, which is used to indicate that the fourth frame is a response frame.

[0067] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the fourth frame also includes ninth indication information, which is used to indicate the ID assigned to the second AP.

[0068] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the third information is also used to instruct the first AP to request to join the AP candidate set of the second AP; The third indication information is also used to instruct the second AP to agree to the first AP joining the second AP's AP candidate set, or the third indication information is also used to instruct the second AP not to agree to the first AP joining the second AP's AP candidate set.

[0069] The solution provided in this application allows the third information to include either an invitation to the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, or a request to join the AP candidate set of the second AP. Similarly, the third instruction information can be used to instruct the second AP to agree or disagree to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, or to instruct the first AP to agree or disagree to join the second AP candidate set of the second AP. By using the same information to invite the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP and to request to join the AP candidate set of the second AP, and by using the same instruction information to instruct agreement or disagreement to the invitation and to instruct agreement or disagreement to the request, resources can be saved.

[0070] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the type of the third frame or the fourth frame is a public action frame or a protected public action frame.

[0071] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the third information or the third indication information is carried in the public action field, or in the AP candidate set parameter field.

[0072] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the AP candidate set parameter field includes at least one of the following: The set ID to which the second AP belongs that was invited to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, and the collaboration mode adopted by the second AP that was invited to join the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0073] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the third indication information instructs the second AP to agree to the invitation from the first AP, and the method further includes: The first AP sends a fifth frame to the second AP, the fifth frame including fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to instruct the second AP to be removed from the first AP's AP candidate set; or... The first AP receives a sixth frame sent by the second AP. The sixth frame includes sixth indication information, which is used by the second AP to request removal from the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0074] The solution provided in this application allows the first AP to delete some or all of its AP candidate set during the process of establishing its AP candidate set, so that the APs included in the first AP's AP candidate set can be flexibly changed, which can further improve the collaboration between APs.

[0075] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the fifth or sixth frame may further include a reason field indicating the reason for deletion.

[0076] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: The first AP receives a seventh frame sent by the second AP. The seventh frame includes seventh indication information, which is used to request the acquisition of the first AP's AP candidate set information. The first AP sends an eighth frame to the second AP, the eighth frame including AP candidate set information of the first AP.

[0077] The solution provided in this application is that after receiving the seventh frame, which includes the seventh indication information, sent by the second AP, the first AP sends the AP candidate set information of the first AP to the second AP. That is, the first AP sends its AP candidate set information in a targeted manner, thereby improving the efficiency of establishing the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0078] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the AP candidate set information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of shared APs supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP; The information of the third AP, wherein the third AP is a shared AP that has joined the AP candidate set of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third AP, the MAC address of the third AP, the BSSID of the third AP, the ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has any shared AP already been added to the AP candidate set of the first AP? The collaborative mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0079] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the collaboration mode includes at least one of the following modes: Coordinated Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Coordinated Spatial Multiplexing, Coordinated Beamforming, and Joint Transmission.

[0080] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the third AP corresponds to one or more of the aforementioned collaborative modes; or, The AP candidate set of the first AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperation modes.

[0081] Fourthly, a method for establishing an AP candidate set is provided, the method comprising: a second AP receiving a third frame, the third frame including third information, the third information being used to invite the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The second AP sends a fourth frame to the first AP, the fourth frame including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate that the second AP agrees to the invitation of the first AP, or the third indication information being used to indicate that the second AP does not agree to the invitation of the first AP.

[0082] The solution provided in this application allows the second AP to receive a third frame containing third information sent by the first AP, which is used to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set. The second AP can send a fourth frame containing third indication information to the first AP to indicate whether it agrees to or disagrees with the first AP's invitation. This enables the first AP to establish its own AP candidate set, which facilitates the first AP's management of multiple APs and improves the collaboration capabilities between APs.

[0083] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: the second AP sending information of the second AP to the first AP.

[0084] The solution provided in this application allows the second AP to first send its information to the first AP, enabling the first AP to send a second frame containing second information to the second AP, inviting the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set. The second AP can then send a fourth frame containing fourth instruction information to the first AP, indicating whether the second AP agrees to or disagrees with the first AP's invitation. This effectively establishes the first AP's AP candidate set and further enhances the ability of multi-AP collaboration.

[0085] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the information of the second AP includes at least one of the following: The second AP can support the maximum number of AP candidate sets to be added; The information of the AP candidate set that the second AP has joined includes the number of AP candidate sets that have joined, the MAC address of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, the BSSID of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, and the ID of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set; Whether the second AP is allowed to be invited to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set that has already been joined; Has the second AP been added to the AP candidate set? Does the second AP support being a sharing AP or a shared AP?

[0086] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the fourth frame further includes eighth indication information, which is used to indicate that the fourth frame is a response frame.

[0087] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the fourth frame further includes ninth indication information, which is used to indicate the ID assigned to the second AP.

[0088] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the third information is also used to instruct the first AP to request to join the AP candidate set of the second AP; The third indication information is also used to instruct the second AP to agree to the first AP joining the second AP's AP candidate set, or the third indication information is also used to instruct the second AP not to agree to the first AP joining the second AP's AP candidate set.

[0089] The solution provided in this application allows the third information to include either an invitation to the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, or a request to join the AP candidate set of the second AP. Similarly, the third instruction information can be used to instruct the second AP to agree or disagree to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, or to instruct the first AP to agree or disagree to join the second AP candidate set of the second AP. By using the same information to invite the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP and to request to join the AP candidate set of the second AP, and by using the same instruction information to instruct agreement or disagreement to the invitation and to instruct agreement or disagreement to the request, resources can be saved.

[0090] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the type of the third frame or the fourth frame is a public action frame or a protected public action frame.

[0091] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the third information or the seventh indication information is carried in the public action field, or in the AP candidate set parameter field.

[0092] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the AP candidate set parameter field includes at least one of the following: The set ID to which the second AP belongs that was invited to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, and the collaboration mode adopted by the second AP that was invited to join the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0093] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: The second AP receives a fifth frame sent by the first AP, the fifth frame including fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to instruct the second AP to be removed from the first AP's AP candidate set; or, The second AP sends a sixth frame to the first AP. The sixth frame includes a sixth indication message, which is used by the second AP to request removal from the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0094] The solution provided in this application allows the first AP to delete some or all of its AP candidate set during the process of establishing its AP candidate set, so that the APs included in the first AP's AP candidate set can be flexibly changed, which can further improve the collaboration between APs.

[0095] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the fifth or sixth frame may further include a reason field indicating the reason for deletion.

[0096] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: The second AP sends a seventh frame to the first AP. The seventh frame includes a seventh indication information, which is used to request the acquisition of the AP candidate set information of the first AP. The second AP receives the eighth frame sent by the first AP, the eighth frame including the AP candidate set information of the first AP.

[0097] The solution provided in this application allows the second AP to send a seventh frame containing seventh indication information to the first AP, which facilitates the first AP to send its AP candidate set information to the second AP. In other words, the first AP sends its AP candidate set information in a targeted manner, thereby improving the efficiency of establishing the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0098] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the AP candidate set information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of shared APs supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP; The information of the third AP, wherein the third AP is a shared AP that has joined the AP candidate set of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third AP, the MAC address of the third AP, the BSSID of the third AP, the ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has any shared AP already been added to the AP candidate set of the first AP? The collaborative mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0099] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the collaboration mode includes at least one of the following modes: Coordinated Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Coordinated Spatial Multiplexing, Coordinated Beamforming, and Joint Transmission.

[0100] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the third AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperative modes; or, The AP candidate set of the first AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperation modes.

[0101] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processing module, configured to generate AP candidate set information of a first AP, wherein the AP candidate set information of the first AP is used to indicate information of the APs that initiate multi-AP transmission by the first AP; The communication module is used to send the AP candidate set information of the first AP.

[0102] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, the AP candidate set information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of shared APs supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP; The information of the third AP, wherein the third AP is a shared AP that has joined the AP candidate set of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third AP, the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the third AP, the Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of the third AP, the Identifier ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has any shared AP already been added to the AP candidate set of the first AP? The collaborative mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0103] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, the communication module is further used for: Receive a first frame sent by the second AP, the first frame including first information, the first information being used to request to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The processing module is also used for: A second frame is sent to the second AP based on the first information. The second frame includes first indication information, which indicates that the second AP is agreed to join the first AP's AP candidate set, or that the first indication information does not agree to the second AP joining the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0104] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, the communication module is further used for: Receive second information, the second information including information about the second AP; The processing module is further used for: The first AP sends the second frame to the second AP based on the first information and the second information; The information of the second AP includes at least one of the following: The second AP can support the maximum number of AP candidate sets to be added; Information about the AP candidate sets that the second AP has joined, including the number of AP candidate sets that have joined, the MAC addresses of the APs that have joined the AP candidate sets, the BSSIDs of the APs that have joined the AP candidate sets, and the ID of the second AP in the AP candidate sets that have joined. Whether the second AP is allowed to be invited to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set that has already been joined; Has the second AP been added to the AP candidate set? Does the second AP support being a sharing AP or a shared AP?

[0105] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, if the first indication information indicates agreement to the second AP joining the first AP's AP candidate set, the second frame further includes second indication information, which is used to indicate the ID assigned to the second AP.

[0106] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, the communication module is further used for: Send a third frame to the second AP, the third frame including third information, the third information being used to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set; The system receives a fourth frame sent by the second AP, the fourth frame including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate whether the second AP agrees to the invitation of the first AP.

[0107] The beneficial effects of the fifth aspect can be referenced from the beneficial effects of the first aspect, and will not be elaborated here.

[0108] A sixth aspect provides a communication device, comprising: a communication module, configured to receive AP candidate set information of a first AP, wherein the AP candidate set information of the first AP is used to indicate information of the APs initiating multi-AP transmission by the first AP; The communication module is further configured to send a first frame to the first AP based on the AP candidate set information of the first AP, the first frame including first information, the first information being used to request joining the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0109] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some possible implementations, the AP candidate set information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of shared APs supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP; The information of the third AP, wherein the third AP is a shared AP that has joined the AP candidate set of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third AP, the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the third AP, the Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of the third AP, the Identifier ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has any shared AP already been added to the AP candidate set of the first AP? The collaborative mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0110] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some possible implementations, the communication module is further used for: The system receives a second frame sent by the first AP. The second frame includes first indication information, which indicates either agreement to allow the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set or disagreement with allowing the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0111] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some possible implementations, the communication module is further used for: Send a second message to the first AP, the second message including information about the second AP, wherein the information about the second AP includes at least one of the following: The second AP can support the maximum number of AP candidate sets to be added; Information about the AP candidate sets that the second AP has joined, including the number of AP candidate sets that have joined, the MAC addresses of the APs that have joined the AP candidate sets, the BSSIDs of the APs that have joined the AP candidate sets, and the ID of the second AP in the AP candidate sets that have joined. Whether the second AP is allowed to be invited to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set that has already been joined; Has the second AP been added to the AP candidate set? Does the second AP support being a sharing AP or a shared AP?

[0112] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some possible implementations, if the first indication information indicates agreement to the second AP joining the first AP's AP candidate set, the second frame further includes second indication information, which indicates the ID assigned to the second AP.

[0113] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some possible implementations, the communication module is further used for: Receive a third frame sent by the first AP, the third frame including third information, the third information being used to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set; A fourth frame is sent to the first AP based on the third information. The fourth frame includes third indication information, which is used to indicate whether the second AP agrees to the invitation of the first AP.

[0114] The beneficial effects of the sixth aspect can be referenced from the beneficial effects of the second aspect, and will not be elaborated here.

[0115] A seventh aspect provides a communication device, comprising: a communication module, configured to send a third frame to a second AP, the third frame including third information, the third information being used to invite the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The communication module is further configured to receive a fourth frame sent by the second AP, the fourth frame including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate that the second AP agrees to the invitation of the first AP, or the third indication information being used to indicate that the second AP does not agree to the invitation of the first AP.

[0116] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the communication module is further used for, Receive information from the second AP; The third frame is sent to the second AP based on the information from the second AP.

[0117] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the information of the second AP includes at least one of the following: The second AP can support the maximum number of AP candidate sets to be added; The information of the AP candidate set that the second AP has joined includes the number of AP candidate sets that have joined, the MAC address of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, the BSSID of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, and the ID of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set; Whether the second AP is allowed to be invited to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set that has already been joined; Has the second AP been added to the AP candidate set? Does the second AP support being a sharing AP or a shared AP?

[0118] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the fourth frame further includes eighth indication information, which is used to indicate that the fourth frame is a response frame.

[0119] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the fourth frame further includes ninth indication information, which is used to indicate the ID assigned to the second AP.

[0120] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the third information is also used to instruct the first AP to request to join the AP candidate set of the second AP; The third indication information is also used to instruct the second AP to agree to the first AP joining the second AP's AP candidate set, or the third indication information is also used to instruct the second AP not to agree to the first AP joining the second AP's AP candidate set.

[0121] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the type of the third frame or the fourth frame is a public action frame or a protected public action frame.

[0122] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the third information or the third indication information is carried in the public action field, or in the AP candidate set parameter field.

[0123] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the AP candidate set parameter field includes at least one of the following: The set ID to which the second AP belongs that was invited to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, and the collaboration mode adopted by the second AP that was invited to join the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0124] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the third indication information instructs the second AP to agree to the invitation from the first AP, and the communication module is further configured to: Send a fifth frame to the second AP, the fifth frame including fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to instruct the second AP to be removed from the AP candidate set of the first AP; or... The second AP receives a sixth frame, which includes a sixth indication information used by the second AP to request removal from the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0125] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the fifth or sixth frame may further include a reason field indicating the reason for deletion.

[0126] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the communication module is further used for, The system receives a seventh frame sent by the second AP, the seventh frame including seventh indication information, the seventh indication information being used to request the acquisition of the AP candidate set information of the first AP; Send an eighth frame to the second AP, the eighth frame including AP candidate set information of the first AP.

[0127] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the AP candidate set information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of shared APs supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP; The information of the third AP, wherein the third AP is a shared AP that has joined the AP candidate set of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third AP, the MAC address of the third AP, the BSSID of the third AP, the ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has any shared AP already been added to the AP candidate set of the first AP? The collaborative mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0128] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the collaboration mode includes at least one of the following modes: Coordinated Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Coordinated Spatial Multiplexing, Coordinated Beamforming, and Joint Transmission.

[0129] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the third AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperative modes; or, The AP candidate set of the first AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperation modes.

[0130] The beneficial effects of the seventh aspect can be referenced from the beneficial effects of the third aspect, and will not be elaborated here.

[0131] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a communication module for receiving a third frame, the third frame including third information, the third information being used to invite a second AP to join a candidate set of APs of a first AP; The communication module is further configured to send a fourth frame to the first AP, the fourth frame including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate to the second AP that it agrees to the invitation of the first AP, or the third indication information being used to indicate to the second AP that it does not agree to the invitation of the first AP.

[0132] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: The second AP sends its information to the first AP.

[0133] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some possible implementations, the information of the second AP includes at least one of the following: The second AP can support the maximum number of AP candidate sets to be added; The information of the AP candidate set that the second AP has joined includes the number of AP candidate sets that have joined, the MAC address of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, the BSSID of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, and the ID of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set; Whether the second AP is allowed to be invited to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set that has already been joined; Has the second AP been added to the AP candidate set? Does the second AP support being a sharing AP or a shared AP?

[0134] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some possible implementations, the fourth frame further includes eighth indication information, which is used to indicate that the fourth frame is a response frame.

[0135] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some possible implementations, the fourth frame also includes ninth indication information, which is used to indicate the ID assigned to the second AP.

[0136] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some possible implementations, the third information is also used to instruct the first AP to request to join the AP candidate set of the second AP; The third indication information is also used to instruct the second AP to agree to the first AP joining the second AP's AP candidate set, or the third indication information is also used to instruct the second AP not to agree to the first AP joining the second AP's AP candidate set.

[0137] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some possible implementations, the type of the third frame or the fourth frame is a public action frame or a protected public action frame.

[0138] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some possible implementations, the third information or the seventh indication information is carried in the public action field, or in the AP candidate set parameter field.

[0139] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some possible implementations, the AP candidate set parameter field includes at least one of the following: The set ID to which the second AP belongs that was invited to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, and the collaboration mode adopted by the second AP that was invited to join the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0140] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some possible implementations, the communication module is further configured to receive a fifth frame sent by the first AP, the fifth frame including fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to instruct the second AP to be removed from the AP candidate set of the first AP; or, A sixth frame is sent to the first AP, the sixth frame including a sixth indication information, the sixth indication information being used by the second AP to request removal from the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0141] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some possible implementations, the fifth or sixth frame may further include a reason field indicating the reason for deletion.

[0142] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some possible implementations, the communication module is further configured to send a seventh frame to the first AP, the seventh frame including seventh indication information, the seventh indication information being used to request the acquisition of the AP candidate set information of the first AP; The eighth frame sent by the first AP is received, and the eighth frame includes AP candidate set information of the first AP.

[0143] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some possible implementations, the AP candidate set information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of shared APs supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP; The information of the third AP, wherein the third AP is a shared AP that has joined the AP candidate set of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third AP, the MAC address of the third AP, the BSSID of the third AP, the ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has any shared AP already been added to the AP candidate set of the first AP? The collaborative mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0144] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some possible implementations, the collaboration mode includes at least one of the following modes: Coordinated Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Coordinated Spatial Multiplexing, Coordinated Beamforming, and Joint Transmission.

[0145] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some possible implementations, the third AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperative modes; or, The AP candidate set of the first AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperation modes.

[0146] The beneficial effects of the eighth aspect can be referenced from the beneficial effects of the fourth aspect, and will not be elaborated here.

[0147] Ninthly, a communication device is provided, which can be a first access point (AP) in the above method embodiments or a chip disposed in the first AP. The communication device includes a transceiver and a processor, and optionally, a memory. The memory stores computer programs or instructions, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the transceiver. When the processor executes the computer program or instructions, it causes the communication device to perform the method executed by the first AP in the above method embodiments.

[0148] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, which can be a second access point (AP) in the above method embodiments or a chip disposed in the second AP. The communication device includes a transceiver and a processor, and optionally, a memory. The memory stores computer programs or instructions, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the transceiver. When the processor executes the computer program or instructions, it causes the communication device to perform the method executed by the second AP in the above method embodiments.

[0149] Eleventhly, this application provides a chip system including a processor for implementing the functions of the first AP or the second AP in the methods described above. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing program instructions and / or data. This chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0150] Alternatively, the discrete device can be an interface or an interface circuit.

[0151] Alternatively, the processor described above can also be a processing circuit.

[0152] In a twelfth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when run, implements the methods performed by the first AP or the second AP in the above aspects.

[0153] In a thirteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: computer program code, which, when run, causes the methods executed by the first AP or the second AP in the above aspects to be performed. Attached Figure Description

[0154] Figure 1 This is a network architecture diagram of a multi-access point collaborative system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0155] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for establishing an AP candidate set, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0156] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the fields of the AP candidate set information of the first AP provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0157] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the collaboration mode corresponding to the third AP provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0158] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the cooperation mode corresponding to the AP candidate set of the first AP provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0159] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the information of the second AP provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0160] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating another method for establishing an AP candidate set provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0161] Figure 8 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0162] Figure 9 A schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0163] Figure 10 This is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0164] Figure 11 This is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0165] Figure 12 This is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0166] Figure 13 This is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0167] Figure 14 This is a schematic structural diagram of the chip provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0168] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0169] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to wireless local area networks (WLAN) systems, and also to other communication systems, such as long-term evolution (LTE) systems, 5G systems, and other future communication systems. Taking a WLAN system as an example, a station (STA) and an access point (AP) are the basic components of a WLAN system. An AP is the access point for mobile users to access a wired network, mainly deployed in homes, buildings, and campuses, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters; it can also be deployed outdoors. An AP acts as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, its main function being to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. Specifically, an AP can be a device with a wireless fidelity (WiFi) chip, such as a terminal device or network device with a WiFi chip. Optionally, the AP can be a device that supports the 802.11ax standard; alternatively, the AP can also be a device that supports multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a. Furthermore, the AP can also be a device that supports 802.11be and other future 802.11 standard WLAN standards. In this embodiment, the type of standard supported by the AP is not limited.

[0170] In a WLAN system, a STA (Standard Target) is generally a terminal device. STAs can be mobile or fixed and are the most basic components of a wireless local area network. A STA can be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal. Examples include: mobile phones, tablets, set-top boxes, smart TVs, smart wearable devices, in-vehicle communication devices, and computers that support WiFi communication. Figure 1 This is a network architecture diagram of a multi-access point collaborative system applicable to embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 1 As shown, this network architecture may include one or more access point devices, for example, Figure 1 Access point device 10, access point device 20, and access point device 30 are shown. This network architecture may also include one or more site devices (not shown in the figure).

[0171] It should be understood that the embodiments of this application do not particularly limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of this application. As long as a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiments of this application can be run to communicate according to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, for example, the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of this application can be an access point device, or a functional module in the access point device that can call and execute the program.

[0172] Furthermore, various aspects or features of this application can be implemented as methods, apparatus, or articles of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" as used in this application encompasses a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or medium. For example, computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes), optical discs (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMs), cards, sticks, or key drives, etc.).

[0173] Additionally, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable storage media used for storing information. The term "machine-readable storage media" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0174] It should be understood that the methods, situations, categories, and classifications of embodiments in this application are for the convenience of description only and should not constitute a special limitation. Various methods, categories, situations, and features in embodiments can be combined without contradiction.

[0175] It should also be understood that the terms "first," "second," and "third" in the embodiments of this application are for distinction only and should not constitute any limitation on this application. For example, "first information" and "second information" in the embodiments of this application refer to information transmitted between access point devices.

[0176] It should also be understood that, in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0177] With the development of wireless networks and the increasing popularity of WLAN technology, WLAN devices are becoming increasingly dense. Because the AP (which can be the aforementioned...) Figure 1 Access point devices (APs) are easy to deploy, but increasingly dense APs also bring more inter-cell interference.

[0178] When an AP shares transmission resources or opportunities with other APs, it needs to determine which APs to share with. This requires establishing a multi-AP cooperation set, or AP candidate set.

[0179] Currently, all APs that may participate in multi-AP cooperative transmission constitute a large AP candidate set. Within this large AP candidate set, there may be multiple sharing APs (i.e., APs that initiate or participate in multi-AP transmission) and multiple shared APs (i.e., APs that share transmission resources or transmission opportunities). Any sharing AP can share transmission resources or transmission opportunities with any one or more shared APs.

[0180] For a given sharing AP, not every shared AP is suitable for multi-AP transmission. Furthermore, the presence of multiple sharing APs makes it difficult to manage the shared APs, as each shared AP does not know which sharing AP is managing it, and it is difficult to ensure that the IDs of the shared APs are different from each other, leading to confusion (such as two sharing APs providing the same ID to a certain shared AP).

[0181] Therefore, this application provides a method for establishing an AP candidate set (also known as a candidate set), which facilitates the management of multiple APs and can avoid confusion.

[0182] like Figure 2 The illustration shows a method 200 for establishing an AP candidate set according to an embodiment of this application. This method 200 can be executed by an access point device or by a chip within the access point device. The method 200 may include: S210, the first AP generates AP candidate set information of the first AP, and the AP candidate set information of the first AP is used to indicate the information of the AP that initiates multi-AP transmission.

[0183] The first AP in this embodiment can be the above-mentioned... Figure 1The access point device is either 10, 20, or 30. In this embodiment, the AP candidate set information of the first AP is used to indicate information about the AP initiating multi-AP transmission. This can be understood as: the AP candidate set information of the first AP is used to indicate the information included in the APs capable of initiating multi-AP transmission (which can be the sharing APs mentioned above). In other words, the first AP can act as a sharing AP for resource sharing. The first AP establishes an AP cooperation set with itself as the sharing AP and generates its candidate set information. This candidate set information includes or indicates information about the AP candidate sets that the first AP will establish or has already established. This candidate set information can further serve as a reference for other APs to choose whether to join the first AP's AP cooperation set.

[0184] Furthermore, the AP candidate set information of the first AP in the embodiments of this application can also be used to indicate the information included in the APs that can participate in multi-AP transmission (which can be the shared APs mentioned above). The participation mentioned here can be understood as the first AP participating in the transmission between APs in the cooperative set it has established, or it can be understood as the transmission between multiple APs in other AP cooperative sets that the first AP has joined. This application does not limit this.

[0185] S220, the first AP sends the AP candidate set information of the first AP.

[0186] In this embodiment, the first AP can send its AP candidate set information via multicast or unicast, without limitation. In other words, the first AP can send its AP candidate set information to a single AP, or it can send its AP candidate set information to at least two APs.

[0187] Understandably, each AP with sharing capabilities—that is, an AP that can share its transmission resources with other APs—can act as the first AP to establish its corresponding AP candidate set and send its candidate set information to other APs, thus achieving effective collaboration among multiple APs. Of course, the first AP acting as the sharing AP can also join the collaboration set established by other APs as the AP being shared with, achieving orderly and efficient collaboration among multiple AP collaboration sets.

[0188] S230, the second AP receives the AP candidate set information from the first AP.

[0189] The second AP in this embodiment can be as described above. Figure 1The access point device is either 20, 10, or 30. If the first AP is access point 10, the second AP can be access point 20 and / or access point 30; if the first AP is access point 20, the second AP can be access point 10 and / or access point 30; if the first AP is access point 30, the second AP can be access point 10 and / or access point 20.

[0190] Furthermore, the method 200 may also include step S240: S240, the second AP sends a first frame to the first AP based on the AP candidate set information of the first AP. The first frame includes first information, which is used to request to join the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0191] In this embodiment of the application, after receiving the AP candidate set information of the first AP, the second AP can send a first frame to the first AP based on the AP candidate set information of the first AP. The first frame can be a request frame, which includes first information for requesting to join the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0192] It is understood that, in some embodiments, the AP candidate set information of the first AP can also provide other APs (such as the second AP below) with a reference as to whether to request to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; or, the AP candidate set information of the first AP can be used to guide or instruct other APs whether to send information requesting to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; without limitation.

[0193] It should be noted that in some embodiments, step S240 may not depend on step S230. In other words, the second AP may also directly send a first frame including the first information to the first AP to request to join the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0194] In other embodiments, before the first AP sends its AP candidate set information, the second AP may also actively ask the first AP whether it is ready to establish an AP candidate set or whether it has already established an AP candidate set. If the first AP responds to the second AP that it is ready to establish its AP candidate set or has already established its AP candidate set, the second AP may send a first frame including first information to the first AP to request to join the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0195] The solution provided in this application allows a first AP to generate and send its AP candidate set information, enabling other APs to access this information. For example, after receiving the AP candidate set information from the first AP, a second AP can decide whether to join the candidate set established by the first AP. If the second AP decides to join, it can send a first frame to the first AP, which includes first information requesting to join the first AP's AP candidate set. This allows the first AP to establish its own AP candidate set, facilitating effective management and preventing confusion.

[0196] As mentioned above, the first AP can generate and send AP candidate set information. For details regarding the specific information included in the first AP's AP candidate set information, please refer to the following text.

[0197] Optionally, in some embodiments, the AP candidate set information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of shared APs supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP; The information of the third AP, wherein the third AP is a shared AP that has joined the AP candidate set of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third AP, the MAC address of the third AP, the basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the third AP, the ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has any shared AP already been added to the AP candidate set of the first AP? The collaborative mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0198] In this embodiment of the application, the AP candidate set information of the first AP may include one or more of the above-mentioned information. Assuming that the wireless system includes 10 APs (AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9 and AP10 respectively), the AP candidate set information of AP1 will be described below using AP1 as the first AP as an example.

[0199] The maximum number of APs that can be shared by the AP candidate set of AP1, i.e., the maximum number of APs that the AP candidate set of AP1 can include. For example, if the maximum number of APs that can be shared by the AP candidate set of AP1 is 50, then the AP candidate set of AP1 can include a maximum of 50 APs. The maximum number of APs that can be shared by the AP candidate set of AP1 can be specified by the protocol, configured by the system, or determined by the communication capabilities of AP1 itself.

[0200] Understandably, for different APs, the maximum number of APs that can be shared supported by their AP candidate sets can be the same or different, without any restriction.

[0201] like Figure 3 The diagram shown illustrates the fields of the AP candidate set information for the first AP provided in this embodiment. The information for the third AP in this embodiment refers to the information of the APs that have joined the AP candidate set of AP1. This information may include one or more of the following: the number of third APs, the MAC address of the third AP, the BSSID of the third AP, the ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP.

[0202] For example, if the number of third APs is 5, that is, the number of APs included in the AP candidate set of AP1 is 5 (such as AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, and AP6 added to the AP candidate set of AP1); the information of the third AP may also include the MAC address, BSSID, ID, and one or more of the cooperation modes of each of these 5 APs. Taking AP2 as an example, the information of the third AP may also include the MAC address of AP2, or the MAC address and BSSID of AP2, or the MAC address, BSSID, and ID of AP2, or the MAC address, BSSID, ID, and cooperation mode of AP2, etc.

[0203] As for other possibilities, they are similar to the examples mentioned above, and for the sake of brevity, they will not be elaborated here.

[0204] The AP candidate set information of the first AP may also include whether the second AP is allowed to join the AP candidate set of AP1. This information can be implemented by indication information, that is, the AP candidate set information of the first AP includes an indication information that indicates whether the second AP is allowed to join its AP candidate set, or the indication information indicates whether the second AP is not allowed to join its AP candidate set.

[0205] The AP candidate set information of the first AP may also include the maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission, which can be understood as how many APs AP1 can allocate resources to for parallel transmission in a single transmission; the AP candidate set information of the first AP may also include the maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission opportunity, which can be understood as a single transmission opportunity may include multiple transmissions, which may be transmissions performed at staggered times.

[0206] In addition, the AP candidate set information of the first AP may also include whether there is already a shared AP in the AP candidate set of the first AP. This information can simply indicate whether there is already a shared AP in the AP candidate set of the first AP, thereby providing a reference for other second APs that are waiting to be added to the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0207] The AP candidate set information of the first AP may also include the cooperation mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP. The AP candidate set of the first AP may include multiple AP candidate sets, which may support the same or different cooperation modes, without limitation.

[0208] In one alternative implementation, the AP candidate set information of the first AP may include the following information: the maximum number of APs that the first AP candidate set supports for sharing and information about the third AP, which may include the number of third APs, so that the second AP can determine whether to request to join the first AP candidate set based on the first AP's AP candidate set information.

[0209] In another optional implementation, the AP candidate set information of the first AP may include the following information: the maximum number of APs that can be shared supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP and information about the third AP, which may include the MAC address of the third AP, so that the second AP can determine the corresponding number of third APs based on the MAC address of the third AP, and determine the request to join the AP candidate set of the first AP in combination with the maximum number of APs that can be shared supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0210] In another alternative implementation, the AP candidate set information of the first AP may include the following information: whether the second AP is allowed to join the AP candidate set of the first AP. After receiving the information, the second AP can determine whether to request to join the AP candidate set of the first AP based on the information.

[0211] In another alternative implementation, the AP candidate set information of the first AP may include the following information: the maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission or the maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission opportunity. After receiving this information, the second AP can determine the probability of the resources or opportunities that it can share based on this information, thereby determining to request to join the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0212] In another alternative implementation, the AP candidate set information of the first AP may include the following information: the cooperation mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP. After receiving the information, the second AP may determine whether to request to join the AP candidate set of the first AP based on the cooperation modes it supports or includes.

[0213] It should be understood that the above implementation is merely illustrative, and various other implementations are possible. For example, the AP candidate set information of the first AP may include the maximum number of shared APs supported by the first AP's AP candidate set and information about the third AP. The information about the third AP may include one or more of the following: the number of third APs, the AMC address of the third AP, the BSSID of the third AP, the ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Alternatively, the AP candidate set information of the first AP may also include the maximum number of shared APs supported by the first AP's AP candidate set, information about the third AP, and whether the second AP is allowed to join the first AP's AP candidate set. Alternatively, the AP candidate set information of the first AP may also include the maximum number of shared APs supported by the first AP's AP candidate set, information about the third AP, whether the second AP is allowed to join the first AP's AP candidate set, and the maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission. Alternatively, the AP candidate set information of the first AP may also include the maximum number of shared APs supported by the first AP's AP candidate set. The information may include: the number of APs supported by the first AP, the information of the third AP, whether the second AP is allowed to join the first AP's AP candidate set, the maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission, and the maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission opportunity; or, the information of the first AP's AP candidate set may also include: the maximum number of APs supported by the first AP's AP candidate set, the information of the third AP, whether the second AP is allowed to join the first AP's AP candidate set, the maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission, the maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission opportunity, and whether any shared APs have already joined the first AP's AP candidate set; or, the information of the first AP's AP candidate set may also include: the maximum number of APs supported by the first AP's AP candidate set, the information of the third AP, whether the second AP is allowed to join the first AP's AP candidate set, the maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission, the maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission opportunity, whether any shared APs have already joined the first AP's AP candidate set, and the cooperation mode of the first AP's AP candidate set, etc.

[0214] Other possibilities are similar to the above implementation methods and will not be elaborated here.

[0215] As described above, the AP candidate set information of the first AP may include the cooperation mode of the third AP or the cooperation mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP, and the cooperation mode may include at least one of the following modes: Coordinated Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Coordinated Spatial Multiplexing, Coordinated Beamforming, and Joint Transmission.

[0216] In this embodiment, the coordinated OFDMA mode in the cooperative mode can be understood as follows: when the bandwidth is large, multiple APs can transmit on different channels through OFDMA, thereby achieving the effect of non-interference. Coordinated TDMA can be understood as follows: after an AP obtains a transmission opportunity, it transmits data. If it does not use up all its transmission opportunities, it can allocate the remaining transmission opportunities to other APs, allowing other APs to obtain transmissions faster and reducing communication latency. Coordinated spatial reuse can be understood as follows: when two APs are a certain distance apart, they can transmit simultaneously on the same channel. By controlling the transmission power, mutual interference can be reduced to an acceptable range. Coordinated beamforming can be understood as follows: if multiple APs can obtain all channel information, they can perform interference nulling on another cell's station (STA) during parallel transmission to avoid interference.

[0217] In this embodiment of the application, the cooperation mode of the third AP can be a cooperation mode supported by each AP in the third AP, or a cooperation mode included, or a cooperation mode adopted, or a cooperation mode that can be supported, or a cooperation mode that can be included, or a cooperation mode that can be adopted; the cooperation mode of the third AP can also be a cooperation mode supported by at least one AP in the third AP, or a cooperation mode included, or a cooperation mode adopted, or a cooperation mode that can be supported, or a cooperation mode that can be included, or a cooperation mode that can be adopted.

[0218] Similarly, the collaboration mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP can be the collaboration mode supported by each AP candidate set in the AP candidate set of the first AP, or the collaboration mode included, or the collaboration mode adopted, or the collaboration mode that can be supported, or the collaboration mode that can be included, or the collaboration mode that can be adopted; the collaboration mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP can be the collaboration mode supported by at least one AP candidate set in the AP candidate set of the first AP, or the collaboration mode included, or the collaboration mode adopted, or the collaboration mode that can be supported, or the collaboration mode that can be included, or the collaboration mode that can be adopted.

[0219] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the cooperation mode of the third AP may include one or more of the above modes, or the cooperation mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP may include one or more of the above modes, or the cooperation mode of the third AP and the cooperation mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP may include one or more of the above modes, without limitation.

[0220] It should also be noted that the collaboration modes in the embodiments of this application include, but are not limited to, the modes shown above, and may also include collaboration modes that may emerge in the future.

[0221] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperation modes; or, the AP candidate set of the first AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperation modes.

[0222] In this application embodiment, the third AP corresponding to one or more of the above-mentioned collaboration modes may be: the third AP supports one or more of the above-mentioned collaboration modes, or the third AP includes one or more of the above-mentioned collaboration modes, or the third AP adopts one or more of the above-mentioned collaboration modes. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0223] In this embodiment of the application, "the third AP corresponding to one or more of the cooperation modes" can be understood as each AP in the third AP corresponding to one or more of the cooperation modes, or at least one AP in the third AP corresponding to one or more of the cooperation modes. Similarly, "the AP candidate set of the first AP corresponding to one or more of the cooperation modes" can be understood as each AP candidate set in the AP candidate set of the first AP corresponding to one or more of the cooperation modes, or at least one AP candidate set in the AP candidate set of the first AP corresponding to one or more of the cooperation modes.

[0224] like Figure 4The diagram illustrates the cooperative mode corresponding to the third AP provided in this application embodiment. In one possible implementation, assuming the wireless system includes 10 APs (AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9, and AP10), and assuming that AP1 can send its AP candidate set information, and AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, and AP6 can all be added to AP1's AP candidate set, then each of these 5 APs (i.e., the aforementioned third AP) can correspond to one or more of the aforementioned cooperative modes. Taking AP2 as an example, AP2 can correspond to one or more of the following: coordinated OFDMA, coordinated TDMA, coordinated spatial multiplexing, and coordinated beamforming. For instance, AP2 can correspond to coordinated OFDMA, or coordinated OFDMA and coordinated TDMA, or coordinated OFDMA, coordinated TDMA, and coordinated spatial multiplexing, or coordinated OFDMA, coordinated TDMA, coordinated spatial multiplexing, and coordinated beamforming, or coordinated OFDMA, coordinated TDMA, coordinated spatial multiplexing, coordinated beamforming, and joint transmission, etc. Other possibilities are similar to the examples above, and for the sake of simplicity, they will not be elaborated upon here.

[0225] Similarly, other APs in the AP candidate set of AP1 (such as AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6) can also correspond to one or more of the above-mentioned cooperation modes, which will not be elaborated further.

[0226] like Figure 5 The diagram illustrates the cooperative modes corresponding to the AP candidate set of the first AP provided in this embodiment. In another possible implementation, it is still assumed that the wireless system includes 10 APs (AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9, and AP10). It is assumed that AP1 among these 10 APs sends its AP candidate set information and establishes multiple AP candidate sets (e.g., AP candidate set 1, AP candidate set 2, and AP candidate set 3). These multiple AP candidate sets can correspond to one or more of the aforementioned cooperative modes. For example, taking AP candidate set 1 as an example, AP candidate set 1 can correspond to coordinated OFDMA, or AP candidate set 1 can correspond to coordinated OFDMA and coordinated TDMA, or AP candidate set 1 can correspond to coordinated OFDMA, coordinated TDMA, and coordinated spatial multiplexing, or AP candidate set 1 can correspond to coordinated OFDMA, coordinated TDMA, coordinated spatial multiplexing, and coordinated beamforming, or it can correspond to coordinated OFDMA, coordinated TDMA, coordinated spatial multiplexing, coordinated beamforming, and joint transmission, etc. As for other possibilities, they are similar to the examples mentioned above, and for the sake of brevity, they will not be elaborated here.

[0227] Similarly, other AP candidate sets (such as AP candidate set 2 and AP candidate set 3) of AP1 can also correspond to one or more of the above-mentioned cooperation modes, which will not be elaborated further.

[0228] The solution provided in this application allows the third AP (i.e., the AP being shared in the AP candidate set that has already joined the first AP) to correspond to one or more of the aforementioned cooperation modes. This gives the first AP more choices when sharing transmission resources. On the other hand, the first AP sends out the cooperation mode of the third AP as candidate set information, which is beneficial for other APs to consider choosing the same cooperation mode as the third AP when joining the first AP's candidate set. This facilitates the first AP to manage the APs that have joined the AP candidate set in a unified and effective manner. The first AP's AP candidate set corresponds to one or more of the cooperation modes. On the one hand, this allows other APs that have joined the first AP's AP candidate set to choose whether to join the first AP's AP candidate set based on the first AP's cooperation mode. On the other hand, the first AP having one or more cooperation modes facilitates the first AP to manage other APs that have joined its candidate set in a unified manner or to flexibly select the cooperation mode based on the other APs that have joined its candidate set, thereby improving management efficiency.

[0229] In step S240 above, the second AP sends a first frame to the first AP according to the AP candidate set information of the first AP. The first AP can receive the first frame sent by the second AP and give instructions to the second AP based on the first information in the first frame.

[0230] Optionally, in some embodiments, the method 200 further includes: the first AP receiving a first frame sent by the second AP, the first frame including first information, the first information being used to request joining the AP candidate set of the first AP; The first AP sends a second frame to the second AP based on the first information. The second frame includes first indication information, which indicates either agreement to allow the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set or disagreement with allowing the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set. Accordingly, the second AP receives the second frame sent by the first AP.

[0231] In this embodiment of the application, after receiving the second frame, the second AP can join or not join the AP candidate set of the first AP according to the first indication information included in the second frame.

[0232] For example, still assuming the wireless system includes 10 APs (AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9, and AP10), AP1 sends its AP candidate set information. AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9, and AP10 can all send a first frame to AP1. This first frame includes first information intended to request joining AP1's AP candidate set. Taking AP2 as an example, after receiving the first frame sent by AP2, AP1 can send a second frame to AP2 (e.g., it can send a second frame to AP2 based on its own candidate set information). This second frame can include first indication information indicating whether it agrees to or disagrees with AP2 joining AP1's AP candidate set.

[0233] Specifically, in one possible implementation, assuming that the maximum number of shared APs supported by AP1's AP candidate set is 10, if the number of APs included in its AP candidate set is 5, then AP1 can agree to AP2 joining its AP candidate set. That is, the first instruction information can indicate agreement to AP2 joining AP1's AP candidate set. Upon receiving this first instruction information, the second AP can then join AP1's AP candidate set. Alternatively, if the number of APs included in its AP candidate set is 10, then AP1 can disagree with AP2 joining its AP candidate set. That is, the first instruction information can indicate disagreement with AP2 joining AP1's AP candidate set. Upon receiving this first instruction information, the second AP will not join AP1's AP candidate set.

[0234] In another possible implementation, suppose the AP candidate set information of AP1 includes whether AP2 is allowed to join AP1's AP candidate set. For example, if it includes indication information allowing AP2 to join AP1's AP candidate set, then AP2 can join AP1's AP candidate set after receiving such indication information. Alternatively, if the AP candidate set information of AP1 includes indication information disallowing AP2 from joining AP1's AP candidate set, then AP2 can choose not to join AP1's AP candidate set after receiving such indication information.

[0235] Of course, in some embodiments, the AP candidate set information of AP1 may include the MAC address of the third AP and the maximum number of APs that the AP candidate set of AP1 can support for sharing. AP1 can send the first indication information based on the MAC address and the maximum number of APs that the AP candidate set of AP1 can support for sharing. For example, if the AP candidate set information of AP1 includes 6 MAC addresses and the maximum number of APs that the AP candidate set of AP1 can support for sharing is 10, then AP1 can infer from the 6 MAC addresses that the number of APs (i.e., the third AP) that have joined the AP candidate set of AP1 at this time is 6. Since the number of third APs is less than the maximum number of APs that the AP candidate set of AP1 can support for sharing, the first indication information can indicate that AP2 is allowed to join the AP candidate set of AP1. Thus, after receiving the first indication information, the second AP can join the AP candidate set of AP1. Alternatively, if AP1's AP candidate set information includes 10 MAC addresses, AP1 can infer from these 10 MAC addresses that the number of shared APs (i.e., the third AP) already in AP1's AP candidate set is 10. Since the number of third APs is the same as the maximum number of shared APs supported by AP1's AP candidate set, AP1 can disagree with AP2 joining its AP candidate set. In this case, the first indication information can indicate disagreement with AP2 joining AP1's AP candidate set. Therefore, after receiving this first indication information, the second AP will not join AP1's AP candidate set.

[0236] In some other embodiments, AP1's AP candidate set information may include a list of MAC addresses of shared APs that want to join its candidate set. If AP1 receives first information from AP2 requesting to join AP1's AP candidate set, AP1 can match the MAC address of AP2 with the list of MAC addresses of the candidate shared APs (i.e., the shared APs that AP1 wants to join its candidate set as mentioned above). If the match is successful, AP1 indicates that it agrees to let AP2 join its AP candidate set; if the match is unsuccessful, AP1 indicates that it does not agree to let AP2 join its AP candidate set.

[0237] The solution provided in this application involves a first AP receiving a first frame from a second AP containing first information. This first information is used to request joining the first AP's AP candidate set. The first AP can then send a second frame to the second AP based on this first information. This second frame includes first indication information indicating whether the first AP agrees or disagrees with joining the first AP's AP candidate set, thus allowing the first AP to establish its own AP candidate set. In other words, after the first AP sends out the candidate set information corresponding to its AP candidate set, other APs will send requests to the first AP to join its AP candidate set based on this information. The first AP then decides whether to agree to the request from the AP that sent the request message. This facilitates the establishment of AP candidate sets by the first AP and other APs according to their own circumstances, enabling the first AP to effectively manage other APs joining its candidate set.

[0238] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second frame further includes fourth indication information, which is used to indicate that the second frame is a response frame.

[0239] In this embodiment of the application, the first frame sent by the second AP to the first AP can be a request frame, and the second frame sent by the first AP to the second AP can be a response frame.

[0240] In some implementations, the second frame sent by the first AP to the second AP may include fourth indication information to indicate that the second frame is a response frame.

[0241] The first frame in this embodiment may include the fields in Table 1: Table 1

[0242] Optionally, in some embodiments, the type of the first frame or the second frame is a public action frame or a protected public action frame.

[0243] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first information included in the first frame may be carried in the common action field or the AP candidate set parameter field.

[0244] If the first information is carried in the common action field, then a preset value of the common action field can represent the first information; if the first information is carried in the AP candidate set parameter field, then a type field (such as request type) included in the AP candidate set parameter field can carry the first information.

[0245] The second frame in this embodiment may include the fields in Table 2: Table 2

[0246] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first indication information included in the second frame may be carried in the status code field or the AP candidate set parameter field.

[0247] If the first indication information is carried in the status code field, a preset value of the status code field can represent the first indication information. For example, the preset value can be the value corresponding to any bit in the 16 bits, such as 1, 2, 32, etc. If the first indication information is carried in the AP candidate set parameter field, a status field included in the AP candidate set parameter field can carry the first indication information.

[0248] The aforementioned fourth indication information can be carried in the common action field or the AP candidate set parameter field. If the fourth indication information is carried in the common action field, a preset value of the common action field can represent the fourth indication information. For example, the preset value can be a numerical value corresponding to any bit in the 16 bits, such as 1, 2, 32, etc. If the fourth indication information is carried in the AP candidate set parameter field, a type field (such as request type) included in the AP candidate set parameter field can carry the fourth indication information.

[0249] Optionally, in some embodiments, the AP candidate set parameter field includes at least one of the following: The set ID of the AP candidate set to which the second AP requests to join, and the cooperation mode adopted by the second AP after requesting to join the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0250] In this embodiment of the application, the AP candidate set parameter field in the first frame may include the set ID of the AP candidate set that the second AP requests to join or the cooperation mode adopted by the AP candidate set of the first AP that requests to join.

[0251] For example, still assuming that the wireless system includes 10 APs (AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9 and AP10 respectively), AP1 sends its AP candidate set information. AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9 and AP10 can all send a first frame to AP1. The AP candidate set parameter field in the first frame may include the set ID of the AP candidate set to be joined or the cooperation mode adopted by the AP candidate set of the first AP to be joined.

[0252] Taking AP1 as the first AP and AP2 as the second AP as an example, AP2 sends a first frame containing first information to AP1. This first information is used to request to join AP1's AP candidate set. The AP candidate set parameter field in the first frame may include the set ID of the AP candidate set to which AP1 is requested to join. If AP1's AP candidate set includes one AP candidate set, then the AP candidate set parameter field in the first frame can request to join that one AP candidate set. If AP1's AP candidate set includes multiple AP candidate sets, then the AP candidate set parameter field in the first frame can request to join one or more of these multiple AP candidate sets, which can be achieved through the set ID of the requested AP candidate set.

[0253] Furthermore, the AP candidate set parameter field in the first frame may also include the cooperation mode adopted by the AP candidate set of AP1 that is requesting to join. For example, the AP candidate set parameter field in the first frame may include the cooperation mode adopted by AP2 when requesting to join the AP candidate set of AP1. This cooperation mode may be one or more of coordinated OFDMA, coordinated TDMA, coordinated spatial multiplexing, coordinated beamforming, and joint transmission. For example, the AP candidate set parameter field in the first frame may include the cooperation mode adopted by AP2 when requesting to join the AP candidate set of AP1 as coordinated OFDMA, or coordinated OFDMA and coordinated TDMA, or coordinated OFDMA, coordinated TDMA and coordinated spatial multiplexing, or coordinated OFDMA, coordinated TDMA, coordinated spatial multiplexing and coordinated beamforming, or coordinated OFDMA, coordinated TDMA, coordinated spatial multiplexing, coordinated beamforming and joint transmission, etc.

[0254] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the AP candidate set parameter field may only include the set ID of the AP candidate set to which the second AP requests to join or the cooperation mode adopted after the second AP requests to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, or it may include the set ID of the AP candidate set to which the second AP requests to join and the cooperation mode adopted after the second AP requests to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, without limitation.

[0255] The above description illustrates that the first AP can send a second frame to the second AP based on the first information. In some embodiments, the first AP can also send a second frame to the second AP based on other information.

[0256] Optionally, in some embodiments, the method 200 further includes: the second AP sending second information to the first AP, the second information including information of the second AP.

[0257] The first AP receives the second information; The above steps include the first AP sending a second frame to the second AP based on the first information, including: The first AP sends the second frame to the second AP based on the first information and the second information; The information of the second AP includes at least one of the following: The second AP can support the maximum number of AP candidate sets to be added; Information about the AP candidate sets that the second AP has joined, including the number of AP candidate sets that have joined, the MAC addresses of the APs that have joined the AP candidate sets, the BSSIDs of the APs that have joined the AP candidate sets, and the ID of the second AP in the AP candidate sets that have joined. Whether the second AP is allowed to be invited to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set that has already been joined; Has the second AP been added to the AP candidate set? Does the second AP support being a sharing AP or a shared AP?

[0258] It should be noted that the second information in the embodiments of this application can be sent in the same frame as the first information (such as the first frame mentioned above), or it can be sent in different frames, without limitation.

[0259] In this embodiment, the step of the second AP sending its own information (i.e., the second information) to the first AP can be performed before step S240. That is, after receiving the second information sent by the second AP, the first AP sends a second frame to the second AP based on the second information and the first information to indicate whether it agrees or disagrees with the second AP joining the first AP's AP candidate set. The first information and the second information can be sent in the same frame or in different frames; this application does not impose any restrictions.

[0260] For example, still assuming the wireless system includes 10 APs (AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9, and AP10), AP1 sends its AP candidate set information. AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9, and AP10 can all send second information to AP1. This second information mainly includes information about their respective APs. After receiving the second information, AP1 can send a second frame based on the second information and the first information. Taking AP2 as an example, after receiving the second information sent by AP2, AP1 can send a second frame to AP2 based on the second information and the first information. This second frame may include first indication information, which indicates whether it agrees or disagrees with AP2 joining AP1's AP candidate set.

[0261] like Figure 6The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the information of the second AP provided in an embodiment of this application. Assuming that the wireless system includes 10 APs (AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9, and AP10), the second AP will be described below as AP2.

[0262] This refers to the maximum number of AP candidate sets that AP2 can join. For example, if the maximum number of AP candidate sets AP2 can join is 5, then AP2 can join a maximum of 5 AP candidate sets. This maximum number of AP candidate sets that AP2 can join can be specified by the protocol, configured by the system, or determined by AP2's own communication capabilities.

[0263] It is understandable that for different APs, the maximum number of AP candidate sets they can support to be added can be the same or different, without any restriction.

[0264] Information about the AP candidate set that the second AP has joined in this embodiment of the application may include the number of AP candidate sets that have joined, the MAC address of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, the BSSID of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, and the ID of the second AP in the AP candidate set that has joined.

[0265] For example, the number of AP candidate sets that AP2 has joined, such as AP2 has joined 2 (e.g., AP2 has joined AP3's AP candidate set and AP4's AP candidate set); the information of AP2 may also include one or more of the following: the MAC address, BSSID, and AP2's ID in AP3's AP candidate set that AP2 has joined; and one or more of the following: the MAC address, BSSID, and AP2's ID in AP4's AP candidate set that AP2 has joined.

[0266] The information for AP2 may also include whether it is allowed to be invited (or requested) to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set it has already joined. In the example above, if AP2 has already joined the AP candidate sets of AP3 and AP4, then the information for AP2 may also include whether AP2 is allowed or not allowed to be invited to join the AP candidate set of AP1. This information can be implemented through indication information; that is, the second information that the second AP can send to the first AP may include indication information indicating that AP2 is allowed to be invited to join the AP candidate set of AP1, or that AP2 is not allowed to be invited to join the AP candidate set of AP1.

[0267] The information of AP2 may also include whether AP2 has joined the AP candidate set. This information can be provided through indication information, such as including indication information that AP2 has joined the AP candidate set, or including indication information that AP2 has not yet joined the AP candidate set.

[0268] The information of AP2 may also include whether AP2 supports being a sharing AP or a shared AP. This information can also be provided through indication information, such as indicating that AP2 supports being a sharing AP, or indicating that AP2 does not support being a sharing AP, or indicating that AP2 supports being a shared AP, or indicating that AP2 does not support being a shared AP, etc.

[0269] In one optional implementation, the information of the second AP may include the following: the maximum number of AP candidate sets that the second AP supports joining and information on the AP candidate sets that the second AP has already joined. The information on the AP candidate sets that the second AP has already joined may include the number of AP candidate sets that the second AP has already joined, so that the first AP can send a first indication message indicating whether it agrees or disagrees with the second AP joining its AP candidate set based on the information of the second AP and in combination with the AP candidate set information of the first AP.

[0270] In another optional implementation, the information of the second AP may include the following: the maximum number of AP candidate sets that the second AP can support joining and information about the AP candidate sets that the second AP has already joined. The information about the AP candidate sets that the second AP has already joined may include the MAC addresses of the AP candidate sets that the second AP has already joined, so that the first AP can determine the corresponding number of AP candidate sets that the second AP has already joined based on the MAC addresses of the AP candidate sets that the second AP has already joined. Thus, the first AP sends a first indication message indicating whether it agrees or disagrees with the second AP joining its AP candidate set based on the information of the second AP and the AP candidate set information of the first AP.

[0271] In another alternative implementation, the information of the second AP may include the following: whether the second AP allows being invited to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set it has already joined. After receiving this information, the first AP can send a first instruction message indicating whether it agrees or disagrees with the second AP joining its AP candidate set based on this information and the first AP's AP candidate set information.

[0272] It should be understood that the above implementation is merely illustrative, and various other implementations are possible. For example, the information of the second AP may include the maximum number of AP candidate sets that the second AP supports joining and information about the AP candidate sets that the second AP has already joined. The information about the AP candidate sets that the second AP has already joined may include one or more of the following: the number of AP candidate sets already joined, the MAC address of the AP in the AP candidate set, the BSSID of the AP in the AP candidate set, and the ID of the second AP in the AP candidate set. Alternatively, the information of the second AP may include the maximum number of AP candidate sets that the second AP supports joining, information about the AP candidate sets that the second AP has already joined, and whether the second AP is allowed to be invited. The second AP can join an AP candidate set other than the already joined AP candidate sets; or, the information of the second AP may include the maximum number of AP candidate sets that the second AP can support joining, information on the AP candidate sets that the second AP has already joined, whether the second AP allows being invited to join an AP candidate set other than the already joined AP candidate sets, and whether the second AP has already joined an AP candidate set; or, the information of the second AP may include the maximum number of AP candidate sets that the second AP can support joining, information on the AP candidate sets that the second AP has already joined, whether the second AP allows being invited to join an AP candidate set other than the already joined AP candidate sets, whether the second AP has already joined an AP candidate set, and whether the second AP supports being a sharing AP or a shared AP, etc.

[0273] Other possibilities are similar to the above implementation methods and will not be elaborated here.

[0274] The solution provided in this application allows a first AP to receive second information sent from a second AP, and to send a second frame including first indication information to the second AP based on the second and first information, indicating whether it agrees or disagrees with the second AP joining the first AP's AP candidate set, thereby enabling the first AP to establish its own candidate set. This solution, by further combining the second and first information and sending a second frame including the first indication information to the second AP, can effectively establish the first AP's AP candidate set, and further enhance the multi-AP collaboration capability.

[0275] As mentioned above, the first AP sends a second frame to the second AP. This second frame includes a second indication message that can indicate whether the first AP agrees or disagrees with the second AP joining its candidate AP set. If the first indication message indicates agreement, the second frame may also include other information, as detailed below.

[0276] Optionally, in some embodiments, if the first indication information indicates agreement to the second AP joining the first AP's AP candidate set, the second frame may further include second indication information, which indicates the ID assigned to the second AP.

[0277] In this embodiment of the application, it is still assumed that the wireless system includes 10 APs (AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9 and AP10 respectively). Among these 10 APs, AP1 sends its AP candidate set information. AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9 and AP10 can all send a first frame to AP1. After receiving the first frame, AP1 can send a second frame to the corresponding AP that sent the first frame to indicate whether it agrees or disagrees with the corresponding AP joining AP1's AP candidate set. If it agrees, it can also indicate the ID assigned to the corresponding AP to the corresponding AP through the second indication information.

[0278] Taking AP2 as an example, after AP1 receives the first frame sent by AP2, it can send a second frame to AP2. The second frame includes first indication information. Assuming that the first indication information indicates that AP2 is agreed to join AP1's AP candidate set, the second frame may also include second indication information, indicating the ID assigned to AP2, such as the ID assigned to AP2 being "0" or "1", etc., without restriction.

[0279] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the IDs assigned to different APs by the first AP are different, such as the ID assigned to AP2 being "1" and the ID assigned to AP3 being "2", etc.; the IDs assigned to APs by the first AP are different from the association IDs (AIDs) assigned to its associated sites. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the IDs assigned to APs can start from "2048".

[0280] It is understood that when the first instruction information indicates agreement to allow the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, the second instruction information may indicate the ID assigned to the second AP, which is the ID of the third AP (an AP that has already joined the AP candidate set of the first AP) included in the aforementioned AP candidate set information of the first AP.

[0281] In this embodiment of the application, if the first AP includes two APs (AP1 and AP3 respectively), and AP2 sends first information to both APs requesting to join their respective AP candidate sets, and both AP1 and AP3 send first indication information to AP2 agreeing to AP2 joining their respective AP candidate sets and indicating the ID assigned to AP2. The ID assigned to AP2 by AP1 and the ID assigned to AP2 by AP3 can be the same or different, and are not limited thereto.

[0282] It should be noted that, assuming that the ID assigned to AP2 by AP1 and the ID assigned to AP2 by AP3 are the same, when AP1 shares transmission resources with AP2, AP2 can determine the corresponding ID based on AP1; similarly, when AP3 shares transmission resources with AP2, AP2 can determine the corresponding ID based on AP3, thus avoiding confusion.

[0283] The solution provided in this application allows the second frame sent by the first AP to the second AP to include first indication information. If the first indication information indicates agreement for the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set, the second frame may also include second indication information indicating the ID assigned to the second AP. This further facilitates the first AP's management of APs joining its AP candidate set. Specifically, assuming the first AP comprises multiple APs, and these multiple APs assign the same ID to the second AP—that is, when the second AP joins multiple AP candidate sets, and each AP candidate set assigns the second AP the same ID—during the sharing of transmission resources, the second AP can distinguish which AP in which candidate set is sharing transmission resources with it, and will not experience confusion due to being assigned the same ID.

[0284] Optionally, in some embodiments, the method 200 further includes: the first AP sending a third frame to the second AP, the third frame including third information, the third information being used to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0285] The second AP receives the third frame.

[0286] The second AP sends a fourth frame to the first AP based on the third information. The fourth frame includes third indication information, which indicates that the second AP agrees to the invitation of the first AP, or that the third indication information indicates that the second AP does not agree to the invitation of the first AP.

[0287] The first AP receives the fourth frame sent by the second AP.

[0288] In this embodiment of the application, the first AP can send a third frame including third information to the second AP to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set; after receiving the third frame, the second AP can send a fourth frame including third indication information to the first AP, which can be used to indicate whether the second AP agrees or disagrees with the first AP's invitation.

[0289] For example, suppose a wireless system includes 10 APs (AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9, and AP10). AP1 can send a third frame containing third information to invite a second AP to join its AP candidate set. Taking AP2 as an example, AP1 can send a third frame to AP2, which may include third information to invite AP2 to join its AP candidate set. After receiving the third frame from AP1, AP2 can send a fourth frame to AP1 (e.g., based on the maximum number of AP candidate sets AP2 can join and the number of AP candidate sets it has already joined). This fourth frame may include third indication information, which can be used to indicate whether AP1 agrees or disagrees with the invitation, i.e., agrees or disagrees with joining AP1's AP candidate set.

[0290] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the first AP sending a third frame including third information to the second AP and the second AP sending a fourth frame including third indication information to the first AP can be based on any of the embodiments mentioned above and is not limited thereto.

[0291] In this application embodiment, the third frame can be a request frame and the fourth frame can be a response frame; the third frame can also be a response frame and the fourth frame can be an acknowledgment frame, and there is no limitation.

[0292] The frame structure of the third frame can still be as shown in Table 1 above, and the frame structure of the fourth frame can be as shown in Table 2 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0293] The third information included in the third frame can be carried in the common action field or the AP candidate set parameter field. If the third information is carried in the common action field, a preset value of the common action field can represent the third information; if the third information is carried in the AP candidate set parameter field, a type field (such as request type, which can be an invitation) contained in the AP candidate set parameter field can carry the third information.

[0294] The third indication information included in the fourth frame can also be carried in the common action field or the AP candidate set parameter field. If the third indication information is carried in the common action field, a preset value of the common action field can represent the third indication information; if the third indication information is carried in the AP candidate set parameter field, a type field included in the AP candidate set parameter field can carry the third indication information.

[0295] In some embodiments, the third frame may also include indication information for indicating the ID assigned to the second AP.

[0296] The solution provided in this application allows a first AP to send a third frame containing third information to a second AP, inviting the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set. The second AP can then send a fourth frame containing third indication information to the first AP, indicating whether it agrees to or disagrees with the first AP's invitation. In this application, by actively inviting the second AP to join its AP candidate set, the first AP can selectively send invitations to the second AP, effectively establishing its AP candidate set and enhancing the collaboration capabilities between APs.

[0297] The preceding text describes how a second AP can request to join the first AP's AP candidate set by sending a first frame. Based on the first frame, the first AP can send a second frame to the second AP including first indication information, which indicates whether it agrees to or disagrees with the second AP's request. Alternatively, the first AP can invite the second AP to join its AP candidate set by sending a third frame. Based on the third frame, the second AP can send a fourth frame to the first AP including fourth indication information, which indicates whether it agrees to or disagrees with the first AP's invitation. In some embodiments, the second AP can simultaneously request to join the first AP's candidate set and invite the first AP to join the candidate set established by the second AP. In this case, both the first and second APs can act as both sharing APs and shared APs. The first information may include information for inviting the first AP to join the second AP's candidate set and information for requesting to join the first AP's candidate set, as detailed below.

[0298] The first information is also used to invite the first AP to join the AP candidate set of the second AP; the first indication information is also used to indicate that the first AP agrees to join the AP candidate set of the second AP, or the first indication information is also used to indicate that the first AP does not agree to join the AP candidate set of the second AP.

[0299] It should be noted that the third information can be used to instruct the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set, and it can also be used to instruct the first AP to request to join the second AP's AP candidate set. The third instruction information can be used to instruct the second AP whether to accept the first AP's invitation, and it can also be used to instruct whether to accept or reject the first AP's joining the second AP's AP candidate set. For details, please refer to the relevant content of method 700 below.

[0300] In this embodiment of the application, the second AP can send a first frame including first information to the first AP. The first information is used to request to join the first AP's AP candidate set. At the same time, the first information can also be used to invite the first AP to join the second AP's AP candidate set. After receiving the first frame, the first AP can send a second frame including first indication information to the second AP. The first indication information includes information for responding to the invitation information, that is, information for instructing the first AP to agree or disagree with the second AP's request. At the same time, the first indication information can include information for responding to the request information, that is, information for instructing to agree or disagree with the second AP's invitation.

[0301] It should be noted that the information included in the aforementioned first information can be identified by identifiers. For example, if the first information is carried in the AP candidate set parameter field, the AP candidate set parameter field can identify the information included in the first information using different identifiers. For instance, if the AP candidate set parameter field is identified by "1", the first information can include invitation information and request information; if the first information is identified by "2", the first information can include request information; there is no limitation. Similarly, the first indication information can also be identified by corresponding symbols. If the first indication information is identified by "1", the first indication information can include information on responding to invitation information and responding to request information; if the first indication information is identified by "2", the first indication information can include information on responding to request information; there is no limitation.

[0302] It should also be noted that the identifiers shown in the above examples are merely illustrative and can be identified by other symbols, and should not impose any special limitations on this application.

[0303] For example, suppose a wireless system includes 10 APs (AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9, and AP10). Among these 10 APs, AP1 sends its AP candidate set information. AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9, and AP10 can all send a first frame to AP1. This first frame includes first information, which is intended to request to join AP1's AP candidate set and invite AP1 to join its AP candidate set. Taking AP2 as an example, AP2 can send a first frame to AP1. The first frame may include first information, which is used to request to join AP1's AP candidate set and to invite AP1 to join its AP candidate set. After receiving the first frame sent by AP2, AP1 may send a second frame to AP2 (e.g., it can send a second frame to AP2 based on its own candidate set information). The second frame may include first indication information, which can be used to indicate whether to agree or disagree with AP2 joining AP1's AP candidate set and to agree or disagree with AP2's invitation, that is, to agree or disagree with joining AP2's AP candidate set.

[0304] If the first information included in the first frame is used both to request to join the AP candidate set of the first AP and to invite the first AP to join the AP candidate set of the second AP, then the frame structure of the first frame can still be as shown in Table 1 above.

[0305] The first information included in the first frame can be carried in the common action field or the AP candidate set parameter field. If the first information is carried in the common action field, a preset value of the common action field can represent the first information. For example, the preset value can be a value corresponding to any bit in the 16 bits, such as 1, 2, 32, etc. If the first information is carried in the AP candidate set parameter field, a type field (such as request type, which can be request, or request type can be both request and invitation) included in the AP candidate set parameter field can carry the first information.

[0306] Accordingly, the frame structure of the second frame sent by the first AP to the second AP can be as shown in Table 2 above. The first indication information included in the second frame can be carried in the status code field or the AP candidate set parameter field. If the first information is carried in the status code field, a preset value of the status code field can represent the first indication information; for example, the preset value can be a value corresponding to any bit in the 16 bits, such as 1, 2, 32, etc. If the first information is carried in the AP candidate set parameter field, a status field included in the AP candidate set parameter field can carry the first indication information.

[0307] In another implementation, the first frame sent by the second AP to the first AP may carry two information units. For example, these two information units can be two AP candidate set parameters from Table 3: one information unit requests to join the first AP's AP candidate set, and the other information unit invites the first AP to join the second AP's AP candidate set. Correspondingly, the second frame sent by the first AP to the second AP may also carry two information units: one information unit responds to the request, and the other information unit responds to the invitation. In this case, the frame structure of the first or second frame is shown in Table 3 below.

[0308] Table 3

[0309] The solution provided in this application allows the first information to be used both to request joining the AP candidate set of the first AP and to invite the first AP to join the AP candidate set of the second AP. Similarly, the first indication information can be used both to indicate agreement or disagreement with the second AP joining the AP candidate set of the first AP and to indicate agreement or disagreement with the first AP joining the AP candidate set of the second AP. By using the same information to request joining the AP candidate set of the first AP and to invite the first AP to join the AP candidate set of the second AP, and by using the same indication information to indicate agreement or disagreement with the request and to indicate agreement or disagreement with the invitation, resources can be saved.

[0310] The above describes the process of adding the second AP to the AP candidate set of the first AP. The following section will introduce the process of the second AP leaving or being removed from the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0311] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first AP agrees to the second AP joining the first AP's AP candidate set, and the method 200 further includes: The first AP sends a fifth frame to the second AP, the fifth frame including fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to instruct the second AP to be removed from the first AP's AP candidate set; or... The first AP receives a sixth frame sent by the second AP. The sixth frame includes sixth indication information, which is used by the second AP to request removal from the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0312] In this embodiment of the application, the above steps of the first AP sending the fifth frame to the second AP or the first AP receiving the sixth frame sent by the second AP can be performed after the first AP agrees to the second AP joining its AP candidate set. In other words, after the first AP agrees to the second AP joining its AP candidate set, it can instruct the second AP to delete from the AP candidate set or receive a deletion request from the second AP.

[0313] In one possible approach, the first AP can send a fifth frame containing fifth indication information to the second AP, which instructs the second AP to be removed from the first AP's AP candidate set. For example, suppose the wireless system includes 10 APs (AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9, and AP10), where AP1's AP candidate set includes AP2, AP3, and AP4. Taking the removal of AP2 as an example, AP1 can send a fifth frame containing fifth indication information to AP2, which instructs AP2 to be removed from AP1's AP candidate set.

[0314] In another possible approach, the second AP can send a sixth frame to the first AP, including a sixth indication message for requesting removal from the first AP's AP candidate set. For example, suppose the wireless system includes 10 APs (AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9, and AP10), where AP1's AP candidate set includes AP2, AP3, and AP4. Taking the removal of AP2 as an example, AP2 can send a sixth frame to AP1, including the sixth indication message for AP2 to request removal from AP1's AP candidate set.

[0315] The frame structure of the fifth or sixth frame in the embodiments of this application is shown in Table 4 below.

[0316] Table 4

[0317] Optionally, in some embodiments, the fifth or sixth frame may further include a reason field indicating the reason for deletion.

[0318] For example, the reason field can be the reason code field in Table 4 above.

[0319] The solution provided in this application allows the first AP to delete some or all of its AP candidate set during the process of establishing its AP candidate set, so that the APs included in the first AP's AP candidate set can be flexibly changed, which can further improve the collaboration between APs.

[0320] Optionally, in some embodiments, the method 200 further includes: the first AP receiving a seventh frame sent by the second AP, the seventh frame including seventh indication information, the seventh indication information being used to request the acquisition of AP candidate set information of the first AP.

[0321] In this embodiment, the step of the second AP sending the seventh frame, which includes the seventh indication information, to the first AP can occur before, before, or after step S220. For example, if the second AP does not receive the candidate set information sent by the first AP, the second AP can actively request the first AP to obtain the first AP's candidate set information; this application does not impose any restrictions on this. After receiving the seventh frame sent by the second AP, the first AP can purposefully send its own AP candidate set information to the second AP.

[0322] The solution provided in this application is that after receiving the seventh frame, which includes the seventh indication information, sent by the second AP, the first AP sends the AP candidate set information of the first AP to the second AP. That is, the first AP sends its AP candidate set information in a targeted manner, thereby improving the efficiency of establishing the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0323] It should be understood that the numerical values ​​listed in the embodiments of the above method 200 are merely illustrative examples and may be other values, and should not impose any particular limitation on this application.

[0324] like Figure 7 The diagram shows a flowchart of another method 700 for establishing an AP candidate set according to an embodiment of this application. This method 700 can be executed by an access point device, or it can be executed by a chip in the access point device. The method 700 may include: S710, the first AP sends a third frame to the second AP, the third frame including third information, the third information being used to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0325] S720, the second AP receives the third frame.

[0326] S730, the second AP sends a fourth frame to the first AP, the fourth frame including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate that the second AP agrees to the invitation of the first AP, or the third indication information being used to indicate that the second AP does not agree to the invitation of the first AP.

[0327] S740, the first AP receives the fourth frame sent by the second AP.

[0328] Steps S710 to S740 can refer to the relevant content about the third and fourth frames in Method 200 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0329] The solution provided in this application allows the first AP to send a third frame containing third information to the second AP to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set. The second AP can send a fourth frame containing third instruction information to the first AP to indicate whether it agrees to or disagrees with the first AP's invitation. In this application, the first AP can selectively send invitations to the second AP by actively inviting the second AP to join its AP candidate set, which can effectively establish its AP candidate set and improve the collaboration capability between APs.

[0330] Optionally, in some embodiments, the method 700 further includes: The second AP sends its information to the first AP.

[0331] The first AP receives information from the second AP; The first AP sends a third frame to the second AP, including: The first AP sends the third frame to the second AP based on the information from the second AP.

[0332] In this embodiment of the application, the second AP can first send its own information to the first AP. After receiving the information from the second AP, the first AP can send a third frame to the second AP based on the information from the second AP.

[0333] For example, suppose a wireless system includes 10 APs (AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9, and AP10). AP1 can send a third frame containing third information to invite a second AP to join its AP candidate set. Taking AP2 as the second AP, AP2 can first send its own information (i.e., the second information) to AP1. After receiving the second information from AP2, AP1 can send a third frame to AP2. This third frame may include the third information used to invite AP2 to join its AP candidate set. After receiving the third frame from AP1, AP2 can send a fourth frame to AP1 (e.g., it can send the fourth frame based on its own information). This fourth frame may include third indication information, which can be used to indicate whether it agrees to or disagrees with AP1's invitation, i.e., agrees or disagrees to join AP1's AP candidate set.

[0334] Of course, in some embodiments, AP1 may not send a third frame to AP2 after receiving the second information sent by AP2. For example, AP1 may not send a third frame to AP2 due to resource mismatch between AP1 and AP2.

[0335] It should be noted that, in this embodiment of the application, the second AP can send the second information by broadcasting or unicasting, and after receiving the second information, the first AP can send a third frame to the second AP according to the second information.

[0336] The solution provided in this application allows the second AP to first send its information to the first AP. After receiving the information, the first AP can send a second frame containing second information to the second AP to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set. The second AP can then send a fourth frame containing fourth instruction information to the first AP to indicate whether the second AP agrees to or disagrees with the first AP's invitation. This effectively establishes the first AP's AP candidate set and further enhances the ability of multi-AP collaboration.

[0337] Optionally, in some embodiments, the information of the second AP includes at least one of the following: The second AP can support the maximum number of AP candidate sets to be added; The information of the AP candidate set that the second AP has joined includes the number of AP candidate sets that have joined, the MAC address of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, the BSSID of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, and the ID of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set; Whether the second AP is allowed to be invited to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set that has already been joined; Has the second AP been added to the AP candidate set? Does the second AP support being a sharing AP or a shared AP?

[0338] Optionally, in some embodiments, the fourth frame further includes eighth indication information, which is used to indicate that the fourth frame is a response frame.

[0339] Optionally, in some embodiments, the fourth frame further includes a ninth indication information, which indicates the ID assigned to the second AP.

[0340] The eighth indication information in this embodiment is similar to the fourth indication information in the above method 200, and the ninth indication information is similar to the second indication information in the above method 200. For details, please refer to the description of the fourth and second indication information above, which will not be repeated here.

[0341] As mentioned above, the third information can be used to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set, and the third indication information can be used to instruct the second AP to agree or disagree with the first AP's invitation. In some embodiments, the third information and the third indication information may also include other information, as detailed below.

[0342] The third information is also used to instruct the first AP to request to join the AP candidate set of the second AP; The third indication information is also used to instruct the second AP to agree to the first AP joining the second AP's AP candidate set, or the third indication information is also used to instruct the second AP not to agree to the first AP joining the second AP's AP candidate set.

[0343] In this embodiment, the first AP can send a third frame to the second AP. The third frame includes third information, which is used to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set. The third information can also be used to request to join the second AP's AP candidate set. After receiving the third frame, the second AP can send a fourth frame to the first AP. The fourth frame includes third indication information, which can be used to indicate whether the second AP agrees or disagrees with the first AP's invitation, and can also be used to indicate whether the second AP agrees or disagrees with the first AP's request.

[0344] For example, suppose a wireless system includes 10 APs (AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, AP6, AP7, AP8, AP9, and AP10), where AP1 is the first AP and AP2 is the second AP. AP1 can send a third frame to AP2, which includes third information intended to invite AP2 to join its AP candidate set and to request to join AP2's AP candidate set. After receiving the third frame sent by AP1, AP2 can send a fourth frame to AP1 (or, depending on its own information, send a fourth frame to AP2). This fourth frame can include third indication information, which can be used to indicate whether to agree to or disagree with AP1's invitation, that is, to agree or disagree with joining AP1's AP candidate set and to agree or disagree with AP1 joining AP2's AP candidate set.

[0345] It should be understood that the above values ​​are for illustrative purposes only and other values ​​may also be used, and should not impose any special limitations on this application.

[0346] The solution provided in this application allows the third information to include either an invitation to the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, or a request to join the AP candidate set of the second AP. Similarly, the third instruction information can be used to instruct the second AP to agree or disagree to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, or to instruct the first AP to agree or disagree to join the second AP candidate set of the second AP. By using the same information to invite the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP and to request to join the AP candidate set of the second AP, and by using the same instruction information to instruct agreement or disagreement to the invitation and to instruct agreement or disagreement to the request, resources can be saved.

[0347] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third frame or the fourth frame is a public action frame or a protected public action frame.

[0348] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third information or the third indication information is carried in the public action field, or in the AP candidate set parameter field.

[0349] Optionally, in some embodiments, the AP candidate set parameter field includes at least one of the following: The set ID to which the second AP belongs that was invited to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, and the collaboration mode adopted by the second AP that was invited to join the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0350] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third indication information instructs the second AP to agree to the invitation of the first AP, and the method 700 further includes: The first AP sends a fifth frame to the second AP, the fifth frame including fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to instruct the second AP to be removed from the first AP's AP candidate set; or... The first AP receives a sixth frame sent by the second AP. The sixth frame includes sixth indication information, which is used by the second AP to request removal from the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0351] Optionally, in some embodiments, the fifth or sixth frame may further include a reason field indicating the reason for deletion.

[0352] Optionally, in some embodiments, the method 700 further includes: The first AP receives a seventh frame sent by the second AP. The seventh frame includes seventh indication information, which is used to request the acquisition of the first AP's AP candidate set information. The first AP sends an eighth frame to the second AP, the eighth frame including AP candidate set information of the first AP.

[0353] The solution provided in this application is that after receiving the seventh frame, which includes the seventh indication information, sent by the second AP, the first AP sends the AP candidate set information of the first AP to the second AP. That is, the first AP sends its AP candidate set information in a targeted manner, thereby improving the efficiency of establishing the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0354] It should be understood that in the above embodiments, the first AP can send its AP candidate set information without relying on the indication information sent by the second AP to obtain the first AP's AP candidate set information; that is, the first AP can also directly broadcast its AP candidate set information. In this embodiment, when the first AP invites the second AP to join its AP candidate set, if the second AP receives the AP candidate set information broadcast by the first AP, the second AP can send a fourth frame including third indication information to the first AP based on the first AP's AP candidate set information to indicate whether it agrees to or disagrees with the first AP's invitation.

[0355] Optionally, in some embodiments, the AP candidate set information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of shared APs supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP; The information of the third AP, wherein the third AP is a shared AP that has joined the AP candidate set of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third AP, the MAC address of the third AP, the BSSID of the third AP, the ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has any shared AP already been added to the AP candidate set of the first AP? The collaborative mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0356] Optionally, in some embodiments, the collaboration mode includes at least one of the following modes: Coordinated Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Coordinated Spatial Multiplexing, Coordinated Beamforming, and Joint Transmission.

[0357] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperative modes; or, The AP candidate set of the first AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperation modes.

[0358] For details on method 700, please refer to the content of method 200 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0359] The above combination Figures 1 to 7 The method for establishing the AP candidate set according to embodiments of this application is described in detail below. Figures 8 to 14 The apparatus of the embodiments of this application will be described.

[0360] Figure 8 A schematic block diagram of a communication device 800 according to an embodiment of this application is shown. This device 800 can correspond to the first AP described in method 200 above, and each module in the device 800 is used to execute various actions or processing procedures performed by the first AP in method 200, such as... Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 800 may include: The processing module 810 is used to generate AP candidate set information for the first AP, and the AP candidate set information for the first AP is used to indicate the information of the AP that the first AP initiates multi-AP transmission. The communication module 820 is used to send AP candidate set information of the first AP.

[0361] Optionally, in some embodiments, the AP candidate set information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of shared APs supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP; The information of the third AP, wherein the third AP is a shared AP that has joined the AP candidate set of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third AP, the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the third AP, the Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of the third AP, the Identifier ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has any shared AP already been added to the AP candidate set of the first AP? The collaborative mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0362] Optionally, in some embodiments, the communication module 820 is further configured to receive a first frame sent by the second AP, the first frame including first information, the first information being used to request joining the AP candidate set of the first AP; The processing module 810 is further configured to: A second frame is sent to the second AP based on the first information. The second frame includes first indication information, which indicates that the second AP is agreed to join the first AP's AP candidate set, or that the first indication information does not agree to the second AP joining the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0363] Optionally, in some embodiments, the communication module 820 is further configured to: Receive second information, the second information including information about the second AP; The processing module is further used for: The first AP sends the second frame to the second AP based on the first information and the second information; The information of the second AP includes at least one of the following: The second AP can support the maximum number of AP candidate sets to be added; Information about the AP candidate sets that the second AP has joined, including the number of AP candidate sets that have joined, the MAC addresses of the APs that have joined the AP candidate sets, the BSSIDs of the APs that have joined the AP candidate sets, and the ID of the second AP in the AP candidate sets that have joined. Whether the second AP is allowed to be invited to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set that has already been joined; Has the second AP been added to the AP candidate set? Does the second AP support being a sharing AP or a shared AP?

[0364] Optionally, in some embodiments, if the first indication information indicates agreement to the second AP joining the first AP's AP candidate set, the second frame may further include second indication information, which indicates the ID assigned to the second AP.

[0365] Optionally, in some embodiments, the communication module 820 is further configured to: Send a third frame to the second AP, the third frame including third information, the third information being used to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set; The system receives a fourth frame sent by the second AP, the fourth frame including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate whether the second AP agrees to the invitation of the first AP.

[0366] Figure 9A schematic block diagram of a communication device 900 according to an embodiment of this application is shown. This device 900 can correspond to the second AP described in method 200 above. Each module in the device 900 is used to execute various actions or processes performed by the second AP in method 200, such as... Figure 9 As shown, the communication device 900 may include: The communication module 910 is used to receive AP candidate set information of the first AP, and the AP candidate set information of the first AP is used to indicate the information of the AP that the first AP initiates multi-AP transmission. The communication module 910 is further configured to send a first frame to the first AP according to the AP candidate set information of the first AP, the first frame including first information, the first information being used to request to join the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0367] Optionally, in some embodiments, the AP candidate set information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of shared APs supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP; The information of the third AP, wherein the third AP is a shared AP that has joined the AP candidate set of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third AP, the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the third AP, the Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of the third AP, the Identifier ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has any shared AP already been added to the AP candidate set of the first AP? The collaborative mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0368] Optionally, in some embodiments, the communication module 910 is further configured to: The system receives a second frame sent by the first AP. The second frame includes first indication information, which indicates either agreement to allow the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set or disagreement with allowing the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0369] Optionally, in some embodiments, the communication module 910 is further configured to: Send a second message to the first AP, the second message including information about the second AP, wherein the information about the second AP includes at least one of the following: The second AP can support the maximum number of AP candidate sets to be added; Information about the AP candidate sets that the second AP has joined, including the number of AP candidate sets that have joined, the MAC addresses of the APs that have joined the AP candidate sets, the BSSIDs of the APs that have joined the AP candidate sets, and the ID of the second AP in the AP candidate sets that have joined. Whether the second AP is allowed to be invited to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set that has already been joined; Has the second AP been added to the AP candidate set? Does the second AP support being a sharing AP or a shared AP?

[0370] Optionally, in some embodiments, if the first indication information indicates agreement to the second AP joining the first AP's AP candidate set, the second frame may further include second indication information, which indicates the ID assigned to the second AP.

[0371] Optionally, in some embodiments, the communication module 910 is further configured to: Receive a third frame sent by the first AP, the third frame including third information, the third information being used to invite the second AP to join the first AP's AP candidate set; A fourth frame is sent to the first AP based on the third information. The fourth frame includes third indication information, which is used to indicate whether the second AP agrees to the invitation of the first AP.

[0372] Figure 10 A schematic block diagram of a communication device 1000 according to an embodiment of this application is shown. This device 1000 can correspond to the first AP described in method 700 above. Each module in the device 1000 is used to execute the actions or processes performed by the first AP in method 700, such as... Figure 10 As shown, the communication device 1000 may include: Communication module 1010 is used to send a third frame to the second AP, the third frame including third information, the third information being used to invite the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The communication module 1010 is further configured to receive a fourth frame sent by the second AP, the fourth frame including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate that the second AP agrees to the invitation of the first AP, or the third indication information being used to indicate that the second AP does not agree to the invitation of the first AP.

[0373] Optionally, in some embodiments, the communication module 1010 is further used to, Receive information from the second AP; The third frame is sent to the second AP based on the information from the second AP.

[0374] Optionally, in some embodiments, the information of the second AP includes at least one of the following: The second AP can support the maximum number of AP candidate sets to be added; The information of the AP candidate set that the second AP has joined includes the number of AP candidate sets that have joined, the MAC address of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, the BSSID of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, and the ID of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set; Whether the second AP is allowed to be invited to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set that has already been joined; Has the second AP been added to the AP candidate set? Does the second AP support being a sharing AP or a shared AP?

[0375] Optionally, in some embodiments, the fourth frame further includes eighth indication information, which is used to indicate that the fourth frame is a response frame.

[0376] Optionally, in some embodiments, the fourth frame further includes a ninth indication information, which indicates the ID assigned to the second AP.

[0377] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third information is further used to instruct the first AP to request to join the AP candidate set of the second AP; The third indication information is also used to instruct the second AP to agree to the first AP joining the second AP's AP candidate set, or the third indication information is also used to instruct the second AP not to agree to the first AP joining the second AP's AP candidate set.

[0378] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third frame or the fourth frame is a public action frame or a protected public action frame.

[0379] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third information or the third indication information is carried in the public action field, or in the AP candidate set parameter field.

[0380] Optionally, in some embodiments, the AP candidate set parameter field includes at least one of the following: The set ID to which the second AP belongs that was invited to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, and the collaboration mode adopted by the second AP that was invited to join the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0381] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third indication information indicates that the second AP agrees to the invitation of the first AP, and the communication module 1010 is further configured to... Send a fifth frame to the second AP, the fifth frame including fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to instruct the second AP to be removed from the AP candidate set of the first AP; or... The second AP receives a sixth frame, which includes a sixth indication information used by the second AP to request removal from the first AP's AP candidate set.

[0382] Optionally, in some embodiments, the fifth or sixth frame may further include a reason field indicating the reason for deletion.

[0383] Optionally, in some embodiments, the communication module 1010 is further used to, The system receives a seventh frame sent by the second AP, the seventh frame including seventh indication information, the seventh indication information being used to request the acquisition of the AP candidate set information of the first AP; Send an eighth frame to the second AP, the eighth frame including AP candidate set information of the first AP.

[0384] Optionally, in some embodiments, the AP candidate set information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of shared APs supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP; The information of the third AP, wherein the third AP is a shared AP that has joined the AP candidate set of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third AP, the MAC address of the third AP, the BSSID of the third AP, the ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has any shared AP already been added to the AP candidate set of the first AP? The collaborative mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0385] Optionally, in some embodiments, the collaboration mode includes at least one of the following modes: Coordinated Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Coordinated Spatial Multiplexing, Coordinated Beamforming, and Joint Transmission.

[0386] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperative modes; or, The AP candidate set of the first AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperation modes.

[0387] Figure 11 A schematic block diagram of a communication device 1100 according to an embodiment of this application is shown. This device 1100 can correspond to the second AP described in method 700 above. Each module in the device 1100 is used to execute various actions or processes performed by the second AP in method 700, such as... Figure 11 As shown, the communication device 1100 may include: Communication module 1110 is used to receive a third frame, the third frame including third information, the third information being used to invite the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The communication module 1110 is further configured to send a fourth frame to the first AP, the fourth frame including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate to the second AP that it agrees to the invitation of the first AP, or the third indication information being used to indicate to the second AP that it does not agree to the invitation of the first AP.

[0388] Optionally, in some embodiments, the communication module 1110 is further configured to send information of the second AP to the first AP.

[0389] Optionally, in some embodiments, the information of the second AP includes at least one of the following: The second AP can support the maximum number of AP candidate sets to be added; The information of the AP candidate set that the second AP has joined includes the number of AP candidate sets that have joined, the MAC address of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, the BSSID of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set, and the ID of the AP that has joined the AP candidate set; Whether the second AP is allowed to be invited to join an AP candidate set other than the AP candidate set that has already been joined; Has the second AP been added to the AP candidate set? Does the second AP support being a sharing AP or a shared AP?

[0390] Optionally, in some embodiments, the fourth frame further includes eighth indication information, which is used to indicate that the fourth frame is a response frame.

[0391] Optionally, in some embodiments, the fourth frame further includes a ninth indication information, which indicates the ID assigned to the second AP.

[0392] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third information is further used to instruct the first AP to request to join the AP candidate set of the second AP; The third indication information is also used to instruct the second AP to agree to the first AP joining the second AP's AP candidate set, or the third indication information is also used to instruct the second AP not to agree to the first AP joining the second AP's AP candidate set.

[0393] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third frame or the fourth frame is a public action frame or a protected public action frame.

[0394] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third information or the seventh indication information is carried in the public action field, or in the AP candidate set parameter field.

[0395] Optionally, in some embodiments, the AP candidate set parameter field includes at least one of the following: The set ID to which the second AP belongs that was invited to join the AP candidate set of the first AP, and the collaboration mode adopted by the second AP that was invited to join the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0396] Optionally, in some embodiments, the communication module 1110 is further configured to receive a fifth frame sent by the first AP, the fifth frame including fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to instruct the second AP to be removed from the AP candidate set of the first AP; or, A sixth frame is sent to the first AP, the sixth frame including a sixth indication information, the sixth indication information being used by the second AP to request removal from the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0397] Optionally, in some embodiments, the fifth or sixth frame may further include a reason field indicating the reason for deletion.

[0398] Optionally, in some embodiments, the communication module 1110 is further configured to send a seventh frame to the first AP, the seventh frame including seventh indication information, the seventh indication information being used to request the acquisition of AP candidate set information of the first AP; The eighth frame sent by the first AP is received, and the eighth frame includes AP candidate set information of the first AP.

[0399] Optionally, in some embodiments, the AP candidate set information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of shared APs supported by the AP candidate set of the first AP; The information of the third AP, wherein the third AP is a shared AP that has joined the AP candidate set of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third AP, the MAC address of the third AP, the BSSID of the third AP, the ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to join the AP candidate set of the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has any shared AP already been added to the AP candidate set of the first AP? The collaborative mode of the AP candidate set of the first AP.

[0400] Optionally, in some embodiments, the collaboration mode includes at least one of the following modes: Coordinated Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Coordinated Spatial Multiplexing, Coordinated Beamforming, and Joint Transmission.

[0401] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperative modes; or, The AP candidate set of the first AP corresponds to one or more of the cooperation modes.

[0402] It should be understood that the above-described device can perform the steps involved in the above-described method and can achieve the beneficial effects corresponding to the method. For details, please refer to the method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, they will not be described in detail here.

[0403] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 1200 provided in an embodiment of this application, which can be, for example, the first AP in the above embodiment. Figure 12As shown, the communication device 1200 includes a processor 1210 and a transceiver 1220. Optionally, the communication device 1200 also includes a memory 1230. The processor 1210, transceiver 1220, and memory 1230 communicate with each other via internal interconnection paths to transmit control and / or data signals. The memory 1230 stores computer programs, and the processor 1210 retrieves and runs the computer programs from the memory 1230 to control the transceiver 1220 to send and receive signals.

[0404] The processor 1210 and memory 1230 described above can be combined into a single processing device. The processor 1210 executes the program code stored in the memory 1230 to implement the function of the first AP in the above method embodiment. In specific implementation, the memory 1230 can be integrated into the processor 1210 or independent of the processor 1210. The transceiver 1220 can be implemented using transceiver circuitry.

[0405] The aforementioned communication device may further include an antenna 1240, used to transmit uplink data or uplink control signaling output by transceiver 1220 via wireless signals, or to receive downlink data or downlink control signaling and send it to transceiver 1220 for further processing.

[0406] It should be understood that the device 1200 may correspond to the first AP in methods 200 and 700 according to the embodiments of this application, and the device 1200 may also be a chip or component applied to the first AP. Furthermore, each device in the device 1200 implements the corresponding processes in methods 200 and 700. Specifically, the memory 1230 is used to store program code, such that when the processor 1210 executes the program code, it is controlled to execute process S210 in method 200, and the transceiver 1220 is used to execute process S220 in method 200; or, the transceiver 1220 is controlled to execute processes S710 and S740 in method 700. The specific processes by which each device executes the above-mentioned corresponding steps have been described in detail in methods 200 and 700, and for the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0407] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 1300 provided in an embodiment of this application. For example, it can be the second AP in the above embodiment. Figure 13As shown, the communication device 1300 (e.g., a base station) includes a processor 1310 and a transceiver 1320. Optionally, the communication device 1300 also includes a memory 1330. The processor 1310, transceiver 1320, and memory 1330 communicate with each other via internal interconnection paths to transmit control and / or data signals. The memory 1330 stores computer programs, and the processor 1310 retrieves and runs the computer programs from the memory 1330 to control the transceiver 1320 to transmit and receive signals.

[0408] The processor 1310 and memory 1330 described above can be combined into a single processing device. The processor 1310 executes the program code stored in the memory 1330 to implement the function of the second AP in the above method embodiment. In specific implementation, the memory 1330 can be integrated into the processor 1310 or independent of the processor 1310. The transceiver 1320 can be implemented using transceiver circuitry.

[0409] The aforementioned communication device 1300 may further include an antenna 1340, used to transmit downlink data or downlink control signaling output by transceiver 1320 via wireless signals, or to receive uplink data or uplink control signaling and send it to transceiver 1320 for further processing.

[0410] It should be understood that the device 1300 may correspond to the second AP in method 200 or 700 according to the embodiments of this application, and the device 1300 may also be a chip or component applied to the second AP. Furthermore, the devices in the device 1300 implement... Figure 2 Chinese method 200 or Figure 7 Specifically, in method 700, the transceiver 1320 is used to execute the processes S230 and S240 in method 200, or the transceiver 1320 is used to execute the processes S720 and S730 in method 700. The specific processes by which each device executes the above-mentioned corresponding steps have been described in detail in methods 200 and 700, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0411] Figure 14 This is a schematic structural diagram of the chip provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 14 The chip 1400 shown includes a processor 1410, which can call and run computer programs from memory to implement the methods in the embodiments of this application.

[0412] Optionally, such as Figure 14 As shown, chip 1400 may further include memory 1420. The processor 1410 can retrieve and run computer programs from memory 1420 to perform the steps of method 200 or method 700 in the embodiments of this application.

[0413] The memory 1420 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1410, or it may be integrated into the processor 1410.

[0414] Optionally, the chip 1400 may further include an input interface 1430. The processor 1410 can control the input interface 1430 to communicate with other devices or chips; specifically, it can acquire information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0415] Optionally, the chip 1400 may further include an output interface 1440. The processor 1410 can control the output interface 1440 to communicate with other devices or chips; specifically, it can output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0416] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the first AP or the second AP in the embodiments of this application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first AP or the second AP in the various methods of the embodiments of this application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0417] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as a system-on-a-chip, system chip, chip system, or system-on-a-chip, etc.

[0418] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer programs.

[0419] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the first AP or the second AP in the embodiments of this application, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the first AP or the second AP in the various methods of the embodiments of this application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0420] This application also provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions.

[0421] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the first AP or the second AP in the embodiments of this application, and the computer program instructions cause the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the first AP or the second AP in the various methods of the embodiments of this application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0422] This application also provides a computer program.

[0423] Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the first AP or the second AP in the embodiments of this application. When the computer program is run on the computer, it causes the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the first AP or the second AP in the various methods of the embodiments of this application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0424] This application also provides a communication system, including the first AP and the second AP in the above embodiments, to realize mutual cooperation between APs.

[0425] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the modules and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0426] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and modules described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0427] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative, and the division of modules is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as combining multiple modules or components. Furthermore, the coupling or communication connections shown or discussed may be indirect coupling or communication connections through some interfaces, devices, or modules.

[0428] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one physical entity, or each module can correspond to a separate physical entity, or two or more modules can be integrated into one physical entity.

[0429] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional modules and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0430] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a candidate set of Access Points (APs), characterized in that, include: The first AP generates information about itself, which is used to instruct the first AP to initiate multi-AP transmission information. The first AP sends the information of the first AP.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of APs that the first AP can share with; Information about the third AP, which is a shared AP of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third APs, the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the third AP, the Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of the third AP, the Identifier ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to perform multi-AP transmission with the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has an AP already been shared? The collaboration mode of the first AP.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first AP receives a first frame sent by the second AP. The first frame includes first information, which is used to request multi-AP transmission with the first AP. The first AP sends a second frame to the second AP based on the first information. The second frame includes first indication information, which indicates that the second AP agrees to multi-AP transmission with the first AP, or that the first indication information does not agree to multi-AP transmission with the first AP.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, If the first indication information indicates agreement to multi-AP transmission between the second AP and the first AP, the second frame also includes second indication information, which is used to indicate the ID assigned to the second AP.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first AP sends a third frame to the second AP. The third frame includes third information, which is used to invite the second AP to perform multi-AP transmission with the first AP. The first AP receives a fourth frame sent by the second AP. The fourth frame includes third indication information, which indicates whether the second AP agrees to the invitation from the first AP.

6. A communication device, characterized in that, include: The processing module is used to generate information about the first AP, which is used to indicate the information of the AP that initiated the multi-AP transmission. The communication module is used to send information from the first AP.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The information of the first AP includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of APs that the first AP can share with; Information about the third AP, which is a shared AP of the first AP, includes at least one of the following: the number of the third APs, the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the third AP, the Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of the third AP, the Identifier ID of the third AP, and the cooperation mode of the third AP. Whether to allow the second AP to perform multi-AP transmission with the first AP; The maximum number of APs supported in a single transmission; The maximum number of APs that a single transmission opportunity can support; Has an AP already been shared? The collaboration mode of the first AP.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The communication module is also used for: Receive a first frame sent by the second AP, the first frame including first information, the first information being used to request multi-AP transmission with the first AP; The processing module is also used for: A second frame is sent to the second AP based on the first information. The second frame includes first indication information, which indicates that the second AP agrees to multi-AP transmission with the first AP, or that the first indication information does not agree to multi-AP transmission with the first AP.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, If the first indication information indicates agreement to multi-AP transmission between the second AP and the first AP, the second frame also includes second indication information, which is used to indicate the ID assigned to the second AP.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that, The communication module is also used for: Send a third frame to the second AP, the third frame including third information, the third information being used to invite the second AP to perform multi-AP transmission with the first AP; The system receives a fourth frame sent by the second AP, the fourth frame including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate whether the second AP agrees to the invitation of the first AP.

11. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

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