Method, electronic device and computer readable storage medium for pre-empting a transmission opportunity

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method for pre-empting a transmission opportunity, applied to a first access point, comprising: receiving a pre-emption allowed indication sent by a first non-access point station, the pre-emption allowed indication being configured to indicate that a transmission opportunity of the first non-access point station for transmitting data is allowed to be pre-empted; and sending a pre-emption indication in the transmission opportunity, the pre-emption indication being configured to indicate that the transmission opportunity will be pre-empted or is allowed to be pre-empted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and more specifically, to a method for preempting transmission opportunities, an electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of computers and the Internet, wireless communication technology has received increasing attention. Wireless Fidelity (WIFI) technology is a wireless local area network communication technology based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. The IEEE 802.11 standard has been commercialized, and various technologies have been developed based on IEEE 802.11 to meet the growing network demands.

[0003] Some real-time or latency-sensitive applications (such as Virtual Reality (VR), online games, healthcare, and industrial automation) have stringent requirements for low latency communication, placing very high demands on the latency of communication technologies. If a significant amount of data is delayed during communication, the application's performance may degrade significantly.

[0004] For example, in real-time or latency-sensitive applications, uplink data from wireless devices may include control information (e.g., information controlling the session) or sensing information (e.g., information acquired by sensors). In a wireless LAN where multiple wireless devices are active, data transmission by wireless devices with real-time or latency-sensitive applications may be delayed while other devices in the network are transmitting data. Significant delays in the transmission of uplink data frames corresponding to real-time or latency-sensitive applications can lead to a poor user experience. For example, in an online gaming session, user input on the wireless device may not be recognized in a timely manner. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides a method for preempting a transmission opportunity, applied to a first access point, comprising: receiving a preemption permission indication sent by a first non-access point site, the preemption permission indication being configured to indicate that a transmission opportunity for transmitting data at the first non-access point site is allowed to be preempted; and sending a preemption indication in the transmission opportunity, the preemption indication being configured to indicate that the transmission opportunity will be preempted or is allowed to be preempted.

[0006] In a second aspect, this disclosure provides a method for preempting a transmission opportunity, applied to a (first) non-access point site, comprising: sending a preemption permission indication to the access point during a transmission opportunity for transmitting data to an access point, the preemption permission indication being configured to indicate that the transmission opportunity is allowed to be preempted; receiving a preemption permission indication sent by the access point and suspending data transmission in the transmission opportunity; and receiving a stop preemption permission indication sent by the access point and restoring full possession of the transmission opportunity.

[0007] Thirdly, this disclosure provides a method for preempting a transmission opportunity, applied to a second non-access point site or a second access point, comprising: receiving a preemption indication sent by a first access point, the preemption indication being configured to indicate that a transmission opportunity for transmitting data at the first non-access point site is allowed to be preempted; sending a preemption request to the first access point, the preemption request being configured to request to preempt the transmission opportunity; and receiving trigger information sent by the first access point, and transmitting data in the transmission opportunity.

[0008] Fourthly, this disclosure provides an electronic device including a memory and at least one processor, the memory storing a computer program, the computer program being executed by the at least one processor to implement the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure.

[0009] Fifthly, this disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program being executed by a processor to implement the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, this disclosure provides a method for preempting a transmission opportunity, applied to a (first) non-access point site, comprising: sending a preemption permission indication to the (first) access point during a transmission opportunity for transmitting data to the (first) access point, the preemption permission indication being configured to indicate that the transmission opportunity is permitted to be preempted, and being carried by a data frame transmitted by the (first) non-access point site to the (first) access point.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, this disclosure provides a method for preempting a transmission opportunity, applied to a (first) access point, comprising: sending a preemption indication during a transmission opportunity in which a first non-access point station transmits data to the (first) access point, the preemption indication being configured to indicate that the transmission opportunity will be preempted or allowed to be preempted, carried by an acknowledgment frame, the acknowledgment frame also carrying a correct reception indication, the correct reception indication being configured to indicate that the (first) access point has correctly received the data frame sent by the first non-access point station.

[0012] Eighthly, this disclosure provides a method for preempting a transmission opportunity, applied to a second non-access point site or a second access point, comprising: during a transmission opportunity where a first non-access point site transmits data to a first access point, sending a control frame carrying a preemption request to the first access point, the preemption request being configured to request preempt the transmission opportunity to transmit data. Attached Figure Description

[0013] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of this disclosure or related technologies, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments of this disclosure or related technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the provided drawings are only used to illustrate some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in the drawings provided in this disclosure without creative effort. In the drawings:

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an example of a wireless communication network;

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a carrier sense multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) method used for non-access point sites to compete for access to the channel;

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a transmission process involving multiple non-access point sites;

[0017] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure;

[0018] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure;

[0019] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure;

[0020] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure;

[0021] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure;

[0022] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure;

[0023] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure;

[0024] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure;

[0025] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure;

[0026] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure;

[0027] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure;

[0028] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a data frame carrying a preemption indication in the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure;

[0029] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a data frame carrying an LL DATA transmission end indication in the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure;

[0030] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of a confirmation frame carrying a stop preemption instruction in the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure;

[0031] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an acknowledgment frame carrying a preemption indication and a frame carrying a preemption request in the method for preempting a transmission opportunity provided in this disclosure.

[0032] Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram of the electronic device provided in this disclosure; and

[0033] Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram of a computer-readable storage medium provided in this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of this disclosure, exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments may be implemented in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementation methods described in this disclosure. The purpose of describing these exemplary embodiments is to make this disclosure more thorough and complete, and to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the scope of this disclosure. Obviously, the described exemplary embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments described in this disclosure without creative effort are within the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0035] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are only used to describe exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, and the dimensions of all or part of the elements shown in the drawings are not drawn to scale.

[0036] As used in this disclosure, the terms “and / or” or “at least one of…” include any and all combinations of one or more of the related enumerated entries.

[0037] The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the claimed subject matter. As used in the disclosure, unless expressly specified or limited otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms. It should be understood that terms such as “comprising / including” and / or “consisting of / forming of” are used to indicate the presence of relevant features, entities, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, entities, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0038] It should also be understood that although the present disclosure uses the terms "first," "second," etc., to describe the elements, these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. Therefore, the first element discussed below may be referred to as the second element, and the second element discussed below may be referred to as the first element. Furthermore, the first element in some embodiments may be the same as or different from the first element in other embodiments, and the second element in some embodiments may be the same as or different from the second element in other embodiments.

[0039] Unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, all terms used in this disclosure (including technical and scientific terms) shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries shall be interpreted as having the same meaning as they have in the relevant technical context and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formalistic manner, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited.

[0040] It should also be understood that, unless otherwise expressly stated or limited, features or aspects of the exemplary embodiments described in this disclosure may be used as similar features or aspects in other exemplary embodiments. Without conflict, the embodiments and features described in this disclosure may be combined arbitrarily.

[0041] Reference Figure 1Wireless communication networks may include one or more Basic Service Sets (BSS). Each BSS includes a group of interconnected and communicative devices. Multiple BBSs can be combined into an Extended Service Set (ESS) through a Distribution System (DS). Different BSSs in an ESS can be distinguished by BSS identification information. For example, the BSS ID carried in the Medium Access Control (MAC) frame header or the BSS color carried in the Physical Layer (PHY) frame header can be used as BSS identification information.

[0042] Continue to refer to Figure 1 Each BSS may include an Access Point (AP) (also known as a Personal Coordination Point or Personal Control Point, PCP), which is a device that allows access from non-AP STAs. For example, it can be a base station such as an eNodeB (eNB), or a router, a mobile terminal with a hotspot enabled, etc. It can communicate wirelessly with non-AP STAs and with a network, such as a telecommunications network like the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the Internet, or other possible networks. The access point enables communication not only between non-AP STAs but also between non-AP STAs and the network.

[0043] Each BSS may also include one or more non-AP STAs, which are devices capable of wirelessly connecting to nearby access points (i.e., APs). These can be virtually any type of wireless device, such as mobile phones, handheld devices, wearable devices, computers, tablets, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned flight controllers (UACs), and automobiles. Any of these non-AP STAs may also be configured to communicate with other non-AP STAs, for example... Figure 1 The STA2 and STA3 shown can communicate in a point-to-point (P2P) manner.

[0044] It should be understood that in some examples, the access point (AP) and the non-access point site (STA) can communicate wirelessly according to the IEEE 802.11 standard; in other examples, the access point and the non-access point site can communicate wirelessly according to other standards, such as the wireless communication standards in the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) standard published by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Furthermore, the wireless communication standards may also include those in the Fifth Generation (5G) standard, Sixth Generation (6G) standard, and other standards published by 3GPP.

[0045] Based on any wireless communication standard, the access point (AP) and the non-access point (STA) transmit data via wireless channels. However, due to the limited capacity of each channel, when multiple STAs use the same channel (shared channel) to transmit data to the access point, they need to compete for the right to use and / or control the channel in a certain way. However, the data transmitted from the STAs to the access point may have strict low latency requirements. In a highly competitive network environment, without a mechanism to guarantee the availability of resources for uplink transmission, this low latency requirement may not be met. Furthermore, even if some mechanisms exist to allocate a certain amount of resources for uplink transmission to STAs, it may still be insufficient to meet the needs of real-time applications.

[0046] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) method used by non-access point sites to compete for access to the channel.

[0047] Before transmitting data, a non-access point (NAP) station listens to the wireless channel to detect if any other stations are transmitting data. If the NAP station senses a signal strength greater than or equal to a predetermined strength threshold, it considers the channel busy and should delay accessing the channel. If no signal is sensed or the sensed signal strength is less than the predetermined strength threshold, the channel is considered idle. This process is called Clear Channel Assessment (CCA), and the predetermined strength threshold is called the CCA threshold.

[0048] For example, such as Figure 2As shown, when the channel is idle, a non-access point (NAP) station can wait for the channel to remain idle for a period of time before performing a backoff procedure. For example, the duration of this waiting period can be the Arbitration Inter-Frame Space (AIFS), the Point Coordination Function Inter-Frame Space (PIFS), or the Distributed Coordination Function Inter-Frame Space (DCF IFS). If the channel becomes busy after the NAP station has waited for a period of time, the NAP station will again wait for the channel to remain idle for a period of time before performing the backoff procedure when the channel becomes idle again. The duration of the backoff procedure is called the backoff window, which consists of a random number of backoff slots. During each backoff slot, the NAP station continuously monitors the status of the wireless channel until the backoff slots decrease to zero (i.e., the backoff window expires). It should be understood that the backoff window can be replaced by a predetermined / pre-selected contention window interval.

[0049] If the channel remains idle during the backoff window, a non-access point (NAP) station can begin transmitting data on that channel after the backoff window expires. The NAP station can continue transmitting data for a certain period after the backoff window; this period is called the transmission opportunity (TXOP). In traditional technologies, on the same channel, another NAP station can only compete for the channel to transmit data after the TXOP of one NAP station expires.

[0050] However, real-time applications or latency-sensitive services require low latency. Different types of real-time applications or latency-sensitive services may have different latency metrics. The latency metrics in upcoming versions of IEEE 802.11 (e.g., Wi-Fi 8) may range from 1ms to 10ms. In the current protocol, the longest Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) is 5.484ms, and the duration of a TXOP can reach 6ms. Therefore, if a non-access point (NAP) site carries real-time application traffic or other latency-sensitive traffic, the low latency requirement of the NAP site may not be guaranteed while other NAP sites are transmitting long frames of non-latency-sensitive services. In this scenario, waiting for the long frame transmission to finish may not be tolerable. Furthermore, an increase in the number of NAP sites, packet collisions due to exponential backoff, and prolonged channel congestion caused by long TXOPs from certain sites all contribute to increased latency.

[0051] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a data transmission process involving multiple non-access point sites. During this data transmission process, the low latency (LL) service of STA2 (e.g., MAC service data unit, MSDU of real-time application service or latency-sensitive service) arrives within the TXOP currently occupied by STA1. This LL service of STA2 is delayed until at least the current TXOP of STA1 expires and the process of STA2 competing for the channel is completed.

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown, STA1 can transmit uplink (UL) PPDUs and receive acknowledgment frames (e.g., BA / ACK frames) within the current TXOP. After STA1's current TXOP expires, if the channel remains idle within the inter-frame interval (IFS), STA2 will perform a backoff procedure. After the backoff procedure is completed, STA2 can transmit the UL PPDUs corresponding to its LL service.

[0053] To ensure the low latency requirements of LL services for STA2, related technologies, for example, allow access points (APs) to limit the duration of TXOPs for all STAs within the corresponding BSS by announcing Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) parameters in the management frame.

[0054] However, in densely deployed scenarios, there may be a large number of BSS clusters. Even if the TXOP duration of a STA in a certain BSS is shortened, it cannot be guaranteed that the STA with LL service in that BSS can successfully compete for the right to use and / or control the channel. For example, the right to use and / or control the channel may be competed for by APs and STAs in other BSSs.

[0055] Furthermore, current Wi-Fi technologies include many latency guarantee techniques for LL services. For example, the Flow Classification Service (SCS) negotiation technique based on QoS feature elements and the Restricted Target Wake-Up Time (R-TWT) technique (e.g., techniques for setting and invoking R-TWT) defined in the 802.11be protocol effectively guarantee the low latency requirements of periodic LL services. However, with the increasing diversity of WLAN network applications, more and more non-periodic, bursty LL services are emerging, and currently, no single technology can adequately guarantee the low latency requirements of non-periodic, bursty LL services.

[0056] In view of this, this disclosure proposes a method for preempting transmission opportunities, an apparatus for preempting transmission opportunities, an electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium, aiming to ensure the low latency requirements of non-periodic, bursty LL services without affecting the overall network throughput.

[0057] Firstly, this disclosure provides a method for preempting transmission opportunities, applied to a first access point, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the method includes: S1, receiving a preemption permission indication sent by a first non-access point site, the preemption permission indication being configured to indicate that a transmission opportunity for transmitting data by the first non-access point site is allowed to be preempted; S2, sending a preemption indication in the transmission opportunity, the preemption indication being configured to indicate that the transmission opportunity will be preempted or is allowed to be preempted.

[0058] Secondly, this disclosure provides a method for preempting transmission opportunities, applied to (first) non-access point sites, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the method includes: S11, sending a preemption permission indication to the access point during a transmission opportunity to transmit data to the access point, the preemption permission indication being configured to indicate that the transmission opportunity is allowed to be preempted; S22, receiving the preemption permission indication sent by the access point and pausing data transmission during the transmission opportunity; and receiving a stop preemption indication sent by the access point and restoring full possession of the transmission opportunity.

[0059] Thirdly, this disclosure provides a method for preempting transmission opportunities, applied to a second non-access point site or a second access point, such as... Figure 6As shown, the method includes: S111, receiving a preemption indication sent by a first access point, the preemption indication being configured to indicate that a transmission opportunity for transmitting data at a first non-access point site is allowed to be preempted; S222, sending a preemption request to the first access point, the preemption request being configured to request to preempt the transmission opportunity; and S333, receiving trigger information sent by the first access point, and transmitting data in the transmission opportunity.

[0060] The method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure can be used in wireless communication scenarios, such as 3GPP wireless communication scenarios or wireless local area network (WLAN) communication scenarios. The following detailed explanation uses a WLAN communication scenario as an example.

[0061] In a wireless LAN communication scenario, the first access point and the second access point can be referred to as AP1 and AP2, respectively, and include, but are not limited to, routers, mobile devices that have enabled hotspots, etc. The first non-access point site and the second non-access point site can be referred to as STA1 and STA2, respectively, and can be, for example, User Equipment (UE). The first access point can wirelessly communicate with multiple non-access point sites (including the first non-access point site, the second non-access point site, and even the third non-access point site (STA3)) through a wireless channel. The second access point can also wirelessly communicate with multiple non-access point sites through a wireless channel. The right to use and / or control the wireless channel (i.e., transmission opportunity) can be obtained and occupied through contention. Moreover, the second access point can also compete with the first access point for transmission opportunities.

[0062] In the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure, transmission opportunities can be acquired and occupied through contention, but are also allowed to be preempted. As an example, the first non-access point site may allow the transmission opportunities it acquires and occupies through contention to be preempted by other non-access point sites (e.g., the second non-access point site and / or the third non-access point site) or other access points (e.g., the second access point).

[0063] For example, STA1 is currently using its transmission opportunity (TXOP) to transmit data for a non-low latency (non-LL) service. Since non-LL services do not require low latency, STA1 can allow the current TXOP to be preempted.

[0064] Accordingly, STA1 can send a preemption permission instruction to AP1 to inform AP1 that the current TXOP occupied by STA is allowed to be preempted.

[0065] In some implementations, the preemption permission indication is carried by a data frame (e.g., a non-low latency service data frame) sent from STA1 to AP1.

[0066] After receiving the preemption permission instruction sent by STA1, AP1 sends a preemption permission instruction in the current TXOP that is allowed to be preempted, to notify that the current TXOP will be preempted or allowed to be preempted.

[0067] In some implementations, the preemption indication may have three types. For example, PR0 indicates that AP1 will preempt the current TXOP, PR1 indicates that other STAs besides STA1 are allowed to preempt the current TXOP, and PR2 indicates that other APs are allowed to preempt the current TXOP.

[0068] Regardless of where the preemption indication is carried (i.e. by which frame), the frame carrying the preemption indication may also include information indicating the type of the preemption indication.

[0069] In some implementations, 2 bits can be defined in the frame carrying the preemption indication to represent information indicating the type of the preemption indication, so as to distinguish different types of the preemption indication. For example, 00 indicates PR0, 01 indicates PR1, 10 indicates PR2, and 11 can be reserved for future functional expansion.

[0070] In some implementations, the preemption indication is carried by an acknowledgment frame sent by AP1. In this case, the acknowledgment frame may serve two purposes: first, to confirm the correct reception of the data frame sent by STA1; second, to indicate that AP1 will preempt the current TXOP, or to indicate that the current TXOP allows other STAs and / or other APs with communication connections to AP1 to preempt it.

[0071] It should be understood that the preemption permission indication may also be carried in other frames (such as control frames) sent by STA1 to AP1, or may be sent by STA1 to AP1 as a separate frame; correspondingly, the preemption indication may also be carried in other frames sent by AP1, or may be sent by AP1 as a separate frame; this disclosure does not specifically limit this.

[0072] As an example, after AP1 receives a data frame from STA1 carrying the preemption instruction, it may send the acknowledgment frame after a short inter-frame space (SIFS) interval, the acknowledgment frame carrying the preemption instruction.

[0073] It should be understood that the SIFS can be replaced by the Point Coordination Function Inter-frame Space (PIFS), the Distributed Inter-frame Space (DIFS), the Extended Inter-frame Space (EIFS), or other predetermined time intervals (such as the SIFS plus a fixed time), and this disclosure does not specifically limit it.

[0074] In some implementations, the preemption instruction includes the identity information of STA1, so that STA1 can decide whether to participate in preempting the current TXOP in response to the preemption instruction.

[0075] In some implementations, the preemption indication indicates that the current TXOP is open to preemption by other STAs and / or APs connected to AP1, excluding STA1. In this case, a STA (e.g., STA2 and / or STA3) or AP (e.g., AP2) currently transmitting low-latency service data may send a preemption request to AP1 upon receiving the preemption indication from AP1, requesting to preempt the current TXOP.

[0076] In some implementations, the preemption request is carried by a newly defined control frame, the type of which may be indicated by a control field in the MAC (Media Access Control) layer header.

[0077] In some implementations, the control frames carrying the preemption request sent by different STAs and / or APs have exactly the same format and content. In this case, no conflict will occur even if each STA and / or AP sends the control frames simultaneously on the same frequency band.

[0078] In some implementations, the preemption request may carry a resource allocation requirement indication to indicate a need for resource allocation. In this case, AP1 can allocate corresponding resources to the corresponding STA or AP based on the resource allocation requirement indication carried in the received preemption request, including but not limited to time resources, frequency resources, or spatial resources, which can avoid conflicts when STAs and / or APs preempt the current TXOP.

[0079] In some implementations, the resource allocation request indication for any STA or AP may include one of a first type of indication, a second type of indication, and a third type of indication. The first type of indication is a mandatory allocation indication, instructing AP1 to schedule the STA or AP corresponding to the first type of indication and allocate the required resources to the STA or AP during subsequent scheduling. The second type of indication is a best-effort allocation indication, instructing AP1 to schedule the STA or AP corresponding to the second type of indication during subsequent scheduling, but allowing for a reduction in the resources allocated to the STA or AP. The third type of indication is a best-effort allocation indication, instructing AP1 to choose whether to schedule the STA or AP corresponding to the third type of indication based on its scheduling strategy during subsequent scheduling.

[0080] In some implementations, after AP1 receives a preemption request from another STA or AP, it can send a trigger message to trigger the corresponding STA or AP to transmit data in the current TXOP.

[0081] In some implementations, the triggering information may carry resource allocation information, including information about the resources allocated to the corresponding STA or AP, to trigger the corresponding STA or AP to use the resources allocated by AP1 to transmit data in the current TXOP.

[0082] In some implementations, AP1 sends the triggering information via at least one polling frame (POLL), each polling frame being configured to trigger a STA or AP that sent the preemption request to occupy the current TXOP to transmit data (e.g., data frames for low-latency services).

[0083] In some implementations, AP1 sends the triggering information via a Multi-User Request Transmission Opportunity Sharing (MU-RTS-TXS) trigger frame, which is configured to simultaneously trigger at least one STA or AP that sent the preemption request to occupy the current TXOP to transmit data (e.g., data frames for low-latency services).

[0084] Although different STAs and / or APs may send the same control frame carrying the preemption request, in order to avoid conflicts, different STAs and / or APs may choose different resource units (RUs) to send the control frame. The resource unit may be reserved in advance by AP1, and each STA and / or AP may randomly select an RU or select an RU according to AP1's pre-scheduling.

[0085] In some implementations, after receiving control frames carrying the preemption request from each STA and / or AP that are identical in format and content, AP1 may send a first control frame to instruct each STA and / or AP to report information about the data to be sent to AP1 in response to the first control frame, so as to avoid being unable to distinguish between each STA and / or AP.

[0086] In some implementations, information about the data to be transmitted by each STA and / or AP is transmitted to AP1 via a second control frame.

[0087] In some implementations, the first control frame is a Buffer Status Report Poll (BSRP) frame, and the second control frame is a Buffer Status Report (BSR) frame. For example, each STA and / or AP that sent the preemption request may, in response to the BSRP frame sent by AP1, send a Buffer Status Report (BSR) frame to AP1 after an interval of one SIFS. Each BSR frame is configured to report to AP1 the status of the data to be sent in the buffer of the corresponding STA or AP (e.g., data length, latency requirements, etc.). Similarly, the SIFS can be replaced by PIFS, DIFS, EIFS, or other predetermined time intervals (e.g., the SIFS plus a fixed time), and this disclosure does not specifically limit this.

[0088] It should be understood that the first control frame can be a combination of a BSRP frame and other control frames, data frames, or management frames, and the second control frame can be any frame containing a BSR control field; no specific limitation is made in this regard.

[0089] As an example, the BSR control field can be included in the MAC layer header.

[0090] In some implementations, the first control frame indicates pre-scheduled resource units, and each STA and / or AP can report information about the data to be transmitted to AP1 based on the pre-scheduled resource units indicated in the first control frame or by randomly selecting resource units.

[0091] For example, an STA or AP with low-latency service data to be transmitted can report the information of the data to be transmitted to AP1 based on the pre-scheduled resource unit for low-latency service data information indicated in the first control frame, or by randomly selecting a resource unit for low-latency service data information.

[0092] In some implementations, a BSR frame may be sent to AP1 based on a pre-scheduled resource element indicated in the BSRP frame, or a randomly selected resource element. For example, a STA or AP with low-latency service data to be transmitted may send a BSR frame to AP1 based on a pre-scheduled resource element for low-latency buffer status reporting indicated in the BSRP frame, or a randomly selected resource element for low-latency buffer status reporting.

[0093] In some implementations, the preemption indication indicates that AP1 will preempt the current TXOP. In this case, AP1 can transmit data in the current TXOP (e.g., data frames addressing low-latency services to STA1 or other STAs).

[0094] In some implementations, after receiving the preemption instruction sent by AP1, STA1 may suspend data transmission in the current TXOP.

[0095] In some implementations, AP1 may also send trigger information carrying resource allocation information to STA1, including information about the resources allocated to STA1, to trigger STA1 to transmit data using the resources allocated by AP1 in the current TXOP.

[0096] In some implementations, regardless of whether the current TXOP is preempted by AP1 or by another AP (e.g., AP2) or STA (e.g., STA2), after the corresponding AP or STA stops preempting the current TXOP, AP1 sends a stop preemption instruction in the current TXOP to instruct STA1 to resume full possession of the current TXOP. Accordingly, other APs or STAs can also give up continuing or re-preempting the current TXOP based on the stop preemption instruction.

[0097] In some implementations, if AP1 does not receive a preemption request within a predetermined time interval after sending the preemption indication, it sends the stop preemption indication. It should be understood that the predetermined time interval can be PIFS, DIFS, EIFS, or SIFS plus a fixed time, etc., and this disclosure does not specifically limit it, as long as the predetermined time interval is longer than the shortest time interval required for AP1 to receive the preemption request.

[0098] In some implementations, the current TXOP is preempted by other APs or STAs. After completing the corresponding data transmission in the current TXOP, the corresponding AP or STA sends a data transmission end indication to AP1 to indicate that it is ceasing to occupy the current TXOP.

[0099] In some implementations, the data transmission end indication is carried by a data frame of a low-latency service being transmitted in the current TXOP by the AP or STA that preempted the current TXOP.

[0100] In some implementations, after receiving the trigger information sent by AP1, the STA or AP that sent the preemption request may, after a short inter-frame space (SIFS) interval, utilize the resources allocated by AP1 in the current TXOP to transmit data (e.g., data frames for low-latency services), and carry the data transmission end indication in the last transmitted data frame. Similarly, the SIFS can be replaced by PIFS, DIFS, EIFS, or other predetermined time intervals (e.g., the SIFS plus a fixed time), and this disclosure does not specifically limit this.

[0101] When multiple STAs and / or APs preempt the same TXOP to transmit data, AP1 sends the stop preemption instruction after receiving the data transmission end indication sent by the last STA or AP that preempted the current TXOP to transmit data.

[0102] In some implementations, the stop preemption indication is carried by an acknowledgment frame. For example, after AP1 receives a data frame from an AP or STA that is currently occupying the current TXOP transmission, carrying a data frame indicating the end of the last data transmission, AP1 may send the acknowledgment frame after a short inter-frame space (SIFS) interval, the acknowledgment frame carrying the stop preemption indication. Similarly, the SIFS may be replaced by a PIFS, DIFS, EIFS, or other predetermined time intervals (e.g., SIFS plus a fixed time), which is not specifically limited in this disclosure. In this case, the acknowledgment frame can have two functions: first, confirming the correct reception of the data frame sent by the corresponding AP or STA; second, indicating that the current TXOP has stopped being preempted. Accordingly, STA1 can regain full possession of the current TXOP, and other APs or STAs can also relinquish or re-preempt the current TXOP based on the stop preemption indication.

[0103] In some implementations, AP1 may send the stop preemption instruction to end the preemption of the current TXOP when the remaining duration of the current TXOP is less than the time required for one data frame exchange.

[0104] It should be understood that the data transmission end indication may also be carried by other frames (such as control frames) sent by the AP or STA that preempts the current TXOP to AP1, or it may be sent as an independent frame by the AP or STA that preempts the current TXOP to AP1; correspondingly, the stop preemption indication may also be carried by other frames sent by AP1, or it may be sent as an independent frame by AP1; this disclosure does not specifically limit this.

[0105] For example, the stop preemption instruction can also be a newly defined control frame, the type of which can be indicated by the control field of the MAC (Media Access Control) layer header.

[0106] The following detailed examples illustrate the application of the methods for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure.

[0107] Example 1

[0108] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure is shown.

[0109] like Figure 7 As shown, STA1 competes for and occupies the current TXOP. During the current TXOP, low-latency service data (e.g., LL MSDU) that the AP has to transmit arrives. Since the data that STA1 is currently transmitting is non-low-latency service data, STA1 carries a preemption permission indication in its transmitted non-low-latency service data frames (i.e., non-LL DATA).

[0110] After receiving a data frame from STA1 carrying a preemption indication, the AP sends an acknowledgment frame carrying the preemption indication (e.g., BA / ACK+PR0 frame) after a SIFS interval. The BA / ACK+PR0 frame has two functions: confirming the correct reception of the data frame sent by STA1 via BA / ACK, and indicating via PR0 that the AP will preempt STA1's current TXOP.

[0111] STA1 responds to the BA / ACK+PR0 frame sent by the AP by pausing data transmission for a short period. Afterwards, the AP sends the LL MSDU to be transmitted. (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and likely refers to a different context.) Figure 7As shown, the AP can send low-latency data frames (i.e., LL DATA) addressed to STA2 and receive acknowledgment frames (e.g., BA / ACK frames) in response from STA2. Of course, the AP can also send LL DATA addressed to STA1, which will not be elaborated here. It should be noted that the low-latency data frames sent by the AP can refer to data frames with a higher priority than the data that STA1 is currently transmitting or will transmit, or data frames that need to be transmitted as quickly as possible.

[0112] After an AP completes the transmission of one or more low-latency data frames (i.e., completes the transmission of data for the low-latency service to be transmitted), it can send a preemption terminate (PT) frame carrying a stop preemption indication. The PT frame can be a new control frame not defined by current standards (such as the IEEE 802.11 standard). In response to the PT frame, STA1 can resume the transmission of non-low-latency service data frames in the current TXOP.

[0113] Example 2

[0114] Figure 8 A schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure is shown.

[0115] like Figure 8 As shown, STA1 competes for and occupies the current TXOP. STA2 and STA3 have low-latency service data (e.g., LL MSDU) waiting to be transmitted during the current TXOP. Since the data currently being transmitted by STA1 is non-low-latency service data, STA1 carries a preemption permission indication in its transmitted non-low-latency service data frames (i.e., non-LL DATA).

[0116] After receiving a data frame from STA1 carrying a preemption permission indication, the AP sends an acknowledgment frame carrying a preemption indication (e.g., a BA / ACK+PR1 frame) after a SIFS interval. The BA / ACK+PR1 frame has two functions: confirming the correct reception of the data frame sent by STA1 via BA / ACK, and indicating via PR1 that the AP has no need to preempt the current TXOP, and instructing other STAs besides STA1 to send a preemption request (PR) frame to preempt the current TXOP of STA1.

[0117] In addition, PR1 can carry STA1's identity information so that STA1 can decide whether to send a preemption request frame.

[0118] STA1 responds to the BA / ACK+PR1 frame sent by the AP by pausing data transmission for a period of time. For example... Figure 8As shown, both STA2 and STA3 send PR frames. PR frames can be new control frames that are not defined by current standards (such as the IEEE 802.11 standard). Moreover, STA2 and STA3 send PR frames with exactly the same content, so there will be no conflict when STA2 and STA3 send PR frames at the same time and on the same frequency band.

[0119] The PR frames sent by STA2 and STA3 can carry resource allocation requirement indications. Resource allocation can be determined based on the scheduling mode adopted by the AP, including but not limited to the allocation of time resources, frequency resources or space resources.

[0120] For example, the PR frame can carry the following three types of indications:

[0121] 1) The first type of indication is a forced allocation indication. When the AP performs subsequent scheduling and resource allocation, it must schedule the STA corresponding to the PR frame carrying the first type of indication and allocate the resources required by the STA.

[0122] 2) The second type of indication is the allocation indication. When the AP performs subsequent scheduling and resource allocation, it must schedule the STA corresponding to the PR frame carrying the second type of indication, but it can reduce the resources allocated to the STA.

[0123] 3) The third type of indication is the best-effort allocation indication. When the AP performs subsequent scheduling and resource allocation, it can choose whether to schedule the STA corresponding to the PR frame carrying the third type of indication according to its scheduling policy.

[0124] Of course, the content of the PR frames sent by STA2 and STA3 can also be different. In this case, in order to avoid conflicts, STA2 and STA3 can choose different resource units (RUs) to send PR frames. The RUs can be reserved in advance by the AP. STA2 and STA3 can randomly select RUs or select RUs according to the AP's pre-scheduling.

[0125] After receiving the PR frame, the AP sends a trigger frame. It should be understood that the AP can transmit one or more trigger frames. STA2 and STA3 each respond to the trigger frame by sending one or more low-latency data frames, for example, to the AP. STA2 and STA3 can use the resource units pre-allocated by the AP to transmit trigger-based (TB) low-latency data frames.

[0126] Both STA2 and STA3 can carry an LL DATA transmission end indication in the last low-latency data frame sent in response to the trigger frame sent by the AP. Upon receiving the data frame carrying the LL DATA transmission end indication, the AP can reply with an acknowledgment frame carrying a stop preemption indication (e.g., a BA+PT frame). The BA+PT frame serves two purposes: confirming the correct reception of the data frames sent by STA2 and STA3 via BA, and instructing STA1 to resume data transmission in the current TXOP via PT. STA1, in response to the BA+PT frame, resumes transmission of non-low-latency service data frames in the current TXOP.

[0127] Example 3

[0128] Figure 9 A schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure is shown.

[0129] and Figure 8 The example shown is different from Example 2. Figure 9 In Example 3 shown, even if STA2 and STA3 have not yet sent the LL DATA transmission end indication, if the AP detects that the remaining duration of the current TXOP is insufficient for the time required for one data frame exchange (i.e., the time required from the start of sending a data frame to the receipt of an acknowledgment frame), the AP may send an acknowledgment frame (e.g., a BA+PT frame) carrying a stop preemption indication in advance to end the preemption of the current TXOP.

[0130] Example 4

[0131] Figure 10 A schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure is shown.

[0132] and Figure 8 The example shown is different from Example 2. Figure 10 In Example 4, since STA2 and STA3 send PR frames with identical content, the AP may not be able to distinguish which STAs have a more urgent preemption request. Therefore, after receiving the PR frames sent by STA2 and STA3 in response to PR1, the AP can send a Buffer Status Report Polling (BSRP) frame to request STA2 and STA3 to send a Buffer Status Report (BSR) frame. The BSR frame is configured to report to the AP the status of the data to be sent in the buffer of the corresponding STA.

[0133] In response to a BSRP frame sent by the AP, STA2 and STA3, which have low-latency data frames to be transmitted, can send a Buffer Status Report (BSR) frame to the AP. The corresponding STA can transmit the BSR frame through the pre-scheduled resource unit indicated in the BSRP frame, or can randomly select a resource unit. Distinguishing itself from other STAs' BSR frames, STA2 and STA3, which have low-latency data frames to be transmitted, can transmit the BSR frame through the pre-scheduled resource unit indicated in the BSRP frame for low-latency buffer status reporting, or can randomly select a resource unit for low-latency buffer status reporting. That is, the BSRP frame can simultaneously request buffer status reports from STAs (STA2 and STA3) with low-latency data frames and other STAs; however, STAs (STA2 and STA3) with low-latency data frames can use specific resource units in the BSRP frame to transmit the BSR frame, allowing the AP to identify which STAs have low-latency data frames to be transmitted.

[0134] Example 5

[0135] Figure 11 A schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure is shown.

[0136] like Figure 11 As shown, STA1 competes for and occupies the current TXOP, while STA2 has low-latency service data (e.g., LL MSDU) to be transmitted during the current TXOP. Since the data currently being transmitted by STA1 is non-low-latency service data, STA1 carries a preemption permission indication in its transmitted non-low-latency service data frames (i.e., non-LL DATA).

[0137] After receiving a data frame from STA1 carrying a preemption permission indication, the AP sends an acknowledgment frame carrying a preemption indication (e.g., a BA / ACK+PR1 frame) after a SIFS interval. The BA / ACK+PR1 frame has two functions: confirming the correct reception of the data frame sent by STA1 via BA / ACK, and indicating via PR1 that the AP has no need to preempt the current TXOP, and instructing other STAs besides STA1 to send a preemption request (PR) frame to preempt the current TXOP of STA1.

[0138] STA1 responds to the BA / ACK+PR1 frame sent by the AP by pausing data transmission for a period of time. STA2 responds to the BA / ACK+PR1 frame sent by the AP by sending a PR frame. This differs from... Figure 8 Example 2 shown, Figure 11In Example 5, the AP can choose to use a TXOP sharing procedure similar to IEEE 802.11be, allowing STA2 to perform peer-to-peer (P2P) transmissions. The AP can send a Multi-User (MU) Request To Send (RTS) Transmission Opportunity Sharing (TXOP Sharing, TXS) (i.e., MU-RTS-TXS) Trigger Frame (TF), allocating a certain amount of time thereafter to STA2 for P2P transmission. STA2 sends a Clear To Send (CTS) frame to confirm the correct reception of the MU-RTS-TXS Trigger Frame. Afterward (e.g., after one SIFS period), STA2 can initiate a P2P transmission to STA3, for example, sending a low-latency data frame (i.e., LL DATA) to STA3.

[0139] If STA2 has no remaining low-latency data frames to send, it can include an LL DATA transmission end indication in its last low-latency data frame sent to STA3. The AP can receive the low-latency data frame sent by STA2 and parse the LL DATA transmission end indication within it. After waiting for STA3 to reply with an acknowledgment frame carrying a correct reception indication (e.g., a BA / ACK frame), the AP sends a PT frame after a SIFS interval to indicate that STA1 can resume data transmission in the current TXOP. Afterward, STA1 can resume transmitting non-low-latency service data frames in the current TXOP.

[0140] Example 6

[0141] Figure 12 A schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure is shown.

[0142] like Figure 12 As shown, STA1 competes for and occupies the current TXOP. STA2 and STA3 have low-latency service data (e.g., LL MSDU) waiting to be transmitted during the current TXOP. Since the data currently being transmitted by STA1 is non-low-latency service data, STA1 carries a preemption permission indication in its transmitted non-low-latency service data frames (i.e., non-LL DATA).

[0143] After receiving a data frame from STA1 carrying a preemption permission indication, the AP sends an acknowledgment frame carrying a preemption indication (e.g., a BA / ACK+PR1 frame) after a SIFS interval. The BA / ACK+PR1 frame has two functions: confirming the correct reception of the data frame sent by STA1 via BA / ACK, and indicating via PR1 that the AP has no need to preempt the current TXOP, and instructing other STAs besides STA1 to send a preemption request (PR) frame to preempt the current TXOP of STA1.

[0144] STA1 responds to the BA / ACK+PR1 frame sent by the AP by pausing data transmission for a period of time. STA2 responds to the BA / ACK+PR1 frame sent by the AP by sending a PR frame. This differs from... Figure 8 Example 2 and Figure 11 Example 5 shown, Figure 12 In Example 6 shown, the AP can optionally send polling (POLL) frames to poll STA2 and STA3 respectively to trigger STA2 and STA3 to send low-latency data frames. It should be understood that the AP can send one or more POLL frames to STA2 and STA3 to request the transmission of low-latency data frames.

[0145] If STA2 has no remaining low-latency data frames to send, it can include an LL DATA transmission end indication in its last low-latency data frame. Afterward (e.g., after one SIFS), the AP can send a polling frame (e.g., an ACK+POLL frame) carrying a correct reception indication to select another STA (e.g., STA3) with low-latency data frames to transmit. Similarly, if STA3 has no remaining low-latency data frames to send, it can include an LL DATA transmission end indication in its last low-latency data frame. Afterward (e.g., after one SIFS), the AP can send a BA / ACK+PT frame, and STA1 responds to the BA / ACK+PT frame, resuming transmission of non-low-latency service data frames in the current TXOP.

[0146] Example 7

[0147] Figure 13 A schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure is shown.

[0148] like Figure 13As shown, STA1 competes for and occupies the current TXOP. Since the data currently transmitted by STA1 is non-low latency service data, STA1 carries a preemption permission indication in the non-low latency service data frame (i.e., non-LL DATA) it sends.

[0149] Since no low-latency service data (e.g., LL MSDU) arrives during the current TXOP period, after receiving a data frame from STA1 carrying a preemption indication, the AP sends an acknowledgment frame (e.g., BA / ACK+PR1 frame) carrying a preemption indication after an interval of one SIFS. The BA / ACK+PR1 frame has two functions: confirming the correct reception of the data frame sent by STA1 through BA / ACK, and indicating through PR1 that the AP has no need to preempt the current TXOP, and instructing other STAs besides STA1 to send preemption request (PR) frames to preempt STA1's current TXOP.

[0150] Since neither STA2 nor STA3 has any low-latency service data (e.g., LLMSDU) arriving during the current TXOP, the AP does not receive any PR frames from any STA within one PIFS period. In this case, the AP sends a PT frame carrying a stop preemption indication, and STA1 responds to the PT frame by resuming the transmission of non-low-latency service data frames in the current TXOP.

[0151] Example 8

[0152] Figure 14 A schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure is shown.

[0153] like Figure 14 As shown, AP1 and AP2 are APs within different BSSs; for example, AP1 belongs to BBS1, and AP2 belongs to BBS2. STA1 is associated with AP1. STA1 competes for and holds the current TXOP, while AP2 has low-latency service data (e.g., LL MSDU) to be transmitted during the current TXOP. Since the data currently being transmitted by STA1 is non-low-latency service data, STA1 carries a preemption permission indication in its transmitted non-low-latency service data frames (i.e., non-LL DATA).

[0154] After AP1 receives a data frame from STA1 carrying a preemption permission indication, for example, after an interval of one SIFS, AP1 sends an acknowledgment frame carrying the preemption indication (e.g., BA / ACK+PR2 frame). The BA / ACK+PR2 frame has two functions: acknowledging the correct reception of the data frame sent by STA1 via BA / ACK, and indicating via PR2 that AP1 has no need to preempt the current TXOP, and instructing other APs to send preemption request (PR) frames to preempt STA1's current TXOP.

[0155] In response to the BA / ACK+PR2 frame sent by AP1, STA1 suspends data transmission for a period of time. Since AP2 has low-latency service data to be transmitted, AP2 responds to the BA / ACK+PR2 frame sent by AP1 by sending a PR frame.

[0156] After AP1 receives the PR frame from AP2, for example, after an SIFS interval, it can choose to use a procedure similar to IEEE 802.11be's multi-AP shared transmission opportunity to send a trigger frame to allow AP2 to transmit. After receiving the trigger frame, for example, after an SIFS interval, AP2 can send one or more low-latency data frames in the current TXOP. If AP2 has no remaining low-latency data frames to send, AP2 can include an LL DATA transmission end indication in the last low-latency data frame. In response to the data frame sent by AP2 carrying the LL DATA transmission end indication, AP1 can send a PT frame carrying a stop preemption indication to terminate preemption of the current TXOP. Afterwards, STA1 can respond to the PT frame sent by AP1 to resume transmission of non-low-latency service data frames in the current TXOP.

[0157] The following provides further explanation of data frames carrying preemption permission indications, data frames carrying LL DATA transmission end indications, acknowledgment frames or new control frames carrying stop preemption indications, and acknowledgment frames or new control frames carrying preemption indications.

[0158] Figure 15 A schematic diagram of a data frame carrying a preemption instruction is shown in the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure.

[0159] As mentioned earlier, the preemption permission indication can be appended to the data frame of the non-low latency service sent by STA1 to AP, thereby sending it to AP in STA1's current TXOP to inform AP that the current TXOP is allowed to be preempted.

[0160] like Figure 15As shown, the preemption permission indication can be included in the signaling (SIG) field of the physical preamble. The SIG field is part of the preamble associated with the physical layer data unit.

[0161] In addition, such as Figure 15 As shown, the preemption instruction can also be included in a higher-level header such as the MAC layer, for example, the A control field in the MAC layer header.

[0162] Figure 16 A schematic diagram of a data frame carrying an LL DATA transmission end indication is shown in the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure.

[0163] As previously mentioned, the LL DATA transmission end indication can be appended to the last low-latency data frame transmitted by preempting the current TXOP to indicate that the corresponding STA or AP that sent the last low-latency data frame has no remaining low-latency data frames to transmit.

[0164] like Figure 16 As shown, the LL DATA transmission end indication can be included in the SIG field of the physical preamble. The SIG field is part of the preamble associated with the physical layer data unit.

[0165] In addition, such as Figure 16 As shown, the LL DATA send end indication can also be included in a higher-level packet header, such as the MAC layer, for example, in the A control field of the MAC layer packet header.

[0166] Figure 17 A schematic diagram of a confirmation frame carrying a stop preemption instruction is shown in the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure.

[0167] As mentioned earlier, the stop preemption indication can be appended to the BA / ACK frame sent by the AP, or it can be carried by a new control frame not defined by the current standard (such as the IEEE 802.11 standard) to indicate that STA1 can resume using the current TXOP to transmit data frames for non-low latency services.

[0168] If a stop preemption instruction is appended to the BA / ACK frame sent by the AP, such as Figure 17 As shown, a stop preemption instruction can be included in the SIG field of the physical preamble. The SIG field is part of the preamble associated with the physical layer data unit.

[0169] In addition, such as Figure 17 As shown, the stop preemption instruction can also be included in a higher-level packet header, such as the MAC layer, for example, in the A control field of the MAC layer packet header.

[0170] If the stop preemption instruction is carried by a new control frame that is not defined by the current standard (such as the IEEE 802.11 standard), the type of the new control frame can be defined, for example, the new control frame is a PT frame or a BA / ACK+PT frame, and the type of the new control frame can be indicated by the control field of the MAC layer header.

[0171] Figure 18 The diagram illustrates the structure of an acknowledgment frame carrying a preemption indication and a frame carrying a preemption request in the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure.

[0172] As mentioned earlier, the preemption indication can be appended to the BA / ACK frame sent by the AP, or it can be a new control frame not defined by current standards (such as the IEEE 802.11 standard) to instruct STA1 to suspend the use of the current TXOP.

[0173] If the preemption indication is appended to the BA / ACK frame sent by the AP, such as Figure 18 As shown, the preemption indication can be included in the SIG field of the physical preamble. The SIG field is part of the preamble associated with the physical layer data unit.

[0174] In addition, such as Figure 18 As shown, preemption instructions can also be included in higher-level packet headers such as the MAC layer, for example, in the A control field of the MAC layer packet header.

[0175] If the preemption indication is carried by a new control frame not defined by the current standard (such as the IEEE 802.11 standard), the type of the new control frame can be defined, such as a BA / ACK+PR frame. Figure 18 As shown, the type of a new control frame can be indicated by the control field in the MAC layer header. The preemption indication in the BA / ACK+PR frame has three types: for example, PR0 indicates that the AP can preempt the current TXOP, PR1 indicates that other STAs can preempt the current TXOP, and PR2 indicates that other APs can preempt the current TXOP. Regardless of where the preemption indication is carried (i.e., by which frame), 2 bits can be defined to distinguish between different types of preemption indications; for example, 00 indicates PR0, 01 indicates PR1, 10 indicates PR2, and 11 can be reserved for future functional expansion.

[0176] Furthermore, individual PR frames are sent in response to data frames carrying preemption indications. PR frames can be new control frames not defined by current standards (such as the IEEE 802.11 standard) and are similar to CTS frames. For example, multiple STAs can simultaneously transmit PR frames with the same structure and content on the same frequency band without causing conflicts. Figure 18As shown, the type of a new control frame, which is a PR frame, can be indicated by the control field in the MAC layer header.

[0177] Fourthly, this disclosure also provides an electronic device 100, such as... Figure 19 As shown, the electronic device 100 includes a memory 101 and at least one processor 102. The memory 101 stores a computer program that is executed by the at least one processor 102 to cause the at least one processor 102 to perform the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure.

[0178] It should be understood that the electronic device 100 provided in this disclosure may also include other structures. For example, as an access point or non-access point site, the electronic device may also include corresponding modules / units, components / parts and other structures according to its functions. Those skilled in the art can set other structures of the electronic device according to needs or actual application scenarios. This disclosure does not specifically limit other structures of the electronic device.

[0179] The memory 101 and the processor 102 can be connected via a data communication bus, and thus connected to other structures or other devices in the electronic device 100.

[0180] Fifthly, this disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium 1000, such as... Figure 20 As shown, the computer-readable storage medium 1000 stores a computer program that is executed by a processor to cause the processor to perform the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure.

[0181] In a sixth aspect, this disclosure provides a method for preempting a transmission opportunity, applied to a (first) non-access point site, comprising: sending a preemption permission indication to the (first) access point during a transmission opportunity for transmitting data to the (first) access point, the preemption permission indication being configured to indicate that the transmission opportunity is permitted to be preempted, and being carried by a data frame transmitted by the (first) non-access point site to the (first) access point.

[0182] In a seventh aspect, this disclosure provides a method for preempting a transmission opportunity, applied to a (first) access point, comprising: sending a preemption indication during a transmission opportunity in which a first non-access point station transmits data to the (first) access point, the preemption indication being configured to indicate that the transmission opportunity will be preempted or allowed to be preempted, carried by an acknowledgment frame, the acknowledgment frame also carrying a correct reception indication, the correct reception indication being configured to indicate that the (first) access point has correctly received the data frame sent by the first non-access point station.

[0183] Eighthly, this disclosure provides a method for preempting a transmission opportunity, applied to a second non-access point site or a second access point, comprising: during a transmission opportunity where a first non-access point site transmits data to a first access point, sending a control frame carrying a preemption request to the first access point, the preemption request being configured to request preempt the transmission opportunity to transmit data.

[0184] It should be understood that in the method for preempting transmission opportunities provided in this disclosure, the execution order of each step is not limited to the order described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Without departing from the scope of this disclosure, the execution order of each step can be adjusted, and some steps can be executed in parallel.

[0185] Those skilled in the art will understand that the division between all or part of the steps / operations, elements / components in the methods and devices described in this disclosure can be adjusted. That is, all or part of the elements included in one step / operation, element / component described in this disclosure can be adjusted to be included in another step / operation, element / component. This disclosure does not make any specific limitations.

[0186] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps / operations in the methods described herein, and all or part of the elements / components in the devices, can be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, and suitable combinations thereof. In hardware implementations, the division between functions mentioned in the above description does not necessarily correspond to the division of physical components; for example, a physical component may have multiple functions, or a function may be performed collaboratively by several physical components. Some or all physical components may be implemented as software executed by a processor (such as a central processing unit, digital signal processor, or microprocessor), or as hardware, or as integrated circuits, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Such software may be distributed on a computer-readable medium, which may include computer storage media (or non-transitory media) and communication media (or transient media). As is known to those skilled in the art, the term computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storing information (such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data). Computer storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical disc storage, magnetic cartridges, magnetic tape, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired information and can be accessed by a computer. Furthermore, it is well known to those skilled in the art that communication media typically contain computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in modulated data signals such as carrier waves or other transmission mechanisms, and may include any information delivery medium.

[0187] This disclosure has disclosed exemplary embodiments, and although specific terminology has been used, it is for illustrative purposes only and should be construed as such, and not for limiting purposes. In some instances, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that features, characteristics, and / or elements described in connection with a particular embodiment may be used alone or in combination with features, characteristics, and / or elements described in connection with other embodiments, unless otherwise expressly stated. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure as set forth by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for preempting a transmission opportunity, applied at a first access point, comprising: Receive a preemption permission indication sent by a first non-access point site, the preemption permission indication being configured to indicate that the first non-access point site's transmission opportunity for transmitting data is allowed to be preempted; A preemption indication is sent in the transmission opportunity, the preemption indication being configured to indicate that the transmission opportunity will be preempted or allowed to be preempted.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The preemption indication is configured to indicate that the transmission opportunity will be preempted by the first access point, and the method further includes: The first access point transmits data during the transmission opportunity.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The preemption indication is configured to indicate that the transmission opportunity may be preempted by other non-access point sites, wherein the other non-access point sites are non-access point sites other than the first non-access point site that are communicatively connected to the first access point. The method further includes: Receive preemption requests sent by the other non-access point sites; Triggering information is sent based on the received preemption request to trigger the other non-access point sites to transmit data during the transmission opportunity.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The preemption indication is configured to indicate that the transmission opportunity is allowed to be preempted by other access points besides the first access point, and the method further includes: Receive preemption requests sent by the other access points; Triggering information is sent based on the received preemption request to trigger the other access points to transmit data during the transmission opportunity.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein, The triggering information is sent via at least one polling frame, each polling frame being configured to trigger a non-access point site or access point to transmit data during the transmission opportunity.

6. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein, The triggering information is sent via a Multi-User Request for Transmission Opportunity Sharing (MU-RTS-TXS) trigger frame, which is configured to simultaneously trigger at least one non-access point site or access point to transmit data in the transmission opportunity.

7. The method according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising: Before sending the trigger information, a first control frame is sent to instruct the other non-access site or the other access point to report information about the data to be sent to the first access point in response to the first control frame.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The first control frame indicates pre-scheduled resource units, and the other non-access stations or the other access points report information about the data to be sent to the first access point based on the pre-scheduled resource units indicated in the first control frame or by randomly selecting resource units.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein, Sending the trigger information includes: After a polling frame triggers a non-access point site or access point to transmit data in the transmission opportunity, it sends another polling frame to trigger another non-access point site or access point to transmit data in the transmission opportunity.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The system receives a data transmission end indication from a non-access point station or access point that has occupied the transmission opportunity and is transmitting data in the transmission opportunity, and sends a stop preemption indication in the transmission opportunity to instruct the first non-access point station to resume full possession of the transmission opportunity.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The indication of the end of data transmission is carried by the data frame transmitted during the transmission opportunity.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The stop preemption instruction is carried by the confirmation frame.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The triggering information is configured to trigger the second non-access point station to transmit data to the third non-access point station during the transmission opportunity. The data transmission end indication is sent by the second non-access point station. Sending the stop preemption indication during the transmission opportunity includes: In response to receiving an acknowledgment frame carrying a correct reception indication from the third non-access point station, the stop preemption indication is sent during the transmission opportunity.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to the fact that no preemption request is received from other non-access point sites or access points within a predetermined time interval after the preemption indication is sent, the stop preemption indication is sent during the transmission opportunity.

15. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The first access point transmits low-latency service data in the transmission opportunity.

16. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein, The triggering information carries resource allocation information, which includes information about the resources allocated to the other non-access point site or the other access point, to trigger the other non-access point site or the other access point to transmit data during the transmission opportunity using the resources allocated to the other non-access point site or the other access point.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A trigger message carrying resource allocation information is sent to the first non-access point site. The resource allocation information includes relevant information about the resources allocated to the first non-access point site, so as to trigger the first non-access point site to transmit data using the resources allocated to the first non-access point site during the transmission opportunity.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The preemption permission indication is carried by the data frame transmitted by the first non-access point station during the transmission opportunity.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The preemption instruction is carried in the confirmation frame.

20. A method for preempting transmission opportunities, applied to a non-access point site, comprising: During a transmission opportunity that transmits data to an access point, a preemption permission indication is sent to the access point, the preemption permission indication being configured to indicate that the transmission opportunity is allowed to be preempted; Upon receiving a preemption instruction from the access point, suspend data transmission during the transmission opportunity; and Upon receiving a stop preemption instruction from the access point, the user regains full control of the transmission opportunity.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising: After pausing data transmission in the transmission opportunity, the system receives a trigger message from the access point carrying resource allocation information, which includes information related to resources allocated to the non-access point site. Data is transmitted using the resources allocated to the non-access point site during the transmission opportunity.

22. A method for preempting a transmission opportunity, applied to a second non-access point site or a second access point, comprising: Receive a preemption indication sent by a first access point, the preemption indication being configured to indicate that a transmission opportunity for data transmission at a first non-access point site is allowed to be preempted; Send a preemption request to the first access point, the preemption request being configured to request preemption of the transmission opportunity; and The system receives trigger information sent by the first access point and transmits data during the transmission opportunity.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein, The preemption request carries a resource allocation requirement indication, which is configured to indicate a need for resource allocation.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising: Send a data transmission end indication to the first access point, the data transmission end indication being configured to indicate the end of the occupation of the transmission opportunity.

25. An electronic device comprising a memory and at least one processor, the memory storing a computer program which is executed by the at least one processor to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 24.

26. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program being executed by a processor to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 24.

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