Communication method, access point, computer program product, and readable storage medium

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a communication method performed by an access point, and a corresponding access point, computer-readable storage medium, and computer program product. The communication method includes: for each of at least one communication device, measuring signals received from each communication device via a directional antenna of the access point from a plurality of configured directional antennas to obtain a plurality of directional signal strengths corresponding to each communication device; measuring the signals received via an omnidirectional antenna of the access point to obtain an omnidirectional signal strength corresponding to each communication device; and determining the orientation of each communication device based on a comparison of the intensity differences between the omnidirectional signal strength and the plurality of directional signal strengths. This communication method can accurately identify and determine the distribution direction of communication devices, thereby facilitating improvements in the efficiency and stability of communication between the access point (AP) and the communication devices.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method performed by an access point, as well as a corresponding access point, computer-readable storage medium, and computer program product. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, wireless access point (AP) devices are rapidly evolving towards high performance and wide coverage. Multi-antenna technology has become a core configuration of next-generation AP devices. Among them, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology based on multiple antennas has become a mandatory standard feature in newly released AP devices due to its significant advantages in improving channel capacity and transmission rate. In the existing multi-antenna AP device architecture, the mainstream solution is to configure multiple omnidirectional antennas, and all omnidirectional antennas usually use a unified operating mode for signal transmission and reception. This design simplifies the device control logic while also creating relatively fixed signal coverage characteristics.

[0003] The key advantage of omnidirectional antennas lies in their wide signal coverage, enabling 360° unbiased signal radiation. However, they inherently suffer from insufficient directional gain, leading to rapid signal attenuation at the coverage edge. This not only makes it difficult to support stable transmission in high-traffic backhaul scenarios such as multi-AP networking and collaborative communication, but also results in weak signals, high latency, and increased packet loss when clients are concentrated at the coverage edge in a particular direction, severely degrading the client's communication experience. To improve signal quality in specific directions, some solutions equip APs with directional antennas, leveraging their high directional gain to enhance signal coverage in the target area. However, directional antennas have limited coverage angles and cannot flexibly adapt to dynamically changing client distribution scenarios. Therefore, relying solely on a single omnidirectional or directional antenna deployment method is insufficient to meet the differentiated needs of various application scenarios. Meanwhile, the next-generation Wi-Fi standard further introduces multi-AP collaboration functionality, which significantly increases the frequency of air interface interactions and data transmission volume between APs. This new functionality places higher demands on the directional transmission and reception capabilities and scene adaptability of antennas. If an AP can accurately identify and determine the location of collaborating APs and / or clients, it can effectively improve the efficiency and stability of communication between the AP and collaborating APs and / or clients, thereby further improving the efficiency and stability of communication in multi-AP collaboration scenarios. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address one or more problems in the prior art, this disclosure proposes a communication method for determining the location of a communication device (such as another AP (also called a cooperating AP), a client, etc.) by combining an omnidirectional antenna and a directional antenna with an access point (AP). Using this communication method, the distribution direction of the communication device can be accurately identified and determined, thereby facilitating improvements in the efficiency and stability of communication between the AP and the communication device.

[0005] At least another embodiment of this disclosure provides a communication method performed by an access point, comprising: measuring, for each of at least one communication device, a signal received from the communication device via a directional antenna of the access point from a plurality of configured directional antenna directions to obtain a plurality of directional signal strengths corresponding to the communication device; measuring the signal received via an omnidirectional antenna of the access point to obtain an omnidirectional signal strength corresponding to the communication device; and determining the orientation of the communication device based on a comparison result of the intensity differences between the omnidirectional signal strength and the plurality of directional signal strengths.

[0006] At least one further embodiment of this disclosure provides an access point, including: a memory storing instructions thereon; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to execute the instructions to cause the access point to perform a communication method provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0007] At least one further embodiment of this disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the communication method provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0008] At least one further embodiment of this disclosure provides a computer program product including computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the communication method provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0009] Another embodiment of this disclosure provides an access point, including: a component for performing steps of the communication method provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0010] This disclosure provides one or more embodiments of a communication method executed by an access point, along with a corresponding access point, computer-readable storage medium, and computer program product. This communication method enables the access point (AP) to combine omnidirectional and directional antennas to determine the location of a communication device. This allows for accurate identification and determination of the distribution direction of the communication device, thereby improving the efficiency and stability of communication between the AP and the communication device. Furthermore, the multiple directional antenna directions involved in the communication method provided in one or more embodiments of this disclosure can be obtained by multiple directional antennas with different directional antenna directions configured on the access point (AP), or by rotating only one directional antenna configured on the access point (AP), or by a combination of both. This allows the communication method provided in one or more embodiments of this disclosure to be executed by almost any access point, exhibiting a wide range of applications. Additionally, the communication method provided in at least one or more embodiments of this disclosure allows for flexible selection of directional antennas or a combination of directional and omnidirectional antennas to communicate with the communication device based on the number of transmit / receive links supported by the access point and the number of directional antennas pointing to the directional antenna direction corresponding to the maximum difference, offering flexibility and convenience. Furthermore, the communication method provided in at least one or more embodiments of this disclosure can fully consider the degree of overlap between signal coverage areas to select the most physically unobstructed antenna combinations for communication with the communication device, thereby improving the throughput performance of the communication device. Also, when the communication method provided in at least one or more embodiments of this disclosure is applied to scenarios involving multiple clients and / or networking with another AP, its performance can be specifically optimized for that scenario to better serve multiple clients, minimize performance degradation when networking with another AP, and achieve load balancing as much as possible. Attached Figure Description

[0011] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0012] Figure 1 The illustration schematically depicts a communication method performed by an access point, provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0013] Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the gain distribution of the directional and omnidirectional antennas in the four directions of an access point (AP) provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure in the horizontal plane.

[0014] Figure 3The diagram illustrates the gain distribution of a typical omnidirectional antenna and a vertically pointing directional antenna in a vertical cross-section (xz plane) according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the relative distribution of omnidirectional and directional antennas provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0016] Figure 5 The illustration shows a scenario where an AP is associated with multiple clients (STA-1, STA-2) and there is a network AP (AP-2);

[0017] Figure 6 An example configuration of an access point 600 provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated schematically. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While some embodiments of this disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that this disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of this disclosure. It should be understood that the accompanying drawings and embodiments of this disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0019] It should be understood that the steps described in the method embodiments of this disclosure may be performed in different orders and / or in parallel, unless otherwise expressly stated or conflicting. Furthermore, method embodiments may include additional steps and / or omit the steps shown. The scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0020] The term "comprising" and its variations as used herein are open-ended inclusions, meaning "including but not limited to". The term "based on" means "at least partially based on". The term "one embodiment" means "at least one embodiment"; the term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment"; the term "some embodiments" means "at least some embodiments". Definitions of other terms will be given in the description below.

[0021] It should be noted that the concepts of "first" and "second" mentioned in this disclosure are used only to distinguish different models, devices, modules or units, and are not used to limit the order or interdependence of the functions performed by these models, devices, modules or units.

[0022] It should be noted that the terms "a" and "a plurality of" used in this disclosure are illustrative rather than restrictive, and those skilled in the art should understand that, unless otherwise expressly indicated in the context, they should be understood as "one or more".

[0023] The names of messages or information exchanged between multiple devices, modules or units in the embodiments of this disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of these messages or information.

[0024] It is understood that the data involved in this technical solution (including but not limited to the data itself, the acquisition, use, storage or deletion of the data) shall comply with the requirements of relevant laws, regulations and related provisions.

[0025] It is understood that before using the technical solutions disclosed in the various embodiments of this disclosure, relevant users should be informed of the type, scope of use, and usage scenarios of the information involved in this disclosure and their authorization should be obtained in accordance with relevant laws and regulations through appropriate means. Among them, relevant users may include any type of rights holder, such as individuals, enterprises, or groups.

[0026] For example, in the communication methods executed by the access point, which will be described later, when it is necessary to inform relevant users regarding the signal, throughput, quality of service, and communication frequency band used, in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, a prompt message should be sent to the relevant users to clearly inform them. This allows the relevant users to independently choose whether the signal, throughput, quality of service, and communication frequency band are allowed to be used based on the prompt message. This prompt can be in the form of a pop-up window, which can present the prompt message in text format. In addition, the pop-up window can also include a selection control for the user to choose "agree" or "disagree".

[0027] It is understood that the above notification and user authorization process are merely illustrative and do not constitute a limitation on the implementation of this disclosure. Other methods that comply with relevant laws and regulations may also be applied to the implementation of this disclosure.

[0028] Furthermore, the technical features described in the different embodiments of this disclosure can be combined with each other, provided that they do not conflict with each other. Additionally, the accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are simplified for brevity, and therefore may not be exactly the same as actual implementations. For example, device processing delays may be omitted in the figures.

[0029] Among the existing methods for determining the location of a client, one method is to use the Channel State Information (CSI) received by the AP to determine the client's location, but this method has the drawback of insufficient accuracy; another method is to use the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) information received by the same antenna (such as the same omnidirectional antenna) from different links to determine the client's location, but this method also has the drawback of insufficient accuracy.

[0030] To address at least one of the aforementioned problems, at least one embodiment of this disclosure provides a communication method performed by an access point, comprising: for each of at least one communication device, measuring signals received from each communication device via a directional antenna of a wireless access point from a plurality of configured directional antenna directions to obtain a plurality of directional signal strengths corresponding to each communication device; measuring the signals received via an omnidirectional antenna of the wireless access point to obtain an omnidirectional signal strength corresponding to each communication device; and determining the orientation of each communication device based on a comparison of the intensity differences between the omnidirectional signal strength and the plurality of directional signal strengths. This communication method enables the access point (AP) to combine the omnidirectional antenna and the directional antenna to determine the orientation of a communication device (such as another AP, a client, etc.), thereby enabling accurate identification and determination of the distribution direction of the communication devices, and thus facilitating improved efficiency and stability of communication between the AP and the communication devices.

[0031] Corresponding to the communication method provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure, at least one embodiment of this disclosure also provides a corresponding access point, a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product. These will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0032] Figure 1 The illustration schematically depicts a communication method performed by an access point, provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, the communication method 100 of this embodiment may include steps S110 to S130 for each of at least one communication device. The execution subject of this method can be any suitable access point (AP) device, such as a home-grade, enterprise-grade, or outdoor / industrial-grade AP device located in any suitable location; the embodiments of this disclosure do not limit this. The communication device can be a client, another AP different from the aforementioned AP, etc.

[0034] In step S110, the access point can measure the signals received from each communication device from the multiple directional antennas configured through the directional antenna of the access point to obtain the multiple directional signal strengths corresponding to each communication device.

[0035] As an example, when an access point (AP) is configured with four directional antenna directions (denoted as the first, second, third, and fourth directional antenna directions), the signal received from the client by the directional antenna from the first directional antenna direction can be measured to obtain the first directional signal strength corresponding to the client; the signal received from the client by the directional antenna from the second directional antenna direction can be measured to obtain the second directional signal strength corresponding to the client; the signal received from the client by the directional antenna from the third directional antenna direction can be measured to obtain the third directional signal strength corresponding to the client; and the signal received from the client by the directional antenna from the fourth directional antenna direction can be measured to obtain the fourth directional signal strength corresponding to the client. It should be noted that the above measurement starting from the first directional antenna direction is only an example; measurements can also be started from the second, third, or fourth directional antenna direction. This is only necessary as long as measurements are performed on all directional antenna directions configured for the access point AP (including all directional antennas configured in the horizontal, vertical, etc.)

[0036] As an example, directional signal strength can be indicated by RSSI.

[0037] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, multiple directional antenna directions may include different directional antenna directions configured by rotating the same directional antenna and / or different directional antenna directions configured separately for the multiple directional antennas.

[0038] As an example, an access point (AP) can be configured with multiple directional antennas, each with a different directional antenna direction. For instance, the AP could have four directional antennas in the horizontal direction: a first directional antenna pointing towards 0 degrees, a second directional antenna pointing towards 90 degrees, a third directional antenna pointing towards 180 degrees, and a fourth directional antenna pointing towards 270 degrees. Alternatively, the AP could have six directional antennas in the vertical direction: a first directional antenna pointing towards 0 degrees, a second directional antenna pointing towards 60 degrees, a third directional antenna pointing towards 120 degrees, a fourth directional antenna pointing towards 180 degrees, a fifth directional antenna pointing towards 240 degrees, and a sixth directional antenna pointing towards 300 degrees.

[0039] As another example, an access point (AP) can be configured with only one directional antenna, but this directional antenna can be rotated to have different directional antenna orientations. For example, if the AP is configured with a directional antenna pointing towards the 0-degree directional antenna in the horizontal direction, then rotating this directional antenna 90 degrees clockwise will give it a directional antenna pointing towards the 90-degree directional antenna. Rotating it another 90 degrees clockwise will give it a directional antenna pointing towards the 180-degree directional antenna, and finally rotating it another 90 degrees clockwise will give it a directional antenna pointing towards the 270-degree directional antenna. It should be noted that the above clockwise rotation method is only one example; other rotation methods can also be used (such as counterclockwise, clockwise followed by counterclockwise, counterclockwise followed by clockwise, etc.); the above 90-degree rotation is also only one example; any other suitable angle can be chosen, such as 30 degrees, 60 degrees, etc., and the embodiments disclosed herein do not limit this.

[0040] As another example, an access point (AP) can be configured with several directional antennas, at least one of which can be rotated. For instance, the AP can be configured with two directional antennas in the horizontal direction: a first directional antenna pointing towards the 0-degree directional antenna and a second directional antenna pointing towards the 90-degree directional antenna. The second directional antenna pointing towards the 90-degree directional antenna can be rotated; for example, rotating it 90 degrees clockwise transforms it into a directional antenna pointing towards the 180-degree directional antenna, and rotating it another 90 degrees clockwise transforms it into a directional antenna pointing towards the 270-degree directional antenna. This allows the AP to have multiple directional antenna directions.

[0041] As can be seen, the multiple directional antenna directions involved in the communication method provided in one or more embodiments of this disclosure can be obtained by multiple directional antennas with different directional antenna directions configured at the access point (AP), or by rotating only one directional antenna configured at the access point (AP), or by a combination of the above two methods. This allows the communication method provided in one or more embodiments of this disclosure to be executed by almost any access point, and has the characteristic of wide applicability.

[0042] Continue to refer to Figure 1 In step S120, the access point can measure the signal received from each communication device through the omnidirectional antenna of the access point to obtain the omnidirectional signal strength corresponding to each communication device.

[0043] As an example, omnidirectional signal strength can be indicated by RSSI.

[0044] As an example, steps S110 and S120 can be performed sequentially. Alternatively, steps S110 and S120 can also be performed simultaneously. For example, the access point measures the signal received from each communication device via the access point's directional antenna from the direction of the configured first directional antenna to obtain a first directional signal strength corresponding to each communication device; simultaneously, the access point measures the signal received via the access point's omnidirectional antenna to obtain an omnidirectional signal strength corresponding to each communication device.

[0045] In step S130, the location of each communication device can be determined by the access point based on the comparison results of the strength differences between the omnidirectional signal strength and the strengths of multiple directional signals.

[0046] According to at least one embodiment of this disclosure, determining the orientation of each communication device based on a comparison of the intensity differences between the omnidirectional signal strength and the plurality of directional signal strengths may include: determining the maximum difference among the intensity differences based on the comparison of the intensity differences between the omnidirectional signal strength and the plurality of directional signal strengths; and determining the orientation of each communication device based on the directional antenna direction corresponding to the maximum difference.

[0047] As an example, when four directional signal strengths are measured, a first strength difference can be determined based on the first directional signal strength and the omnidirectional signal strength; a second strength difference can be determined based on the second directional signal strength and the omnidirectional signal strength; a third strength difference can be determined based on the third directional signal strength and the omnidirectional signal strength; and a fourth strength difference can be determined based on the fourth directional signal strength and the omnidirectional signal strength. Then, the first, second, third, and fourth strength differences are compared, and the orientation of the communication device is determined based on the comparison results. Preferably, the largest difference among these strength differences can be determined; then, the orientation of the communication device is determined based on the directional antenna direction corresponding to the largest difference. For example, if the first strength difference is the largest, then the orientation of the communication device is the orientation pointed to by the directional antenna direction corresponding to the first strength difference. It should be noted that the above method of determining the orientation of the communication device based on the largest difference is the preferred and most accurate method. In other scenarios where various communication conditions need to be considered comprehensively and the determination of the orientation does not need to be the most accurate, a method such as determining the orientation of the communication device based on the second largest difference can be used. The accuracy of this method of determining the orientation of a communication device based on the submaximal difference is only lower than that of the method based on the maximum difference, but it is still higher than the accuracy of the methods in the prior art.

[0048] According to at least one embodiment of this disclosure, when the at least one communication device is a single communication device, the communication method 100 may further include: selecting at least one of the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum difference, based on the number of transceiver links supported by the access point and the number of directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum difference; or selecting at least one of the omnidirectional antennas and all directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum difference; and communicating with the single communication device based on the selected antenna.

[0049] As an example, the number of transmit / receive links supported by an access point (AP) can refer to the number of radio frequency (RF) links supported by the AP. For instance, an AP supporting 4T4R communication supports four RF links, i.e., four transmit / receive links. As another example, an AP supporting 2T2R communication supports two RF links, i.e., two transmit / receive links.

[0050] As an example, if the number of transmit and receive links supported by the access point is 1, select one of the directional antennas pointing in the direction of the directional antenna corresponding to the maximum difference.

[0051] As an example, if the number of transmit / receive links supported by the access point is greater than 1 but less than the number of directional antennas pointing in the direction corresponding to the maximum difference, multiple, but not all, of the directional antennas pointing in the direction corresponding to the maximum difference are selected. For example, if the number of directional antennas pointing in the direction corresponding to the maximum difference is 4, and the access point supports 2 transmit / receive links, then any 2 directional antennas are selected from these 4 antennas to communicate with the communication device.

[0052] As an example, if the number of transmit / receive links supported by the access point is greater than 1 and equal to the number of directional antennas pointing in the direction corresponding to the maximum difference, all directional antennas pointing in the direction corresponding to the maximum difference are selected. For example, if the number of directional antennas pointing in the direction corresponding to the maximum difference is 2, and the number of transmit / receive links supported by the access point is also 2, then all directional antennas are selected to communicate with the communication device.

[0053] As an example, if the number of transmit / receive links supported by the access point is greater than the number of directional antennas pointing in the direction corresponding to the maximum difference, at least one omnidirectional antenna and all directional antennas pointing in the direction corresponding to the maximum difference are selected. For example, if the number of directional antennas pointing in the direction corresponding to the maximum difference is 2, and the access point supports 4 transmit / receive links, then in addition to selecting these 2 directional antennas, two additional omnidirectional antennas are needed to communicate with the communication device.

[0054] As can be seen, the communication method provided by at least one or more embodiments of this disclosure can flexibly select a directional antenna or a combination of directional and omnidirectional antennas to communicate with the communication device based on the number of transmit and receive links supported by the access point and the number of directional antennas pointing in the direction corresponding to the maximum difference, which has the characteristics of flexibility and convenience.

[0055] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, selecting at least one of the omnidirectional antennas may include: selecting at least one of the omnidirectional antennas based on the number of transceiver links, the number of directional antennas pointing to the direction of the directional antenna corresponding to the maximum difference, and the degree of overlap between the signal coverage area of ​​the directional antenna pointing to the direction of the directional antenna corresponding to the maximum difference and the signal coverage area of ​​each of the omnidirectional antennas.

[0056] As an example, if the number of transmit / receive links supported by the access point is greater than the number of directional antennas pointing in the direction corresponding to the directional antenna with the maximum difference, at least one omnidirectional antenna needs to be selected from the AP's omnidirectional antennas. When selecting which one or more omnidirectional antennas to choose, the degree of overlap between the signal coverage of each omnidirectional antenna and the signal coverage of the directional antenna pointing in the direction corresponding to the maximum difference needs to be considered. If the overlap is significant, it indicates a greater degree of physical obstruction between the omnidirectional antenna and the directional antenna; in this case, the omnidirectional antenna cannot be selected. This will be explained further with examples later and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0057] As can be seen, the communication method provided by at least one or more embodiments of this disclosure can fully consider the degree of overlap between signal coverage areas, so as to select the physical unobstructed antenna combination as much as possible to communicate with the communication device, thereby improving the throughput performance of the communication device.

[0058] According to at least one embodiment of this disclosure, the at least one communication device is a plurality of communication devices, and the communication method may further include: first, determining the weight corresponding to the azimuth of each of the plurality of communication devices; then, selecting at least one of the directional antennas pointing to the azimuth corresponding to the maximum weight, or selecting at least one of the omnidirectional antennas and at least one of the directional antennas pointing to the azimuth corresponding to the maximum weight, based on the number of transmit / receive links supported by the access point, the number of directional antennas pointing to the azimuth corresponding to the maximum weight, and whether the communication device at the azimuth corresponding to the maximum weight is a client; finally, communicating with the plurality of communication devices based on the selected antennas.

[0059] As an example, in response to each communication device being a client, the location weight for each communication device is determined based on the client's throughput, quality of service (QoS) related information, and at least one of the supported communication frequency bands. For instance, if the AP's total throughput is 1 Gbps and the client's throughput is 500 Mbps, its corresponding weight can be set to 1 / 2 (i.e., 500 Mbps / 1 Gbps), while another client's throughput is 100 Mbps, and its corresponding weight can be set to 1 / 10 (i.e., 100 Mbps / 1 Gbps). Furthermore, if the client has negotiated QoS with the AP, the location weight for that client can be increased by 2; if the client has not negotiated QoS with the AP, the location weight can be increased by 1 or left unchanged. For example, if the client supports both 5GHz and 6GHz communication bands and is communicating with the AP via the 5GHz band, it means that the client's communication needs with the AP are not that high (because it can communicate with other devices via the 6GHz band). In this case, the weight corresponding to the client's location can be reduced by 1 from the previous weight.

[0060] As an example, in response to each communication device being another access point, the weight is determined based on the wireless backhaul latency between the other access point and the current access point. For instance, in a network of multiple access points, load balancing is required among the access points. A high wireless backhaul latency between another access point and the current access point indicates that the other access point serves a larger number of clients. Therefore, the weight corresponding to the location of the other access point needs to be increased (e.g., set to a larger value, such as 5) so that the current access point can take over the service of more clients from the other access point, thus achieving load balancing.

[0061] According to at least one embodiment of this disclosure, selecting at least one of the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight, or selecting at least one of the omnidirectional antennas and at least one of the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight, based on the number of transceiver links supported by the access point, the number of directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight, and whether the communication device at the direction corresponding to the maximum weight is a client, may include: when the number of transceiver links supported by the access point is 1, selecting one of the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight.

[0062] According to at least one embodiment of this disclosure, selecting at least one of the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight, or selecting at least one of the omnidirectional antennas and at least one of the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight, based on the number of transceiver links supported by the access point, the number of directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight, and whether the communication device at the direction corresponding to the maximum weight is a client, may include: when the number of transceiver links supported by the access point and the number of directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight are equal, in response to the communication device at the direction corresponding to the maximum weight being a client, selecting at least one of the omnidirectional antennas and at least one of the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight; in response to the communication device at the direction corresponding to the maximum weight not being a client, selecting all directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight. For example, if the number of transmit / receive links supported by the access point and the number of directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight are both 2, then in response to the communication device at the direction corresponding to the maximum weight being a client, either of the two directional antennas and either of the omnidirectional antennas are selected; in response to the communication device at the direction corresponding to the maximum weight not being a client, both directional antennas are selected.

[0063] According to at least one embodiment of this disclosure, selecting at least one of the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight, or selecting at least one of the omnidirectional antennas and at least one of the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight, based on the number of transceiver links supported by the access point, the number of directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight, and whether the communication device at the direction corresponding to the maximum weight is a client, may include: when the number of transceiver links supported by the access point is greater than the number of directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight, selecting at least one of the omnidirectional antennas and all the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight. For example, when the number of transceiver links supported by the access point is 4 and the number of directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight is 2, in addition to selecting these two directional antennas, it is also necessary to select two omnidirectional antennas.

[0064] As can be seen, the communication method provided by at least one or more embodiments of this disclosure can be specifically optimized for the scenario of multiple clients and / or networking with another AP, so as to better serve multiple clients, prevent significant performance degradation when networking with another AP, and achieve load balancing as much as possible.

[0065] Based on the above combination Figure 1As can be seen from the communication method described, the communication method provided in at least one or more embodiments of this disclosure is mainly based on the gain difference between directional antennas and omnidirectional antennas, and then uses this difference to determine the location of the communication device (such as another AP, client, etc.). This communication method enables the AP to combine omnidirectional antennas and directional antennas to determine the location of the communication device, thereby accurately identifying and determining the distribution direction of the communication device, and thus facilitating the improvement of the efficiency and stability of communication between the AP and the communication device.

[0066] To facilitate a better understanding of the communication method provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure, further explanation will be provided below with examples.

[0067] Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the gain distribution of the directional and omnidirectional antennas in the four directions of an access point (AP) provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure in the horizontal plane.

[0068] In this example, the AP is equipped with four directional antennas in the horizontal direction: a first directional antenna pointing towards the 0-degree directional antenna, a second directional antenna pointing towards the 90-degree directional antenna, a third directional antenna pointing towards the 180-degree directional antenna, and a fourth directional antenna pointing towards the 270-degree directional antenna. The AP has no directional antennas in other directions. The 0-degree, 90-degree, 180-degree, and 270-degree angles indicate that the gain of the corresponding directional antenna is high in those angles, and lower in the other angles. The omnidirectional antenna has the same gain in all directions. The AP can be equipped with two omnidirectional antennas; subsequent measurements can be performed using either one of these two omnidirectional antennas, or by using both and averaging the measurements from both.

[0069] Figure 2 The outermost solid circle 210 shown represents the coordinate reference.

[0070] The antenna combination that the AP can use each time it communicates with the client can include two omnidirectional antennas, two directional antennas, or one directional and one omnidirectional antenna. Initially, two omnidirectional antennas can be used.

[0071] Using the above combination Figure 1 The communication method described above, when determining the client's location, initially employs a directional antenna and an omnidirectional antenna for communication. For a selected client (in this example, the client is near a 0-degree angle), the steps are as follows:

[0072] In the first phase, the AP uses a directional antenna with a maximum gain angle of 0 degrees and an omnidirectional antenna to communicate with the client, and obtains the Received Strength Indicator (RSSI) information of each antenna receiving packets transmitted from the client: Received Strength RSSI of the directional antenna.定向[0] RSSI of omnidirectional antenna 全向 After acquiring the RSSI received by different antennas, the AP records the difference in RSSI values ​​in that angular direction, denoted as d. RSSI [0]=RSSI 定向[0] -RSSI 全向 .

[0073] In the second phase, the AP uses a directional antenna with a maximum gain angle of 90 degrees and an omnidirectional antenna to communicate with the client, and obtains the RSSI of the packets received from the client by each antenna: the RSSI of the directional antenna. 定向

[90] RSSI of omnidirectional antenna 全向 After acquiring the RSSI received by different antennas, the AP records the difference in RSSI values ​​in that angular direction, denoted as d. RSSI

[90] =RSSI 定向

[90] -RSSI 全向 .

[0074] In the third stage, the AP uses a directional antenna with a maximum gain angle of 180 degrees and an omnidirectional antenna to communicate with the client, and obtains the RSSI of the packets received from the client by each antenna: the RSSI of the directional antenna. 定向

[180] RSSI of omnidirectional antenna 全向 After acquiring the RSSI received by different antennas, the AP records the difference in RSSI values ​​in that angular direction, denoted as d. RSSI

[180] =RSSI 定向

[180] -RSSI 全向 .

[0075] In the fourth stage, the AP uses a directional antenna with a maximum gain angle of 270 degrees and an omnidirectional antenna to communicate with the client, and obtains the RSSI of the packets received from the client by each antenna: the RSSI of the directional antenna. 定向

[270] RSSI of omnidirectional antenna 全向 After acquiring the RSSI received by different antennas, the AP records the difference in RSSI values ​​in that angular direction, denoted as d. RSSI

[270] =RSSI 定向

[270] -RSSI 全向 .

[0076] After completing the above steps, the AP records the difference in received signal strength between the directional and omnidirectional antennas in each direction: d RSSI [0]、d RSSI

[90] 、d RSSI

[180] 、d RSSI

[270]

[0077] In this example, the client is near a 0-degree angle. Based on the gain characteristics of directional antennas, the received signal strength (RSSI) is at its maximum when the directional antenna is selected at a 0-degree angle. 定向[0] In this case, the corresponding difference d RSSI [0] is also the maximum value. Therefore, after obtaining the difference in received strength in each direction, the AP sorts them and selects the maximum value. The direction corresponding to the maximum value is the direction where the client is located.

[0078] After completing the above steps, the location of the client can be determined, specifically the direction pointed to by the 0-degree directional antenna. When the AP subsequently communicates with the client, it can select at least the directional antenna with a maximum gain angle of 0 degrees to communicate with the client. Optionally, if there are multiple directional antennas with a maximum gain angle of 0 degrees, two or more of these antennas can be selected to communicate with the client.

[0079] The above example only shows the horizontal direction. In some products, the omnidirectional antennas equipped with APs typically provide good horizontal coverage, but poor vertical (z-axis) coverage, meaning limited gain. For example, some clients across floors experience poor gain and a poor wireless experience. This example also provides a corresponding implementation scheme, such as configuring a directional antenna in the vertical direction for the AP, as shown in the vertical gain distribution diagram. Figure 3 As shown. Communication with the client is achieved by selecting a vertically oriented directional antenna and a standard omnidirectional antenna, via d... RSSI [Vertical] = RSSI 定向[垂直] -RSSI 全向 It can be determined whether the client is in the vertical direction of the AP, and its communication method is the same as the horizontal direction mode described above. That is, when the AP is equipped with directional antennas in both the horizontal and vertical directions, it is necessary to use the directional antennas in the horizontal and vertical directions respectively, combining operations similar to those shown in Example 2 above, to obtain the RSSI value difference between each directional antenna and the omnidirectional antenna, and then select the direction corresponding to the largest value difference as the direction where the client is located. Furthermore, for cases where the directional antenna points in a different direction than the omnidirectional antenna, such as when there is a tilt angle, the communication method provided in at least one embodiment of this disclosure is also applicable, and will not be elaborated here.

[0080] After determining the client's location using the above method, point the directional antenna in the direction corresponding to the maximum difference (as described above). Figure 2 In the example described, a directional antenna (in the 0-degree direction) is selected to communicate with the client.

[0081] In some embodiments, a combination of directional and omnidirectional antennas may be used to communicate with the client. For example, the AP supports 4T4R communication. In this case, the AP supports four radio frequency links (i.e., four transmit / receive links). The AP then needs to use four antennas to communicate with the client. When there are two directional antennas pointing in the direction corresponding to the maximum difference, and both are selected, the AP also needs to select two omnidirectional antennas to communicate with the client, i.e., it may use a combination of two directional antennas and two omnidirectional antennas for communication. In other words, when determining the client's location, a combination of one directional antenna and one omnidirectional antenna may be used for target location determination. However, after determining the target location, a selection of antenna combinations may be made from the directional and omnidirectional antennas pointing in that direction for communication. This selection may be done through a polling approach, trying each combination of directional and omnidirectional antennas to test which combination provides the most stable and fastest communication, thus determining the optimal combination of directional and omnidirectional antennas for communication with the client.

[0082] In some compact AP devices, there may be physical obstructions between antennas (as described above). Figure 1 (There is overlap between the signal coverage areas mentioned). For example... Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 This schematically illustrates the relative distribution of omnidirectional and directional antennas provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 In the diagram, circles represent omnidirectional antennas, and arrows represent directional antennas. An arrow represents only one direction but may contain multiple directional antennas. The numbers inside the diagram are only used to distinguish different locations and do not represent the number of antennas. For example, the number 1 in the diagram indicates that there is physical obstruction between the two groups of antennas, directional antenna [1] and omnidirectional antenna [1].

[0083] exist Figure 4In this context, there is physical obstruction between the directional antenna [1] and the omnidirectional antenna [1], meaning that the directional antenna may obstruct the omnidirectional antenna. When communicating with the client, the directional antenna [1] and the omnidirectional antenna [2] and / or the omnidirectional antenna [3] and / or the omnidirectional antenna [4] can be selected to communicate with the client. That is, when selecting a combination of directional and omnidirectional antennas, the antenna combination that is physically as unobstructed as possible should be preferred. Some examples are given below; if there are other options, a higher antenna may be selected based on the RSSI value of the omnidirectional antenna, or a higher omnidirectional antenna may be selected based on the signal-to-noise ratio. If the client is in the azimuth [1], the antenna combination that the AP may use is 2 directional antennas [1] + 1 omnidirectional antenna [2] + 1 omnidirectional antenna [3]. In this example, the omnidirectional antennas [2], [3] and [4] have the lowest obstruction in the direction pointed to by the directional antenna [1]. Considering that the physical spacing between the omnidirectional antennas [2] and [3] is larger, the above two directional antennas [1] + one omnidirectional antenna [2] + one omnidirectional antenna [3] are selected to communicate with the client.

[0084] As can be further seen from the above examples, the communication method provided by at least one embodiment of this disclosure is simple to implement and can quickly determine the physical location of the client by the difference in physical gain between antennas and the physical gain angle of the antennas, avoiding the problem of inaccurate location determination by using RSSI values ​​from tests with the same antennas (such as all omnidirectional antennas or all directional antennas). In subsequent communication, the AP can use an antenna pointing to this physical location to communicate with the client, thereby significantly improving throughput performance. On the other hand, by using the RSSI difference between the chains of combined antennas, it can avoid the situation where misjudgment of direction is caused by RSSI collected by only omnidirectional antennas or only directional antennas due to the jitter of the client in the same direction. For example, if the client is moving in a 90-degree direction, the combined antennas can determine that the client is in that location, while only directional antennas or only omnidirectional antennas cannot accurately determine the client's location.

[0085] The above combination Figures 2 to 4 This section describes in detail the scenario where an AP serves a single client. However, for some high-end multi-antenna APs, they often need to serve multiple clients and / or there may be AP networking requirements. Antenna selection must consider not only the client distribution but also the backhaul requirements of multi-AP networking. The following example illustrates this. Figure 5 The illustration shows a scenario where an AP is associated with multiple clients (STA-1, STA-2) and there is a network AP (AP-2).

[0086] This example uses a support for 4 4. Take the scenario of MIMO AP associated with multiple (e.g., two) clients and networked APs (e.g., one) as an example.

[0087] The first step is to use the combination described above. Figures 2 to 4 The same communication method is used to obtain the location (i.e., optimal direction) of each client (STA-1, STA-2) and the network AP (AP-2), and their locations are marked as d. STA-1 d STA-2 d AP-2 If d STA-1 d STA-2 d AP-2 If they are in the same physical direction, the AP can choose a directional antenna pointing in that direction, or a directional antenna pointing in that direction and at least one omnidirectional antenna for communication (refer to the above combination). Figure 1 (Based on the aforementioned selection method), the antenna selection process ends. If the three directions mentioned above are different, proceed to the next step (i.e., the second step).

[0088] The second step is to create a weight array to indicate the direction selected in the first step: [d STA-1 =1, d STA-2 =1, d AP-2 =1], meaning the value in each direction is set to 1. If clients have the same direction, the values ​​are merged and added together, and only one direction is listed, such as d. STA-1 , d STA-2 If the corresponding directions are the same, then the array degenerates into [d]. STA-1 =2, d AP-2 =1]. It should be noted that pre-establishing the weight array (i.e., the initial values ​​of the weights) is just an example; the above combination can also be used. Figure 1 The method described directly determines the corresponding weights without needing to pre-set initial weights.

[0089] The third step is to adjust the weights. Weighting factors include throughput, QoS, and multi-link operation. For throughput, the ratio of a single client's throughput to the average traffic (obtained by dividing the total traffic through the AP by the number of clients) can be used as the weight value. For example, if STA-1's throughput is three times the average throughput, then the weight in the weight array d... STA-1 The corresponding value is increased by 2. For QoS, weighting can be applied based on whether QoS services were negotiated. For example, if client STA-2 negotiated QoS with the AP, then the weight array d... STA-2 The corresponding value is incremented by 1. For multi-link operations, if the client is a member of a multi-link system, such as STA-1 being one link in a multi-link system (e.g., STA-1 operates in the 5GHz band, and another link operates in the 6GHz band), then the value in the weight array d is incremented by 1. STA-1The corresponding value is reduced by 1. For network APs, in addition to the above, their weight values ​​can also be adjusted by adding factors such as latency. For example, the greater the network backhaul latency, the higher its weight value.

[0090] The fourth step is to select the antenna. Following the method in step three, sort the weight array and select the direction with the largest weight value. If this direction aligns with d... AP-2 If they are the same, select the corresponding antenna (as described above). Figure 1 The selection method, such as using a directional antenna pointing in that direction or a directional antenna pointing in that direction and at least one omnidirectional antenna, allows for communication. If that direction aligns with d... AP-2 If the directions differ, a combination of antennas is selected. This means choosing the direction with the highest weight for the directional antenna, and at least one omnidirectional antenna is chosen to ensure the backhaul network meets requirements. In this example, two directional antennas and two omnidirectional antennas can be selected for communication.

[0091] Finally, a combination antenna of directional and omnidirectional antennas selected according to the above method is used for subsequent communication.

[0092] By combining Figure 5 As can be seen from the examples described, the communication method provided by one or more embodiments of this disclosure can optimize the performance of multi-user scenarios by utilizing the physical location (i.e., orientation) of the client, as well as information such as throughput, QoS, and multi-link operation, while ensuring that the backhaul performance does not significantly decline when there are networked APs.

[0093] In addition to the communication method described above, this disclosure also provides one or more embodiments of a corresponding access point, a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product. These will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0094] Figure 6 The illustration schematically shows an example configuration of an access point 600 provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The access point 600 may include a processor (such as a central processing unit (CPU) 630) and a memory 640. It should be noted that the CPU 630 is merely an example; the processor may also be a digital signal processor (DSP) or other form of processing unit with data processing capabilities and / or instruction execution capabilities. It may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor and may control other components in the access point to perform desired functions. The memory 640 may include volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may, for example, include random access memory (RAM) and / or cache memory. The non-volatile memory may, for example, include read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, flash memory, etc.

[0095] Additionally, access point 600 may also include transceiver 610 and multiple directional antennas 620-1 and at least one omnidirectional antenna 620-2 (for simplicity, in...). Figure 6 Only one transceiver is shown in the diagram. Memory 640 can store instructions. Transceiver 610 can transmit / receive signals on the channel via antenna 620-1 or antennas 620-1 and 620-2. Processor 630 can be configured to execute the instructions stored in memory 640 to cause the access point to perform the communication methods described in this disclosure (e.g., the above combination). Figure 1 The communication method 100 described above. For example, processor 630 may be configured to: for each of at least one communication device, measure signals received from each communication device via a directional antenna of the access point from a plurality of configured directional antenna directions to obtain a plurality of directional signal strengths corresponding to each communication device; measure the signals received via an omnidirectional antenna of the access point to obtain an omnidirectional signal strength corresponding to each communication device; and determine the orientation of each communication device based on a comparison of the strength differences between the omnidirectional signal strength and the plurality of directional signal strengths. Furthermore, processor 630 may also be configured to perform the above-mentioned reference. Figures 1 to 5 Other operations described are acceptable as long as there are no contradictions between them.

[0096] It should be understood that Figure 6 The access point configuration described herein is merely an example and not a limitation. The access point configuration in this disclosure may include more than... Figure 6 The number of components in the component may be more or less.

[0097] Furthermore, this disclosure also provides an access point that includes methods for performing the above-described combination. Figure 1 The components of any of the steps in the aforementioned communication method. Exemplarily, the access point may include, for each of at least one communication device: components for measuring signals received from each communication device via the directional antenna of the access point from a plurality of configured directional antenna directions to obtain a plurality of directional signal strengths corresponding to each communication device; components for measuring the signals received via the omnidirectional antenna of the access point to obtain an omnidirectional signal strength corresponding to each communication device; and components for determining the orientation of each communication device based on a comparison result of the intensity differences between the omnidirectional signal strength and the plurality of directional signal strengths.

[0098] Furthermore, this disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the above-described combinations. Figure 1Any of the communication methods described herein. The recording medium in the embodiments of this disclosure may be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory may be random access memory (RAM), which serves as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct memory bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0099] It should be noted that the computer-readable medium described in the embodiments of this disclosure may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium, or any combination thereof. A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example,—but not limited to—an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage device, magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer-readable signal medium may also be any computer-readable medium other than a computer-readable storage medium, which can transmit, propagate, or transfer a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The program code contained on the computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to: wires, optical cables, RF (radio frequency), etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0100] Furthermore, while the operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring these operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in a sequential order. In certain environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure. Certain features described in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0101] Although the subject matter has been described using language specific to structural features and / or methodological logic, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are merely illustrative examples of implementing the claims.

[0102] Unless otherwise expressly stated, expressions such as “according to,” “based on,” “depending on,” etc., as used in this disclosure do not mean “according to only,” “based on only,” or “depending on only.” In other words, in this disclosure, such expressions generally mean “at least according to,” “at least based on,” or “at least depending on.”

[0103] Any reference to the names “first,” “second,” etc., used in this disclosure is not intended to comprehensively limit the number or order of these elements. These expressions may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish two or more elements. Therefore, reference to the first element and the second element does not imply that only two elements may be used, or that the first element must precede the second element in some form.

[0104] As used in this disclosure, the term "determine" can include a variety of operations. For example, "determine," calculation, operation, processing, derivation, investigation, search (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), and ascertainment are all considered "determine." Additionally, "determine" also refers to receiving (e.g., receiving information), sending (e.g., sending information), inputting, outputting, and accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory). Furthermore, "determine" can also refer to parsing, selecting, picking, building, and comparing. In other words, several actions can be considered "determine."

[0105] As used in this disclosure, terms such as “connection,” “coupling,” or any variation thereof refer to any direct or indirect connection or combination between two or more units, which may include situations where one or more intermediate units exist between two units that are “connected” or “coupled” to each other. The coupling or connection between units may be physical or logical, or a combination of both. As used in this disclosure, two units may be considered electrically connected by means of one or more wires, cables, and / or printing, and as numerous non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples, may be “connected” or “coupled” to each other by means of electromagnetic energy in the radio frequency region, microwave region, and / or light (visible and invisible) region, etc.

[0106] When the terms “comprising,” “including,” and variations thereof are used in this disclosure or claims, these terms are open-ended, just like the term “having.” Furthermore, the term “or” as used in this disclosure or claims is not an exclusive “or.”

[0107] It should be noted that the above description is merely some embodiments of this disclosure and an explanation of the technical principles employed. For example, the formulas involved in this disclosure are merely examples and not limitations. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of disclosure involved in this disclosure is not limited to technical solutions formed by specific combinations of the above-described technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by arbitrary combinations of the above-described technical features or their equivalent features without departing from the above-described concept. For example, technical solutions formed by substituting the above features with (but not limited to) technical features with similar functions disclosed in this disclosure. That is to say, those skilled in the art will understand that many changes and / or modifications can be made to this disclosure shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure as broadly described. Therefore, this embodiment is considered illustrative rather than restrictive in all respects.

Claims

1. A communication method performed by an access point, comprising: For each of at least one communication device The signals received from each communication device via the directional antenna of the access point from the directions of the configured plurality of directional antennas are measured to obtain the plurality of directional signal strengths corresponding to each communication device; Measure the signal received through the omnidirectional antenna of the access point to obtain the omnidirectional signal strength corresponding to each communication device; as well as The orientation of each communication device is determined based on the comparison of the intensity differences between the omnidirectional signal strength and the multiple directional signal strengths.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, Determining the orientation of each communication device based on the comparison results of the intensity differences between the omnidirectional signal strength and the multiple directional signal strengths includes: Based on the comparison results of the intensity differences between the omnidirectional signal strength and the plurality of directional signal strengths, the maximum difference among the intensity differences is determined; and The orientation of each communication device is determined based on the directional antenna direction corresponding to the maximum difference.

3. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The multiple directional antenna directions include different directional antenna directions configured by rotating the same directional antenna and / or different directional antenna directions configured separately for the multiple directional antennas.

4. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein, The at least one communication device is a single communication device, and the communication method further includes: Based on the number of transmit and receive links supported by the access point and the number of directional antennas pointing in the direction of the directional antenna corresponding to the maximum difference, at least one of the directional antennas pointing in the direction of the directional antenna corresponding to the maximum difference is selected, or at least one of the omnidirectional antennas and all the directional antennas pointing in the direction of the directional antenna corresponding to the maximum difference are selected. Based on the selected antenna, communication is conducted with the communication device.

5. The communication method according to claim 4, wherein, Selecting at least one of the omnidirectional antennas includes: At least one of the omnidirectional antennas is selected based on the number of transmit / receive links, the number of directional antennas pointing in the direction corresponding to the maximum difference, and the degree of overlap between the signal coverage of the directional antenna pointing in the direction corresponding to the maximum difference and the signal coverage of each of the omnidirectional antennas.

6. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein, The at least one communication device may be multiple communication devices, and the communication method further includes: A weight is determined for the location of each of the plurality of communication devices, wherein, in response to each communication device being a client, the weight is determined based on at least one of the client's throughput, quality of service information, and supported communication frequency bands; and in response to each communication device being another access point, the weight is determined based on the wireless backhaul delay between the other access point and the access point. Based on the number of transmit and receive links supported by the access point, the number of directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight, and whether the communication device at the direction corresponding to the maximum weight is a client, at least one of the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight is selected, or at least one of the omnidirectional antennas and at least one of the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight are selected. Based on the selected antenna, communication is conducted with the plurality of communication devices.

7. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein, based on the number of transmit / receive links supported by the access point, the number of directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight, and whether the communication device at the direction corresponding to the maximum weight is a client, at least one of the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight is selected, or at least one of the omnidirectional antennas and at least one of the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight is selected, comprising: If the number of transmit and receive links supported by the access point is 1, select one of the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight; When the number of transmit and receive links supported by the access point and the number of directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight are equal, in response to the communication device at the direction corresponding to the maximum weight being a client, at least one of the omnidirectional antennas and at least one of the directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight are selected. In response that the communication device at the azimuth corresponding to the maximum weight is not a client, select all directional antennas pointing to the azimuth corresponding to the maximum weight; If the number of transmit / receive links supported by the access point is greater than the number of directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight, at least one of the omnidirectional antennas and all directional antennas pointing to the direction corresponding to the maximum weight are selected.

8. An access point, comprising: A memory that stores instructions; as well as A processor, coupled to the memory, is configured to execute the instructions to cause the access point to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1-7.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1-7.

10. A computer program product comprising computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1-7.

11. An access point, comprising: Components for performing the steps of the communication method according to any one of claims 1-7.

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