Antenna control method, access point device, and computer program product

Abstract

This disclosure relates to an antenna control method, access point equipment, and computer program product. The method includes: acquiring link layer service status information and physical layer channel status information of multiple terminal station (STA) devices served by an AP device; identifying, based on the link layer service status information and the physical layer channel status information, whether a trigger avoidance scenario affecting service continuity exists; and, in response to the absence of the trigger avoidance scenario, determining, at least based on the physical layer channel status information of the multiple STA devices, whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment of the AP device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to wireless communication technology, and more specifically, to an antenna control method for access point (AP) devices, access point devices, and computer program products. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of wireless communication technologies (such as Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7), the wireless communication environment is becoming increasingly complex and diverse, and users' requirements for wireless link quality and network experience are constantly increasing. As the core hub of a wireless communication network, the antenna configuration of an AP device directly determines the stability of signal transmission, the strength of received signal, and network throughput. To adapt to the dynamic changes in the wireless communication environment, AP devices need to have the ability to adjust antenna modes, such as switching the polarization direction of an omnidirectional antenna or adjusting the beam direction of a directional antenna, thereby optimizing wireless link quality and ultimately achieving a comprehensive upgrade in user experience.

[0003] Traditional wireless communication systems generally employ fixed antenna configurations (e.g., fixed beam direction, single polarization). While simple to implement, this fixed antenna configuration exhibits significant limitations in complex wireless environments. In recent years, smart antennas have received widespread attention, as they can dynamically adjust the antenna mode of access points (APs) (e.g., polarization of omnidirectional antennas, beam direction of directional antennas, etc.). By dynamically adapting to the optimal antenna mode, smart antennas can significantly improve the received signal strength and system throughput, thus showing broad application prospects in next-generation wireless communications such as Wi-Fi 8.

[0004] However, smart antennas still face many challenges in practical applications. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above problems, this disclosure provides an antenna control method for access point (AP) devices. Based on cross-layer information collection, it introduces a risk avoidance mechanism for trigger avoidance scenarios. Combining the risk avoidance mechanism with the channel state information of multiple users, the method determines the trigger for antenna mode adjustment, thereby avoiding blindly triggering antenna mode adjustment and affecting service continuity, thus ensuring the QoS quality of critical services and a smooth user experience.

[0006] One aspect of this disclosure provides an antenna control method for an access point (AP) device, comprising: acquiring link layer service status information and physical layer channel status information of multiple terminal station (STA) devices served by the AP device; identifying, based on the link layer service status information and the physical layer channel status information, whether there is a trigger avoidance scenario that affects service continuity; and, in response to the absence of the trigger avoidance scenario, determining, at least based on the physical layer channel status information of the multiple STA devices, whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment of the AP device.

[0007] Another aspect of the disclosure provides an access point (AP) device, comprising: an acquisition module configured to acquire link layer service status information and physical layer channel status information of multiple terminal station (STA) devices served by the AP device; an identification module configured to identify, based on the link layer service status information and the physical layer channel status information, whether there is a trigger avoidance scenario affecting service continuity; and a determination module configured to, in response to the absence of the trigger avoidance scenario, determine, at least based on the physical layer channel status information of the multiple STA devices, whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment of the AP device.

[0008] Another aspect of this disclosure provides an access point (AP) device, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and computer program instructions stored in the memory, the computer program instructions performing the above-described method when executed by the processor.

[0009] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a computer program product including computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the methods described above. Attached Figure Description

[0010] The aspects, features, and advantages of this disclosure will become clearer and more readily understood from the following description of embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided to offer a further understanding of the embodiments of this disclosure and form part of the specification. The drawings, together with the embodiments of this disclosure, are used to explain this disclosure but do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0011] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating application scenarios of an AP device with a smart antenna according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0012] Figure 2 A flowchart of an antenna control method for an AP device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0013] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating an example implementation of an antenna control method for an AP device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0014] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of another example implementation of an antenna control method for an AP device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0015] Figure 5 Example block diagrams of AP devices according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.

[0016] Figure 6 Another example block diagram of an AP device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The technical solutions of this disclosure will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0018] Furthermore, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of this disclosure described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0019] The terms “exemplary” and / or “example” are used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” is not necessarily to be construed as superior to or better than other aspects. Similarly, the term “aspects of this disclosure” does not require that all aspects of this disclosure include the features, advantages, or modes of operation discussed.

[0020] In smart antenna systems, antenna operating modes are switched through antenna training and mode selection. For example, antenna training and mode selection involves sending training sequences (e.g., empty data packet probe frames) to measure the current wireless channel. The receiver estimates the current channel state and feeds back relevant information (e.g., Channel State Information (CSI)). Then, based on the feedback, the transmitter selects the most suitable operating mode from a variety of predefined antenna configurations (e.g., beam direction, polarization). The performance gain of smart antennas is highly dependent on the accuracy and timeliness of antenna training and mode selection. If antenna training and mode selection are too frequent, wireless resources will be heavily consumed in the training process, increasing overall system latency and potentially causing negative user experiences (e.g., throughput jitter, service interruption). Conversely, if antenna training and mode selection are not timely, the AP device will continuously operate under suboptimal antenna configurations without timely adaptive adjustments, thus missing the best opportunity to improve link quality and causing continuous signal attenuation, increased interference, or decreased data rate, resulting in link performance losses. Therefore, determining the appropriate triggering time to initiate antenna training and mode selection has become a key issue in smart antenna systems.

[0021] Typically, antenna training and mode selection can be triggered based on physical layer channel quality indicators. For example, antenna training and mode selection are triggered when physical layer channel quality indicators such as Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), or Packet Error Rate (PER) degrade to below a preset threshold. However, this triggering method does not consider the actual situation of the user (e.g., the user is constantly moving, or the user is conducting important communication), which may cause the following problems: For constantly moving users, when the channel quality degrades briefly due to rapidly changing environments, meaningless training will be triggered frequently, wasting air interface and computing resources, and potentially causing the training results to become outdated before they are applied; while for users conducting important communication (e.g., real-time audio and video, online games, etc.), the training process will interrupt the ongoing service data transmission, introducing additional latency and packet loss, which will actually reduce service quality. Alternatively, antenna training and mode selection can be triggered periodically, that is, antenna training and mode selection can be forcibly triggered at fixed time intervals, even if the current channel quality is good. Therefore, periodic triggering may lead to unnecessary antenna training and mode selection, wasting system resources. Furthermore, periodic triggering does not consider the user's actual situation (e.g., the user is constantly moving or engaged in important communication), thus also causing the aforementioned problems. It is clear that both triggering methods have significant limitations and struggle to balance system overhead and service quality.

[0022] Based on this, this disclosure proposes a triggering mechanism that combines cross-layer information acquisition (physical layer channel state information and link layer service state information) + risk scenario identification + multi-user comprehensive decision-making. It avoids risks based on cross-layer information and makes comprehensive decisions based at least on the physical layer channel state information in the cross-layer information. This can avoid blindly triggering antenna mode adjustments and affecting service continuity, thereby ensuring the QoS quality of critical services and a smooth user experience.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system 100 for communicating between an AP device 110 supporting smart antenna technology and a STA device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0024] In the communication system 100, the AP device 110 can communicate with one or more STA devices (e.g., STA devices 102-a, 102-b, and 102-c). The AP device 110 may include a radio frequency (RF) unit, a baseband processing unit, a smart antenna array (e.g., a phased array antenna), a media access control (MAC) processor, etc. The smart antenna of the AP device 110 can support different antenna modes. For example, in a first antenna mode, the AP device 110 can form a signal coverage beam to serve STA device 102-a within the beam range, while in a second antenna mode, the AP device 110 can form a signal coverage beam to serve STA devices 102-b and 102-c within the beam range.

[0025] In this disclosure, "STA" can refer to any device that includes a Media Access Control (MAC) interface compliant with IEEE 802.11 and a Physical Layer (PHY) interface to the Wireless Media (WM). In a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), "STA" refers to a terminal device connected to a wireless network, such as a laptop, smartphone, tablet, desktop personal computer (PC), personal digital assistant (PDA), access point, or Wi-Fi phone in a WLAN environment. STAs can be fixed or mobile. In a WLAN environment, the terms "STA," "terminal," "wireless terminal," "user," "user equipment," and "node" are often used interchangeably. In this disclosure, a STA in a WLAN can function as an Access Point (AP) in different contexts, and vice versa. This is because communication equipment in an IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) technology environment can include both STA hardware components and AP hardware components. In this way, the communication device can switch between STA mode and AP mode based on actual WLAN conditions and / or requirements.

[0026] In this disclosure, an AP is interchangeably referred to as a wireless access point, which is a communication device that can communicate with a non-AP (i.e., a communication device that is not implemented as an AP and can communicate with an AP via one or more links, such as a station or terminal, interchangeably referred to as a STA) in a WLAN, and allows the non-AP to connect to a wired network.

[0027] Figure 2 A flowchart of an antenna control method for an AP device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0028] like Figure 2 As shown, in step 210, multiple STA devices (e.g., STA1, ..., STA2) serving the AP device can be obtained. NThe link layer service status information and physical layer channel status information of the STA devices can be obtained from the kernel driver of the AP device. For example, the link layer service status information and physical layer channel status information of these STA devices can be obtained from the kernel driver of the AP device. The link layer service status information may include, for example, the Traffic Identifier (TID) and quantity of data packets to be sent in the service queue, but is not limited to these. The service queue may include, for example, a common queue for caching unaggregated data packets to be sent by the AP device to multiple STA devices, and an Aggregated Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (AMPDU) queue for caching aggregated data packets to be sent by the AP device to corresponding STA devices among the multiple STA devices. The physical layer channel status information may include, for example, at least one of the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) and the physical layer negotiated rate (e.g., the maximum theoretical transmission rate negotiated by both parties), but is not limited to these. For example, the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) may include information containing user U... i (i.e., STA) i The Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) at the current time t (i=1, ..., N) RSSI window sequence The RSSI window sequence includes the latest W (e.g., W=10) sample values. Similarly, the physical layer negotiation rate may include user U... i (For example, the physical layer negotiation rate of STA device 102-a at current time t) Physical layer negotiated rate window sequence The physical layer negotiated rate window sequence includes the latest W (e.g., W=10) sample values. Physical layer channel state information and link layer service state information are information that the AP device collects locally or can easily obtain through other means, without requiring the device to participate in any additional signaling interaction, thus avoiding the introduction of new protocol overhead or increased implementation complexity.

[0029] In step 220, based on link-layer service status information and physical-layer channel status information, it can be identified whether there are trigger avoidance scenarios that affect service continuity. Trigger avoidance scenarios can include at least latency-sensitive service scenarios and / or STA device mobility scenarios. Latency-sensitive service scenarios refer to scenarios where latency-sensitive services exist (e.g., video streaming (VI) type services, such as video conferencing, live streaming, and streaming media; voice streaming (VO) type services, such as Voice over IP (VoIP) and online games). STA device mobility scenarios refer to scenarios where the STA device is in a mobile state. Trigger avoidance scenarios can be flexibly preset according to user needs. For example, if the user only focuses on latency-sensitive service scenarios or if STA device mobility scenarios do not currently occur, the trigger avoidance scenarios can only include latency-sensitive service scenarios; conversely, if the user focuses on both latency-sensitive service scenarios and STA device mobility scenarios, the trigger avoidance scenarios can include both. By proactively identifying these two risk scenarios that affect service continuity and incorporating them into consideration, the negative impacts of critical service interruptions and user experience degradation caused by these risk scenarios can be avoided to a certain extent. Furthermore, by flexibly pre-setting trigger avoidance scenarios, it is possible to avoid a certain type of risk scenario to reduce system losses, or to avoid two types of risk scenarios at the same time to maximize business continuity and meet the needs of diverse deployment scenarios.

[0030] For example, the number of latency-sensitive services cached in the service queue can be determined based on link-layer service status information, and the existence of latency-sensitive service scenarios can be identified based on the number of data packets of latency-sensitive services. For instance, it can be determined whether the number of data packets of latency-sensitive services cached in the common queue exceeds a preset threshold (e.g., 10), and for each STA device, it can be determined whether the number of data packets of latency-sensitive services cached in the AMPDU queue to be sent to the corresponding STA device (e.g., STA1) exceeds a preset threshold (e.g., 10). As long as the number of data packets of latency-sensitive services (e.g., VI or VO) in any service queue exceeds the preset threshold, a latency-sensitive service scenario can be identified. By dynamically configuring preset thresholds for different scenarios or user needs, the system can accurately adjust the response sensitivity to latency-sensitive services, thereby flexibly adapting to diverse service scenario requirements and achieving differentiated and scenario-based deployment of system functions.

[0031] For example, the signal strength fluctuation level can be determined based on physical layer channel state information, and the presence of STA device movement scenarios can be identified based on the signal strength fluctuation level. For instance, it can be determined whether the signal strength fluctuation level exceeds a preset strength threshold. If the signal strength fluctuation level of any STA device exceeds the preset strength threshold, the presence of an STA device movement scenario can be determined. For example, the signal strength fluctuation level can include a sequence of signal strength measurements (e.g., an RSSI window sequence). The standard deviation between the current value and the mean in (e.g., The absolute value of ). If the standard deviation (e.g., If the absolute value of the signal strength fluctuation exceeds a preset strength threshold Th_std (e.g., 4dB), then a STA device movement scenario can be determined. Alternatively, the signal strength fluctuation level can include a sequence of signal strength measurements (e.g., an RSSI window sequence). The range between the maximum and minimum values ​​in (e.g., The absolute value of the range. If the range (e.g., If the absolute value of the signal exceeds a preset intensity threshold Th_range (e.g., 8dB), a STA device movement scenario can be determined. By dynamically configuring preset quantity thresholds for different scenarios or user needs, the system can accurately adjust its response sensitivity to STA device movement scenarios, thereby flexibly adapting to diverse business scenario requirements and achieving differentiated and scenario-based deployment of system functions.

[0032] In step 230, in response to the absence of a trigger avoidance scenario, it can be determined whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment (i.e., antenna training and mode selection) of the AP device based on at least the physical layer channel state information of multiple STA devices. For example, it can be determined whether the channel of the STA device has degraded based on the physical layer channel state information. If the channel has degraded, it is determined to trigger antenna mode adjustment; otherwise, if the channel has not degraded, it is determined not to trigger antenna mode adjustment.

[0033] According to embodiments of this disclosure, in the absence of a trigger avoidance scenario, the channel quality degradation level of each of the multiple STA devices can be determined based on physical layer channel state information, and the trigger willingness value of each STA device can be determined based on the channel quality degradation level. The trigger willingness value is positively correlated with the channel quality degradation level; that is, the greater the channel quality degradation level, the stronger the trigger willingness and the larger the trigger willingness value. For example, the channel quality degradation level may include the average value of physical layer channel state information within the current sampling window (e.g., average RSSI). Or average physical layer negotiation rate ) relative to a preset channel quality benchmark (e.g., average RSSI) Or average physical layer negotiation rate The change in (e.g., the change in average RSSI) Or the change in the average physical layer negotiation rate The preset channel quality reference value can be the value of the physical layer channel state information when the current antenna mode is first adjusted, and it can be reset after the next antenna mode adjustment. Alternatively, the preset channel quality reference value can also be a fixed value. For example, it can be determined whether the channel quality degradation exceeds a first preset quality threshold if the channel quality degradation of a certain STA device (e.g., the change in average RSSI) is significant. Or the change in the average physical layer negotiation rate The value exceeds a first preset quality threshold (e.g., for the average RSSI change). The first preset quality threshold is Th_rssi (e.g., 3dB), for the average physical layer negotiation rate variation. The first preset quality threshold is Th_rate (e.g., 15%). That is, if the channel quality deteriorates, the trigger intention value of the STA device can be determined. Its value can be greater than the trigger intention value of other STA devices whose channel quality deterioration does not exceed the first preset quality threshold (i.e., the channel quality has not deteriorated).

[0034] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the trigger intention value may include a first value and a second value. The first value indicates that the channel quality degradation exceeds a first preset quality threshold, and the second value indicates that the channel quality degradation does not exceed the first preset quality threshold. For example, if the channel quality degradation of a certain STA device exceeds the first preset quality threshold, the trigger intention value of that STA device can be determined to be the first value, and if the channel quality degradation of a certain STA device does not exceed the first preset quality threshold, the trigger intention value of that STA device can be determined to be the second value. For example, the first value is N, and the second value is -N, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, such as 1. In the following examples, the first value will be 1 and the second value will be -1 as an example. Quantifying the trigger demand (i.e., trigger intention value) of each user based on the channel degradation situation, i.e., the first value (positive intention) and the second value (negative intention), has low computational complexity and fast response, making it suitable for wireless communication systems with high real-time requirements.

[0035] In one embodiment, a comprehensive willingness value can be obtained by combining the trigger willingness values ​​of multiple STA devices, and an antenna mode adjustment can be determined based on the comprehensive willingness value. For example, the comprehensive willingness value can be compared with a preset trigger threshold to determine whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment. For example, in response to the comprehensive willingness value exceeding the preset trigger threshold, it is determined that antenna mode adjustment is triggered, and in response to the comprehensive willingness value not exceeding the preset trigger threshold, it is determined that antenna mode adjustment is not triggered. For example, the trigger willingness values ​​of multiple STA devices can be summed (i.e., Where i is the index of the STA device, W i Let N be the trigger willingness value for the i-th STA device, and N be the total number of STA devices served by the AP device. The sum of the trigger willingness values ​​is used as the comprehensive willingness value. For example, suppose the AP device serves 3 STA devices, namely STA1, STA2, and STA3. The trigger willingness value of STA1 is 1, the trigger willingness value of STA2 is -1, and the trigger willingness value of STA3 is -1. The sum of the trigger willingness values ​​of the 3 STA devices (i.e., the comprehensive willingness value) can be calculated as 1 + (-1) + (-1) = -1. Then, the sum of the trigger willingness values ​​(i.e., the comprehensive willingness value) is compared with a preset trigger threshold (e.g., set to 0). If the sum of the trigger willingness values ​​(i.e., the comprehensive willingness value) is less than the preset trigger threshold of 0, it can be determined that antenna mode adjustment will not be triggered. In this way, in a multi-user environment, by quantifying the triggering needs (i.e., triggering willingness values) of each user according to the channel degradation, a collaborative decision-making mechanism based on triggering willingness values ​​is formed, similar to a user voting mechanism. This avoids the negative impact of the traditional "one-size-fits-all" triggering logic (i.e., initiating global training due to the channel degradation of individual users) on the overall system efficiency, thereby maximizing the overall system throughput efficiency and optimizing the overall system performance while ensuring the individual user experience.

[0036] In another embodiment, the overall intention value can be determined not only based on the trigger intention values ​​of multiple STA devices, but also based on the trigger influence weight. For example, the packet value of the service queue of each STA device can be determined based on link layer service status information, and the trigger influence weight of each STA device can be determined based on the packet value. The trigger influence weight is positively correlated with the packet value; that is, the higher the packet value, the higher the user's trigger influence and the higher the trigger influence weight. The packet value can be determined based on the number of packets of various service types in the service queue of the STA device and their service weights. The service weights of various service types can be preset, for example, a preset service weight table. For example, for STA1, assuming that the number of packets to be sent to STA1 in the AMPDU queue is 5 for VO type service (with a service weight of 6), 4 for VI type service (with a service weight of 4), 2 for best-effort (BE) type service (with a service weight of 2), and 1 for background flow (BK) type service (with a service weight of 1), the packet value of STA1 can be calculated as 5×6+4×4+2×2+1×1=51.

[0037] For example, the packet values ​​of multiple STA devices can be sorted, and the triggering influence weight of the corresponding STA device among the multiple STA devices can be determined based on the order in the sort. For example, STA1 has a packet value of 51, STA2 has a packet value of 40, and STA3 has a packet value of 45. The packet values ​​are sorted from high to low as [51, 45, 40], corresponding to [STA1, STA3, STA2]. Therefore, the order of STA1, STA2, and STA3 is 1, 3, and 2, respectively. Those skilled in the art will understand that the sorting can also be from low to high. For example, the triggering influence weight can be the total number of users + 1 - order. For example, the triggering influence weight of STA1 is 3 + 1 - 1 = 3, the triggering influence weight of STA2 is 3 + 1 - 3 = 1, and the triggering influence weight of STA3 is 3 + 1 - 2 = 2. For example, the triggering intention value of multiple STA devices can be summed with the product of the triggering influence weight of multiple STA devices (i.e., Where i is the index of the STA device, W i V represents the trigger intention value of the i-th STA device. iLet N be the total number of STA devices served by the AP, and let N be the trigger influence weight of the i-th STA device. The sum of these products is then used as the overall willingness value. Therefore, the sum of the products of the three STA devices (i.e., the overall willingness value) can be calculated as 1×3 + (-1)×1 + (-1)×2 = 0. This sum of products (i.e., the overall willingness value) is then compared with a preset trigger threshold (e.g., set to 0). If the sum of the trigger willingness values ​​(i.e., the overall willingness value) equals the preset trigger threshold of 0, it can be determined that antenna mode adjustment will not be triggered. Alternatively, the data packet value can be directly determined as the trigger influence weight of the corresponding STA device among multiple STA devices. For example, STA1 has a trigger influence weight of 51, STA2 has a trigger influence weight of 40, and STA3 has a trigger influence weight of 45. By using data packet value to identify STAs with high-value services and assigning them higher trigger influence weights, it is possible to ensure that high-value services have a higher trigger influence, thereby tilting system resources towards high-value traffic. Furthermore, the algorithm has low complexity and can be directly deployed on existing commercial AP devices in software or firmware form without upgrading hardware.

[0038] In this way, by quantifying the triggering influence of each user based on the service status (i.e., triggering influence weight), and combining each user's triggering willingness value and triggering influence weight, a "willingness + influence" weighted voting mechanism is formed. This mechanism enables triggering decisions to respond to the channel deterioration trend of the majority of users, while also tilting towards high-value service traffic (for example, avoiding the waste of resources in global training triggered by the channel degradation of individual low-value service users, while ensuring that high-value services receive priority protection when the channel deteriorates), thereby optimizing the overall system utility.

[0039] The above describes the situation where the trigger avoidance scenario is not identified. The following describes the situation where the trigger avoidance scenario is identified.

[0040] In one embodiment, in response to identifying any STA device exhibiting the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario, it can be determined not to trigger antenna mode adjustment (e.g. Figure 3 (As shown). In other words, as long as the above-mentioned trigger avoidance scenario occurs, it is not necessary to perform the operation of determining whether to trigger the antenna mode adjustment of the AP device based on the physical layer channel state information of at least multiple STA devices.

[0041] In another embodiment, in response to the identification of any STA device exhibiting the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario, instead of directly determining not to trigger antenna mode adjustment, further determination is performed after all STA devices have identified the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario (e.g., Figure 4(As shown). For example, in response to the identification of any STA device having the above-mentioned trigger avoidance scenario, it can be determined whether to trigger the antenna mode adjustment of the AP device based at least on the identification result of each STA device having the above-mentioned trigger avoidance scenario and the physical layer channel state information of multiple STA devices. For example, for each STA device, it can be determined whether the number of delay-sensitive service data packets to be sent to the corresponding STA device in the AMPDU queue exceeds a preset number threshold (e.g., 10), or it can be determined whether the signal strength fluctuation of the corresponding STA device exceeds a preset strength threshold, and based on the number of delay-sensitive service data packets exceeding the preset number threshold or the signal strength fluctuation exceeding the preset strength threshold, it is determined that the corresponding STA device has a trigger avoidance scenario. For example, for each STA device having the above-mentioned trigger avoidance scenario, its trigger intention value can be determined to a preset minimum value (e.g., the second value as described above, e.g., -1), while for each STA device not having a trigger avoidance scenario, similar to the case where there is no trigger avoidance scenario, the channel quality degradation of the corresponding STA device can be determined at least based on the physical layer channel state information, and the trigger intention value of the corresponding STA device can be determined based on the channel quality degradation. The trigger willingness value of a corresponding STA device is positively correlated with the amount of channel quality degradation. For example, suppose an AP device serves three STA devices, namely STA4, STA5, and STA6. If STA5 is found to have the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario, while STA4 and STA6 do not, then STA5's trigger willingness value can be determined to be -1. Then, the trigger willingness values ​​for STA4 and STA6 are determined based on the amount of channel quality degradation. For instance, if STA4's channel quality degradation exceeds a first preset quality threshold, then STA4's trigger willingness value can be determined to be 1; if STA6's channel quality degradation does not exceed the first preset quality threshold, then STA4's trigger willingness value can be determined to be -1.

[0042] After determining the trigger intention value of each STA device, a comprehensive intention value can be obtained by combining the trigger intention values ​​of multiple STA devices. Based on this comprehensive intention value, it can be determined whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment. Furthermore, in addition to the trigger intention values ​​of multiple STA devices, the comprehensive intention value can also be determined based on the trigger impact weight. For example, the packet value of the service queue for each STA device can be determined based on link layer service status information, and the trigger impact weight for each STA device can be determined based on the packet value. The trigger impact weight is positively correlated with the packet value. Specific operational details can be found in the section on scenarios where trigger avoidance does not exist; they will not be elaborated upon here.

[0043] According to embodiments of this disclosure, step 220 may be in response to determining the amount of channel quality degradation (e.g., average RSSI change) of at least one STA device. Or the change in the average physical layer negotiation rate If the channel quality is below a second preset quality threshold, the operation will proceed. For example, during data acquisition, the channel quality degradation (e.g., average RSSI change) of multiple STA devices can be calculated in real time based on physical layer channel state information. Or the change in the average physical layer negotiation rate This allows for the determination of whether the channel quality of any one of multiple STA devices has deteriorated. For example, the amount of channel quality degradation (e.g., average RSSI change) of at least one STA device can be determined based on physical layer channel state information. Or the change in the average physical layer negotiation rate Does it exceed a second preset quality threshold (e.g., for the average RSSI change)? The second preset quality threshold is Th_rssi, which represents the average physical layer negotiation rate change. The second preset quality threshold is Th_rate). Determine the amount of channel quality degradation (e.g., the change in average RSSI). Or the change in the average physical layer negotiation rate The operation of determining whether the channel quality degradation exceeds the second preset quality threshold is similar to the operation of determining whether the channel quality degradation exceeds the first preset quality threshold as described above. The second preset quality threshold can be set to be the same as the first preset quality threshold. Then, in response to determining that the channel quality degradation of at least one STA device exceeds the second preset quality threshold, the operation of identifying a trigger avoidance scenario is performed (e.g., step 220). By determining whether the channel quality of at least one STA device has degraded before identifying the trigger avoidance scenario, and only performing the identification of the trigger avoidance scenario if the channel quality has degraded, subsequent operations can be avoided in advance if channel quality degradation has not occurred, so that the trigger decision process can be completed as early as possible, avoiding waste of system resources.

[0044] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating an example implementation of an antenna control method for an AP device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0045] In step S31, the AP device can be initialized and its parameters configured. Parameters may include preset intensity thresholds (e.g., Th_std (e.g., 4dB) and Th_range (e.g., 8dB) as described above), first / second preset quality thresholds (Th_rssi (e.g., 3dB) or Th_rate (e.g., 15%)), preset quantity thresholds (e.g., 10), preset service weight tables, and preset trigger thresholds, etc. After step S31, the decision-making process can begin.

[0046] In step S32, multiple STA devices (e.g., STA1, ..., STA1) served by the AP device can be obtained. N (Link layer service status information and physical layer channel status information).

[0047] In step S33, it can be determined whether the channel quality of at least one of the multiple STA devices has deteriorated based on the physical layer channel state information. For example, the amount of channel quality degradation (e.g., the change in average RSSI) of at least one of the multiple STA devices can be determined based on the physical layer channel state information. Or the change in the average physical layer negotiation rate Does it exceed a second preset quality threshold (e.g., for the average RSSI change)? The second preset quality threshold is Th_rssi, which represents the average physical layer negotiation rate change. The second preset quality threshold is Th_rate. When the channel quality degradation of at least one STA device exceeds the second preset quality threshold, the channel quality is determined to have degraded.

[0048] If the channel quality of at least one STA device deteriorates (e.g.) Figure 3 If the "Yes" condition in step S33 is met, then proceed to step S34. If the channel quality of all STA devices has not deteriorated (e.g., ...), then... Figure 3 If the "No" option is selected in step S33, the current trigger decision process can be terminated.

[0049] In step S34, based on link-layer service status information and physical-layer channel status information, it can be identified whether there are trigger avoidance scenarios affecting service continuity. Trigger avoidance scenarios can at least include latency-sensitive service scenarios and / or STA device movement scenarios. For example, the number of latency-sensitive services buffered in the service queue can be determined based on link-layer service status information, and the existence of latency-sensitive service scenarios can be identified based on the number of data packets of latency-sensitive services. Similarly, the signal strength fluctuation level can be determined based on physical-layer channel status information, and the existence of STA device movement scenarios can be identified based on the signal strength fluctuation level.

[0050] If there is no triggering avoidance scenario (such as...) Figure 3 If the "No" condition in step S34 is met, then proceed to step S35. If an avoidance scenario is triggered (such as...), then... Figure 3 If the "Yes" option is selected in step S34, it can be determined that antenna mode adjustment will not be triggered, and the triggering decision process ends. This hard constraint method directly eliminates the possibility of triggering antenna mode adjustment in trigger avoidance scenarios, resulting in a fast response time.

[0051] In step S35, it can be determined whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment of the AP device based on at least the physical layer channel state information of multiple STA devices. For example, the channel quality degradation amount of each of the multiple STA devices can be determined based on the physical layer channel state information, and the trigger willingness value of each STA device can be determined based on the channel quality degradation amount. The trigger willingness value is positively correlated with the channel quality degradation amount.

[0052] In one embodiment, trigger intention values ​​from multiple STA devices can be combined to obtain a comprehensive intention value, and antenna mode adjustment can be determined based on the comprehensive intention value. For example, the comprehensive intention value can be compared with a preset trigger threshold to determine whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment. For example, if the comprehensive intention value exceeds the preset trigger threshold, it is determined that antenna mode adjustment is triggered, and if the comprehensive intention value does not exceed the preset trigger threshold, it is determined that antenna mode adjustment is not triggered.

[0053] In another embodiment, the overall intention value can be determined not only based on the trigger intention values ​​of multiple STA devices, but also based on the trigger influence weight. For example, the packet value of the service queue of each STA device can be determined based on link layer service status information, and the trigger influence weight of each STA device can be determined based on the packet value. The trigger influence weight is positively correlated with the packet value.

[0054] If it is determined that the AP device's antenna mode adjustment has been triggered (e.g.) Figure 3 If the "Yes" is selected in step S35, the process proceeds to step S36. In step S36, antenna mode adjustment (i.e., antenna training and mode selection) can be performed based on the determined result. Then, the current trigger decision process ends.

[0055] Upon completion of the current trigger decision process, the AP device may wait to initiate the next trigger decision process. For example, if the current trigger decision process does not trigger antenna mode adjustment, the AP device may initiate the next round of trigger decision processes at intervals T (e.g., 1 second). If the current trigger decision process triggers antenna mode adjustment, the AP device may remain in this state for at least a period of time (e.g., 5 minutes) before initiating the next round of trigger decision processes at intervals T (e.g., 1 second).

[0056] During antenna training and mode selection, the AP device can pause regular data transmission and enter the antenna training phase. During this period, the AP device continuously sends empty data packet probe frames, traversing a preset beamcodebook set. Each STA device receives and measures the channel state, and then feeds back a channel quality assessment report. Based on the feedback channel quality assessment report, the AP device selects the optimal antenna mode and switches to the new antenna mode, then resumes regular data transmission. After switching to the new antenna mode, the average RSSI and average physical layer negotiation rate of each STA device under the new antenna mode can be used as the preset channel quality benchmark values ​​in the next round of triggering decisions (i.e., or ).

[0057] about Figure 3 For specific details regarding the above operations, please refer to the information on... Figure 2 The description will not be repeated here.

[0058] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of another example implementation of an antenna control method for an AP device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 4 and Figure 3 The difference lies in the branch of step S34, that is, in the presence of a trigger avoidance scenario (such as...). Figure 3 Instead of determining that antenna mode adjustment will not be triggered, the "yes" condition in step S34 is replaced by further determination after all STA devices have identified the above-mentioned trigger avoidance scenario. Figure 4 Steps S41, S42, S44, S45, and S46 in the process are similar to... Figure 3 Steps S31, S32, S34, S35 and S36 are similar and will not be repeated here.

[0059] In response to the identification of any STA device exhibiting the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario, in step S47, it can be determined whether to trigger the antenna mode adjustment of the AP device based at least on the identification result of each STA device exhibiting the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario and the physical layer channel state information of multiple STA devices. For example, for each STA device, it can be determined whether the number of delay-sensitive service data packets cached in the AMPDU queue to be sent to the corresponding STA device exceeds a preset number threshold (e.g., 10), or it can be determined whether the signal strength fluctuation of the corresponding STA device exceeds a preset strength threshold. Based on the fact that the number of delay-sensitive service data packets exceeds the preset number threshold or the signal strength fluctuation exceeds the preset strength threshold, it is determined that the corresponding STA device exhibits a trigger avoidance scenario. For example, for each STA device exhibiting the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario, its trigger intention value can be determined to be a preset minimum value (e.g., the second value as described above, e.g., -1). For each STA device not exhibiting a trigger avoidance scenario, similar to the case where no trigger avoidance scenario exists, the channel quality degradation of the corresponding STA device can be determined at least based on the physical layer channel state information, and the trigger intention value of the corresponding STA device can be determined based on the channel quality degradation. The trigger willingness value of the corresponding STA device is positively correlated with the amount of channel quality degradation.

[0060] After determining the trigger intention values ​​of each STA device, a comprehensive intention value can be obtained by combining the trigger intention values ​​of multiple STA devices. Based on this comprehensive intention value, it can be determined whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment. Furthermore, in addition to the trigger intention values ​​of multiple STA devices, the comprehensive intention value can be further determined based on trigger impact weights. For example, the packet value of the service queue for each STA device can be determined based on link-layer service status information, and the trigger impact weight for each STA device can be determined based on the packet value. The trigger impact weight is positively correlated with the packet value.

[0061] In this way, by incorporating trigger avoidance scenarios into the determination of trigger intention values, users in trigger avoidance scenarios still have "voting rights," only their trigger intention values ​​are lower (e.g., -1), and they participate in the comprehensive decision-making process through multi-user voting, taking into account their trigger influence weight. This allows the system to make better decisions by integrating global information.

[0062] about Figure 4 For specific details regarding the above operations, please refer to the information on... Figure 2 The description will not be repeated here.

[0063] Figure 5 Example block diagrams of AP devices 500 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.

[0064] like Figure 5As shown, the AP device 500 may include an acquisition module 510, an identification module 520, and a determination module 530 for executing a trigger decision process. The acquisition module 510 may be configured to acquire link-layer service status information and physical-layer channel status information of multiple STA devices served by the AP device 500. For example, the acquisition module 510 may be configured to acquire the link-layer service status information and physical-layer channel status information of these STA devices from the kernel driver of the AP device 500. Then, the acquisition module 510 may also be configured to provide the link-layer service status information and physical-layer channel status information to the identification module 520.

[0065] Furthermore, the acquisition module 510 can also be configured to determine, based on physical layer channel state information, whether the channel quality of at least one of the multiple STA devices has deteriorated. For example, the amount of channel quality degradation (e.g., average RSSI change) of at least one of the multiple STA devices can be determined based on physical layer channel state information. Or the change in the average physical layer negotiation rate Does it exceed a second preset quality threshold (e.g., for the average RSSI change)? The second preset quality threshold is Th_rssi (e.g., 3dB), for the average physical layer negotiation rate variation. The second preset quality threshold is Th_rate (e.g., 15%). When it is determined that the channel quality degradation of at least one STA device exceeds the second preset quality threshold, channel quality degradation is identified. Upon determining that channel quality degradation has occurred (i.e., a degradation event exists), the acquisition module 510 can also be configured to set the event flag EVENT_HAPPEN to TRUE, otherwise to FALSE, and provide the event flag EVENT_HAPPEN to the identification module 520.

[0066] The identification module 520 can be configured to identify whether there are trigger avoidance scenarios affecting service continuity based on link-layer service status information and physical-layer channel status information. Trigger avoidance scenarios can include at least latency-sensitive service scenarios and / or STA device movement scenarios. For example, the number of latency-sensitive services buffered in the service queue can be determined based on link-layer service status information, and the existence of a latency-sensitive service scenario can be identified based on the number of data packets of the latency-sensitive services. Similarly, the signal strength fluctuation level can be determined based on physical-layer channel status information, and the existence of an STA device movement scenario can be identified based on the signal strength fluctuation level.

[0067] The identification module 520 can also be configured to set the risk avoidance flag SAFE_TO_PROCEED to FALSE in response to the identification of a triggered avoidance scenario, and set it to TRUE otherwise. For example, in response to the identification of a latency-sensitive service scenario, the latency-sensitive flag Flag_sensitive can be set to TRUE, and otherwise set to FALSE. For example, in response to the identification of a STA device movement scenario, the movement flag Flag_moving can be set to TRUE, and otherwise set to FALSE. When both latency-sensitive service scenarios and STA device movement scenarios are considered simultaneously, that is, when the triggered avoidance scenarios include both latency-sensitive service scenarios and STA device movement scenarios, the risk avoidance flag SAFE_TO_PROCEED is set to TRUE only when both the latency-sensitive flag Flag_sensitive and the movement flag Flag_moving are FALSE; otherwise, the risk avoidance flag SAFE_TO_PROCEED is set to FALSE as long as either the latency-sensitive flag Flag_sensitive or the movement flag Flag_moving is TRUE. In addition, the identification module 520 can also be configured to provide the risk avoidance flag SAFE_TO_PROCEED to the determination module 530.

[0068] The determination module 530 can be configured to determine whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment of the AP device in response to the absence of a trigger avoidance scenario (i.e., the risk avoidance flag SAFE_TO_PROCEED is TRUE), based at least on the physical layer channel state information of multiple STA devices. For example, in the absence of a trigger avoidance scenario, the determination module 530 can be configured to determine the channel quality degradation amount of each of the multiple STA devices based on the physical layer channel state information, and determine the trigger willingness value of each STA device based on the channel quality degradation amount. The trigger willingness value is positively correlated with the channel quality degradation amount.

[0069] In one embodiment, the determining module 530 can be configured to synthesize trigger intention values ​​from multiple STA devices to obtain a comprehensive intention value, and determine whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment based on the comprehensive intention value. For example, the determining module 530 can be configured to compare the comprehensive intention value with a preset trigger threshold to determine whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment. For example, in response to the comprehensive intention value exceeding the preset trigger threshold, the determining module 530 can be configured to determine to trigger antenna mode adjustment, and in response to the comprehensive intention value not exceeding the preset trigger threshold, the determining module 530 can be configured to determine not to trigger antenna mode adjustment. Furthermore, the determining module 530 can also be configured to set the trigger decision flag TRIGGER_DECISION to TRUE when it is determined that antenna mode adjustment will be triggered, and otherwise set it to FALSE.

[0070] In another embodiment, the determining module 530 can be configured to determine a comprehensive intention value not only based on the trigger intention values ​​of multiple STA devices, but also based on trigger influence weights. For example, the determining module 530 can be configured to determine the packet value of the service queue of each STA device based on link layer service status information, and determine the trigger influence weight of each STA device based on the packet value. The trigger influence weight is positively correlated with the packet value. For example, the determining module 530 can be configured to sort the packet values ​​of multiple STA devices, and determine the trigger influence weight of the corresponding STA device among the multiple STA devices based on the order in the sorting. As another example, the determining module 530 can be configured to directly determine the trigger influence weight of the corresponding STA device among the multiple STA devices based on the packet value.

[0071] The above describes the situation where the trigger avoidance scenario is not identified. The following describes the situation where the trigger avoidance scenario is identified.

[0072] In one embodiment, in response to identifying any STA device exhibiting the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario (i.e., the risk avoidance flag SAFE_TO_PROCEED is FALSE), the determination module 530 can be configured to determine not to trigger antenna mode adjustment (e.g., ...). Figure 3 (As shown).

[0073] In another embodiment, in response to the identification of any STA device having the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario (i.e., the risk avoidance flag SAFE_TO_PROCEED is FALSE), instead of directly determining not to trigger antenna mode adjustment, further determination is performed after the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario has been identified for all STA devices (e.g., ...). Figure 4 (As shown). For example, in response to the identification of any STA device exhibiting the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario, the determining module 530 can be configured to determine whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment of the AP device based at least on the identification result of each STA device exhibiting the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario and the physical layer channel state information of multiple STA devices. For example, for each STA device exhibiting the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario, the determining module 530 can be configured to determine its trigger intention value to a preset minimum value (e.g., the second value as described above, e.g., -1). For each STA device not exhibiting a trigger avoidance scenario, similar to the case where no trigger avoidance scenario exists, the determining module 530 can be configured to determine the channel quality degradation amount of the corresponding STA device based at least on the physical layer channel state information, and determine the trigger intention value of the corresponding STA device based on the channel quality degradation amount. The trigger intention value of the corresponding STA device is positively correlated with the channel quality degradation amount.

[0074] After determining the trigger intention value of each STA device, the determination module 530 can be configured to synthesize the trigger intention values ​​of multiple STA devices to obtain a comprehensive intention value, and determine whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment based on the comprehensive intention value. Furthermore, the determination module 530 can be configured to determine the comprehensive intention value not only based on the trigger intention values ​​of multiple STA devices, but also based on trigger influence weights. For example, the determination module 530 can be configured to determine the packet value of the service queue of each STA device based on link layer service state information, and determine the trigger influence weight of each STA device based on the packet value. The trigger influence weight is positively correlated with the packet value.

[0075] In addition, the AP device 500 may also include an execution module (not shown). The execution module may be configured to perform antenna mode adjustment based on the determination module 530 determining that antenna mode adjustment should be triggered (i.e., the trigger decision flag TRIGGER_DECISION is TRUE), and not perform antenna mode adjustment based on the determination module 530 determining that antenna mode adjustment should not be triggered (i.e., the trigger decision flag TRIGGER_DECISION is FALSE).

[0076] In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that the AP device 500 may also include other modules or components, and is not limited thereto.

[0077] about Figure 5 For specific details regarding the above operations, please refer to the information on... Figure 2 The description will not be repeated here.

[0078] Figure 6 Another example block diagram of an AP device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0079] like Figure 6 As shown, the AP device may include a processor 610 and a memory 620. The processor 610 is communicatively coupled to the memory 620 and is configured to perform the methods described above.

[0080] The computer program instruction set stored in memory, when executed by a processor, performs any step of the above method, including: acquiring link layer service status information and physical layer channel status information of multiple terminal station (STA) devices served by the AP device; identifying, based on the link layer service status information and physical layer channel status information, whether a trigger avoidance scenario affecting service continuity exists; and, in response to the absence of the trigger avoidance scenario, determining, at least based on the physical layer channel status information of the multiple STA devices, whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment of the AP device. The above relates to... Figure 2 The details described in the method shown also apply here.

[0081] Examples of processor 610 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, DSPs, FPGAs, PLDs, state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform various functionalities throughout the present disclosure.

[0082] Processor 610 can execute software. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other terms, software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, etc. Software can reside on memory 620.

[0083] Memory 620 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. As examples, non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic stripes), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDs)), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., cards, sticks, or key drives), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), registers, removable disks, and any other suitable medium for storing software and / or instructions that can be accessed and read by a computer. Memory 620 may reside in processor 610, be external to processor 610, or be distributed across multiple entities including processor 610. Memory 620 may be embodied in a computer program product. For example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium within encapsulation material. Those skilled in the art will recognize how the functionality described herein can be implemented depending on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system as a whole.

[0084] Additionally, according to another embodiment of this disclosure, a computer program product for antenna control of an AP device is disclosed. As an example, the computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therein, and the program instructions are executable by a processor. When executed, the program instructions cause the processor to perform multiple processes described above, and details are omitted herein for brevity.

[0085] The antenna control method, access point device, and computer program product for an access point device according to embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure, by introducing a risk avoidance mechanism, can avoid blindly triggering antenna mode adjustments, thereby ensuring the QoS quality of critical services and a smooth user experience. Furthermore, by comprehensively considering the individual triggering intentions of each user based on channel degradation and the differentiated triggering influence based on packet value, antenna mode adjustments no longer depend on the instantaneous state of a single user, but are based on a comprehensive decision result of the weighted intentions of multiple users, thereby maximizing the overall performance utility of the system. Through the multi-layered information acquisition + risk avoidance + trigger adjudication triggering mechanism of the present disclosure, unnecessary antenna training can be avoided, thereby reducing a large amount of ineffective antenna training overhead. Valuable air interface resources are prioritized for effective data transmission, ensuring the transmission efficiency of core services. This triggering mechanism can dynamically adjust triggering behavior according to the real-time network service composition and user channel state, and is suitable for complex and ever-changing real wireless environments.

[0086] 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.”

[0087] Any references to elements in this disclosure, such as the names "first," "second," etc., are 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 units. Therefore, references to the first unit and the second unit do not imply that only two units may be used, or that the first unit must precede the second unit in some form.

[0088] 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."

[0089] 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 multiple 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 the use of multiple wires, cables, and / or printing, and as multiple non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples, they may be “connected” or “coupled” to each other by the use of electromagnetic energy in the radio frequency region, microwave region, and / or light (visible and invisible) region, etc.

[0090] 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.”

[0091] Those skilled in the art will understand that many changes and / or modifications can be made to the present disclosure shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure as broadly described. Therefore, the embodiments are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive in all respects.

Claims

1. An antenna control method for an access point (AP) device, comprising: Obtain the link layer service status information and physical layer channel status information of the multiple terminal station (STA) devices served by the AP device; Based on the link layer service status information and the physical layer channel status information, identify whether there are trigger avoidance scenarios that affect service continuity; as well as In response to the absence of the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario, it is determined whether to trigger the antenna mode adjustment of the AP device based at least on the physical layer channel state information of the plurality of STA devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The trigger avoidance scenarios include at least latency-sensitive service scenarios and / or STA device movement scenarios.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, Determining whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment of the AP device based at least on the physical layer channel state information of the plurality of STA devices includes: The channel quality degradation amount of each of the plurality of STA devices is determined based on the physical layer channel state information. The trigger intention value of each STA device is determined based on the channel quality degradation amount, and the trigger intention value is positively correlated with the channel quality degradation amount; A comprehensive willingness value is obtained by combining the trigger willingness values ​​of the multiple STA devices; and Whether to trigger the antenna mode adjustment is determined based on the comprehensive willingness value.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, Determining whether to trigger antenna mode adjustment of the AP device based at least on the physical layer channel state information of the plurality of STA devices also includes: The data packet value of the service queue for each STA device is determined based on the link layer service status information; and The trigger impact weight of each STA device is determined based on the value of the data packet, and the trigger impact weight is positively correlated with the value of the data packet. The overall willingness value is further determined based on the triggering influence weight.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The overall willingness value is the sum of the products of the trigger willingness values ​​of the multiple STA devices and the trigger influence weights.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein, Determining whether to trigger the antenna mode adjustment based on the comprehensive willingness value includes: In response to the overall willingness value exceeding a preset trigger threshold, it is determined that the antenna mode adjustment is triggered; and If the overall willingness value does not exceed the preset trigger threshold, it is determined not to trigger the antenna mode adjustment.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to the detection of the trigger avoidance scenario in any STA device, it is determined not to trigger the antenna mode adjustment.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to the identification of any STA device having the trigger avoidance scenario, it is determined whether to trigger the antenna mode adjustment of the AP device based at least on the identification result of each STA device having the trigger avoidance scenario and the physical layer channel state information of the plurality of STA devices.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, Determining whether to trigger the antenna mode adjustment of the AP device based at least on the identification results of each STA device in the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario and the physical layer channel state information of the multiple STA devices includes: For each STA device that has the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario, its trigger intention value is determined to be a preset minimum value; For each STA device that does not have the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario, the channel quality degradation amount of the corresponding STA device is determined at least based on the physical layer channel state information, and the trigger intention value of the corresponding STA device is determined based on the channel quality degradation amount. The trigger intention value of the corresponding STA device is positively correlated with the channel quality degradation amount. A comprehensive willingness value is obtained by combining the trigger willingness values ​​of the multiple STA devices; and Whether to trigger the antenna mode adjustment is determined based on the comprehensive willingness value.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, Determining whether to trigger the antenna mode adjustment of the AP device based at least on the identification results of each STA device in the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario and the physical layer channel state information of the multiple STA devices includes: The data packet value of the service queue for each STA device is determined based on the link layer service status information; and The trigger impact weight of each STA device is determined based on the value of the data packet, and the trigger impact weight is positively correlated with the value of the data packet. The overall willingness value is further determined based on the triggering influence weight.

11. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The trigger intention value includes a first value and a second value. The first value indicates that the channel quality degradation exceeds a first preset quality threshold, and the second value indicates that the channel quality degradation does not exceed the first preset quality threshold.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The first value is N, the second value is -N, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

13. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The channel quality degradation includes the change in the average value of the physical layer channel state information within the current sampling window relative to a preset channel quality benchmark value.

14. The method according to claim 4 or 10, wherein, Determining the trigger impact weight of each STA device based on the value of the data packet includes: The data packet values ​​of the multiple STA devices are sorted; and The trigger influence weight of the corresponding STA device among the plurality of STA devices is determined based on the order in the sorting.

15. The method according to claim 4 or 10, wherein, Determining the trigger impact weight of each STA device based on the value of the data packet includes: The value of the data packet is determined as the trigger influence weight of the corresponding STA device among the plurality of STA devices.

16. The method according to claim 4 or 10, wherein, The service queue includes at least one of the following: A common queue used to cache unaggregated data packets that the AP device needs to send to the multiple STA devices; An aggregated media access control protocol data unit (AMPDU) queue is used to cache aggregated data packets that the AP device needs to send to the corresponding STA device among the plurality of STA devices.

17. The method according to claim 2, wherein, Identifying whether the aforementioned trigger avoidance scenario exists includes: Based on the link layer service status information, determine the number of latency-sensitive service data packets cached in the service queue, and based on the number of latency-sensitive service data packets, identify whether the latency-sensitive service scenario exists. The signal strength fluctuation level is determined based on the physical layer channel state information, and the presence of a mobile STA device is identified based on the signal strength fluctuation level.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The degree of signal strength fluctuation includes: The absolute value of the standard deviation between the current value and the mean in the signal strength measurement sequence; or The absolute value of the range between the maximum and minimum values ​​in a sequence of signal strength measurements.

19. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Based on the physical layer channel state information, determine whether the channel quality degradation of at least one of the plurality of STA devices exceeds a second preset quality threshold. as well as In response to determining that the channel quality degradation of the at least one STA device exceeds the second preset quality threshold, the operation of identifying the triggered avoidance scenario is performed.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The physical layer channel state information includes at least one of the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) and the physical layer negotiation rate, and the link layer service state information includes the service type identifier (TID) and the number of data packets to be sent in the service queue.

21. An access point (AP) device, comprising: The acquisition module is configured to acquire link layer service status information and physical layer channel status information of multiple terminal station (STA) devices served by the AP device; The identification module is configured to identify, based on the link layer service status information and the physical layer channel status information, whether there are trigger avoidance scenarios that affect service continuity; as well as The determination module is configured to determine, in response to the absence of the trigger avoidance scenario, whether to trigger the antenna mode adjustment of the AP device based at least on the physical layer channel state information of the plurality of STA devices.

22. An access point (AP) device, comprising: processor; Memory coupled to the processor; as well as Computer program instructions stored in the memory, which, when executed by the processor, perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-20.

23. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-20.

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