A communication method and communication device

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus are disclosed. This method can be applied to WLAN systems supporting IEEE 802.11ax next-generation Wi-Fi protocols, such as 802.11be, 802.11bn, and 802.11bn next-generation protocols, and can also be applied to UWB-based wireless personal area network systems and sensing systems. In this method, a first access point and a second access point can negotiate, through first and second indication information, which version of PPDU should each access point send during the first Co-SR transmission process. This ensures that each access point uses its preferred version for transmission, minimizing the impact of third-party devices on the Co-SR transmission of the first and second access points, thereby improving the reliability of Co-SR transmission.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for communication. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of wireless networks and the increasing prevalence of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technology, WLAN devices are becoming increasingly dense. Because access points (APs) are easy to deploy, this increasing density of APs also leads to more inter-cell interference. How to reduce inter-cell interference and improve user service quality through AP cooperation is a problem that next-generation WLAN technology needs to address.

[0003] The cooperation among multiple APs includes a form of coordinated spatial reuse (Co-SR or CSR). Specifically, Co-SR refers to the ability of two APs to transmit simultaneously on the same channel / resource block when they are far apart. By controlling power and user selection, the interference between the two APs is kept low, thereby effectively utilizing channel resources.

[0004] Ensuring transmission reliability is a crucial issue during Co-SR transmission. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and a communication device capable of...

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a first access point, for example, can be executed by the first access point or by a component of the first access point (e.g., a chip, circuit, or chip system).

[0007] The method includes: sending a request frame to a second access point, the request frame being used to initiate a Co-SR negotiation process, the request frame including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the version and / or combination of physical protocol data units (PPDUs) supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process; receiving a response frame from the second access point, the response frame including second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process, the first indication information and the second indication information being used to determine the combination of PPDU versions in the first Co-SR transmission process.

[0008] Based on the above scheme, the first access point and the second access point can negotiate which version of PPDU should be sent by the first access point and the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process through the first indication information and the second indication information. This allows each access point to use its preferred version for transmission, minimizing the impact of third-party devices on the Co-SR transmission of the first access point and the second access point, thereby improving the reliability of Co-SR transmission.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations, the PPDU version supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process includes any one of the following: PPDU of the first communication protocol and PPDU of the second communication protocol; the PPDU version supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process includes any one of the following: PPDU of the first communication protocol and PPDU of the second communication protocol; wherein the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol are different.

[0010] For example, the PPDU of the first communication protocol is an extremely high throughput (EHT) PPDU, and the PPDU of the second communication protocol is an ultra high reliability (UHR) PPDU.

[0011] In this implementation, the combination of PPDU versions in the first Co-SR transmission process includes: a combination of the PPDU versions supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process and the PPDU versions supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process.

[0012] Based on the above scheme, the first indication information can indicate the version of PPDU supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process. Similarly, the second indication information can indicate the version of PPDU supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process. This allows the first access point and the second access point to negotiate which version of PPDU should be sent by the first access point and the second access point respectively in the first Co-SR transmission process through the first indication information and the second indication information, thereby improving the reliability of Co-SR transmission.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations, the combination of PPDU versions supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process includes any one of the following: a combination of PPDU of the first communication protocol and PPDU of the second communication protocol, a combination of PPDU of the second communication protocol and PPDU of the first communication protocol, a combination of PPDU of the first communication protocol and PPDU of the first communication protocol, and a combination of PPDU of the second communication protocol and PPDU of the second communication protocol; the combination of PPDU versions supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process includes any one of the following: a combination of PPDU of the first communication protocol and PPDU of the second communication protocol, a combination of PPDU of the second communication protocol and PPDU of the first communication protocol, a combination of PPDU of the first communication protocol and PPDU of the first communication protocol, and a combination of PPDU of the second communication protocol and PPDU of the second communication protocol.

[0014] In this implementation, the PPDU version combination in the first Co-SR transmission process includes: the intersection of the PPDU version combination supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process and the PPDU version combination supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process.

[0015] Based on the above scheme, the first indication information can indicate the combination of PPDU versions supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process. Similarly, the second indication information can indicate the combination of PPDU versions supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process. This allows the first access point and the second access point to negotiate which version of PPDU should be sent by the first access point and the second access point respectively in the first Co-SR transmission process through the first indication information and the second indication information, thereby improving the reliability of Co-SR transmission.

[0016] For example, the request frame is an initial control frame (ICF).

[0017] For example, the response frame is an initial control response (ICR) frame.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations, after receiving a response frame from the second access point, the method further includes: sending a trigger frame to the second access point, the trigger frame being used to initiate a first Co-SR transmission procedure, the trigger frame including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate the version of the first PPDU sent by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure and the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure, or, the third indication information being used to indicate the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure, the first PPDU including first downlink data, the second PPDU including second downlink data, and the third indication information being determined based on the first indication information and the second indication information.

[0019] Based on the above scheme, the first access point and the second access point can perform the first Co-SR transmission process based on the negotiation result. For example, in this Co-SR transmission process, the first access point can indicate the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point to the second access point through a trigger frame, so that the second access point can transmit downlink data based on the physical layer version indicated by the first access point, avoiding the second access point from selecting an inappropriate physical layer version and affecting the performance of Co-SR transmission.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: sending a first PPDU to a first site, the first PPDU being used to request a response PPDU of the first PPDU, the first PPDU including fourth indication information, the fourth indication information being used to indicate the version of the response PPDU of the first PPDU, the fourth indication information being determined according to the version of the first PPDU; and receiving a response PPDU from the first site.

[0021] Based on the above scheme, the first access point and the second access point can reply with confirmation information in a frequency division manner, thereby improving the transmission efficiency of confirmation information and ensuring that both the first access point and the second access point can receive confirmation information as soon as possible.

[0022] Optionally, in this implementation, the second PPDU is used to request a response PPDU of the second PPDU. The second PPDU includes fifth indication information, which is used to indicate the version of the response PPDU of the second PPDU. The fifth indication information is determined according to the version of the second PPDU. The content of the universal signal field (U-SIG field) in the response PPDU of the first PPDU is the same as that in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the second PPDU.

[0023] In one implementation, both the response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU are PPDUs of the first communication protocol, and the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of both the response PPDU and the response PPDU is 0.

[0024] As another implementation, the first PPDU is a PPDU of the second communication protocol, the second PPDU is a PPDU of the first communication protocol, the response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU are both PPDUs of the first communication protocol, and the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the first PPDU is set to the same value as the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the second PPDU.

[0025] As another implementation, the first PPDU is a PPDU of the first communication protocol, the second PPDU is a PPDU of the second communication protocol, the response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU are both PPDUs of the first communication protocol, and the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the second PPDU is set to the same value as the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the first PPDU.

[0026] Based on the above scheme, when performing co-SR transmission, the U-SIG field content in the PPDU of the confirmation information sent by the first and second sites is the same. In particular, when the downlink PPDU sent by the first and second access points are different versions of PPDU, the U-SIG field content in the PPDU of the confirmation information sent by the first and second sites is still the same. This is conducive to better channel reservation and protection, preventing third-party equipment from interfering with co-SR transmission, and also helps third-party equipment save energy during co-SR transmission.

[0027] Additionally, if the BSScolor field in the U-SIG field of both the first PPDU response PPDU and the second PPDU response PPDU is 0 or the same value, and the bandwidth of co-SR transmission is only 20MHz, the UL OFDMA acknowledgment information transmission method can be enabled at 20MHz. For example, STA1 uses 106-tone RU (resource unit (RU) of 106 subcarriers) 1, and STA2 uses 106-tone RU2. In other words, 20MHz PPDU can be transmitted, and there will be no problem with the combined reception of different sub-channels.

[0028] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations, the second PPDU is used to instruct the second station to immediately send a response PPDU to the second PPDU. The method further includes: sending a first PPDU to the first station, the first PPDU being used to instruct the first station to delay sending a response PPDU to the first PPDU; sending a first frame to the first station, the first frame being used to request a response PPDU to the first PPDU; and receiving a response PPDU from the first station to the first PPDU.

[0029] Based on the above scheme, the second site can quickly reply with acknowledgment information under the protection of the channel by the downlink PPDU of the second access point. Furthermore, since the first access point is the holder of the transmission opportunity (TXOP), it can further send the first frame, avoiding the channel occupancy problem that might occur if the second access point (i.e., not the holder of the TXOP) sends the BAR frame, thereby ensuring the reliability of Co-SR transmission.

[0030] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: sending a first PPDU to a first station. Wherein, when the first PPDU is a PPDU of a first communication protocol and the second PPDU is a PPDU of a second communication protocol, the first PPDU is used to instruct the first station to immediately send a response PPDU to the first PPDU, and the method further includes: receiving a response PPDU from the first station. Alternatively, when the first PPDU is a PPDU of a second communication protocol and the second PPDU is a PPDU of a first communication protocol, the first PPDU is used to instruct the first station to delay sending a response PPDU to the first PPDU, and the method further includes: sending a first frame to the first station and receiving a response PPDU from the first station, wherein the first frame is used to request a response PPDU to the first PPDU.

[0031] Based on the above solution, since the non-UHR sites are existing equipment, allowing these sites to reply with confirmation information first can better ensure compatibility with the operating mechanism of the existing equipment, avoid making too many changes to the existing equipment, and have stronger reliability.

[0032] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations, the second PPDU is used to instruct the second site to delay sending the response PPDU of the second PPDU. The method further includes: sending a first PPDU to the first site, the first PPDU being used to instruct the first site to immediately send the response PPDU of the first PPDU; receiving the response PPDU of the first PPDU from the first site; and sending a second frame to the second access point, the second frame being used to instruct the second access point to request the response PPDU of the second PPDU from the second site.

[0033] Since the first site is the first access point in the associated domain (i.e., the owner of the TXOP), the above scheme can ensure that the first site replies with acknowledgment information first, thus completing the first access point's transmission as quickly as possible. Simultaneously, the first access point can instruct the second access point to request a response PPDU from the second site, thus avoiding the situation where the second access point is unable to send a block acknowledgment request frame due to channel occupancy, ensuring the reliability of Co-SR transmission.

[0034] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations, the content of the general signaling U-SIG field in the first PPDU is the same as that in the second PPDU.

[0035] For example, the Basic Service Set Color (BSS color) field in the U-SIG field of the first PPDU has the same value as the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the second PPDU.

[0036] For example, both the first PPDU and the second PPDU are PPDUs of the first communication protocol, and the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of both the first PPDU and the second PPDU is 0.

[0037] Based on the above scheme, when the first access point and the second access point are performing co-SR transmission, the U-SIG field content in the two downlink PPDUs is the same, which is conducive to better channel reservation and protection, preventing third-party equipment from interfering with co-SR transmission, and also helps third-party equipment to save energy during co-SR transmission.

[0038] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a second access point, for example, it can be executed by the second access point or by a component of the second access point (e.g., a chip, circuit, or chip system).

[0039] The method includes: receiving a request frame from a first access point, the request frame being used to initiate a Co-SR negotiation process, the request frame including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process; and sending a response frame to the first access point, the response frame including second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process, the first indication information and the second indication information being used to determine the combination of PPDU versions in the first Co-SR transmission process.

[0040] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations, after sending a response frame to the first access point, the method further includes: receiving a trigger frame from the first access point, the trigger frame being used to initiate a first Co-SR transmission procedure, the trigger frame including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate the version of the first PPDU sent by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure and the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure, or, the third indication information being used to indicate the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure, the first PPDU including first downlink data, the second PPDU including second downlink data, and the third indication information being determined based on the first indication information and the second indication information.

[0041] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: sending a second PPDU to a second site according to third indication information, the second PPDU being used to request a response PPDU of the second PPDU, the second PPDU including fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to indicate the version of the response PPDU of the second PPDU, the fifth indication information being determined according to the version of the second PPDU; and receiving a response PPDU of the second PPDU from the second site.

[0042] Optionally, in this implementation, the first PPDU is used to request a response PPDU of the first PPDU. The first PPDU includes fourth indication information, which is used to indicate the version of the response PPDU of the first PPDU. The fourth indication information is determined according to the version of the first PPDU. In this case, the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the first PPDU has the same value as the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the second PPDU.

[0043] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations, the first PPDU is used to instruct the first site to delay sending the response PPDU of the first PPDU. The method further includes: sending a second PPDU to the second site according to third instruction information, the second PPDU being used to instruct the second site to immediately send the response PPDU of the second PPDU; and receiving the response PPDU of the second PPDU from the second site.

[0044] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: sending a second PPDU to the second station according to third instruction information. Wherein, when the second PPDU is a PPDU of the first communication protocol and the first PPDU is a PPDU of the second communication protocol, the second PPDU is used to instruct the second station to immediately send a response PPDU to the second PPDU; and the method further includes: receiving a response PPDU from the second station. Alternatively, when the second PPDU is a PPDU of the second communication protocol and the first PPDU is a PPDU of the first communication protocol, the second PPDU is used to instruct the second station to delay sending a response PPDU to the second PPDU; and the method further includes: sending a third frame to the second station and receiving a response PPDU from the second station, the third frame being used to request a response PPDU to the second PPDU.

[0045] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations, the first PPDU is used to instruct the first site to immediately send a response PPDU to the first PPDU. The method further includes: sending a second PPDU to the second site according to third instruction information, the second PPDU being used to instruct the second site to delay sending a response PPDU to the second PPDU; receiving a second frame from the first access point, the second frame being used to instruct the second access point to request a response PPDU to the second site; sending a third frame to the second site according to the second frame, the third frame being used to request a response PPDU to the second PPDU; and receiving a response PPDU from the second site.

[0046] Thirdly, a communication method is provided that can be applied to a site (which can be a first site or a second site), for example, it can be executed by the site or by components of the site (such as chips, circuits, or chip systems).

[0047] The method includes: receiving a PPDU from an access point, the PPDU being a response PPDU for requesting a PPDU, the PPDU including downlink data and indication information, the indication information being used to indicate the version of the response PPDU sent by the site, the indication information being determined by the access point based on a trigger frame, the trigger frame being used to initiate a first Co-SR transmission procedure, the trigger frame being used to indicate the version of the PPDU sent by the access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure; and sending a response PPDU to the access point based on the indication information.

[0048] For example, when the site is a first site, the PPDU is a first PPDU, the downlink data is first downlink data, the indication information is fourth indication information, and the response PPDU is a response PPDU of the first PPDU. When the site is a second site, the PPDU is a second PPDU, the downlink data is second downlink data, the indication information is fifth indication information, and the response PPDU is a response PPDU of the second PPDU.

[0049] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a site (either a first site or a second site), for example, it can be executed by the site or by components of the site (e.g., chips, circuits, or chip systems).

[0050] The method includes: receiving a PPDU from an access point, the PPDU including downlink data; and sending a response PPDU to the access point when the PPDU is used to instruct the site to immediately send the PPDU. Alternatively, when the PPDU is used to instruct the site to delay sending the PPDU, receiving a first frame from the access point and sending a response PPDU to the access point, wherein the first frame is used to request a response PPDU for the first PPDU, and whether the PPDU is used to instruct the site to immediately send the response PPDU or to instruct the site to delay sending the response PPDU is determined according to the version of the PPDU in the first Co-SR transmission procedure.

[0051] For example, when the site is the first site, the PPDU is the first PPDU, the downlink data is the first downlink data, and the response PPDU is the response PPDU of the first PPDU. The first Co-SR transmission process includes not only the first PPDU sent from the first access point to the first site, but also a second PPDU sent from the second access point to the second site. Whether the first PPDU is used to instruct the first site to immediately send the first PPDU or to instruct the first site to delay sending the first PPDU is determined based on the versions of the first and second PPDUs.

[0052] When the site is the second site, the PPDU is the second PPDU, the downlink data is the second downlink data, and the response PPDU is the response PPDU of the second PPDU. In the first Co-SR transmission process, in addition to the second PPDU sent from the second access point to the second site, it also includes the first PPDU sent from the first access point to the first site. Whether the second PPDU is used as a response PPDU instructing the second site to immediately send the second PPDU or as a response PPDU instructing the second site to delay sending the second PPDU is determined based on the versions of the first and second PPDUs.

[0053] Specifically, when the first PPDU is a PPDU of a first communication protocol and the second PPDU is a PPDU of a second communication protocol, the first PPDU is used to instruct the first station to immediately send a response PPDU to the first PPDU, and the second PPDU is used to instruct the second station to delay sending a response PPDU to the second PPDU. When the first PPDU is a PPDU of a second communication protocol and the second PPDU is a PPDU of a first communication protocol, the first PPDU is used to instruct the first station to delay sending a response PPDU to the first PPDU, and the second PPDU is used to instruct the second station to immediately send a response PPDU to the second PPDU.

[0054] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, which can be a first access point or a component of the first access point (e.g., a chip, circuit, or chip system). The device can have the functions described in the first aspect. For example, the device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the operations involved in the first aspect. These modules, units, or means can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0055] Specifically, the device includes: a transceiver unit configured to send a request frame to a second access point, the request frame being used to initiate a Co-SR negotiation process, the request frame including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process; the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive a response frame from the second access point, the response frame including second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process, the first indication information and the second indication information being used to determine the combination of PPDU versions in the first Co-SR transmission process.

[0056] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations, after receiving a response frame from the second access point, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a trigger frame to the second access point, the trigger frame being used to initiate a first Co-SR transmission procedure, the trigger frame including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate the version of the first PPDU sent by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure and the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure, or, the third indication information being used to indicate the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure, the first PPDU including first downlink data, the second PPDU including second downlink data, and the third indication information being determined based on the first indication information and the second indication information.

[0057] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a first PPDU to a first site, the first PPDU being used to request a response PPDU to the first PPDU, the first PPDU including fourth indication information, the fourth indication information being used to indicate the version of the response PPDU to the first PPDU, the fourth indication information being determined according to the version of the first PPDU; and receive a response PPDU from the first site.

[0058] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a first PPDU to a first station, the first PPDU being used to instruct the first station to delay sending a response PPDU of the first PPDU; send a first frame to the first station, the first frame being used to request a response PPDU of the first PPDU; and receive a response PPDU from the first station for the first PPDU.

[0059] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a first PPDU to the first station. Wherein, when the first PPDU is a PPDU of a first communication protocol and the second PPDU is a PPDU of a second communication protocol, the first PPDU is used to instruct the first station to immediately send a response PPDU to the first PPDU, and the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive a response PPDU from the first station. Alternatively, when the first PPDU is a PPDU of a second communication protocol and the second PPDU is a PPDU of a first communication protocol, the first PPDU is used to instruct the first station to delay sending a response PPDU to the first PPDU, and the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a first frame to the first station and receive a response PPDU from the first station, wherein the first frame is used to request a response PPDU to the first PPDU.

[0060] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a first PPDU to a first site, the first PPDU being used to instruct the first site to immediately send a response PPDU to the first PPDU; receive a response PPDU from the first site for the first PPDU; and send a second frame to a second access point, the second frame being used to instruct the second access point to request a response PPDU from the second site for the second PPDU.

[0061] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided. The device can be a second access point or a component of the second access point (e.g., a chip, circuit, or chip system). The device can have the functions described in the sixth aspect. For example, the device includes a module, unit, or means corresponding to the operation involved in the sixth aspect. The module, unit, or means can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0062] Specifically, the device includes: a transceiver unit, configured to receive a request frame from a first access point, the request frame being used to initiate a Co-SR negotiation process, the request frame including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process; the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a response frame to the first access point, the response frame including second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process, the first indication information and the second indication information being used to determine the combination of PPDU versions in the first Co-SR transmission process.

[0063] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations, after sending a response frame to the first access point, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive a trigger frame from the first access point, the trigger frame being used to initiate a first Co-SR transmission procedure, the trigger frame including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate the version of the first PPDU sent by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure and the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure, or, the third indication information being used to indicate the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure, the first PPDU including first downlink data, the second PPDU including second downlink data, and the third indication information being determined based on the first indication information and the second indication information.

[0064] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a second PPDU to the second station according to the third instruction information, the second PPDU being used to request a response PPDU for the second PPDU, the second PPDU including fifth instruction information, the fifth instruction information being used to indicate the version of the response PPDU for the second PPDU, the fifth instruction information being determined according to the version of the second PPDU; and receive a response PPDU from the second station.

[0065] Optionally, in this implementation, the first PPDU is used to request a response PPDU of the first PPDU. The first PPDU includes fourth indication information, which is used to indicate the version of the response PPDU of the first PPDU. The fourth indication information is determined according to the version of the first PPDU. In this case, the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the first PPDU has the same value as the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the second PPDU.

[0066] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations, the transceiver unit is also used to: send a second PPDU to the second station according to the third instruction information, the second PPDU being used to instruct the second station to immediately send a response PPDU to the second PPDU; and receive a response PPDU from the second PPDU of the second station.

[0067] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a second PPDU to the second station according to the third instruction information. Wherein, when the second PPDU is a PPDU of the first communication protocol and the first PPDU is a PPDU of the second communication protocol, the second PPDU is used to instruct the second station to immediately send a response PPDU to the second PPDU, and the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive a response PPDU to the second PPDU from the second station. Alternatively, when the second PPDU is a PPDU of the second communication protocol and the first PPDU is a PPDU of the first communication protocol, the second PPDU is used to instruct the second station to delay sending a response PPDU to the second PPDU, and the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a third frame to the second station and receive a response PPDU to the second PPDU from the second station, the third frame being used to request a response PPDU to the second PPDU.

[0068] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a second PPDU to the second station according to the third instruction information, the second PPDU being used to instruct the second station to delay sending a response PPDU of the second PPDU; receive a second frame from the first access point, the second frame being used to instruct the second access point to request a response PPDU of the second PPDU from the second station; send a third frame to the second station according to the second frame, the third frame being used to request a response PPDU of the second PPDU; and receive a response PPDU of the second PPDU from the second station.

[0069] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided. The device may be a first station or a component of the first station (e.g., a chip, circuit, or chip system). The device may have the functions described in the third aspect above. For example, the device includes a module, unit, or means corresponding to the operation involved in the third aspect above. The module, unit, or means may be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0070] Specifically, the device includes: a transceiver unit, configured to receive a PPDU from an access point, the PPDU being a response PPDU for requesting a PPDU, the PPDU including downlink data and indication information, the indication information indicating the version of the response PPDU sent by the site, the indication information being determined by the access point based on a trigger frame, the trigger frame being used to initiate a first Co-SR transmission procedure, the trigger frame being used to indicate the version of the PPDU sent by the access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure; the transceiver unit is also configured to: send a response PPDU to the access point based on the indication information.

[0071] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, which can be a first station or a component of the first station (e.g., a chip, circuit, or chip system). The device can have the functions described in the fourth aspect above. For example, the device includes a module, unit, or means corresponding to the operation involved in the fourth aspect above. The module, unit, or means can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0072] Specifically, the apparatus includes: a processing unit for receiving a PPDU from an access point, the PPDU including downlink data; when the PPDU is used to instruct the site to immediately send a response PPDU, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a response PPDU to the access point. Alternatively, when the PPDU is used to instruct the site to delay sending a response PPDU, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive a first frame from the access point and send a response PPDU to the access point. The first frame is used to request a response PPDU for the first PPDU, and whether the PPDU is used to instruct the site to immediately send a response PPDU or to instruct the site to delay sending a response PPDU is determined based on the version of the PPDU in the first Co-SR transmission procedure.

[0073] It should be understood that for any points not described in detail in the second to eighth aspects, please refer to the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0074] A ninth aspect provides a communication device comprising: a memory for storing a program; and at least one processor for executing the computer program or instructions stored in the memory to perform the method provided in any of the foregoing aspects or their implementations.

[0075] In one implementation, the device is a first access point, a second access point, or a site.

[0076] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit for use in a first access point, a second access point, or a site.

[0077] A tenth aspect provides a communication apparatus comprising: at least one processor and a communication interface, the at least one processor being configured to obtain a computer program or instructions stored in a memory via the communication interface to execute the method provided in any of the foregoing aspects or their implementations. The communication interface may be implemented in hardware or software.

[0078] In one implementation, the device also includes a memory.

[0079] Eleventhly, a processor is provided for executing the method provided in any of the preceding aspects.

[0080] Unless otherwise specified, or if it does not contradict its actual function or internal logic in the relevant description, the transmission and acquisition / reception operations involved in the processor can be understood as processor output and reception, input and other operations, or as transmission and reception operations performed by radio frequency circuits and antennas. This application does not limit them in this regard.

[0081] In a twelfth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores program code for execution by a device, the program code including methods for performing any of the above aspects or implementations thereof.

[0082] In a thirteenth aspect, a computer program product including instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method provided in any of the above aspects or implementations thereof.

[0083] In a fourteenth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface and executes the methods provided in any of the above aspects or their implementations. The communication interface can be implemented in hardware or software.

[0084] Optionally, as one implementation, the chip also includes a memory storing computer programs or instructions, and a processor for executing the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the processor is used to perform the methods provided by any of the above aspects or their implementations.

[0085] When the method provided in this application is executed by a chip, this application does not limit the specific number of chips implementing the method. For example, it can be executed by one chip, or by two or more chips. Furthermore, when the number of chips implementing the method is two or more, the chip manufacturers are not limited; they can be from the same manufacturer or different manufacturers.

[0086] In a fifteenth aspect, a computer program is provided that, when run on a computer, causes the methods provided by any of the foregoing aspects or their implementations to be executed.

[0087] In a sixteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising at least two of the aforementioned first access point, second access point, first site, and second site.

[0088] It should be understood that the beneficial effects of aspects two through sixteen and any of their implementations can be referenced in aspect one and any of its implementations. Attached Figure Description

[0089] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0090] Figure 2 and Figure 3 These are schematic diagrams illustrating the transmission process of Co-SR.

[0091] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the EHT PPDU format.

[0092] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the UHR PPDU format.

[0093] Figure 6 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 600 provided in this application.

[0094] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the initial control frame format provided in this application.

[0095] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the format of the initial control response frame provided in this application.

[0096] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the Co-SR negotiation process provided in this application.

[0097] Figures 10 to 12 These are schematic diagrams illustrating the transmission process of Co-SR provided in this application.

[0098] Figure 13 and Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0099] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0100] The embodiments of this application can be applied to wireless local area networks (WLANs), for example, supporting IEEE 802.11 related standards, such as 802.11a / b / g standards, 802.11n standards, 802.11ac standards, 802.11ax standards (i.e. Wi-Fi 6, also known as the high efficient (HE) standard), 802.11be standards (i.e. Wi-Fi 7, also known as the EHT) standards, 802.11bn standards (i.e. Wi-Fi 8, also known as the UHR standard) or Wi-Fi 8 next-generation standards, and also include 802.11ad, 802.11ay standards, etc. The embodiments of this application can also be applied to wireless local area network systems that support integrated millimeter wave (IMMW), wireless local area network systems that support ultra-wideband (UWB) such as the 802.15 series standards, sensing systems such as the 802.11bf series standards, or wireless positioning such as 802.11az. This application can also support standard protocols such as spark link and near link.

[0101] Although the embodiments of this application are primarily illustrated using the deployment of WLAN networks, particularly those employing the IEEE 802.11 system standard, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the various aspects involved in the embodiments of this application can be extended to other networks employing various standards or protocols, such as high-performance radio local area networks (HIPERLANs), wireless wide area networks (WWANs), wireless personal area networks (WPANs), or other networks now known or developed in the future. Therefore, regardless of the coverage area and wireless access protocol used, the various aspects provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to any suitable wireless network.

[0102] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can also be applied to various communication systems, such as: WLAN communication systems, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, 5th generation (5G) systems or new radio (NR) systems, future communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT) networks or vehicle tox (V2X) networks, etc.

[0103] The communication systems described above that are applicable to this application are merely illustrative examples, and the communication systems applicable to this application are not limited to these. They will be uniformly described here and will not be repeated below.

[0104] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario applicable to an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the method provided in this application is applicable to data communication between a station (STA) and an access point (AP). A station can also be referred to as a non-access point station (non-AP STA), or simply a non-AP station or station. Specifically, the solution in this application is applicable to communication between an AP and one or more non-AP stations (e.g., communication between AP1 and non-AP STA1, communication between AP2 and non-AP STA2), and also to communication between APs (e.g., communication between AP1 and AP2).

[0105] Optionally, such as Figure 1 As shown, this scenario may also include non-AP STA 3, which is a third-party device that does not communicate with AP1 and AP2. It is necessary to prevent it from interfering with the communication between AP1 and non-AP STA1, as well as the communication between AP2 and non-AP STA2.

[0106] It should be understood that in this application, AP can refer to an AP multi-link device (MLD) or an AP non-multi-link device, without limitation. Similarly, STA can refer to STA MLD or STA non-multi-link device, without limitation.

[0107] An Access Point (AP) can be a node that allows terminals (such as mobile phones) to access a wired (or wireless) network. It is primarily deployed in homes, buildings, and campuses, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. Of course, it can also be deployed outdoors. An AP acts as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, its main function being to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet.

[0108] Specifically, an AP can be a terminal or network device with a Wi-Fi chip. This network device can be a server, router, switch, bridge, computer, mobile phone, relay station, vehicle-mounted equipment, wearable device, network device in a 5G network, network device in a future communication network, or network device in a public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., and this application embodiment is not limited to these. The AP can be a device that supports Wi-Fi standards. For example, the AP can also support one or more standards in the IEEE 802.11 series, such as 802.11be, 802.11bn, and 802.11bn next generation.

[0109] Non-AP sites can be wireless communication chips, wireless sensors, or wireless communication terminals, and can also be referred to as users, user equipment (UE), access terminals, user units, user stations, mobile stations, mobile stations, remote stations, remote terminals, mobile devices, user terminals, terminals, wireless communication equipment, user agents, or user devices. Non-AP sites can be cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle devices, IoT devices, wearable devices, terminal devices in 5G networks, terminal devices in future communication networks, or terminal devices in PLMNs, etc., and this application embodiment is not limited to these. Non-AP sites can be devices that support WLAN standards. For example, non-AP sites can support one or more standards in the IEEE 802.11 series, such as 802.11be, 802.11bn, and 802.11bn next generation.

[0110] For example, non-AP sites can be mobile phones, tablets, set-top boxes, smart TVs, smart wearable devices, vehicle communication devices, computers, Internet of Things (IoT) nodes, sensors, smart home devices such as smart cameras, smart remote controls, smart water and electricity meters, and sensors in smart cities.

[0111] The aforementioned AP or non-AP sites may include one or more of the following: transmitter, receiver, memory, processor, etc. The transmitter and receiver are used for transmitting and receiving packet structures, respectively; the memory is used to store signaling information and pre-agreed preset values, etc.; and the processor is used to parse signaling information and process related data, etc.

[0112] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, some terms or concepts that may be involved in the embodiments of this application will be briefly described first.

[0113] 1. Co-SR transmission (also known as CSR transmission)

[0114] With the development of wireless networks and the increasing prevalence of WLAN technology, WLAN devices are becoming increasingly dense. Because access points (APs) are easy to deploy, this increasing density also leads to more inter-cell interference. How to reduce inter-cell interference and improve user service quality through AP collaboration is a key issue that next-generation WLAN technology needs to address.

[0115] Multi-AP cooperation includes Co-SR. When two APs are far apart, they can transmit simultaneously on the same channel / resource block. By controlling power and user selection, interference between the two APs can be minimized, thus effectively utilizing channel resources. Typically, the AP initiating multi-AP cooperative transmission can be called the sharing AP or primary AP, and other APs sharing transmission resources or opportunities can be called shared APs or secondary APs. The sharing AP can control the transmission power of the shared APs, thereby controlling interference. Specifically, when a sharing AP obtains a TXOP and is about to send a downlink data frame to its associated site STA1, if the sharing AP finds that the channel conditions between it and STA1 are good enough to allow other APs to transmit concurrently (e.g., a shared AP sending data to its associated site STA2), it can select one or more shared APs for Co-SR transmission. When selecting shared APs, the sharing AP can preferentially choose APs farther from STA1, thereby reducing interference to STA1 when the shared APs transmit data. In addition, the shared AP can control the transmission power of the shared AP to further reduce the interference to STA1 when the shared AP transmits data.

[0116] A shared access point (AP) can initiate Co-SR transmission by sending a trigger frame to the shared AP. The shared AP will indicate several parameters for Co-SR transmission in the trigger frame, including the shared AP's transmit power, packet transmission duration, and the shared AP's transmit power. Upon receiving these parameters, the shared AP can prioritize data transmission with a station farther from the shared AP (e.g., STA2). Regarding the selection of transmission parameters for the shared AP, the interference experienced by STA2 due to the shared AP can be estimated based on the shared AP's transmit power, allowing for the selection of appropriate transmission parameters (e.g., modulation and coding scheme (MCS), number of spatial streams (NSS), or bandwidth) to ensure a high probability of successful data transmission for the shared AP.

[0117] In Co-SR transmission, interference may occur between two transmissions because two APs transmit simultaneously on the same channel. For example, Figure 2 As shown, AP1 sends downlink data frames to STA1, while AP2 sends downlink data frames to STA2. STA1 receives the useful signal from AP1, but also receives the signal (interference) from AP2. When AP1 is a shared AP, if AP1 can predict the path loss between STA1 and AP2 before sending to STA1, it can control the transmission power of AP2, thus ensuring that the interference from AP2 to STA1 is low. When AP1 is a shared AP, if AP1 can predict the path loss between STA1 and AP2 before sending to STA1, it can choose appropriate transmission parameters to ensure successful transmission even if STA1 is subject to interference from AP2.

[0118] The following is combined with Figure 2 and Figure 3 Explain the transmission process of Co-SR.

[0119] Figure 2 and Figure 3 These are schematic diagrams illustrating the transmission process of Co-SR, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, AP1 (i.e., the sharing AP) can initiate Co-SR transmission by sending a Co-SR trigger frame to AP2 (i.e., the shared AP). Furthermore, AP1 and AP2 can perform Co-SR transmission according to the parameters in the Co-SR trigger frame. For example, AP1 can send downlink data frames to STA1, and AP2 can send downlink data frames to STA2.

[0120] It should be understood that Figure 2 and Figure 3 The image shows a shared AP (e.g., Figure 2 As shown in the diagram, multiple AP2s can participate in Co-SR transmission.

[0121] 2. Confirmation information for Co-SR transmission

[0122] After STA1 and STA2 receive downlink data frames, they will each reply with acknowledgment information transmitted via Co-SR (e.g., an Acknowledgment (ACK) frame or a block ACK (BA) frame). This acknowledgment information indicates whether the STA successfully received the downlink data frame. One method of replying with acknowledgment information is through frequency division multiplexing, such as... Figure 2 As shown, STA1 and STA2 simultaneously reply with confirmation messages on the frequency resources.

[0123] like Figure 3 As shown, another way to reply with confirmation information is through time-division multiplexing, for example, in Figure 3 In the process, STA1 first replies with a BA frame, then AP2 sends a block ACK request (BAR) frame to STA2, and then STA2 replies with a BA frame.

[0124] 3. PPDUs of different generations

[0125] In the Co-SR transmission process described above, downlink data frames, ACK frames, and BA frames all belong to the medium access control (MAC) layer protocol data unit (MPDU), commonly known as MAC frames. In actual communication, MAC frames are encapsulated in PPDUs before being sent.

[0126] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating several formats of EHT PPDU. EHT PPDU can also be called 802.11be PPDU or PPDU in Wi-Fi 7, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the EHT PPDU includes two modes, namely... Figure 4 The extremely high throughput multiple user PPDU (EHT MU PPDU) shown in (a) and the example shown in (a) are as follows: Figure 4(b) shows the extremely high throughput trigger-based PPDU (EHT TB PPDU). 802.11be uses EHT MU PPDU to simultaneously transmit data to single and multiple users, reducing the number of PPDU formats that the device needs to support and simplifying implementation complexity. EHT TB PPDU is a trigger-based format, meaning that after multiple stations receive a trigger frame, uplink multi-user transmission is performed simultaneously based on the resource scheduling information in the trigger frame. The EHT MU PPDU includes the legacy short training field (L-STF), legacy long training field (L-LTF), legacy signal field (L-SIG), repeat legacy signal field (RL-SIG), universal signal field (U-SIG), EHT signal field (EHT-SIG), EHT short training field (EHT-STF), EHT long training field (EHT-LTF), data field, and packet extension (PE) field. The EHT TB PPDU includes L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, EHT-STF, EHT-LTF, data field, and PE field.

[0127] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the format of a UHR PPDU, which can also be called an 802.11bn PPDU or a PPDU in Wi-Fi 8. Figure 5 As shown, the UHR PPDU includes, for example, Figure 5 The ultra-high reliability multiple user PPDU (UHR MU PPDU) shown in (a) and such Figure 5 (b) shows the ultra-high reliability trigger-based PPDU (UHRTB PPDU). Figure 5As shown in (a), the UHR MU PPDU includes L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, UHR signalfield (UHR-STG), UHR short training field (UHR-STF), UHR long training field (UHR-LTF), data field, and PE field. Figure 5 As shown in (b), the UHR TB PPDU includes L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, UHR UHR-STF, UHR-LTF, the data field, and the PE field. In addition, the UHR PPDU also includes the UHR Co-SR PPDU, which is a variant of the UHR MU PPDU.

[0128] The EHT MU PPDU, EHT TB PPDU, and UHR TB PPDU all include a U-SIG field. The U-SIG field is a signaling field in the PPDU preamble, carrying signaling information needed for demodulating subsequent fields, as well as information for coexistence such as BSS Color and transmission opportunity fields. The U-SIG field contains two OFDM symbols, U-SIG1 and U-SIG2, each carrying 26 information bits, as shown in Table 1 below.

[0129] Table 1

[0130]

[0131]

[0132] Depend on Figure 4 and Figure 5 It is known that PPDUs have different formats in different generations of standards. Current standards do not consider the issue of co-SR transmission between PPDUs from different generations. For example, using... Figure 2 and Figure 3 For example, since AP1 and AP2 transmit downlink data frames simultaneously, if the downlink data frame transmitted by AP1 is encapsulated in a UHR PPDU and the downlink data frame transmitted by AP2 is encapsulated in an EHT PPDU, the contents of the U-SIG field of the PPDU differ between generations. Furthermore, since AP1 and AP2 transmit downlink PPDUs on the same channel, a third-party device (such as...) might encounter issues. Figure 1When a non-AP STA3 receives the U-SIG field, it may receive PPDUs with different U-SIG fields on the same channel. This can cause it to fail to correctly receive the U-SIG field, thus failing to maintain opportune silence. In other words, third-party devices cannot be aware that Co-SR transmission is underway on that opportune time, and therefore may transmit on that opportune time, interfering with Co-SR transmission. For example, ... Figure 2 As shown, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) allows STA1 and STA2 to send acknowledgment messages simultaneously. However, since STA1 and STA2 belong to different basic service sets (BSS), and the U-SIG field of the PPDU contains a BSS color field to indicate the identification information of their respective BSSs, the different BSS colors will result in different U-SIG field contents on different channels. When a third-party device receives the U-SIG field, if a method of combining reception using different sub-channels is used, it will fail to correctly receive the U-SIG field, thus failing to maintain opportunistic silence. The transmission of the third-party device will interfere with the co-SR transmission. Furthermore, if the bandwidth of the co-SR transmission is only 20MHz, since 20MHz is already the minimum channel bandwidth, it cannot be further divided into different sub-channels, therefore, the frequency division multiplexing method cannot be used. Figure 3 As shown, while replying with acknowledgments via time-division multiplexing can solve some of the problems associated with replying with acknowledgments via frequency-division multiplexing, it still has limitations. Figure 3 In the process, AP2 waits for a period of time while sending the block acknowledgment request frame, during which time the channel is easily occupied.

[0133] In view of this, this application proposes a communication method and communication device that can design corresponding co-SR negotiation procedures and confirmation information reply procedures based on different versions of co-SR transmission, thereby ensuring the reliability of co-SR transmission.

[0134] It should be understood that the embodiments shown below use a first access point, a second access point, a first site, a second site, etc., as examples to illustrate the method. However, this application does not limit the execution subject; any program that can run the code of the method provided in the embodiments of this application can communicate according to the method provided in the embodiments of this application. The execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of this application can be a first access point, a second access point, a first site, a second site, etc., or a functional module among the first access point, second access point, first site, second site, etc., that can call and execute the program, and there is no limitation.

[0135] Figure 6This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 600 provided in this application. Figure 6 As shown, the method 600 includes the following steps.

[0136] S610, the first access point sends a request frame to the second access point, and the second access point receives the request frame accordingly. This request frame is used to initiate a Co-SR negotiation process, or in other words, it requests the negotiation of parameters in the first Co-SR transmission process. The first Co-SR transmission process refers to a specific Co-SR transmission procedure; details can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 2 and Figure 3 .

[0137] In this application, the first access point can be called the sharing AP or the master AP, which is the initiator of multi-AP cooperative transmission, and the second access point can be called the shared AP or the slave AP, which is the responder of multi-AP cooperative transmission.

[0138] For example, this request frame can be called a Co-SR invite frame or a Co-SR negotiation request frame, etc. For instance, it can be an ICF, where the ICF can be a buffer status report poll (BSRP) trigger frame, and its format is as follows: Figure 7 As shown.

[0139] The request frame includes first indication information, which indicates the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure. The first indication information may also be referred to as physical layer version identification information or version identification information.

[0140] For example, the first indication information may be referred to as Co-SR request information, Co-SR scheduling information, coordinated beamforming (Co-BF) request information, Co-BF scheduling information, etc., and it may be carried in the user info field of the BSRP trigger frame, for example, located in Figure 7 In the User Information 2 field, B12 to B39, the Association Identity (AID) 12 is used to carry the identifier of the second access point, indicating that the second access point is the recipient of the information in the User Information 2 field.

[0141] In this application, "version" can also be replaced with type, generation, format, etc., referring to the physical layer (PHY) version. The PPDU version supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure refers to the PPDU version that the first access point can transmit in the first Co-SR transmission procedure, that is, the PPDU that the first access point can use to send downlink data frames in the first Co-SR transmission procedure.

[0142] It should be understood that the PPDU version supported by the first access point in different Co-SR transmission processes can be the same or different, without restriction.

[0143] Furthermore, the first access point may support multiple or only one version of PPDU in the first Co-SR transmission process. When it supports multiple versions, one of the PPDU versions can be used for transmission in the subsequent first Co-SR transmission process. When it supports only one version, the version of PPDU supported in the first Co-SR transmission process is the same as the version of PPDU that will be used in the first Co-SR transmission process.

[0144] Similarly, version combination can be replaced by type combination, generation combination, format combination, Co-SR transmission combination, etc. The version combination of PPDU supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process refers to which versions of PPDU can be sent simultaneously on the same channel by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process. For example, if the access points in the first Co-SR transmission process include the first access point and the second access point, then the version combination of PPDU supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process refers to the combination of the versions of PPDU sent by the first access point and the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process. In this version combination, the first PPDU only sends one version of PPDU, and the other versions of PPDU are sent by the second access point.

[0145] Furthermore, the first access point may support multiple or only one combination of PPDU versions in the first Co-SR transmission procedure; this is not restricted. When it supports only one version, the PPDU version combination supported in the first Co-SR transmission procedure is the same as the PPDU version combination to be used in the first Co-SR transmission procedure. When it supports multiple versions, the PPDU version combination supported in the first Co-SR transmission procedure is the same as the PPDU version combination that can be used to send downlink data frames in the first Co-SR transmission procedure. The first access point may support the same or different PPDU version combinations in different Co-SR transmission procedures; this is not restricted.

[0146] S620, the second access point sends a response frame to the first access point, and the first access point receives the response frame accordingly, which is in response to the request frame.

[0147] For example, this response frame can be called a Co-SR response frame or a Co-SR negotiation response frame, etc. For instance, it can be an ICR frame, with the format as follows: Figure 8 As shown.

[0148] The response frame includes second indication information, which indicates the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure. For a detailed explanation of the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure, please refer to the preceding description of "the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure," which will not be repeated here.

[0149] As one implementation method, the second indication information can be called Co-SR request information, Co-SR scheduling information, Co-BF request information, Co-BF scheduling information, etc. It can be carried in the control information field of the control feedback field in the ICR frame, as shown in Figure 8, which is located in the control field 1.

[0150] Specifically, the first indication information and the second indication information are used to determine the version combination of PPDU in the first Co-SR transmission process. In other words, based on the first indication information and the second indication information, the first access point can determine which version of PPDU should be sent by the first access point and the second access point respectively in the first Co-SR transmission process, or in other words, determine the Co-SR transmission version combination in the first Co-SR transmission process.

[0151] Based on the above scheme, the first access point and the second access point can negotiate which version of PPDU should be sent by the first access point and the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process through the first indication information and the second indication information. This allows each access point to use its preferred version for transmission, minimizing the impact of third-party devices on the Co-SR transmission of the first access point and the second access point, thereby improving the reliability of Co-SR transmission.

[0152] For example, the PPDU version supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process includes any one of the following: a PPDU of a first communication protocol and a PPDU of a second communication protocol; the PPDU version supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process includes any one of the following: a PPDU of a first communication protocol and a PPDU of a second communication protocol. In this case, the combination of PPDU versions in the first Co-SR transmission process includes: a combination of the PPDU version supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process and a combination of the PPDU version supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process, for example, a combination of the PPDU of the first communication protocol and a PPDU of the second communication protocol, a combination of the PPDU of the second communication protocol and a PPDU of the first communication protocol, a combination of the PPDU of the first communication protocol and a PPDU of the first communication protocol, and a combination of the PPDU of the second communication protocol and a PPDU of the second communication protocol.

[0153] In this application, the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol refer to Wi-Fi protocols of different generations. For example, the first communication protocol is the EHT protocol, and the second communication protocol is the UHR protocol. Therefore, the PPDU of the first communication protocol is an ultra-high throughput EHT PPDU, and the PPDU of the second communication protocol is an ultra-high reliability UHR PPDU. The combination of the PPDU of the first communication protocol and the PPDU of the second communication protocol can refer to EHT+UHR, the combination of the PPDU of the second communication protocol and the PPDU of the first communication protocol can refer to UHR+EHT, the combination of the PPDU of the first communication protocol and the PPDU of the first communication protocol can refer to EHT+EHT, and the combination of the PPDU of the second communication protocol and the PPDU of the second communication protocol can refer to UHR+UHR. Optionally, the version of the PPDU supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process may also include PPDUs of other communication protocols, such as PPDUs of the third communication protocol, PPDUs of the fourth communication protocol, etc. Therefore, the version combination may also include other forms.

[0154] It should be understood that when the PPDU version combination in the first Co-SR transmission process is a combination of different versions, such as a combination of PPDU of the first communication protocol and PPDU of the second communication protocol, the versions in the combination can also be understood as having no order, that is, including the following two cases:

[0155] Scenario 1: The first access point sends a PPDU of the first communication protocol during the first Co-SR transmission process, and the second access point sends a PPDU of the second communication protocol during the first Co-SR transmission process.

[0156] Scenario 2: The first access point sends a PPDU of the second communication protocol during the first Co-SR transmission process, and the second access point sends a PPDU of the first communication protocol during the first Co-SR transmission process.

[0157] At this point, the combination of the PPDU of the first communication protocol and the PPDU of the second communication protocol is equivalent to the combination of the PPDU of the second communication protocol and the PPDU of the first communication protocol. The two combinations can be regarded as the same combination.

[0158] Alternatively, the versions in the combination can also be understood to have a sequential order. In this case, the combination of the PPDU of the first communication protocol and the PPDU of the second communication protocol represents situation 1 above, and the combination of the PPDU of the second communication protocol and the PPDU of the first communication protocol represents situation 2 above.

[0159] The following explanation uses EHT protocol as the first communication protocol and UHR protocol as the second communication protocol as an example to illustrate the first and second indication information.

[0160] As an example, when the first indication information indicates the version of the PPDU supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure, the indication method and meaning of the physical layer version identifier field in the U-SIG field (i.e., bits B0 to B2 as shown in Table 1) can be reused. For example, the first indication information can be 3 bits, with values ​​and meanings as shown in Table 2. Here, 0 indicates that the PPDU subsequently transmitted by the first access point is an EHT PPDU, 1 indicates that the PPDU subsequently transmitted by the first access point is a UHR PPDU, and 7 indicates that the PPDU subsequently transmitted by the first access point can be either an EHT PPDU or a UHR PPDU.

[0161] Table 2

[0162]

[0163] Optionally, in future standards, the version of the PPDU can be further increased, for example, denoted as the third communication protocol, such as UHR+. Therefore, the values ​​and meanings can be increased, as shown in Table 3. A value of 6 can indicate that it is a UHR or UHR+ PPDU, and a value of 7 can indicate that it is any type of PPDU.

[0164] Table 3

[0165]

[0166] As another example, when the first indication information indicates the version of PPDU supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process, a bit map can be used to indicate the PPDU versions that the first access point can transmit. Each bit represents a PPDU version; for example, an 8-bit bit map can indicate up to 8 PPDU physical layer versions. If more than one bit in the bit map is set to 1, it indicates that the first access point can flexibly support multiple versions of PPDU.

[0167] It should be understood that the specific method by which the second indication information indicates the version of the PPDU supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure can refer to the first indication information mentioned above. It can reuse the indication method and meaning of the physical layer version identifier field in the U-SIG field, or it can be in the form of a bitmap, or other forms; there are no restrictions. Furthermore, the forms of the first and second indication information can be the same or different; there are no restrictions.

[0168] Furthermore, through the first and second indication information, the first access point can determine the version combination of PPDUs in the first Co-SR transmission process. For example, if the first access point supports X1 versions of PPDUs in the first Co-SR transmission process, and the second access point supports Y1 versions of PPDUs in the first Co-SR transmission process, then the version combination of PPDUs in the first Co-SR transmission process can be X1*Y1, which is the permutation and combination of the versions of PPDUs supported by the first access point and the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process, where X1 and Y1 are both positive integers. Furthermore, the first access point can choose to use one of these combinations for the first Co-SR transmission process.

[0169] For example, the PPDU version combination supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process includes any one of the following: a combination of PPDU of the first communication protocol and PPDU of the second communication protocol, a combination of PPDU of the second communication protocol and PPDU of the first communication protocol, a combination of PPDU of the first communication protocol and PPDU of the first communication protocol, and a combination of PPDU of the second communication protocol and PPDU of the second communication protocol; the PPDU version combination supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process includes any one of the following: a combination of PPDU of the first communication protocol and PPDU of the second communication protocol, a combination of PPDU of the second communication protocol and PPDU of the first communication protocol, a combination of PPDU of the first communication protocol and PPDU of the first communication protocol, and a combination of PPDU of the second communication protocol and PPDU of the second communication protocol; in this case, the PPDU version combination in the first Co-SR transmission process can be: a combination of the intersection of the PPDU version combination supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process and the PPDU version combination supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process.

[0170] Continuing with the example of using EHT as the first communication protocol and UHR as the second, let's explain the first and second indication information. For instance, if the first access point is assumed to support UHR+UHR, then the first access point can further indicate whether it supports one or more of UHR+EHT, EHT+EHT, and EHT+UHR through the first indication information. The process is similar for the second access point.

[0171] It should be noted that UHR+EHT, EHT+EHT, and EHT+UHR need to consider transmission to non-UHR EHT sites. Therefore, the first and second access points may selectively support some versions or combinations of some versions. For example, during co-SR transmission of UHR+EHT, EHT+UHR, and EHT+EHT, the U-SIG fields of the two PPDUs may differ, which can affect the merged reception of third-party devices. Therefore, the first and second access points may selectively support some version combinations of UHR+EHT, EHT+UHR, and EHT+EHT.

[0172] It should be understood that the first indication information may indicate only the version of the PPDU supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure, or only the combination of PPDU version supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure, or both the supported PPDU version and the supported PPDU version combination. For example, if the first access point indicates that it supports UHR, it will further indicate whether it supports UHR+EHT. Similarly, if the first access point indicates that it supports EHT, it will further indicate whether it supports EHT+UHR or EHT+EHT. Furthermore, if the first access point indicates that it supports either EHT or UHR, it will further indicate whether it supports EHT+UHR, UHR+EHT, EHT+EHT, etc. The same applies to the second access point.

[0173] Furthermore, this application does not limit whether the forms of the first instruction information and the second instruction information are the same. For example, the first instruction information may indicate the version of the PPDU, the second instruction information may indicate a combination of PPDU versions, or both the first instruction information and the second instruction information may indicate the version of the PPDU, or both the first instruction information and the second instruction information may indicate a combination of PPDU versions.

[0174] In one implementation, the first access point can categorize the version combinations it supports, grouping several version combinations into one category. For example, EHT+UHR and UHR+EHT are in one category, while UHR+UHR and EHT+EHT are in another; or EHT+UHR, UHR+EHT, and EHT+EHT are all considered in one category, while UHR+UHR is in another. In this implementation, the first indication information can indicate the type of PPDU version supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process, i.e., which category it belongs to. The same applies to the second access point and the second indication information.

[0175] Optionally, the combination of PPDU versions supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process can be determined based on the version of the PPDU it supports in the first Co-SR transmission process. For example, if the version of the PPDU supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process is EHT, then the combination of PPDU versions it supports in the first Co-SR transmission process is EHT+UHR or EHT+EHT.

[0176] For example, the second indication information may also indicate whether the second access point accepts Co-SR transmission with the first access point. For instance, the first access point indicates that the PPDU version it supports in the first Co-SR transmission process is EHT, while the second access point does not support EHT+UHR co-SR transmission. Therefore, the second access point can use the second indication information to indicate that it refuses to conduct Co-SR transmission with the first access point. The reason for refusal may include that the second access point has downlink data to send, but does not support the corresponding co-SR transmission version combination.

[0177] Furthermore, through the first and second indication information, the first access point can determine the version combination of PPDUs in the first Co-SR transmission process. For example, if the first access point supports X2 version combinations of PPDUs in the first Co-SR transmission process, and the second access point supports Y2 version combinations of PPDUs in the first Co-SR transmission process, then there can be N version combinations of PPDUs in the first Co-SR transmission process, where N is the intersection of the X2 combinations and the Y2 combinations, and X2, Y2, and N are all positive integers. Furthermore, the first access point can choose to use one of these combinations for the first Co-SR transmission process.

[0178] Based on the above scheme, the first indication information can indicate the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process. Similarly, the second indication information can indicate the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process. This allows the first access point and the second access point to negotiate which version of PPDU should be sent by the first access point and the second access point respectively in the first Co-SR transmission process through the first indication information and the second indication information, thereby improving the reliability of Co-SR transmission.

[0179] It should be understood that in method 600, there is one first access point, and there can be multiple or only one second access point, without restriction. When there are multiple second access points, there can also be multiple response frames. Different response frames can be transmitted using a trigger-based method, such as uplink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (UL OFDMA), or uplink multi-user multiple-input and multiple-output (UL MU-MIMO) transmission, or time-division multiplexing.

[0180] Figure 9(a) shows a schematic diagram of the Co-SR negotiation process between a first access point and a second access point, as follows: Figure 9 As shown in (a), AP1 (an example of the first access point) sends a Co-SR request frame to AP2, and AP2 (an example of the second access point) sends a Co-SR response frame, thus completing the Co-SR negotiation process.

[0181] Figure 9 (b) illustrates a flowchart of the Co-SR negotiation process between a first access point and multiple second access points, as shown below. Figure 9 As shown in (a), AP1 (an example of the first access point) can send Co-SR request frames to AP1 and AP2, and AP2 (an example of the second access point) and AP3 (another example of the second access point) respectively send Co-SR response frames, completing the Co-SR negotiation process. AP2 and AP3 send their Co-SR response frames at the same time based on a triggering mechanism. Furthermore, AP1 can also send a Co-SR request frame to AP4 (another example of the second access point), and AP4 then sends a Co-SR response frame, completing the Co-SR negotiation process. AP4's Co-SR response frame is sent in a time-division multiplexing manner with the Co-SR response frames of AP2 and AP3. Through this negotiation process, AP1 can perform Co-SR transmissions with AP2, AP3, and AP4.

[0182] It should be understood that the Co-SR negotiation process described above can determine the sharing AP and the AP being shared, as well as parameters such as transmit power, to ensure that each AP can efficiently and collaboratively perform spatial multiplexing. During the Co-SR negotiation process, STAs associated with the first and second access points may not directly participate in the transmission and reception of Co-SR request frames and Co-SR response frames, but they can listen in to obtain relevant information from the frames.

[0183] In one implementation, after S620, the method 600 further includes: S630, whereby the first access point sends a trigger frame to the second access point, and the second access point receives the trigger frame, which is used to initiate a first Co-SR transmission process.

[0184] For example, the trigger frame may be called a Co-SR trigger frame, or it may be an ICF or a basic variant trigger frame.

[0185] The trigger frame includes third indication information, which indicates the version of the first PPDU sent by the first access point and the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure. Alternatively, the third indication information may only indicate the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure. The third indication information is determined based on the first and second indication information, or in other words, it is determined based on the combination of PPDU versions in the first Co-SR transmission procedure.

[0186] Specifically, through the Co-SR negotiation process in S610 and S620, the first access point can determine the version combination of PPDU in the first Co-SR transmission process, that is, determine which version of PPDU the first access point and the second access point should send in the first Co-SR transmission process. Therefore, in S630, the first access point can carry third indication information in the trigger frame to indicate the version of the first PPDU and the second PPDU, or since the first access point can know the version of the first PPDU, it can indicate only the version of the second PPDU.

[0187] In this process, both the first PPDU and the second PPDU are downlink PPDUs in the first Co-SR transmission procedure. They are used to carry downlink data sent from the access point to the station and can also be called DL Co-SR PPDUs. Specifically, the destination of the first PPDU is the first station, and it includes the first downlink data. The destination of the second PPDU is the second station, and it includes the second downlink data.

[0188] It should be understood that there can be one or more first sites associated with the first access point, without limitation. Similarly, there can also be one or more second sites associated with the second access point, and the number of second sites can be the same as or different from the number of first sites, without limitation.

[0189] Based on the above scheme, the first access point and the second access point can perform the first Co-SR transmission process based on the negotiation result. For example, in this Co-SR transmission process, the first access point can indicate the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point to the second access point through a trigger frame, so that the second access point can transmit downlink data based on the physical layer version indicated by the first access point, avoiding the second access point from selecting an inappropriate physical layer version and affecting the performance of Co-SR transmission.

[0190] Alternatively, as one implementation, the contents of the U-SIG field in the first PPDU and the U-SIG field in the second PPDU are the same.

[0191] Specifically, the contents of the U-SIG field in the PPDU are shown in Table 1. In the current Co-SR transmission process, since the first access point and the second access point belong to different BSSs, the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the downlink PPDU carrying downlink data transmitted by the first and second access points is generally different. Furthermore, when the first PPDU and the second PPDU are different versions, the physical layer version identifier field in the U-SIG field of the first PPDU and the second PPDU are different. These differences lead to different U-SIG fields in the first PPDU and the second PPDU, and since the first PPDU and the second PPDU are transmitted on the same channel, this can cause problems for third-party devices, such as… Figure 1 In non-AP STA 3, different U-SIG fields of PPDU will be received on the same channel, which will cause third-party devices to be unable to receive the U-SIG field correctly. Therefore, they cannot maintain the silence at the transmission opportunity level, which may affect Co-SR transmission.

[0192] In this application, the first PPDU and the second PPDU can be the same version of PPDU. Therefore, the content of the physical layer version identifier field in the U-SIG field of the first PPDU and the second PPDU is the same. For example, if both the first PPDU and the second PPDU are EHT PPDUs, then the physical layer version identifier field in their U-SIG field will both indicate 0. Similarly, if both the first PPDU and the second PPDU are UHR PPDUs, then the physical layer version identifier field in their U-SIG field will both indicate 1. It should be understood that when the first PPDU and the second PPDU are different versions of PPDUs, the content of their U-SIG fields will be different.

[0193] Furthermore, the values ​​of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the first PPDU and the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the second PPDU can be the same. For example, if both the first PPDU and the second PPDU are UHR PPDUs, then the BSS color field in their U-SIG fields will both indicate the BSS color of the BSS to which the first access point belongs and the BSS color of the BSS to which the second access point belongs. Or, if both the first PPDU and the second PPDU are EHT PPDUs, then the BSS color field in their U-SIG fields will both indicate 0 or other identical values.

[0194] It should be understood that for UHR+UHR co-SR transmission, the U-SIG field of the downlink PPDU sent by each access point will contain two BSS colors: BSS color 1 of the BSS belonging to the first access point and BSS color 2 of the BSS belonging to the second access point. Each access point indicates these colors in the same order; for example, both the first and second access points may indicate BSS color 1 + BSS color 2, or both may indicate BSS color 2 + BSS color 1. This ensures that the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the first PPDU has the same value as the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the second PPDU. For EHT+EHT co-SR transmission, the first and second access points can set BSSColor to 0 (indicating BSS Color is disabled) or other identical values ​​in the beacon frame. Therefore, during the transmission of the EHT PPDU, BSSColor is also set to 0 or other identical values. This ensures that the BSSColor field in the U-SIG field of the first PPDU has the same value as the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the second PPDU.

[0195] Based on the above scheme, when the first access point and the second access point are performing co-SR transmission, the U-SIG field content in the two downlink PPDUs is the same, which is conducive to better channel reservation and protection, preventing third-party equipment from interfering with co-SR transmission, and also helps third-party equipment to save energy during co-SR transmission.

[0196] In one implementation, after S630, the method 600 further includes S640 to S670.

[0197] S640, the first access point sends the first PPDU to the first site, and correspondingly, the first site receives the first PPDU.

[0198] S650, the first station sends a response PPDU of the first PPDU to the first access point, and correspondingly, the first access point receives the response PPDU of the first PPDU.

[0199] The versions of the first PPDU and the second PPDU are determined through the Co-SR negotiation process described above. The first access point can obtain the version of the first PPDU and send the corresponding version of the first PPDU. The second access point can determine the version of the second PPDU based on the three indication information and send the corresponding version of the second PPDU.

[0200] S660, the second access point sends the second PPDU to the second site, and the second site receives the second PPDU accordingly.

[0201] S670, the second station sends a response PPDU of the second PPDU to the second access point, and correspondingly, the second access point receives the response PPDU of the second PPDU.

[0202] The response PPDU of the first PPDU carries acknowledgment information (e.g., an ACK frame or a BA frame), which is used to indicate whether the first station has successfully received the first downlink data in the first PPDU. Similarly, the response PPDU of the second PPDU carries acknowledgment information (e.g., an ACK frame or a BA frame), which is used to indicate whether the second station has successfully received the second downlink data in the second PPDU.

[0203] It should be understood that S640 and S660 can be executed simultaneously, S650 is implemented after S640, and S670 is implemented after S660. There are multiple ways to implement the order of S650 and S670. For details, please refer to Implementation Method 1 to Implementation Method 4 below.

[0204] Implementation Method 1: The first PPDU is used to request the response PPDU of the first PPDU, and the second PPDU is used to request the response PPDU of the second PPDU. In other words, in this implementation method, the first station and the second station reply with confirmation information through frequency division, that is, S650 and S670 are implemented simultaneously, such as... Figure 10 As shown. In Figure 10 In the diagram, the first access point is AP1, the second access point is AP2, the first site is STA1, the second site is STA2, the first PPDU and the second PPDU are DL co-SR PPDU, the first frame is MU-BAR trigger frame #1, and the third frame is MU-BAR trigger frame #2.

[0205] In this implementation, the first PPDU may include fourth indication information, which indicates the version of the response PPDU of the first PPDU. The fourth indication information is determined based on the version of the first PPDU. Similarly, the second PPDU includes fifth indication information, which indicates the version of the response PPDU of the second PPDU. The fifth indication information is determined based on the version of the second PPDU, or in other words, the fifth indication information is determined based on the third indication information.

[0206] Specifically, the first access point can indicate the versions of the downlink PPDUs of both the first and second access points in the co-SR trigger frame, or it can indicate only the version of the downlink PPDU of the second access point, i.e., the third indication information. Furthermore, the version of the downlink PPDU of the first access point will also affect the version of the PPDU sent by the first site in its response, and the version of the downlink PPDU of the second access point will also affect the version of the PPDU sent by the second site in its response.

[0207] For example, the first PPDU may include a first frame, or in other words, the first frame is encapsulated within the first PPDU. The first frame may be a BAR frame or a multiple user block ack request (MU-BAR) trigger frame. The first frame may be used to trigger the first station to immediately reply with acknowledgment information, or in other words, the first frame may be used to request a response PPDU for the first PPDU. Since the first PPDU includes the first frame, the first PPDU may be used to request a response PPDU for the first PPDU, or in other words, to trigger the first station to immediately reply with acknowledgment information. The fourth indication information may be carried within the first frame.

[0208] It should be understood that in this application, an immediate reply confirmation message can be replaced with an immediate reply response PPDU, and similarly, a delayed reply confirmation message can be replaced with a delayed reply response PPDU.

[0209] It should be understood that in this application, the first PPDU is used to request the response PPDU of the first PPDU, which can be understood as including the first frame in the first PPDU.

[0210] Similarly, the second PPDU may include a third frame, which may be a BAR frame or a MU-BAR trigger frame. The third frame is used to trigger the second station to immediately reply with confirmation information, or in other words, the third frame is used to request a response PPDU from the second PPDU. The fifth indication information may be carried in the third frame.

[0211] The following text is in the format of Figure 10 The following process is used as an example to illustrate implementation method 1. It should be understood that... Figure 10 Arrows 1, 2, and 3 in the Co-SR trigger frame indicate the versions of the DL co-SR PPDU sent by AP1 and AP2, respectively, which is the third indication information. Arrow 4 indicates the version of the PPDU used by STA 1 to send the BA frame, which is the fourth indication information. Arrow 5 indicates the version of the PPDU used by STA 2 to send the BA frame, which is the fifth indication information.

[0212] Example 1: AP1 can indicate that the DL co-SR PPDU sent by AP1 and AP2 is UHR+UHR (i.e., an example of the third indication information) through the Co-SR trigger frame. Then, the DL co-SR PPDU sent by AP1 and AP2 will both use UHR Co-SR PPDU. Furthermore, the UHR Co-SR PPDU sent by AP1 may include MU-BAR trigger frame #1, and the UHR Co-SR PPDU sent by AP2 may include MU-BAR trigger frame #2. Both MU-BAR trigger frame #1 and MU-BAR trigger frame #2 can indicate UHR (an example of the fourth and fifth indication information). Therefore, the PPDU used by STA1 and STA2 when sending BA frames is UHR TBPPDU.

[0213] Example 2: AP1 can indicate that the DL co-SR PPDU sent by AP1 and AP2 is EHT+EHT through the Co-SR trigger frame. Then, the DL co-SR PPDU sent by AP1 and AP2 will both use EHT MU PPDU. Furthermore, the EHT MU PPDU sent by AP1 may include MU-BAR trigger frame #1, and the EHT MU PPDU sent by AP2 may include MU-BAR trigger frame #2. Both MU-BAR trigger frame #1 and MU-BAR trigger frame #2 can indicate EHT (an example of the fourth and fifth indication information). Therefore, the PPDU used by STA1 and STA2 when sending BA frames is EHT TB PPDU.

[0214] Example 3: AP1 can indicate via a Co-SR trigger frame that the DL co-SR PPDU sent by AP1 and AP2 is EHT+UHR (i.e., an example of the third indication information). Then AP1 and AP2 send EHT MU PPDU and UHR co-SR PPDU respectively. Furthermore, the EHT MU PPDU may include MU-BAR trigger frame #1, and the UHR co-SR PPDU may include MU-BAR trigger frame #2. One implementation is that MU-BAR trigger frame #1 indicates EHT (an example of the fourth indication information), and MU-BAR trigger frame #2 indicates UHR (an example of the fifth indication information). Thus, the PPDU used by STA1 when sending BA frames is EHT TB PPDU, and the PPDU used by STA2 when sending BA frames is UHR TB PPDU. Another implementation is that both MU-BAR trigger frame #1 and MU-BAR trigger frame #2 indicate EHT (an example of the fourth and fifth indication information), so that the PPDU used by STA 1 and STA 2 when sending BA frames is EHT TB PPDU.

[0215] Example 4: AP1 can indicate via a Co-SR trigger frame that the DL co-SR PPDU sent by AP1 and AP2 is UHR+EHT (i.e., an example of the third indication information). Then AP1 and AP2 send UHR co-SR PPDU and EHT MU PPDU respectively. Furthermore, the UHR co-SR PPDU may include MU-BAR trigger frame #1, and the EHT MU PPDU may include MU-BAR trigger frame #2. One implementation is that MU-BAR trigger frame #1 indicates UHR (an example of the fourth indication information), and MU-BAR trigger frame #2 indicates EHT (an example of the fifth indication information). Thus, the PPDU used by STA1 when sending BA frames is UHR TB PPDU, and the PPDU used by STA2 when sending BA frames is EHT TB PPDU. Another implementation is that both MU-BAR trigger frame #1 and MU-BAR trigger frame #2 indicate EHT (an example of the fourth and fifth indication information), so that the PPDU used by STA 1 and STA 2 when sending BA frames is EHT TB PPDU.

[0216] Based on the above scheme, the first access point and the second access point can reply with confirmation information in a frequency division manner, thereby improving the transmission efficiency of confirmation information and ensuring that both the first access point and the second access point can receive confirmation information as soon as possible.

[0217] Optionally, in this implementation, the U-SIG field in the response PPDU of the first PPDU has the same content as the U-SIG field in the response PPDU of the second PPDU. The following example uses EHT as the first communication protocol and UHR as the second communication protocol, and combines methods a to d to illustrate the difference in the content of the U-SIG field in the response PPDU of the first PPDU and the U-SIG field in the response PPDU of the second PPDU.

[0218] As in method a, both the response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU are PPDUs of the second communication protocol. The value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of both the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU is the BSS color of the BSS to which the first access point belongs, or is uniformly set to the same BSS color. For example, in Example 1 above, both the response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU are UHR TB PPDUs. In this case, the physical layer version identifier field in the U-SIG field of both the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU is indicated as 1, and the BSS color field in the U-SIG field is indicated as the BSS color of the BSS to which the first access point belongs, or is uniformly set to the same BSS color. Therefore, the contents of the U-SIG field in the response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU can be the same.

[0219] In method b, both the response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU are PPDUs of the first communication protocol. The value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of both the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU is 0 or other identical values. For example, in the latter implementation of Examples 2 and 3 above, and the latter implementation of Example 4 above, both the response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU are EHT TB PPDUs. In this case, the physical layer version identifier field in the U-SIG field of both the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU is 0, and the BSS color field in the U-SIG field is 0 or other identical values. Therefore, the contents of the U-SIG field in the response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU can be the same. Thus, if the bandwidth of co-SR transmission is only 20MHz, the UL OFDMA acknowledgment information transmission method can be enabled at 20MHz. For example, STA1 can use 106-tone RU (resource unit (RU) of 106 subcarriers) 1, and STA2 can use 106-tone RU2. This allows 20MHz PPDU to be transmitted, and there will be no problem with the combined reception of different sub-channels.

[0220] As in method c, the first PPDU is a PPDU of the second communication protocol, the second PPDU is a PPDU of the first communication protocol, the response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU are both PPDUs of the first communication protocol, and the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the first PPDU is set to the same value as the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the second PPDU. For example, in the latter implementation of Example 4 above, the first PPDU and the second PPDU are UHR co-SR PPDU and EHT MU PPDU, respectively. The response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU are both EHT TB PPDU. In this case, the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the EHT TB PPDU corresponding to the UHR co-SR PPDU (i.e., the EHT TB PPDU used when STA1 sends the BA frame) can be set to the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the EHT TB PPDU corresponding to the EHT MU PPDU (i.e., the EHT TB PPDU used when STA2 sends the BA frame). In other words, the BSS Color in the U-SIG field of the TB PPDU containing the corresponding acknowledgment frame in the UHR co-SR PPDU is set to the BSS Color in the U-SIG field of the TB PPDU containing the corresponding acknowledgment frame in the EHT MU PPDU. This ensures that even when AP1 and AP2 send downlink PPDUs of different versions, the U-SIG field content in the PPDUs of the acknowledgment information sent back by STA1 and STA2 remains the same.

[0221] As in mode d, the first PPDU is a PPDU of the first communication protocol, the second PPDU is a PPDU of the second communication protocol, the response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU are both PPDUs of the first communication protocol, and the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the second PPDU is set to the same value as the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the first PPDU. For example, in the latter implementation of Example 3 above, the first PPDU and the second PPDU are EHT MU PPDU and UHR co-SR PPDU, respectively. The response PPDU for both the first and second PPDUs is an EHT TB PPDU. In this case, the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the EHT TB PPDU corresponding to the UHR co-SR PPDU (i.e., the EHT TB PPDU used when STA2 sends the BA frame) can be set to the same value as the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the EHT TB PPDU corresponding to the EHT MU PPDU (i.e., the EHT TB PPDU used when STA1 sends the BA frame). Therefore, even when AP1 and AP2 send different versions of downlink PPDUs, the U-SIG field content in the PPDUs used by STA1 and STA2 in their acknowledgment messages can still be the same.

[0222] Based on the above scheme, when performing co-SR transmission, the U-SIG field content in the PPDU of the confirmation information sent by the first and second sites is the same. In particular, when the downlink PPDU sent by the first and second access points are different versions of PPDU, the U-SIG field content in the PPDU of the confirmation information sent by the first and second sites is still the same. This is conducive to better channel reservation and protection, preventing third-party equipment from interfering with co-SR transmission, and also helps third-party equipment save energy during co-SR transmission.

[0223] Implementation Method 2: The first PPDU may include indication information for instructing the first station to delay its response, and the second PPDU may include indication information for instructing the second station to respond immediately. In other words, in this implementation method, the first station and the second station respond to the confirmation information in a time-division manner, and the second station responds to the first station first, that is, S670 is implemented before S650. Figure 11 As shown.

[0224] It should be understood that the presence of an ACK policy indication in the data frame can be used to instruct the receiving end whether to immediately reply with an acknowledgment. Therefore, in this application, the indication information used to instruct the station whether to reply immediately can be an ACK policy. In this implementation method 2, the ACK policy of the data portion of the first PPDU can be used to instruct the first station to delay replying, and the ACK policy of the data portion of the second PPDU can be used to instruct the second station to reply immediately.

[0225] Furthermore, in this implementation, after S640, the method may further include: the first access point sending a first frame to the first station, the first frame being used to request a response PPDU for the first PPDU. After receiving the first frame from the first access point, the first station then replies with an acknowledgment message.

[0226] For example, the first frame can be a BAR frame or a MU-BAR frame, without limitation.

[0227] It should be understood that in the time-division reply confirmation scheme, namely the above-mentioned implementation method 2 and the following implementation methods 4 to 5, the first PPDU may not include the first frame, and the second PPDU may not include the third frame. The indication of immediate reply or delayed reply can be implemented through the ACK policy indication in the data frame of the downlink PPDU.

[0228] Figure 11 This is a schematic flowchart of implementation method 2, such as... Figure 11 As shown, the first access point is AP1, the second access point is AP2, the first site is STA1, the second site is STA2, the first PPDU and the second PPDU are DL EHT MUPPDU and DL UHR co-SR PPDU respectively, and the first frame is a BAR frame.

[0229] Based on the above scheme, the second site can quickly reply with acknowledgment information under the channel protection provided by the downlink PPDU of the second access point. Furthermore, since the first access point is the owner of the TXOP, it can further send the first frame, avoiding the channel occupancy problem that might occur if the second access point (i.e., not the owner of the TXOP) sends the BAR frame, thereby ensuring the reliability of Co-SR transmission.

[0230] Implementation Method 3: The station that receives the non-UHR PPDU replies with an acknowledgment message first. In other words, in this implementation method, the first and second stations reply with acknowledgment messages in a time-division manner, and the order in which the second and first stations reply with acknowledgment messages needs to be determined according to the version of the downlink PPDU.

[0231] Specifically, when the first PPDU is a PPDU of a first communication protocol and the second PPDU is a PPDU of a second communication protocol, the first PPDU may include indication information to instruct the first station to reply immediately, indicating that the first station prioritizes sending acknowledgment information. The second PPDU may include indication information to instruct the first station to delay replying, thus the second station needs to wait for the second access point to send a third frame before replying with acknowledgment information. Similarly, when the first PPDU is a PPDU of a second communication protocol, the first PPDU may include indication information to instruct the first station to delay replying, requiring the first station to wait for the first access point to send a first frame before replying with acknowledgment information. The second PPDU may include indication information to instruct the first station to reply immediately, thus the second station prioritizes sending acknowledgment information. The specific meanings of the first and third frames can be found above.

[0232] Similarly, the indication information used to instruct a site to respond immediately or with a delayed response can be the ACK policy indication in the data frame of the downlink PPDU.

[0233] For a station (which can be either the first station or the second station), when the downlink PPDU it receives includes indication information for instructing it to reply immediately, the station sends a response PPDU to the access point associated with it. When the downlink PPDU it receives includes indication information for instructing it to reply with a delay, the station needs to first receive the first or third frame from the access point before sending a response PPDU to the access point associated with it.

[0234] For example, the first communication protocol is EHT and the second communication protocol is UHR.

[0235] For example, assuming the first access point is AP1, the second access point is AP2, the first site is STA1, the second site is STA, and both the first and third frames are BAR frames, if AP1 sends an EHT MU PPDU and AP2 sends a UHR Co-SRPPDU, then STA1 will prioritize sending BA frames. Figure 3 As shown. If AP1 sends a UHR Co-SR PPDU and AP2 sends an EHT MU PPDU, then STA2 will prioritize sending BA frames, such as... Figure 11 As shown.

[0236] Based on the above solution, since the non-UHR sites are existing equipment, allowing these sites to reply with confirmation information first can better ensure compatibility with the operating mechanism of the existing equipment, avoid making too many changes to the existing equipment, and have stronger reliability.

[0237] Implementation Method 4: The first PPDU may include indication information for instructing the first station to reply immediately, and the second PPDU may include indication information for instructing the second station to reply with a delay. In other words, in this implementation method, the first station and the second station reply to the confirmation information in a time-division manner, and the first station replies to the second station first, that is, S650 is implemented before S670. Figure 12 As shown.

[0238] Furthermore, in this implementation, after S640, the method may further include: the first access point sending a second frame to the second access point, the second frame instructing the second access point to request a response PPDU for the second PPDU from the second station. After receiving the second frame from the first access point, the second access point sends a third frame to the second station, the third frame requesting a response PPDU for the second PPDU. After receiving the third frame from the second access point, the second station replies with an acknowledgment message.

[0239] Similarly, the indication information used to instruct a site to respond immediately or with a delayed response can be the ACK policy indication in the data frame of the downlink PPDU.

[0240] For example, the second frame can be a trigger frame, such as an ICF.

[0241] Figure 12 This is a schematic flowchart of implementation method 4, such as... Figure 12 As shown, the first access point is AP1, the second access point is AP2, the first site is STA1, the second site is STA2, the first PPDU and the second PPDU are DL EHT MUPPDU and DL UHR co-SR PPDU, respectively, the second frame is ICF, and the third frame is BAR frame.

[0242] Since the first site is the first access point in the associated domain (i.e., the owner of the TXOP), the above scheme ensures that the first site responds with confirmation information first, thus completing the first access point's transmission as quickly as possible. Simultaneously, the first access point can instruct the second access point to request a response PPDU from the second site, thus avoiding the situation where the second access point cannot send BAR frames due to channel occupancy, ensuring the reliability of Co-SR transmission.

[0243] Implementation Method 5: Prioritize the first site (i.e., the site associated with the owner of the TXOP) to reply with the confirmation message. This will allow the first access point to complete the transmission as soon as possible. The second access point and the second site are the recipients of the TXOP and have a lower priority, so the transmission can be delayed.

[0244] The actual process of this implementation method can be... Figure 3 or Figure 12 As shown.

[0245] It should be understood that the scheme of triggering the frame to indicate the version of the downlink PPDU in the above Co-SR transmission process (i.e., S630 to S650) can be implemented in conjunction with method 600 or implemented independently, without limitation. Similarly, the confirmation information reply process given in implementation methods 1 to 5 above can be implemented in conjunction with method 600 or decoupled from method 600 and implemented independently, without limitation.

[0246] The above combination Figures 1 to 12 The methods provided in the embodiments of this application have been described. It is understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the first site and the second site include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in a hardware or computer software-driven hardware manner depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0247] Figure 13 and Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the first station and the second station in the above method embodiments, and therefore can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be a first access point, a second access point, a first station, or a second station, or it can be a module (such as a chip) applied to the first access point, the second access point, the first station, or the second station.

[0248] like Figure 13 As shown, the communication device 2000 includes a transceiver unit 2020. Optionally, the communication device 2000 may further include a processing unit 2010. The communication device 2000 is used to implement the above-described... Figure 6 The methods shown in the embodiments represent the functions of the first access point, the second access point, the first site, or the second site.

[0249] When the communication device 2000 is used to achieve Figure 6In the method embodiment shown, the function of the first access point is as follows: the transceiver unit 2020 is used to: send a request frame to the second access point, the request frame being used to initiate a Co-SR negotiation process, the request frame including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the version and / or version combination of PPDU supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process; the transceiver unit 2020 is also used to: receive a response frame from the second access point, the response frame including second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the version and / or version combination of PPDU supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process, the first indication information and the second indication information being used to determine the version combination of PPDU in the first Co-SR transmission process.

[0250] When the communication device 2000 is used to achieve Figure 6 In the method embodiment shown, the function of the second access point is as follows: the transceiver unit 2020 is used to: receive a request frame from the first access point, the request frame being used to initiate a Co-SR negotiation process, the request frame including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the version and / or version combination of PPDUs supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process; the transceiver unit 2020 is also used to: send a response frame to the first access point, the response frame including second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the version and / or version combination of PPDUs supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process, the first indication information and the second indication information being used to determine the version combination of PPDUs in the first Co-SR transmission process.

[0251] When the communication device 2000 is used to achieve Figure 6 In the method embodiment shown, the function of the first station is as follows: the transceiver unit 2020 is used to: receive a PPDU from the access point, the PPDU being a response PPDU for requesting a PPDU, the PPDU including downlink data and indication information, the indication information being used to indicate the version of the response PPDU sent by the station, the indication information being determined by the access point according to a trigger frame, the trigger frame being used to initiate a first Co-SR transmission procedure, the trigger frame being used to indicate the version of the PPDU sent by the access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure; the transceiver unit 2020 is also used to: send a response PPDU to the access point according to the indication information.

[0252] When the communication device 2000 is used to achieve Figure 6In the illustrated method embodiment, the function of the first station is as follows: the transceiver unit 2020 is configured to: receive a PPDU from the access point, the PPDU including downlink data; when the PPDU is used to instruct the station to reply immediately, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a response PPDU to the access point. Alternatively, when the PPDU is used to instruct the station to reply with a delay, the transceiver unit 2020 is further configured to: receive a first frame from the access point and send a response PPDU to the access point. The first frame is used to request a response PPDU to the first PPDU, and whether the PPDU is used to instruct the station to reply immediately or with a delay is determined based on the version of the PPDU in the first Co-SR transmission procedure.

[0253] For a detailed description of the functions performed by the processing unit 2010 and the transceiver unit 2020, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 6 The relevant descriptions in the method shown.

[0254] like Figure 14 As shown, the communication device 3000 includes a processor 3010 and an interface circuit 3020. The processor 3010 and the interface circuit 3020 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 3020 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 3000 may also include a memory 3030 for storing instructions executed by the processor 3010, or storing input data required by the processor 3010 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 3010 executes instructions. Sometimes, the interface circuit 3020 can also be understood as part of the processor 3010, in which case the communication device 3000 includes the processor 3010.

[0255] When the communication device 3000 is used to achieve Figure 6 In the method shown, the processor 3010 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 2010, and the interface circuit 3020 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 2020.

[0256] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a first access point (or second access point, or first site, or second site), the chip implements the functions of the first access point (or second access point, or first site, or second site) in the above method embodiments. The chip receiving information can be understood as the information being first received by other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the first access point (or second access point, or first site, or second site), and then sent to the chip by these modules. The chip sending information can be understood as the information being first sent to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the first access point (or second access point, or first site, or second site), and then sent by these modules.

[0257] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0258] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a base station or terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a base station or terminal.

[0259] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0260] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0261] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B, and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B, and C.

[0262] In this application, descriptions such as "when," "under the circumstances," "if," and "if" all refer to the device making corresponding actions under certain objective circumstances. They are not time-limited, nor do they require the device to make a judgment action during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0263] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the terms "first," "second," and various numerical designations are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above processes does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0264] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0265] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0266] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0267] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0268] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0269] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0270] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for communication in a wireless local area network, characterized in that, Applied to the first access point, including: Send a request frame to the second access point. The request frame is used to initiate a Co-SR negotiation process. The request frame includes first indication information, which is used to indicate the version and / or combination of physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process. A response frame is received from the second access point. The response frame includes second indication information, which indicates the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure. The first indication information and the second indication information are used to determine the combination of PPDU versions in the first Co-SR transmission procedure.

2. A method for communication in a wireless local area network, characterized in that, Applied to the second access point, including: A request frame is received from a first access point. The request frame is used to initiate a Co-SR negotiation process. The request frame includes first indication information, which is used to indicate the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process. A response frame is sent to the first access point. The response frame includes second indication information, which indicates the version and / or combination of PPDUs supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure. The first indication information and the second indication information are used to determine the combination of PPDU versions in the first Co-SR transmission procedure.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The PPDU version supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process includes any one of the following: PPDU of the first communication protocol, PPDU of the second communication protocol; The PPDU version supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process includes any one of the following: the PPDU of the first communication protocol, or the PPDU of the second communication protocol; The first communication protocol and the second communication protocol are different.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The PPDU version combinations in the first Co-SR transmission process include: The combination of the PPDU version supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process and the PPDU version supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first access point supports the following PPDU version combinations in the first Co-SR transmission process: a combination of PPDU of the first communication protocol and PPDU of the second communication protocol, a combination of PPDU of the second communication protocol and PPDU of the first communication protocol, a combination of PPDU of the first communication protocol and PPDU of the first communication protocol, and a combination of PPDU of the second communication protocol and PPDU of the second communication protocol. The combination of PPDU versions supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process includes any one of the following: a combination of PPDU of the first communication protocol and PPDU of the second communication protocol, a combination of PPDU of the second communication protocol and PPDU of the first communication protocol, a combination of PPDU of the first communication protocol and PPDU of the first communication protocol, and a combination of PPDU of the second communication protocol and PPDU of the second communication protocol.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The PPDU version combinations in the first Co-SR transmission process include: The intersection of the PPDU version combinations supported by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process and the PPDU version combinations supported by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that, The PPDU of the first communication protocol is an ultra-high throughput EHT PPDU, and the PPDU of the second communication protocol is an ultra-high reliability UHR PPDU.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1, 3 to 7, characterized in that, After receiving a response frame from the second access point, the method further includes: A trigger frame is sent to the second access point. The trigger frame is used to initiate the first Co-SR transmission process. The trigger frame includes third indication information. The third indication information is used to indicate the version of the first PPDU sent by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process and the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process. Alternatively, the third indication information is used to indicate the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process. The first PPDU includes first downlink data and the second PPDU includes second downlink data. The third indication information is determined based on the first indication information and the second indication information.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first PPDU is sent to the first site. The first PPDU is used to request a response PPDU of the first PPDU. The first PPDU includes fourth indication information, which is used to indicate the version of the response PPDU of the first PPDU. The fourth indication information is determined according to the version of the first PPDU. Receive a response PPDU from the first PPDU received from the first site.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The second PPDU is used to request a response PPDU for the second PPDU. The second PPDU includes fifth indication information, which indicates the version of the response PPDU. The fifth indication information is determined based on the version of the second PPDU. The U-SIG field in the response PPDU of the first PPDU has the same content as the U-SIG field in the response PPDU of the second PPDU.

11. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send the first PPDU to the first station, the first PPDU being used to instruct the first station to delay sending the response PPDU of the first PPDU; Send a first frame to the first site, the first frame being used to request a response PPDU from the first PPDU; Receive a response PPDU from the first PPDU received from the first site.

12. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first PPDU is sent to the first station. When the first PPDU is a PPDU of a first communication protocol and the second PPDU is a PPDU of a second communication protocol, the first PPDU is used to instruct the first station to immediately send a response PPDU to the first PPDU, and to receive a response PPDU from the first station to the first PPDU; or, The first PPDU is sent to the first station. When the first PPDU is a PPDU of the second communication protocol and the second PPDU is a PPDU of the first communication protocol, the first PPDU is used to instruct the first station to delay sending the response PPDU of the first PPDU, and a first frame is sent to the first station. The first frame is used to request the response PPDU of the first PPDU and to receive the response PPDU of the first PPDU from the first station.

13. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send the first PPDU to the first station, the first PPDU being used to instruct the first station to immediately send a response PPDU to the first PPDU; Receive a response PPDU from the first PPDU at the first site; A second frame is sent to the second access point, the second frame being used to instruct the second access point to request a response PPDU from the second site.

14. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that, After sending a response frame to the first access point, the method further includes: A trigger frame is received from the first access point. The trigger frame is used to initiate the first Co-SR transmission process. The trigger frame includes third indication information. The third indication information is used to indicate the version of the first PPDU sent by the first access point in the first Co-SR transmission process and the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process. Alternatively, the third indication information is used to indicate the version of the second PPDU sent by the second access point in the first Co-SR transmission process. The first PPDU includes first downlink data, and the second PPDU includes second downlink data. The third indication information is determined based on the first indication information and the second indication information.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second PPDU is sent to the second station according to the third indication information. The second PPDU is used to request a response PPDU of the second PPDU. The second PPDU includes fifth indication information, which is used to indicate the version of the response PPDU of the second PPDU. The fifth indication information is determined according to the version of the second PPDU. Receive the response PPDU from the second PPDU of the second site.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The first PPDU is used to request a response PPDU. The first PPDU includes fourth indication information, which indicates the version of the response PPDU. The fourth indication information is determined based on the version of the first PPDU. The BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the first PPDU response PPDU has the same value as the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the second PPDU response PPDU.

17. The method according to claim 10 or 16, characterized in that, The response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU are both PPDUs of the first communication protocol, and the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU is 0. or, The first PPDU is a PPDU of the second communication protocol, and the second PPDU is a PPDU of the first communication protocol. Both the response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU are PPDUs of the first communication protocol. The value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the first PPDU is set to the same value as the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the second PPDU; or... The first PPDU is a PPDU of the first communication protocol, the second PPDU is a PPDU of the second communication protocol, the response PPDU of the first PPDU and the response PPDU of the second PPDU are both PPDUs of the first communication protocol, and the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the second PPDU is set to the same value as the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the response PPDU of the first PPDU.

18. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second PPDU is sent to the second station according to the third instruction information. The second PPDU is used to instruct the second station to immediately send a response PPDU to the second PPDU. Receive the response PPDU from the second PPDU of the second site.

19. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second PPDU is sent to the second station according to the third instruction information. When the second PPDU is a PPDU of the first communication protocol and the first PPDU is a PPDU of the second communication protocol, the second PPDU is used to instruct the second station to immediately send a response PPDU to the second PPDU, and to receive a response PPDU from the second station; or, The second PPDU is sent to the second station according to the third instruction information. When the second PPDU is a PPDU of the second communication protocol and the first PPDU is a PPDU of the first communication protocol, the second PPDU is used to instruct the second station to delay sending the response PPDU of the second PPDU, and a third frame is sent to the second station. The third frame is used to request the response PPDU of the second PPDU and to receive the response PPDU of the second PPDU from the second station.

20. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second PPDU is sent to the second station according to the third instruction information. The second PPDU is used to instruct the second station to delay sending the response PPDU of the second PPDU. Receive a second frame from the first access point, the second frame being used to instruct the second access point to request a response PPDU from the second site for the second PPDU; A third frame is sent to the second station based on the second frame, the third frame being used to request a response PPDU from the second PPDU; Receive the response PPDU from the second PPDU of the second site.

21. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 20, characterized in that, The content of the general signaling U-SIG field in the first PPDU is the same as that in the second PPDU.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The Basic Service Set Color (BSS color) field in the U-SIG field of the first PPDU has the same value as the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of the second PPDU.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, Both the first PPDU and the second PPDU are PPDUs of the first communication protocol, and the value of the BSS color field in the U-SIG field of both the first PPDU and the second PPDU is 0.

24. A method for communication in a wireless local area network, characterized in that, Applied to websites, including: Receive a PPDU from the access point, the PPDU being used to request a response PPDU, the PPDU including downlink data and indication information, the indication information being used to instruct the site to send a version of the response PPDU, the indication information being determined by the access point based on a trigger frame, the trigger frame being used to initiate a first Co-SR transmission procedure, the trigger frame being used to indicate the version of the PPDU sent by the access point in the first Co-SR transmission procedure; A response PPDU is sent to the access point according to the instruction information.

25. A method for communication in a wireless local area network, characterized in that, Applied to websites, including: Receive a PPDU from the access point, the PPDU including downlink data; When the PPDU is used to instruct the site to immediately send a response PPDU, the response PPDU is sent to the access point; or, When the PPDU is used to instruct the site to delay sending the PPDU, a first frame is received from the access point, and a response PPDU is sent to the access point, wherein the first frame is used to request a response PPDU for the first PPDU. The choice between a PPDU used to instruct the station to send the PPDU immediately and a PPDU used to instruct the station to delay sending the PPDU is determined based on the version of the PPDU in the first Co-SR transmission procedure.

26. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Units for performing the methods described in any one of claims 1 to 25.

27. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor coupled to a memory for storing a computer program, the processor for executing the computer program stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 25.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 25.

29. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program that, when run, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 25.

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