Wireless communication methods and communication devices

Abstract

A wireless communication method and a communication device are provided. The wireless communication method includes: a first station transmitting a first PPDU on a first link, wherein at least a portion of the information in the first PPDU is used by stations on the first link to compete for a first channel on a second link, wherein the frequency band of the second link is higher than the frequency band of the first link.

Description

Wireless communication method and communication device Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a wireless communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] The millimeter wave channel access method defined in the 802.11ad and 802.11ay standards is a contention-based access period (CBAP), which follows the distributed coordination function (DCF) or hybrid coordination function (HCF) access rules, that is, sending request to send (RTS) frames or clear to send (CTS) frames on the millimeter wave link to compete for the channel. However, due to the directional nature of millimeter wave transmission, the millimeter wave channel contention method provided by the relevant technology has a blind spot problem.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a wireless communication method and a communication device. The following introduces various aspects involved in the present application.

[0005] In a first aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, including: a first station sends a first physical protocol data unit (PPDU) on a first link, at least part of the information in the first PPDU is used by stations on the first link to compete for a first channel on a second link, wherein a frequency band of the second link is higher than a frequency band of the first link.

[0006] In a second aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, including: a second station receives a first PPDU on a first link, at least part of the information in the first PPDU is used by stations on the first link to compete for a first channel on a second link, wherein a frequency band of the second link is higher than a frequency band of the first link.

[0007] According to a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which is a first site, and includes: a first sending unit, configured to send a first PPDU on a first link, wherein at least part of the information in the first PPDU is used by sites on the first link to compete for a first channel on a second link, wherein a frequency band of the second link is higher than a frequency band of the first link.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, wherein the communication device is a second station, and the communication device includes: a first receiving unit, configured to receive a first PPDU on a first link, wherein at least part of the information in the first PPDU is used by stations on the first link to compete for a first channel on a second link, wherein the frequency band of the second link is higher than the frequency band of the first link. In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is configured to store one or more computer programs, and the processor is configured to invoke the computer programs in the memory to cause the communication device to perform some or all of the steps of the method of the first aspect and / or the second aspect.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the above-mentioned communication device. In another possible design, the system may also include other devices that interact with the communication device in the solution provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and the computer program enables a communication device to execute part or all of the steps in the methods of the above aspects.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product, wherein the computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program is operable to cause a communication device to perform some or all of the steps of the methods described in each of the above aspects. In some implementations, the computer program product may be a software installation package.

[0012] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the processor can call and run a computer program from the memory to implement some or all of the steps described in the methods of the above aspects.

[0013] The first link mentioned above is a low-frequency link (e.g., below 7 GHz (sub-7 GHz)), and the second link is a high-frequency link (e.g., a millimeter wave link above 45 GHz (above-45 GHz)). In this embodiment of the present application, the low-frequency link assists the high-frequency link in channel competition, which helps to solve the blind spot problem caused by the directional transmission of millimeter waves mentioned above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system to which an embodiment of the present application may be applied.

[0015] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the format of a beacon interval.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of frame interaction during an announcement transmission interval (ATI).

[0017] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a dynamic allocation method of a service period (SP).

[0018] FIG5 is a diagram illustrating the format of a directional multigigabit (DMG) beacon frame.

[0019] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the format of an Extended Schedule element.

[0020] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the format of a polling (Poll) frame.

[0021] FIG8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the format of a service period request (SPR) frame.

[0022] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the format of a Grant frame.

[0023] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a blind spot caused by directional transmission of millimeter waves.

[0024] FIG11 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the format of an integrated millimeter wave channel status announcement (Integrated Millimeter Wave Channel Status Announcement) frame provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the format of an ultra high reliability (UHR) PPDU provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a more specific implementation of the method shown in FIG11 .

[0028] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the format of the IMMW Access Announcement frame provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the formats of the I-RTS frame, I-CTS frame, and I-DTS frame provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] FIG17 is a schematic diagram of another more specific implementation of the method shown in FIG11 .

[0031] FIG18 is a schematic diagram of another more specific implementation of the method shown in FIG11 .

[0032] FIG19 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0033] FIG20 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device according to an embodiment of the present application

[0034] FIG21 is a schematic structural diagram of a device for communication according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] Communication System

[0037] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as wireless local area networks (WLAN), wireless fidelity (WiFi) or other communication systems.

[0038] 1 is a wireless communication system 100 used in an embodiment of the present application. The wireless communication system 100 may include an access point 110 and a station (STA) 120 accessing a network through the access point (AP) 110.

[0039] In some scenarios, an AP is also called an AP STA. In a sense, an AP is also a STA.

[0040] In some scenarios, a STA is also called a non-AP STA.

[0041] The communication in the communication system 100 may be between an AP and a STA, between STAs, or between a STA and a peer STA. A peer STA may refer to a device that communicates with a STA, for example, an AP or a STA.

[0042] An AP acts as a bridge between wired and wireless networks, connecting wireless network clients together and then connecting the wireless network to the Ethernet. An AP can be a terminal device with a WiFi chip (such as a mobile phone) or a network device (such as a router).

[0043] It should be understood that the roles of various communication devices in the communication system 100 are not absolute. Taking a mobile phone as an example, when the mobile phone is connected to a router, the mobile phone is a STA; when the mobile phone serves as a hotspot for other mobile phones, the mobile phone plays the role of an AP.

[0044] APs and STAs can be devices used in the Internet of Vehicles, IoT nodes and sensors in the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cameras, smart remote controls, smart water and electricity meters in smart homes, and sensors in smart cities.

[0045] In some embodiments, both the STA and the AP may support the 802.11be standard. The STA or AP may also support various current and future 802.11 family WLAN standards, such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a.

[0046] There are one or more links between the STA and the AP. In some embodiments, the STA and the AP support multi-band communication. For example, the STA and the AP can communicate simultaneously on the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, 45 GHz, and 60 GHz frequency bands, or communicate simultaneously on different channels in the same frequency band (or different frequency bands) to improve the communication throughput and / or reliability between devices. Such a device is generally referred to as a multi-band device, or a multi-link device (MLD), sometimes also referred to as a multi-link entity or a multi-band entity. The multi-link device can be an access point device or a site device. If the multi-link device is an access point device, the multi-link device can include one or more APs; if the multi-link device is a site device, the multi-link device can include one or more non-AP STAs.

[0047] A multi-link device including one or more APs may be referred to as an access point multi-link device (AP MLD), and a multi-link device including one or more non-AP STAs may be referred to as a non-AP multi-link device (non-AP MLD).

[0048] In the embodiment of the present application, the AP may include multiple APs, and the non-AP STA may include multiple STAs. Multiple links may be formed between the multiple APs and the multiple STAs, and data communication may be performed between the multiple APs and the multiple STAs through the corresponding links.

[0049] In an embodiment of the present application, a STA may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (Pad), a laptop computer, a PDA, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc. that supports WLAN / WiFi technology.

[0050] The frequency bands supported by WLAN technology may include but are not limited to: low frequency bands (such as 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) and high frequency bands (such as 45 GHz and 60 GHz).

[0051] FIG1 exemplarily illustrates an AP and two STAs. Optionally, the communication system 100 may include multiple APs and any other number of STAs, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. In FIG1 , the AP, STA 120a, and STA 120b may be located in the same basic service set (BSS). The AP may be associated with STA 120a. The AP may be associated with STA 120b.

[0052] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, a device with communication functionality in a network / system may be referred to as a communication device. Taking the communication system 100 shown in FIG1 as an example, the communication device may include an AP 110 and a STA 120 with communication functionality. In addition, the communication device mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may also include other devices in the communication system 100, such as a network controller, a gateway, and other network entities (not shown in FIG1 ), which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0053] APs and STAs can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; they can also be deployed in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scenarios in which APs and STAs are located.

[0054] It should be understood that all or part of the functions of the communication device in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform).

[0055] The communication system shown in Figure 1 can be applied to millimeter wave communication scenarios. The following describes the millimeter wave channel access methods defined in 802.11ad and 802.11ay.

[0056] In the directional multigigabit (DMG) or China millimeter-wave multigigabit (CMMG) standards, the medium time of the BSS is divided into multiple beacon intervals (BIs). A beacon interval includes one or more access periods (APs). Within a beacon interval, different access periods have different access rules. The access period is described in a schedule that is communicated by the AP or personal basic service set (PBSS) control point (PCP) to non-PCP STAs (non-PCP STAs) and non-AP STAs within the BSS. The schedule communicated by the AP or PCP may include one or more of the following access periods: beacon transmission interval (BTI), association beamforming training (A-BFT), ATI, contention based access period (CBAP), and service period (SP). For DMG STA, the access period in which the BTI is located is used to send one or more DMG beacon frames (DMG Beacon). Not all DMG Beacon frames can be detected by all non-PCP STAs and Non-AP STAs. In addition, not all beacon intervals contain BTI. Non-PCP STA and Non-AP STA shall not transmit during the BTI of the BSS to which they belong. During the A-BFT period, beamforming training can be performed with the STA that sends DMG Beacon frames during the BTI period. The existence of A-BFT is optional and is indicated in the DMG Beacon frame. During the ATI, management information can be exchanged between the AP or PCP and the Non-AP STA or Non-PCP STA based on a request-response basis. The existence of ATI is optional and is indicated in the DMG Beacon frame. During the CBAP and SP periods, frame exchange sequences can be transmitted between STAs based on the relevant transmission rules defined in the standard.

[0057] BTI, A-BFT, and ATI may form a beacon header indication (BHI). CBAP and SP may form a data transmission interval (DTI). Each beacon interval may include a BHI and a DTI.

[0058] Figure 2 shows an example of an access period within a beacon interval. The beacon interval includes a BHI and a DTI. The BHI includes a BTI, an A-BFT, and an ATI. The DTI includes two CBAPs and two SPs. Of course, the number and order of SPs and CBAPs in a DTI can be combined in other ways.

[0059] In general, BTI is used for sector level sweeping (SLS) beamforming training and network management announcements of the PCP / AP antenna. The PCP / AP iteratively broadcasts beacon frames through different sectors, thereby performing the first part of the SLS phase with the STA. In the first part of the SLS phase, since the STA cannot know in advance the direction for receiving the beacon frame, the STA's receiving antenna is configured in a quasi-omnidirectional mode. The SLS phase started in BTI is completed in A-BFT. A-BFT is divided into multiple time slots. During this period, the STA trains its antenna sector separately. In addition, the STA provides feedback information to the PCP / AP, which is used to indicate the sector to transmit with the STA. Finally, ATI is used to exchange management information between the PCP / AP and the associated and beam-trained STAs. For example, resource request and allocation information of DTI can be exchanged during ATI.

[0060] The DMG Beacon frame includes an ATI Present field. Setting the ATI Present field to 1 indicates the presence of an ATI in the beacon interval. The Announce frame or DMG Beacon frame includes a Next DMG ATI element. The Next DMG ATI element indicates the earliest start time and duration of the next ATI in the subsequent beacon interval.

[0061] Figure 3 shows an example of frame exchange during an ATI. During an ATI, request frames and response frames are exchanged between the AP or PCP and any subset of STAs. The AP or PCP initiates the sequence of all frame exchanges that occur during an ATI.

[0062] Dynamic allocation of SPs refers to the allocation of channel time during scheduled SP and CBAP periods. This process includes an optional polling period (PP) and a grant period (GP). SPs allocated using this mechanism will not exceed the beacon interval.

[0063] Figure 4 shows an example of dynamic allocation of service periods. During a PP, the AP or PCP can send individually addressed Poll frames to STAs to request SPR frames from these STAs. A STA that receives an individually addressed Poll frame should respond to the AP or PCP with a single directed and individually addressed SPR frame at the time offset from the end of the Poll frame indicated in the Response Offset field within the received Poll frame.

[0064] To start GP, the AP or PCP should send a Grant frame to notify the source DMG STA and the target DMG STA of the dynamically allocated SP. Alternatively, the AP or PCP should send a Grant frame to notify the source CMMG STA and the target CMMG STA of the dynamically allocated AP.

[0065] During the SP between the source DMG STA and the target DMG STA, the source DMG STA may send a Grant frame to the target DMG STA to hand over the remaining part of the SP to the target DMG STA.

[0066] During a transmission opportunity (TXOP) between a TXOP holder and a TXOP responder, the TXOP holder may send a Grant frame to the TXOP responder to give the remaining TXOP to the TXOP responder.

[0067] The contention-based transmission rules used in CBAP are defined in 10.3 (distributed coordination function (DCF)) and 10.23 (hybrid coordination function (HCF)).

[0068] A STA shall not extend a frame exchange sequence started during a CBAP beyond the end of that CBAP. The STA that initiates the sequence shall check that the frame exchange sequence is completed before the end of the CBAP.

[0069] Enhanced distributed channel access function (EDCAF) operation can be suspended at the end of a CBAP and resumed at the start of the next CBAP. When EDCAF is suspended, the backoff and network allocation vector (NAV) values ​​should remain unchanged until the start of the next CBAP. A TXOP can be obtained by a DMG STA winning an EDCA contention instance.

[0070] At the beginning of a TXOP, the frame sent by the STA may be a request to send (RTS) frame or a DMG CTS-to-self frame (CTS refers to clear to send (CTS)).

[0071] The following describes in detail the relevant frames for DMG channel access.

[0072] Figure 5 shows a DMG Beacon frame. As can be seen from Figure 5, the DMG Beacon frame includes fields such as Frame Control, Duration, Basic Service Set Identifier (BSS Identity, BSSID), Frame Body, and Frame Check Sequence (FCS). Table 1 below shows the contents of the Frame Body in a DMG Beacon frame.

[0073] Table 1

[0074] Announce frames are Action frames that fall under the Unprotected DMG category or Action frames that do not require acknowledgment (ACK) (Action No Ack frames). The format of the Announce Frame Action field of the Announce frame is shown in Table 2. Announce frames can be transmitted during the ATI period of the beacon interval and can perform the same functions as DMG Beacon frames. However, because Announce frames do not need to be transmitted to STAs as a sector scan, they can provide more efficient spectrum access than using DMG Beacon frames.

[0075] Table 2

[0076] Figure 6 shows the Extended Schedule element. As can be seen from Figure 6, the Extended Schedule element contains the Element ID, Length, and Allocation List fields. The Allocation field in the Allocation List includes the following subfields: Allocation Control, Beam Forming (BF) Control, Source Association Identifier (AID), Destination AID, Allocation Start, Allocation Block Duration, Number of Blocks, and Allocation Block Period. The Allocation Control subfield further includes Allocation ID, Allocation Type, Pseudo-static, Truncatable, Extendable, PCP active, LP SC used, TDD applicable SP, and Reserved. Table 3 shows the values ​​and meanings of the Allocation Type subfield.

[0077] Table 3

[0078] Figure 7 shows the Poll frame format. As can be seen from Figure 7, the Poll frame includes the following fields: Frame Control, Duration, Receiver Address (RA), Transmitter Address (TA), Response Offset, and Frame Check Sequence (FCS).

[0079] Figure 8 shows the format of the SPR frame. As can be seen from Figure 8, the SPR frame includes the following fields: Frame Control, Duration, RA, TA, Dynamic Allocation Info, BF Control, and FCS. Dynamic Allocation Info further includes the following subfields: Traffic Identifier (TID), Allocation Type, Source AID, Destination AID, Allocation Duration, and Reserved.

[0080] Figure 9 shows the format of a Grant frame. As shown in Figure 9, the Grant frame includes the following fields: Frame Control, Duration, RA, TA, Dynamic Allocation Info, BF Control, and FCS. Dynamic Allocation Info further includes the following subfields: TID, Allocation Type, Source AID, Destination AID, Allocation Duration, and Reserved.

[0081] The following describes the latest developments in millimeter wave technology.

[0082] Many proposals in the 802.11 Integrated Millimeter Wave Study Group (IMMW SG) (such as 11-23-1819-01-immw-integrated-mmwave-design-considerations-Meta, 11-23-1905-00-immw-high-level-thoughts-on-immw-Qualcomm, 11-23-2004-00-immw-technical-scope-proposal-Intel, 11-23-1968-00-immw-discussion-on-general-direction-of-integrated-mmwave-Huawei, and 11-23-1974-00-immw-flexible-sub-7 GHz-and-mmwave-integration-in-immw-Huawei) suggest designing a new millimeter wave standard, namely the IMMW standard. Compared with previous millimeter wave standards, the IMMW standard needs to be integrated with the sub-7GHz standard, which not only requires minimizing implementation complexity and power consumption, but also requires improving link reliability and latency performance.

[0083] The mmWave Operation without mmWave Beacon proposal (see 11-23-2052-00-immw-mmwave-operation-without-mmwave-beacon-NXP) proposes that an AP MLD with an mmWave link and at least one non-mmWave link announce a threshold for whether a non-AP MLD can reach the AP MLD via the non-mmWave link. This threshold can be the path loss in the non-mmWave link, the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) in the non-mmWave link (where the beacon is received), or other thresholds. If the threshold of beacons or other frames received by the non-AP MLD from the AP MLD in the non-mmWave link is greater than the threshold announced in the beacon of the non-mmWave link, the non-AP MLD is assumed to be reachable via the mmWave link. In this case, the non-AP MLD can associate with the AP MLD.

[0084] As previously described, the contention-based access method for millimeter wave (mmWave) defined in 802.11ad and 802.11ay is CBAP, which follows the DCF or HCF access rules. This means that RTS or CTS frames are sent on mmWave links to compete for channels. However, this channel contention method has two issues: First, the directional transmission characteristics of mmWave links can create blind spots. STAs within these blind spots cannot detect the channel status in a timely manner, thus interfering with the normal transmission of other STAs. Second, these blind spots prevent STAs from knowing the actual channel status, affecting their sleep schedules and causing unnecessary energy consumption.

[0085] Figure 10 illustrates the blind spots caused by the directional nature of millimeter-wave transmission. As shown in Figure 10, when both AP MLD and non-AP MLD 1 transmit using beams aimed at each other, areas outside their respective beam coverage areas cannot receive a strong signal and, therefore, cannot obtain valid NAV information. This area where valid NAV information cannot be obtained is called a blind spot. When a STA within the blind spot needs to access the channel, it sends an RTS frame to the AP MLD. This RTS frame can interfere with the signal from non-AP MLD 1, which is normally received by the AP MLD. The papers "C.Pielli, T.Ropitault, N.Golmie and M.Zorzi,"An Analytical Model for CBAP Allocations in IEEE 802.11ad," in IEEE Transactions on Communications, vol.69, no.1, pp.649-663, Jan.2021, doi:10.1109 / TCOMM.2020.3032199" and "T.Nitsche, C.Cordeiro, ABFlores, EWKnightly, E.Perahia, and JCWidmer, "IEEE 802.11ad: directional 60GHz communication for multi-Gigabit-per-second Wi-Fi," IEEE Communications Magazine, vol.52, no.12, pp.132–141, Dec.2014" both mentioned that the directionality of millimeter-wave communications makes carrier sensing operations problematic because interference may exist even when the channel is considered idle.

[0086] To address the above issues, the present application proposes a wireless communication method that utilizes low-frequency links (e.g., sub-7 GHz) to assist high-frequency links (e.g., millimeter wave links above 45 GHz) in channel competition, thereby helping to resolve the blind spot problem caused by the directional transmission of millimeter waves mentioned above. The wireless communication method provided by the present application is described in detail below.

[0087] Figure 11 is a flow chart of the wireless communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method shown in Figure 11 is described from the perspective of the first STA and the second STA. The STA mentioned here can be an AP MLD or a non-AP MLD. The first STA and the second STA can support communication on the first link and / or the second link. The first link mentioned here refers to a low-frequency link or a non-millimeter wave link. For example, the frequency band of the first link is lower than 7 GHz (that is, the first link is a sub-7 GHz link). The second link mentioned here refers to a high-frequency link or a millimeter wave link. For example, the frequency band of the second link is higher than 45 GHz (that is, the second link is an above-45 GHz link).

[0088] Referring to Figure 11, in step S1110, a first STA transmits (or broadcasts) a first PPDU on a first link. At least part of the information in the first PPDU is used by STAs on the first link to compete for a first channel on a second link (which can be any channel on the second link). For example, the first PPDU is used by STAs on the first link to compete for a first channel on the second link. In another example, the frame (MAC frame) in the first PPDU is used by STAs on the first link to compete for a first channel on the second link. In another example, the first PPDU (such as the preamble of the first PPDU) contains information used by STAs on the first link to compete for a first channel on the second link. In another example, the frame (MAC frame) in the first PPDU contains information used by STAs on the first link to compete for a first channel on the second link. Thus, the embodiments of the present application utilize the first link (such as a sub-7 GHz link) to assist STAs in competing for a channel on a second link (such as an above-45 GHz link). Compared to high-frequency links, signal transmission directionality on low-frequency links is relatively weak, and the blind area range is also relatively small. Therefore, transmitting auxiliary information for high-frequency link channel competition on the low-frequency link helps more STAs obtain the information required for channel competition on the high-frequency link (such as accurately understanding the channel status of the high-frequency link), thereby helping to improve the blind spot problem on the high-frequency link.

[0089] The following describes in more detail the manner of assisting in contention for the first channel based on the first PPDU in combination with Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2.

[0090] Example 1

[0091] In the first embodiment, the first PPDU includes first information. The first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the channel location of the first channel, the channel status of the first channel, and the RSSI threshold. For example, a first STA (e.g., an AP MLD) can broadcast (periodically or on demand) the first information to a nearby second STA (e.g., a non-AP MLD) to inform the second STA of information such as the channel location and / or channel status of the first channel.

[0092] The second link may include one or more channels. The channel position of the first channel may be used to determine which of the one or more channels included in the second link the first channel is. For example, the channel position of the first channel may be the frequency domain position of the first channel. In another example, if the one or more channels included in the second link each have a corresponding channel index, the channel position of the first channel may refer to the channel index corresponding to the first channel.

[0093] The channel state of the first channel may refer to the idle or busy state of the first channel. In some implementations, the first information may directly indicate whether the first channel is idle or busy. Alternatively, the first information may include NAV information of the first channel (real-time NAV information of the first channel), and the NAV information of the first channel may indicate whether the first channel is in an idle state or a busy state. Exemplarily, the first information may include NAV information of the first channel, and the value of the NAV information is greater than 0; the STA that receives the NAV information may determine that the first channel is in a busy state at this time. Alternatively, the first information may include NAV information of the first channel, and the value of the NAV information is 0; the STA that receives the NAV information may determine that the first channel is in a busy state at this time.

[0094] The RSSI threshold can be used by a STA that receives a first frame to determine the reliability of the first frame. For example, the STA that receives the first frame can detect the RSSI of the first frame. If the RSSI is greater than the RSSI threshold, the information in the first frame is reliable; otherwise, the information in the first frame is unreliable.

[0095] The first PPDU includes a first frame (MAC frame), and the first information is carried in the first frame. The first frame can be a management frame. For example, the first frame can be a broadcast frame. The first frame can be a frame in the related art, or it can be a newly defined frame. For example, the first frame can be a beacon frame. Alternatively, the first frame can also be a newly defined frame for notifying the channel status of the second link. For example, the first frame can be called an IMMW Channel Status Announcement frame. Figure 12 shows a possible format of the IMMW Channel Status Announcement frame. As shown in Figure 12, the IMMW Channel Status Announcement frame is a newly defined management frame. The management frame includes: Frame Control, Duration, RA, TA, Sequence Control, High Throughput Control (HT Control), Action, FCS and other fields. The Action subfield includes: Category, IMMW behavior (Action), IMMW network allocation vector (NAV), channel information (Channel Info), RSSI threshold (RSSI Threshold) and other fields. Among them, Frame Control is used to indicate the version and specific type of MAC. Duration is used to indicate the length of TXOP. RA represents the broadcast address. TA represents the MAC address of the sending STA. Sequence Control is used to indicate the sequence number of the frame. HT Control represents high throughput control. Action represents the action field of the Action frame. Category is used to indicate the specific type of the Action frame. The value of Category can be any integer between 39 and 125. For example, the value of Category is 39 to indicate the IMMW Action frame type. IMMW Action is used to indicate the subtype of the IMMW Action frame. The value of IMMW Action can be 0 to indicate that the frame is an IMMW Channel Status Announcement frame. Channel Info is used to indicate the location of the first channel on the second link (such as a channel on the above-45GHz link). The IMMW NAV field may carry the NAV information on the first channel indicated by the Channel Info field. The RSSI Threshold field indicates the RSSI threshold measured when the STA receives the frame.If the RSSI measured when receiving the frame is higher than the threshold, the credibility of the IMMW NAV and / or Channel Info fields in the frame is high. If the RSSI measured when receiving the frame is lower than the threshold, the credibility of the IMMW NAV and / or Channel Info fields in the frame is low. FCS is the frame checksum field.

[0096] In addition to being carried in the first frame mentioned above, the first information can also be carried in the preamble of the first PPDU. For example, the preamble of the first PPDU may include a signal (SIG) field, and the first information may be carried in the signal field. Exemplarily, if the first PPDU is an ultra high reliability (UHR) PPDU, the first information is carried in a signaling field (SIG), such as a universal field (U-SIG) field. Figure 13 shows the format of the UHR PPDU. As can be seen from Figure 13, the U-SIG field of the UHR PPDU may include two subfields: IMMW NAV and Channel Info. Channel Info is used to indicate the location of the first channel on the second link (such as a channel on the above-45GHz link). IMMW NAV can carry NAV information on the first channel indicated by the Channel Info field.

[0097] In some implementations, after receiving the first PPDU, the second STA may determine whether to initiate channel contention based on the channel location, channel status, and / or RSSI threshold indicated in the first PPDU. For example, when the channel status is busy, the second STA may postpone channel contention; when the channel status is idle, the second STA may initiate channel contention. The first channel contention method may adopt the channel contention method provided by related technologies, namely, channel contention through the exchange of RTS and CTS frames during CBAP.

[0098] The following describes the embodiments of the present application in more detail with reference to specific examples. The following uses an example in which the first link is sub-7 GHz, the second link is above-45 GHz, the first STA is an AP MLD, and the second STA is a non-AP MLD. It should be noted that the following examples are intended only to help those skilled in the art understand the embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application to the specific numerical values ​​or specific scenarios illustrated. Those skilled in the art can obviously make various equivalent modifications or changes based on the examples given, and such modifications or changes also fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0099] MLDs that support IMMW (including AP-MLD and Non-AP MLD) need to follow the following rules to access millimeter wave channels. AP MLDs need to broadcast IMMW Channel Status Announcement frames on the sub-7GHz link periodically or on demand to inform nearby MLDs of the location information of the working channel on the above-45GHz link and / or the real-time NAV information of the working channel on the above-45GHz link. When a Non-AP MLD attempts to compete for the above-45GHz link channel, it can optionally determine whether to compete for the channel based on the channel status information (NAV of the working channel on the above-45GHz link) indicated in the most recently received beacon frame or IMMW Channel Status Announcement frame, and / or the working channel location, and / or the RSSI of the IMMW Channel Status Announcement frame. For example, when the channel status is busy, the Non-AP MLD postpones competing for the channel. When the channel status is idle, the Non-AP MLD starts competing for the channel. Contention for channels is performed on the above-45 GHz link and is performed in the manner specified in the relevant standards. Based on the above rules, a specific contention example is given below.

[0100] As shown in Figure 14, AP MLD is always the TXOP holder for a sub-7 GHz link and also the TXOP holder for the above-45 GHz link for the first half of the time. Non-AP MLD 2 is in the coverage area between AP MLD and Non-AP MLD 1 and wants to communicate with AP MLD on the above-45 GHz link.

[0101] When AP MLD is transmitting data with Non-AP MLD 1 on the above-45 GHz link, it broadcasts an IMMW Channel Status Announcement frame on the sub-7 GHz link. The frame contains the remaining time until the current TXOP holder (AP MLD) ends using the above-45 GHz link channel.

[0102] Non-AP MLD 2 receives the IMMW Channel Status Announcement frame and learns that the above-45 GHz link channel is busy and the remaining time of the current TXOP, so it postpones channel contention.

[0103] After the current TXOP expires, Non-AP MLD 2 acquires the channel by sending an RTS frame and receiving a CTS frame on the above-45 GHz link and then starts data transmission. During this period, AP MLD remains the TXOP holder for the sub-7 GHz link and broadcasts an IMMW Channel Status Announcement frame on the sub-7 GHz link. This frame contains the remaining time until the current TXOP holder (Non-AP MLD 2) ends its use of the above-45 GHz link channel.

[0104] The channel access method proposed in this example can effectively improve the blind spot problem and corresponding power consumption problem of competing channels in the millimeter wave frequency band. It can not only improve the reliability of millimeter wave link access and transmission, but also optimize the sleep plan of millimeter wave sites to reduce energy consumption.

[0105] Example 2

[0106] In the second embodiment, the first PPDU includes a second frame. The second frame is used to notify STAs on the first link to start contention for the first channel, or to trigger STAs on the first link to compete for the first channel. It should be understood that after the contention process for the first channel is started by the second frame, both the first STA that sends the second frame and the second STA that receives the second frame can participate in the contention for the first channel.

[0107] In some implementations, the second frame may include second information. The second information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the channel position of the first channel; the RSSI threshold. The second link may include one or more channels. The channel position of the first channel can be used to determine which channel of the one or more channels included in the second link the first channel is. For example, the channel position of the first channel may be the frequency domain position of the first channel. For another example, the one or more channels included in the second link have their own corresponding channel indexes, and the channel position of the first channel may refer to the channel index corresponding to the first channel. The RSSI threshold can be used by the STA that receives the second frame to determine the reliability of the second frame. For example, the STA that receives the second frame can detect the RSSI of the first frame. If the RSSI is greater than the RSSI threshold, it indicates that the information in the second frame is reliable; otherwise, it indicates that the information in the second frame is unreliable.

[0108] Exemplarily, the second frame may be referred to as an IMMW Access Announcement frame. As shown in FIG15 , the IMMW Access Announcement frame may include Frame Control, Duration, RA, TA, and Channel Info fields. Frame Control is used to indicate the version and specific type of MAC. Duration is used to indicate the length of the TXOP. RA represents the broadcast address. TA represents the MAC address of the transmitting STA. Channel Info is used to indicate the channel position of the first channel. RSSI Threshold is used to indicate the threshold of the RSSI measured when the STA receives the frame. If it is higher than the threshold, the Channel Info field in the frame has a higher credibility; if it is lower than the threshold, the Channel Info field in the frame has a lower credibility. FCS is a frame check field.

[0109] The second frame may be triggered when the first condition is met. The first condition includes one or more of the following: the duration of the first channel being in an idle state is greater than or equal to the first duration, and the value of the NAV information of the first channel is equal to 0. For example, the first STA may be the TXOP owner on the first link, and the first STA determines through clear channel assessment (CCA) detection on the second link that the continuous idle time of the first channel exceeds a certain time (for example, DIFS, beam refinement protocol inter frame space (BRPIFS)). In addition, the first STA also learns that the value of the NAV information of the first channel is 0. In this case, the first STA may send a second frame through the first link to start the contention process for the first channel.

[0110] The first STA and / or the second STA can compete for the first channel on the first link in a manner similar to enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA). Specifically, the first STA and / or the second STA can maintain a contention window and a backoff counter, and determine whether they have successfully competed for the first channel on the first link based on the value of the backoff counter. The detailed contention process can be found in the examples below and is not described in detail here.

[0111] In some implementations, after the first STA sends the second frame, the first STA may send a third frame on the first link. For example, when the backoff counter maintained by the first STA is 0, the third frame may be sent. The third frame is used to request data transmission on the first channel. The third frame may be a newly defined I-RTS frame. The third frame may carry NAV information of the first channel, thereby improving the access success rate of the first channel. Furthermore, after the first STA sends the third frame, a response frame to the third frame may be received via the first link. The response frame may be, for example, a newly defined I-CTS frame or an I-DTS frame. The response frame may include NAV information of the first channel, thereby improving the access success rate of the first channel.

[0112] Alternatively, in some other implementations, after the first STA sends the second frame, the first STA receives the third frame described above on the first link. For example, when the backoff counter maintained by the second STA reaches 0, the second STA may send the third frame to the first STA. Similarly, in this case, the first STA may send a response frame to the third frame on the first link. This response frame may be, for example, the I-CTS frame or I-DTS frame mentioned above.

[0113] The frame formats of the newly defined I-RTS frame, I-CTS frame, and I-DTS frame can be the same. Figure 16 shows a possible frame format of the three frames. As can be seen from Figure 16, the frame format includes Frame Control, Duration, RA, TA, IMMW NAV, and FCS fields. Frame Control is used to indicate the version and specific type of MAC. Duration is used to indicate the length of TXOP. RA represents the MAC address of the receiving STA. TA represents the MAC address of the sending STA. If the frame format is applied to the I-RTS frame, IMMW NAV indicates the duration that the STA wishes to occupy the first channel, that is, the TXOP duration. If the frame format is applied to the I-CTS frame, IMMW NAV indicates the TXOP duration minus the duration of the I-CTS frame and SIFS. If the frame format is applied to the I-DTS frame, IMMW NAV indicates the remaining duration of the current TXOP. FCS is the frame check field.

[0114] Based on the interaction between the third frame and the response frame, the STA competing for the first channel (which may be the first STA or the second STA) can be determined. After competing for the first channel, the STA can perform CCA detection and random backoff on the first channel. If the channel status of the first channel remains idle, data transmission can begin on the first channel. Otherwise, the backoff window needs to be expanded and a second random backoff must be performed.

[0115] The following describes the embodiments of the present application in more detail with reference to specific examples. The following is an example of a first link of sub-7 GHz and a second link of above-45 GHz. It should be noted that the following examples are only intended to help those skilled in the art understand the embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application to the specific numerical values ​​or specific scenarios illustrated. It is obvious that those skilled in the art can make various equivalent modifications or changes based on the examples given, and such modifications or changes also fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0116] MLDs that support mmWave (including AP-MLD and non-AP MLD) must follow the following rules to access mmWave channels:

[0117] Each MLD supporting IMMW must maintain an IMMW Contention Window (ICW) and an IMMW Backoff Counter (IBC). ICW is an integer ranging from ICWmin to ICWmax. ICWmin and ICWmax are configured and updated by the AP-MLD using the IMMW EDCA Parameter Set element carried in beacon frames, probe response frames, association response frames, or reassociation response frames. The initial value of IBC ranges from 0 to a randomly selected integer uniformly distributed within the ICW range.

[0118] If an MLD is the TXOP owner of at least one sub-7GHz link (2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6GHz link), and the CCA on the above-45GHz link detects that the working channel has been idle for a continuous period of time exceeding a certain period (such as DIFS, BRPIFS) and the NAV value is 0, then an IMMW Access Announcement frame can be sent on any valid sub-7GHz link to start a millimeter wave channel competition process. The MLD that sends the IMMW Access Announcement frame and any MLD that receives the IMMW Access Announcement frame and whose received signal strength is higher than the threshold indicated by the RSSI Threshold field in the frame can participate in this millimeter wave channel competition.

[0119] At a certain time (such as SIFS, DIFS) after the end of the IMMW Access Announcement frame, all MLDs that receive the IMMW Access Announcement frame and participate in the above-45GHz link channel competition begin random backoff, that is, the IBC is reduced by 1 in each time slot, and the MLD that first reduces the IBC to 0 sends an I-RTS frame on the sub-7GHz link. The RA in the I-RTS frame points to the receiving STA and can also wake up the millimeter wave link of the receiving STA in sleep or low power mode. In addition to the duration field carrying the NAV value on the sub-7GHz, the I-RTS frame can also carry the NAV value on the above-45GHz, but this reduces the efficiency of high-frequency spatial multiplexing. The advantage is that the access success rate is higher and more power is saved.

[0120] If the MLD receives an I-CTS frame within a certain time interval (for example, SIFS + TXTIME I-CTS), it indicates that the station has successfully competed for the channel of the above-45GHz link. Otherwise, it means that the I-RTS frame sent by the MLD failed. The station needs to update the ICW to 2×ICW+1 and randomly select its IBC counter within the range of 0 and ICW. The I-CTS frame can also carry the NAV information of the above-45GHz link. In this way, the MLD needs to determine the status of the above-45GHz link not only based on the physical carrier sensing and NAV of the above-45GHz link, but also based on the NAV information carried by the I-RTS / I-CTS.

[0121] Once the number of consecutively retransmitted ICWs reaches ICWmax, the ICW remains at ICWmax. The I-RTS frames sent by the AP MLD are addressed to any valid non-AP MLD in the BSS. The I-RTS frames sent by the non-AP MLD are addressed to the AP MLD. During this process, if the MLD receives an I-DTS frame, it indicates that the target station is busy and refuses communication.

[0122] An MLD competing for the above-45 GHz link channel must perform a CCA check and a random backoff after receiving an I-CTS frame. If the channel remains idle, data transmission can begin on the above-45 GHz link. Otherwise, the backoff window must be expanded and a second random backoff must be performed.

[0123] Based on the above rules, two specific competition examples are given below.

[0124] FIG17 shows Example 1 of an EDCA-based channel access method, which includes one AP MLD and two Non-AP MLDs.

[0125] First, AP MLD obtains the TXOP of a sub-7 GHz link by sending RTS frames and receiving CTS frames on the sub-7 GHz link. Then, AP MLD 1 transmits data on the sub-7 GHz link.

[0126] AP MLD then attempts to access the channel on the above-45 GHz link to improve transmission rate and latency performance compared to Non-AP MLD 1. AP MLD then sends an IMMW Access Announcement frame on the sub-7 GHz link, initiating a contention process for the above-45 GHz link channel. AP MLD, Non-AP MLD 1, and Non-AP MLD 2 all now wish to access the above-45 GHz link channel. The RSSI values ​​of the received IMMW Access Announcement frames are all above the RSSI threshold, so they all initiate a random backoff after receiving the IMMW Access Announcement frames. Because AP MLD has the smallest IBC value, it first sends an I-RTS frame to Non-AP MLD 1 and receives an I-CTS frame. This indicates that AP MLD has contended for the above-45 GHz link channel.

[0127] AP MLD then performs random backoff and CCA on the above-45 GHz link. The result shows that the channel is idle. Therefore, AP MLD starts data transmission with Non-AP MLD 1 on the above-45 GHz link.

[0128] FIG18 shows Example 2 of an EDCA-based channel access method, which includes one AP MLD and two Non-AP MLDs.

[0129] The difference between Example 2 and Example 1 is that Non-AP MLD 1 becomes the TXOP owner on the sub-7 GHz link, and Non-AP MLD 2 wins the channel contention for the above-45 GHz link initiated by Non-AP MLD 1. Therefore, Non-AP MLD 2 randomly backs off on the above-45 GHz link and then begins data communication with AP MLD.

[0130] The channel access method proposed in this example can effectively improve the blind spot problem and corresponding power consumption problem of competing channels in the millimeter wave frequency band. It can not only improve the reliability of millimeter wave link access and transmission, but also optimize the sleep plan of millimeter wave sites to reduce energy consumption.

[0131] The method embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 1 to 18 . The device embodiment of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 19 to 21 . It should be understood that the description of the method embodiment corresponds to the description of the device embodiment. Therefore, for portions not described in detail, reference can be made to the above method embodiment.

[0132] FIG19 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device shown in FIG19 is a first station, and the communication device 1900 includes: a first sending unit 1910.

[0133] The first sending unit 1910 is configured to send a first physical protocol data unit PPDU on a first link, where at least part of the information in the first PPDU is used by stations on the first link to compete for a first channel on a second link, where a frequency band of the second link is higher than a frequency band of the first link.

[0134] In an embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned communication device 1900 can be used to execute some or all of the method steps executed by the first site in the above-mentioned method embodiment. For example, the communication device 1900 can be used to execute some or all of the method steps executed by the first site in the scheme introduced in conjunction with Figures 11 to 18 above. The communication device 1900 includes a unit or module for executing the method steps corresponding to the aforementioned Figures 11 to 18. The method flow has been described in detail in the aforementioned embodiment. The modules in this embodiment have the same functions or perform the same steps, which will not be repeated here. However, as those skilled in the art should know, the text descriptions corresponding to the aforementioned Figures 11 to 18 can be introduced into this embodiment and correspond to the modules in the communication device 1900.

[0135] FIG20 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device shown in FIG20 is a second site. The communication device 2000 includes: a first receiving unit 2010 .

[0136] The first receiving unit 2010 is configured to receive a first physical protocol data unit (PPDU) on a first link, where at least part of the information in the first PPDU is used by stations on the first link to compete for a first channel on a second link, where a frequency band of the second link is higher than a frequency band of the first link.

[0137] In an embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned communication device 2000 can be used to execute some or all of the method steps executed by the second site in the above-mentioned method embodiment. For example, the communication device 2000 can be used to execute some or all of the method steps executed by the second site in the scheme introduced in conjunction with Figures 11 to 18 above. The communication device 2000 includes a unit or module for executing the method steps corresponding to the aforementioned Figures 11 to 18. The method flow has been described in detail in the aforementioned embodiment. The modules in this embodiment have the same functions or perform the same steps, which will not be repeated here. However, as those skilled in the art should know, the text descriptions corresponding to the aforementioned Figures 11 to 18 can be introduced into this embodiment and correspond to the modules in the communication device 2000.

[0138] Figure 21 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The dashed lines in Figure 21 indicate that the unit or module is optional. The device 2100 can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment. The device 2100 can be a chip or a communication device.

[0139] The device 2100 may include one or more processors 2110. The processor 2110 may support the device 2100 to implement the method described in the above method embodiment. The processor 2110 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0140] The apparatus 2100 may further include one or more memories 2120. The memories 2120 store programs that can be executed by the processor 2110, causing the processor 2110 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The memories 2120 may be independent of the processor 2110 or integrated into the processor 2110.

[0141] The apparatus 2100 may further include a transceiver 2130. The processor 2110 may communicate with other devices or chips via the transceiver 2130. For example, the processor 2110 may transmit and receive data with other devices or chips via the transceiver 2130.

[0142] The present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a program. The computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the communication device provided in the present invention, and the program enables a computer to execute the method performed by the communication device in each embodiment of the present invention.

[0143] The present application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a program. The computer program product can be applied to the communication device provided in the present application, and the program causes a computer to execute the method performed by the communication device in each embodiment of the present application.

[0144] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program. The computer program can be applied to the terminal or network device provided in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables a computer to execute the method performed by the communication device in each embodiment of the present application.

[0145] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" in this application can be used interchangeably. In addition, the terms used in this application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. The terms "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" in the specification and claims of this application and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish different objects rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0146] In the embodiments of this application, the term "indication" may refer to a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association. For example, "A indicates B" may refer to a direct indication of B, e.g., B can obtain information through A; it may refer to an indirect indication of B, e.g., A indicates C, e.g., B can obtain information through C; or it may refer to an association between A and B.

[0147] In the embodiment of the present application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A and B can be determined based on A. However, it should be understood that determining B based on A does not mean determining B based solely on A, but B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0148] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or an association relationship between the two, or a relationship between indication and indication, configuration and configuration, etc.

[0149] In the embodiments of the present application, "pre-definition" or "pre-configuration" may be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (e.g., a terminal device and a network device). The present application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, pre-definition may refer to information defined in a protocol.

[0150] In the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" is simply a description of the association relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0151] In the embodiments of this application, the term "include" can refer to direct inclusion or indirect inclusion. Alternatively, the term "include" in the embodiments of this application can be replaced with "indicates" or "is used to determine." For example, "A includes B" can be replaced with "A indicates B" or "A is used to determine B."

[0152] In various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0153] In the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” may refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, for example, it may include a WiFi protocol and related protocols used in future WiFi communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

[0154] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0155] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and 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 these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0156] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0157] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be read by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a digital versatile disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0158] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, characterized in that, Including: A first station sends a first physical protocol data unit (PPDU) on a first link, and at least part of the information in the first PPDU is used for stations on the first link to compete for a first channel on a second link, where the frequency band of the second link is higher than that of the first link.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first PPDU includes first information, and the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: The channel position of the first channel; The channel state of the first channel; The threshold of received signal strength indication (RSSI).

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The channel state of the first channel is indicated based on the network allocation vector (NAV) information in the first information.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The first PPDU includes a first frame, and the first information is carried in the first frame.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The first frame is a broadcast frame.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: The first frame is a beacon frame; or The first frame is a frame dedicated to notifying the channel state of the second link.

7. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first information is carried in the preamble of the first PPDU.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The preamble includes a signal field, and the signal field includes the first information.

9. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that The first station is an access point multi-link device (AP MLD).

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first PPDU includes a second frame, and the second frame is used to notify stations on the first link to start competing for the first channel.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein The second frame includes second information, and the second information is used to indicate one or more of the following: The channel position of the first channel; The threshold of RSSI.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The second frame is sent when a first condition is met, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: The duration for which the first channel is in an idle state is greater than or equal to a first duration; The value of the NAV information of the first channel is equal to 0.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: After the first station sends the second frame, the first station sends a third frame on the first link, and the third frame is used to request to transmit data on the first channel.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The method further includes: The first station receives a response frame of the third frame on the first link.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: After the first station sends the second frame, the first station receives a third frame on the first link, and the third frame is used to request to transmit data on the first channel.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The method further includes: The first station sends a response frame of the third frame on the first link.

17. The method according to claim 14 or 16, characterized in that The response frame includes the NAV information of the first channel.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that, The third frame includes the NAV information of the first channel.

19. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 18, characterized in that, The first station is an AP MLD or a non-AP MLD.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that The frequency band of the first link is lower than 7 GHz, and the frequency band of the second link is higher than 45 GHz.

21. A wireless communication method, characterized in that, Including: A second station receives a first physical protocol data unit (PPDU) on a first link, and at least part of the information in the first PPDU is used for stations on the first link to compete for a first channel on a second link, where the frequency band of the second link is higher than that of the first link.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein, The first PPDU includes first information, and the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: The channel position of the first channel; The channel state of the first channel; The threshold of received signal strength indication (RSSI).

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein The channel state of the first channel is indicated based on the network allocation vector (NAV) information in the first information.

24. The method according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that, The first PPDU includes a first frame, and the first information is carried in the first frame.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein The first frame is a broadcast frame.

26. The method according to claim 24 or 25, wherein: The first frame is a beacon frame; or, The first frame is a frame dedicated to notifying the channel state of the second link.

27. The method according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that, The first information is carried in the preamble of the first PPDU.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein The preamble includes a signal field, and the signal field includes the first information.

29. The method according to claim 21, wherein The first PPDU includes a second frame, and the second frame is used to notify the stations on the first link to start competing for the first channel.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein The second frame includes second information, and the second information is used to indicate one or more of the following: The channel position of the first channel; The threshold of RSSI.

31. The method according to claim 29 or 30, characterized in that, The method further includes: After the second station receives the second frame, the second station receives a third frame on the first link, and the third frame is used to request to transmit data on the first channel.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein The method further includes: The second station sends a response frame to the third frame on the first link.

33. The method according to claim 29 or 30, characterized in that, The method further includes: After the second station receives the second frame, the second station sends a third frame on the first link, and the third frame is used to request to transmit data on the first channel.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein The method further includes: The second station receives a response frame to the third frame on the first link.

35. The method according to claim 32 or 34, characterized in that, The response frame includes the NAV information of the first channel.

36. The method according to any one of claims 31 to 35, characterized in that, The third frame includes the NAV information of the first channel.

37. The method according to any one of claims 30 to 36, characterized in that, The second station is an access point multi-link device (AP MLD) or a non-AP MLD.

38. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 37, characterized in that, The frequency band where the first link is located is lower than 7 GHz, and the frequency band where the second link is located is higher than 45 GHz.

39. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is a first station, and the communication device includes: A first sending unit, configured to send a first physical protocol data unit (PPDU) on a first link, and at least part of the information in the first PPDU is used for stations on the first link to compete for a first channel on a second link, where the frequency band where the second link is located is higher than the frequency band where the first link is located.

40. The communication device according to claim 39, wherein The first PPDU includes first information, and the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: The channel position of the first channel; The channel state of the first channel; The threshold of received signal strength indication (RSSI).

41. The communication device according to claim 40, characterized in that, The channel state of the first channel is indicated based on the network allocation vector (NAV) information in the first information.

42. The communication device according to claim 40 or 41, characterized in that, The first PPDU includes a first frame, and the first information is carried in the first frame.

43. The communication device according to claim 42, characterized in that, The first frame is a broadcast frame.

44. The communication device according to claim 42 or 43, wherein: The first frame is a beacon frame; or, The first frame is a frame dedicated to notifying the channel state of the second link.

45. The communication device according to claim 40 or 41, characterized in that, The first information is carried in the preamble of the first PPDU.

46. The communication device according to claim 45, characterized in that, The preamble includes a signal field, and the signal field includes the first information.

47. The communication device according to any one of claims 40 to 46, characterized in that The first station is an access point multi-link device AP MLD.

48. The communication device according to claim 39, wherein The first PPDU includes a second frame, and the second frame is used to notify the stations on the first link to start competing for the first channel.

49. The communication device according to claim 48, characterized in that, The second frame includes second information, and the second information is used to indicate one or more of the following: The channel position of the first channel; The threshold of RSSI.

50. The communication device according to claim 48 or 49, characterized in that, The second frame is sent when a first condition is met, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: The duration for which the first channel is in an idle state is greater than or equal to a first duration; The value of the NAV information of the first channel is equal to 0.

51. The communication device according to any one of claims 48 to 50, characterized in that, The communication device further includes: A second sending unit, configured to send a third frame on the first link after the first station sends the second frame, where the third frame is used to request to transmit data on the first channel.

52. The communication device according to claim 51, wherein The communication device further includes: A first receiving unit, configured to receive a response frame of the third frame on the first link.

53. The communication device according to any one of claims 48 to 50, characterized in that, The communication device further includes: A second receiving unit, configured to receive a third frame on the first link after the first station sends the second frame, where the third frame is used to request to transmit data on the first channel.

54. The communication device according to claim 53, characterized in that, The communication device further includes: A third sending unit, configured to send a response frame of the third frame on the first link.

55. The communication device according to claim 52 or 54, characterized in that, The response frame includes the NAV information of the first channel.

56. The communication device according to any one of claims 51 to 55, characterized in that, The third frame includes the NAV information of the first channel.

57. The communication device according to any one of claims 48 to 56, characterized in that, The first station is an AP MLD or a non-AP MLD.

58. The communication device according to any one of claims 39 to 57, characterized in that, The frequency band where the first link is located is lower than 7 GHz, and the frequency band where the second link is located is higher than 45 GHz.

59. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is a second station, and the communication device includes: A first receiving unit, configured to receive a first physical protocol data unit PPDU on a first link, where at least part of the information in the first PPDU is used for the stations on the first link to compete for a first channel on a second link, where the frequency band where the second link is located is higher than the frequency band where the first link is located.

60. The communication device according to claim 59, characterized in that, The first PPDU includes first information, and the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: The channel position of the first channel; The channel state of the first channel; The threshold of received signal strength indication RSSI.

61. The communication device according to claim 60, characterized in that, The channel state of the first channel is indicated based on the network allocation vector NAV information in the first information.

62. The communication device according to claim 60 or 61, characterized in that, The first PPDU includes a first frame, and the first information is carried in the first frame.

63. The communication device according to claim 62, characterized in that, The first frame is a broadcast frame.

64. The communication device according to claim 62 or 63, wherein: The first frame is a beacon frame; or, The first frame is a frame dedicated to notifying the channel state of the second link.

65. The communication device according to claim 60 or 61, characterized in that, The first information is carried in the preamble of the first PPDU.

66. The communication device according to claim 65, wherein, The preamble includes a signal field, and the signal field includes the first information.

67. The communication device according to claim 59, characterized in that, The first PPDU includes a second frame, and the second frame is used to notify the stations on the first link to start competing for the first channel.

68. The communication device according to claim 67, wherein, The second frame includes second information for indicating one or more of the following: The channel position of the first channel; The threshold of RSSI.

69. The communication device according to claim 67 or 68, characterized in that, The communication device further includes: A second receiving unit, configured to receive a third frame on the first link after receiving the second frame at the second station, where the third frame is used to request data transmission on the first channel.

70. The communication device according to claim 69, wherein, The communication device further includes: A first transmitting unit, configured to transmit a response frame of the third frame on the first link.

71. The communication device according to claim 67 or 68, characterized in that, The communication device further includes: A second transmitting unit, configured to transmit a third frame on the first link after receiving the second frame at the second station, where the third frame is used to request data transmission on the first channel.

72. The communication device according to claim 71, wherein, The communication device further includes: A third receiving unit, configured to receive a response frame of the third frame on the first link.

73. The communication device according to claim 70 or 72, characterized in that, The response frame includes the NAV information of the first channel.

74. The communication device according to any one of claims 69 to 73, characterized in that, The third frame includes the NAV information of the first channel.

75. The communication device according to any one of claims 68 to 74, characterized in that, The second station is an access point multi-link device AP MLD or a non-AP MLD.

76. The communication device according to any one of claims 59 to 75, characterized in that, The frequency band where the first link is located is lower than 7 GHz, and the frequency band where the second link is located is higher than 45 GHz.

77. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a memory and a processor, where the memory is used to store a program, and the processor is used to call the program in the memory to enable the communication device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-20 or 21-38.

78. A device, characterized in that, It includes a processor, configured to call a program from a memory to enable the device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-20 or 21-38.

79. A chip, characterized in that, It includes a processor, configured to call a program from a memory, such that the device installed with the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1-20 or 21-38.

80. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A program is stored thereon, and the program enables a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-20 or 21-38.

81. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes a program, and the program enables a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-20 or 21-38.

82. A computer program, characterized in that, The computer program enables a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-20 or 21-38.

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