Method, apparatus, and device for coordinating simultaneous frequency division multiple access

Abstract

The application discloses a communication method, device and equipment for coordinated time division multiple access, and belongs to the technical field of communication. The communication method for coordinated time division multiple access comprises the following steps: a first access point (AP) generates an initial control frame (ICF), the ICF is used for triggering a coordinated time division multiple access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process, the ICF comprises first information, and the first information is used for indicating that frequency domain resources corresponding to an initial control response (ICR) frame are limited to a main channel; and the first AP sends the ICF to a second AP.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of communication technology, and in particular relates to a communication method, apparatus and device for cooperative time division multiple access. Background Technology

[0002] The common approach of Co-TDMA schemes is for multiple Access Points (APs) to share transmission opportunities (TXOPs) and utilize channel resources in a time-division manner. The first phase of the Co-TDMA sharing process is the polling phase. During this phase, the AP that initiates the polling request is called the polling AP. The polling AP sends an initial control frame (ICF) to initiate the Co-TDMA cooperation process and trigger signaling interaction. The AP(s) that receive the ICF are called polled AP(s). Polled APs need to consider the frequency domain resources used to send the initial control response (ICR) frame and the frequency domain resources used in the subsequent TXOP sharing phase. These two resources can be located on different channels. When the frequency domain resources are idle during the TXOP sharing phase and the frequency domain resources of ICR are busy, the ICR frame may not be able to be fed back by the polled AP(s) due to the allocation problem of frequency domain resources, which will lead to TXOP sharing failure and affect the Co-TDMA sharing success rate. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and device for cooperative time division multiple access.

[0004] In a first aspect, a communication method for cooperative time division multiple access is provided, executed by a first access point (AP), the method comprising: The first access point (AP) generates an initial control frame (ICF), which is used to trigger the Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process. The ICF includes first information, which is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. The first AP sends the ICF to the second AP.

[0005] Secondly, a communication method for cooperative time division multiple access is provided, executed by a second access point (AP), the method comprising: The second access point (AP) receives an initial control frame (ICF) from the first AP. The ICF is used to trigger a Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process. The ICF includes first information, which is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. The second AP feeds back the ICR frame on the main channel.

[0006] Thirdly, a communication device for cooperative time division multiple access is provided, comprising: The first processing module is used to generate an initial control frame (ICF), which is used to trigger the Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process. The ICF includes first information, which is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. The first transceiver module is used to send the ICF to the second AP.

[0007] Fourthly, a communication device for cooperative time division multiple access is provided, comprising: The second transceiver module is used to receive an initial control frame (ICF) from the first AP. The ICF is used to trigger a Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process. The ICF includes first information, which is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. The second transceiver module is also used to feed back the ICR frame on the main channel.

[0008] Fifthly, an access point device is provided, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. The memory stores a program or instructions executable on the processor. When the program or instructions are executed by the processor, they implement the communication method for cooperative time division multiple access as described in the first aspect, or implement the communication method for cooperative time division multiple access as described in the second aspect.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, an access point device is provided, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor is used to generate an initial control frame (ICF), the ICF is used to trigger a Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process, the ICF includes first information, the first information is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the primary channel; the communication interface is used to send the ICF to a second access point (AP).

[0010] Alternatively, the communication interface is used to receive an initial control frame (ICF) from a first AP, the ICF being used to trigger a Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process, the ICF including first information indicating that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel; the communication interface is also used to feed back the ICR frame on the main channel.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored, wherein the computer program or instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the communication method for cooperative time division multiple access as described in the first aspect, or implement the communication method for cooperative time division multiple access as described in the second aspect.

[0012] Eighthly, a chip is provided, the chip including a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface being coupled to the processor, the processor being used to run programs or instructions to implement the cooperative time division multiple access communication method as described in the first aspect, or to implement the cooperative time division multiple access communication method as described in the second aspect.

[0013] A ninth aspect provides a computer program / program product stored in a storage medium, the computer program / program product being executed by at least one processor to perform the steps of the method as described in the first or second aspect.

[0014] In this embodiment, the first access point (AP) generates an initial control frame (ICF) and sends it to the second AP. The ICF is used to trigger the Co-TDMA cooperation process. The ICF includes first information, which indicates that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. Since data transmission in the subsequent transmission opportunity sharing phase can only be executed when the main channel is idle, by restricting the frequency domain resources of the ICR frame to the main channel, the probability that the carrier state of the channel where the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame are located when it is sent by the second AP is higher than that of the carrier state of the channel where the frequency domain resources for the subsequent transmission opportunity sharing phase are located is higher. This can improve the success rate of the second AP in feeding back the ICR frame, thereby improving the success rate of Co-TDMA cooperation. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort. The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of this application will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the network architecture of a communication system; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a transmission opportunity sharing operation; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a multi-AP collaborative process; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the overlapping bandwidth between APs. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a potential problem in the interaction of ICF and ICR frames between APs. Figure 6 This is one of the flowcharts illustrating a communication method for cooperative time division multiple access provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of an initial control frame (ICF) provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 8 These are schematic diagrams illustrating three scenarios of Co-TDMA TB ICF provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 9 This is a second schematic flowchart of a communication method for cooperative time division multiple access provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the interaction process of a communication method for cooperative time division multiple access provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 11 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of a communication device for cooperative time division multiple access provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 12 This is a second schematic diagram of a communication device for cooperative time division multiple access provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an access point device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0017] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class and the number of objects is not limited; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0018] The term "instruction" in this application can be either a direct instruction (or explicit instruction) or an indirect instruction (or implicit instruction). A direct instruction can be understood as one in which the sender explicitly informs the receiver of specific information, the operation to be performed, or the requested result, etc.; an indirect instruction can be understood as one in which the receiver determines the corresponding information based on the instruction sent by the sender, or makes a judgment and determines the operation to be performed or the requested result, etc., based on the judgment result.

[0019] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) systems, and are applicable to any of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series protocols used in WLANs, such as 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11bn, and future 802.11 protocols. The methods provided in this application can be implemented by communication devices in a wireless communication system or by chips or processors within those devices. Accordingly, the communication device supports communication using the IEEE 802.11 series protocols. Although the embodiments of this application are mainly illustrated using a network deploying IEEE 802.11 as an example, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the various aspects involved in this application can be extended to other networks employing various standards or protocols, such as Bluetooth, high-performance radio LAN (HIPERLAN) (a wireless standard similar to IEEE 802.11, mainly used in Europe), wide area network (WAN), WLAN, personal area network (PAN), wireless personal area network systems based on ultra-wideband (UWB), sensing systems, or other networks now known or to be developed in the future. The methods provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to the IEEE 802.15 series protocols, such as the 802.15.4a protocol, the 802.15.4z protocol, or the 802.15.4ab protocol, or a future generation of UWB WPAN protocol, etc., which will not be listed one by one.The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to the following communication systems, such as Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-X (V2X) systems, narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) systems, devices used in V2X systems, IoT nodes and sensors in IoT systems, smart cameras, smart remote controls, smart water and electricity meters in smart homes, and sensors in smart cities. Alternatively, they can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, 5th-generation (5G) communication systems, and new communication systems that will emerge in future communication developments. Therefore, regardless of the coverage area and wireless access protocol used, the various aspects provided in this application can be applied to any suitable wireless network.

[0020] In the Wi-Fi protocol, a station (abbreviated as STA) includes access point stations (abbreviated as AP STA) and non-access point stations (abbreviated as non-AP station). For the sake of simplicity, access point stations are usually called access points (abbreviated as AP), and non-access point stations are called stations (abbreviated as STA).

[0021] For example, please refer to Figure 1 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of the network architecture of a communication system 100 provided in some embodiments of this application. The communication system 100 may include an access point AP 110 and a station STA 120 that accesses the network through the access point 110.

[0022] In the embodiments of this application, an access point can also be referred to as an access point device, and a site can also be referred to as a site device.

[0023] The communication in the communication system 100 can be communication between an AP and a non-AP STA, communication between two non-AP STAs, or communication between a STA and a peer STA. Here, a peer STA can refer to a device that communicates with a STA on an equal footing. For example, a peer STA may be an AP or a non-AP STA. An access point (AP) acts as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks. Its main function is to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. AP devices can be terminal devices with Wi-Fi chips (such as mobile phones) or network devices (such as wireless routers, wireless switches, or wireless repeaters). It should be understood that the role of a STA in a communication system is not absolute. For example, in some scenarios, when a mobile phone connects to a router, it is a non-AP STA; when the mobile phone acts as a hotspot for other mobile phones, it plays the role of an AP.

[0024] Access points can support communication or sensing based on Wi-Fi protocols, such as 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11bn, or next-generation or later protocols.

[0025] The site can support communication or sensing based on Wi-Fi protocols, such as 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11bn, or next-generation or later protocols.

[0026] WLAN systems can provide high-speed, low-latency transmission. As WLAN application scenarios continue to evolve, WLAN systems will be applied to more scenarios and industries, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) industry, the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) industry, the banking industry, enterprise offices, stadiums, exhibition halls, concert halls, hotel rooms, dormitories, hospital wards, classrooms, supermarkets, squares, streets, production workshops, and warehouses. Of course, devices supporting WLAN communication or sensing (such as access points or sites) can be sensor nodes in smart cities (such as smart water meters, smart electricity meters, and smart air quality monitoring nodes), smart devices in smart homes (such as smart cameras, projectors, displays, televisions, speakers, refrigerators, and washing machines), nodes in the IoT, entertainment terminals (such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) wearable devices), smart devices in smart offices (such as printers, projectors, loudspeakers, and speakers), IoV devices, infrastructure in daily life scenarios (such as vending machines, supermarket self-service navigation kiosks, self-checkout machines, and self-ordering machines), and equipment in large sports and music venues.

[0027] In this application embodiment, an access point is a device with wireless communication capabilities, supporting communication or sensing using the WLAN protocol. It has the function of communicating or sensing with other devices in the WLAN network (such as non-AP STAs or other access points), and can also have the function of communicating or sensing with other devices. Alternatively, an access point acts as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, primarily connecting various wireless network clients together and then connecting the wireless network to the Ethernet. This wireless communication device can be a complete device, or it can be a chip, processing system, or functional module installed in a complete device. Devices with these chips, processing systems, or functional modules can implement the methods and functions of this application embodiment under the control of the chips, processing systems, or functional modules. The AP in this application embodiment is a device that provides services to non-AP STAs and can support 802.11 series protocols or subsequent protocols. For example, an access point can be an access point for terminals (such as mobile phones) to enter a wired (or wireless) network, mainly deployed in homes, buildings, and parks, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters; it can also be deployed outdoors. For example, an AP can be a communication server, router, switch, bridge, or other communication entity; APs can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, repeater stations, etc.

[0028] In the embodiments of this application, the site can be a user terminal device supporting WLAN or Wi-Fi technology, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless device in industrial control, a set-top box, a wireless device in autonomous driving, a vehicle communication device, a wireless device in remote medical care, a wireless device in a smart grid, a wireless device in transportation safety, a wireless device in a smart city or a wireless device in a smart home, a wireless communication chip / application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) / system-on-chip (SOC), etc. WLAN technology can support frequency bands including but not limited to: low frequency bands (e.g., 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz) and high frequency bands (e.g., 45GHz or 60GHz). Figure 1 An exemplary diagram shows one AP 110 and two non-AP STAs 120. Optionally, the communication system 100 may include multiple AP STAs and other numbers of non-AP STAs, which is not limited in this application embodiment. It should be understood that devices with communication functions in the network / system of this application embodiment can be referred to as communication devices. Figure 1 Taking the communication system 100 shown as an example, the communication equipment may include an access point 110 and a station 120 with communication functions. The access point 110 and the station 120 may be the specific equipment described above, which will not be repeated here. The communication equipment may also include other equipment in the communication system 100, such as network controllers, gateways and other network entities. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0029] It should be understood that the terms “system” and “network” used in this application are often used interchangeably herein.

[0030] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the term "correspondence" may indicate that there is a direct or indirect correspondence between two things, or that there is an association between two things, or that there is a relationship of instruction and being instructed, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0031] In this application embodiment, "predefined" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device (e.g., including access points and sites). This application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, predefined can refer to what is defined in the protocol. In this application embodiment, the "protocol" may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communication, such as the Wi-Fi protocol and related protocols applied in future Wi-Fi communication systems, and this application does not limit it. Access point 110 and site 120 can associate and communicate via wireless LAN technology. Association refers to the process of negotiating wireless link services between the STA and AP to establish a wireless link between them.

[0032] In wireless LANs, dense deployment of access points can cause mutual interference, leading to deterioration in latency and throughput. Coordinating the shared use of air interface resources among multiple access points is a typical optimization approach. Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) is one of the hotly debated technologies in this area. A common practice is for multiple access points to negotiate and share transmission opportunities (TXOPs) to share air interface resources in a time-sharing manner, thereby reducing service latency and increasing transmission efficiency.

[0033] IEEE 802.11be introduced Transport Opportunity Sharing (TXS) operation. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a transmission opportunity sharing operation. The AP sends a CTS-to-self frame, and then sends a Multi-User Request to Send with TXOP Sharing (MU-RTS TXS) trigger frame to STA1. The MU-RTS TXS trigger frame carries the TXOP sharing time allocated to STA1. STA1 sends a CTS response frame to the AP, and then the two exchange frames. During the obtained TXOP time, the AP shares the TXOP with sites within its basic service set (BSS) to optimize service latency or throughput.

[0034] A common Co-TDMA scheme borrows from the TXS mechanism and extends it accordingly for multi-AP scenarios. In the multi-AP collaboration process based on TXOP, AP(s) share the time and frequency resources used during TXOP. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a multi-AP collaboration process. The roles in multi-AP collaborative TXOP transmission include sharing APs and shared APs. The AP that initiates the sharing process is called the sharing AP, corresponding to... Figure 3 In the context of AP1, the AP(s) that are coordinated to participate in sharing are called coordinated AP(s) or shared AP(s). Figure 3 In the Co-TDMA sharing process, AP2 / AP3 are used. The sharing AP obtains a TXOP through air interface contention. The shared AP(s) participating in the sharing use one of the TXOP(s) in a time-sharing manner, and the duration of each TXOP can be announced through control frames. Before the TXOP allocation phase, the Co-TDMA sharing process includes a polling phase. In the polling phase, the sharing AP is called the polling AP, i.e., the AP that initiates the polling, and the shared AP(s) is called the polled AP(s), i.e., the AP(s) being polled.

[0035] During the TXOP allocation phase, sharing AP (such as...) Figure 3AP1 in the middle allocates TXOP through MU-RTS TXS trigger frame. MU-RTS TXS trigger frame can also be called TXOP allocation frame. The main function of TXOP allocation frame is to trigger the shared AP to start using the shared TXOP and indicate the shared parameters. During the TXOP return phase, shared APs (such as...) Figure 3 AP3 in the middle returns the TXOP to the sharing AP through the TXOP return frame. The purpose of the TXOP return frame is to return the TXOP to the sharing AP in advance if the allocated time has not been used up.

[0036] This application focuses on the polling phase, where the interaction between polling APs and polled APs is achieved through initial control frames (ICF) and initial control responses (ICR) frames. The main function of the ICF is to initiate the Co-TDMA cooperation process and trigger signaling interaction. The ICR frame is used to respond to the ICF received by the polled AP(s). If the polled AP(s) agrees to participate in the Co-TDMA cooperation process, it sends an ICR frame to the AP that initiated the polling.

[0037] In the frequency domain, participating APs need to have the same primary 20MHz channel. This ensures that APs can exchange signaling frames, such as ICF and ICR frames. The ICF carries parameters indicating the PPDU format of the ICR, frequency domain resource information, etc. Additionally, the operating bandwidths of APs may differ, and the overlap bandwidth range may exceed 20MHz. Figure 4 As shown, where, Figure 4 This diagram illustrates the overlapping bandwidth between APs. Operating channel width (OSW) is the continuous bandwidth of the spectrum actually used by an AP or STA to transmit and receive data. The OSW value is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz. The OSW is composed of the primary channel and the secondary channel.

[0038] In the interaction between trigger-based frames and trigger-based Physical Layer Protocol Data Units (TB PPDUs), the AP sends a trigger frame. The receiver of the trigger frame only needs to consider the frequency domain resources indicated by the trigger frame. If the channel state corresponding to that frequency domain resource is busy, the receiver of the trigger frame cannot send a TB PPDU to that AP. In the interaction between ICF and ICR frames, the polled AP receiving the ICF needs to consider two frequency domain resources. These two frequency domain resources include the frequency domain resources used to send ICR frames (indicated by the ICF) and the frequency domain resources used in the subsequent TXOP sharing phase. These two frequency domain resources can be located on different channels. Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating potential issues in the interaction of ICF and ICR frames between APs, such as... Figure 5 As shown, during the SharingAP phase, the frequency domain resources are located on the primary channel. When the carrier state of the primary channel is idle, the frequency domain resources allocated by the ICF for the ICR frame are located on the secondary channel. When the carrier state of the secondary channel is busy, TXOP sharing will fail because the carrier state of the sub-channel where the frequency domain resources of the ICR frame are located is busy. The location of the frequency domain resources allocated by the ICF for the ICR frame affects the Co-TDMA sharing success rate.

[0039] To address the aforementioned issues, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and apparatus for cooperative time division multiple access.

[0040] In the embodiments of this application, shared, TXOP shared, and shared TXOP can be used interchangeably.

[0041] In the embodiments of this application, response, reply, and feedback can be used interchangeably.

[0042] The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, details the communication method, apparatus, and device for cooperative time division multiple access provided in this application through some embodiments and application scenarios.

[0043] Figure 6 This is one of the flowcharts illustrating a communication method for cooperative time division multiple access provided in this application. The execution entity of the communication method for cooperative time division multiple access is the first AP.

[0044] In the polling phase of the Co-TDMA sharing process, the AP that initiates the polling request is called the polling AP, i.e., the first AP in this embodiment. The AP(s) that accept the polling request is called the polled AP(s), i.e., the second AP in this embodiment.

[0045] like Figure 6 As shown, the communication method for cooperative time division multiple access includes: Step 600: The first access point (AP) generates an initial control frame (ICF). The ICF is used to trigger the Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process. The ICF includes first information, which is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. Step 601: The first AP sends the ICF to the second AP.

[0046] It should be noted that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame are the frequency domain resources occupied by the ICR frame during the transmission process.

[0047] The first AP indicates the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame in the ICF frame, and restricts the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame to be located in the main channel when the ICR frame is sent by the second AP.

[0048] It should be understood that the subsequent Co-TDMA cooperation process can only be executed if the second AP successfully feeds back the ICR frame. Since the signaling / data transmission in the subsequent transmission opportunity sharing phase can only be executed when the primary channel is idle, by limiting the frequency domain resources of the ICR frame to the primary channel, the probability is high that the carrier state of the sub-channel containing the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame when it is sent by the second AP is also idle, thus avoiding ICR feedback failure due to busy secondary channels. This improves the success rate of the second AP feeding back the ICR frame, and consequently, the success rate of Co-TDMA cooperation.

[0049] Correspondingly, the second AP receives an ICF from the first AP. The ICF is used to trigger a Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process. The ICF includes first information, which is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the Initial Control Response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. The second AP feeds back the ICR frame on the main channel.

[0050] In this embodiment, the first AP generates an initial control frame (ICF) and sends it to the second AP. The ICF is used to trigger the Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process. The ICF includes first information to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the primary channel to avoid ICR feedback failure due to busy secondary channels. This can improve the success rate of the second AP's ICR frame feedback and thus improve the success rate of Co-TDMA sharing.

[0051] Optionally, the ICF is implemented based on the Buffer Status Report PollTrigger Frame (BSRP), and the ICR frame is implemented based on the Multi-Site Block Ack (M-BA) frame.

[0052] Optionally, depending on the format of the PPDU carrying the ICF, the ICF can be divided into trigger-based initial control frame (TB ICF) and non-trigger-based initial control frame (NTB ICF).

[0053] In some embodiments, the ICF includes one of the following: Based on the triggered initial control frame TB ICF; Based on the non-triggered initial control frame NTB ICF.

[0054] It is understandable that the first AP sends an ICF to the second AP, which can be either a TB ICF or an NTB ICF. Both the TB ICF and the NTB ICF need to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame are restricted to the primary channel. In the embodiments of this application, the TB ICF can be called a Co-TDMA TB ICF, and the NTB ICF can be called a Co-TDMA NTB ICF.

[0055] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of an initial control frame (ICF) provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 7 In the ICF, the following fields are included: Frame Control field, Duration field, Receiver Address (RA) field, Transmitter Address (TA) field, Common Information (Common Info) field, User Information List (User Info List) field, Padding field, and Frame Check Sequence (FCS) field.

[0056] The Common Info field includes an Uplink (UL) Bandwidth (BW) subfield, which indicates the uplink bandwidth. The User Info List field includes a Resource Unit Allocation (RU Allocation) subfield, which indicates the location of the RU.

[0057] Both TB ICF and NTB ICF adopt the following... Figure 7 The frame structure shown.

[0058] In some embodiments, the TB ICF includes a first subfield for indicating the first information. The first subfield includes the uplink UL bandwidth (BW) subfield in the public information field of the TB ICF and the resource unit (RU) allocation subfield in the user information field of the TB ICF.

[0059] It is understood that, in the case where the ICF is the TB ICF, the first information is indicated through the first subfield, that is, through the public information field of the TB ICF ( Figure 7 The uplink UL bandwidth BW subfield in the Common Info field and the user information field of the TB ICF (in the context of the common Info field) Figure 7 The Resource Unit RU Allocation subfield in the User Info List field indicates that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame are restricted to the main channel.

[0060] It is understandable that in TB ICF, restricting the value of the UL BW field in the Common Info field can constrain the bandwidth of the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame, and restricting the value of the RU Allocation subfield in the User Information field can constrain the location of the RU corresponding to the ICR frame. The UL BW subfield in the Common Info field and the RU Allocation subfield in the User Information field of TB ICF can jointly indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame are restricted to the main channel.

[0061] In this embodiment, the first AP sends an initial control frame to the second AP to trigger the Co-TDMA cooperation process. The initial control frame includes first information indicating that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. The frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame are specifically indicated by the uplink bandwidth subfield in the common information field of the TB ICF and the resource unit allocation subfield in the user information field of the TB ICF. By restricting the frequency domain resources of the ICR frame to the main channel, the success rate of the second AP in feeding back the ICR frame can be improved, thereby improving the success rate of Co-TDMA sharing.

[0062] Optionally, the UL BW subfield takes a first value, and the RU allocation subfield takes a second value. The first value is used to represent the bandwidth of the main channel, and the second value is used to represent that the RU is restricted within the main channel, and the bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz.

[0063] The bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz, meaning the main channel is a primary 20MHz channel. The first value can be binary code, indicating that the uplink bandwidth is the bandwidth of the main channel, i.e., 20MHz. The second value can also be binary code, indicating that the frequency domain position of the RU is restricted to the primary 20MHz channel.

[0064] Understandably, in TB ICF, restricting the UL BW subfield value in the comment info field constrains the uplink bandwidth to 20MHz, and restricting the RU Allocation subfield value in the User Info field constrains the RU location to within the primary 20MHz channel. This limits the frequency domain location used by the ICR to the primary 20MHz channel, minimizing ICR feedback failures due to secondary channel busyness and improving the Co-TDMA sharing success rate.

[0065] In some embodiments, the NTB ICF includes a second subfield, which is used to indicate the first information. The second subfield is the UL BW subfield in the public information field of the NTB ICF.

[0066] Continue to refer to Figure 7 When the ICF is NTB ICF, the public information field of the NTB ICF (i.e. Figure 7 The UL BW subfield in the Common Info field indicates that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame are restricted to the main channel.

[0067] In this embodiment, the first AP sends an initial control frame to the second AP to trigger the Co-TDMA cooperation process. The initial control frame includes first information indicating that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. The frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are specifically indicated by the uplink bandwidth subfield in the common information field of the NTB ICF. By restricting the frequency domain resources of the ICR frame to the main channel, the success rate of the second AP in feeding back the ICR frame can be improved, thereby improving the success rate of Co-TDMA sharing.

[0068] Optionally, the UL BW subfield is set to a first value, which represents the bandwidth of the main channel, and the bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz.

[0069] Understandably, in NTB ICF, restricting the value of the UL BW subfield in the comment info field and constraining the uplink bandwidth to 20MHz can limit the frequency domain location used by ICR to the primary 20MHz channel, thereby minimizing ICR feedback failures caused by secondary channel busyness and improving the Co-TDMA sharing success rate.

[0070] It should be noted that if the bandwidth of the main channel is other values, the 20MHz in the above embodiment can also be replaced with other values.

[0071] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the frequency domain resource location corresponding to the ICR frame indicated by the Co-TDMA TB ICF provided in the embodiments of this application, wherein the operating bandwidth of the polled AP is 40M, the bandwidth of the main channel is 20M, and the bandwidth of the auxiliary channel is 20M.

[0072] like Figure 8 As shown in the diagram on the left, when the carrier state of the main channel is idle, but the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame (i.e., Figure 8 The location indicated by the allocation RU in the image is 40M of the entire operating bandwidth. Since the carrier state of the secondary channel is busy, the polled AP cannot feed back ICR frames at this time.

[0073] like Figure 8 As shown in the middle diagram, the frequency domain resource location corresponding to the ICR frame is the secondary channel, but the carrier state of the secondary channel is busy. The frequency domain resource used in the subsequent TXOP sharing phase is located in the primary channel and is in an idle state. At this time, the polled AP cannot feed back the ICR frame.

[0074] like Figure 8As shown in the diagram on the right, the frequency domain resource corresponding to the ICR frame is located on the main channel. When the main channel is idle, the polled AP can send back the ICR frame. The frequency domain resources used in the subsequent TXOP sharing phase are located on the main channel, and the subsequent TXOP sharing phase can only be transmitted when the main channel is idle.

[0075] As can be seen from the above, by limiting the frequency domain resources of the ICR frame to the main channel, the probability that the carrier state of the sub-channel containing the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame when it is sent by the second AP is high, as is the carrier state of the sub-channel containing the frequency domain resources used for the subsequent transmission opportunity sharing phase. This minimizes the risk of ICR feedback failure due to busy secondary channels, thereby improving the success rate of the second AP in feeding back ICR frames and thus improving the success rate of Co-TDMA cooperation.

[0076] In some embodiments, the method further includes: The first AP receives an ICR frame from the second AP, the ICR frame being used to indicate that the second AP participates in the Co-TDMA cooperation process.

[0077] In some embodiments, the ICR frame adopts one of the following PPDU formats: Triggered Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (TB PPDU) format; Non-HT PPDU format for non-high throughput physical layer protocol data units or non-HT duplicate PPDU format for non-high throughput repeated physical layer protocol data units.

[0078] It should be understood that, depending on the format of the PPDU (PHY protocol data unit) carrying the ICF, the ICF is divided into Co-TDMA TB ICF and Co-TDMA NTB ICF. Correspondingly, the ICR frame can use the TB PPDU format or the non-HTPPDU / non-HT duplicate PPDU format.

[0079] When the ICF frame is Co-TDMA TB ICF, the ICR frame uses the TB PPDU format.

[0080] When the ICF frame is a Co-TDMA NTB ICF, the ICR frame uses the non-HT PPDU / non-HTduplicate PPDU format.

[0081] Figure 9 This is a second schematic flowchart of a communication method for cooperative time-division multiple access provided in an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 9As shown, the communication methods for cooperative time division multiple access include: Step 900: The second access point (AP) receives an initial control frame (ICF) from the first AP. The ICF is used to trigger the Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process. The ICF includes first information, which is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. Step 901: The second AP feeds back the ICR frame on the main channel.

[0082] The ICR frame is used to indicate that the second AP participates in the Co-TDMA cooperation process.

[0083] The execution subject of the communication method for cooperative time division multiple access provided in this application embodiment is the second AP, which corresponds to the first AP side embodiment described above. For understanding the embodiments of this application, you can refer to the description of the first AP side embodiment described above, and the same technical effect can be achieved. For the same content, it will not be repeated here.

[0084] Optionally, the ICF includes one of the following: Based on the triggered initial control frame TB ICF; Based on the non-triggered initial control frame NTB ICF.

[0085] Optionally, when the ICF is the TB ICF, the TB ICF includes a first subfield, which is used to indicate the first information. The first subfield includes the uplink UL bandwidth BW subfield in the public information field of the TB ICF and the resource unit RU allocation subfield in the user information field of the TB ICF.

[0086] Optionally, the UL BW subfield takes a first value, and the RU allocation subfield takes a second value. The first value is used to represent the bandwidth of the main channel, and the second value is used to represent that the RU is restricted within the main channel, and the bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz.

[0087] Optionally, the NTB ICF includes a second subfield, which is used to indicate the first information. The second subfield is the UL BW subfield in the public information field of the NTB ICF.

[0088] Optionally, the UL BW subfield is set to a first value, which represents the bandwidth of the main channel, and the bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz.

[0089] Optionally, the second AP feeds back the ICR frame on the main channel, including: If the second AP determines that it will participate in the Co-TDMA cooperation process, it transmits the ICR frame on the main channel.

[0090] Understandably, the second AP, based on the ICF, finds that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame are restricted to the main channel. If it determines that it will participate in the Co-TDMA cooperation process, it will send the ICR frame on the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame, that is, send the ICR on the main 20MHz channel.

[0091] Optionally, the ICR frame adopts one of the following PPDU formats: Triggered Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (TB PPDU) format; Non-HT PPDU format for non-high throughput physical layer protocol data units or non-HT duplicate PPDU format for non-high throughput repeated physical layer protocol data units.

[0092] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of the communication method for cooperative time division multiple access provided in an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 10 As shown, the interaction flow of the communication method for cooperative time division multiple access includes: Step 1001: The first access point (AP) generates an initial control frame (ICF). The ICF is used to trigger the Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process. The ICF includes first information, which is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. Step 1002: The first AP sends the ICF to the second AP; Step 1003: The second access point (AP) receives the initial control frame (ICF) from the first AP and learns that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame are restricted to the main channel.

[0093] Step 1004: When the second AP determines that it will participate in the Co-TDMA cooperation process, the second AP feeds back the ICR frame on the main channel. The ICR frame is used to indicate that the second AP will participate in the Co-TDMA cooperation process.

[0094] Step 1005: The first AP receives an ICR frame from the second AP.

[0095] For a better understanding of the embodiments of this application, please refer to the description of the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0096] In this embodiment, the first access point (AP) and the second AP interact through an initial control frame (ICF) and an ICR frame. The ICF includes first information indicating that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the ICR frame are restricted to the main channel, which can improve the success rate of the second AP in feeding back the ICR frame, thereby improving the Co-TDMA sharing success rate.

[0097] The communication method for cooperative time division multiple access provided in this application can be executed by a communication device for cooperative time division multiple access. This application uses the execution of the communication method for cooperative time division multiple access by a communication device for cooperative time division multiple access as an example to illustrate the communication device for cooperative time division multiple access provided in this application.

[0098] This application provides a communication device for cooperative time division multiple access. As an example, the communication device for cooperative time division multiple access can be a communication device or a component within a communication device, such as a chip. The communication device can be an access point device. Exemplarily, the access point can include, but is not limited to, the types of access points 110 listed above; this application does not impose specific limitations.

[0099] A communication device for cooperative time-division multiple access includes a receiving module, a transmitting module, and a processing module. These modules can be implemented in software or hardware. When implemented in hardware, the processing module can be implemented by a processor. For example, the processor can include general-purpose processors, special-purpose processors, etc., such as central processing units (CPUs), microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), artificial intelligence (AI) processors, graphics processing units (GPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), network processors (NPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, gate circuits, transistors, discrete hardware components, etc. The receiving and transmitting modules can be implemented by a communication interface, which can include one or more of the following: transceivers, pins, circuits, buses, radio frequency units, etc.

[0100] Figure 11 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of a communication device for cooperative time division multiple access provided in the embodiments of this application. For details, see [link to specific diagram]. Figure 11When the communication device used for cooperative time division multiple access is an access point device or a component in an access point device, the communication device 1100 used for cooperative time division multiple access includes a first processing module 1101 and a first transceiver module 1102.

[0101] The first processing module 1101 is used to generate an initial control frame (ICF). The ICF is used to trigger the Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process. The ICF includes first information, which is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. The first transceiver module 1102 is used to send the ICF to the second AP.

[0102] Optionally, the ICF includes one of the following: Based on the triggered initial control frame TB ICF; Based on the non-triggered initial control frame NTB ICF.

[0103] Optionally, the TB ICF includes a first subfield, which is used to indicate the first information. The first subfield includes the uplink UL bandwidth (BW) subfield in the public information field of the TB ICF and the resource unit (RU) allocation subfield in the user information field of the TB ICF.

[0104] Optionally, the UL BW subfield takes a first value, and the RU allocation subfield takes a second value. The first value is used to represent the bandwidth of the main channel, and the second value is used to represent that the RU is restricted within the main channel, and the bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz.

[0105] Optionally, the NTB ICF includes a second subfield, which is used to indicate the first information. The second subfield is the UL BW subfield in the public information field of the NTB ICF.

[0106] Optionally, the UL BW subfield is set to a first value, which represents the bandwidth of the main channel, and the bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz.

[0107] Optionally, the ICR frame adopts one of the following PPDU formats: Triggered Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (TB PPDU) format; Non-HT PPDU format for non-high throughput physical layer protocol data units or non-HT duplicate PPDU format for non-high throughput repeated physical layer protocol data units.

[0108] The cooperative time-division multiple access device provided in this application embodiment can achieve... Figure 6 The various processes implemented in the method embodiments achieve the same technical effect, and will not be described again here to avoid repetition.

[0109] Figure 12 This is a second schematic diagram of a communication device for cooperative time division multiple access provided in this application embodiment. See also... Figure 12 When the communication device used for cooperative time division multiple access is an access point device or a component in an access point device, the communication device 1200 used for cooperative time division multiple access includes a second transceiver module 1201.

[0110] The second transceiver module 1201 is used to receive an initial control frame (ICF) from the first AP. The ICF is used to trigger a Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process. The ICF includes first information, which is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. The second transceiver module 1201 is also used to feed back the ICR frame on the main channel.

[0111] Optionally, the ICF includes one of the following: Based on the triggered initial control frame TB ICF; Based on the non-triggered initial control frame NTB ICF.

[0112] Optionally, the TB ICF includes a first subfield, which is used to indicate the first information. The first subfield includes the uplink UL bandwidth (BW) subfield in the public information field of the TB ICF and the resource unit (RU) allocation subfield in the user information field of the TB ICF.

[0113] Optionally, the UL BW subfield takes a first value, and the RU allocation subfield takes a second value. The first value is used to represent the bandwidth of the main channel, and the second value is used to represent that the RU is restricted within the main channel, and the bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz.

[0114] Optionally, the NTB ICF includes a second subfield, which is used to indicate the first information. The second subfield is the UL BW subfield in the public information field of the NTB ICF.

[0115] Optionally, the UL BW subfield is set to a first value, which represents the bandwidth of the main channel, and the bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz.

[0116] Optionally, the second transceiver module 1201 is used for: If participation in the Co-TDMA cooperation process is determined, the ICR frame is transmitted on the main channel.

[0117] Optionally, the ICR frame adopts one of the following PPDU formats: Triggered Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (TB PPDU) format; Non-HT PPDU format for non-high throughput physical layer protocol data units or non-HT duplicate PPDU format for non-high throughput repeated physical layer protocol data units.

[0118] The cooperative time-division multiple access device provided in this application embodiment can achieve... Figure 9 The various processes implemented in the method embodiments achieve the same technical effect, and will not be described again here to avoid repetition.

[0119] Figure 13 This is a structural schematic diagram of an access point device provided in an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 13 As shown in the illustration, this application also provides an access point device 1300, including a processor 1301 and a memory 1302. The memory 1302 stores programs or instructions that can run on the processor 1301. Specifically, the access point device 1300 can be a first AP or a second AP in this application embodiment. When the access point device 1300 is a first AP in this application embodiment, the program or instructions, when executed by the processor 1301, implement the various steps of the communication method embodiment for coordinated time division multiple access on the first AP side, and achieve the same technical effect. When the access point device 1300 is a second AP in this application embodiment, the program or instructions, when executed by the processor 1301, implement the various steps of the communication method embodiment for coordinated time division multiple access on the second AP side, and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, further details are omitted here.

[0120] In some embodiments, the access point device 1300 may further include a transceiver, and the processor 1301 may control the transceiver to communicate with other devices. Specifically, it may send information or data to other devices or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0121] The transceiver may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver may further include antennas, which may be one or more.

[0122] In some embodiments, this application also provides a first AP, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor is used to generate an initial control frame (ICF), the ICF is used to trigger a Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process, the ICF includes first information, the first information is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel; the communication interface is used to send the ICF to a second AP.

[0123] In some embodiments, this application also provides a second AP, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to receive an initial control frame (ICF) from a first AP, the ICF being used to trigger a Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process, the ICF including first information, the first information being used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel; the communication interface is also used to feed back the ICR frame on the main channel.

[0124] This application also provides a readable storage medium storing a program or instructions. When the program or instructions are executed by a processor, they implement the various processes of the above-described communication method embodiments for cooperative time division multiple access and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0125] The processor mentioned above is the processor in the access point described in the above embodiments. The readable storage medium includes computer-readable storage media, such as computer read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk, or optical disk. In some examples, the readable storage medium may be a non-transient readable storage medium.

[0126] This application embodiment also provides a chip, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processor. The processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the various processes of the above-described communication method embodiments for coordinated time division multiple access, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0127] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as a system-on-a-chip, system chip, chip system, or system-on-a-chip, etc.

[0128] This application also provides a computer program / program product, which is stored in a storage medium and executed by at least one processor to implement the various processes of the above-described communication method embodiments for cooperative time division multiple access, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0129] This application also provides a communication system, including a first AP and a second AP. The first AP can be used to execute the steps of the above-described communication method for cooperative time division multiple access, and the second AP can be used to execute the steps of the above-described communication method for cooperative time division multiple access. The communication system implements the various processes of the above-described embodiments of the cooperative time division multiple access method and achieves the same technical effects; therefore, to avoid repetition, further details are omitted here.

[0130] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0131] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of computer software products plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms, and of course, they can also be implemented by hardware. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM, RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc.), and the computer software product includes several instructions to cause the terminal or network-side device to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0132] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other implementations under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All of these implementations are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method for cooperative time division multiple access, characterized in that, include: The first access point (AP) generates an initial control frame (ICF), which is used to trigger the Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process. The ICF includes first information, which is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. The first AP sends the ICF to the second AP.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ICF includes one of the following: Based on the triggered initial control frame TB ICF; Based on the non-triggered initial control frame NTB ICF.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The TB ICF includes a first subfield, which is used to indicate the first information. The first subfield includes the uplink UL bandwidth BW subfield in the public information field of the TB ICF and the resource unit RU allocation subfield in the user information field of the TB ICF.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The UL BW subfield takes a first value, and the RU allocation subfield takes a second value. The first value is used to represent the bandwidth of the main channel, and the second value is used to represent that the RU is restricted within the main channel. The bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The NTB ICF includes a second subfield, which is used to indicate the first information. The second subfield is the UL BW subfield in the public information field of the NTB ICF.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The UL BW subfield takes a first value, which represents the bandwidth of the main channel, and the bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The ICR frame uses one of the following PPDU formats: Triggered Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (TB PPDU) format; Non-HT PPDU format for non-high throughput physical layer protocol data units or non-HT duplicate PPDU format for non-high throughput repeated physical layer protocol data units.

8. A communication method for cooperative time division multiple access, characterized in that, include: The second access point (AP) receives an initial control frame (ICF) from the first AP. The ICF is used to trigger a Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process. The ICF includes first information, which is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. The second AP feeds back the ICR frame on the main channel.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The ICF includes one of the following: Based on the triggered initial control frame TB ICF; Based on the non-triggered initial control frame NTB ICF.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The TB ICF includes a first subfield, which is used to indicate the first information. The first subfield includes the uplink UL bandwidth (BW) subfield in the public information field of the TB ICF and the resource unit (RU) allocation subfield in the user information field of the TB ICF.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The UL BW subfield takes a first value, and the RU allocation subfield takes a second value. The first value is used to represent the bandwidth of the main channel, and the second value is used to represent that the RU is restricted within the main channel. The bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz.

12. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The NTB ICF includes a second subfield, which is used to indicate the first information. The second subfield is the UL BW subfield in the public information field of the NTB ICF.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The UL BW subfield takes a first value, which represents the bandwidth of the main channel, and the bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8-13, characterized in that, The second AP feeds back the ICR frame on the main channel, including: If the second AP determines that it will participate in the Co-TDMA cooperation process, it transmits the ICR frame on the main channel.

15. The method according to any one of claims 8-14, characterized in that, The ICR frame uses one of the following PPDU formats: Triggered Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (TB PPDU) format; Non-HT PPDU format for non-high throughput physical layer protocol data units or non-HT duplicate PPDU format for non-high throughput repeated physical layer protocol data units.

16. A communication device for cooperative time division multiple access, characterized in that, include: The first processing module is used to generate an initial control frame (ICF), which is used to trigger the Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process. The ICF includes first information, which is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. The first transceiver module is used to send the ICF to the second AP.

17. A communication device for cooperative time division multiple access, characterized in that, include: The second transceiver module is used to receive an initial control frame (ICF) from the first AP. The ICF is used to trigger a Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA) cooperation process. The ICF includes first information, which is used to indicate that the frequency domain resources corresponding to the initial control response (ICR) frame are restricted to the main channel. The second transceiver module is also used to feed back the ICR frame on the main channel.

18. An access point device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, When the processor executes the program, it implements the communication method for cooperative time division multiple access as described in any one of claims 1-7, or implements the communication method for cooperative time division multiple access as described in any one of claims 8-15.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the communication method for cooperative time division multiple access as described in any one of claims 1-7, or implements the communication method for cooperative time division multiple access as described in any one of claims 8-15.

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