Wireless communication methods, apparatuses, and devices

Abstract

The application provides a wireless communication method, device and equipment, wherein the method comprises: generating a first frame, wherein the first frame carries a first silence interval duration, the first silence interval duration is determined by a first AP according to a service type of service data of the first AP and an expected silence interval duration of a second AP and a silence interval duration re-determined by a Co-RTWT SP; and sending the first frame to the second AP, wherein the first frame is used for the second AP to update the expected silence interval duration according to the first silence interval duration; wherein the first AP is a Co-RTWT coordinated AP, and the second AP is a Co-RTWT request AP. The application can realize dynamic negotiation of the silence interval duration between the Co-RTWT coordinated AP and the Co-RTWT request AP.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Broadcast Target Wake Time (B-TWT) is a key energy-saving technology introduced in Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), primarily used to optimize device wake-up and sleep mechanisms. It broadcasts TWT parameters, such as the TWT SP (Service Period) start time, wake-up interval, wake-up duration, and broadcast TWT identifier (B-TWT ID), through beacon frames or TWT action frames, enabling unified scheduling of all B-TWT-enabled terminal devices. Its design aims to avoid conflicts caused by random wake-ups of terminal devices and reduce channel contention through predefined time windows; terminals only send and receive data within the allocated wake-up duration window, entering deep sleep for the rest of the time, thus saving energy; and centralized scheduling through access points (APs) efficiently manages the communication needs of hundreds or thousands of devices, supporting high-density scenarios.

[0003] Restricted Target Wake Time (R-TWT) is a further optimization of the traditional TWT mechanism, designed to provide stricter scheduling guarantees for low-latency, high-reliability services (such as VR / AR, industrial automation, remote control, and real-time video streaming). It uses uplink / downlink traffic identifiers to mark high-priority services, ensuring that these services are transmitted first during the R-TWT's Service Period (SP). It also requires other ordinary devices to terminate all transmission opportunities (TXOPs) before the R-TWT SP begins to avoid interfering with high-priority services.

[0004] Coordinated Restricted Target Wake Time (Co-RTWT) is an enhanced R-TWT scheduling mechanism proposed in 802.11bn for multi-AP collaborative scenarios. This mechanism enables APs to coordinate their R-TWT scheduling with the R-TWT scheduling of Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) APs and / or protect the R-TWT scheduling of OBSS APs.

[0005] In the existing R-TWT scheduling protection proposed, if the Co-RTWT coordinated AP or its associated STA is required to terminate the TXOP (transmitting delay-sensitive traffic) at the start of the Co-RTWT SP (which can be terminated via a CF-End frame) due to delay-sensitive traffic being transmitted by the Co-RTWT coordinated AP or its associated STA, this would lead to low-latency service interruption and affect latency performance. If the delay-sensitive traffic being transmitted by the Co-RTWT coordinated AP or its associated STA is allowed not to terminate at the start of the Co-RTWT SP, or even if the duration of the TXOP exceeds the length of the silent unit, it would intensify channel contention within the BSS where the Co-RTWT requesting AP is located, making it difficult to guarantee the Co-RTWT requesting AP access to the channel. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a wireless communication method, apparatus, and device.

[0007] In a first aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, applied to a first access point, the method comprising: Generate a first frame, which carries a first silence interval duration. The first silence interval duration is the silence interval duration re-determined by the first AP based on the service type of its own service data and the expected silence interval duration of the second AP, and the Co-RTWT SP during the Co-RTWT service period of the second AP. Send the first frame to the second AP, the first frame being used to instruct the second AP to update the desired silence interval duration according to the first silence interval duration; Wherein, the first AP is a Co-RTWT coordinated AP, and the second AP is a Co-RTWT requesting AP. Secondly, a wireless communication method is provided, applied to a second access point, the method comprising: Receive the first frame sent by the first AP. The first frame carries the first silence interval duration. The first silence interval duration is the silence interval duration re-determined by the first AP based on the service type of its own service data, the expected silence interval duration of the second AP, and the Co-RTWT SP of the second AP. The second AP updates the desired silence interval duration based on the first silence interval duration; Wherein, the first AP is the Co-RTWT coordinated AP, and the second AP is the Co-RTWT requesting AP.

[0008] Thirdly, a wireless communication device is provided, comprising: The generation module is used to generate a first frame, which carries a first silence interval duration. The first silence interval duration is the silence interval duration re-determined by the first AP based on the service type of its own service data and the expected silence interval duration of the second AP and the Co-RTWT SP of the second AP. The first transceiver module is used to send the first frame to the second AP. The first frame is used to instruct the second AP to update the expected silence interval duration according to the first silence interval duration. Wherein, the first AP is the Co-RTWT coordinated AP, and the second AP is the Co-RTWT requesting AP.

[0009] Fourthly, a wireless communication device is provided, comprising: The second transceiver module is used to receive the first frame sent by the first AP. The first frame carries a first silence interval duration. The first silence interval duration is the silence interval duration re-determined by the first AP based on the service type of its own service data, the expected silence interval duration of the second AP, and the Co-RTWT SP of the second AP. The update module is used to update the expected silence interval duration based on the first silence interval duration; Wherein, the first AP is the Co-RTWT coordinated AP, and the second AP is the Co-RTWT requesting AP.

[0010] Fifthly, an access point device is provided, including a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to perform the methods described in the first to second aspects or their respective implementations.

[0011] Sixthly, a chip is provided for implementing the methods of any one of the first to second aspects or their respective implementations. Specifically, the chip includes a processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory, causing a device equipped with the chip to perform the methods of any one of the first to second aspects or their respective implementations.

[0012] In a seventh aspect, a readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program that causes a computer to perform the methods of any one of the first to second aspects or their respective implementations.

[0013] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory for storing a computer program, the processor for calling and running the computer program stored in the memory to perform the methods of any one of the first to second aspects or their respective implementations.

[0014] Ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, including a first access point and a second access point, wherein the first access point is configured to execute a method in any aspect of the first aspect or any implementation thereof, and the second access point is configured to execute a method in any aspect of the second aspect or any implementation thereof.

[0015] Through the above technical solution, the Co-RTWT-coordinated AP sends a first frame carrying a first silence interval duration to the Co-RTWT-requesting AP. This first silence interval duration is a silence interval duration redefined by the Co-RTWT-coordinated AP based on the service type of its own service data, the expected silence interval duration of the Co-RTWT-requesting AP, and the Co-RTWT SP. After receiving the first silence interval duration, the Co-RTWT-requesting AP updates its expected silence interval duration accordingly, thereby achieving dynamic negotiation of the silence interval duration between the Co-RTWT-coordinated AP and the Co-RTWT-requesting AP. Compared with the statically configured silence interval duration, this design is more flexible and can adapt to multi-AP collaboration scenarios where different APs have inconsistent TXOP length limitations. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a data interaction flowchart of the existing Co-RTWT technology.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the interaction when following the backoff rules in the existing Co-RTWT technology.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the interaction when the backoff rules are not followed in the existing Co-RTWT technology.

[0021] Figure 5 This is an interactive schematic diagram of a wireless communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 6 This is an interactive schematic diagram of another wireless communication method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of a second frame provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic block diagram of a wireless communication device provided according to an embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of another wireless communication device provided according to an embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 10 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of this application.

[0027] Figure 11 This is a schematic block diagram of a chip provided according to an embodiment of this application.

[0028] Figure 12 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort regarding the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0030] 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. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second," etc., used herein are used only to distinguish different objects and not to describe a particular order.

[0031] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, "at least one item" refers to one item or more items, "more items" refers to two items or more, and "at least two items" refers to two items or more. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions can refer to any combination of these items. For example, at least one item of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c".

[0032] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, "and / or" indicates that the connected objects can have three relationships. For example, "A and / or B" can represent three scenarios: only A exists, only B exists, and both A and B exist simultaneously. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects have an "or" relationship.

[0033] It should be understood that the "instruction" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct instruction or an indirect instruction. For example, A instructing B can mean that A directly instructs B, such as B being obtainable through A; or it can mean that A indirectly instructs B, such as A instructing C, where B is obtainable through C, for example, B and C are related.

[0034] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) systems, such as WiFi protocols. These WiFi protocols may include, but are not limited to, the 802.11 series protocols, such as 802.11a, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11b, 802.11be, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11bn, or next-generation protocols.

[0035] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a communication system 100 applicable to embodiments of this application is shown. The communication system 100 may include an access point device 110 and a site device 120. The site device 120 can access the network through the access point device 110.

[0036] Access points can support communication or sensing based on WiFi protocols, such as 802.11a, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11b, 802.11be, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11bn, next-generation protocols of 802.11bn, or even later WiFi protocols.

[0037] The site can support communication or sensing based on WiFi protocols, such as 802.11a, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11b, 802.11be, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11bn, next-generation protocols of 802.11bn, or even later WiFi protocols.

[0038] The communication in the communication system 100 can be communication between access points and stations, or communication between stations, or communication between access points.

[0039] An access point 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.

[0040] A station (STA) includes access point stations (AP STA) and non-access point stations (non-APstation). For simplicity, access point stations are usually referred to as access points (AP), and non-access point stations as stations (STA). Station equipment is also called a station, a non-access point station (Non-APSTA), or a non-access point node.

[0041] In some scenarios, access points and sites can be devices used in vehicle networking, 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.

[0042] In some scenarios, the access point can be a terminal device with a WiFi chip (such as a mobile phone) or a network device (such as a router).

[0043] In the embodiments of this application, the site may be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer, virtual reality (VR) device, augmented reality (AR) device, wireless device in industrial control, set-top box, wireless device in self-driving, vehicle communication device, wireless device in remote medical care, wireless device in smart grid, wireless device in transportation safety, wireless device in smart city or smart home, wireless device, wireless communication chip, etc. that support WLAN or WiFi technology.

[0044] It should be understood that Figure 1 Only one access point and two sites are shown in the example. Optionally, the communication system 100 may include multiple access points or other numbers of sites. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0045] Optionally, the communication system 100 may also include other devices, such as network controllers, gateways, and other network entities, which are not limited in this application.

[0046] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the related technologies are described.

[0047] B-TWT is a key energy-saving technology introduced in 802.11ax and 802.11be, primarily used to optimize device wake-up and sleep mechanisms. The core technical elements of B-TWT include: 1) Time-slice-based resource allocation: The AP broadcasts a fixed or dynamic time communication window to all devices via beacon frames. All devices strictly adhere to the wake-up duration defined by the AP, ensuring exclusive channel use. The AP can dynamically adjust the length and interval of the time slice based on the service type (e.g., real-time video, sensor data). 2) Broadcast scheduling mechanism: The AP broadcasts scheduling parameters via beacon frames or target wake-up time action frames (TWT Action). The Broadcast TWT ID identifies different B-TWT groups, supporting differentiated scheduling for multiple groups of devices. This also avoids unicast interaction processes for individual TWTs, reducing the number of control frames and lowering signaling overhead. 3) Within the TWT SP window, the AP can trigger parallel data transmission to multiple devices in a manner coordinated with OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) and MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output) to improve throughput. The beacon frame or target wake-up time action frame of B-TWT carries key scheduling parameters for B-TWT, including the start time of the TWT SP (Target Wake Time Service Period), the wake-up duration (TWT WakeDuration), the wake-up interval (TWT Wake Interval), and the Broadcast TWT identifier (B-TWT ID). Based on these parameters, the protocol supports the following range of B-TWT scheduling parameters: Wake-up duration = (Nominal Minimum TWT WakeDuration * Wake Duration Unit = 255 * 1TU (unit: us); Wake-up interval = (TWT Wake Interval Minimum) × 2 (TWT Wake Interval Exponent) =65535*231 (unit: us), which shows that the protocol supports a wide range of scheduling parameters and can achieve efficient adaptation to diverse scenarios.

[0048] R-TWT is a further optimization of the traditional B-TWT mechanism, designed to provide stricter scheduling guarantees for low-latency, high-reliability services (such as VR / AR, industrial automation, remote control, and real-time video streaming). It uses uplink / downlink traffic identifiers to mark high-priority services, ensuring that high-priority services are transmitted first within the R-TWT SP (Service Provider) and requiring other ordinary devices to close all TXOPs before the R-TWT SP begins to avoid interfering with high-priority services.

[0049] Co-RTWT is an enhanced R-TWT scheduling mechanism proposed in 802.11bn for multi-AP cooperative scenarios. This mechanism enables APs to coordinate their R-TWT scheduling with the R-TWT scheduling of OBSS APs and / or protect the R-TWT scheduling of OBSS APs. In other words, multiple APs with overlapping basic service sets will coordinate their R-TWT scheduling to avoid channel conflicts. The Co-RTWT mechanism is defined as follows: A Co-RTWT requesting AP is an AP that requests protection for its R-TWT schedule through Co-RTWT negotiation or other means. A Co-RTWT responding AP is an AP that responds to a Co-RTWT requesting AP and participates in Co-RTWT negotiation. A Co-RTWT coordinated AP is an AP that provides protection for the R-TWT schedule of a Co-RTWT requesting AP after a Co-RTWT agreement has been established through negotiation or other means.

[0050] Figure 2 A flowchart of the data interaction process for Co-RTWT technology, such as Figure 2As shown, during the Co-RTWT Negotiations phase: The Co-RTWT profile information is encapsulated in the MAPC Negotiation Request frame using a MAPC element (Multi-AP Configuration). The Co-RTWT information requested for protection should be consistent with the RTWT scheduling information declared within the BSS (Basic Service Set) where the AP resides, i.e., the Broadcast TWT ID (B-TWT ID) should be the same. The Co-RTWT responding AP replies with a response frame according to the corresponding rules; if coordination is successful, the Co-RTWT responding AP becomes a Co-RTWT coordinated AP.

[0051] During the Co-RTWT coordinated AP announcement phase: The Co-RTWT coordinated AP announces the Co-RTWT scheduling information (Broadcast TWT ID=31, Restricted TWTSchedule Info=3) via Beacon frames. STAs that support RTWT scheduling need to execute the following backoff rules.

[0052] 1) APs / STAs that support the R-TWT mechanism must end all TXOPs (transmission opportunities) before the start of the Active Co-RTWT SP.

[0053] 2) Before starting to transmit any PPDU, APs / STAs supporting the R-TWT mechanism must check if there is sufficient time to complete the frame switching process to ensure that the PPDU transmission ends before the R-TWT SP begins. If there is insufficient time, the STA should delay transmission by randomly selecting a backoff count using the current contention window value CW[AC] (without advancing to the next value of CW[AC], i.e., 2*CW+1). This operation does not affect the QSRC[AC] (QoS STA retry count) of the MSDU or A-MSDU.

[0054] The backoff rules mentioned in existing proposals, if the Co-RTWT coordinated AP or its associated STA is required to terminate the TXOP (transmitting latency-sensitive traffic) at the start of the Co-RTWT SP (via a CF-End frame), this will cause low-latency service interruption and affect latency performance. The interaction process is as follows: Figure 3 As shown.

[0055] like Figure 3 As shown, in the existing 802.11be protocol, the silence period is a fixed 1ms. If the backoff rule is followed, Pre-EHT STAs cannot compete for the channel within the time window of the silence period, increasing the chances of Co-RTWT requesting APs obtaining channel access. Furthermore, the length of the TXOP in the protocol can be specified by the AP through the TXOPLimit field in the EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access) Parameter Set element, which occupies 2 bytes. The default TXOP length also exceeds 1ms.

[0056] To avoid impacting the transmission of delay-sensitive traffic during TXOP, if the delay-sensitive traffic being transmitted by the Co-RTWT coordinated AP or its associated STA is not allowed to terminate at the start of the Co-RTWT SP, or even if the duration of the TXOP of the Co-RTWT coordinated AP or its associated STA exceeds the length of the quiescent unit, causing the quiescent unit to fail, it will lead to increased channel contention within the BSS where the Co-RTWT requesting AP is located. Figure 4 As shown, it is difficult to guarantee that the Co-RTWT requesting AP will obtain channel access opportunities.

[0057] The technical solutions of this application are described in detail below through specific embodiments. The above-mentioned related technologies are optional solutions and can be combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application in any way, all of which fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0058] Figure 5 This is an interactive schematic diagram of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of this application. The method is applied to a first access point and includes at least the following: S110, Generate the first frame. The first frame carries the first silence interval duration. The first silence interval duration is the silence interval duration re-determined by the first AP based on the service type of its own service data, the expected silence interval duration of the second AP, and the Co-RTWT SP of the second AP.

[0059] S120, send the first frame to the second AP, the first frame being used to instruct the second AP to update the expected silence interval duration according to the first silence interval duration; wherein, the first AP is the Co-RTWT coordinated AP, and the second AP is the Co-RTWT requesting AP.

[0060] Correspondingly, such as Figure 6 As shown, in S210, a first frame sent by the first AP is received. The first frame carries a first silence interval duration. The first silence interval duration is a silence interval duration re-determined by the first AP based on the service type of its own service data, the expected silence interval duration of the second AP, and the Co-RTWT SP of the second AP.

[0061] S220, the second AP updates the expected silence interval duration according to the first silence interval duration; wherein, the first AP is the Co-RTWT coordinated AP, and the second AP is the Co-RTWT requesting AP.

[0062] The wireless communication method provided in this application embodiment involves a Co-RTWT coordinated AP sending a first frame carrying a first silence interval duration to a Co-RTWT requesting AP. The first silence interval duration is a silence interval duration redefined by the Co-RTWT coordinated AP based on the service type of its own service data, the expected silence interval duration of the Co-RTWT requesting AP, and the Co-RTWT SP. After receiving the first silence interval duration, the Co-RTWT requesting AP updates the expected silence interval duration according to the first silence interval duration, thereby realizing dynamic negotiation of the silence interval duration between the Co-RTWT coordinated AP and the Co-RTWT requesting AP. Compared with the statically configured silence interval duration, this design is more flexible and can adapt to multi-AP cooperation scenarios where different APs have inconsistent TXOP length limitations.

[0063] It is worth noting that the first silence interval duration can be increased, decreased, or kept constant relative to the expected silence interval duration. For example, in some embodiments, if the Co-RTWT coordinated AP does not transmit service data within the Co-RTWT SP of the Co-RTWT requesting AP, the first silence interval duration can be set to be consistent with the expected silence interval duration, thereby minimizing the overhead caused by parameter changes. Furthermore, in some embodiments, if the Co-RTWT coordinated AP has delay-sensitive service data within the Co-RTWT SP of the Co-RTWT requesting AP and / or the R-TWT SP of the Co-RTWT coordinated AP overlaps with the Co-RTWT SP of the Co-RTWT requesting AP, the first silence interval duration can be set to be greater than the expected silence interval duration, thereby satisfying the priority transmission of delay-sensitive service data of the Co-RTWT coordinated AP or the reliable transmission of service data within the R-TWT SP of the Co-RTWT coordinated AP. For example, in some embodiments, if the R-TWT SP of the Co-RTWT-coordinated AP and the Co-RTWT-requesting AP do not overlap, the first silence interval duration can be set to be less than the expected silence duration, so that the Co-RTWT-coordinated AP can avoid the impact on the transmission of the Co-RTWT-requesting AP as early as possible. In some embodiments, the delay-sensitive service data can be AC_VO.

[0064] In this context, the Co-RTWT SP of the second AP refers to the service period protected by cooperation during the Co-RTWT transmission. In some embodiments, the first frame may be a Co-RTWT responding frame.

[0065] In some embodiments, if the Co-RTWT SP and the R-TWT SP of the first AP overlap, and / or the service type of the service data is latency-sensitive, then the first silence interval duration is longer than the expected silence interval duration; otherwise, the first silence interval duration is equal to the expected silence interval duration.

[0066] In this embodiment, the length of the desired silent interval is negotiated only if the service data transmitted by the Co-RTWT coordinated AP is delay-sensitive and / or if the R-TWT SP of the Co-RTWT coordinated AP overlaps with the Co-RTWT requesting AP's Co-RTWT SP. During the first silent interval, the Co-RTWT coordinated AP may not terminate the transmission of service data, thereby satisfying the priority transmission of delay-sensitive service data of the Co-RTWT coordinated AP or the reliable transmission of service data within the R-TWT SP of the Co-RTWT coordinated AP. Otherwise, the silent interval length is kept constant as much as possible to avoid the additional overhead caused by frequent changes.

[0067] Understandably, the silence interval is the latest time other APs can transmit service data within the TXOP that the Co-RTWT requesting AP can tolerate. If this silence interval is exceeded, competition for channel access opportunities for the Co-RTWT requesting AP will intensify, thus affecting the service transmission of the Co-RTWT SP under negotiation protection. Therefore, when the service data transmitted by the Co-RTWT coordinated AP is delay-sensitive and / or when the R-TWT SP of the Co-RTWT coordinated AP overlaps with the Co-RTWT SP of the Co-RTWT requesting AP, increasing the silence interval ensures reliable transmission of the delay-sensitive service data of the Co-RTWT coordinated AP without affecting the Co-RTWT SP of the Co-RTWT requesting AP.

[0068] In some embodiments, the first frame may also be used for one of the following: Instruct the first AP and the second AP to share the Co-RTWT SP in Co-TDMA mode.

[0069] Instruct the first and second APs to support DSO (Dynamic Sub-band Operation) and / or NPCA (Non-Primary Channel Access) operations.

[0070] In this embodiment, if the first frame indicates that the first AP and the second AP share the Co-RTWT SP in Co-TDMA mode, that is, the first AP and the second AP can use the Co-RTWT SP in a time-sharing manner, then the second AP will not have a channel access contention problem. If the first frame indicates that the first AP and the second AP support DSO and / or NPCA operations within the Co-RTWT SP, that is, the first AP and the second AP can transmit service data on different channels of the Co-RTWT SP, then the second AP will not have a channel access contention problem.

[0071] Understandably, if there is no longer a channel access contention issue between the first AP and the second AP, the silence interval can remain unchanged in order to minimize the additional overhead caused by parameter changes.

[0072] In some embodiments, the conditions under which the first AP does not terminate the TXOP of the service data during the first silence interval include at least one of the following: The first AP or its associated first STA competes for the TXOP through Prioritized Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (P-EDCA).

[0073] The TXOP is located within the R-TWT SP of the first AP.

[0074] Understandably, if the first AP or its associated first STA obtains the TXOP through P-EDCA contention, it indicates that the current service data is of a delay-sensitive type and the retransmission count of the service data has exceeded the preset EDCA retry threshold. This means that the first AP or its associated first STA has a large number of retransmitted delay-sensitive service data. In this case, to ensure the priority transmission of the service data of the first AP and its associated first STA, the first AP may not terminate its service data TXOP within the first silent interval. If the TXOP is located within the R-TWT SP of the first AP, it indicates that the Co-RTWT SP of the second AP overlaps with the R-TWT SP of the first AP. In this case, to ensure the reliable transmission of the service data of the first AP and its associated first STA, the first AP may not terminate its service data TXOP within the first silent interval, thereby increasing the first AP's willingness to accept Co-RTWT SP protection requests.

[0075] In some embodiments, prior to step S110, the method further includes: Receive a second frame sent by the second AP, the second frame carrying at least the expected silence interval duration and the Co-RTWT SP.

[0076] Correspondingly, before step S210, the method further includes: Send a second frame to the first AP, the second frame carrying at least the expected silence interval duration and the Co-RTWT SP.

[0077] In this embodiment, the Co-RTWT requesting AP informs the Co-RTWT coordinated AP of its expected silent interval duration and Co-RTWT SP through the second frame. This allows the Co-RTWT coordinated AP to decide whether to renegotiate the silent interval duration with the Co-RTWT requesting AP based on the expected silent interval duration, Co-RTWT SP, and the service type of its own service data. This is applicable to the service data transmission needs of different APs in multi-AP collaboration scenarios and can also increase the enthusiasm of the first AP to accept the Co-RTWT SP protection request.

[0078] In some embodiments, the second frame may be a Co-RTWT requesting frame.

[0079] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7 As shown, the second frame includes at least one of the following: The Target Wake-up Time (TWT) field indicates the start time of the first Co-RTWT SP.

[0080] The Standard Minimum TWT Wake-up Period field indicates the duration of each of the aforementioned Co-RTWT SPs.

[0081] The TWT wake-up interval tail number field and the TWT wake-up interval index field are used to jointly determine the wake-up interval between two adjacent Co-RTWT SPs. The TWT wake-up interval tail number field is used to indicate the tail number of the wake-up interval between two adjacent Co-RTWT SPs, and the TWT wake-up interval index field is used to indicate the index of the wake-up interval between two adjacent Co-RTWT SPs.

[0082] The Broadcast Target Wake-up Time (B-TWT) persistence field is used to indicate the protection period for all said Co-RTWT SPs.

[0083] The restricted TWT scheduling information field is used to indicate that the R-TWT scheduling announced by the second AP is active.

[0084] The overlapped silence interval field is used to carry the desired silence interval duration.

[0085] Understandably, the second AP may have multiple Co-RTWT SPs. To notify the first AP of the specific time information of each Co-RTWT SP, the target wake-up time (TWT) field in the second frame indicates the start time of the first Co-RTWT SP, the standard minimum TWT wake-up period field indicates the duration of each Co-RTWT SP, and the TWT wake-up interval tail field and TWT wake-up interval exponent field indicate the wake-up interval between two adjacent Co-RTWT SPs. It should be noted that the wake-up interval between two adjacent Co-RTWT SPs refers to the interval between the start time of the first Co-RTWT SP and the start time of the second Co-RTWT SP, where the first and second Co-RTWT SPs are adjacent, and the first Co-RTWT SP precedes the second Co-RTWT SP.

[0086] In addition, the second frame also includes a B-TWT persistence field, indicating the protection period for all Co-RTWT SPs. This protection period, along with the specific time information of each Co-RTWT SP, allows determination of the number of Co-RTWT SPs within a TXOP. The Restricted TWT Scheduling Information field indicates that the R-TWT scheduling announced by the second AP is active, meaning that the second AP's current scheduling method is R-TWT scheduling.

[0087] The Overlapping Silence Interval field, used to carry the expected silence interval duration, can be implemented by adding this Overlapping Silence Interval field under the Service Period field in the second frame. It occupies 3 bits and has a value from 0 to 7, where 0 indicates no expected silence interval duration, and values ​​from 1 to 7 represent the specific duration of the expected silence interval. Alternatively, the Overlapping Silence Interval field can be implemented by reusing an existing idle field in the second frame.

[0088] In some embodiments, after step S120, the method further includes: The first AP sends a third frame to its associated first STA, the third frame carrying the first silence interval duration, the first silence interval duration being a silence interval duration that changes relative to the desired silence interval duration.

[0089] Correspondingly, after step S220, the method further includes: the second AP sending a fourth frame to its associated second STA, the fourth frame carrying the first silence interval duration, the first silence interval duration being a silence interval duration that changes relative to the desired silence interval duration.

[0090] In this embodiment, if the duration of the silent interval changes, i.e., the duration of the first silent interval is greater than or less than the expected duration of the silent interval, the first AP needs to notify the first STA associated with it of the changed duration of the first silent interval, and the second AP needs to notify the second STA associated with it of the changed duration of the first silent interval, thereby ensuring the consistency of the duration of the silent interval of all nodes.

[0091] The above text combined Figures 2 to 7 The method embodiments of this application are described in detail below, in conjunction with... Figures 8 to 9 The present application describes the device embodiments in detail. It should be understood that the device embodiments correspond to the method embodiments, and similar descriptions can be referred to the method embodiments.

[0092] Figure 8 A schematic block diagram of a wireless communication device 200 according to an embodiment of this application is shown. The wireless communication device 200 may be a first access point, or a component within the first access point, such as a chip, circuit, or module. Figure 8 The wireless communication device 200 shown includes: The generation module 210 is used to generate a first frame, which carries a first silence interval duration. The first silence interval duration is the silence interval duration re-determined by the first AP based on the service type of its own service data and the expected silence interval duration of the second AP and the Co-RTWT SP of the second AP.

[0093] The first transceiver module 220 is configured to send the first frame to the second AP, wherein the first frame is configured to instruct the second AP to update the expected silence interval duration according to the first silence interval duration; wherein the first AP is a Co-RTWT coordinated AP and the second AP is a Co-RTWT requesting AP.

[0094] The wireless communication device provided in this embodiment sends a first frame carrying a first silence interval duration to the Co-RTWT requesting AP via the Co-RTWT coordinated AP. The first silence interval duration is a silence interval duration redefined by the Co-RTWT coordinated AP based on the service type of its own service data, the expected silence interval duration of the Co-RTWT requesting AP, and the Co-RTWT SP. After receiving the first silence interval duration, the Co-RTWT requesting AP updates the expected silence interval duration according to the first silence interval duration, thereby realizing dynamic negotiation of the silence interval duration between the Co-RTWT coordinated AP and the Co-RTWT requesting AP. Compared with the statically configured silence interval duration, this design is more flexible and can adapt to multi-AP cooperation scenarios where different APs have different TXOP length limitations.

[0095] It should be understood that the apparatus 200 according to the embodiments of this application may correspond to the first access point in the method embodiments of this application, and the various units in the apparatus 200 and the other operations and / or functions described above are respectively for implementing Figure 5 The corresponding processes applied to the first access point in the embodiments described herein will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0096] Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of another wireless communication device 300 provided according to an embodiment of this application. The wireless communication device 300 may be a second access point, or a component within the second access point, such as a chip, circuit, or module.

[0097] like Figure 9 As shown, the wireless communication device 300 includes: The second transceiver module 310 is used to receive a first frame sent by the first AP. The first frame carries a first silence interval duration. The first silence interval duration is a silence interval duration re-determined by the first AP based on the service type of its own service data, the expected silence interval duration of the second AP, and the Co-RTWT SP of the second AP.

[0098] The update module 320 is used to update the expected silence interval duration according to the first silence interval duration; wherein, the first AP is the Co-RTWT coordinated AP, and the second AP is the Co-RTWT requesting AP.

[0099] The wireless communication device provided in this embodiment sends a first frame carrying a first silence interval duration to the Co-RTWT requesting AP via the Co-RTWT coordinated AP. The first silence interval duration is a silence interval duration redefined by the Co-RTWT coordinated AP based on the service type of its own service data, the expected silence interval duration of the Co-RTWT requesting AP, and the Co-RTWT SP. After receiving the first silence interval duration, the Co-RTWT requesting AP updates the expected silence interval duration according to the first silence interval duration, thereby realizing dynamic negotiation of the silence interval duration between the Co-RTWT coordinated AP and the Co-RTWT requesting AP. Compared with the statically configured silence interval duration, this design is more flexible and can adapt to multi-AP cooperation scenarios where different APs have different TXOP length limitations.

[0100] It should be understood that the device 300 according to the embodiments of this application may correspond to the second access point in the method embodiments of this application, and the various units in the device 300 and the other operations and / or functions described above are respectively for implementing Figure 6 The corresponding process of the second access point in the method embodiment shown will not be described in detail here for the sake of simplicity.

[0101] This application provides an access point device, characterized in that it includes: a processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, and the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to implement the method applied to a first access point or a second access point in this application embodiment.

[0102] Figure 10 This is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 500 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 10 The communication device 500 shown includes a processor 510, which can call and run computer programs from memory to implement the methods in the embodiments of this application.

[0103] Optionally, such as Figure 10 As shown, the communication device 500 may further include a memory 520. The processor 510 can call and run computer programs from the memory 520 to implement the methods in the embodiments of this application. For example, when the communication device 500 is an access point device, the processor 510 can call and run computer programs from the memory 520 to implement the various steps of the method embodiments executed by the first access point or the second access point, and achieve the same technical effect.

[0104] Alternatively, the memory 520 may be a separate device independent of the processor 510, or it may be integrated into the processor 510.

[0105] Optionally, such as Figure 10 As shown, the communication device 500 may also include a transceiver 530, and the processor 510 may control the transceiver 530 to communicate with other devices. Specifically, it may send information or data to other devices or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0106] Optionally, transceiver 530 may include a transmitter and a receiver. Transceiver 530 may further include antennas, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0107] Figure 11 This is a schematic structural diagram of the chip according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 11 The chip 600 shown includes a processor 610, which can call and run computer programs from memory to implement the methods in the embodiments of this application.

[0108] Optionally, such as Figure 11 As shown, chip 600 may further include memory 620. Processor 610 can retrieve and run computer programs from memory 620 to implement the methods described in this embodiment.

[0109] Alternatively, the memory 620 may be a separate device independent of the processor 610, or it may be integrated into the processor 610.

[0110] Optionally, the chip 600 may also include an input interface 630. The processor 610 can control the input interface 630 to communicate with other devices or chips, for example, to acquire information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0111] Optionally, the chip 600 may also include an output interface 640. The processor 610 can control the output interface 640 to communicate with other devices or chips, for example, to output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0112] Optionally, the input interface 630 and the output interface 640 can be configured together.

[0113] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the access point device in the embodiments of this application, and the chip can implement the corresponding process of the first access point or the second access point in the various methods of the embodiments of this application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0114] 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.

[0115] Figure 12 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 700 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 12 As shown, the communication system 700 includes a first access point 710 and a second access point 720.

[0116] The first access point 710 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the first access point in the above method, and the second access point 720 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the second access point in the above method. For the sake of brevity, these will not be elaborated here.

[0117] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, the steps of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor described above may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules may reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0118] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced Synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and Direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0119] It should be understood that the above-described memory is exemplary and not a limiting description. For example, the memory in the embodiments of this application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct memory bus RAM (DR RAM), etc. In other words, the memory in the embodiments of this application is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0120] This application also provides a readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the various processes of the above method embodiments.

[0121] Optionally, the readable storage medium can be applied to the access point device in the embodiments of this application, and the computer program causes the processor to execute the corresponding process implemented by the first access point or the second access point in the method embodiments of this application. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0122] This application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the various processes of the above-described method embodiments.

[0123] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the access point device in the embodiments of this application, and the computer program causes the processor to execute the corresponding process implemented by the first access point or the second access point in the method embodiments of this application. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0124] This application also provides a computer program. When executed by a processor, this computer program implements the various processes of the above-described method embodiments.

[0125] Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the access point device in the embodiments of this application. The computer program causes the processor to execute the corresponding process implemented by the first access point or the second access point in the method embodiments of this application. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0126] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0127] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0128] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0129] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0130] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0131] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, optical disks, and other media capable of storing program code.

[0132] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first access point (AP), the method includes: Generate a first frame, which carries a first silence interval duration. The first silence interval duration is the silence interval duration re-determined by the first AP based on the service type of its own service data and the expected silence interval duration of the second AP, and the Co-RTWTSP during the Co-Restricted Target Wake-up Time Service of the second AP. Send the first frame to the second AP, the first frame being used to instruct the second AP to update the desired silence interval duration according to the first silence interval duration; Wherein, the first AP is the Co-RTWT coordinated AP, and the second AP is the Co-RTWT requesting AP.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, If the Co-RTWT SP and the R-TWT SP of the first AP overlap, and / or the service type of the service data is latency-sensitive, then the first silence interval duration is longer than the expected silence interval duration. Otherwise, the first silence interval duration is equal to the expected silence interval duration.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The conditions under which the first AP does not terminate the TXOP of the service data during the first silence interval include at least one of the following: The first AP or its associated first site STA competes for the TXOP through Priority Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (P-EDCA). The TXOP is located within the R-TWT SP of the first AP.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Before generating the first frame, the method further includes: Receive a second frame sent by the second AP, the second frame carrying at least the expected silence interval duration and the Co-RTWT SP.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second frame includes at least one of the following: The Target Wake-Up Time (TWT) field indicates the start time of the first Co-RTWT SP. The standard minimum TWT wake-up period field is used to indicate the duration of each of the aforementioned Co-RTWT SPs; The TWT wake-up interval tail number field and the TWT wake-up interval index field are used to jointly determine the wake-up interval between two adjacent Co-RTWT SPs. The TWT wake-up interval tail number field is used to indicate the tail number of the wake-up interval between two adjacent Co-RTWT SPs, and the TWT wake-up interval index field is used to indicate the index of the wake-up interval between two adjacent Co-RTWT SPs. The Broadcast Target Wake-up Time (B-TWT) duration field is used to indicate the protection period for all said Co-RTWT SPs; The restricted TWT scheduling information field is used to indicate that the R-TWT scheduling announced by the second AP is active. The overlapped silence interval field is used to carry the desired silence interval duration.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, After sending the first frame to the second AP, the method further includes: The first AP sends a third frame to its associated first STA, the third frame carrying the first silence interval duration, the first silence interval duration being a silence interval duration that changes relative to the desired silence interval duration.

7. A wireless communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second AP, the method includes: Receive the first frame sent by the first AP. The first frame carries the first silence interval duration. The first silence interval duration is the silence interval duration re-determined by the first AP based on the service type of its own service data, the expected silence interval duration of the second AP, and the Co-RTWT SP of the second AP. The second AP updates the desired silence interval duration based on the first silence interval duration; Wherein, the first AP is the Co-RTWT coordinated AP, and the second AP is the Co-RTWT requesting AP.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, If the Co-RTWT SP and the R-TWT SP of the second AP overlap, and / or the service type of the service data is a latency-sensitive service, then the first silence interval duration is longer than the expected silence interval duration. Otherwise, the first silence interval duration is equal to the expected silence interval duration.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The conditions under which the first AP does not terminate the TXOP of the service data during the first silence interval include at least one of the following: The first AP or its associated first site STA competes for the TXOP through Priority Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (P-EDCA). The TXOP is located within the R-TWT SP of the first AP.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7-9, characterized in that, Before receiving the first frame sent by the first AP, the method further includes: Send a second frame to the first AP, the second frame carrying at least the expected silence interval duration and the Co-RTWT SP.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7-10, characterized in that, After receiving the first frame sent by the first AP, the method further includes: The second AP sends a fourth frame to its associated second STA, the fourth frame carrying the first silence interval duration, the first silence interval duration being a silence interval duration that changes relative to the desired silence interval duration.

12. A wireless communication device, characterized in that, include: The generation module is used to generate a first frame, which carries a first silence interval duration. The first silence interval duration is the silence interval duration re-determined by the first AP based on the service type of its own service data, the expected silence interval duration of the second AP, and the Co-RTWT SP of the second AP. The first transceiver module is used to send the first frame to the second AP. The first frame is used to instruct the second AP to update the expected silence interval duration according to the first silence interval duration. Wherein, the first AP is the Co-RTWT coordinated AP, and the second AP is the Co-RTWT requesting AP.

13. A wireless communication device, characterized in that, include: The second transceiver module is used to receive the first frame sent by the first AP. The first frame carries a first silence interval duration. The first silence interval duration is the silence interval duration re-determined by the first AP based on the service type of its own service data and the expected silence interval duration of the second AP and the Co-RTWT SP of the second AP. The update module is used to update the expected silence interval duration based on the first silence interval duration; Wherein, the first AP is the Co-RTWT coordinated AP, and the second AP is the Co-RTWT requesting AP.

14. An access point device, characterized in that, include: A processor and a memory for storing a computer program, the processor for calling and running the computer program stored in the memory to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-6 or 7-11.

15. A chip, characterized in that, include: A processor for retrieving and running a computer program from memory, causing a device on which the chip is mounted to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-6, or the method as claimed in any one of claims 7-11.

16. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, Used to store a computer program that causes a computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-6, or the method as claimed in any one of claims 7-11.

17. A communication system, characterized in that, It includes a first access point and a second access point, wherein the first access point is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-6, and the second access point is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 7-11.

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