Wi-fi communication method, apparatus and network device based on time slot allocation

Abstract

The application provides a time slot allocation-based Wi-Fi communication method, device and network equipment, and relates to the technical field of communication. The application sets a special time slot in a time slot allocation scheme adopted by an AP connected with a plurality of STAs, uses the special time slot to complete channel evaluation and switching process, does not affect data sending service of each STA, avoids resource conflict between channel scanning and data service, realizes channel quality monitoring and automatic frequency switching without sensing upper-layer service, and effectively improves service continuity and overall stability of the TDMA Wi-Fi network in a burst interference scene.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a Wi-Fi communication method, apparatus, and network device based on time slot allocation. Background Technology

[0002] In applications such as wireless video surveillance, a star network topology is typically used, consisting of one Access Point (AP) and multiple Stations (STAs). This includes wireless connections between a monitor acting as a STA and multiple IP Cameras (IPCs) acting as the AP. Such scenarios demand high real-time performance and stability in data transmission, especially during continuous video streaming, where fluctuations in channel quality directly impact the smoothness of the monitored footage.

[0003] Current standard Wi-Fi protocols employ CSMA / CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Avoidance) mechanisms, where each STA (Station) acquires channel resources through fair competition. Under good channel quality, each STA can compete for sufficient bandwidth to maintain normal video service operation over a relatively long timescale. However, wireless channels are time-varying and susceptible to environmental interference. When a STA experiences poor communication due to deteriorating signal quality, the standard Wi-Fi protocol triggers frequent data retransmissions. This mechanism causes STAs with poor communication quality to occupy more channel resources, exacerbating the channel resource shortage and reducing the available bandwidth for other healthy STAs. This can even lead to retransmissions themselves, creating a so-called "retransmission storm," ultimately affecting and reducing the quality of the originally normal surveillance footage.

[0004] To address the aforementioned issues, some solutions introduce a TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) mechanism. By allocating fixed transmission time slots to the AP and each STA, the channel resources available to each STA are divided in terms of time, limiting the resource usage ceiling for each STA. When the signal of a certain STA deteriorates, only the service of that STA is affected, while other STAs can still maintain stable operation, thereby improving the overall network stability.

[0005] However, when the operating channel is subjected to sudden interference (such as the startup of high-power electrical equipment), even with TDMA scheduling, the degradation of channel quality will still affect the data transmission of all STAs on that channel, manifesting as video stuttering or interruption. Therefore, how to achieve rapid response and recovery from channel interference under the TDMA architecture is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a Wi-Fi communication method, apparatus, and network device based on time slot allocation, so as to achieve rapid response and recovery from channel interference under the TDMA architecture.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a Wi-Fi communication method based on time slot allocation, applied to an access point (AP), which is connected to multiple STAs. The time slot allocation scheme adopted by the AP includes sequentially configured transmission time slots for the AP, transmission time slots for each STA, and dedicated time slots. The method includes: When the preset triggering conditions are met, the AP broadcasts a channel evaluation command in its transmission time slot so that each STA can perform channel quality detection in a dedicated time slot. Channel quality detection is performed in a dedicated time slot, and the channel assessment results reported by each STA in its corresponding transmission time slot are received in the next beacon period. When the target channel is determined based on the channel assessment results, the AP broadcasts a channel switching instruction in its transmission time slot and switches to the target channel in a dedicated time slot, so that each STA can switch to the target channel after completing the data transmission of the current beacon cycle.

[0008] In an optional implementation, the AP broadcasts a channel evaluation command in its transmission time slot to enable each STA to perform channel quality detection in a dedicated time slot, including: During the transmission slot of the AP in the first beacon period, a first beacon frame with a channel assessment instruction is broadcast so that each STA can perform the channel quality detection corresponding to the channel assessment instruction in the dedicated slot of the first beacon period.

[0009] In an optional implementation, channel quality detection is performed in a dedicated time slot, and the channel assessment results reported by each STA in its corresponding transmission time slot are received in the next beacon cycle, including: In the dedicated time slot of the first beacon period, the channel quality detection corresponding to the channel assessment command is executed to obtain the channel assessment result; During the AP's transmission time slot in the second beacon period, a second beacon frame with a result reporting instruction is broadcast so that each STA can report its channel evaluation results when performing data transmission service in its corresponding transmission time slot in the second beacon period; wherein, the second beacon period is the beacon period following the first beacon period.

[0010] In an optional implementation, the AP broadcasts a channel switching command in its transmission time slot and switches to the target channel in a dedicated time slot, so that each STA switches to the target channel after completing data transmission for the current beacon period, including: During the AP's transmission time slot in the third beacon cycle, a third beacon frame with a channel switching instruction is broadcast so that each STA can switch to the target channel after completing the data transmission of the third beacon cycle. During the dedicated time slot of the third beacon cycle, the system switches to the target channel to communicate with each STA via the target channel in subsequent beacon cycles.

[0011] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: Obtain the pre-configured list of channels to be scanned, the scanning order of each channel in the list, and the preset number of scan rounds; The channel quality test of each channel in the list of channels to be scanned will be completed in the scanning order, which will be regarded as a round of scanning, and the channel evaluation result of the most recent preset scanning round will be obtained. The channel evaluation results of the preset scanning rounds are smoothed to obtain the channel quality indication value for each channel; When the channel quality indicator value of the current working channel is lower than the preset first quality threshold, and there is a target channel with a channel quality indicator value greater than the preset second quality threshold, the system determines to switch to the target channel; otherwise, it continues to perform the next round of scanning. The second quality threshold is greater than or equal to the first quality threshold.

[0012] In an optional implementation, after the AP broadcasts a channel switching command in its transmission slot and switches to the target channel in a dedicated slot, the method further includes: When it is determined that there is a first STA that has failed to switch to the target channel, the original working channel is switched back and a channel switching command is broadcast within a dedicated time slot of up to a maximum of a preset number of beacon cycles in the following period, so that the first STA can switch to the target channel. Among them, the second STA, which has failed to switch to the target channel for a preset number of consecutive beacon cycles, joins the target channel by rescanning.

[0013] Secondly, the present invention provides a Wi-Fi communication method based on time slot allocation, applied to STAs connected to an AP. The time slot allocation scheme adopted by the AP includes sequentially configured AP transmission time slots, transmission time slots of multiple STAs, and dedicated time slots; the method includes: Receive the channel evaluation command broadcast by the AP in the AP's transmit time slot, and perform channel quality detection in the dedicated time slot; In the next beacon cycle's own transmission time slot, the channel assessment results are reported to the AP; When a channel switching instruction is received from the AP broadcast, the system switches to the target channel after completing the data transmission for the current beacon period; the target channel is determined based on the channel evaluation results.

[0014] Thirdly, the present invention provides a Wi-Fi communication device based on time slot allocation, applied to an access point (AP). The AP connects to multiple STAs (Stations). The time slot allocation scheme adopted by the AP includes sequentially configured transmission time slots for the AP, transmission time slots for each STA, and dedicated time slots. The device includes: The first channel detection module is used to broadcast a channel evaluation command in the AP's transmission time slot when a preset trigger condition is met, so that each STA can perform channel quality detection in a dedicated time slot; perform channel quality detection in the dedicated time slot, and receive the channel evaluation results reported by each STA in its corresponding transmission time slot in the next beacon cycle; The first channel switching module is used to broadcast a channel switching command in the AP's transmission time slot when it is determined to switch to the target channel based on the channel evaluation results, and switch to the target channel in a dedicated time slot, so that each STA can switch to the target channel after completing the data transmission of the current beacon cycle.

[0015] Fourthly, the present invention provides a Wi-Fi communication device based on time slot allocation, applied to STAs connected to an AP. The time slot allocation scheme adopted by the AP includes sequentially configured AP transmission time slots, multiple STA transmission time slots, and dedicated time slots; the device includes: The second channel detection module is used to receive the channel evaluation command broadcast by the AP in the AP's transmission time slot, and perform channel quality detection in the dedicated time slot; in its own transmission time slot in the next beacon cycle, it reports the channel evaluation result to the AP; The second channel switching module is used to switch to the target channel after completing the data transmission of the current beacon period when a channel switching instruction broadcast by the AP is received; wherein the target channel is determined based on the channel evaluation results.

[0016] Fifthly, the present invention provides a network device, including a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program that can run on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication method of any of the foregoing embodiments, or implements the time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication method of the foregoing embodiments.

[0017] The present invention provides a time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication method, apparatus, and network device. By setting dedicated time slots in the time slot allocation scheme adopted by an AP connected to multiple STAs, and broadcasting channel evaluation commands via the AP's transmission time slot when preset trigger conditions are met, each STA performs channel quality detection uniformly within the dedicated time slot. Simultaneously, the AP itself also performs detection within this dedicated time slot. In the next beacon cycle, the channel evaluation results are aggregated through each STA's respective transmission time slot, thus completing the joint evaluation of candidate channels without occupying the data transmission time slots of each STA. When a switch to the target channel is determined based on the channel evaluation results, the AP broadcasts a channel switching command in its own transmission time slot and switches to the target channel within the dedicated time slot. Each STA then switches to the target channel after completing data transmission in the current beacon cycle. The entire channel evaluation and switching process relies on dedicated time slots and does not affect the data transmission service of each STA, avoiding resource conflicts between channel scanning and data services. This achieves seamless channel quality monitoring and automatic frequency switching for upper-layer services, effectively improving the service continuity and overall stability of TDMA Wi-Fi networks under sudden interference scenarios. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication method provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A time slot allocation diagram provided for an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 A channel switching timing diagram provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating another Wi-Fi communication method based on time slot allocation provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a Wi-Fi communication device based on time slot allocation provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 A schematic diagram of another Wi-Fi communication device based on time slot allocation provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] The IPC 1-to-many Wi-Fi network solution consists of one Access Point (AP) role and 4-8 Station (STA) roles forming a 1-to-4 or 1-to-8 Wi-Fi network. Each monitor joins the Wi-Fi network as a STA, with the HomeBase (home base station) acting as the AP.

[0022] In a one-to-many Wi-Fi network, each STA competes fairly for network resources. When the total amount of network communication resources is sufficient, although the amount of resources each STA competes for varies in each time interval, over a longer time span, each STA can compete for enough bandwidth to maintain the normal operation of video services.

[0023] However, real-world wireless channels are fraught with variation and interference. When a STA's signal quality deteriorates and communication with the AP becomes difficult, according to standard Wi-Fi protocols, that STA needs to perform frequent retransmissions. This means that STAs with poorer communication quality are far more likely to consume network resources than other normal STAs. In this case, the total bandwidth required to maintain network operation may exceed the resource limit that the current channel can provide. At the same time, other normal STAs, due to reduced competition for network resources, have less allocated communication bandwidth and may even begin to retransmit, creating a retransmission storm, thus affecting and reducing the quality of the originally normal monitoring footage.

[0024] Time-slot-based Wi-Fi networks employ TDMA technology to allocate Wi-Fi physical channel resources available to each STA over time, thus determining the upper limit of resources available to each STA. When the aforementioned interference occurs, only the STA with weakened signal experiences service disruptions, while other STAs can maintain stable operation.

[0025] TDMA-enabled Wi-Fi networks improve overall stability in one-to-many Wi-Fi network applications. As a large commercial industry, the IPC surveillance sector has significant application value for this technology.

[0026] Based on the aforementioned Time Slot Allocation (TDMA) Wi-Fi network, this invention provides a time slot allocation-based Wi-Fi communication method, apparatus, and network device. Through further refinement and optimization, automatic frequency switching (i.e., channel switching) can be achieved.

[0027] This invention, based on the original TDMA design, adds a dedicated time slot for TDMA. This dedicated time slot is used to implement channel scanning and network frequency hopping functions (i.e., channel evaluation and channel switching functions), completely unaffected by upper-layer applications. The practical effect is as follows: in a one-to-many IPC network, when encountering sudden channel quality degradation (e.g., interference from high-power devices like microwave ovens starting up), normal services are unaffected; if interference occurs on the current channel, the working channel switching of the entire IPC Wi-Fi network can be completed in a very short time, and normal services are quickly restored. Without this function, normal services would be severely affected, and it might even cause the Wi-Fi communication system to malfunction. This solution is mainly designed for typical industry application scenarios where one-to-many Wi-Fi networks carry data streams (such as video streams), and is an optimized solution tailored to practical needs.

[0028] To facilitate understanding of this embodiment, a Wi-Fi communication method based on time slot allocation disclosed in this embodiment of the invention will first be described in detail.

[0029] This invention provides a Wi-Fi communication method based on time slot allocation. This method is applied to an Access Point (AP) connected to multiple STAs (Stations). The time slot allocation scheme used by the AP includes sequentially configured AP transmission time slots, transmission time slots for each STA, and dedicated time slots. To address the resource conflict between channel scanning and data transmission in existing technologies, and the problem of some STAs failing to receive channel switching commands in a timely manner during channel switching, resulting in loss of synchronization (i.e., network out-of-sync) with the AP and other switched STAs in terms of channel and working time slots, this invention provides a channel quality detection and automatic frequency switching mechanism based on dedicated time slots. In addition to the TDMA time slot function, fixed dedicated time slots are added, and channel scanning and channel switching (frequency hopping) functions are performed in these dedicated time slots. TDMA timing function is a necessary condition; channel scanning function depends on TDMA timing function; channel switching function depends on channel scanning function.

[0030] See Figure 1 The diagram shows a flowchart of a Wi-Fi communication method based on time slot allocation. The method mainly includes the following steps S110 to S130: Step S110: When the preset triggering condition is met, a channel evaluation command is broadcast in the AP's transmission time slot so that each STA performs channel quality detection in a dedicated time slot.

[0031] TDMA time slots define the transmission (TX) rights of a network node (AP or STA) within its designated time slice, while all network nodes are eligible to receive (RX) throughout all time periods. In this embodiment of the invention, the AP communicates with multiple STAs using a TDMA time slot allocation scheme. This scheme includes, sequentially, the AP's transmission time slots, each STA's transmission time slots, and dedicated time slots. The AP's transmission time slots are used to send beacon frames or data to each STA; each STA's transmission time slots are used to send data or report information to the AP; and dedicated time slots are used for control plane operations such as channel quality detection and channel switching, and are not used to carry out data transmission services for each STA.

[0032] The aforementioned preset triggering conditions refer to the conditions for initiating the channel quality detection process. In one possible implementation, the preset triggering conditions can include two types: periodic triggering and event triggering. Periodic triggering means that the channel quality detection process (i.e., channel scanning process) is automatically initiated once a pre-configured scanning period is reached. Event triggering means that the channel quality parameters of the current working channel are initiated when they are lower than a pre-configured quality threshold. The channel quality parameters can include at least one of the following: idle channel assessment busy ratio, received signal strength indication sliding window average, and retransmission rate. For example, the AP can be pre-configured to initiate the channel quality detection process once every 100 beacon periods, or to initiate the channel quality detection process when the idle channel assessment busy ratio of the current channel exceeds 70%.

[0033] When preset triggering conditions are met, the AP broadcasts a channel evaluation command in its transmission time slot. This channel evaluation command instructs each STA to perform channel quality detection together with the AP in the upcoming dedicated time slot. In one possible implementation, the AP announces the channel to be detected that will be hopped in the dedicated time slot to each STA via a Vendor Specific Information Element (VIE) carried in the beacon frame. Specifically, the AP fills the VIE field of the beacon frame with a channel evaluation command, which may include parameters such as the channel number and detection duration of the channel to be detected. After receiving the beacon frame, each STA parses the VIE, obtains the channel evaluation command, and performs the corresponding channel quality detection when the dedicated time slot arrives.

[0034] It should be noted that the location and duration of the dedicated time slot can be broadcast by the AP via beacon frames. For example, the AP can carry the start time and duration information of the dedicated time slot in the beacon frame of each beacon cycle, so that each STA can accurately perform the corresponding operation within the dedicated time slot.

[0035] Step S120: Perform channel quality detection in a dedicated time slot, and receive the channel assessment results reported by each STA in its corresponding transmission time slot in the next beacon period.

[0036] In this step, the AP performs channel quality testing within a dedicated time slot, and each STA also performs channel quality testing within the same dedicated time slot. Specifically, when the dedicated time slot arrives, the AP and each STA switch to the channel to be tested, perform channel quality testing, and then switch back to their original working channels before the dedicated time slot ends.

[0037] The channel quality detection process based on CCA (Clear Channel Assessment) can be as follows: First, switch the channel to the physical channel to be detected (i.e., the channel to be tested); second, monitor the busy level of the physical channel, receiving signals but not transmitting them during the monitoring process; CCA is the inspection indicator. CCA is mainly achieved through the coordinated operation of the following two physical listening mechanisms: one is signal detection (SD), and the other is energy detection (ED).

[0038] Specifically, signal detection is a more selective detection method that determines the presence of a valid Wi-Fi signal by identifying the preamble structure of a standard 802.11 frame. Its working principle is as follows: the receiver identifies a training sequence conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard through correlation calculations. Once a match is found, a valid signal is detected, regardless of whether its strength reaches the energy detection threshold. In practice, the signal detection threshold (SD threshold) is usually set at a level close to the receiver's sensitivity (e.g., -82dBm). As long as the signal strength exceeds this threshold and the format is valid, the channel is considered busy. Signal detection has strong resistance to non-Wi-Fi interference and can distinguish Wi-Fi signals from other radio frequency interference such as Bluetooth and microwave ovens.

[0039] Energy detection (ED) is a universal detection method that does not distinguish between signal sources. It determines whether the environment is too noisy by measuring the total energy level on the channel. Its working principle is: if the total received radio frequency energy exceeds a preset energy detection threshold (ED threshold), the device considers the channel busy. This mechanism is mainly used to listen for non-Wi-Fi signals (such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, etc.) that fail to correctly identify the preamble. To avoid oversensitivity to extremely weak signals, the ED threshold is usually set much higher than the SD threshold (e.g., -62dBm, typically about 20dB higher than the SD threshold).

[0040] The receiver's physical layer performs Channel Clearance Assessment (CCA) on the channel. CCA determination uses a logical OR criterion of signal detection and energy detection: the channel is considered busy when signal detection identifies a valid IEEE 802.11 preamble, or when energy detection measures total RF energy exceeding the energy detection threshold; the channel is only considered idle when both are simultaneously determined to be idle. Within the channel detection window of the dedicated time slot, the chip hardware accumulates the busy / idle results of the CCA output over the time window to obtain the channel busy percentage, indicating the channel's busy level as a percentage. 100% indicates that the channel is always considered occupied within the detection window, and 0% indicates that the channel is completely idle. Before the dedicated time slot ends, the receiver switches back to the original operating channel.

[0041] In the next beacon cycle, the AP broadcasts a beacon frame with a result reporting instruction in its transmission slot. This instruction instructs each STA to report its channel assessment results when performing data transmission service within its corresponding transmission slot. Upon receiving the beacon frame, each STA reports its channel assessment results to the AP within its respective transmission slot by carrying private information elements in an Action frame.

[0042] Specifically, in the Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) standard, Action frames are used to exchange control and management information between devices. When it's necessary to carry proprietary information (such as vendor-defined protocols) in the Action frame, proprietary information elements are typically used. The frame format and structure of the Action frame are as follows: Action frames are a type of MAC (Media Access Control) management frame. Their frame body's basic structure includes: a Category Code (1 byte) identifying the general category of the Action frame (e.g., Public Action or P2P); and an Action Field, following the Category Code, used to further specify the specific action type (e.g., P2P negotiation request GO_NEG_REQ or invitation request P2P_INV_REQ). One or more private information elements are appended after the Action Field. According to the 802.11 standard specification, the standard structure of a proprietary Internet Explorer (IE) is as follows: Element ID (1 byte), which is fixed at 221 (0xDD in hexadecimal) for proprietary / vendor-defined IEs; Length (1 byte), indicating the byte length of subsequent information fields; OUI (Organizationally Unique Identifier), 3 bytes, assigned by IEEE to a specific vendor to identify the ownership of the proprietary protocol (e.g., the Wi-Fi Alliance's OUI is 50-6F-9A); Type (1 byte), optional, defined by the vendor, used to distinguish different proprietary protocols under the same vendor; Information / Value (variable length), used to carry the actual proprietary data content to be transmitted.

[0043] For example, assume there are four STAs in the current Wi-Fi network: STA#1, STA#2, STA#3, and STA#4. During the first beacon period, the AP broadcasts a first beacon frame with a channel evaluation instruction in its transmission slot. This instruction directs each STA to switch to channel 36 to perform CCA detection in the upcoming dedicated time slot. The AP and all STAs uniformly switch to channel 36 during the dedicated time slot of the first beacon period, perform CCA detection, and switch back to their original operating channels before the end of the dedicated time slot. In the second beacon period (the beacon period following the first beacon period), the AP broadcasts a second beacon frame with a result reporting instruction in its transmission slot. STA#1, STA#2, STA#3, and STA#4 report the CCA detection results of channel 36 to the AP in their respective transmission slots by carrying private information elements in the Action frame.

[0044] Step S130: When it is determined to switch to the target channel based on the channel evaluation results, a channel switching instruction is broadcast in the AP's transmission time slot, and the target channel is switched in a dedicated time slot, so that each STA switches to the target channel after completing the data transmission of the current beacon period.

[0045] In this step, the AP, based on the channel evaluation results reported by each STA, comprehensively determines whether a switch to a better channel is necessary. When a switch is determined to be necessary, the AP broadcasts a channel switching instruction in its transmission time slot. This instruction includes the channel number of the target channel. Upon receiving the channel switching instruction, each STA, after completing data transmission for the current beacon cycle, switches to the target channel. Simultaneously, the AP switches to the target channel within a dedicated time slot to communicate with each STA through the target channel in subsequent beacon cycles.

[0046] The time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication method provided in this invention, through steps S110 to S130, enables the AP to complete channel quality detection using dedicated time slots and to perform channel switching without occupying the data transmission time slots of each STA. The entire channel assessment and switching process relies on dedicated time slots and does not affect the data transmission service of each STA, avoiding resource conflicts between channel scanning and data services. This achieves seamless channel quality monitoring and automatic frequency switching for upper-layer services, effectively improving the service continuity and overall stability of the TDMA Wi-Fi network under sudden interference scenarios.

[0047] For ease of understanding, this embodiment of the invention also provides a specific implementation of the above-described Wi-Fi communication method based on time slot allocation, as follows: 1. During the AP's transmission time slot in the first beacon period, a first beacon frame carrying a channel assessment instruction is broadcast, enabling each STA to perform channel quality detection corresponding to the channel assessment instruction during the dedicated time slot of the first beacon period. Specifically, the AP transmits a beacon frame during the AP transmission time slot of the first beacon period. This beacon frame carries a private information element field, which contains the channel assessment instruction. The channel assessment instruction may include information such as the channel number of the channel to be detected and the detection duration. After receiving the beacon frame, each STA parses the private information element, obtains the channel assessment instruction, and performs channel quality detection together with the AP during the dedicated time slot of the first beacon period.

[0048] 2. During the dedicated time slot of the first beacon period, the channel quality detection corresponding to the channel evaluation command is executed to obtain the channel evaluation result. Specifically, during the dedicated time slot of the first beacon period, the AP and each STA uniformly switch to the channel to be tested specified by the channel evaluation command, perform CCA detection, obtain the channel evaluation result of the channel, and then switch back to the original working channel before the end of the dedicated time slot.

[0049] 3. During the AP's transmission slot in the second beacon period, a second beacon frame containing a result reporting instruction is broadcast. This allows each STA to report its channel assessment results during its corresponding transmission slot in the second beacon period while performing data transmission services. The second beacon period is the beacon period following the first beacon period. Specifically, the AP transmits a beacon frame during its transmission slot in the second beacon period. This beacon frame carries a private information element field, which contains the result reporting instruction. Upon receiving this beacon frame, each STA, while performing data transmission services within its respective transmission slot, reports its channel assessment results to the AP via an Action frame carrying the private information element.

[0050] 4. During the AP's transmission slot in the third beacon period, a third beacon frame containing a channel switching instruction is broadcast, enabling each STA to switch to the target channel after completing data transmission in the third beacon period. Specifically, the AP transmits a beacon frame during its transmission slot in the third beacon period. This beacon frame carries a private information element field, which includes the channel switching instruction. The channel switching instruction may include the channel number of the target channel. Upon receiving this beacon frame, each STA switches to the target channel after completing data transmission in the third beacon period. The third beacon period follows the second beacon period.

[0051] 5. During the dedicated time slot of the third beacon cycle, the AP switches to the target channel to communicate with each STA in subsequent beacon cycles. Specifically, the AP switches to the target channel during the dedicated time slot of the third beacon cycle and communicates with each STA in subsequent beacon cycles through the target channel.

[0052] In this embodiment of the invention, the above-mentioned Wi-Fi communication method based on time slot allocation may further include a channel scanning and decision-making step, specifically as follows: obtaining a pre-configured list of channels to be scanned, the scanning order of each channel in the list of channels to be scanned, and a preset scanning round; performing a channel quality test on each channel in the list of channels to be scanned in sequence according to the scanning order as one round of scanning, and obtaining the channel evaluation result of the most recent preset scanning round; smoothing the channel evaluation result of the preset scanning round to obtain the channel quality indicator value of each channel; when the channel quality indicator value of the current working channel is lower than a preset first quality threshold, and there is a target channel with a channel quality indicator value greater than a preset second quality threshold, determining to switch to the target channel, otherwise continuing to execute the next round of scanning; wherein, the second quality threshold is greater than or equal to the first quality threshold.

[0053] Specifically, the AP pre-configures a list of channels to be scanned, which includes the channel numbers (including the currently operating channels) that require quality testing. The AP also configures the scanning order and preset number of scan rounds for each channel. For example, assuming that the 5G non-interfering channels include 36, 100, 108, 116, and 132, the list of channels to be scanned can be set to [36, 100, 108, 116, 132], the scanning order is the same as the order of the channels in the list, and the preset number of scan rounds is 10.

[0054] The AP performs a channel quality check on each channel in the channel list to be scanned in the scanning order (i.e., performs a channel evaluation on each channel according to the process of steps S110 to S120). After completing the detection of all channels, one round of scanning is completed. The AP obtains the channel evaluation results of the most recent preset scanning round. For example, if the preset scanning round is 10 rounds, the AP obtains the channel evaluation results of the most recent 10 scanning rounds.

[0055] The AP smooths the channel evaluation results from a preset number of scan rounds, for example, by using a weighted average, to obtain the channel quality indication value for each channel. Smoothing eliminates random errors from a single scan, improving the accuracy of channel quality evaluation. For example, the AP can perform a weighted average of the channel evaluation results from the most recent 10 scan rounds (the weights can be set so that the weight of the most recent round is greater than that of earlier rounds; the specific weight values ​​can be set according to actual needs and are not limited here), thereby obtaining the channel quality indication value for each channel.

[0056] The AP compares the channel quality indicator (CMI) of the current operating channel with a preset first quality threshold. If the CMI of the current operating channel is lower than the first quality threshold, it indicates that the current channel quality is poor and channel switching needs to be considered. Simultaneously, the AP checks if there is a target channel with a CMI greater than a preset second quality threshold. If a target channel exists, it means there is a better channel available for switching, and the AP determines to switch to that target channel. If the CMI of the current operating channel is not lower than the first quality threshold, or if there is no target channel with a CMI greater than the second quality threshold, the AP continues with the next scan.

[0057] After successfully switching to the target channel and undergoing a stable communication period of a specified number of beacon cycles, the next round of scanning can be performed based on the list of channels to be scanned. The specified number can be set according to actual needs and is not limited here.

[0058] For example, assume the list of channels to be scanned contains 5G non-interfering channels: 36, 100, 108, 116, and 132, and the channels are scanned sequentially according to the list order. Each beacon period is 100ms, and completing one round of scanning (i.e., traversing the list of channels to be scanned once) requires 10 beacon periods, meaning each round of scanning takes 1 second. In the higher-level logic, the results of 10 consecutive rounds of scanning are smoothed (e.g., by summing and averaging). If the smoothed channel quality indicator value of the current working channel is lower than the first quality threshold, and there is a target channel with a smoothed channel quality indicator value greater than the second quality threshold, then frequency hopping is triggered. That is, one round of scanning is completed every 1 second, and every 10 rounds (i.e., 10 seconds) constitutes a decision cycle used to determine whether to initiate frequency hopping.

[0059] It should be noted that both the first and second quality thresholds are configurable parameters and can be adjusted according to the actual network environment and service requirements. The second quality threshold being greater than or equal to the first quality threshold ensures that the quality of the target channel being switched to is at least as good as the current channel, avoiding frequent handovers. When multiple channels have a channel quality indicator value greater than the preset second quality threshold, the channel with the highest channel quality indicator value is determined as the target channel.

[0060] In this embodiment of the invention, after the AP broadcasts the channel switching instruction in the transmission time slot and switches to the target channel in the dedicated time slot in step S130, the method may further include a backup and fallback step, as follows: when it is determined that there is a first STA that has failed to switch to the target channel, in the subsequent dedicated time slot for at most a preset number of consecutive beacon periods, the original working channel is switched back to broadcast the channel switching instruction so that the first STA switches to the target channel; wherein, the second STA that has failed to switch to the target channel for a preset number of consecutive beacon periods is added to the target channel by rescanning.

[0061] Specifically, due to the randomness of wireless channels, some STAs may not receive the channel switching instruction broadcast by the AP in step S130, thus failing to switch to the target channel in a timely manner. For these STAs that failed to switch (referred to as the first STA), the AP performs the following operations within a dedicated time slot of up to a predetermined number of consecutive beacon cycles: First, it switches back to the original working channel; second, it broadcasts a private message, the content of which is consistent with the channel switching instruction in step S130; finally, it switches back to the new working channel (i.e., the target channel). This operation is imperceptible to the upper-layer application data stream.

[0062] If a STA does not receive a channel switching command within a preset number of beacon cycles, the STA (referred to as the second STA) triggers a connection interruption procedure, actively performs a rescan, and after finding that the AP is already working on the target channel, re-establishes the connection and joins the target channel.

[0063] It should be noted that the above-mentioned preset quantity can be set according to actual needs, and there is no limit here. Through the above-described replacement and fallback steps, the AP realizes the replacement recall and fallback reconnection for STAs that failed to switch, ensuring that all STAs in the entire network can eventually switch to the target channel, further improving the reliability of channel switching and the overall stability of the network.

[0064] To facilitate understanding, the following will be combined with... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The channel scanning and channel switching processes described above will be introduced.

[0065] like Figure 2 As shown, the channel scanning atomic operation (i.e., the minimum non-divisible time-sequenced closed loop that completes a network-wide joint channel quality inspection for a single specified channel) includes: 1. The AP sends a Beacon frame in the AP time slot (i.e., the AP's transmission time slot) of BCN 1. The Beacon carries a private IE field, which is used to command each STA to transmit in its dedicated time slot (i.e., Figure 2 Within the time slot of the scanning channel of BCN 1, together with the AP, the following actions are performed: 1) Switch to the designated channel (the channel to be detected); 2) Perform idle channel assessment (CCA) detection; 3) Switch back to the original working channel.

[0066] 2. The AP sends a Beacon in the AP time slot of BCN 2. The Beacon carries a private IE field, which is used to instruct each STA to report the channel evaluation results in its corresponding transmission time slot by using an Action frame carrying the private IE. The AP does not send any messages in the dedicated time slot of BCN 2, and this time slot is in an idle state.

[0067] 3. The respective transmission time slots of STA in BCN 1 and BCN 2 (i.e. Figure 2 Within each STA time slot of BCN 1 and the time slot where the reporting results of BCN 2 are located, the original data transmission service is executed normally. Only in BCN 2, an additional Action reporting message carrying the private IE is added.

[0068] A dedicated time slot refers to a time slice that is actually allocated to an AP (only the AP has the right to send messages) and used to send different private IEs according to different states to complete different control commands.

[0069] The AP sends a Beacon within its AP time slot, normally every 100ms. This solution adds a private channel scan field to the Beacon's IE field. This field indicates that within the subsequent dedicated time slot, all network nodes (including the AP itself) will perform a channel quality check on a specified channel. All network nodes must complete the following operations within the time slot definition: switch to the specified channel → perform channel quality check → switch back to the current operating channel. The dedicated time slot is located at the end of the beacon cycle and includes a guard time interval to ensure sufficient margin when switching back to the current operating channel. Two Wi-Fi Beacon cycles complete a channel check on a specified channel involving all network nodes.

[0070] like Figure 3 As shown, the channel switching (frequency hopping) implementation scheme is as follows: Phase 1: Master switchover.

[0071] In the AP time slot of Beacon 0, the AP sends BCN#0. BCN#0 defines a private channel switching field through a private IE field, which stores the channel switching command. The STA node receiving BCN#0 can perform channel switching after completing data transmission within its STA time slot for the current beacon period (i.e., Beacon 0). Within Beacon 1, the AP and the successfully switched STA will communicate on the new channel (i.e., the target channel), and the upper-layer application data flow is unaffected.

[0072] Due to the randomness of the wireless channel, some STAs may not receive BCN#0 and therefore fail to handover in time. For STAs that do not receive BCN#0, this solution designs the following second-stage processing method.

[0073] Phase Two: Filling in the Gaps and Making Up for Losses

[0074] The AP has switched to the new channel in Beacon 1. When it reaches the dedicated timeslot of Beacon 1, the AP performs the following operations: 1) Switch back to the old channel (i.e., the original working channel); 2) Broadcast a private message with the content consistent with the private channel switching field in BCN#0; 3) Switch back to the new channel. This operation is invisible to the upper-layer application data stream.

[0075] The above process is repeated n times, for example, n=5. That is: during Beacon 0, the AP and the STAs that received the instruction complete the channel handover; during Beacon 1 to Beacon 5, the AP switches back to the old channel and broadcasts it in the dedicated time slot of each beacon cycle (the channel handover instruction can be repeatedly sent at 1-millisecond intervals, at a high frequency), gradually recalling STAs that have not received the handover instruction to the new channel. If a STA does not receive a handover instruction message within 6 consecutive beacon cycles, the STA will actively perform a rescan and rejoin the network (that is, after rescanning, if it finds that the AP is already working on the new channel, it will re-establish a connection with the AP and join the new channel).

[0076] For example, suppose the Wi-Fi network is currently operating on channel 161, and it is determined that the channel is at risk of further deterioration, so it decides to switch to the better channel 165. The network size is 1 to 4 (including STA#1, STA#2, STA#3, and STA#4). STA#3 has deteriorated signal quality and can occasionally receive messages from the AP; STA#4 has severely deteriorated signal quality and can no longer receive messages from the AP. The AP issues a handover command on Beacon 0, and the entire handover process is as follows: Beacon 0: The AP issues a switchover command to CH165, and STA#1 and STA#2 successfully complete the switchover. STA#3 and STA#4 did not receive the command and remain on CH161.

[0077] Beacon 1 to Beacon 4: The AP sends a handover instruction broadcast in a dedicated time slot, but STA#3 and STA#4 still have not received it.

[0078] Beacon 5: The AP broadcasts its final handover within its dedicated time slot. STA#3 successfully receives the instruction and switches to CH165. STA#4 triggers a connection interruption procedure due to the loss of 6 consecutive beacon frames.

[0079] After Beacon 5: STA#4 performed a Wi-Fi scan, found the AP on CH165, and immediately executed the standard Wi-Fi reconnection procedure. At this point, the network was fully operational again.

[0080] In the above extreme cases, STA#1 and STA#2 were completely unaffected; STA#3 was briefly affected for about 400ms; and STA#4 was affected for about 600~700ms.

[0081] The above is a complete description of the worst-case scenario. Under normal circumstances, the channel inspection function can predict channel degradation trends in advance and issue channel switching commands as early as possible when the current channel quality deteriorates. Therefore, in most cases, the entire IPC network can achieve seamless frequency hopping to the new CH165 operating channel without being noticed.

[0082] In summary, this invention provides a customized solution for typical IPC 1-to-many (e.g., 1-to-4) application scenarios, addressing the pain point of current IPC solutions' inability to actively detect channel quality and the inability to maintain seamless upper-layer data flow during channel switching. This solution features a complete proprietary protocol stack from the AP to the STA, delivering significant performance improvements and enhanced user experience in practical deployments. Furthermore, this solution has been implemented on Wi-Fi 6 chips, enabling TDMA time slot allocation and control for Wi-Fi networks, real-time channel scanning across all network nodes, and rapid channel switching (frequency hopping) for all network nodes.

[0083] This invention also provides a Wi-Fi communication method based on time slot allocation. This method is applied to STAs connected to an AP. The time slot allocation scheme used by the AP includes sequentially configured AP transmission time slots, transmission time slots for multiple STAs, and dedicated time slots. See also... Figure 4 The flowchart of another Wi-Fi communication method based on time slot allocation is shown. This method mainly includes the following steps S410 to S430: Step S410: Receive the channel evaluation instruction broadcast by the AP in the AP's transmission time slot, and perform channel quality detection in the dedicated time slot.

[0084] In this embodiment of the invention, the STA, as a participant in channel quality detection, receives a channel evaluation command broadcast by the AP in the AP's transmission time slot. This channel evaluation command is carried through a private information element in the beacon frame. The STA parses this private information element to obtain parameters such as the channel number and detection duration of the channel to be detected. When the dedicated time slot arrives, the STA and AP switch to the channel to be detected together, perform idle channel evaluation detection, and switch back to the original working channel before the dedicated time slot ends.

[0085] Step S420: In the next beacon cycle's own transmission time slot, report the channel evaluation results to the AP.

[0086] In this step, the STA reports the channel assessment results to the AP within its own transmission slot in the next beacon cycle. Specifically, after receiving the result reporting instruction broadcast by the AP in the next beacon cycle, the STA reports the channel assessment results to the AP within its own transmission slot by carrying private information elements in the Action frame.

[0087] Step S430: When a channel switching instruction broadcast by the AP is received, the target channel is switched after the data transmission of the current beacon period is completed; wherein, the target channel is determined based on the channel evaluation results.

[0088] In this step, when the AP determines to switch to the target channel based on the channel assessment results reported by each STA, the AP broadcasts a channel switching command in its transmission time slot. Upon receiving this command, the STA switches to the target channel after completing data transmission for the current beacon period. The target channel is determined by the AP based on the channel assessment results reported by each STA.

[0089] It can be explained that, through the above steps S410 to S430, the STA, as a cooperating party of the AP, performs channel quality detection in a dedicated time slot, reports the detection results in its own transmission time slot, and switches to the target channel after receiving the handover instruction and completing the data transmission. This achieves coordinated cooperation with the AP to jointly complete seamless channel quality monitoring and automatic frequency switching.

[0090] The time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication method provided in this invention receives a channel evaluation command broadcast by the AP in the AP's transmission time slot, performs channel quality detection in a dedicated time slot, reports the channel evaluation result to the AP in its own transmission time slot during the next beacon cycle, and switches to the target channel after completing the data transmission of the current beacon cycle upon receiving a channel switching command broadcast by the AP. This achieves coordinated cooperation with the AP and completes channel quality detection and automatic frequency switching without affecting its own data transmission service, effectively improving the service continuity and overall stability of the TDMA Wi-Fi network under sudden interference scenarios.

[0091] Corresponding to the aforementioned time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication method applied to an AP, this embodiment of the invention also provides a time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication device. This device is applied to an AP, which is connected to multiple STAs. The time-slot allocation scheme used by the AP includes sequentially configured AP transmission time slots, transmission time slots for each STA, and dedicated time slots. See also... Figure 5 The diagram shows a structural schematic of a time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication device, which includes: The first channel detection module 501 is used to broadcast a channel evaluation command in the AP's transmission time slot when a preset trigger condition is met, so that each STA performs channel quality detection in a dedicated time slot; performs channel quality detection in the dedicated time slot, and receives the channel evaluation results reported by each STA in its corresponding transmission time slot in the next beacon cycle; The first channel switching module 502 is used to broadcast a channel switching command in the AP's transmission time slot when it is determined to switch to the target channel based on the channel evaluation result, and switch to the target channel in a dedicated time slot, so that each STA can switch to the target channel after completing the data transmission of the current beacon period.

[0092] The time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication device provided in this invention sets up dedicated time slots and, when preset triggering conditions are met, broadcasts channel evaluation commands via the AP's transmission time slot. This allows each STA to uniformly perform channel quality detection within the dedicated time slot, while the AP itself also performs detection within the same dedicated time slot. In the next beacon cycle, the AP aggregates the channel evaluation results using each STA's respective transmission time slot, thus completing the joint evaluation of candidate channels without occupying the data transmission time slots of each STA. When a switch to the target channel is determined based on the channel evaluation results, the AP broadcasts a channel switching command in its own transmission time slot and switches to the target channel within the dedicated time slot. Each STA then switches to the target channel after completing data transmission for the current beacon cycle. The entire channel evaluation and switching process relies on dedicated time slots and does not affect the data transmission service of each STA, avoiding resource conflicts between channel scanning and data services. This achieves seamless channel quality monitoring and automatic frequency switching for upper-layer services, effectively improving the service continuity and overall stability of the TDMA Wi-Fi network under sudden interference scenarios.

[0093] Furthermore, the aforementioned first channel detection module 501 is specifically used to: broadcast a first beacon frame with a channel evaluation instruction during the transmission time slot of the AP in the first beacon period, so that each STA can perform channel quality detection corresponding to the channel evaluation instruction during the dedicated time slot of the first beacon period.

[0094] Furthermore, the aforementioned first channel detection module 501 is also used to: perform channel quality detection corresponding to the channel evaluation command in the dedicated time slot of the first beacon period to obtain the channel evaluation result; and broadcast a second beacon frame with a result reporting command in the transmission time slot of the AP in the second beacon period, so that each STA can report its channel evaluation result when performing data transmission service in its corresponding transmission time slot in the second beacon period; wherein, the second beacon period is the next beacon period after the first beacon period.

[0095] Furthermore, the aforementioned first channel switching module 502 is specifically used to: broadcast a third beacon frame with a channel switching instruction during the AP's transmission time slot in the third beacon period, so that each STA switches to the target channel after completing the data transmission of the third beacon period; and switch to the target channel during the dedicated time slot of the third beacon period, so as to communicate with each STA through the target channel in subsequent beacon periods.

[0096] Furthermore, the aforementioned device also includes a switching determination module, used for: acquiring a pre-configured list of channels to be scanned, the scanning order of each channel in the list of channels to be scanned, and a preset scanning round; performing a channel quality test on each channel in the list of channels to be scanned in sequence according to the scanning order as one round of scanning, and acquiring the channel evaluation result of the most recent preset scanning round; smoothing the channel evaluation result of the preset scanning round to obtain the channel quality indication value of each channel; when the channel quality indication value of the current working channel is lower than a preset first quality threshold, and there is a target channel with a channel quality indication value greater than a preset second quality threshold, determining to switch to the target channel, otherwise continuing to execute the next round of scanning; wherein, the second quality threshold is greater than or equal to the first quality threshold.

[0097] Furthermore, the aforementioned first channel switching module 502 is also used to: when it is determined that there is a first STA that has failed to switch to the target channel, switch back to the original working channel and broadcast a channel switching command in the dedicated time slot of at most a consecutive preset number of beacon cycles, so that the first STA switches to the target channel; wherein, the second STA that has failed to switch to the target channel for a consecutive preset number of beacon cycles joins the target channel by rescanning.

[0098] The time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication device for AP provided in this embodiment has the same implementation principle and technical effects as the aforementioned time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication method embodiment for AP. For the sake of brevity, any parts not mentioned in the time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication device embodiment for AP can be referred to the corresponding content in the aforementioned time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication method embodiment for AP.

[0099] Corresponding to the above-described time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication method applied to STAs, this embodiment of the invention also provides a time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication device. This device is applied to STAs connected to an AP, where the time-slot allocation scheme used by the AP includes sequentially configured AP transmission time slots, multiple STA transmission time slots, and dedicated time slots. See also... Figure 6 The diagram shows another Wi-Fi communication device based on time slot allocation, which includes: The second channel detection module 601 is used to receive the channel evaluation command broadcast by the AP in the AP's transmission time slot, and perform channel quality detection in the dedicated time slot; and report the channel evaluation result to the AP in its own transmission time slot in the next beacon cycle; The second channel switching module 602 is used to switch to the target channel after completing the data transmission of the current beacon period when it receives a channel switching instruction broadcast by the AP; wherein the target channel is determined based on the channel evaluation result.

[0100] The time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication device provided in this invention receives a channel evaluation command broadcast by the AP in the AP's transmission time slot, performs channel quality detection in a dedicated time slot, reports the channel evaluation result to the AP in its own transmission time slot during the next beacon cycle, and switches to the target channel after completing the data transmission of the current beacon cycle upon receiving a channel switching command broadcast by the AP. This achieves coordinated cooperation with the AP and completes channel quality detection and automatic frequency switching without affecting its own data transmission service, effectively improving the service continuity and overall stability of the TDMA Wi-Fi network under sudden interference scenarios.

[0101] The time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication device for STA provided in this embodiment has the same implementation principle and technical effects as the aforementioned time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication method embodiment for STA. For the sake of brevity, any parts not mentioned in the time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication device embodiment for STA can be referred to the corresponding content in the aforementioned time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication method embodiment for STA.

[0102] like Figure 7 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a network device 700, including a processor 701, a memory 702, and a bus. The memory 702 stores a computer program that can run on the processor 701. When the network device 700 is running, the processor 701 and the memory 702 communicate through the bus. The processor 701 executes the computer program to implement the above-mentioned time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication method applied to AP or STA.

[0103] Specifically, the memory 702 and processor 701 mentioned above can be general-purpose memory and processor, without any specific limitations here.

[0104] This invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When a processor runs the computer program, it executes the time-slot-based Wi-Fi communication method described in the preceding method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0105] In this document, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three cases: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. Furthermore, the term "at least one" in this document means any combination of at least two of any one or more elements. For example, including at least one of A, B, and C can mean including any one or more elements selected from the set consisting of A, B, and C.

[0106] In all examples shown and described herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations; therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0107] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of apparatus, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which contains one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order than those shown in the drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, may be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or action, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0108] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. The apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of modules is only a logical functional division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation. Furthermore, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Additionally, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some communication interface; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or modules may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0109] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. Similarly, the components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules; they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment, depending on actual needs.

[0110] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into one processing module, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module.

[0111] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A Wi-Fi communication method based on time slot allocation, characterized in that, Applied to an access point (AP), the AP is connected to multiple STAs, and the time slot allocation scheme adopted by the AP includes sequentially setting the AP's transmission time slots, the transmission time slots of each STA, and dedicated time slots; the method includes: When a preset triggering condition is met, the AP broadcasts a channel evaluation command in the transmission time slot, so that each STA performs channel quality detection in the dedicated time slot; Channel quality detection is performed in the dedicated time slot, and the channel evaluation results reported by each STA in its corresponding transmission time slot are received in the next beacon period. When it is determined to switch to the target channel based on the channel evaluation results, the AP broadcasts a channel switching instruction in the transmission time slot and switches to the target channel in the dedicated time slot, so that each STA switches to the target channel after completing the data transmission of the current beacon period.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The broadcast channel evaluation command in the transmission slot of the AP, which causes each STA to perform channel quality detection in the dedicated time slot, includes: During the transmission time slot of the AP in the first beacon period, a first beacon frame with a channel evaluation instruction is broadcast, so that each STA performs the channel quality detection corresponding to the channel evaluation instruction in the dedicated time slot of the first beacon period.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The process of performing channel quality detection in the dedicated time slot and receiving the channel evaluation results reported by each STA in its corresponding transmission time slot in the next beacon period includes: In the dedicated time slot of the first beacon period, channel quality detection corresponding to the channel evaluation command is performed to obtain the channel evaluation result; During the transmission slot of the AP in the second beacon period, a second beacon frame with a result reporting instruction is broadcast, so that each STA reports its channel evaluation result when performing data transmission service in its corresponding transmission slot in the second beacon period; wherein, the second beacon period is the beacon period following the first beacon period.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of broadcasting a channel switching command in the transmission slot of the AP and switching to the target channel in the dedicated time slot, so that each STA switches to the target channel after completing the data transmission of the current beacon period, includes: During the transmission time slot of the AP in the third beacon period, a third beacon frame with a channel switching instruction is broadcast so that each STA switches to the target channel after completing the data transmission of the third beacon period; During the dedicated time slot of the third beacon period, the system switches to the target channel to communicate with each of the STAs via the target channel in subsequent beacon periods.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain a pre-configured list of channels to be scanned, the scanning order of each channel in the list of channels to be scanned, and the preset number of scanning rounds; The channel quality test of each channel in the list of channels to be scanned will be completed in the order of scanning, which will be regarded as a round of scanning, and the channel evaluation result of the most recent preset scanning round will be obtained. The channel evaluation results of the preset scanning rounds are smoothed to obtain the channel quality indication value for each channel; When the channel quality indicator value of the current working channel is lower than a preset first quality threshold, and there is a target channel with a channel quality indicator value greater than a preset second quality threshold, it is determined to switch to the target channel; otherwise, the next round of scanning continues. The second quality threshold is greater than or equal to the first quality threshold.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes, after the AP broadcasts a channel switching command in the transmission slot and switches to the target channel in the dedicated slot: When it is determined that there is a first STA that has failed to switch to the target channel, the channel switching instruction is broadcast back to the original working channel within the dedicated time slot for at most a preset number of beacon cycles in the following period, so that the first STA switches to the target channel. Among them, the second STA, which has failed to switch to the target channel for a preset number of consecutive beacon cycles, joins the target channel by rescanning.

7. A Wi-Fi communication method based on time slot allocation, characterized in that, The method is applied to STAs connected to an AP, wherein the AP employs a time slot allocation scheme comprising sequentially configured transmission time slots of the AP, transmission time slots of multiple STAs, and dedicated time slots; the method includes: Receive the channel evaluation command broadcast by the AP in the AP's transmission time slot, and perform channel quality detection in the dedicated time slot; In the next beacon cycle's own transmission time slot, the channel evaluation results are reported to the AP; When a channel switching instruction is received from the AP broadcast, the system switches to the target channel after completing the data transmission for the current beacon period; wherein the target channel is determined based on the channel evaluation result.

8. A Wi-Fi communication device based on time slot allocation, characterized in that, Applied to an access point (AP), the AP is connected to multiple STAs, and the time slot allocation scheme adopted by the AP includes sequentially configured transmission time slots for the AP, transmission time slots for each STA, and dedicated time slots; the device includes: The first channel detection module is used to broadcast a channel evaluation command in the transmission slot of the AP when a preset trigger condition is met, so that each STA performs channel quality detection in the dedicated time slot; performs channel quality detection in the dedicated time slot, and receives the channel evaluation results reported by each STA in its corresponding transmission time slot in the next beacon cycle; The first channel switching module is used to broadcast a channel switching instruction in the transmission time slot of the AP when it is determined to switch to the target channel based on the channel evaluation result, and switch to the target channel in the dedicated time slot, so that each STA switches to the target channel after completing the data transmission of the current beacon period.

9. A Wi-Fi communication device based on time slot allocation, characterized in that, The device is applied to STAs connected to an AP, wherein the AP employs a time slot allocation scheme comprising, sequentially configured, the AP's transmission time slots, multiple STA transmission time slots, and dedicated time slots; the device includes: The second channel detection module is used to receive the channel evaluation command broadcast by the AP in the AP's transmission time slot, and perform channel quality detection in the dedicated time slot; and report the channel evaluation result to the AP in its own transmission time slot in the next beacon cycle; The second channel switching module is used to switch to the target channel after completing the data transmission of the current beacon period when it receives the channel switching instruction broadcast by the AP; wherein the target channel is determined based on the channel evaluation result.

10. A network device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program executable on the processor, characterized in that, When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the Wi-Fi communication method based on time slot allocation as described in any one of claims 1-6, or implements the Wi-Fi communication method based on time slot allocation as described in claim 7.

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