Information indication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

To provide an information indication method and a communication apparatus.SOLUTION: A non-AP MLD or a first STA in the non-AP MLD generates a first frame. The first frame includes indication information for indicating padding duration for a channel switch delay in an initial control frame. The padding duration is determined based on duration of a control response frame. The non-AP MLD or the first STA or another STA in the non-AP MLD transmits the first frame. An AP MLD or a first AP or another AP in the AP MLD receives the first frame. The AP MLD or the first AP determines the padding duration of the initial control frame based on the indication information. Based on the foregoing solution, the padding duration of the initial control frame may be accurately determined, so that the first STA can complete switching of a corresponding quantity of transmission channels before a subsequent data frame arrives.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202110485965.4, entitled "INFORMATION INDICATION METHOD AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on April 30, 2021, and Chinese Patent Application No. 202110375411.9, entitled "INFORMATION INDICATION METHOD AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on April 7, 2021, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0002] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to an information indicating method and communication device. [Background technology]

[0003] With the development of wireless technology, more and more wireless devices support multi-link communication. A non-access point multi-link device (non-AP MLD) can monitor multiple links. After an initial control frame transmitted to a non-AP MLD or a non-AP STA in a non-AP MLD is received on a link by the non-AP MLD or non-AP STA, a receive chain on another link can be switched to the link, so that data frames can be received at a higher rate after the initial control frame is received.

[0004] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the transmission channel switching process. When the number of receiving channels of a non-AP MLD on a link is switched from A to B (B > A, and in Figure 1, the number of receiving channels is switched from 1 to 2), a certain amount of time is required. Therefore, the access point multilink device (AP MLD) or the access point (AP) in the AP MLD needs to add padding bits to the initial control frame sent so that the non-AP MLD has enough time to switch receiving channels after receiving the initial control frame. After receiving the content portion of the initial control frame, the non-AP MLD can begin to perform the switch as long as the switch is completed before the subsequent data frame arrives. If the switching delay required by the non-AP MLD is longer, more padding bits need to be added to the initial control frame.

[0005] When an AP MLD or an AP within an AP MLD sends an initial control frame, it needs to determine the padding duration so that the non-AP MLD can complete switching the number of transmission channels before the arrival of the subsequent data frame. However, there is currently no corresponding solution for determining the padding duration. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present application provides an information indication method and a communication device for accurately determining the padding duration of an initial control frame so that non-AP MLD can complete switching of the number of transmission channels before the arrival of a subsequent data frame.

[0007] According to a first aspect, an information indication method is provided. The method includes the steps of: a non-AP MLD or a first STA in the non-AP MLD generating a first frame, the first frame including indication information, the indication information indicating a padding duration for a channel switching delay in an initial control frame, the padding duration being determined based on the duration of the control response frame; and a step of the first STA or another STA in the non-AP MLD transmitting the first frame. In this aspect, the padding duration of the initial control frame can be accurately determined, so that the first STA can complete switching of a corresponding number of transmission channels before the arrival of a subsequent data frame.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the indication information is carried in an Extended Multilink Single Radio Delay field of the first frame and / or an Extended Multilink Multiple Radio Delay field of the first frame.

[0009] In another possible embodiment, the first frame includes a plurality of indications, each of which indicates a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to a transmission rate of the initial control frame. In this embodiment, the non-AP MLD or the non-AP STA may transmit a plurality of indications to the AP MLD or the AP, each of which indicates a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to a transmission rate of the initial control frame. The AP MLD or the AP may determine the corresponding padding duration of the initial control frame based on the actual transmission rate of the initial control frame.

[0010] In another possible embodiment, the method further includes the step of the non-AP MLD or a first STA in the non-AP MLD determining a duration of the control response frame.

[0011] In another possible embodiment, the method further includes a step in which the non-AP MLD or a first STA in the non-AP MLD determines a minimum duration of the control response frame. In this embodiment, the minimum duration of the control response frame is the minimum duration of the control response frame. The non-AP MLD or the first STA determines the minimum duration of the control response frame. Thus, a maximum value for the padding duration of the initial control frame can be determined, and the delay required for switching the corresponding number of transmission channels of the first STA can be satisfied.

[0012] In another possible embodiment, determining the duration of the control response frame includes: determining, by the non-AP MLD or a first STA in the non-AP MLD, a rate of the control response frame; and determining, by the non-AP MLD or a first STA in the non-AP MLD, a duration of the control response frame based on the rate of the control response frame and the length of the control response frame. In this embodiment, the length of the control response frame is associated with the format of the control response frame, and the duration of the control response frame = the length of the control response frame / the rate of the control response frame.

[0013] In another possible embodiment, the step of determining the minimum duration of the control response frame includes the steps of: the non-AP MLD or the first STA in the non-AP MLD determining a maximum rate of the control response frame; and the non-AP MLD or the first STA in the non-AP MLD determining a minimum duration of the control response frame based on the maximum rate of the control response frame and the length of the control response frame. In this embodiment, the length of the control response frame is associated with the format of the control response frame, and is expressed as: minimum duration of the control response frame = length of the control response frame / maximum rate of the control response frame.

[0014] In another possible embodiment, the maximum rate of the control response frame is the highest rate in the basic service set basic rate set that is equal to or lower than the maximum rate of the initial control frame. In this embodiment, the basic service set basic rate set includes one or more basic rates that can be supported by the first STA. The maximum rate of the control response frame is the highest rate in the basic service set basic rate set that is equal to or lower than the maximum rate of the initial control frame. Therefore, a minimum value of the duration of the control response frame can be obtained based on the maximum value of the rate of the control response frame, and a minimum value of the padding duration of the initial control frame can be determined. The maximum rate of the initial control frame is variable.

[0015] In another possible embodiment, if the maximum rate of the initial control frame is 24 Mbps, the maximum rate of the control response frame is the smaller value between 24 Mbps and the highest rate in the basic service set basic rate set. In this embodiment, the maximum rate of the initial control frame may be fixed at 24 Mbps. The basic service set basic rate set includes one or more basic rates that can be supported by the first STA. The maximum rate of the control response frame is the highest rate in the basic service set basic rate set that is equal to or less than 24 Mbps. Therefore, a minimum duration of the control response frame may be obtained based on the maximum rate of the control response frame, and a minimum padding duration of the initial control frame may be determined.

[0016] In another possible implementation, the padding duration is associated with the switching delay, the first interframe space between the initial control frame and the control response frame, the second interframe space between the control response frame and the data frame, and the duration of the control response frame.

[0017] In another possible implementation, the maximum value of the padding duration is related to the minimum values ​​of the switching delay, the first interframe space between the initial control frame and the control response frame, the second interframe space between the control response frame and the data frame, and the duration of the control response frame.

[0018] In other possible implementations, the padding duration is the padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at the maximum rate, or the padding duration is determined based on the maximum rate of the initial control frame, or the padding duration is the padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at 24 Mbps, or the padding duration is the padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at any rate, or the padding duration is the maximum value of the padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at all rates.

[0019] According to a second aspect, there is provided an information indication method, the method including: receiving a first frame by an AP MLD or a first AP or another AP in the AP MLD, the first frame including indication information, the indication information indicating a padding duration required for a channel switching delay in an initial control frame, the padding duration being determined based on a duration of the control response frame; and determining, by the AP MLD or the first AP, a padding duration of the initial control frame based on the indication information.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the indication information is carried in an Extended Multilink Single Radio Delay field of the first frame and / or an Extended Multilink Multiple Radio Delay field of the first frame.

[0021] In another possible embodiment, the first frame includes a plurality of pieces of instruction information, each of which indicates a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to a transmission rate of the initial control frame. The step of determining the padding duration of the initial control frame based on the first frame by the first AP includes determining, based on the first frame, a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to the transmission rate of the initial control frame.

[0022] In another possible implementation, the duration of the control response frame is determined based on the rate of the control response frame and the length of the control response frame.

[0023] In another possible implementation, the minimum duration of the control response frame is determined based on the maximum rate of the control response frame and the length of the control response frame.

[0024] In another possible implementation, the maximum rate of the control response frame is the highest rate in the basic service set basic rate set that is less than or equal to the maximum rate of the initial control frame.

[0025] In another possible embodiment, if the maximum rate of the initial control frame is 24 Mbps, the maximum rate of the control response frame is the smaller value between 24 Mbps and the highest rate in the basic service set basic rate set.

[0026] In another possible implementation, the padding duration is associated with the switching delay, the first interframe space between the initial control frame and the control response frame, the second interframe space between the control response frame and the data frame, and the duration of the control response frame.

[0027] In another possible implementation, the maximum value of the padding duration is related to the minimum values ​​of the switching delay, the first interframe space between the initial control frame and the control response frame, the second interframe space between the control response frame and the data frame, and the duration of the control response frame.

[0028] In other possible implementations, the padding duration is the padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at the maximum rate, or the padding duration is determined based on the maximum rate of the initial control frame, or the padding duration is the padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at 24 Mbps, or the padding duration is the padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at any rate, or the padding duration is the maximum value of the padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at all rates.

[0029] According to a third aspect, an information indication method is provided. The method includes the steps of: a non-AP MLD or a first STA in the non-AP MLD generating a first frame, the first frame including indication information indicating a delay required to switch the number of transmission channels of the first STA from a first value to a second value; and the first STA or another STA in the non-AP MLD transmitting the first frame. In this aspect, the non-AP MLD or the first STA in the non-AP MLD indicates a delay required by the AP to switch the corresponding number of transmission channels, so that the AP satisfies the delay when setting a padding duration of the initial control frame, and the first STA can complete switching the corresponding number of transmission channels before a subsequent data frame arrives.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the indication information is carried in an Extended Multilink Single Radio Delay field of the first frame and / or an Extended Multilink Multiple Radio Delay field of the first frame.

[0031] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided an information indication method, the method including: receiving a first frame by an AP MLD or a first AP or another AP in the AP MLD, the first frame including indication information indicating a delay required to switch a number of transmission channels of a first STA from a first value to a second value; and determining a padding duration of an initial control frame by the first AP, the padding duration of the initial control frame being determined based on the delay.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the padding duration is associated with the delay, the first interframe space between the initial control frame and the control response frame, the second interframe space between the control response frame and the data frame, and the duration of the control response frame.

[0033] In another possible implementation, the duration of the control response frame is related to the rate of the control response frame.

[0034] In another possible implementation, the maximum rate of the control response frame is the highest rate in the basic service set basic rate set that is less than or equal to the rate of the initial control frame.

[0035] In another possible implementation, the sum of the padding duration and the first interframe space is greater than the processing delay of the initial control frame.

[0036] According to a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may implement the information indication method according to the first aspect. For example, the communication device may be a chip, a non-AP MLD, or a non-AP STA in a non-AP MLD. The method may be implemented by software, hardware, or hardware executing corresponding software.

[0037] In one possible implementation, a communication device may include a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to generate a first frame. The first frame includes instruction information. The instruction information indicates a padding duration required for a channel switching delay in the initial control frame. The padding duration is determined based on a duration of the control response frame. The transceiver unit is configured to transmit the first frame.

[0038] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to determine a duration of the control response frame.

[0039] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to determine a minimum value for the duration of the control response frame.

[0040] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to determine a rate of the control response frames, and determine a duration of the control response frames based on the rate of the control response frames and a length of the control response frames.

[0041] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to determine a maximum value for the rate of the control response frames, and determine a minimum value for the duration of the control response frames based on the maximum value for the rate of the control response frames and the length of the control response frames.

[0042] When the communication device is in non-AP MLD, the communication device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. When the communication device is in non-AP MLD, the communication device includes a non-AP STA and a processing unit. The transceiver unit is located in the non-AP STA, and multiple non-AP STAs may share one processing unit. When the communication device is a non-AP STA in non-AP MLD, the communication device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit.

[0043] According to a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may implement the information indication method according to the second aspect. For example, the communication device may be a chip, an AP MLD, or an AP in an AP MLD. The method may be implemented by software, hardware, or hardware executing corresponding software.

[0044] In one possible implementation, a communication device may include a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit is configured to receive a first frame. The first frame includes instruction information. The instruction information indicates a padding duration required for a channel switching delay in the initial control frame. The padding duration is determined based on a duration of the control response frame. The processing unit is configured to determine the padding duration of the initial control frame based on the instruction information.

[0045] Optionally, the first frame includes a plurality of pieces of indication information, each of which indicates a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to a transmission rate of the initial control frame, and the processing unit is further configured to determine, based on the first frame, a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to the transmission rate of the initial control frame.

[0046] When the communication device is an AP MLD, the communication device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. When the communication device is an AP MLD, the communication device includes an AP and a processing unit. The transceiver unit is located in the AP, and multiple APs may share one processing unit. When the communication device is an AP in an AP MLD, the communication device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit.

[0047] According to a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may implement the information indication method according to the third aspect. For example, the communication device may be a chip, a non-AP MLD, or a non-AP STA in a non-AP MLD. The above method may be implemented by software, hardware, or hardware executing corresponding software.

[0048] In one possible implementation, a communication device may include a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to generate a first frame. The first frame includes indication information. The indication information indicates a delay required to switch the number of transmission channels of a station from a first value to a second value. The transceiver unit is configured to transmit the first frame.

[0049] When the communication device is in non-AP MLD, the communication device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. When the communication device is in non-AP MLD, the communication device includes a non-AP STA and a processing unit. The transceiver unit is located in the non-AP STA, and multiple non-AP STAs may share one processing unit. When the communication device is a non-AP STA in non-AP MLD, the communication device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit.

[0050] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a communication device. The communication device may implement the information indication method according to the fourth aspect. For example, the communication device may be a chip, an AP MLD, or an AP in an AP MLD. The above method may be implemented by software, hardware, or hardware executing corresponding software.

[0051] In another possible implementation, a communication device may include a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit is configured to receive a first frame. The first frame includes instruction information. The instruction information indicates a delay required to switch the number of transmission channels of the station from a first value to a second value. The processing unit is configured to determine a padding duration of the initial control frame. The padding duration of the initial control frame is determined based on the delay.

[0052] When the communication device is an AP MLD, the communication device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. When the communication device is an AP MLD, the communication device includes an AP and a processing unit. The transceiver unit is located in the AP, and multiple APs may share one processing unit. When the communication device is an AP in an AP MLD, the communication device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the communication device of the fifth to eighth aspects includes a processor coupled to a memory. The processor is configured to support the device in performing corresponding functions in the aforementioned information indication methods. The memory is coupled to the processor and configured to store programs (instructions) and / or data required for the device. Optionally, the communication device may further include a communication interface configured to support communication between the device and another network element. Optionally, the memory may be located inside or outside the communication device.

[0054] In another possible embodiment, the communication device of the fifth to eighth aspects includes a processor and a transceiver device. The processor is coupled to the transceiver device. The processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions to control the transceiver device to transmit and receive information. When the processor executes the computer program or instructions, the processor is further configured to implement the aforementioned method using logic circuits or by executing code instructions. The transceiver device may be a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or an input / output interface, and is configured to receive signals from a communication device other than the communication device and transmit the signals to the processor, or to transmit signals from the processor to a communication device other than the communication device. When the communication device is a chip, the transceiver device is a transceiver circuit or an input / output interface.

[0055] When the communication device of the fifth to eighth aspects is a chip, the transmitting unit may be an output unit, such as an output circuit or a communication interface, and the receiving unit may be an input unit, such as an input circuit or a communication interface. When the communication device is a terminal, the transmitting unit may be a transmitter, and the receiving unit may be a receiver.

[0056] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program or instructions that, when executed, perform the method of the previous aspect.

[0057] According to a tenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed on a communications device, enable the communications device to perform the method of the previous aspect.

[0058] According to an eleventh aspect, there is provided a communication system, the communication system including a communication device according to the fifth aspect and a communication device according to the sixth aspect.

[0059] According to a twelfth aspect, there is provided a communication system, the communication system including a communication device according to the seventh aspect and a communication device according to the eighth aspect. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0060] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a transmission channel switching process according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a multi-link device according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic flowchart of an information indication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram of the format of an MU-RTS frame. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic diagram of a frame format of a non-HT PPDU. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram of the format of a CTS frame. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the format of a QoS-Null frame. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary format of a first frame according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 9] 4 is a schematic flowchart of another information indication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between padding duration and processing delay of a trigger frame. [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0061] The following describes embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0062] In the following, some basic concepts in this application will be explained.

[0063] Multi-link device (MLD) Multi-link devices may simultaneously communicate in bands such as 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz, or on different channels within the same band, increasing communication speeds between devices.

[0064] A multilink device typically includes multiple stations (STAs). Each STA operates on a specific frequency band or channel. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a multilink device. The multilink device may be an AP MLD 100 or a non-AP MLD 200. When the device is an AP MLD, the device includes one or more APs (e.g., AP1 to APn in the figure), and each STA in the AP MLD is an AP. When the device is a non-AP MLD, the device includes one or more non-AP STAs (e.g., STA1 to STAn in the figure), and each STA in the non-AP MLD is a non-AP STA. One or more non-AP STAs in the non-AP MLD and one or more APs in the AP MLD can communicate after establishing an association relationship.

[0065] In one embodiment, each non-AP STA in a non-AP MLD may include a processing unit / processor and a transceiver unit / transceiver. The processing unit / processor may perform the processing operations, such as generating and determining, described herein. The transceiver unit / transceiver is configured to communicate with the AP MLD or the AP associated with the non-AP STA in the AP MLD. Thus, the non-AP STA in the non-AP MLD may perform the processing and transmitting / receiving operations described herein.

[0066] In another embodiment, each non-AP STA in a non-AP MLD may include only a transceiver unit / transceiver, the non-AP MLD may include a processing unit / processor, and all non-AP STAs in the non-AP MLD may share the processing unit / processor. Thus, the non-AP STAs in the non-AP MLD may perform the transmit and receive operations in this application, and the non-AP MLD may perform the processing operations in this application.

[0067] In another embodiment, the non-AP MLD may include a processing unit / processor and a transceiver unit / transceiver. The processing unit / processor may perform the processing operations, such as generating and determining, described herein. The transceiver unit / transceiver is configured to communicate with the AP MLD. Thus, the non-AP MLD may perform the processing and transmitting / receiving operations described herein.

[0068] For clarity and simplicity, the present application will be described using an example in which a non-AP STA in a non-AP MLD performs the processing and transmission / reception operations in the present application.

[0069] In one embodiment, each AP in the AP MLD may include a processing unit / processor and a transceiver unit / transceiver. The processing unit / processor may perform the processing operations, e.g., determination, and other operations, herein. The transceiver unit / transceiver is configured to communicate with the non-AP MLD or non-AP STAs in the non-AP MLD and associated with the AP. Thus, the APs in the AP MLD may perform the processing and transmission / reception operations herein.

[0070] In another embodiment, each AP in the AP MLD may include only a transceiver unit / transceiver, the AP MLD may include a processing unit / processor, and all APs in the AP MLD may share the processing unit / processor. Thus, the APs in the AP MLD may perform the transmitting and receiving operations in this application, and the AP MLD may perform the processing operations in this application.

[0071] In another embodiment, the AP MLD may include a processing unit / processor and a transceiver unit / transceiver. The processing unit / processor may perform the processing operations, such as determining operations, described herein. The transceiver unit / transceiver is configured to communicate with the non-AP MLD. Thus, the AP MLD may perform the processing and transmitting / receiving operations described herein.

[0072] For clarity and simplicity, the present application will be described using an example in which an AP in an AP MLD performs the processing and transmitting / receiving operations in the present application.

[0073] Enhanced Multi-Link Operation In enhanced multilink operation, a non-AP MLD may monitor multiple links. After an initial control frame sent to the non-AP MLD is received on a link, the receive channel on another link may be switched to the link, so that data frames may be received at a higher rate after the initial control frame is received.

[0074] Enhanced multilink operation includes enhanced multilink single-radio (EMLSR) operation and enhanced multilink multi-radio (EMLMR) operation. In EMLSR operation, non-AP MLD can monitor multiple links but can only transmit data over one link. In EMLMR operation, non-AP MLD can monitor multiple links and can also transmit data over multiple links. The common feature is that the number of monitored receive channels is A, the number of receive channels transmitting data is B, and B is greater than A.

[0075] The solution of this application is mainly applied to wireless local area networks. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system in this application includes an AP MLD 100 and a non-AP MLD 200. One or more non-AP STAs in the non-AP MLD 200 and one or more APs in the AP MLD can communicate after establishing an association relationship.

[0076] It should be noted that the terms "system" and "network" may be used interchangeably in the embodiments of the present application. "Plurality" means two or more. In consideration of this, "plurality" may also be understood as "at least two" in the embodiments of the present application. The term "and / or" describes an association relationship for describing related objects and represents that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent the following three cases: only A exists, both A and B exist, and only B exists. In addition, the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between related objects.

[0077] As shown in Figure 1, the time during which non-AP MLD can switch transmission channels includes the padding duration of the initial control frame, the first interframe space between the initial control frame and the control response frame, the duration occupied by the control response frame, and the second interframe space between the control response frame and the data frame. However, the duration occupied by the control response frame depends on the transmission rate of the initial control frame. Therefore, before receiving the initial control frame, the STA cannot determine the duration occupied by the control response frame and therefore cannot determine the padding duration of the initial control frame.

[0078] One embodiment of the present application provides an information indication solution. A first STA in a non-AP MLD generates a first frame. The first frame includes indication information. The indication information indicates a padding duration required for a channel switching delay in an initial control frame, and the padding duration is determined based on the duration of a control response frame. Alternatively, the indication information indicates a delay required to switch the number of transmission channels from a first channel number to a second channel number, or the indication information indicates a delay required to switch the number of transmission channels of the first STA from a first value to a second value. The first STA or another STA in the non-AP MLD or non-AP MLD transmits the first frame. The first AP or another AP in the AP MLD or AP MLD receives the first frame and determines the padding duration of the initial control frame based on the indication information. Based on the above solution, the padding duration of the initial control frame can be accurately determined, so that the first STA can complete switching of the corresponding number of transmission channels before the arrival of a subsequent data frame.

[0079] 3 is a schematic flowchart of an information indicating method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0080] S101: A first STA generates a first frame.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the number of transmission channels is switched from 1 to 2. Before the switchover, both non-AP STA1 on Link 1 and non-AP STA2 on Link 2 have the capability to receive one spatial stream, or both non-AP STA1 and non-AP STA2 have one transmission channel. In this application, a transmission channel may also be referred to as a transmission channel, transmission module, spatial stream, etc. AP1 on Link 1 transmits an initial control frame to non-AP STA1. The initial control frame includes a content portion and a padding portion (i.e., padding bits). After receiving the content portion of the initial control frame sent by AP1, non-AP STA1 can begin to perform the switchover, as long as the switchover is completed before the arrival of the subsequent data frame. Non-AP STA1 initiates the switchover. In this case, non-AP STA2 switches its transmission module to Link 1, and Link 2 loses its transmission capability. Of course, this is for EMLSR. For EMLMR, non-AP STA2 may have multiple transmission modules. After one transmission module is switched to non-AP STA1, non-AP STA2 may further perform data communication using another transmission module.

[0082] After receiving the content portion of the initial control frame sent by AP1, non-AP STA1 can begin switching. Therefore, the time during which non-AP STA1 can switch transmission channels includes the padding duration of the initial control frame sent by AP1, the first inter-frame space between the initial control frame and the control response frame, the second inter-frame space between the control response frame and the data frame, and the duration during which non-AP STA1 transmits the control response frame. The first inter-frame space and the second inter-frame space are short inter-frame spaces (SIFS). The short inter-frame space is typically 16 μs. Therefore, the key to determining the padding duration of the initial control frame is to determine the duration of the control response frame.

[0083] The step of determining the duration of the control response frame includes the steps of determining a rate of the control response frame and determining the duration of the control response frame based on the rate and length of the control response frame. Thus, the padding duration of the initial control frame = switching delay - first interframe space - duration of the control response frame - second interframe space. The switching delay may be configured for the first STA before shipping from the factory. Optionally, the time that can be used to switch the transmission channel further includes a certain margin Δ. Thus, the padding duration of the initial control frame = switching delay - first interframe space - duration of the control response frame - second interframe space - Δ. The margin Δ may be, for example, a preamble portion of a data frame.

[0084] Furthermore, to maximize the switching delay, a maximum value of the padding duration may be determined. The maximum value of the padding duration may be determined based on a minimum value of the duration of the control response frame. The minimum value of the duration of the control response frame may also be referred to as the minimum duration of the control response frame.

[0085] Specifically, the step of the first STA determining the minimum duration of the control response frame includes determining a maximum rate of the control response frame and determining a minimum duration of the control response frame based on the maximum rate of the control response frame and the length of the control response frame. Therefore, the maximum padding duration of the initial control frame = switching delay - first interframe space - minimum duration of the control response frame - second interframe space. The maximum padding duration of the initial control frame is the padding duration of the initial control frame when the first AP transmits the initial control frame at the maximum rate. Optionally, the time that can be used to switch the transmission channel further includes a certain margin Δ. Therefore, the maximum padding duration of the initial control frame = switching delay - first interframe space - minimum duration of the control response frame - second interframe space - Δ.

[0086] Regarding the maximum rate of the control response frame, in one embodiment, the maximum rate of the control response frame is the highest rate in the basic service set basic rate set (BSSBasicRateSet) that is equal to or lower than the maximum rate of the initial control frame. The BSSBasicRateSet is a parameter broadcast by the AP MLD before a link is established. The AP MLD broadcasts it to notify non-AP MLDs that it wishes to establish a link with the AP MLD. If the non-AP MLD has the ability to receive data when the AP MLD transmits data at any rate in the BSSBasicRateSet, the non-AP MLD can establish a link with the AP MLD. The rates included in the BSSBasicRateSet may be, for example, {6, 12, 24, 48}. The maximum rate of the initial control frame may be variable. The maximum rate of the initial control frame does not exceed the maximum rate in the BSSBasicRateSet. For example, if the maximum rate of the initial control frame is 24, the maximum rate of the control response frame is 24. In another example, if the maximum rate of the initial control frame is 12, the maximum rate of the control response frame is 12.

[0087] In another embodiment, the maximum rate of the initial control frame is a fixed value, for example, 24 Mbps. Therefore, the maximum rate of the control response frame = min {24 Mbps, maximum rate in the BSSBasicRateSet parameter}. For example, if the maximum rate in the BSSBasicRateSet parameter is 48, the maximum rate of the control response frame = min {24 Mbps, 48 ​​Mbps}. In other words, the maximum rate of the control response frame is 24 Mbps.

[0088] In addition, the duration of the control response frame is further related to the format of the control response frame. Thus, the minimum value of the duration of the control response frame can be determined based on the maximum value of the rate of the control response frame, the format of the control response frame, and the length of the control response frame.

[0089] In one embodiment, if the initial control frame is an MU-RTS frame, the control response frame is a CTS frame. The MU-RTS frame is a type of trigger frame. When the value of trigger type in the trigger frame is 3, it indicates that the trigger frame is an MU-RTS frame. The format of the MU-RTS frame is shown in Figure 4. The MU-RTS frame includes the following fields: frame control, duration, receiving address (RA), transmitting address (TA), common information, user information list, padding, and frame check sequence (FCS). The common information field further includes multiple fields. The user information list field includes one or more user information.

[0090] In the common information field, the following fields are reserved (not used for MU-RTS frames): uplink length (UL length), guard interval and long training field type (GI and LTF type), multi-user multiple input multiple output long training field mode (MU-MIMO LTF mode), number of high-efficiency long training field symbols and midamble periodicity (HE-LTF symbols and midamble periodicity), uplink space-time block code (UL STBC), low-density parity-check code extra symbol segment (LDPC extra symbol segment), access point transmit power (AP TX power), pre-FEC padding factor, packet extension ambiguity (PE disambiguity), uplink spatial reuse (UL spatial reuse), Doppler, and reserved uplink high-efficiency signal field A2 (UL HE-SIG-A2 reserved).

[0091] In the User Information field, the following fields are reserved: Uplink High Efficiency Modulation and Coding Scheme (UL HE-MCS), Uplink FEC coding type (UL FEC coding type), Uplink Dual Carrier Modulation (UL DCM), Synchronization Offset Allocation / Random Access RU Information (SS allocation / RA-RU information), and Uplink Target Received Signal Strength Indicator (UL target RSSI).

[0092] The initial control frame includes a content portion and padding bits. After a non-AP STA receives the user information and the contents of the previous fields in the initial control frame sent by the AP (including fields such as frame control, duration, receiver address, transmitter address, and common information), the non-AP STA is considered to have received the content portion of the initial control frame. The padding bits of the initial control frame include another user information portion and a padding field in the initial control frame. In particular, the FCS field may be considered either the content portion of the initial control frame or the padding bits of the initial control frame.

[0093] If the initial control frame is an MU-RTS frame, the control response frame is a CTS frame. The format of the transmitted CTS frame can be non-HT or non-HT duplicate format. The frame format of a non-HT PPDU is shown in Figure 5. The CTS frame includes a physical layer preamble (PHY preamble), a signal, and a data field. The physical layer preamble occupies 12 orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, the signal occupies one OFDM symbol, and the OFDM symbol occupied by the data is variable. It takes 20 μs to transmit the physical layer preamble field and the signal field. The data field includes a 16-bit service field, a 112-bit (i.e., 14 bytes) PSDU field, and a 6-bit tail field, for a total of 16 + 112 + 6 = 134 bits. The frame structure of a CTS frame is shown in Figure 6. A physical layer service data unit (PSDU) includes a frame control field, a duration field, a receiving address (RA) field, and an FCS field. The four fields occupy 2 bytes, 2 bytes, 6 bytes, and 4 bytes, respectively, for a total of 14 bytes. For example, if the rate of the control response frame is 24 Mbps, the duration required to transmit 134 bits is 134 / 24 = 5.583 μs. Because the length of the data portion (i.e., the data field) must be an integer multiple of 4 μs, the length of the data field is actually 8 μs. In specific implementations, bits are added to the pad bit field to reach 8 μs. Therefore, the duration of the control response frame is 20 + 8 = 28 μs.As another example, when the rate of the control response frame is 6 Mbps, the duration required to transmit 134 bits is 134 / 6=22.33 μs, which needs to be aligned to 24 μs, so the total duration is 20+24=44 μs.

[0094] In another embodiment, if the initial control frame is a BSRP frame, the control response frame is a QoS-Null frame. The frame structure of the BSRP frame is the same as that of the MU-RTS frame. See Figure 4. When the trigger type in the trigger frame is set to 4, it indicates that the trigger frame is a BSRP frame. In addition, the reserved fields in the MU-RTS frame are used in the BSRP frame and are no longer reserved fields. The format of the QoS-Null frame is shown in Figure 7. The QoS-Null frame includes the following fields: frame control, duration, address 1, address 2, address 3, sequence control, address 4, quality of service control (QoS control), high throughput control (HT control), and frame check sequence (FCS). The QoS-Null frame must be transmitted in the HE TB PPDU format or the EHT TB PPDU format. Both formats have long preambles, with the preamble portion exceeding 50 μs. Therefore, when the control response frame is a QoS-Null frame, the duration of the QoS-Null frame is longer than the duration of the control response frame that is a CTS frame, and the requirement for the padding duration of the initial control frame is lower. Therefore, in this embodiment, the padding duration of the initial control frame can be reported using an example in which the control response frame is a CTS frame.

[0095] After determining the padding duration of the initial control frame, the first STA may generate the first frame.

[0096] In one embodiment, the first frame includes indication information, the indication information indicating a padding duration of a channel switching delay in the initial control frame. Optionally, the padding duration is a padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at a maximum rate, or the padding duration is determined based on a maximum rate of the initial control frame, or the padding duration is a padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at 24 Mbps, or the padding duration is a padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at any rate, or the padding duration is a maximum value of a padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at all rates.

[0097] Specifically, in one example, the relationship between the one or more padding durations and the indication information may be predefined or prenegotiated by the first STA and the first AP. This relationship is set forth in Table 1 below.

[0098] [Table 1]

[0099] According to Table 1, when the indication information is the first value, it indicates that the padding duration is 0 μs, when the indication information is the second value, it indicates that the padding duration is 32 μs or less, and when the indication information is the third value, it indicates that the padding duration is 64 μs or less. The rest can be inferred by analogy.

[0100] In another example, the relationship between the one or more padding durations and the indication information may be predefined or prenegotiated by the first STA and the first AP. This relationship is described in Table 2 below.

[0101] [Table 2]

[0102] In another embodiment, the first frame includes a plurality of pieces of indication information, each of which indicates a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to a transmission rate of the initial control frame.

[0103] For example, a first STA transmits a first frame to a first AP, the first frame including a plurality of pieces of instruction information.

[0104] The first indication indicates a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to a transmission rate of the initial control frame of 6 Mbps.

[0105] The second indication indicates a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to a transmission rate of the initial control frame of 12 Mbps.

[0106] The third indication indicates a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to the transmission rate of the initial control frame, which is 24 Mbps.

[0107] The first STA may determine which indication indicates a different padding duration of the initial control frame based on Table 1. For example, if the padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to a transmission rate of 6 Mbps is greater than 0 μs and less than or equal to 32 μs, it indicates the first indication. If the padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to a transmission rate of 12 Mbps is greater than 32 μs and less than or equal to 64 μs, it indicates the second indication. If the padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to a transmission rate of 24 Mbps is greater than 64 μs and less than or equal to 96 μs, it indicates the third indication.

[0108] S102: A first STA transmits a first frame, and in response, a first AP associated with the first STA receives the first frame.

[0109] The first frame includes indication information. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary format of the first frame. The first frame includes fields for frame control, duration, receiver address, transmitter address, frame body, and frame check sequence. The frame body further includes fields such as a multi-link element. The multi-link element field further includes fields for element ID, length, element ID extension, multi-link control, common information, and user information. The common information field further includes fields such as an extended multilink single radio delay (EMLSR delay) and / or an extended multilink multiple radio delay (EMLMR delay). Indication information may be carried in the EMLSR delay field and / or the EMLMR delay field.

[0110] If the first frame includes multiple indication information, the multiple indication information may alternatively be carried in a field other than the EMLSR delay field and / or the EMLMR delay field.

[0111] S103: The first AP determines the padding duration of the initial control frame based on the indication information.

[0112] The first AP receives the first frame and parses the indication information from the first frame. A padding duration of the initial control frame may be determined based on the indication information.

[0113] In the above embodiment, the first frame includes indication information. The indication information indicates a padding duration for the channel switching delay in the initial control frame. In this case, the first AP may determine the padding duration indicated by the indication information based on a pre-stored relationship between one or more padding durations shown in Table 1 and the indication information. For example, if the indication information is a second value, the first AP may determine, according to Table 1, that the maximum value of the padding duration indicated by the indication information is 32 μs.

[0114] In the above embodiment, the first frame includes a plurality of pieces of instruction information. Each of the plurality of pieces of instruction information indicates a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to the transmission rate of the initial control frame. In this case, after receiving the plurality of pieces of instruction information, the first AP may determine the padding duration based on the transmission rate of the initial control frame. For example, assuming that the rate of the initial control frame actually used by the first AP is 12 Mbps, the maximum padding duration corresponding to the rate may be determined to be 64 μs.

[0115] Furthermore, after determining the padding duration of the initial control frame, the first AP may fill the initial control frame with corresponding bits and transmit the initial control frame.

[0116] Further, after a second interframe space after the first STA receives an initial control frame transmitted at the maximum rate and replies with a control response frame, the first STA must have the capability to receive data frames over the second number of transmission channels; or after a SIFS after the first STA receives an initial control frame transmitted at any rate and replies with a control response frame, the first STA must have the capability to communicate over the second number of transmission channels.

[0117] Because the padding duration is determined based on the duration of the control response frame, when the first AP transmits the initial control frame, regardless of which rate is used, the first STA can complete switching the number of transmission channels before the subsequent data frame arrives.

[0118] Furthermore, after receiving the data frame, the first STA transmits an acknowledgment (ACK) / block-ACK frame to the first AP. After the first STA determines that the transmission opportunity (TXOP) on link 1 has ended, the second STA may switch back to its transmission module to restore its transmission capability.

[0119] According to the information indication method provided in this embodiment of the present application, a non-AP STA generates a first frame. The first frame includes indication information for indicating a padding duration required for a channel switching delay in an initial control frame. The padding duration is determined based on the duration of the control response frame and / or the maximum rate of the initial control frame. The non-AP STA transmits the first frame. The AP receives the first frame. The first AP determines the padding duration of the initial control frame based on the indication information. Therefore, the padding duration of the initial control frame can be accurately determined, so that the first STA can complete switching of a corresponding number of transmission channels before the arrival of a subsequent data frame.

[0120] 9 is a schematic flowchart of another information indication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method may include the following steps:

[0121] S201: A first STA generates a first frame.

[0122] The first frame includes a first indication.

[0123] In one embodiment, the first instruction information indicates a first delay required to switch the number of transmission channels of the first STA from a first value to a second value. For example, in FIG. 1, the number of the first channel is 1, the number of the second channel is 2, and the first instruction information indicates a delay required to switch the number of transmission channels from 1 to 2. The first delay may be a value preset in the first STA before shipping from a factory.

[0124] A correspondence relationship between one or more switching delays and the first indication information may be predefined. The correspondence relationship may be set forth in Table 1 or Table 2. For example, if the delay required to switch the number of transmission channels of the first STA from the first value to the second value is 32 μs, the corresponding first indication information is the second value. If the delay required to switch the number of transmission channels of the first STA from the first value to the second value is 64 μs, the corresponding first indication information is the third value.

[0125] The first STA generates a first frame. The first frame includes first indication information. Specifically, the format of the first frame may be shown in FIG. 8. The first indication information may be carried in an EMLSR delay field and / or an EMLMR delay field.

[0126] In another embodiment, the first frame includes first instruction information and second instruction information, where the first instruction information indicates a first delay required to switch the number of transmission channels of the first STA from a first value to a second value, and the second instruction information indicates a second delay required to switch the number of transmission channels from the second number of channels to the first number of channels, i.e., a delay required to return the number of transmission channels to the first number of channels after the first STA has completed receiving the data frame.

[0127] In yet another embodiment, the first frame includes a third indication, which indicates a larger value between the first delay and the second delay, i.e., max{first delay, second delay}.

[0128] S202: The first STA transmits a first frame, and the first AP receives the first frame in response.

[0129] The first AP receives the first frame and analyzes the aforementioned field in the first frame to obtain the first delay.

[0130] S203: The first AP determines a padding duration of the initial control frame, where the padding duration of the initial control frame is determined based on the first delay.

[0131] After obtaining the first indication information, the first AP may determine the padding duration based on the first delay.

[0132] Specifically, if the initial control frame is an MU-RTS frame, the determined padding duration is Padding duration = 1st delay - 2 x SIFS-control response frame duration Includes.

[0133] The duration of the control response frame is determined based on the rate of the control response frame. The rate of the control response frame is determined based on the rate of the initial control frame and the BSSBasicRateSet parameter. Specifically, the rate of the control response frame is the highest rate within the BSSBasicRateSet that is less than or equal to the rate of the initial control frame, i.e., min{rate of the initial control frame, highest rate in the BSSBasicRateSet parameter}.

[0134] After the rate of the control response frame is determined, the duration of the control response frame is the duration required to transmit the control response frame at the rate of the control response frame.

[0135] 10 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the padding duration and processing delay of a trigger frame. If the initial control frame is a BSRP frame, the padding duration is determined, and the sum of the padding duration and the first interframe space must be greater than the processing delay of the trigger frame (herein referred to as the initial control frame). The padding duration = max {processing delay of the trigger frame, switching delay - 2 × SIFS - duration of the control response frame}.

[0136] Furthermore, after receiving the data frame, the first STA transmits an acknowledgment (ACK) / block-ACK frame to the first AP. After the first STA determines that the transmission opportunity on link 1 has ended, the second STA may switch back to the transmission module to restore transmission capability. After the second delay expires, the second AP transmits a frame, for example, an initial control frame, to the second STA on link 2 to begin the next transmission. In other words, the second AP cannot transmit a frame to the second STA on link 2 before the second delay expires.

[0137] According to the information indication method provided in this embodiment of the present application, a first STA generates a first frame. The first frame includes indication information. The indication information indicates a delay required to switch the number of transmission channels of the first STA from a first value to a second value. The first STA transmits the first frame. The first AP receives the first frame and can accurately determine the padding duration of the initial control frame, so that the first STA can complete switching of the corresponding number of transmission channels before the arrival of a subsequent data frame.

[0138] Regarding the problem arising in the background art of the present application, the embodiments of the present application further provide another method and apparatus for determining padding duration.

[0139] First, two types of initial control frames are described.

[0140] When the initial control frame sent by the AP MLD or AP in the AP MLD is a second initial control frame, such as MU-RTS, the STA in the non-AP MLD or non-AP MLD replies with a CTS frame and transmits the CTS frame in non-HT or non-HT duplicate format. Two formats of CTS frames are used. The STA in the non-AP MLD or non-AP MLD does not need to complete the channel number change. In other words, the STA in the non-AP MLD or non-AP MLD may change the channel number within the transmission time of the control response frame (here, the CTS frame).

[0141] When the initial control frame is the first initial control frame, e.g., a Trigger frame, the STA in the non-AP MLD or non-AP MLD replies with an HE TB PPDU or EHT TB PPDU. There is a high requirement for the ability to transmit PPDUs in two formats. The STA in the non-AP MLD or non-AP MLD must complete switching the channel number before transmitting the control response frame (here, an HE TB PPDU or EHT TB PPDU). It can be seen that when the initial control frame is different (or when the frame format of the control response frame is different), the required padding duration of the initial control frame is also different. In one embodiment, the first initial control frame is a BSRP Trigger frame.

[0142] Therefore, one embodiment of the present application provides a method for determining the padding duration.

[0143] Method 1: S1001: A non-AP MLD or a STA within the non-AP MLD reports a first duration, where the first duration is a padding duration that needs to be included in a first initial control frame (or the first duration is a larger or smaller value between the padding duration that needs to be included in the first initial control frame and the padding duration that needs to be included in a second initial control frame).

[0144] S1002: When an AP MLD or an AP in the AP MLD transmits a first initial control frame to a non-AP MLD or a STA in the non-AP MLD, the first initial control frame includes padding bits, and the padding duration is the first duration reported in S1001.

[0145] S1003: When the AP MLD or an AP in the AP MLD transmits a second initial control frame to a non-AP MLD or a STA in the non-AP MLD, the second initial control frame includes padding bits, and the padding duration is a second duration, which is determined based on the first duration. For example, the second duration is the first duration minus (or plus) a fixed time. For example, the fixed time may be 60 μs, or may be another value specified by the standard, or the fixed time may be sent by the STA in the non-AP MLD or the non-AP MLD to the AP MLD or the AP in the AP MLD.

[0146] Alternatively, in this method, the first duration is a padding duration that needs to be added to the initial control frame when the non-AP MLD or a STA within the non-AP MLD replies with a first frame format, and the second duration is a padding duration that needs to be added to the initial control frame when the non-AP MLD or a STA within the non-AP MLD replies with a second frame format.

[0147] The second frame format may be a non-HT format or a non-HT duplicate format.

[0148] The first frame format may be an HE TB format or an EHT TB format.

[0149] Method 2: S2001: A non-AP MLD or a STA within the non-AP MLD reports a first duration and a second duration, where the first duration is a padding duration that needs to be included in a first initial control frame, and the second duration is a padding duration that needs to be included in a second initial control frame.

[0150] S2002: When an AP MLD or an AP within the AP MLD transmits a first initial control frame to a non-AP MLD or a STA within the non-AP MLD, the first initial control frame includes padding bits, and the padding duration is the first duration reported in S2001.

[0151] S2003: When the AP MLD or an AP in the AP MLD transmits a second initial control frame to a non-AP MLD or a STA in the non-AP MLD, the second initial control frame includes padding bits, and the padding duration is the second duration reported in S2001.

[0152] Method 3: S3001: A non-AP MLD or a STA in the non-AP MLD reports a switching delay, where the switching delay is a switching delay required for the STA to switch from a first channel number to a second channel number.

[0153] S3002: The AP MLD or an AP in the AP MLD determines the length of padding bits that need to be added to the initial control frame based on the type of the initial control frame.

[0154] S3003: The AP MLD or the AP in the AP MLD transmits an initial control frame to the non-AP MLD or the STA in the non-AP MLD, and the length of padding bits added to the initial control frame is determined in S3002.

[0155] Possible implementations of S3002 include:

[0156] For the first initial control frame, the duration of the padding bits = switching delay - 16 μs.

[0157] For the second initial control frame, the duration of the padding bits = switching delay - 76 μs.

[0158] The first initial control frame may be a BSRP Trigger frame, and the second initial control frame may be an MU-RTS frame.

[0159] Alternatively, S3002 may be replaced as follows: The AP MLD or the AP in the AP MLD determines the length of padding bits that need to be added to the initial control frame based on the frame format of the control response frame and in which the STA expects a reply. If the AP transmits the first frame format to the STA, the padding duration = switching delay - 76 μs. If the AP transmits the second frame format to the STA, the padding duration = switching delay - 16 μs. The first frame format may be a non-HT format or a non-HT duplicate format. The second frame format may be an HE TB format or an EHT TB format.

[0160] Correspondingly, one embodiment of the present application further provides an apparatus capable of implementing the aforementioned method. The apparatus is configured to implement any one of the aforementioned methods. The apparatus may have multiple product forms. For specific product forms, please refer to the types described below in this application. Details will not be described again here.

[0161] The method provided in the embodiment of the present application has been described above. It should be understood that to implement the method, a communication device (e.g., an AP, a non-AP STA, an AP MLD, or a non-AP MLD) includes a corresponding hardware structure and / or software module for executing the method. Those skilled in the art can recognize that the present application can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0162] The communication device provided in this embodiment of the present application may be divided into functional modules based on the aforementioned method. For example, the communication device may correspond to a functional module of each step of the method, or two or more steps may be integrated into one functional module. The aforementioned functional modules may be implemented using hardware, software, or software in combination with hardware. It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present application, the division into functional modules is an example and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. The following uses an example in which each step corresponds to one functional module for explanation.

[0163] 11 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of a communication device 1000. The communication device 1000 includes a processing unit 11 and a transceiver unit 12.

[0164] In one embodiment, the communication device may be a non-AP MLD or a non-AP STA in the non-AP MLD. The processing unit 11 is configured to generate a first frame. The first frame includes instruction information. The instruction information indicates a padding duration required for a channel switching delay in the initial control frame. The padding duration is determined based on a duration of the control response frame. The transceiver unit 12 is configured to transmit the first frame.

[0165] Optionally, the processing unit 11 is further configured to determine a duration of the control response frame.

[0166] Optionally, the processing unit 11 is further configured to determine a minimum value for the duration of the control response frame.

[0167] Optionally, the processing unit 11 is further configured to determine a rate of the control response frame, and determine a duration of the control response frame based on the rate of the control response frame and the length of the control response frame.

[0168] Optionally, the processing unit 11 is further configured to determine a maximum value of the rate of the control response frame, and determine a minimum value of the duration of the control response frame based on the maximum value of the rate of the control response frame and the length of the control response frame.

[0169] In another embodiment, the communication device may be an AP MLD or an AP in the AP MLD. The transceiver unit 12 is configured to receive a first frame. The first frame includes instruction information. The instruction information indicates a padding duration required for a channel switching delay in the initial control frame. The padding duration is determined based on a duration of the control response frame. The processing unit 11 is configured to determine the padding duration of the initial control frame based on the instruction information.

[0170] Optionally, the first frame includes a plurality of pieces of indication information, each of which indicates a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to a transmission rate of the initial control frame. The processing unit 11 is further configured to determine, based on the first frame, a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to the transmission rate of the initial control frame.

[0171] In another embodiment, the communication device may be a non-AP MLD or a non-AP STA in the non-AP MLD. The processing unit 11 is configured to generate a first frame. The first frame includes indication information. The indication information indicates a delay required to switch the number of transmission channels of the station from a first value to a second value. The transceiver unit 12 is configured to transmit the first frame.

[0172] In another embodiment, the communication device may be an AP MLD or an AP within the AP MLD. The transceiver unit 12 is configured to receive a first frame. The first frame includes instruction information. The instruction information indicates a delay required to switch the number of transmission channels of the station from a first value to a second value. The processing unit 11 is configured to determine a padding duration of the initial control frame. The padding duration of the initial control frame is determined based on the delay.

[0173] 12 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of a communication device. The communication device 2000 may be a non-AP MLD. The communication device 2000 includes a first STA and a processing unit 22. The communication device 2000 may further include more non-AP STAs. The first STA includes a transceiver unit 21.

[0174] In one embodiment, the non-AP MLD processing unit 22 generates a first frame, the first frame including instruction information, the instruction information indicating a padding duration required for a channel switching delay in the initial control frame, the padding duration being determined based on the duration of the control response frame; and is configured to transmit the first frame to the transceiver unit 21 of the first STA. The transceiver unit 21 is configured to transmit the first frame.

[0175] In another embodiment, the non-AP MLD processing unit 22 generates a first frame, the first frame including indication information, the indication information indicating a delay required to switch the number of transmission channels of the station from a first value to a second value; and is configured to transmit the first frame to the transceiver unit 21 of the first STA. The transceiver unit 21 is configured to transmit the first frame.

[0176] 13 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of a communication device. The communication device 3000 may be an AP MLD. The communication device 3000 includes a first AP and a processing unit 32. The first AP includes a transceiver unit 31. The communication device 3000 may further include more APs.

[0177] In one embodiment, the transceiver unit 31 is configured to receive a first frame. The first frame includes instruction information. The instruction information indicates a padding duration required for a channel switching delay in the initial control frame. The padding duration is determined based on the duration of the control response frame. The transceiver unit 31 is further configured to transmit the first frame to the AP MLD. Accordingly, the processing unit 32 in the AP MLD is configured to determine the padding duration of the initial control frame based on the instruction information.

[0178] In another embodiment, the transceiver unit 31 is configured to receive a first frame. The first frame includes instruction information. The instruction information indicates a delay required to switch the number of transmission channels of the station from a first value to a second value. The transceiver unit 31 is further configured to transmit the first frame to the AP MLD. Accordingly, the processing unit 32 in the AP MLD determines a padding duration for the initial control frame. The padding duration for the initial control frame is determined based on the delay.

[0179] For example, when the transmitting end is in the structure shown in Figure 12, the receiving end may be in the structure shown in Figure 11 or 13 correspondingly. When the receiving end is in the structure shown in Figure 13, the transmitting end may be in the structure shown in Figure 11 or 12 correspondingly.

[0180] 14 is a structural diagram of a possible product form of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 14 is a specific form of the communication device shown in FIG.

[0181] In one possible product form, the communication device may be an information transmission device / information transmission board. The communication device includes a processor and a transceiver. Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory. The processor is configured to perform the method steps performed by the processing unit 11 of FIG. 11. The transceiver is configured to perform the method steps performed by the transceiver unit 12 of FIG. 11.

[0182] In another possible product form, the communication device may be a chip. The communication device includes a processing circuit and a communication interface. Optionally, the communication device may further include a storage medium. The processing circuit is configured to perform the method steps performed by the processing unit 11 of FIG. 11. The communication interface is configured to perform the method steps performed by the transceiver unit 12 of FIG. 11.

[0183] 15 is a structural diagram of a possible product form of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application, which is a specific form of the communication device shown in FIG.

[0184] In one possible product form, the communication device may be an information transmission device / information transmission board. The communication device includes a processor and a transceiver. Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory. The processor is configured to perform the method steps performed by the processing unit 22 of FIG. 12, and the transceiver is configured to perform the method steps performed by the transceiver unit 21 of FIG. 12. Alternatively, the processor is configured to perform the method steps performed by the processing unit 32 of FIG. 13, and the transceiver is configured to perform the method steps performed by the transceiver unit 31 of FIG. 13.

[0185] In another possible product form, the communication device may be a chip. The communication device includes a processing circuit and a communication interface. Optionally, the communication device may further include a storage medium. The processing circuit is configured to perform the method steps performed by the processing unit 22 of FIG. 12, and the communication interface is configured to perform the method steps performed by the transceiver unit 21 of FIG. 12. Alternatively, the processing circuit is configured to perform the method steps performed by the processing unit 32 of FIG. 13, and the communication interface is configured to perform the method steps performed by the transceiver unit 31 of FIG. 13.

[0186] In another possible product form of the foregoing embodiments, the communications apparatus may alternatively be implemented using one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, logic gates, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuitry, or any combination of circuitry capable of performing the various functions described herein.

[0187] A processor may be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. A processor may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described with reference to the content disclosed herein. Alternatively, a processor may be a combination of processors that perform computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, or a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor. A bus may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Buses may be categorized as address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of representation, only one bold line is used to represent a bus in FIG. 14 or FIG. 15, but this does not imply that only one bus or only one type of bus is present.

[0188] Those skilled in the art may understand that all or part of the steps of the method embodiments may be implemented by hardware associated with program instructions. The program instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program instructions are executed, the steps of the method embodiments are performed. The aforementioned storage medium includes any medium that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc.

[0189] According to one aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a readable storage medium, which stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed, enable a device (which may be a single-chip microcomputer, a chip, a controller, etc.) or a processor to perform the steps of a service instruction method provided herein.

[0190] According to one aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions are stored in a computer-readable storage medium. At least one processor of a device may read the computer-executable instructions from the computer-readable storage medium. The at least one processor executes the computer-executable instructions, thereby causing the device to perform steps of a service instruction method provided herein.

[0191] It is clearly understood by those skilled in the art that for the purpose of convenience, the detailed working processes of the aforementioned systems, devices and units should refer to the corresponding processes of the aforementioned method embodiments, and the details will not be described again here.

[0192] It should be understood that in some embodiments provided in this application, the disclosed systems, devices, and methods may be implemented in other ways. For example, division into units may be merely a logical division of function, and other divisions may be used in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted or not implemented. Mutual or direct couplings or communication connections shown or discussed may be implemented via some interfaces. Indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be implemented in electronic, mechanical, or other forms.

[0193] The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and the parts shown as units may or may not be physical units, in other words, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected based on actual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions of the embodiments.

[0194] All or part of the above embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When software is used to implement an embodiment, all or part of the embodiment may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the procedures or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are generated, in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored on or transmitted using a computer-readable storage medium. The computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, radio, or microwave) transmission. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible by a computer, or a data storage device, such as a server or data center, that integrates one or more available media. The usable medium may be a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), or a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, or an optical medium, such as a digital versatile disc (DVD), or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid state disk (SSD). [Explanation of symbols]

[0195] 11 Processing Unit 12 Transceiver Unit 21 Transceiver unit 22 Processing Unit 31 Transceiver unit 32 Processing Unit 100 Access Point Multilink Device (AP MLD) 200 Non-Access Point Multilink Device (non-AP MLD) 1000 Communication Equipment 2000 Communication Equipment 3000 Communication Equipment

Claims

1. 1. A method for indicating information, the method comprising: generating a first frame, the first frame including indication information, the indication information indicating a padding duration required for a channel switching delay in an initial control frame, the padding duration being determined based on a duration of a control response frame; transmitting the first frame; An information indication method, including:

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication information is carried in an Extended Multilink Single Radio Delay field of the first frame and / or an Extended Multilink Multiple Radio Delay field of the first frame.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first frame includes a plurality of pieces of instruction information, each of which indicates a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to a transmission rate of the initial control frame.

4. The method comprises: The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the duration of the control response frame.

5. determining a duration of the control response frame; determining a rate of the control response frame; determining the duration of the control response frame based on the rate of the control response frame and a length of the control response frame; 5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the maximum rate of the control response frame is the highest rate in a basic service set basic rate set that is less than or equal to the maximum rate of the initial control frame.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein when the maximum rate of the initial control frame is 24 Mbps, the maximum rate of the control response frame is a smaller value between 24 Mbps and the highest rate in a basic service set basic rate set.

8. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the padding duration is associated with the switching delay, a first inter-frame space between the initial control frame and the control response frame, a second inter-frame space between the control response frame and a data frame, and the duration of the control response frame.

9. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the padding duration is the padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at the maximum rate.

10. The method comprises: The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a minimum value for the duration of the control response frame.

11. 1. A method for indicating information, the method comprising: receiving a first frame, the first frame including indication information, the indication information indicating a padding duration required for a channel switching delay in an initial control frame, the padding duration being determined based on a duration of a control response frame; determining the padding duration of the initial control frame based on the indication; An information indication method, including:

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the indication information is carried in an Extended Multilink Single Radio Delay field of the first frame and / or an Extended Multilink Multiple Radio Delay field of the first frame.

13. the first frame includes a plurality of pieces of instruction information, each of which indicates a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to a transmission rate of the initial control frame; determining the padding duration of the initial control frame based on the first frame; The method of claim 11 or 12, comprising determining the padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to the transmission rate of the initial control frame based on the first frame.

14. 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the duration of the control response frame is determined based on a rate of the control response frame and a length of the control response frame.

15. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the maximum rate of the control response frame is the highest rate in a basic service set basic rate set that is less than or equal to the maximum rate of the initial control frame.

16. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein when the maximum rate of the initial control frame is 24 Mbps, the maximum rate of the control response frame is a smaller value between 24 Mbps and the highest rate in a basic service set basic rate set.

17. 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the padding duration is associated with the switching delay, a first inter-frame space between the initial control frame and the control response frame, a second inter-frame space between the control response frame and a data frame, and the duration of the control response frame.

18. 18. The method of claim 11, wherein the padding duration is the padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at the maximum rate.

19. 1. A method for indicating information, the method comprising: generating a first frame, the first frame including indication information, the indication information indicating a delay required to switch a number of transmission channels of a station from a first value to a second value; transmitting the first frame; An information indication method, including:

20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the indication information is carried in an Extended Multilink Single Radio Delay field of the first frame and / or an Extended Multilink Multiple Radio Delay field of the first frame.

21. 1. A method for indicating information, the method comprising: receiving a first frame, the first frame including indication information, the indication information indicating a delay required to switch a number of transmission channels of a station from a first value to a second value; determining a padding duration for an initial control frame, the padding duration for the initial control frame being determined based on the delay; An information indication method, including:

22. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the padding duration is associated with the delay, a first inter-frame space between the initial control frame and a control response frame, a second inter-frame space between the control response frame and a data frame, and a duration of the control response frame.

23. 23. The method of claim 21 or 22, wherein the duration of the control response frame is related to the rate of the control response frame.

24. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the maximum rate of the control response frame is the highest rate in a basic service set basic rate set that is less than or equal to the rate of the initial control frame.

25. 25. The method of claim 21, wherein the sum of the padding duration and the first inter-frame space is greater than a processing delay of the initial control frame.

26. 1. A communications device, comprising: a processing unit configured to generate a first frame, the first frame including instruction information, the instruction information indicating a padding duration required for a channel switching delay in an initial control frame, the padding duration being determined based on a duration of a control response frame; and a transceiver unit configured to transmit the first frame; and A communication device comprising:

27. 27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the indication information is carried in an Extended Multilink Single Radio Delay field of the first frame and / or an Extended Multilink Multiple Radio Delay field of the first frame.

28. 28. The apparatus of claim 26 or 27, wherein the first frame includes a plurality of pieces of instruction information, each of which indicates a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to a transmission rate of the initial control frame.

29. the processing unit is further configured to determine the duration of the control response frame.

29. Apparatus according to any one of claims 26 to 28.

30. The processing unit determining a rate of the control response frame; 30. The apparatus of claim 29, further configured to determine the duration of the control response frame based on the rate of the control response frame and a length of the control response frame.

31. 31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the maximum rate of the control response frame is the highest rate in a basic service set basic rate set that is less than or equal to the maximum rate of the initial control frame.

32. 31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein when the maximum rate of the initial control frame is 24 Mbps, the maximum rate of the control response frame is a smaller value between 24 Mbps and a highest rate in a basic service set basic rate set.

33. 33. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the padding duration is associated with the switching delay, a first inter-frame space between the initial control frame and the control response frame, a second inter-frame space between the control response frame and a data frame, and the duration of the control response frame.

34. 34. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the padding duration is the padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at the maximum rate.

35. the processing unit is further configured to determine a minimum value of the duration of the control response frame.

35. Apparatus according to any one of claims 26 to 34.

36. 1. A communications device, comprising: a transceiver unit configured to receive a first frame, the first frame including instruction information, the instruction information indicating a padding duration required for a channel switching delay in an initial control frame, the padding duration being determined based on a duration of a control response frame; and a processing unit configured to determine the padding duration of the initial control frame based on the indication information; and A communication device comprising:

37. 37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the indication information is carried in an Extended Multilink Single Radio Delay field of the first frame and / or an Extended Multilink Multiple Radio Delay field of the first frame.

38. the first frame includes a plurality of pieces of instruction information, each of which indicates a padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to a transmission rate of the initial control frame; 38. The apparatus of claim 36 or 37, wherein the processing unit is configured to determine, based on the first frame, the padding duration of the initial control frame corresponding to the transmission rate of the initial control frame.

39. 39. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the duration of the control response frame is determined based on a rate of the control response frame and a length of the control response frame.

40. 40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the maximum rate of the control response frame is the highest rate within a basic service set basic rate set that is less than or equal to the maximum rate of the initial control frame.

41. 40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein if the maximum rate of the initial control frame is 24 Mbps, the maximum rate of the control response frame is the smaller value between 24 Mbps and the highest rate in a basic service set basic rate set.

42. 42. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the padding duration is associated with the switching delay, a first inter-frame space between the initial control frame and the control response frame, a second inter-frame space between the control response frame and a data frame, and the duration of the control response frame.

43. 43. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the padding duration is the padding duration required when the initial control frame is transmitted at the maximum rate.

44. 1. A communications device, comprising: a processing unit configured to generate a first frame, the first frame including indication information, the indication information indicating a delay required to switch a number of transmission channels of a station from a first value to a second value; a transceiver unit configured to transmit the first frame; and A communication device comprising:

45. 45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the indication information is carried in an Extended Multilink Single Radio Delay field of the first frame and / or an Extended Multilink Multiple Radio Delay field of the first frame.

46. 1. A communications device, comprising: a transceiver unit configured to receive a first frame, the first frame including indication information, the indication information indicating a delay required to switch a number of transmission channels of a station from a first value to a second value; a processing unit configured to determine a padding duration for an initial control frame, the padding duration for the initial control frame being determined based on the delay; and A communication device comprising:

47. 47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the padding duration is associated with the delay, a first inter-frame space between the initial control frame and a control response frame, a second inter-frame space between the control response frame and a data frame, and a duration of the control response frame.

48. 48. The apparatus of claim 46 or 47, wherein the duration of the control response frame is related to the rate of the control response frame.

49. 49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein the maximum rate of the control response frame is the highest rate in a basic service set basic rate set that is less than or equal to the rate of the initial control frame.

50. 50. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the sum of the padding duration and the first interframe space is greater than a processing delay of the initial control frame.

51. 26. A communications device comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the processor configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 25.

52. 26. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program or instructions which, when executed by a communication device, perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 25.

53. 26. A computer program product, said computer program product comprising instructions for carrying out the method of any one of claims 1 to 25.

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