Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application are applied to, for example, wireless local area network systems supporting next-generation Wi-Fi protocols such as IEEE 802.11ax, e.g., 802.11be, Wi-Fi 7, or EHT. As another example, the embodiments of the present application are applied to wireless local area network systems supporting 802.11 series protocols such as the next-generation 802.11be protocol, Wi-Fi 8, UHR, and Wi-Fi AI. Alternatively, the embodiments of the present application may be applied to UWB-based wireless personal area network systems, transmission systems, and the like. The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus. In the method, a transmitting MLD transmits a first element to a receiving MLD by using a link, where the first element includes first information and second information. The second information more clearly indicates the link on which the TWT SP aligned with the individual TWT SP on the reference link indicated by the first information should be set up, thereby specifying a method for setting up aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links by using one link.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202211262326.2, entitled "Communication Method and Communication Apparatus," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on October 14, 2022, and Chinese Patent Application No. 202211330156.7, entitled "Communication Method and Communication Apparatus," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on October 27, 2022, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to communication methods and devices. [Background technology]

[0003] Target wake time (TWT) is an energy-saving technique. The core idea is to set up several periodic periods so that some devices only need to be active during these periods and can sleep during other periods, thereby realizing energy savings. These active periods are called TWT service periods (SPs). Two multi-link devices (MLDs) that support multi-link communication may each set up an individual TWT SP for each of multiple links, and each individual TWT SP may include multiple periodically occurring TWT service periods.

[0004] Some MLD devices can operate on only one link at a time. When an MLD device performs a link switch, the TWT cycle set up on the previous link is not expected to be interrupted. Therefore, setting up aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links is a reasonable solution. However, currently, only a method is provided for setting up individual TWT SPs on multiple links associated with two MLDs by using one link associated with two MLDs, and no clear method is provided for setting up aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links by using one link. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device for specifying a method for setting up individual TWT SPs aligned on multiple links by using one link.

[0006] According to a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a receiving device, or may be performed by a chip or circuit configured in the receiving device. This is not limited in the present application. For ease of explanation, an example in which the method is performed by a receiving device is used in the following description.

[0007] The method may include: a receiving device receives a first frame, the first frame including a first element, the first element being used to request setting up an individual target wake time TWT service period SP, the first element including first information and second information; the first information indicating a first link on which the individual TWT SP is requested to be set up, the second information indicating N second links on which the individual TWT SP is requested to be set up, the N second individual TWT SPs set up on the N second links need to be aligned with the first individual TWT SP on the first link, and the N second individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one to the N second links; the first link and the second link are communication links between a transmitting device and a receiving device, and the N second links are different links, and N is a positive integer. The receiving device sets up a first individual TWT SP on the first link and N second individual TWT SPs on N second links based on the first factor, and the receiving device communicates on the corresponding links based on the first individual TWT SP and the N second individual TWT SPs.

[0008] It should be understood that a first individual TWT SP being aligned with a second individual TWT SP means that the times at which devices wake up (i.e., the times at which data is transmitted and received) at the two individual TWT SPs are aligned.

[0009] It should be further appreciated that the transmitting device may transmit the first frame on any link associated with the transmitting device and the receiving device, and correspondingly, the receiving device may receive the first frame on any link.

[0010] In the above technical solution, the second information indicates a link on which the aligned individual TWT SP needs to be set up, and the first information indicates that multiple individual TWT SPs are aligned on multiple links by using the first link as a reference link. Thus, a method for setting up aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links by using one link is specified.

[0011] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first element includes third information, where the third information indicates information about the first individual TWT SP, and the information about the first individual TWT SP includes a start time of the first individual TWT SP. Setting up the first individual TWT SP on the first link and setting up N second individual TWT SPs on the N second links based on the first element includes: the receiving device setting up the first individual TWT SP on the first link based on the information about the first individual TWT SP; the receiving device determining information about the N second individual TWT SPs, where the information about the second individual TWT SP includes a start time of the second individual TWT SP, and the start time of the second individual TWT SP is determined based on the start time of the first individual TWT SP; and the receiving device setting up the N second individual TWT SPs on the N second links based on the information about the N second individual TWT SPs.

[0012] Optionally, the information about the first individual TWT SP further includes wake intervals and wake durations in each wake interval of the first individual TWT SP.

[0013] It should be understood that when the first individual TWT SP and the second individual TWT SP are aligned, the wake intervals of the two individual TWT SPs are the same and the durations of the SPs in the wake intervals are the same. In this case, the receiving device may determine the wake interval and the duration of the SPs in the wake interval of the first individual TWT SP based on the wake interval and the duration of the SPs in the wake interval of the first individual TWT SP.

[0014] In the above technical solution, the first element includes information about individual TWT SPs on the reference link, and the receiving device can separately determine corresponding time points on the time axis of the N second links that are of the start time of the reference link by using the start time of the reference link as an alignment criterion.

[0015] In some implementations of the first aspect, the start time of the second individual TWT SP is determined based on the start time of the first individual TWT SP, and then the second individual TWT SP is aligned with the first individual TWT SP.

[0016] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the start time TWT of the second individual TWT SP is j is expressed by the following formula: TWT j =TWT i +TWT offset where TWT i is the start time of the first individual TWT SP, and offset The value of is equal to the difference between the Time Synchronization Function TSF timer of the first link and the TSF timer of the second link.

[0017] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the first element further comprises fourth information, and the fourth information indicates that the first element comprises the second information.

[0018] In the above technical solution, the receiving device can be clearly notified whether the first element is used to set up an aligned TWT SP by using the fourth information, which helps the receiving device to quickly determine whether an aligned TWT SP needs to be set up.

[0019] In some implementations of the first aspect, when the first element is a TWT element, the fourth information is an aligned TWT field within a control field of the TWT element.

[0020] In some implementations of the first aspect, when the first element is a TWT element, the first information is a Link ID Bitmap field or a Link ID field in a TWT Parameter Information field of the TWT element, and the second information is an Aligned TWT Bitmap field in the TWT Parameter Information field.

[0021] In some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: the receiving device transmitting a second frame, the second frame including a second element, the second element including fifth information, the fifth information indicating that the receiving device confirms acceptance of the setup of the individual TWT SPs on the first link and on the N second links.

[0022] According to a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a transmitting device, or may be performed by a chip or circuit configured in the transmitting device. This is not limited in the present application. For ease of explanation, an example in which the method is performed by a transmitting device is used in the following description.

[0023] The method may include: a transmitting device generates a first frame, the first frame including a first element, the first element being used to request setting up an individual target wake time TWT service period SP, the first element including first information and second information; the first information indicating a first link on which the individual TWT SP is requested to be set up, the second information indicating N second links on which the individual TWT SP is requested to be set up, the N second individual TWT SPs set up on the N second links need to be aligned with the first individual TWT SP on the first link, and the N second individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one to the N second links; the first link and the second link are communication links between the transmitting device and the receiving device, and the N second links are different links, where N is a positive integer. The transmitting device transmits the first frame.

[0024] For the beneficial effects of the second aspect, please refer to the description of the first aspect, and the details will not be described again here.

[0025] In some implementations of the second aspect, the first element includes third information, the third information indicating information related to the first individual TWT SP, and the information related to the first individual TWT SP including a start time of the first individual TWT SP.

[0026] In some implementations of the second aspect, aligning the second individual TWT SP with the first individual TWT SP includes aligning a start time of the first individual TWT SP with a start time of the first individual TWT SP.

[0027] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the first element further comprises fourth information, and the fourth information indicates that the first element comprises the second information.

[0028] In some implementations of the second aspect, when the first element is a TWT element, the fourth information is an aligned TWT subfield in a control field of the TWT element.

[0029] In some implementations of the second aspect, when the first element is a TWT element, the first information is a Link ID Bitmap field or a Link ID field in a TWT Parameter Information field of the TWT element, and the second information is an Aligned TWT Bitmap subfield in the TWT Parameter Information field.

[0030] In some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: the transmitting device receiving a second frame, the second frame including a second element, the second element including fifth information, the fifth information instructing the receiving device to confirm acceptance of the setup of the individual TWT SPs on the first link and on the N second links.

[0031] According to a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a receiving device, or may be performed by a chip or circuit configured in the receiving device. This is not limited in the present application. For ease of explanation, an example in which the method is performed by the receiving device is used in the following description.

[0032] The method may include: a receiving device receives a first frame, the first frame including M first elements, the first elements being used to request the setup of individual TWT SPs, the first elements including first information and second information; the first information indicating a target link on which an individual target wake time TWT service period SP is requested to be set up, the second information indicating information related to the target individual TWT SPs on the target link, and the M target individual TWT SPs corresponding to the M first elements are aligned; the target link is a communication link between the transmitting device and the receiving device, where M is an integer greater than 1. The receiving device sets up the M target individual TWT SPs on the M target links based on the information related to the M target individual TWT SPs included in the M first elements, the M target links being different links. The receiving device communicates on the corresponding links based on the M target individual TWT SPs.

[0033] It should be understood that the M target individual TWT SPs being aligned means that the times at which devices wake up (i.e., the times at which data is transmitted and received) at the M individual TWT SPs are aligned.

[0034] It should be further appreciated that the transmitting device may transmit the first frame on any link associated with the transmitting device and the receiving device, and correspondingly, the receiving device may receive the first frame on any link.

[0035] In the above technical solution, the second information already directly includes information about the target individual TWT SPs on the corresponding target links (i.e., the links to which the individual TWT SPs need to be aligned). Therefore, the receiving device only needs to set up the aligned individual TWT SPs on the M target links by using only one link and reading only the parameters included in the second information, and does not need to perform additional calibration, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the receiving device.

[0036] In some implementations of the third aspect, the first element further includes third information, and the third information indicates that the first information indicates a target link.

[0037] In the above technical solution, by using the third information, the receiving device can be clearly notified whether each first element indicates a target link for setting up the aligned TWT SP, which helps the receiving device to quickly determine whether the link indicated by the first information is the link on which the aligned TWT SP needs to be set up.

[0038] In some implementations of the third aspect, when the first element is a TWT element, the third information is an aligned TWT field within a control field of the TWT element.

[0039] In some implementations of the third aspect, when the first element is a TWT element, the first information is a link ID bitmap field in a TWT parameter information field of the TWT element, and the second information is a TWT parameter information field.

[0040] In some implementations of the third aspect, when the first element is a TWT element, the first information is an aligned TWT bitmap field in a TWT parameter information field of the TWT element, and the second information is a TWT parameter information field.

[0041] In some implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: the receiving device transmitting a second frame, the second frame including a second element, the second element including fourth information, and the fourth information instructing the receiving device to confirm acceptance of the setup of the individual TWT SPs on the M target links corresponding to the M first elements.

[0042] According to a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a transmitting device, or may be performed by a chip or circuit configured in the transmitting device. This is not limited in the present application. For ease of explanation, an example in which the method is performed by a transmitting device is used in the following description.

[0043] The method may include: a transmitting device generating a first frame, the first frame including M first elements, the first elements being used to request setting up individual TWT SPs, the first elements including first information and second information; the first information indicating a target link on which an individual wake time TWT service period SP is requested to be set up, the second information indicating information regarding a target individual TWT SP on the target link, and the M target individual TWT SPs corresponding to the M first elements are aligned; the target link is a communication link between the transmitting device and the receiving device, where M is an integer greater than 1. The transmitting device transmits the first frame.

[0044] For the beneficial effects of the fourth aspect, please refer to the description of the third aspect, and the details will not be described again here.

[0045] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the information about the target individual TWT SP includes a start time of the target individual TWT SP, and the start time TWT j is expressed by the following formula: TWT j =TWT i +TWT offsetwhere TWT i is the point at which the start time of the target individual TWT SP is mapped to the time axis of the reference link, and offset The value of is equal to the difference between the TSF timer of the reference link and the TSF timer of the target link, where the reference link is any link within the communication link between the transmitting device and the receiving device.

[0046] In the above technical solution, the transmitting device uses the time axis of the reference link as a reference standard according to the above formula, thereby calculating the TWT on the time axes of the M target links. i The transmitting end performs calibration only once for each link, and the corresponding time points of the aligned individual TWT SPs on each link are determined separately. Therefore, the complexity of calculating the start times of the aligned individual TWT SPs on each link can be reduced.

[0047] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, the first element further includes third information, and the third information indicates that the first information indicates a target link.

[0048] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, when the first element is a TWT element, the third information is an aligned TWT field within a control field of the TWT element.

[0049] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, when the first element is a TWT element, the first information is a link ID bitmap field in a TWT parameter information field of the TWT element, and the second information is a TWT parameter information field.

[0050] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, when the first element is a TWT element, the first information is an aligned TWT bitmap field in a TWT parameter information field of the TWT element, and the second information is a TWT parameter information field.

[0051] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, the method further includes: the transmitting device receiving a second frame, the second frame including a second element, the second element including fourth information, and the fourth information instructing the receiving device to confirm acceptance of the setup of the individual TWT SPs on the M target links corresponding to the M first elements.

[0052] According to a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a receiving device, or by a chip or circuit configured in the receiving device. This is not limited in the present application. For ease of explanation, an example in which the method is performed by the receiving device is used in the following description.

[0053] The method may include: a receiving device receives a first frame on a first link, the first frame including a first element, the first element being used to request the setup of individual target wake time TWT service periods SP, the first element including second information; the second information indicating N second links on which the individual TWT SPs are requested to be setup, the N second individual TWT SPs setup on the N second links need to be aligned, the N second individual TWT SPs corresponding one-to-one to the N second links; the N second links being different links, N being a positive integer, the first link and the second link being communication links between the transmitting device and the receiving device; the receiving device using the first link as a reference link to setup the N aligned second individual TWT SPs on the N second links; and the receiving device communicating on the corresponding links based on the N second individual TWT SPs.

[0054] In the above technical solution, the second information indicates a link on which the aligned individual TWT SP needs to be set up, and multiple individual TWT SPs are aligned on multiple links by using the first link on which the first frame is transmitted as a reference link. Thus, a method is specified for a transmitting device to set up aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links together with a receiving device by using one link.

[0055] In some implementations of the fifth aspect, the first element includes third information, where the third information indicates information about a first individual TWT SP on the first link, and the information about the first individual TWT SP includes a start time of the first individual TWT SP. Setting up N aligned second individual TWT SPs on the N second links by using the first link as a reference link includes: the receiving device determines information about the N second individual TWT SPs, where the information about the second individual TWT SP includes a start time of the second individual TWT SP, and the start time of the second individual TWT SP is determined based on the start time of the first individual TWT SP. The receiving device sets up the N second individual TWT SPs on the N second links based on the information about the N second individual TWT SPs.

[0056] It should be noted that even if information about the first individual TWT SP is configured in the method, the first individual TWT SP may not actually be set up on the first link. The information about the first individual TWT SP on the first link is used only as reference information to set up the aligned individual TWT SP on the second link indicated by the second information. If the N second links indicated by the second information include the first link, the first individual TWT SP is actually set up on the first link. If the N second links indicated by the second information do not include the first link, the first individual TWT SP is not set up on the first link. In this case, the first individual TWT SP is considered a virtual individual TWT SP and is merely a reference TWT SP for setting up the aligned individual TWT SP.

[0057] In some implementations of the fifth aspect, the second individual TWT SP is aligned with the first individual TWT SP after the start time of the second individual TWT SP is determined based on the start time of the first individual TWT SP.

[0058] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the start time TWT of the second individual TWT SP is j is the following formula: TWT j =TWT i +TWT offset wherein TWT i is the start time of the first individual TWT SP, and offset The value of is equal to the difference between the Time Synchronization Function TSF timer of the first link and the TSF timer of the second link.

[0059] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the first element further comprises fourth information, wherein the fourth information indicates that the first element comprises the second information.

[0060] In some implementations of the fifth aspect, when the first element is a TWT element, the fourth information is an aligned TWT field within a control field of the TWT element.

[0061] In some implementations of the fifth aspect, when the first element is a TWT element, the second information is an aligned TWT bitmap field within a TWT parameter information field.

[0062] In some implementations of the fifth aspect, the method further includes: the receiving device transmitting a second frame, the second frame including a second element, the second element including fifth information, the fifth information indicating that the receiving device confirms acceptance of the setup of the individual TWT SPs on the N second links.

[0063] According to a sixth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a transmitting device, or may be performed by a chip or circuit configured in the transmitting device. This is not limited in the present application. For ease of explanation, an example in which the method is performed by a transmitting device is used in the following description.

[0064] The method may include: a transmitting device generates a first frame, the first frame including a first element, the first element being used to request setting up individual target wake time TWT service periods SP, the first element including second information; the second information indicating N second links on which the individual TWT SPs are requested to be set up, the N second individual TWT SPs set up on the N second links need to be aligned, the N second individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one to the N second links, the N second links are different links, and N is a positive integer; the transmitting device transmits the first frame on the first link, the N second individual TWT SPs are aligned by using the first link as a reference link, the first link and the second link are communication links between the transmitting device and the receiving device.

[0065] For the beneficial effects of the sixth aspect, please refer to the description of the fifth aspect, and the details will not be described again here.

[0066] In some implementations of the sixth aspect, the first element includes third information, the third information indicating information regarding a first individual TWT SP on the first link, and the information regarding the first individual TWT SP including a start time of the first individual TWT SP.

[0067] In certain implementations of the fifth aspect, aligning the second individual TWT SP with the first individual TWT SP includes aligning a start time of the first individual TWT SP with a start time of the first individual TWT SP.

[0068] In some embodiments of the sixth aspect, the first element further comprises fourth information, wherein the fourth information indicates that the first element comprises the second information.

[0069] In some implementations of the sixth aspect, when the first element is a TWT element, the fourth information is an aligned TWT subfield in a control field of the TWT element.

[0070] In some implementations of the sixth aspect, when the first element is a TWT element, the second information is an aligned TWT bitmap subfield in a TWT parameter information field.

[0071] In certain implementations of the sixth aspect, the method further includes: the transmitting device receiving a second frame, the second frame including a second element, the second element including fifth information, the fifth information indicating that the receiving device confirms acceptance of the setup of the individual TWT SPs on the N second links.

[0072] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a communications device configured to perform the method provided in the first or third aspect. Specifically, the device may include a module configured to perform the first aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, the third aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, or the fifth aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof.

[0073] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a communications device configured to perform the method provided in the second or fourth aspect. Specifically, the device may include a module configured to perform the second aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, the fourth aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, or the sixth aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof.

[0074] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided a communications device including a processor. The processor may be coupled to a memory and configured to execute instructions in the memory to perform the method of the first aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, or the method of the third aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, or the method of the fifth aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof. Optionally, the device further includes the memory. Optionally, the device further includes a communications interface, and the processor is coupled to the communications interface.

[0075] In one embodiment, the apparatus is a receiving device. If the apparatus is a transmitting device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0076] In another embodiment, the apparatus is a chip configured in a receiving device.When the apparatus is a chip configured in a transmitting device, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0077] In another embodiment, the device is a chip or chip system.

[0078] Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0079] According to a tenth aspect, there is provided a communications device including a processor. The processor may be configured to execute instructions in a memory to perform the method of the second aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, or the method of the fourth aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, or the method of the sixth aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof. Optionally, the device further includes a memory. Optionally, the device further includes a communications interface, and the processor is coupled to the communications interface.

[0080] In one embodiment, the apparatus is a transmitting device. If the apparatus is a receiving device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0081] In another embodiment, the apparatus is a chip configured in a transmitting device.When the apparatus is a chip configured in a receiving device, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0082] In another embodiment, the device is a chip or chip system.

[0083] Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0084] According to an eleventh aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, enable the apparatus to perform the method of the first aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, the method of the third aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, or the method of the fifth aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof.

[0085] According to a twelfth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, enable the apparatus to perform the method of the second aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, or the method of the fourth aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, or the method of the sixth aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof.

[0086] According to a thirteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions, the computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed by an apparatus, enables the apparatus to perform the method provided in the first aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, the method of the third aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, or the method of the fifth aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof.

[0087] According to a fourteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions, the computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed by an apparatus, enables the apparatus to perform the method provided in the second aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, or the apparatus to perform the method of the fourth aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof, or the apparatus to perform the method of the sixth aspect and any one of possible implementations thereof.

[0088] According to a fifteenth aspect, there is provided a communication system including the aforementioned transmitting device and the aforementioned receiving device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0089] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram of an application scenario in which an embodiment of the present application is applicable; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a multi-link communication scenario. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram of an individual TWT SP. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram of the setup of a TWT agreement between two MLDs via negotiation. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram of the structure of a TWT element. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram of an individual TWT parameter information field. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a Broadcast TWT Parameter Information field. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 illustrates alignment of individual TWT SPs on multiple links. [Figure 10] 1 is a diagram of a field design of first information and second information in a TWT element according to the present application; [Figure 11] 10 is a diagram of another field design of the first information and the second information in the TWT element according to the present application. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a fourth information field design in a TWT element according to the present application. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram of another field design for the fourth information in a TWT element according to the present application. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram of yet another field design of the fourth information in a TWT element according to the present application. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram of yet another field design of the fourth information in a TWT element according to the present application. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of yet another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 18] 2 is a block diagram of a communication device 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 19] 3 is a block diagram of a communication device 300 according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a diagram of a chip system 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0090] The technical solutions of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0091] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are applicable to wireless local area network (WLAN) scenarios. For example, the 802.11a / b / g standard, the 802.11n standard, the 802.11ac standard, the 802.11ax standard, the next-generation Wi-Fi protocol of IEEE 802.11ax such as 802.11be, Wi-Fi 7, extremely high throughput (EHT), 802.11ad, 802.11ay, or 802.11bf, and other IEEE 802.11-related standards are supported. As another example, the next-generation protocol of 802.11be or Wi-Fi 8 is supported. The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application may further be applied to ultra-wideband (UWB)-based wireless personal area network systems, such as the 802.15 series standard, or to sensing systems, such as the 802.11bf series standard. The 802.11n standard is called high throughput (HT), the 802.11ac standard is called very high throughput (VHT), the 802.11ax standard is called high efficiency (HE), and the 802.11be standard is called extremely high throughput (EHT). 802.11bf includes two major categories of standards: low frequency (below 7 GHz) and high frequency (60 GHz). For example, the sub-7 GHz band is mainly implemented based on standards such as 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, and the next generation of 802.11be. 60 GHz is primarily implemented under standards such as 802.11ad, 802.11ay, and the next generation of 802.11ay, with 802.11ad sometimes referred to as the directional multi-gigabit (DMG) standard and 802.11ay sometimes referred to as the enhanced directional multi-gigabit (EDMG) standard.

[0092] Although the embodiments of the present application are primarily described using examples in which WLAN networks, particularly networks conforming to the IEEE 802.11 system standard, are deployed, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various aspects of the embodiments of the present application can be extended to other networks using various standards and protocols, such as high performance radio local area networks (HIPERLAN), wireless wide area networks (WWAN), wireless personal area networks (WPAN), and other networks known or developed in the future. Thus, various aspects provided in the embodiments of the present application are applicable to any suitable wireless network, regardless of the coverage area and wireless access protocol used.

[0093] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application may further be applied to various communication systems, such as a WLAN communication system, a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a fifth generation (5G) system or a new radio (NR) system, a future sixth generation (6G) system, an internet of things (IoT) network, or a vehicle-to-vehicle / vehicle-to-exchange (V2X) network.

[0094] The above-mentioned communication systems applicable to the present application are merely examples for the purpose of illustration, and the communication systems applicable to the present application are not limited to these, which will be mentioned here only once and will not be repeated below.

[0095] 1 is a diagram of an application scenario to which an embodiment of the present application can be applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the resource configuration method provided in the present application is applicable to data communication between stations (STAs). The stations may be access points (APs) or non-access point stations (non-AP STAs). The access point station and the non-access point station are simply referred to as APs and non-AP stations, respectively. Specifically, the solution of the present application is applicable to data communication between an AP and one or more non-AP stations (e.g., data communication between AP1 and non-AP STA1 and non-AP STA2), and also to data communication between APs (e.g., data communication between AP1 and AP2) and data communication between non-AP STAs (e.g., data communication between non-AP STA2 and non-AP STA3).

[0096] An access point may be an access point used by a terminal (e.g., a mobile phone) to access a wired (or wireless) network, and is mainly deployed in homes, buildings, and campuses. A typical coverage radius is several tens of meters or more than 100 meters. Of course, an access point may alternatively be deployed outdoors. An access point corresponds to a bridge connecting a wired network and a wireless network. The main function of an access point is to connect various wireless network clients to each other and then connect the wireless network to an Ethernet.

[0097] Specifically, the access point may be a terminal or a network device having a Wi-Fi chip. The network device may be a server, a router, a switch, a bridge, a computer, a mobile phone, a relay station, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a network device in a 5G network, a network device in a future 6G network, a network device in a public land mobile network (PLMN), etc. This is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The access point may be a device that supports a Wi-Fi standard. For example, the access point may alternatively support one or more standards of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ad, and 802.11ay.

[0098] The non-AP station may be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, a wireless communication terminal, etc., and may also be referred to as a user, user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user equipment. The non-AP station may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device, a processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, an Internet of Things device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, a terminal device in a future 6G network, a terminal device in a PLMN, etc. This is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The non-AP station may be a device supporting a WLAN standard. For example, a non-AP station may support one or more standards in the IEEE 802.11 family, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ad, and 802.11ay.

[0099] For example, the non-AP station may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a set-top box, a smart TV, a smart wearable device, an in-vehicle communication device, a computer, an internet of things (IoT) node, a sensor, a smart camera, a smart remote control, or a smart water / electricity meter in a smart home and a sensor in a smart city.

[0100] The AP or non-AP station may include a transmitter, a receiver, a memory, a processor, etc. The transmitter and receiver are configured to transmit and receive packet structures, respectively. The memory is configured to store signaling information, pre-agreed preset values, etc. The processor is configured to parse the signaling information and process associated data.

[0101] The above-mentioned communication systems applicable to the present application are merely examples for the purpose of illustration, and the communication systems applicable to the present application are not limited to these, which will be mentioned here only once and will not be repeated below.

[0102] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following first provides a brief explanation of some nouns or terms in the present application.

[0103] 1. Multi-link Communication: Next-generation WLAN standards are developing and evolving toward continuous improvements in throughput. WLAN system standards are primarily being researched and discussed in the IEEE 802.11 Standards Working Group. Based on the previous standard protocols 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax, the next-generation standard 802.11be uses EHT as its technology goal. One of the existing key technologies is multi-link communication. The core concept of multi-link communication is that WLAN devices supporting the next-generation IEEE 802.11 standard, i.e., EHT devices, have the ability to transmit and receive on multiple bands, allowing for greater bandwidth to be used for transmission. This further improves throughput. Multi-band communication primarily includes, but is not limited to, the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band, the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band, and the 6 GHz Wi-Fi band. Access and transmission in each band is called one link. Therefore, access and transmission in multiple bands is called multi-link. 802.11be provides a definition for a multi-link device MLD, ie a device that supports multi-link communication.

[0104] 2 is a diagram of a multi-link communication scenario. FIG. 2 includes one AP MLD and one STA MLD. One AP MLD may include multiple access points (APs), e.g., AP1 and AP2, and one STA MLD may include multiple stations (STAs), e.g., STA1 and STA1. For example, link 1 and link 2 in FIG. 2 form two links, and communication between the AP MLD device and the STA MLD device on link 1 and link 2 may be referred to as multi-link communication.

[0105] 2. TWT: TWT is an energy-saving technology defined by Wi-Fi 6. The core idea is to set some periodic periods so that some devices only need to be active during these periods and can sleep during other periods, thereby realizing energy savings. TWT is classified into individual TWT and broadcast TWT. In individual TWT, each STA can independently set up a TWT agreement with the AP. Therefore, each STA can have its own active and sleep periods. In broadcast TWT, the AP may set up a common TWT agreement for a group of STAs, and multiple STAs will operate during the same active period and sleep during other periods.

[0106] 3. Individual TWT: Individual TWT means that a TWT requesting station (hereinafter referred to as the requesting station for short) sends a TWT request message to a TWT responding station (hereinafter referred to as the responding station for short) to request that the wake time be set. After receiving the TWT request message, the responding station sends a TWT response message to the requesting station. After the exchange is successful, a TWT agreement is set up between the requesting station and the responding station. After the TWT agreement is reached, both the requesting station and the responding station need to be in an active state for the agreed-upon period to transmit and receive data. Outside the active period, the station may hibernate to save energy. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a STA may send a TWT request frame to an AP, which is used to request that a TWT agreement be set up. That is, the STA is the requesting station, and the AP is the responding station, and vice versa. In response, the AP sends a TWT Response frame to the STA, which indicates that the AP accepts the setup of the TWT agreement. After the TWT agreement is set up, the agreed-upon active period is called the TWT SP. Each TWT agreement may include multiple TWT service periods of equal length that occur periodically.

[0107] 4. Broadcast TWT: Unlike individual TWT, broadcast TWT provides a "batch management" mechanism. An AP can set up a series of periodically occurring TWT service periods with multiple STAs. During a service period, multiple STAs must be active to communicate with the AP. An AP may convey information about one or more broadcast TWTs in a beacon frame, where each broadcast TWT is represented by a broadcast TWT identifier and the AP's MAC address. After receiving a beacon frame, if a STA wishes to join a broadcast TWT, the STA may send a broadcast TWT setup request message to the AP to join the broadcast TWT. During broadcast TWT setup, the STA needs to specify the broadcast TWT identifier to request joining a specific broadcast TWT. After joining the broadcast TWT, the STA can start communicating with the AP based on the service period indicated by the TWT parameter set. Note that if a STA supports broadcast TWT but does not explicitly join a broadcast TWT ID, the STA joins the broadcast TWT with its broadcast TWT ID = 0 by default. Similar to individual TWTs, the parameter set for broadcast TWTs also specifies the wake interval of TWT service periods and the duration of each TWT service period. The parameters for broadcast TWTs also include a lifecycle of the broadcast TWT, which is in units of beacon intervals and indicates the duration of the setup broadcast TWT.

[0108] In 802.11be Draft 2.0, the individual TWT function is extended to accommodate multi-link communication scenarios. An MLD may set up individual TWT agreements on multiple links with another MLD in the following ways: Scheme 1: According to the 802.11ax protocol, an MLD may set up individual TWT agreements and corresponding individual TWT SPs on each link. Scheme 2: According to 802.11be Draft 2.0, an MLD may send a TWT request message on one link to set up TWT agreements on multiple links and corresponding individual TWT SPs for each of the multiple links.

[0109] FIG. 4 illustrates the setup of a TWT agreement between two MLDs through negotiation using the aforementioned method 2. In FIG. 4, there are two MLDs: one AP MLD and one non-AP MLD. TWT agreement(s) need to be set up between the two MLDs through negotiation. As shown in FIG. 3, the AP MLD has three associated AP stations: AP1, AP2, and AP3, operating at 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz, respectively. The non-AP MLD has three associated non-AP stations: STA1, STA2, and STA3. Three links are set up between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD: Link 1 between AP1 and STA1, Link 2 between AP2 and STA2, and Link 3 between AP3 and STA3. TWT agreements are set up between the stations in the two MLDs by transmitting TWT elements. Below, we first describe the TWT elements and their parameter information with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7.

[0110] FIG. 5 is a diagram of the structure of a TWT element. As shown in FIG. 5, the TWT element includes an Element ID field, a Length field, a Control field, and a TWT Parameter Information field. The Control field includes fields such as a Null Data Packet (NDP) Paging Indicator field, a Responder Power Management Mode subfield, a Negotiation Type subfield, and a TWT Information Frame Invalidation field. The Negotiation Type subfield indicates one of two individual TWT types and two other broadcast TWT types. For example, if the Negotiation Type subfield indicates an individual TWT type, as shown in FIG. 6, the TWT Parameter Information field of FIG. 5 includes a Request Type field, a Target Wake Time field, a TWT Group Assignment field, a Nominal Minimum TWT Wake Duration field, a TWT Wake Duration Mantissa field, a TWT Channel field, an NDP Paging field, and a Link ID Bitmap subfield. For example, if the Negotiation Type subfield indicates a Broadcast TWT type, the TWT Parameter Information field in Figure 5 includes a Request Type field, a Target Wake Time field, a Nominal Minimum TWT Wake Duration field, a TWT Wake Duration Mantissa field, a Broadcast TWT Channel subfield, and a Restricted TWT Traffic Information field, as shown in Figure 7. For the number of bits or octets occupied by each field, please refer to the description in the corresponding accompanying drawing, which will not be described one by one again in this specification.

[0111] 7 may be referred to as the start time of the individual TWT SP in the embodiments of the present application, and it is further understood that the start time is the start time of the individual TWT SP in the first SP wake interval.

[0112] When the AP MLD in FIG. 4 attempts to set up a TWT agreement with a non-AP MLD on multiple links (e.g., link 1, link 2, and link 3) by using one link (e.g., link 1), the following two methods may be used:

[0113] Method 1: As shown in FIG. 4, an AP MLD may send a TWT request frame on Link 1 to request the setup of a TWT agreement between two MLDs on multiple links, and the request frame carries a TWT element. The value of the Link ID Bitmap Present field in the Control field of the TWT element is set to 1. In this case, the Individual TWT Parameter Information field of the TWT element carries a Link ID Bitmap subfield. The number of bits in the Link ID Bitmap subfield is the same as the number of links between the two MLDs. Each bit in the Bitmap subfield corresponds to a link between the two MLDs. When a bit in the Link ID Bitmap subfield is set to 1, it means that a TWT agreement is requested to be setup on the link corresponding to the bit whose value is 1. When multiple bits are set to 1, the two MLDs may simultaneously setup a TWT agreement on multiple links corresponding to the multiple bits whose value is 1. In this case, the TWT parameter information in the TWT element applies to the links corresponding to the bits whose value is 1 in the Link ID Bitmap subfield of the element.

[0114] Method 2: As shown in Figure 4, the AP MLD still sends a TWT request frame on Link 1, but the request frame carries multiple TWT elements. Also, the value of the Link ID Bitmap Present field in the Control field of one or more TWT elements may be set to . In this case, the Individual TWT Parameter Information field of these TWT elements carries the Link ID Bitmap subfield. Similarly, the TWT parameter information in a TWT element applies to the link corresponding to the bit whose value is 1 in the Link ID Bitmap subfield of the element, and all TWT element information is independent of each other.

[0115] For some MLD devices, such as devices in enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR), enhanced multi-link multi-radio (EMLMR), and non-simultaneously transmit and receive (NSTR) modes, aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links are important for device energy conservation because these devices can only operate on one link at a time. When an MLD device switches links, the TWT period set up on the previous link is not expected to be interrupted. Therefore, setting up aligned TWT SPs on multiple links is a reasonable solution. However, from the two methods mentioned above, we can see that existing methods for setting up TWT agreements do not clearly describe how to set up aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links by using a single link. One TWT parameter information field applies to multiple links, and the time synchronization function (TSF) timer for each link is different. Therefore, the same parameter in the TWT parameter information field (e.g., the value of the target wake time field in the TWT parameter information field) actually has an offset on different links, in other words, the starting points of multiple individual TWT SPs are not aligned, resulting in individual TWT SPs on different links being unaligned.

[0116] Based on the above method 1, currently, proposal 802.11-22 / 0552r4 proposes a method to set up aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links by using one TWT element. Specifically, the method to calculate the target wake time on each link is as follows: TWT i =TWT ti +TWT offset , During the ceremony, TWT i is the target wake time corresponding to the ith link indicated in the Link ID Bitmap subfield, and TWT ti is the point at which the target wake time indicated in the carried TWT element is mapped to the time axis of the i-th link, and offset The value of TWT is calculated using the following formula: offset =TSF0-TSF i where TSF0 is the TSF time of the link with the smallest link ID among the links associated with the two MLDs, and TWT i is the TSF time of the ith link.

[0117] In the above method, by using TSF0 as a reference, the corresponding TWT for each link is calculated. offset is calculated. This is equivalent to the target wake time corresponding to each link also being aligned by using the target wake time of the link with the smallest link ID. Therefore, aligned individual TWT SPs can be set up on multiple links by using one TWT element. However, this method requires TSF calibration to be performed twice when the receiving MLD calculates the target wake time for each link, which increases the complexity. Also, the negotiation process between the two MLDs does not specify whether aligned individual TWT SPs are required to be set up.

[0118] In view of this, the present application provides a communication method for effectively solving the aforementioned technical problems. The method provided in the present application is described in detail below.

[0119] 8 is a block diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the transmitting device and the receiving device in this embodiment are MLDs. For example, the transmitting device in FIG. 8 may be an AP MLD, and the receiving device may be a STA MLD, or vice versa.

[0120] S810: The transmitting device generates a first frame. The first frame includes a first element, which is used to request the setup of individual TWT SPs, and the first element includes first information and second information. The first information indicates a first link on which the individual TWT SP is requested to be set up, and the second information indicates N second links on which the individual TWT SPs are requested to be set up, and the N second individual TWT SPs set up on the N second links need to be aligned with the first individual TWT SP on the first link. The N second individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one to the N second links, the first link and the second link are communication links between the transmitting device and the receiving device, and the N second links are different links, where N is a positive integer.

[0121] It should be understood that the individual TWT SPs in this application may also be referred to as individual TWT agreements, and each individual TWT SP includes multiple TWT SPs of equal length that appear periodically as shown in FIG.

[0122] It should be further understood that aligning two individual TWT SPs indicates that the wake-up times of devices in the two individual TWT SPs (i.e., the times at which data can be transmitted and received) are aligned. For example, the communication links between a transmitting device and a receiving device include Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, and Link 4. If the first information indicates Link 1 and the second information indicates Link 2 and Link 3, then, as shown in FIG. 9 , individual TWT SP 1 on Link 1, individual TWT SP 2 on Link 2, and individual TWT SP 3 on Link 3 are aligned. Location point T1 is the wake start time of each individual TWT SP in the first wake interval, and T is the wake duration of the individual TWT SP in the wake interval. However, because the TSF timers of the three links are different, it should be noted that the time points corresponding to location T1 on the time axis for Link 1, Link 2, and Link 3 are different. For example, position T on link 1 corresponds to time point 1 on the time axis of link 1, position T on link 2 corresponds to time point 2 on the time axis of link 1, and position T on link 3 corresponds to time point 3 on the time axis of link 3.

[0123] Optionally, the first link may be any one of a plurality of communication links between the transmitting device and the receiving device, for example, the first link is the communication link over which the first frame is transmitted.

[0124] In this method, it can be seen that the second information indicates a link on which the aligned individual TWT SP needs to be set up, and the first information explicitly indicates that multiple individual TWT SPs are aligned on multiple links by using the first link as a reference link. Thus, a method is specified for a transmitting device to set up aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links together with a receiving device by using one link. Therefore, in this application, the first link indicated by the first information may also be referred to as a reference link. These two descriptions may be interchangeable hereinafter.

[0125] S820: The transmitting device transmits a first frame, and the receiving device correspondingly receives the first frame.

[0126] It should be understood that the transmitting device transmits a first frame on any link associated with the transmitting device and the receiving device, and in response, the receiving device receives the first frame on that link.

[0127] S830: The receiving device sets up a first individual TWT SP on the first link and sets up N second individual TWT SPs on N second links based on the first factor.

[0128] Optionally, the first element further includes third information, where the third information indicates information about the first individual TWT SP, wherein the information about the first individual TWT SP includes a start time of the first individual TWT SP, a wake interval of the first individual TWT SP, and a duration of the first individual TWT SP in the wake interval.

[0129] In this embodiment of the present application, it will be understood that when the first element is a TWT element, the start time of the first individual TWT SP is related to the value of the TWT field of the Individual TWT Parameter Information field, the wake interval of the first individual TWT SP is the value of the TWT Wake Interval Mantissa field of the Individual TWT Parameter Information field, and the duration of the first individual TWT SP is the value of the Nominal Minimum TWT Wake Duration field of the Individual TWT Parameter Information field.

[0130] For multiple individual TWT SPs aligned on multiple links, it should be understood that the wake intervals and durations of the multiple individual TWT SPs may be obtained based on the third information, and these parameters are constant and do not vary based on the TSF timer of the link. Only the start times of the multiple individual TWT SPs are offset due to the TSF timer. Therefore, the key to determining the multiple aligned TWT SPs is to determine the start times of the multiple TWT SPs.

[0131] Specifically, in this step, the receiving device may set up the first individual TWT SP on the first link based on the information about the first individual TWT SP in the third information. Also, the receiving device may determine the start time of the second individual TWT SP based on the start time of the first individual TWT SP included in the information about the first individual TWT SP. Start time of the second individual TWT SP TWT j is the following formula: TWT j =TWT i +TWT offset (1) wherein TWT i is the start time of the first individual TWT SP, and offset The value of TWT is calculated using the following formula: offset =TSF j -TSF i In the formula, TSF i is the TSF time corresponding to the first link, and j is the TSF time corresponding to the second link. In other words, the transmitting device can calculate the TWT on the time axis of the second link according to the above formula by using the time axis of the reference link as the reference standard. i The receiving device then determines a wake interval and duration of a second individual TWT SP based on the wake interval of the first individual TWT SP and the duration of the first individual TWT SP, and sets up the second individual TWT SP on the second link based on the information.

[0132] Specifically, if the first element is a TWT element, i The value of can be obtained by mapping the value of the Target Wake Time subfield in the TWT Parameter Information field of the first element to the TSF timer of the first link. The Target Wake Time subfield has a total of 16 bits, which correspond to the values ​​of bits 10 to 25 of the TSF timer. i The value of can be obtained by replacing bits 10 through 25 of the TSF timer of the first link with the value of the Target Wake Time subfield of the first element. It will be understood that the value of the Target Wake Time subfield in the TWT Parameter Information field of the first element is an absolute value. Therefore, the value obtained by mapping the value of the Target Wake Time subfield to the TSF timer of the first link will match the value obtained by mapping the value of the Target Wake Time subfield to a different TSF timer of the second link.

[0133] TWT i and TWT j It will be understood that the time points t1, t2, t3, t4, t5, t6, t7, t8, t9, t10, t11, t12, t13, t14, t15, t16, t17, t18, t19, t20, t21, t22, t23, t24, t25, t2

[0134] It can be seen that the third information directly indicates the start time of the TWT SP on the reference link, and the start time of the second individual TWT SP can be calibrated based on the synchronization time difference between the reference link and the second link. Compared with the solution of setting up aligned TWT SPs proposed in proposal 802.11-22 / 0552r4, for a link, the receiving end only needs to perform calibration once, thereby reducing the complexity of calculating the start time of the aligned individual TWT SPs on the link.

[0135] For example, if the first element is a TWT element, the field corresponding to the third information is the TWT parameter information field of the TWT element. Because the meanings of the first information and the second information are different from the meanings of the information indicated by the current field in the TWT element, the following provides possible field design schemes for the first information and the second information in the TWT element.

[0136] Method 1: As shown in Figure 10, a new field corresponding to the second information is added after the Link ID Bitmap subfield in the Individual TWT Parameter Information field of the TWT element. The name of the field is not limited in this application. For ease of explanation, the newly added field is referred to as the Aligned TWT Bitmap field in this application. For example, the length of the newly added Aligned TWT Bitmap field is 2 octets.

[0137] In Scheme 1, the Link ID Bitmap subfield is considered as a field corresponding to first information and may indicate the first link (i.e., the reference link). In other words, information about the TWT SP on the link indicated by the newly added Aligned TWT Bitmap subfield is calculated based on information about the TWT SP on the reference link. The Aligned TWT Bitmap subfield indicates the link between the transmitting device and the receiving device on which the TWT SP aligned with the first link is set up. For example, the link indication method is to set the bit corresponding to the link in the Aligned TWT Bitmap subfield to 1.

[0138] Method 2: As shown in Figure 11, a new field (i.e., an Aligned TWT Bitmap subfield) is added after the Link ID Bitmap subfield in the Individual TWT Parameter Information field of the TWT element as a field corresponding to the second information, and the existing Link ID Bitmap field is modified to the Link ID field as a field corresponding to the first information. For example, the length of the newly added Aligned TWT Bitmap field is 2 octets.

[0139] Specifically, in this way, the two octets of the original link bitmap subfield are modified into one octet. The first four bits of the one octet may indicate the first link (the ID of the first link ranges from 0 to 15), and the last four bits of the one octet are used as a reserved field. By comparing Scheme 2 with Scheme 1, we can see that one octet is saved, but the field design logic is the same.

[0140] Optionally, the first element further includes fourth information, and the fourth information indicates that the first element includes the second information. For example, the fourth information is 1-bit information. When the value of the 1-bit is 1, it indicates that the first information includes the second information, or when the value of the 1-bit is 0, it indicates that the first information does not include the second information.

[0141] For example, the first element is a TWT element. The following provides a possible element design method for the fourth information of the TWT element.

[0142] Scheme 1: As shown in Figure 12, one reserved bit in the control field of the TWT element is used as a field corresponding to the fourth information. The name of the field is not limited in this application. For ease of explanation, this field is referred to as the aligned TWT field in this application.

[0143] For example, if the value of the Aligned TWT field is 1, it indicates that the TWT parameter information field carried in the TWT element is a parameter that needs to be used to determine multiple aligned TWT SPs, or if the value of the Aligned TWT field is 0, it indicates that the TWT parameter information field carried in the TWT element is not a parameter that needs to be used to determine multiple aligned TWT SPs, or it is not specified whether the TWT parameter information field carried in the TWT element is a parameter that needs to be used to align TWT SPs. The reverse is also true, and a specific setting method is not limited in this embodiment.

[0144] Method 2: As shown in Figure 13, a 2-bit field indication is added to the control field of the TWT element as a field corresponding to the fourth information. The name of the field is not limited in this application. For ease of explanation, this field is referred to as the aligned TWT field in this application. In this case, only 1 bit is unused in the existing control field, and the number of bits is insufficient, so one octet (8 bits) needs to be added, and the 7 unused bits are used as a reserved field.

[0145] For example, if the value of the Aligned TWT field is 00, it indicates that the TWT parameter information field carried in the TWT element is a parameter that needs to be used to determine multiple aligned TWT SPs, or if the value of the Aligned TWT field is 01, it indicates that the TWT parameter information field carried in the TWT element is not a parameter that needs to be used to determine multiple aligned TWT SPs, or if the value of the Aligned TWT field is 10, it indicates that it is not specified whether the TWT parameter information field carried in the TWT element is a parameter that needs to be used to align TWT SPs. The specific setting method is not limited in this embodiment.

[0146] For example, in this application, if the value of the Aligned TWT field indicates that the TWT Parameter Information field carried in the TWT element is a parameter that needs to be used to determine multiple aligned TWT SPs, the Aligned TWT Bitmap field is present. Otherwise, the Aligned TWT Bitmap field is not present. Therefore, the Aligned TWT field in this application may also be referred to as the Aligned TWT Bitmap Present field.

[0147] Method 3: As shown in FIG. 14, based on FIG. 10, a one-octet field is added after the Link ID Bitmap subfield of the individual TWT parameter information field of the TWT element, and a 2-bit subfield indication in the newly added field is used as a field corresponding to the fourth information. The name of the field is not limited in this application. For ease of explanation, this field is referred to as the Aligned TWT field in this application. In this case, if the Link ID Bitmap subfield exists, one octet (8 bits) is added after the Link ID Bitmap subfield, and the six unused bits are used as a reserved field.

[0148] Scheme 4: As shown in Figure 15, based on Figure 11, two of the four reserved bits in the link ID subfield of Figure 11 are used as a field corresponding to the fourth information. The name of the field is not limited in this application. For ease of explanation, this field is referred to as the aligned TWT field in this application.

[0149] For example, in Method 3 and Method 4, if the value of the Aligned TWT field is 00, it indicates that the TWT parameter information field carried in the TWT element is a parameter that needs to be used to determine multiple aligned TWT SPs, or if the value of the Aligned TWT field is 01, it indicates that the TWT parameter information field carried in the TWT element is not a parameter that needs to be used to determine multiple aligned TWT SPs, or if the value of the Aligned TWT field is 10, it indicates that it is not specified whether the TWT parameter information field carried in the TWT element is a parameter that needs to be used to align TWT SPs. The specific setting method is not limited in this embodiment.

[0150] For example, in this application, if the value of the Aligned TWT field indicates that the TWT Parameter Information field carried in the TWT element is a parameter that needs to be used to determine multiple aligned TWT SPs, the Aligned TWT Bitmap field is present. Otherwise, the Aligned TWT Bitmap field is not present. Therefore, the Aligned TWT field in this application may also be referred to as the Aligned TWT Bitmap Present field.

[0151] Optionally, the Aligned TWT field may not be added to the control field of the TWT element (i.e., the fourth information is not included), and the Aligned TWT Bitmap subfield (i.e., the second information) is always present. Specifically, when requesting to set up individual TWT SPs, the transmitting device does not explicitly indicate whether to set up aligned SPs on multiple links, and the receiving end determines whether to set up aligned TWT SPs by using the indication in the Aligned TWT Bitmap subfield. Other behaviors of the receiving and transmitting devices remain unchanged. For example, if the values ​​of some bits in the Aligned TWT Bitmap subfield are 0, TWT SPs aligned with the reference link do not need to be set up on these links whose bit values ​​are 0; or, if the values ​​of some bits in the TWT Bitmap subfield are 1, TWT SPs aligned with the reference link are set up on these links whose bit values ​​are 1.

[0152] S840: The transmitting device and the receiving device communicate with each other on the corresponding link based on the first individual TWT SP and the N second individual TWT SPs.

[0153] Optionally, before the receiving device decides to accept the sending device's request for the first element, the method further comprises: S850: The receiving device transmits a second frame, the second frame including a second element, the second element including fifth information, the fifth information indicating that the receiving device confirms acceptance of the setup of the individual TWT SPs on the first link and the N second links. In response, the transmitting device receives the second frame.

[0154] It should be understood that the above describes a process in which a receiving device sets up multiple individual TWT SPs on multiple links based on the first factor after accepting a transmitting device's request to set up TWT SPs. In practice, the receiving device may alternatively reject the request. Based on specific signaling, the following provides a possible complete implementation procedure in which each of MLD1 (transmitting device) and MLD2 (receiving device) sets up aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links by using the above solution.

[0155] MLD1 transmits a TWT setup frame (i.e., an example of a first frame) to MLD2 over the link associated with MLD1 and MLD2. MLD1 carries a TWT element (i.e., an example of a first element) in the TWT setup frame and carries a value indicating Suggest TWT or Demand TWT in the TWT Setup Command field of the request type field of the TWT element. Suggest TWT or Demand TWT indicates that the TWT setup frame is a request to initiate TWT SP setup. Suggest TWT or Demand TWT enables MLD1 to initiate a TWT SP setup request and carry a set of TWT parameter information (i.e., an example of third information). MLD1 must further set the Aligned TWT field (an example of fourth information) of the TWT Control field to 1 (or 00) to indicate that the TWT element also carries the Aligned TWT Bitmap field (an example of second information). Also, the Aligned TWT Bitmap field indicates the link on which the individual TWT SP aligned with the reference link is expected to be set up, and the reference link is indicated by the Link ID Bitmap subfield or Link ID field (i.e., an example of the first information).

[0156] Correspondingly, after receiving the TWT setup frame sent by MLD1, MLD2 determines, based on the TWT element in the TWT setup frame, that the TWT setup frame is an individual TWT SP setup request. Using the link ID bitmap (or link ID) field and the aligned TWT bitmap field in the TWT element, MLD2 can determine the link on which MLD1 is attempting to set up the aligned TWT SP and the link that is the reference link. Based on the TWT field in the individual TWT parameter information field, the start time of the individual TWT SPs that need to be aligned on several requested links can be calculated according to equation (1). Finally, based on other information in the individual TWT parameter information field, such as the nominal minimum TWT wake duration field and the TWT wake interval mantissa field, information such as the duration and wake interval of the aligned individual TWT SPs requested to be set up can be calculated. After obtaining all the necessary information in this way, MLD2 determines, based on the obtained information, whether to accept the TWT SP setup request initiated by MLD1. The following describes in detail whether MLD2 accepts MLD1's request.

[0157] In a possible scenario, MLD2 accepts the request. In this case, MLD2 transmits a TWT Setup frame (i.e., an example of a second frame) including a TWT element to MLD1. If the value of the TWT Request subfield in the request type field of the TWT element is equal to 0, it indicates that the TWT Setup frame is a response frame. The TWT element carries a value indicating Accept TWT (i.e., an example of fifth information) in the TWT Setup Command field of the request type field. Accept TWT indicates confirmation of acceptance of MLD1's request. Optionally, the control field of the TWT element may carry an Aligned TWT subfield, which is set to 1 (or 00). The meaning of the subfield is the same as that described above, and the details will not be explained again in this specification. Optionally, the TWT element may carry an individual TWT parameter information field that is the same as that in the received TWT element, or it may not carry an individual TWT parameter information field.

[0158] In another possible scenario, MLD2 does not accept the request. In this case, MLD2 sends a TWT Setup frame (i.e., an example of a second frame) containing a TWT element to MLD1. If the value of the TWT Request subfield in the request type field of the TWT element is equal to 0, it indicates that the TWT Setup frame is a response frame. The TWT element carries a value indicating Reject TWT in the TWT Setup Command field of the request type field. Reject TWT indicates that MLD1's request is not accepted. Optionally, the control field of the TWT element may carry an aligned TWT subfield, which may be set to any value. Optionally, the TWT element may carry an individual TWT parameter information field that is the same as that in the received TWT element, or it may not carry an individual TWT parameter information field.

[0159] In yet another possible scenario, MLD2 may not accept the request but may provide proposed parameters to MLD1. In this case, MLD2 transmits a TWT Setup frame (i.e., an example of a second frame) containing a TWT element to MLD1. If the value of the TWT Request subfield in the request type field of the TWT element is equal to 0, it indicates that the TWT Setup frame is a response frame. The TWT element carries a value indicating Alternate TWT or Dictate TWT in the TWT Setup Command field within the request type field. Alternate TWT or Dictate TWT indicates that MLD1's request is not accepted, but proposed TWT SP parameters may be provided to MLD1. The proposed parameters are carried in the individual TWT parameter information field of the TWT element, and the aligned TWT subfield in the control field of the TWT element indicates whether the proposed TWT SP parameters are aligned TWT SP. For example, if the Aligned TWT subfield of the TWT element's control field is set to 1, it indicates that the proposed TWT SP is an aligned TWT SP. If the Aligned TWT subfield is set to 0, it indicates that the proposed TWT SP can be an aligned or non-aligned TWT SP.

[0160] 16 is a block diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the transmitting device and the receiving device in this embodiment are MLDs. For example, the transmitting device in FIG. 16 may be an AP MLD, and the receiving device may be a STA MLD, or vice versa.

[0161] S1610: The transmitting device generates a first frame. The first frame includes a first element, which is used to request the setup of individual TWT SPs, and the first element includes second information. The second information indicates N second links on which the individual TWT SPs are requested to be setup, the N second individual TWT SPs setup on the N second links need to be aligned, and the N second individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one to the N second links. The N second links are different links, N is a positive integer, and the second links are communication links between the transmitting device and the receiving device.

[0162] S1620: The transmitting device transmits a first frame on a first link. N second individual TWT SPs are aligned by using the first link as a reference link. Correspondingly, the receiving device receives the first frame on the first link.

[0163] It should be understood that the first link is the communication link between the transmitting device and the receiving device.

[0164] It can be seen that, compared with the method shown in FIG. 8, the first element of this method does not need to indicate the first information. If the first element does not indicate the first information, the first link indicated by the first information in FIG. 8 may be the link on which the first element is transmitted. In this way, the second information indicates the link on which the aligned individual TWT SP needs to be set up, and multiple individual TWT SPs are aligned on multiple links by using the first link as a reference link. Thus, a method is specified for a transmitting device to set up aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links together with a receiving device by using one link.

[0165] The method can be further understood as follows: if the first element includes the second information, the first information is never present. In this way, the second information indicates the link on which the aligned individual TWT SP needs to be set up, and multiple individual TWT SPs are aligned on multiple links by using the first link on which the first frame is transmitted as the reference link. Thus, a method is specified for a transmitting device to set up aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links together with a receiving device by using one link.

[0166] S1630: The receiving device sets up N aligned second individual TWT SPs on the N second links by using the first link as a reference link.

[0167] Optionally, the first element further includes third information, the third information indicating information about a first individual TWT SP on the first link, the information about the first individual TWT SP including a start time of the first individual TWT SP, a wake interval of the first individual TWT SP, and a duration of the first individual TWT SP in the wake interval.

[0168] It should be noted that even if information about the first individual TWT SP is configured in the method, the first individual TWT SP may not actually be set up on the first link. The information about the first individual TWT SP on the first link is used only as reference information to set up the aligned individual TWT SP on the second link indicated by the second information. If the N second links indicated by the second information include the first link, the first individual TWT SP is actually set up on the first link. If the N second links indicated by the second information do not include the first link, the first individual TWT SP is not set up on the first link. In this case, the first individual TWT SP is considered a virtual individual TWT SP and is merely a reference TWT SP for setting up the aligned individual TWT SP.

[0169] In this embodiment of the present application, it will be understood that when the first element is a TWT element, the start time of the first individual TWT SP is related to the value of the TWT field of the Individual TWT Parameter Information field, the wake interval of the first individual TWT SP is the value of the TWT Wake Interval Mantissa field of the Individual TWT Parameter Information field, and the duration of the first individual TWT SP is the value of the Nominal Minimum TWT Wake Duration field of the Individual TWT Parameter Information field.

[0170] For multiple individual TWT SPs aligned on multiple links, it should be understood that the wake intervals and durations of the multiple individual TWT SPs may be obtained based on the third information, and these parameters are constant and do not vary based on the TSF timer of the link. Only the start times of the multiple individual TWT SPs are offset due to the TSF timer. Therefore, the key to determining the multiple aligned TWT SPs is to determine the start times of the multiple TWT SPs.

[0171] Specifically, in this step, the receiving device may determine the start time of the second individual TWT SP based on the start time of the first individual TWT SP included in the information about the first individual TWT SP. j is the following formula: TWT j =TWT i +TWT offset (2) wherein TWT i is the start time of the first individual TWT SP, and offset The value of TWT is calculated using the following formula: offset =TSF j -TSF i In the formula, TSF i is the TSF time corresponding to the first link, and jis the TSF time corresponding to the second link. In other words, the transmitting device can calculate the TWT on the time axis of the second link according to the above formula by using the time axis of the reference link as the reference standard. i The receiving device then determines a wake interval and duration of a second individual TWT SP based on the wake interval of the first individual TWT SP and the duration of the first individual TWT SP, and sets up the second individual TWT SP on the second link based on the information.

[0172] Specifically, if the first element is a TWT element, i The value of can be obtained by mapping the value of the Target Wake Time subfield in the TWT Parameter Information field of the first element to the TSF timer of the first link. The Target Wake Time subfield has a total of 16 bits, which correspond to the values ​​of bits 10 to 25 of the TSF timer. i The value of can be obtained by replacing bits 10 through 25 of the TSF timer of the first link with the value of the Target Wake Time subfield of the first element. It will be understood that the value of the Target Wake Time subfield in the TWT Parameter Information field of the first element is an absolute value. Therefore, the value obtained by mapping the value of the Target Wake Time subfield to the TSF timer of the first link will match the value obtained by mapping the value of the Target Wake Time subfield to a different TSF timer of the second link.

[0173] TWT i and TWT j It will be understood that the time points t1, t2, t3, t4, t5, t6, t7, t8, t9, t10, t11, t12, t13, t14, t15, t16, t17, t18, t19, t20, t21, t22, t23, t24, t25, t2

[0174] It can be seen that the third information directly indicates the start time of the TWT SP on the reference link, and the start time of the second individual TWT SP can be calibrated based on the synchronization time difference between the reference link and the second link. Compared with the solution of setting up aligned TWT SPs proposed in proposal 802.11-22 / 0552r4, for a link, the receiving end only needs to perform calibration once, thereby reducing the complexity of calculating the start time of the aligned individual TWT SPs on the link.

[0175] For example, if the first element is a TWT element, the field corresponding to the third information is the TWT parameter information field of the TWT element. For possible field design manners of the second information in the TWT element, please refer to the description of the embodiment corresponding to Figure 8. Details will not be described again in this specification.

[0176] S1640: The transmitting device and the receiving device communicate with each other on the corresponding links based on the N second individual TWT SPs.

[0177] Optionally, before the receiving device decides to accept the sending device's request for the first element, the method further comprises: S1650: The receiving device transmits a second frame, the second frame including a second element, the second element including fifth information, the fifth information indicating that the receiving device confirms acceptance of the setup of the individual TWT SPs on the N second links. In response, the transmitting device receives the second frame.

[0178] It should be understood that the above describes a process in which a receiving device sets up multiple individual TWT SPs on multiple links based on the first factor after accepting a transmitting device's request to set up TWT SPs. In practice, the receiving device may alternatively reject the request. Based on specific signaling, the following provides a possible complete implementation procedure in which each of MLD1 (transmitting device) and MLD2 (receiving device) sets up aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links by using the above solution.

[0179] MLD1 transmits a TWT setup frame (i.e., an example of a first frame) to MLD2 over the link associated with MLD1 and MLD2. MLD1 carries a TWT element (i.e., an example of a first element) in the TWT setup frame and carries a value indicating Suggest TWT or Demand TWT in the TWT Setup Command field of the request type field of the TWT element. Suggest TWT or Demand TWT indicates that the TWT setup frame is a request to initiate TWT SP setup. Suggest TWT or Demand TWT enables MLD1 to initiate a TWT SP setup request and carry a set of TWT parameter information (i.e., an example of third information). MLD1 must further set the Aligned TWT field (an example of fourth information) of the TWT Control field to 1 (or 00) to indicate that the TWT element also carries the Aligned TWT Bitmap field (an example of second information). Also, the Aligned TWT Bitmap field indicates the link on which the individual TWT SP aligned with the reference link is expected to be set up, where the reference link is the link on which the TWT setup frame is transmitted.

[0180] Correspondingly, after receiving the TWT setup frame sent by MLD1, MLD2 may determine, based on the TWT element in the TWT setup frame, that the TWT setup frame is an individual TWT SP setup request. Using the aligned TWT bitmap field in the TWT element, MLD2 may determine the link on which MLD1 is attempting to set up the aligned TWT SP and determine that the link on which the TWT setup frame is received is the reference link. Based on the TWT field in the individual TWT parameter information field, the start times of the individual TWT SPs that need to be aligned on the requested links may be calculated according to equation (2). Finally, based on other information in the individual TWT parameter information field, such as the nominal minimum TWT wake duration field and the TWT wake interval mantissa field, information such as the duration and wake interval of the aligned individual TWT SPs requested to be set up may be calculated. After obtaining all the necessary information in this way, MLD2 may determine, based on the obtained information, whether to accept the TWT SP setup request initiated by MLD1. The following describes in detail whether MLD2 accepts MLD1's request.

[0181] In a possible scenario, MLD2 accepts the request. In this case, MLD2 transmits a TWT Setup frame (i.e., an example of a second frame) including a TWT element to MLD1. If the value of the TWT Request subfield in the request type field of the TWT element is equal to 0, it indicates that the TWT Setup frame is a response frame. The TWT element carries a value indicating Accept TWT (i.e., an example of fifth information) in the TWT Setup Command field of the request type field. Accept TWT indicates confirmation of acceptance of MLD1's request. Optionally, the control field of the TWT element may carry an Aligned TWT subfield, which is set to 1 (or 00). The meaning of the subfield is the same as that described above, and the details will not be explained again in this specification. Optionally, the TWT element may carry an individual TWT parameter information field that is the same as that in the received TWT element, or it may not carry an individual TWT parameter information field.

[0182] In another possible scenario, MLD2 does not accept the request. In this case, MLD2 sends a TWT Setup frame (i.e., an example of a second frame) containing a TWT element to MLD1. If the value of the TWT Request subfield in the request type field of the TWT element is equal to 0, it indicates that the TWT Setup frame is a response frame. The TWT element carries a value indicating Reject TWT in the TWT Setup Command field of the request type field. Reject TWT indicates that MLD1's request is not accepted. Optionally, the control field of the TWT element may carry an aligned TWT subfield, which may be set to any value. Optionally, the TWT element may carry an individual TWT parameter information field that is the same as that in the received TWT element, or it may not carry an individual TWT parameter information field.

[0183] In yet another possible scenario, MLD2 may not accept the request but may provide proposed parameters to MLD1. In this case, MLD2 transmits a TWT Setup frame (i.e., an example of a second frame) containing a TWT element to MLD1. If the value of the TWT Request subfield in the request type field of the TWT element is equal to 0, it indicates that the TWT Setup frame is a response frame. The TWT element carries a value indicating Alternate TWT or Dictate TWT in the TWT Setup Command field within the request type field. Alternate TWT or Dictate TWT indicates that MLD1's request is not accepted, but proposed TWT SP parameters may be provided to MLD1. The proposed parameters are carried in the individual TWT parameter information field of the TWT element, and the aligned TWT subfield in the control field of the TWT element indicates whether the proposed TWT SP parameters are aligned TWT SP. For example, if the Aligned TWT subfield of the TWT element's control field is set to 1, it indicates that the proposed TWT SP is an aligned TWT SP. If the Aligned TWT subfield is set to 0, it indicates that the proposed TWT SP can be an aligned or non-aligned TWT SP.

[0184] Hereinafter, the present application provides another communication method for effectively solving the aforementioned technical problems, which will be described in detail below.

[0185] 17 is a block diagram of yet another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the transmitting device and the receiving device in this embodiment are MLDs. For example, the transmitting device in FIG. 17 may be an AP MLD, and the receiving device may be a STA MLD, or vice versa.

[0186] S1710: The transmitting device generates a first frame. The first frame includes M first elements, where the first elements are used to request the setup of individual TWT SPs, and the first elements include first information and second information. The first information indicates a target link on which the individual TWT SPs are requested to be set up, and the second information indicates information about the target individual TWT SPs on the target link, where the M target individual TWT SPs corresponding to the M first elements are aligned. The target link is a communication link between the transmitting device and the receiving device, where M is an integer greater than 1.

[0187] It should be understood that the M target links corresponding to the M first elements are different links.

[0188] Optionally, the information about the target individual TWT SP includes a start time of the target individual TWT SP, a wake interval of the target individual TWT SP, and a duration of the target individual TWT SP.

[0189] It should be further appreciated that the difference between this method and the method of Figure 8 is that the second information already directly contains information about the target individual TWT SP on the corresponding target link (i.e., the link to which the individual TWT SP needs to be aligned).

[0190] It should be noted that the transmitting device needs to further ensure that the wake intervals of the target individual TWT SPs on the M target links are consistent and that the durations of the target individual TWT SPs in the wake intervals are consistent to ensure that all individual TWT SPs set up on the M target links are aligned.

[0191] From the above description, it can be seen that for multiple individual TWT SPs aligned on multiple links, these parameters, i.e., the wake intervals and durations of the multiple individual TWT SPs, are constant and do not vary based on the TSF timer of the link. Only the start times of the multiple individual TWT SPs are offset due to the TSF timer. Therefore, the key to determining the multiple aligned TWT SPs by the transmitting device is to determine the start times of the TWT SPs on the multiple links. Therefore, the transmitting device can determine the start times of the target individual TWT SPs corresponding to each of the M target links based on the same link (i.e., one reference link).

[0192] Target individual TWT SP start time TWT j is the following formula: TWT j =TWT i +TWT offset (3) wherein TWT i is the corresponding point in time at which the start time of the target individual TWT SP is mapped to the time axis of the reference link. For example, offset The value of TWT is calculated using the following formula: offset =TSF j -TSF i and TSF i is the TSF time corresponding to the reference link, and j is the TSF time corresponding to the target link. In other words, by using the time axis of the reference link as a reference standard, the transmitting device calculates the TWT on the time axis of the M target links according to the above formula. i Optionally, the reference link is any link within the communication link between the sending device and the receiving device.

[0193] Optionally, the reference link is pre-set or pre-configured, for example, the reference link may be the link on which the first frame is transmitted, the target link corresponding to the first element of the M first elements, or may be designated as a designated link, for example, the link with the smallest link ID.

[0194] S1720: The transmitting device transmits a first frame, and the receiving device correspondingly receives the first frame.

[0195] It should be further appreciated that the transmitting device transmits the first frame on any link associated with the transmitting device and the receiving device, and correspondingly, the receiving device receives the first frame on that link.

[0196] S1730: The receiving device sets up M target individual TWT SPs on the M target links based on information about the M target individual TWT SPs included in the M first elements.

[0197] In one possible implementation, if the first information indicates only one link and the link is a target link, the receiving device sets up M target individual TWT SPs on the M target links based on information about the M target individual TWT SPs included in the M first elements. Because the information transmitted by the transmitting device regarding the M target individual TWT SPs is information obtained by performing alignment and calibration, the M target individual TWT SPs set up by the receiving device are aligned.

[0198] In another possible embodiment, when the first information indicates multiple links, including a target link, after receiving the multiple first elements, the receiving device cannot determine which of the multiple links is the target link based on the first information. The receiving device first determines information about TWT SPs on the multiple links based on information about TWT SPs indicated by the second information. Because the TSF timers of all the links are different, the start times of the target individual TWT SPs indicated by the second information are actually offset on the time axes of different links. In other words, the start times of the target individual TWT SPs are not aligned. In this way, information about TWT SPs on the multiple links indicated by the M first information pieces among the M first elements can be determined, and the information about TWT SPs on the multiple links indicated by the M first information pieces can be compared to determine which of the multiple links in all the first information pieces is the target link.

[0199] Optionally, the first element further includes third information, and the third information indicates that a target link exists in one or more links indicated by the first information. For example, the third information is 1-bit information. When the value of the 1-bit is 1, it indicates that a target link exists in one or more links indicated by the first information, or when the value of the 1-bit is 0, it indicates that a target link does not exist in one or more links indicated by the first information. When the third information is 2-bit information, the indication method is the same as the indication method of 1-bit, and details will not be described again in this specification.

[0200] In a possible specific implementation, when the first element is a TWT element, the field corresponding to the first information is a Link ID Bitmap field in the TWT parameter information field of the TWT element or an Aligned TWT Bitmap subfield in the TWT parameter information field of the TWT element field, the field corresponding to the second information is a field related to information about the TWT SP in the TWT parameter information field of the TWT element, and the field corresponding to the third information may reuse the design of the Aligned TWT field in the embodiment shown in Figure 8. Details will not be described again in this specification.

[0201] Optionally, in the above embodiment, the Aligned TWT field may not be added to the control field (i.e., the first element) of the TWT element (in other words, the third information is not included). Specifically, when requesting to set up an individual TWT SP, the transmitting device does not explicitly indicate whether the multiple links indicated by the Link ID Bitmap subfield include the target link, and the receiving end determines whether the multiple links indicated by the Link ID Bitmap subfield include the target link according to the method described above. Other behaviors of the receiving device and the transmitting device remain unchanged.

[0202] S1740: The transmitting device and the receiving device communicate with each other on the corresponding links based on the M target individual TWT SPs.

[0203] Optionally, before the receiving device decides to accept the sending device's request for the first element, the method further comprises: S1750: The receiving device transmits a second frame, the second frame including a second element, the second element including fourth information, the fourth information indicating that the receiving device confirms acceptance of the setup of individual TWT SPs on the M target links corresponding to the M first elements. In response, the transmitting device receives the second frame.

[0204] It should be understood that the above describes a process in which the receiving device sets up multiple individual TWT SPs on multiple links based on the M first factors after accepting the transmitting device's request to set up TWT SPs. In practice, the receiving device may alternatively reject the request. Based on specific signaling, the following provides a possible complete implementation procedure in which each of MLD1 (transmitting device) and MLD2 (receiving device) sets up aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links by using the above solution.

[0205] MLD1 transmits a TWT setup frame (i.e., an example of a first frame) to MLD2 on the associated link. MLD1 carries multiple TWT elements (i.e., an example of M first elements) in the TWT setup frame, and carries a value indicating "Suggest TWT" or "Demand TWT" in the TWT Setup Command field of the Request Type field of each TWT element. "Suggest TWT" or "Demand TWT" indicates that the TWT setup frame is a request to initiate TWT SP setup. "Suggest TWT" or "Demand TWT" allows the MLD to initiate the request and carry a set of TWT parameter information. Each TWT element carries a Link ID Bitmap subfield (i.e., an example of first information) to indicate one or more links requested to be set up. If the Aligned TWT subfield (an example of third information) is set to 1 (or 00), it indicates that one or more links indicated by the Link ID Bitmap subfield carried in the TWT element include the target link. By using the calculation method described in equation (3), MLD1 determines the value of the TWT subfield in the individual TWT parameter information field of the target link corresponding to each TWT element (i.e., the position between the starting units of the first individual TWT included in the second information), ensuring that the TWT SPs on all target links calculated by the receiving end are aligned and the receiving end does not need to perform additional calibration.

[0206] Correspondingly, after receiving the TWT setup frame sent by MLD1, MLD2 may determine, based on the TWT elements in the TWT setup frame, that the TWT setup frame is an individual TWT SP setup request, and may use the link ID bitmap subfield in each TWT element to determine the links on which MLD1 will attempt to set up the TWT SP. The start times of the TWT SPs on one or more links indicated by the link ID bitmap subfield may be obtained using the TWT subfield of the individual TWT parameter information field in each TWT element. Based on the start times of the TWT SPs on all links indicated by the link ID bitmap subfields in all TWT elements, it may determine which link the TWT SPs on are aligned (in other words, which link is the target link). Finally, based on other information in the individual TWT parameter information field, such as the nominal minimum TWT wake duration field and the TWT wake interval mantissa subfield, information such as the duration and wake interval of the TWT SP requested to be set up may be calculated. After obtaining all the necessary information, MLD2 decides whether to accept MLD1's application. The following will specifically explain whether MLD2 accepts the request from MLD1.

[0207] In a possible scenario, MLD2 accepts the request. In this case, MLD2 transmits a TWT Setup frame (i.e., an example of a second frame) including a TWT element to MLD1. If the value of the TWT Request subfield in the request type field of the TWT element is equal to 0, it indicates that the TWT Setup frame is a response frame. The TWT element carries a value indicating Accept TWT (i.e., an example of fourth information) in the TWT Setup Command field in the request type field. Accept TWT indicates confirmation of acceptance of MLD1's request. Optionally, the control field of the TWT element may carry an aligned TWT subfield, which is set to 1 (or 00). The meaning of the subfield is the same as described above, and the details will not be explained again in this specification. Also, the TWT element may not carry an individual TWT parameter information field.

[0208] In another possible scenario, MLD2 does not accept the request. In this case, MLD2 sends a TWT Setup frame (i.e., an example of a second frame) containing a TWT element to MLD1. If the value of the TWT Request subfield in the request type field of the TWT element is equal to 0, it indicates that the TWT Setup frame is a response frame. The TWT element carries a value indicating Reject TWT in the TWT Setup Command field of the request type field. Reject TWT indicates that MLD1's request is not accepted. Optionally, the control field of the TWT element may carry an aligned TWT subfield, which may be set to any value. Optionally, the TWT element may carry an individual TWT parameter information field that is the same as that in the received TWT element, or it may not carry an individual TWT parameter information field.

[0209] In yet another possible scenario, MLD2 may not accept the request but may provide proposed parameters to MLD1. In this case, MLD2 transmits a TWT Setup frame (i.e., an example of a second frame) containing a TWT element to MLD1. If the value of the TWT Request subfield in the request type field of the TWT element is equal to 0, it indicates that the TWT Setup frame is a response frame. The TWT element carries a value indicating Alternate TWT or Dictate TWT in the TWT Setup Command field within the request type field. Alternate TWT or Dictate TWT indicates that MLD1's request is not accepted, but proposed TWT SP parameters may be provided to MLD1. The proposed parameters are carried in the individual TWT parameter information field of the TWT element, and the aligned TWT subfield in the control field of the TWT element indicates whether the proposed TWT SP parameters are aligned TWT SP. For example, if the Aligned TWT subfield of the TWT element's control field is set to 1, it indicates that the proposed TWT SP is an aligned TWT SP. If the Aligned TWT subfield is set to 0, it indicates that the proposed TWT SP can be an aligned or non-aligned TWT SP.

[0210] Although this specification focuses on setting up aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links by using one link, it should be noted that this application is also applicable to setting up aligned broadcast TWT SPs on multiple links by using one link. The difference is that when an AP MLD broadcasts and sets up aligned broadcast TWT SPs on multiple links, the AP MLD must first carry one or more TWT elements in a beacon to broadcast the corresponding TWT SP parameters. After receiving the beacon, the non-AP MLD selects whether to send a TWT setup frame to the AP MLD. If the non-AP MLD chooses to send a TWT setup frame to the AP MLD, the subsequent process is consistent with the aligned individual TWT SP setup process. Also, to set up aligned broadcast TWT SPs, the carried TWT element must be a broadcast TWT element. When the non-AP MLD initiates a request to the AP MLD to set up aligned broadcast TWT SPs on multiple links, the non-AP MLD transmits a TWT setup frame carrying one or more broadcast TWT elements. After receiving the TWT setup frame, the AP MLD decides whether to accept the request. If the AP MLD accepts the request, the same TWT element will be carried in the beacon for parameter broadcasting, and the subsequent process is the same as that of the previous method.

[0211] It should be understood that the meaning of the fields and subfields is not specifically defined in the embodiments of the present application.

[0212] It should be further understood that the sequence number values ​​of each of the above processes do not imply an execution order, and the execution order of each process should be determined based on the function and internal logic of each process, and should not be construed as any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0213] It should be further understood that in the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is no logical contradiction, the terms and / or descriptions in different embodiments are consistent and may be cross-referenced, and the technical features in different embodiments may be combined based on their internal logical relationships to form new embodiments.

[0214] It should be further understood that in some of the above-mentioned embodiments, devices in existing network architectures are mainly used as examples for explanation. It should be understood that the specific form of the device is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, all devices that can perform the same function in the future are applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0215] It will be understood that in the method embodiments described above, the methods and operations performed by a device (such as a transmitting device or a receiving device) may also be performed by components of the device (eg, a chip or circuit).

[0216] The above describes in detail the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application with reference to Figures 1 to 17. The above methods are mainly described in terms of interactions between a transmitting device and a receiving device. It will be understood that to implement the above functions, the transmitting device and the receiving device include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for performing the functions.

[0217] In combination with the examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, those skilled in the art should be able to recognize that the units and algorithm steps in this application can be implemented by hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed by hardware or by hardware driven by computer software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may use various methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to go beyond the scope of this application.

[0218] The following describes in detail the communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application with reference to Figures 18 to 20. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for content not described in detail, please refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment. For conciseness, some content will not be described again. In the embodiment of the present application, the functional modules of the transmitting device or the receiving device may be obtained by division based on the above-mentioned method example. For example, the functional modules may be obtained by division based on their functions, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module. It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the division into modules is an example and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. An example in which each functional module is obtained by division based on its corresponding function will be used for the description below.

[0219] The above describes in detail the data transmission method provided in the present application, and the following describes a communication device provided in the present application. In one possible implementation, the device is configured to perform steps or procedures corresponding to the receiving device in the above method embodiment. In another possible implementation, the device is configured to perform steps or procedures corresponding to the transmitting device in the above method embodiment.

[0220] 18 is a block diagram of a communication device 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 18, the device 200 may include a communication unit 210 and a processing unit 220. The communication unit 210 may communicate with the outside, and the processing unit 220 is configured to perform data processing. The communication unit 210 may also be referred to as a communication interface or a transceiver unit.

[0221] In one possible design, the apparatus 200 may perform steps or procedures performed by the transmitting device in the aforementioned method embodiments, where the processing unit 220 is configured to perform processing-related operations of the transmitting device in the aforementioned method embodiments, and the communication unit 210 is configured to perform transmission-related operations of the transmitting device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0222] In yet another possible design, apparatus 200 may perform steps or procedures performed by the receiving device in the aforementioned method embodiments, with communication unit 210 configured to perform reception-related operations of the receiving device in the aforementioned method embodiments, and processing unit 220 configured to perform processing-related operations of the receiving device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0223] It should be understood that the apparatus 200 herein is presented in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" herein may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a dedicated processor, or a group processor) configured to execute one or more software or firmware programs, a memory, a merged logic circuit, and / or another suitable component supporting the described functionality. Those skilled in the art will understand that, in optional examples, the apparatus 200 may be a transmitting device in particular in the aforementioned embodiments and configured to perform procedures and / or steps corresponding to those of the transmitting device in the aforementioned method embodiments, or that the apparatus 200 may be a receiving device in particular in the aforementioned embodiments and configured to perform procedures and / or steps corresponding to those of the receiving device in the aforementioned method embodiments. To avoid repetition, details will not be described again herein.

[0224] The apparatus 200 in the above solution has a function of performing a corresponding step performed by a transmitting device in the above method, or the apparatus 200 in the above solution has a function of performing a corresponding step performed by a receiving device in the above method. The function may be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above function. For example, to separately perform the transmitting / receiving operations and the processing-related operations in the method embodiment, the communication unit may be replaced by a transceiver (e.g., the transmitting unit of the communication unit may be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit of the communication unit may be replaced by a receiver), or another unit such as a processing unit may be replaced by a processor.

[0225] Also, the communication unit may alternatively be a transceiver circuit (which may include, for example, a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit may be a processing circuit. In this embodiment of the present application, the device in FIG. 18 may be the AP or STA in the above-mentioned embodiment, or may be a chip or a chip system, for example, a system on chip (SoC). The communication unit may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface. The processing unit is a processor, a microprocessor, or an integrated circuit integrated on a chip. This is not limited herein.

[0226] 19 is a block diagram of a communication device 300 according to an embodiment of the present application. The device 300 includes a processor 310 and a transceiver 320. The processor 310 and the transceiver 320 communicate with each other via an internal connection path. The processor 310 is configured to execute instructions to control the transceiver 320 to transmit signals and / or receive signals.

[0227] Optionally, the apparatus 300 may further include a memory 330, which communicates with the processor 310 and the transceiver 320 via an internal connection path. The memory 330 is configured to store instructions, and the processor 310 may execute the instructions stored in the memory 330. In one possible implementation, the apparatus 300 is configured to perform procedures and steps corresponding to the transmitting device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. In another possible implementation, the apparatus 300 is configured to perform procedures and steps corresponding to the receiving device in the above-mentioned method embodiment.

[0228] It should be understood that the apparatus 300 may specifically be the transmitting device or receiving device in the aforementioned embodiments, or may be a chip or chip system. Correspondingly, the transceiver 320 may be a transceiver circuit of a chip. This is not limited herein. Specifically, the apparatus 300 may be configured to perform steps and / or procedures corresponding to the transmitting device or receiving device in the aforementioned method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 330 may include read-only memory and random access memory to provide instructions and data to the processor. Part of the memory may further include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may further store information about the device type. The processor 310 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory. Also, when the processor 310 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 310 is configured to perform steps and / or procedures in the aforementioned method embodiments corresponding to the transmitting device or receiving device.

[0229] In the implementation process, the steps in the aforementioned method may be implemented by using hardware integrated logic circuits in a processor or by using instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed with reference to the embodiments of the present application may be directly performed and achieved by using a hardware processor, or may be performed and achieved by using a combination of hardware and software modules in a processor. The software modules may be located in a mature storage medium in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable memory, or a register. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads information in the memory and completes the steps in the aforementioned method in combination with the hardware of the processor. To avoid repetition, details will not be described again in this specification.

[0230] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip and have signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, the steps in the aforementioned method embodiments may be implemented by using hardware integrated logic circuitry in the processor or by using instructions in the form of software. The processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or another programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. The processor in the embodiments of the present application may implement or perform the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed with reference to the embodiments of the present application may be performed and achieved directly by using a hardware decoding processor, or by using a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules may be located in mature storage media in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps in the aforementioned method in combination with the processor's hardware.

[0231] It will be understood that the memory in this embodiment of the present application may be volatile or nonvolatile memory, or may include volatile and nonvolatile memory. Nonvolatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory may be random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM may be used, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchlink dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that memory in the systems and methods described herein includes, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0232] It should be noted that the memory (storage module) may be integrated into the processor if the processor is a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. It should be further noted that memory as described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0233] 20 is a diagram of a chip system 1300 according to one embodiment of the present application. The chip system 1300 (which may also be referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 1310 and an input / output interface 1320.

[0234] The logic circuit 1310 may be a processing circuit within the chip system 1300. The logic circuit 1310 may be coupled and connected to a storage unit and may invoke instructions in the storage unit, thereby enabling the chip system 1300 to implement the methods and functions in the embodiments of the present application. The input / output interface 1320 may be an input / output circuit within the chip system 1300, which outputs information processed by the chip system 1300 or inputs data or signaling to be processed into the chip system 1300 for processing.

[0235] Specifically, for example, if chip system 1300 is installed in a transmitting device, logic circuit 1310 is coupled to input / output interface 1320, and logic circuit 1310 may transmit a first frame via input / output interface 1320. The first frame may be generated by logic circuit 1310. As another example, if chip system 1300 is installed in a receiving device, logic circuit 1310 is coupled to input / output interface 1320, and logic circuit 1310 may receive a first frame via input / output interface 1320, and logic circuit 1320 determines information regarding the TWT SP on the link based on the first frame.

[0236] In one solution, the chip system 1300 is configured to perform the operations performed by the transmitting device in the method embodiments described above.

[0237] For example, the logic circuitry 1310 is configured to perform processing-related operations performed by the transmitting device in the aforementioned method embodiments, e.g., the processing-related operations performed by the transmitting device in the embodiments shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 16, or FIG. 17, and the input / output interface 1320 is configured to perform transmission- and / or reception-related operations performed by the transmitting device in the aforementioned method embodiments, e.g., the processing-related operations performed by the transmitting device in the embodiments shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 16, or FIG. 17.

[0238] In another solution, the chip system 1300 is configured to perform the operations performed by the receiving device in the method embodiments described above.

[0239] For example, the logic circuitry 1310 is configured to perform processing-related operations performed by the receiving device in the aforementioned method embodiments, e.g., the processing-related operations performed by the receiving device in the embodiments shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 16, or FIG. 17, and the input / output interface 1320 is configured to perform transmission- and / or reception-related operations performed by the receiving device in the aforementioned method embodiments, e.g., the processing-related operations performed by the receiving device in the embodiments shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 16, or FIG. 17.

[0240] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium that stores computer instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the operations and / or procedures performed by a sending device or a receiving device in the method embodiments of the present application to be performed.

[0241] The present application further provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code or instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform the actions and / or procedures performed by a sending device or a receiving device in the method embodiments of the present application.

[0242] Moreover, the present application further provides a communication system, including the transmitting device and the receiving device in the embodiments of the present application.

[0243] It should be further noted that memory, as described herein, is intended to include, without being limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0244] In conjunction with the examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps can be implemented by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether a function is implemented by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functions using various methods for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application. For convenience of description, those skilled in the art will clearly understand that for the detailed operation processes of the above-described systems, devices, and units, reference should be made to the corresponding processes in the above-described method embodiments. Details will not be described again in this specification. In some embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device, and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the described device embodiment is merely an example. For example, the division into units is merely a logical functional division, 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. In addition, the shown or described mutual couplings, direct couplings, or communication connections may be implemented through some interfaces. Indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be implemented electronically, mechanically, or in other ways. Units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, located in one location, 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. Furthermore, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, each unit may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0245] When a function is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, the function may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application may essentially be implemented, or a portion of the technical solution may be implemented in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes instructions that instruct a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in the embodiments of the present application. The 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, or an optical disk.

[0246] It should be understood that the term "embodiment" as used throughout this specification means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic associated with this embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the term "embodiment" as used throughout this specification means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic associated with this embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Thus, embodiments throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0247] It should be further understood that ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" referred to in the embodiments of the present application are intended to distinguish between multiple objects, and are not intended to limit the size, content, order, chronological order, priority, importance, etc. of the multiple objects. For example, first information and second information do not indicate differences in the amount of information, content, priority, importance, etc.

[0248] It should be further understood that in this application, both "when" and "if" refer to the corresponding processing performed by the network element at the time of interest, are not intended to be time-limited, do not require that the determining action be performed during the execution of the network element, and do not imply any other limitations.

[0249] It should be further understood that, in this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of singular or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c.

[0250] Unless otherwise specified, it should be further understood that expressions used in this application similar to the expression "the item includes one or more of A, B, and C" generally mean that the item can be any one of A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B, and C; A and A; A, A, and A; A, A, and B; A, A, and C; A, B, and B; A, C, and C; B and B; B, B, and B; B, B, and C; C and C; C, C, and C; and other combinations of A, B, and C. In the above description, three elements A, B, and C are used as an example to explain the optionality of the items. When the expression is "the item includes at least one of A, B, ..., and X," in other words, when the expression includes more elements, the applicable cases of the items can also be obtained according to the above rules.

[0251] It should be understood that the term "and / or" used herein describes only the associative relationship between associated objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent three cases: when only A is present, when both A and B are present, and when only B is present. A and B may be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between associated objects. For example, A / B indicates either A or B.

[0252] In the embodiments of the present application, it should be further understood that "B corresponding to A" represents that B is associated with A, and B can be determined based on A. However, it should be further understood that determining A based on B does not mean that B is determined based only on A, i.e., B can alternatively be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0253] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any variations or replacements that can be easily devised by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application shall fall within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be subject to the scope of protection of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0254] 200 Communication Equipment 210 Communication Unit 220 Processing Unit 300 Communication equipment 310 processor 320 Transceiver 330 memory 1300 Chip System 1310 Logic Circuits 1320 Input / Output Interface, Logic Circuit

Claims

1. receiving a first frame on a first link, the first frame including a first element, the first element being used to request setting up an individual target wake time TWT service period SP, the first element including second information, the second information indicating N second links on which individual TWT SPs are requested to be set up, the N second individual TWT SPs set up on the N second links need to be aligned, the N second individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one to the N second links; the N second links are different links, N is a positive integer, and the first link and the second link are communication links between a transmitting device and a receiving device; setting up the aligned N second individual TWT SPs on the N second links by using the first link as a reference link; communicating over the corresponding links based on the N second individual TWT SPs; A communication method, including:

2. the first element includes third information, the third information indicating information about a first individual TWT SP on the first link, the information about the first individual TWT SP including a start time of the first individual TWT SP; the step of setting up the aligned N second individual TWT SPs on the N second links by using the first link as a reference link includes: determining information about the N second individual TWT SPs, wherein the information about the second individual TWT SPs includes start times of the second individual TWT SPs, and the start times of the second individual TWT SPs are determined based on the start times of the first individual TWT SPs; setting up the N second individual TWT SPs on the N second links based on the information about the N second individual TWT SPs; 2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

3. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second individual TWT SP is aligned with the first individual TWT SP after the start time of the second individual TWT SP is determined based on the start time of the first individual TWT SP.

4. the start time TWT of the second individual TWT SP j is the following formula: TWT j =TWT i +TWT offset wherein TWT i is the start time of the first individual TWT SP, and offset The method according to claim 1 , wherein the value of is equal to the difference between a Time Synchronization Function TSF timer of the first link and a TSF timer of the second link.

5. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first element further includes fourth information, the fourth information indicating that the first element includes the second information.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein if the first element is a TWT element, the fourth information is an aligned TWT field within a control field of the TWT element.

7. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein if the first element is the TWT element, the second information is an aligned TWT bitmap field in the TWT parameter information field.

8. The method comprises: transmitting a second frame, the second frame including a second element, the second element including fifth information, the fifth information indicating that the receiving device acknowledges acceptance of the setup of the individual TWT SPs on the N second links; 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

9. generating a first frame, the first frame including a first element, the first element being used to request setting up an individual target wake time TWT service period SP, the first element including second information, the second information indicating N second links on which individual TWT SPs are requested to be set up, the N second individual TWT SPs set up on the N second links need to be aligned, the N second individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one to the N second links; the N second links are different links, and N is a positive integer; transmitting the first frame on a first link, wherein the N second individual TWT SPs are aligned by using the first link as a reference link, and the first link and the second link are communication links between a transmitting device and a receiving device; A communication method, including:

10. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first element includes third information, the third information indicating information about the first individual TWT SP on the first link, and the information about the first individual TWT SP including a start time of the first individual TWT SP.

11. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein aligning the second individual TWT SP with the first individual TWT SP comprises aligning a start time of the first individual TWT SP with the start time of the first individual TWT SP.

12. 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first element further includes fourth information, the fourth information indicating that the first element includes the second information.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein if the first element is a TWT element, the fourth information is an aligned TWT subfield within a control field of the TWT element.

14. 14. The method of claim 9, wherein if the first element is the TWT element, the second information is an aligned TWT bitmap subfield in the TWT parameter information field.

15. The method comprises: receiving a second frame, the second frame including a second element, the second element including fifth information, the fifth information indicating that the receiving device confirms acceptance of the setup of the individual TWT SPs on the N second links; 15. The method of any one of claims 9 to 14, further comprising:

16. a communication unit configured to receive a first frame on a first link, the first frame including a first element, the first element being used to request setting up an individual target wake time TWT service period SP, the first element including second information, the second information indicating N second links on which an individual TWT SP is requested to be set up, the N second individual TWT SPs set up on the N second links need to be aligned, and the N second individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one to the N second links; the N second links are different links, N is a positive integer, and the first link and the second link are communication links between a transmitting device and a receiving device; a processing unit configured to set up the aligned N second individual TWT SPs on the N second links by using the first link as a reference link, a processing unit, the processing unit further configured to communicate over the corresponding links based on the N second individual TWT SPs; 2. A communication device comprising:

17. a processing unit configured to generate a first frame, the first frame including a first element, the first element being used to request setting up an individual target wake time TWT service period SP, the first element including second information, the second information indicating N second links on which an individual TWT SP is requested to be set up, the N second individual TWT SPs set up on the N second links need to be aligned, the N second individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one to the N second links; the N second links are different links, and N is a positive integer; a communication unit configured to transmit the first frame on a first link, wherein the N second individual TWT SPs are aligned by using the first link as a reference link, and the first link and the second link are communication links between a transmitting device and a receiving device; 2. A communication device comprising:

18. 16. A communications device including a processor, the processor configured to execute computer instructions stored in a memory such that the device performs a method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or such that the device performs a method according to any one of claims 9 to 15.

19. 16. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer instructions which, when executed on a computer, perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 8 or perform the method of any one of claims 9 to 15.

20. A chip comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor reads instructions stored in a memory via the communication interface to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 8 or to perform the method of any one of claims 9 to 15.

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