Cooperative transmission method and related device

Abstract

A cooperative transmission method and related apparatus are provided. The method is applicable to wireless local area network systems supporting next-generation Wi-Fi protocols such as IEEE 802.11ax (e.g., 802.11be), 802.11be, and the like, and may further be applicable to UWB technology-based wireless personal area network systems, detection systems, and the like. The method includes: after receiving a trigger frame from a first network device, the terminal device determines a NAV, where the NAV indicates that the channel status is busy and the NAV is set by a first AP; and, when a preset condition is met, performs uplink transmission with the first network device, where the first AP is an AP that shares a transmission opportunity and the first network device is a network device with which the transmission opportunity is shared. The terminal device ignores the NAV set by the first AP and performs uplink transmission by using the transmission opportunity shared by the first AP, which helps improve resource utilization.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a cooperative transmission method and related apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202211330322.3, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on October 27, 2022, entitled "COOPERATIVE TRANSMISSION METHOD AND RELATED APPARATUS," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] With the development of Internet technology, the deployment of network devices becomes more and more dense, and therefore, inter-cell interference is strengthened. Inter-cell interference can be reduced through cooperation between network devices. For example, after network device #1 obtains a transmit opportunity (TXOP), if network device #1 does not fully use its TXOP, network device #1 may share the remaining time in the TXOP with another network device (e.g., network device #2) for transmission.

[0004] When network device #1 shares a portion of the transmission opportunity time with network device #2, network device #2 sends a trigger frame to the terminal device associated with network device #2 to trigger the terminal device to perform uplink transmission. However, because the network allocation vector (NAV) is set by network device #1 for the terminal device, the terminal device may not be able to respond to the trigger frame sent by network device #2, i.e., the terminal device cannot perform uplink transmission. In this case, the transmission resource is idle during this time period, and resource utilization is low. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a cooperative transmission method and related apparatus to improve resource utilization.

[0006] According to a first aspect, the present application provides a cooperative transmission method. The method may be implemented by a terminal device, may be implemented by a component (e.g., a chip or a chip system) configured in the terminal device, or may be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. This is not limited in the present application.

[0007] It should be noted that in this application, a first network device is a network device whose transmission opportunity is shared in cooperative transmission, and a second network device is a network device that shares a transmission opportunity with the first network device. In the following description, an example in which the second network device is a first wireless access point (AP) and an example in which the first network device includes a second AP or includes the second AP and a station co-located with the second AP are used to describe the cooperative transmission method provided in this application.

[0008] It should be understood that the first network device and the second network device may alternatively each be another type of network device, which is not a limitation in this application.

[0009] For example, the method includes receiving a trigger frame from a first network device, where the trigger frame is used to trigger a terminal device to perform an uplink transmission, and the first network device is a network device with which a transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission; determining a NAV, where the NAV indicates that a channel status is busy, and the NAV is set by a first AP, and the first AP is an AP that shares a transmission opportunity with the first network device during cooperative transmission; and performing an uplink transmission with the first network device when a predetermined condition is met.

[0010] In the above technical solution, after receiving a trigger frame from a first network device, the terminal device determines the NAV set by the first AP. Even if the NAV indicates that the channel status is busy, the terminal device can perform uplink transmission with the first network device as long as the preset condition is met. In other words, the terminal device can ignore the NAV set by the first AP and normally respond to the trigger frame from the first network device. In this way, the terminal device can normally perform uplink transmission with the first network device. This helps improve resource utilization.

[0011] Three possible designs of pre-set conditions are as follows: In a first possible design, the preset condition includes that first indication information is received from the first network device, wherein the first indication information indicates to the terminal device to ignore the NAV set by the first AP, or the first indication information is received indicating to the terminal device to ignore the NAV.

[0012] The first indication information may be carried in a trigger frame from the first network device.

[0013] The first indication information may indicate to the terminal device to ignore the NAV set by the first AP. In other words, even if the NAV set by the first AP indicates that the channel status is busy, the terminal device may respond to the trigger frame sent by the first network device and perform uplink transmission with the first network device.

[0014] The first indication information may further indicate to the terminal device to ignore the NAV. In this case, the terminal device may not only ignore the NAV set by the first AP, but also ignore the NAV set by another AP or station. Even if the current NAV indicates that the channel status is busy, the terminal device may respond to the trigger frame sent by the first network device and perform uplink transmission with the first network device.

[0015] In a second possible design, the preset condition includes that a pre-stored medium access control (MAC) address of a transmit opportunity holder (TXOP holder) is the same as a MAC address of the first AP.

[0016] In this possible design, the terminal device further needs to determine the MAC address of the first AP.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the trigger frame further carries an identifier of the first AP, and the terminal device determines the MAC address of the first AP based on the identifier of the first AP and a pre-stored mapping relationship between the identifier of the first AP and the MAC address of the first AP. For example, the terminal device may receive the mapping relationship between the identifier of the first AP and the MAC address of the first AP from the first network device in advance and store the mapping relationship. Therefore, after receiving the identifier of the first AP, the terminal device may determine the MAC address of the first AP based on the mapping relationship.

[0018] In another possible implementation, the terminal device obtains a response frame sent by a first network device, where the response frame carries a MAC address of the first AP, and the response frame is used to respond to a transmission opportunity sharing frame sent by the first AP, where the transmission opportunity sharing frame indicates that the first AP shares a transmission opportunity with the first network device, and obtains the MAC address of the first AP from the response frame.

[0019] A response frame sent by a first network device in response to a transmission opportunity sharing frame sent by a first AP carries the MAC address of the first AP, and the terminal device may monitor the response frame and obtain the MAC address of the first AP from the response frame.

[0020] Optionally, the first network device includes a second AP, or the first network device includes a second AP and a station.

[0021] When the first network device includes a second AP, the first AP may send a transmission opportunity sharing frame to the second AP, and the second AP may send a response frame to the first AP. When the first network device includes a second AP and a station, the first AP may send a transmission opportunity sharing frame to the second AP, and the second AP may send a response frame to the first AP, or the first AP may send a transmission opportunity sharing frame to the station, and the station may send a response frame to the first AP.

[0022] Optionally, the transmission opportunity sharing frame is a multi-user request to send (MU-RTS) frame, and the MU-RTS frame includes a pre-configured field, which indicates that the first AP shares a transmission opportunity with a second AP in the first network device.

[0023] When a first AP shares a transmission opportunity with a first network device, in one possible case, the transmission opportunity may be used for communication between a second AP and a terminal device associated with the second AP. In another possible case, the transmission opportunity may be used for communication between the second AP and a terminal device associated with the second AP, or for communication between a station in the first network device and a terminal device, or between a station in the first network device and the first AP. In the present application, a preset field may indicate that the first AP shares a transmission opportunity with a second AP in the first network device. In other words, the transmission opportunity may be used for communication between the second AP and a terminal device associated with the second AP.

[0024] In a third possible design, the preset conditions include the NAV being an intra-basic service set (intra-BSS) NAV.

[0025] It can be understood that the protocol specifies that when the terminal device needs to determine whether the channel status is busy or idle after receiving the trigger frame, the terminal device may only determine whether the basic NAV is not 0, and does not need to determine whether the intra-BSS NAV is not 0. Therefore, in the present application, the NAV set by the first AP is set to the intra-BSS NAV. After receiving the trigger frame, the terminal device may ignore the NAV set by the first AP and perform uplink transmission with the first network device normally.

[0026] In this design, the terminal device may set the NAV in the following manner: After receiving a radio frame from the first AP, if the radio frame indicates to the terminal device to set the NAV, the terminal device further determines whether the first AP is an AP in the pre-stored cooperating set, and if the first AP is an AP in the pre-stored cooperating set, determines the NAV as the intra-BSS NAV.

[0027] Optionally, the cooperating set may be sent in advance by the first network device to the terminal device, so that after receiving the radio frame, the terminal device determines whether the transmitting end of the radio frame belongs to the cooperating set.

[0028] According to a second aspect, the present application provides a cooperative transmission method. The method may be implemented by a first network device, may be implemented by a component (e.g., a chip or chip system) configured in the first network device, or may be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first network device. This is not limited in the present application.

[0029] For example, the method includes sending a trigger frame to a terminal device, where the trigger frame is used to trigger the terminal device to perform uplink transmission, the trigger frame carrying first indication information, the first indication information indicating to the terminal device to ignore a NAV set by a first AP, the first network device being a network device with which a transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission, and the first AP being an AP that shares a transmission opportunity during cooperative transmission; and receiving uplink data from the terminal device.

[0030] In the above technical solution, the first network device sends a trigger frame to the terminal device to trigger the terminal device to perform uplink transmission. The trigger frame carries first indication information to indicate to the terminal device that the NAV set by the first AP is to be ignored. In other words, even if the NAV set by the first AP indicates that the channel status is busy, the terminal device may respond to the trigger frame sent by the first network device and perform uplink transmission with the first network device. In this way, the terminal device may perform uplink transmission with the first network device by using the time period shared by the first AP. This helps to improve resource utilization.

[0031] Optionally, the first indication information further indicates to the terminal device to ignore the NAV.

[0032] The first indication information may further indicate to the terminal device that the NAV should be ignored. In this case, the terminal device may not only ignore the NAV set by the first AP, but also ignore the NAV set by another AP or station. In this way, even if the current NAV indicates that the channel status is busy, the terminal device may respond to the trigger frame sent by the first network device and perform uplink transmission with the first network device. This helps to improve resource utilization.

[0033] According to a third aspect, the present application provides a cooperative transmission method. The method may be implemented by a first network device, may be implemented by a component (e.g., a chip or chip system) configured in the first network device, or may be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first network device. This is not limited in the present application.

[0034] For example, the method includes sending a trigger frame to a terminal device, where the trigger frame is used to trigger the terminal device to perform an uplink transmission, the trigger frame carrying an identifier of a first AP, the identifier of the first AP being used by the terminal device to determine that a NAV stored in the terminal device is a NAV set by the first AP, the first network device being a network device with which a transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission, and the first AP being an AP with which a transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission; and receiving uplink data from the terminal device.

[0035] In the above technical solution, the first network device sends a trigger frame to the terminal device to trigger the terminal device to perform uplink transmission. The trigger frame carries an identifier of the first AP, which is used by the terminal device to determine that the NAV stored in the terminal device is the NAV set by the first AP. In other words, when the NAV stored in the terminal device is the NAV set by the first AP, the terminal device can ignore the NAV, respond to the trigger frame sent by the first network device, and perform uplink transmission with the first network device. In this way, the terminal device can perform uplink transmission with the first network device by using the time period shared by the first AP. This helps to improve resource utilization.

[0036] According to a fourth aspect, the present application provides a cooperative transmission method. The method may be implemented by a first AP, may be implemented by a component (e.g., a chip or a chip system) configured in the first AP, or may be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first AP. This is not limited in the present application.

[0037] For example, the method includes sending a transmission opportunity sharing frame to a first network device, where the transmission opportunity sharing frame indicates that the first AP will share a transmission opportunity with a second AP in the first network device, where the first network device is a network device with which the transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission, and the first AP is an AP that shares the transmission opportunity during cooperative transmission, and receiving a response frame from the first network device.

[0038] In the above technical solution, a first AP may send a transmission opportunity sharing frame to a first network device to indicate that the first AP will share a transmission opportunity with a second AP in the first network device. In other words, the second AP in the first network device may communicate with a terminal device associated with the second AP based on the transmission opportunity shared by the first AP. In this way, the second AP can quickly obtain transmission resources for transmission. This helps reduce the communication delay of the second AP.

[0039] According to a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device for implementing the method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects and possible implementations thereof. The device includes corresponding units configured to implement the method. The units included in the device may be implemented by software and / or hardware.

[0040] According to a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communications device, the device including a processor, coupled to a memory, configured to execute a computer program in the memory to implement a method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects and possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects.

[0041] Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a memory.

[0042] Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a communication interface, the processor being coupled to the communication interface.

[0043] According to a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program or instructions, which, when executed, implements a method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects or possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects.

[0044] According to an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, implement a method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects and possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects.

[0045] According to a ninth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, the chip system including at least one processor configured to support the functionality of any one of the first to fourth aspects and possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects, for example, implementing receiving or processing data in the above-described method.

[0046] In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory configured to store program instructions and data, the memory being located within or external to the processor.

[0047] A chip system may include a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0048] According to a tenth aspect, the present application further provides a chip, the chip including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface and performs a method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects or possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects.

[0049] It should be understood that the technical solutions of the fifth to tenth aspects of the present application correspond to the technical solutions of the first to fourth aspects of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved in the aspects and corresponding feasible implementations are similar, and the details will not be described again. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0050] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram of a network architecture of a communication system applicable to a method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a cooperative transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a transmission process for each frame according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is another block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram of the structure of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0051] The technical solutions of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following description is first provided.

[0053] First, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of the present application to distinguish between the same or similar items that basically provide the same functions and purposes. For example, the terms "first AP" and "second AP" are only used to distinguish between different APs, and do not limit their sequence. Those skilled in the art can understand that terms such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution sequence, and terms such as "first" and "second" do not indicate a clear distinction.

[0054] Second, in the embodiments of the present application, "and / or" represents an association relationship between related objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent the following cases: only A is present, both A and B are present, and only B is present, where A and B may be singular or plural. The character " / " typically represents an "or" relationship between related objects, but does not exclude an "and" relationship between related objects. The specific meaning represented by the character " / " may be understood with reference to the context. "One or more of the following items (moieties)" or similar expressions means any combination of these items (moieties), including a single item (moiety) or any combination of multiple items (moieties). For example, one or more of a, b, or c may represent the cases of a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c, where a, b, and c may be singular or plural.

[0055] Third, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "example," "for example," and the like are used to indicate providing an example, illustration, or explanation. Any embodiment or design manner described in the embodiments of the present application using "example" or "for example" should not be described as being preferred or having more advantages than another embodiment or design manner. Rather, the use of terms such as "example," "for example," and the like is intended to present relative concepts in a particular way.

[0056] The technical solutions provided in the present application may be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) systems, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology-based wireless personal area network systems, and sensing systems, including global system for mobile communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) systems, general packet radio service (GPRS) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, sidelink communication systems, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, fifth generation (5th) systems, and the like. The technical solutions provided in the present application may be further applied to a future communication system, for example, a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, which is not limited in the present application.

[0057] In this application, a network device may be any device having wireless transceiver functionality. Network devices include, but are not limited to, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a NodeB (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., a home evolved NodeB, or home NodeB (HNB)), a baseband unit (BBU), an AP in a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission point (TP), or a transmission reception point (TRP), etc. Alternatively, the network device may be a gNB or a transmission point (TRP or TP) in a 5G (e.g., NR) system, or one antenna panel or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system. Alternatively, the network device may be a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU).

[0058] Optionally, the first network device and the second network device may each be, for example, the network device described above. Furthermore, in this application, the network device may include an AP and a station co-located with the AP. Co-location may be understood as the AP and the station being two logical entities in the network device and deployed in the same physical device.

[0059] In this application, a terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile console, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user equipment.

[0060] The terminal device may be a device that provides voice / data connectivity to a user, for example, a handheld device or an in-vehicle device with wireless connectivity. Currently, some examples of terminal devices include a mobile phone, a tablet computer (pad), a computer with wireless transceiver functionality (for example, a notebook computer or a palmtop computer), a mobile internet device (MID), a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDAs), a wireless terminal in smart home management, a smart grid (Smart Grid), a smart home service center (Smart Home ... The device may be a PDA, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device, another processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, or a terminal device in a future public land mobile network (PLMN).

[0061] Wearable devices, sometimes called wearable intelligent devices, are a general term for wearable devices such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothes, and shoes that have been developed by applying wearable technology to the intelligent design of everyday clothing. Wearable devices are portable devices that can be worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also implement powerful functions through software support, data exchange, and cloud interaction. In a broad sense, wearable intelligent devices include full-featured, large-sized devices that can implement all or part of their functions without relying on a smartphone, such as a smart watch or smart glasses, and devices that focus on only one type of application function and need to cooperate and coordinate with other devices, such as a smartphone, for example, various smart bands or smart jewelry for monitoring physical symptoms.

[0062] Furthermore, the terminal device may alternatively be a terminal device in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important component in the future development of information technology. The main technical feature of IoT is to connect objects to a network by using communication technology to implement an intelligent network of human-machine interconnections and thing-to-thing interconnections. IoT technology can achieve wide-area connection, deep coverage, and terminal power saving by using narrowband (NB) technology, for example.

[0063] It should be understood that the specific forms of the first network device, the second network device, and the terminal device are not limited in this application.

[0064] It should be further understood that the methods provided in this application are applicable to next-generation Wi-Fi protocols of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ax, e.g., the next-generation standard IEEE 802.11be (also known as Wi-Fi 7 or extreme high throughput (EHT) protocol), and may be further applicable to next-generation Wi-Fi protocols such as 802.11be, e.g., Wi-Fi 8, UHR, or Wi-Fi AI, which is not limited in this application.

[0065] In order to better understand the cooperative transmission method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the terms used in the present application are first briefly explained.

[0066] 1. Time division multiple access (TDMA) means that devices use the same frequency and then occupy a channel for transmission over time. In the present application, cooperative transmission (sometimes referred to as cooperative transmission, joint transmission, etc.) may be implemented between network devices based on TDMA. For example, after network device #1 acquires a TXOP, if network device #1 does not fully use its TXOP, network device #1 may share the remaining time in the TXOP with another network device (e.g., network device #2) for transmission. For example, the network device is an AP. After AP #1 acquires a TXOP, if AP #1 does not fully use its TXOP, AP #1 may share the remaining time in the TXOP with another AP for transmission. An AP that shares a transmission opportunity may be referred to as a sharing AP, and another AP with which the transmission opportunity is shared may be referred to as a shared AP.

[0067] 2. TXOP is the basic unit for wireless channel access, and a TXOP is a time interval. After obtaining a TXOP, a network device can transmit one or more data frames on the channel within the time interval.

[0068] 3. NAV is a time interval. During the time interval, the terminal device considers the channel status to be busy, and therefore does not perform channel access or data transmission. In the embodiment of the present application, after the terminal device detects a radio frame, if the radio frame carries information related to NAV, the terminal device updates the NAV stored in the terminal device, and the updated NAV is greater than the NAV stored in the terminal device and the NAV carried in the radio frame.

[0069] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, a communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to FIG.

[0070] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a network architecture of a communication system 100 applicable to the method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0071] As shown in Figure 1, communication system 100 may include at least two network devices, such as network device 110 and network device 120 shown in Figure 1. Each network device may provide communication coverage to a particular geographic area and may conduct wireless link communication with terminal devices located in the coverage area (cell). Network device 110 shown in Figure 1 may conduct wireless link communication with terminal device 130, and network device 120 may conduct wireless link communication with terminal device 140.

[0072] Optionally, terminal device 130 and terminal device 140 may be mobile or fixed, which is not a limitation in this application.

[0073] Optionally, the communication system shown in communication system 100 may include more network devices, and the coverage of each network device may include a different amount of terminal devices, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0074] In the communication system shown in FIG. 1 , network device 110 and network device 120 may perform cooperative transmission to reduce inter-cell interference. For example, after obtaining a TXOP, network device 110 performs data transmission. When network device 110 does not completely use its TXOP, network device 110 may share the remaining time in the TXOP with network device 120 for use. When network device 110 shares a portion of the time of the TXOP with network device 120, network device 120 sends a trigger frame to terminal device 140 associated with network device 120 to trigger terminal device 140 to perform uplink transmission. However, because the NAV is set by network device 110 for terminal device 140, terminal device 140 may not be able to respond to the trigger frame sent by network device 120, i.e., terminal device 140 cannot perform uplink transmission. In this case, the transmission resource is idle during this time period, and resource utilization is low.

[0075] To improve resource utilization, the present application provides a cooperative transmission method. The method includes the following steps: After receiving a trigger frame from a first network device, a terminal device determines a NAV set by a second network device. The NAV indicates that the channel status is busy. When a preset condition is met, the terminal device performs uplink transmission with the first network device. In other words, the terminal device can ignore the NAV set by the second network device and directly respond to the trigger frame without considering the channel status indicated by the NAV set by the second network device. In this way, the terminal device successfully performs uplink transmission with the first network device. This helps improve resource utilization.

[0076] It should be understood that a scenario in which the first network device is a network device that shares a transmission opportunity in cooperative transmission, and the second network device is a network device that shares a transmission opportunity with the first network device, is used as an example for explanation below. However, this should not constitute any limitation to the embodiments of the present application. For example, the method provided in the present application may be further applicable to another scenario, for example, a scenario in which the second network device and the first network device do not share a transmission opportunity. After receiving a trigger frame from the first network device, the terminal device determines a NAV. The NAV indicates that the channel is busy. When a preset condition is met, the terminal device performs uplink transmission with the first network device; in other words, the terminal device ignores the NAV set by the second network device and normally responds to the trigger frame from the first network device. For a more detailed description, please refer to the following embodiments.

[0077] It should be further understood that in the following description, an example in which the second network device is the first AP and an example in which the first network device includes the second AP or includes the second AP and a station co-located with the second AP are used to describe in detail the cooperative transmission method provided in the present application. Alternatively, the first network device and the second network device may each be another type of network device described above. This is not limited in the present application.

[0078] The cooperative transmission provided in the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following embodiments, the present method will be described from the perspective of interaction between a first network device and a terminal device, but it should be understood that this should not constitute any limitation on the implementation of the method. The method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented on the condition that a program recording the code of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be executed. For example, the terminal device can be replaced with a component (e.g., a chip or a chip system) configured in the terminal device or another functional module capable of calling and executing the program, and the first network device can be replaced with a component (e.g., a chip or a chip system) configured in the first network device or another functional module capable of calling and executing the program. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0079] 2 is a schematic flowchart of a cooperative transmission method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The cooperative transmission method 200 shown in FIG. 2 may include steps S210 to S230. The following describes the steps in the method 200 in detail.

[0080] S210: The first network device sends a trigger frame to the terminal device, and the trigger frame is used to trigger the terminal device to perform uplink transmission. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the trigger frame from the first network device.

[0081] The first network device is a network device with which a transmission opportunity is shared, and the first network device may include a second AP or may include a second AP and a station. The terminal device is a terminal device communicatively connected to the first network device.

[0082] Optionally, the trigger frame may be a basic trigger frame and used to trigger the terminal device to perform uplink transmission. Alternatively, the trigger frame may be an MU-RTS trigger frame and used to determine whether the channel of the terminal device is idle. Alternatively, the trigger frame may be a Multi-User Bandwidth Query Report Poll (MU-BQRP) trigger frame and used to inquire about idle channels of the terminal device.

[0083] For example, the second AP in the first network device sends a trigger frame to the terminal device to trigger the terminal device to perform uplink transmission. In response, the terminal device receives a trigger frame from the second AP.

[0084] Optionally, before the first network device sends the trigger frame to the terminal device, the method further includes: the first network device receives a transmission opportunity sharing frame from the first AP, where the transmission opportunity sharing frame indicates that the first AP shares a transmission opportunity with the first network device; the first network device sends a response frame to the first AP, where the response frame is used to respond to the transmission opportunity sharing frame.

[0085] In this application, a first AP sharing a transmission opportunity with a first network device means that the first AP shares a period of time during the transmission opportunity with the first network device for transmission.

[0086] In one possible example, the first network device includes a second AP. In this case, the first AP sends a transmission opportunity sharing frame to the second AP, and the transmission opportunity sharing frame indicates that the first AP will share a transmission opportunity with the second AP for transmission. In response, the second AP sends a response frame to the first AP.

[0087] In another possible case, the first network device includes a second AP and a station co-located with the second AP. In this case, the first AP may send a transmission opportunity sharing frame to the second AP, where the transmission opportunity sharing frame indicates that the first AP will share a transmission opportunity with the second AP for transmission. In response, the second AP sends a response frame to the first AP. Alternatively, the first AP may send a transmission opportunity sharing frame to the station, where the transmission opportunity sharing frame indicates that the first AP will share a transmission opportunity with the second AP for transmission. In response, the station sends a response frame to the first AP. The co-location of the second AP and the station may be understood as the second AP and the station being two logical entities in the first network device and deployed in the same physical device. In this case, the station may notify the second AP that the first AP will share a transmission opportunity with the second AP, and the second AP may then send a trigger frame to the terminal device.

[0088] Optionally, the transmission opportunity sharing frame may be a MU-RTS frame, and the response frame may be a clear to send (CTS) frame.

[0089] It may be understood that when a first AP shares a transmission opportunity with a first network device, in a possible case, the transmission opportunity may be used for communication between a second AP and a terminal device associated with the second AP, and in another possible case, the transmission opportunity may be used for communication between the second AP and a terminal device associated with the second AP, or for communication between a station in the first network device and a terminal device or between a station in the first network device and the first AP.

[0090] In the present application, the MU-RTS frame may include a preset field to indicate that the first AP shares a transmission opportunity with the second AP in the first network device, that is, the transmission opportunity may be used for communication between the second AP and a terminal device associated with the second AP.

[0091] The "Triggered TXOP Sharing Mode" field is used as an example. For example, a value of 3 in the field indicates that the first AP shares a transmission opportunity with the second AP in the first network device. In other words, the transmission opportunity can be used for communication between the second AP and a terminal device associated with the second AP.

[0092] In another example, a value of 2 in the field indicates that the first AP shares the transmission opportunity with a second AP in the first network device, and further indicates that the first AP shares the transmission opportunity with a station in the first network device. In other words, the transmission opportunity may be used for communication between the second AP and a terminal device associated with the second AP, or may also be used for communication between a station in the first network device and a terminal device, or between a station in the first network device and the first AP. How the first network device allocates the transmission opportunity to the second AP and the station is not limited by this application. For example, a time period during the transmission opportunity may be used for communication between the second AP and a terminal device associated with the second AP, and another time period may be used for communication between a station in the first network device and a terminal device, or between a station in the first network device and the first AP.

[0093] S220: The terminal device determines a NAV, and the NAV indicates that the channel status is busy.

[0094] The NAV is the NAV set by the first AP. For example, after receiving a trigger frame from the first network device, the terminal device determines the NAV stored in the terminal device, the NAV is set by the first AP, and the NAV indicates that the channel status is busy.

[0095] Before receiving the trigger frame from the first network device, the terminal device may alternatively receive a radio frame from the first AP and set a NAV based on the radio frame.

[0096] S230: Perform uplink transmission with a first network device when a preset condition is met.

[0097] When the preset condition is met, the terminal device performs uplink transmission with the first network device. In other words, the terminal device ignores the NAV set by the first AP and does not need to consider the channel status indicated by the NAV. Even if the channel status is busy, the terminal device may perform uplink transmission with the first network device by using the transmission opportunity shared by the first AP. This helps to avoid the problem of the terminal device being unable to respond to the trigger frame sent by the first network device because the NAV set by the first AP indicates that the channel is busy, and helps to improve resource utilization.

[0098] It should be understood that the steps shown in FIG. 2 are merely examples and should not constitute any limitation to this embodiment of the present application. In another embodiment, the method shown in FIG. 2 may include more or fewer steps. For example, the terminal device may not perform S220 but directly perform S230. Specifically, the terminal device may first determine whether a preset condition is met, and if the preset condition is met, the terminal device may directly perform uplink transmission with the first network device. Furthermore, the sequence of steps in the method shown in FIG. 2 is not limited in the present application. For example, the terminal device may first perform S220 and then perform S210.

[0099] Optionally, three possible designs of pre-set conditions are as follows:

[0100] In a first possible design, the preset condition includes that first indication information is received from the first network device, wherein the first indication information indicates to the terminal device to ignore the NAV set by the first AP, or the first indication information is received indicating to the terminal device to ignore the NAV.

[0101] The first indication information may be carried in a trigger frame from the first network device.

[0102] The first indication information may indicate to the terminal device to ignore the NAV set by the first AP. In other words, even if the NAV set by the first AP indicates that the channel status is busy, the terminal device may respond to the trigger frame sent by the first network device and perform uplink transmission with the first network device.

[0103] The first indication information may further indicate to the terminal device to ignore the NAV. In this case, the terminal device may not only ignore the NAV set by the first AP, but also ignore the NAV set by another AP or station. Even if the current NAV indicates that the channel status is busy, the terminal device may respond to the trigger frame sent by the first network device and perform uplink transmission with the first network device.

[0104] In an example, a terminal device receives a trigger frame from a second AP, the trigger frame is used to trigger the terminal device to perform an uplink transmission, the trigger frame carries first indication information, the first indication information indicates to the terminal device to ignore a NAV set by the first AP, or the first indication information indicates to the terminal device to ignore the NAV.

[0105] In a second possible design, the preset condition includes that the pre-stored MAC address of the TXOP holder is the same as the MAC address of the first AP. The TXOP holder indicates the device that establishes the TXOP, in other words, the device that is using the channel for transmission.

[0106] In this possible design, the terminal device further needs to determine the MAC address of the first AP.

[0107] In a possible implementation, the trigger frame further carries an identifier of the first AP, and the terminal device determines the MAC address of the first AP based on the identifier of the first AP and a pre-stored mapping relationship between the identifier of the first AP and the MAC address of the first AP. The terminal device may previously receive the mapping relationship between the identifier of the first AP and the MAC address of the first AP from the first network device and store the mapping relationship. Thus, after receiving the identifier of the first AP, the terminal device may determine the MAC address of the first AP based on the mapping relationship.

[0108] For example, the second AP may send the mapping relationship between the identifier of the first AP and the MAC address of the first AP to the terminal device in advance, so that the terminal device stores the mapping relationship. Alternatively, the mapping relationship may be sent by the first AP to the terminal device. In other words, the first AP may send the mapping relationship between the identifier of the first AP and the MAC address of the first AP to the terminal device in advance, so that the terminal device stores the mapping relationship. When the mapping relationship is sent by the first AP to the terminal device, the first AP needs to further send the mapping relationship between the identifier of the first AP and the MAC address of the first AP to the second AP. Therefore, it can be understood that the second AP adds the identifier of the first AP to the trigger frame and sends the trigger frame to the terminal device. After receiving the trigger frame from the second AP, the terminal device determines the MAC address of the first AP based on the identifier of the first AP and the mapping relationship carried in the trigger frame. If the MAC address of the first AP is the same as the MAC address of the TXOP holder stored in the terminal device, the terminal device ignores the NAV set by the first AP and performs uplink transmission with the second AP.

[0109] Table 1 shows an example of a mapping relationship between the identifier of the first AP and the MAC address of the first AP. As shown in Table 1, the MAC address of the first AP corresponds one-to-one with the identifier of the first AP. It can be understood that the length of the identifier of the first AP can be shorter than the length of the MAC address of the first AP. In this way, sending the identifier of the first AP from the first network device to the terminal device helps reduce signaling overhead.

[0110] [Table 1]

[0111] It should be understood that the mapping relationship is not limited to being in the form of a table. For example, the mapping relationship may alternatively be of another data structure, such as an array, a queue, or a stack. The particular form of the mapping relationship is not limited by this application.

[0112] In another possible implementation, the trigger frame may directly carry the MAC address of the first AP. In this way, after receiving the trigger frame, the terminal device may obtain the MAC address of the first AP.

[0113] In yet another possible implementation, the terminal device obtains a response frame sent by a first network device, where the response frame carries a MAC address of the first AP, and the response frame is used to respond to a transmission opportunity sharing frame sent by the first AP, where the transmission opportunity sharing frame indicates a transmission opportunity shared by the first network device and the first AP, and obtains the MAC address of the first AP from the response frame.

[0114] The response frame sent by the first network device carries the MAC address of the first AP, and the terminal device may monitor the response frame and obtain the MAC address of the first AP from the response frame.

[0115] For example, after receiving a trigger frame from a first network device, the terminal device monitors a CTS frame sent to the first AP by a second AP or station in the first network device. A receiver address (RA) field in the CTS frame carries the MAC address of the first AP. If the CTS frame is detected, the terminal device obtains the MAC address of the first AP and determines whether the MAC address is the same as the MAC address of the TXOP holder stored in the terminal device. If the MAC address is the same as the MAC address of the TXOP holder, the terminal device may respond to the trigger frame and perform uplink transmission with the first network device.

[0116] In a third possible design, the preset conditions include the NAV being an intra-BSS NAV.

[0117] It can be understood that the protocol specifies that when the terminal device needs to determine whether the channel status is busy or idle after receiving the trigger frame, the terminal device may only determine whether the basic NAV is not 0, and does not need to determine whether the intra-BSS NAV is not 0. Therefore, in the present application, the NAV set by the first AP is set to the intra-BSS NAV. After receiving the trigger frame, the terminal device may ignore the NAV set by the first AP and perform uplink transmission with the first network device normally.

[0118] In this design, the terminal device may set the NAV in the following manner: After receiving a radio frame from the first AP, if the radio frame indicates to the terminal device to set the NAV, the terminal device further determines whether the first AP is an AP in the pre-stored cooperating set, and if the first AP is an AP in the pre-stored cooperating set, determines the NAV as the intra-BSS NAV.

[0119] Optionally, the cooperating set may be indicated to the terminal device by the first network device in advance, so that after receiving a wireless frame, the terminal device determines whether the transmitting end of the wireless frame belongs to the cooperating set. For example, the first network device may send the MAC addresses of the APs in the cooperating set to the terminal device in advance. The MAC addresses of the APs in the cooperating set may be carried in a beacon frame sent by the second AP in a broadcast manner, or may be carried in another unicast or multicast management frame. This is not limited in the present application.

[0120] 3 is a diagram of a transmission process of each frame according to an embodiment of the present application. In the method shown in FIG. 3, an example in which the transmission sharing frame is an MU-RTS frame and an example in which the response frame is a CTS frame are used.

[0121] As shown in Figure 3(a), the first AP sends an MU-RTS frame, and the station in the first network device receives the MU-RTS frame accordingly. After receiving the MU-RTS frame, the station in the first network device sends a CTS frame to the second AP in the first network device, indicating that the first AP and the second AP share a transmission opportunity. Therefore, the second AP sends a trigger frame to the terminal device to trigger the terminal device to perform uplink transmission. After receiving the trigger frame, the terminal device sends uplink data when a preset condition is met.

[0122] As shown in Figure 3(b), the first AP sends an MU-RTS frame, and the second AP in the first network device correspondingly receives the MU-RTS frame. After receiving the MU-RTS frame, the second AP in the first network device sends a CTS frame and a trigger frame to the terminal device to trigger the terminal device to perform uplink transmission. After receiving the trigger frame, the terminal device sends uplink data when a preset condition is met.

[0123] Based on the above technical solution, after receiving a trigger frame from the first network device, the terminal device obtains a NAV from the first AP. Even if the NAV indicates that the channel status is busy, the terminal device can perform uplink transmission with the first network device as long as a preset condition is met. In other words, the terminal device can ignore the NAV set by the first AP and normally respond to the trigger frame from the first network device. In this way, the terminal device can normally perform uplink transmission with the first network device. This helps improve resource utilization.

[0124] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a communication device 400 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0125] In a possible design, the communications apparatus 400 may be configured to implement the functionality of the terminal device in the method embodiment of Figure 2, or the apparatus 400 may include modules configured to implement any functionality or operation of the terminal device in the method embodiment of Figure 2. The modules may be implemented fully or partially using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0126] For example, when the apparatus 400 is configured to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment of FIG. 2, the transceiver unit 410 may be configured to receive a trigger frame from a first network device, where the trigger frame is used to trigger the apparatus 400 to perform an uplink transmission, and the first network device is a network device with which the transmission opportunity is shared during the cooperative transmission; the determining unit 420 may be configured to determine a NAV, where the NAV indicates that the channel status is busy, where the NAV is set by the first AP, and where the first AP is an AP that shares the transmission opportunity with the first network device during the cooperative transmission; and the processing unit 430 may be configured to perform an uplink transmission with the first network device when a preset condition is met.

[0127] In another possible design, apparatus 400 may be configured to implement the functionality of the first network device in the method embodiment of Figure 2, or apparatus 400 may include modules configured to implement any functionality or operation of the first network device in the method embodiment of Figure 2. The modules may be implemented fully or partially using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0128] In an example, when the apparatus 400 is configured to implement the functions of the first network device in the method embodiment of FIG. 2, the transceiver unit 410 may be configured to send a trigger frame to the terminal device, where the trigger frame is used to trigger the terminal device to perform an uplink transmission, the trigger frame carries first indication information, the first indication information indicates to the terminal device to ignore the NAV set by the first AP, the apparatus 400 is an apparatus with which a transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission, and the first AP is an AP that shares the transmission opportunity during cooperative transmission, and the transceiver unit 410 may be further configured to receive uplink data from the terminal device.

[0129] In another example, when the apparatus 400 is configured to implement the functions of the first network device in the method embodiment of FIG. 2, the transceiver unit 410 may be configured to send a trigger frame to the terminal device, where the trigger frame is used to trigger the terminal device to perform an uplink transmission, the trigger frame carrying an identifier of the first AP, where the identifier of the first AP is used by the terminal device to determine that the NAV stored in the terminal device is the NAV set by the first AP, and the first AP is an AP that shares transmission opportunities during cooperative transmission, and the transceiver unit 410 may be further configured to receive uplink data from the terminal device.

[0130] In yet another possible design, apparatus 400 may be configured to implement the functionality of the first AP in the method embodiment of Figure 2, or apparatus 400 may include a module configured to implement any functionality or operation of the first AP in the method embodiment of Figure 2. The module may be implemented fully or partially using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0131] For example, when the apparatus 400 is configured to implement the functionality of the first AP in the method embodiment of FIG. 2, the transceiver unit 410 may be configured to send a transmission opportunity sharing frame to a first network device, where the transmission opportunity sharing frame indicates that the apparatus 400 will share a transmission opportunity with a second AP in the first network device, the first network device being a network device with which the transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission, and the apparatus 400 being a device that shares the transmission opportunity during cooperative transmission, and the transceiver unit 410 may be further configured to receive a response frame from the first network device.

[0132] For more detailed information about the transceiver unit 410, the determining unit 420, and the processing unit 430, please directly refer to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and the details will not be described here.

[0133] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the division into units is an example and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division schemes may be used. Furthermore, the functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processor, or each unit may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules.

[0134] FIG. 5 is another block diagram of a communication device 500 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0135] The communication device 500 may be configured to implement the method in the embodiment of Figure 3. The device 500 may be a chip system. In this embodiment of the present application, the chip system may include a chip or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0136] As shown in FIG. 5, an apparatus 500 may include at least one processor 510 configured to implement the method in the embodiment of FIG.

[0137] For example, the processor 510 may be configured to: receive a trigger frame from a first network device, where the trigger frame is used to trigger the apparatus 400 to perform an uplink transmission, and the first network device is a network device with which a transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission; determine a NAV, where the NAV indicates that a channel status is busy, the NAV is set by a first AP, and the first AP is an AP that shares a transmission opportunity with the first network device during cooperative transmission; and perform an uplink transmission with the first network device when a preset condition is met. For details, please refer to the detailed description in the example method. Details will not be described again here.

[0138] The device 500 may further include at least one memory 520 configured to store program instructions and / or data. The memory 520 is coupled to the processor 510. A coupling in the embodiments of the present application refers to an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which may be in an electrical, mechanical, or other form and is used for information exchange between the devices, units, or modules. The processor 510 may cooperate with the memory 520. The processor 510 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 520. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor.

[0139] The apparatus 500 may further include a communication interface 530 configured to communicate with another device through a transmission medium, so that the apparatus 500 can communicate with another device. The communication interface 530 may be, for example, a transceiver, interface, bus, circuit, or device capable of implementing transmission and reception functions. The processor 510 may be configured to receive and transmit data and / or information through the communication interface 530 and to implement the method in the embodiment of FIG. 2.

[0140] The specific connection medium between the processor 510, the memory 520, and the communication interface 530 is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment of the present application, in FIG. 5, the processor 510, the memory 520, and the communication interface 530 are connected through a bus 540. The bus 540 is represented by a thick line in FIG. 5. The connection manner with other components is merely an example for explanation and is not limited thereto. The bus may be classified into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used to represent a bus in FIG. 5, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0141] 6 is a diagram of a structure of a terminal device 600 according to an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device 600 may be configured to implement the method in the embodiment of FIG. 2, and the terminal device 600 may be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 6, the terminal device 600 includes a processor 601 and a transceiver 602.

[0142] Optionally, the terminal device 600 further includes a memory 603. The processor 601, the transceiver 602, and the memory 603 may communicate with each other via an internal connection path to transfer control signals and / or data signals. The memory 603 is configured to store a computer program. The processor 601 is configured to call the computer program from the memory 603 and execute the computer program to control the transceiver 602 to receive / transmit signals.

[0143] Optionally, the terminal device 600 may further include an antenna 604 configured to send, by using a radio signal, uplink data or uplink control signaling output by the transceiver 602. Optionally, the terminal device 600 further includes a Wi-Fi module 611 configured to access a wireless network.

[0144] The processor 601 and the memory 603 may be integrated into one processing device. The processor 601 is configured to execute program code stored in the memory 603 to implement the above-described functions. In a particular implementation, the memory 603 may alternatively be integrated into the processor 601 or may be separate from the processor 601. The processor 601 may correspond to the processing unit 430 in FIG. 4 or the processor 510 in FIG. 5.

[0145] The transceiver 602 may correspond to the transceiver unit 410 in Figure 4 or the communication interface 530 in Figure 5. The transceiver 602 may include a receiver (also referred to as a receiver mechanism or a receiver circuit) and a transmitter (also referred to as a transmitter mechanism or a transmitter circuit). The receiver is configured to receive signals, and the transmitter is configured to transmit signals.

[0146] Optionally, the terminal device 600 may further include a power supply 605 configured to provide power to various components or circuits in the terminal device 600 .

[0147] Furthermore, in order to implement more functions of the terminal device, the terminal device 600 may further include one or more of an input unit 606, a display unit 607, an audio circuit 608, a camera 609, a sensor 610, etc., and the audio circuit 608 may further include a speaker 608a, a microphone 608b, etc.

[0148] It should be understood that the terminal device 600 shown in Figure 6 can implement the processes related to the terminal device in the method embodiment of Figure 2. The operations and / or functions of the modules in the terminal device 600 are separate for implementing the corresponding procedures in the above method embodiment. For details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiment. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are appropriately omitted in this specification.

[0149] The present application further provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor configured to implement the method in the embodiment of FIG.

[0150] In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory configured to store program instructions and data, the memory being located within or external to the processor.

[0151] A chip system may include a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0152] The present application further provides a chip, which includes a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface to perform the method performed by the first network device, the method performed by the terminal device, or the method performed by the first AP in the embodiment of FIG.

[0153] The present application further provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a computer program (sometimes referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is executed, the computer is enabled to perform the method performed by the first network device, the method performed by the terminal device, or the method performed by the first AP in the embodiment of FIG. 2.

[0154] The present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program (sometimes referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is executed, the computer is enabled to perform the method performed by the first network device, the method performed by the terminal device, or the method performed by the first AP in the embodiment of FIG. 2.

[0155] The present application further provides a communication system including the above-described terminal device, a first AP, and a first network device.

[0156] It should be understood 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, steps in the method embodiments may be completed by using instructions in the form of hardware integrated logic circuits or software in the processor. 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 may implement or perform the methods, steps, and logical 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 in the embodiments of the present application may be performed and completed directly by a hardware decoding processor, or may be performed and completed by using a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in a storage medium that is mature 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 method in combination with the processor hardware.

[0157] It should be further understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be volatile or nonvolatile memory, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. The 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. The volatile memory may be random access memory (RAM) and is 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 type of memory.

[0158] As used herein, terms such as "unit" and "module" may refer to a computer-related entity, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution.

[0159] Those skilled in the art may recognize that various illustrative logical blocks and steps described with reference to the embodiments disclosed herein 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 a specific application and the design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application. In some embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatuses, devices, and methods can be implemented in other manners. For example, the described apparatus embodiments are merely examples. For example, the division into modules is merely a logical functional division and may be other divisions in actual implementation. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not implemented. Furthermore, the shown or described mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be implemented through some interfaces. Indirect couplings or communication connections between apparatuses or modules may be implemented in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0160] The modules described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and the parts shown as modules may or may not be physical modules, i.e., they may be located in one location or distributed over multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules may be selected based on actual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions of the embodiments.

[0161] Furthermore, the functional modules in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing module, or each of the modules may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one module.

[0162] In the above embodiments, all or part of the functions of the functional modules may be implemented by using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When software is used for implementation, all or part of the functions may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, the procedures or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or another programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from a computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from a website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, radio, or microwave) method. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible by a computer or data storage device, such as a server or data center, that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, or magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., digital versatile discs (DVDs)), semiconductor media (e.g., solid state disks (SSDs)), etc.

[0163] 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 in the present application, or a portion contributing to the prior art, 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 several instructions for instructing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in the embodiments of the present application. The above 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.

[0164] The above description is merely a specific implementation of the present application and does not limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any modifications or replacements that can be easily conceived 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.

Claims

1. A cooperative transmission method, the method being applied to a terminal device, the method comprising: receiving a trigger frame from a first network device, the trigger frame being used to trigger the terminal device to perform uplink transmission, the first network device being a network device with which a transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission; determining a network allocation vector NAV, the NAV indicating a channel status being busy, the NAV being set by a first wireless access point AP, the first AP being an AP that shares the transmission opportunity with the first network device during cooperative transmission; conducting uplink transmission with the first network device when a preset condition is met; A cooperative transmission method comprising:

2. The preset conditions are:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein first indication information is received from the first network device, the first indication information indicating to the terminal device to ignore the NAV set by the first AP, or the first indication information is received indicating to the terminal device to ignore a NAV.

3. The preset conditions are:

2. The method of claim 1, comprising: a pre-stored medium access control (MAC) address of a transmit opportunity holder (TXOP holder) being the same as a MAC address of the first AP.

4. The method comprises: The method of claim 3 further comprising determining the MAC address of the first AP.

5. the trigger frame further carries an identifier of the first AP; The step of determining the MAC address of the first AP comprises:

5. The method of claim 4, comprising determining the MAC address of the first AP based on the identifier of the first AP and a pre-stored mapping relationship between the identifier of the first AP and the MAC address of the first AP.

6. The step of determining the MAC address of the first AP comprises: obtaining a response frame sent by the first network device, the response frame carrying the MAC address of the first AP, the response frame being used to respond to a transmission opportunity sharing frame sent by the first AP, the transmission opportunity sharing frame indicating that the first AP will share the transmission opportunity with the first network device; obtaining the MAC address of the first AP from the response frame; The method of claim 4 comprising:

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first network device comprises a second AP, or the first network device comprises a second AP and a station.

8. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission opportunity sharing frame sent by the first AP to the first network device is a multi-user request to send an MU-RTS frame, the MU-RTS frame comprising a pre-configured field, the pre-configured field indicating that the first AP will share the transmission opportunity with the second AP in the first network device.

9. The preset conditions are: The method of claim 1 , wherein the NAV is an intra-basic service set (IBSS) NAV.

10. The method comprises: receiving a radio frame from the first AP, the radio frame indicating to the terminal device to set the NAV; determining the NAV as the intra-BSS NAV when the first AP is an AP in a pre-stored cooperating set, the cooperating set comprising APs in cooperative transmission; The method of claim 9 further comprising:

11. 1. A cooperative transmission method, the method being applied to a first network device, the method comprising: sending a trigger frame to a terminal device, the trigger frame being used to trigger the terminal device to perform uplink transmission, the trigger frame carrying first indication information, the first indication information indicating to the terminal device to ignore a NAV set by a first wireless access point (AP), the first network device being a network device with which a transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission, and the first AP being an AP with which the transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission; receiving uplink data from the terminal device; A cooperative transmission method comprising:

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first indication information further indicates to the terminal device to ignore a NAV.

13. 1. A cooperative transmission method, the method being applied to a first network device, the method comprising: sending a trigger frame to a terminal device, the trigger frame being used to trigger the terminal device to perform uplink transmission, the trigger frame carrying an identifier of a first wireless access point AP, the identifier of the first AP being used by the terminal device to determine that a NAV stored in the terminal device is a NAV set by the first AP, the first network device being a network device with which a transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission, and the first AP being an AP with which the transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission; receiving uplink data from the terminal device; A cooperative transmission method comprising:

14. 1. A cooperative transmission method, the method being applied to a first wireless access point AP, the method comprising: sending a transmission opportunity sharing frame to a first network device, the transmission opportunity sharing frame indicating that the first AP will share a transmission opportunity with a second AP in the first network device, the first network device being a network device with which the transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission, and the first AP being an AP that shares the transmission opportunity during cooperative transmission; receiving a response frame from the first network device; A cooperative transmission method comprising:

15. A communication device, a transceiver unit configured to receive a trigger frame from a first network device, the trigger frame being used to trigger the communication apparatus to perform an uplink transmission, the first network device being a network device with which a transmission opportunity is shared during a cooperative transmission; a determining unit configured to determine a network allocation vector NAV, the NAV indicating a channel status being busy, the NAV being set by a first wireless access point AP, the first AP being an AP that shares the transmission opportunity with the first network device during cooperative transmission; and a processing unit configured to perform uplink transmission with the first network device when a preset condition is met; A communication device comprising:

16. The preset conditions are:

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein first indication information is received from the first network device, the first indication information indicating to the communication device to ignore the NAV set by the first AP, or the first indication information is received indicating to the communication device to ignore a NAV.

17. The preset conditions are:

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein a pre-stored Medium Access Control (MAC) address of a transmit opportunity holder (TXOP holder) is the same as a MAC address of the first AP.

18. The processing unit The apparatus of claim 17 , further configured to determine the MAC address of the first AP.

19. The trigger frame further carries an identifier of the first AP, and the processing unit:

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is specifically configured to determine the MAC address of the first AP based on the identifier of the first AP and a pre-stored mapping relationship between the identifier of the first AP and the MAC address of the first AP.

20. The processing unit obtaining a response frame sent by the first network device, the response frame carrying the MAC address of the first AP, the response frame being used to respond to a transmission opportunity sharing frame sent by the first AP, the transmission opportunity sharing frame indicating that the first AP will share the transmission opportunity with the first network device; and obtaining the MAC address of the first AP from the response frame.

21. The preset conditions are: The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the NAV is an intra-basic service set (IBSS) NAV.

22. the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a radio frame from the first AP, the radio frame indicating to the communication device to set the NAV; 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine the NAV as the intra-BSS NAV when the first AP is an AP in a pre-stored cooperating set, the cooperating set comprising APs that are cooperatively transmitting.

23. A communication device, a transceiver unit configured to send a trigger frame to a terminal device, the trigger frame being used to trigger the terminal device to perform uplink transmission, the trigger frame carrying first indication information, the first indication information indicating to the terminal device to ignore a NAV set by a first wireless access point (AP), the communication apparatus being a network device with which a transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission, the first AP being an AP that shares the transmission opportunity during cooperative transmission; Equipped with The communications apparatus, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to receive uplink data from the terminal device.

24. A communication device, a transceiver unit configured to send a trigger frame to a terminal device, the trigger frame being used to trigger the terminal device to perform an uplink transmission, the trigger frame carrying an identifier of a first wireless access point (AP), the identifier of the first AP being used by the terminal device to determine that a NAV stored in the terminal device is a NAV set by the first AP, the communication apparatus being a network device with which a transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission, the first AP being an AP that shares the transmission opportunity during cooperative transmission; The communications apparatus, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to receive uplink data from the terminal device.

25. A communication device, a transceiver unit configured to send a transmission opportunity sharing frame to a first network device, the transmission opportunity sharing frame indicating that the device will share a transmission opportunity with a second wireless access point AP in the first network device, the first network device being a network device with which the transmission opportunity is shared during cooperative transmission, and the device being a device that shares the transmission opportunity during cooperative transmission; The communications apparatus, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a response frame from the first network device.

26. A communication device, the communication device comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store a computer program; A communication device, wherein the processor is configured to invoke the computer program to enable the communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 14.

27. 15. A computer-readable storage medium, the storage medium storing a computer program or instructions, the computer program or instructions implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 14 when executed by a computer.

28. A chip comprising a processor and a communication interface, the processor reading instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 14.

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