Information processing method and information processing device

Abstract

An information processing method and apparatus applicable to a wireless local area network system supporting next-generation Wi-Fi protocols such as IEEE 802.11ax (e.g., 802.11be, Wi-Fi 7, or EHT), next-generation versions of 802.11be (e.g., Wi-Fi 8 or UHR), or 802.11 series protocols such as Wi-Fi AI are disclosed. The method and apparatus may further be applied to ultra-wideband-based wireless personal area network systems and sensing systems. A controller transmits control information, and a controlled object receives the control information. The control information includes a control information element, which includes an available slot information field, and the available slot information field indicates an available slot in a block corresponding to the control information. The controlled object determines information about the available slot based on the available slot information field. This improves and optimizes UWB in-band discovery and association mechanisms.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202211638720.1, entitled "INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD AND APPARATUS," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on December 19, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

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

[0003] Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology is a wireless carrier communication technology. For example, non-sinusoidal narrow pulses on the nanosecond level may be used for data transmission. Therefore, UWB technology occupies a wide spectrum range. Due to UWB's narrow impulse and low radiation spectral density, UWB has advantages such as strong multipath resolution, low power consumption, and high confidentiality. The application range of UWB is expanding, and UWB is applied to multiple devices, including large-capacity platforms. UWB's unique capabilities can provide highly accurate ranging, positioning, sensing, data communication, etc.

[0004] Currently, a UWB in-band discovery and association mechanism has been proposed, however, this mechanism can be further improved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide an information processing method and an information processing apparatus for further improving and optimizing the UWB in-band discovery and association mechanism. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an information processing method, the method comprising: receiving control information, the control information including a control information element (control IE), the control information element including an empty slot information field, the empty slot information field indicating an empty slot in a block corresponding to the control information; and determining information about the empty slot based on the empty slot information field in the control information element; Includes:

[0007] In this embodiment of the present application, after receiving control information, a controlled object that is not associated with the controller and does not send an association request frame to the controller may obtain information about free slots by analyzing a control information element (IE) in the control information, and skip analyzing a scheduling IE in the same control information, so that the power consumption of the controlled object can be effectively reduced and the energy efficiency of the controlled object can be improved. For example, after determining that the value carried in the association availability field of the control IE is a first value, the controlled object may analyze the control IE to obtain information about free slots.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the control information further includes a scheduling information element (scheduling IE), and the method further includes ignoring the scheduling information element in the control information.

[0009] Generally, the control information does not include slots scheduled for the control object because the control object is not associated with the controller. Therefore, even if the control object knows from the scheduling IE in the control information that there are no slots scheduled for the control object, the control object still needs to analyze the scheduling IE in the control information to learn information about free slots. However, according to this embodiment of the present application, after obtaining the free slot information field in the control information, the control object can learn information about free slots based on the free slot information field, so that the control object can obtain free slots more quickly and conveniently.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the control information element further includes an indication field, and the value carried in the indication field includes a first value, which indicates that an empty slot information field is present in the control information element.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the free slot information field is used to carry a first bitmap, each bit in the first bitmap indicating whether the corresponding slot is a free slot, and the length of the first bitmap is equal to or greater than the number of slots included in the block, or the length of the first bitmap is equal to or greater than the number of remaining slots in the block, the remaining slots being slots in the block after the slot used to transmit control information.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the free slot information field is used to carry starting slot information corresponding to the second bitmap and the second bitmap, where the starting slot information indicates a slot corresponding to the first bit in the second bitmap, and each bit in the second bitmap indicates whether the corresponding slot is a free slot.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the control information further includes a capability information field, which is used to carry capability information of the controller.

[0014] In one possible implementation, after determining information about the free slot based on a free slot information field in the control information element, the method includes transmitting an association request frame in the free slot indicated by the free slot information field, and receiving an association response frame in response to the association request frame.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the association request frame includes a medium access control (MAC) layer management entity (MLME) element, the MLME element includes an extended capabilities information element, the extended capabilities information element is used to carry the capability information to be controlled, and an identifier of the extended capabilities information element includes 0x1.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the identifier of the association request frame includes 0x0c.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the association response frame includes at least one of an Ultra Wideband Session at Capacity field or an Association Reject field, where the identifier of the UWB Session at Capacity field includes 0x04 and the identifier of the Association Reject field includes 0x05.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the identifier of the association response frame includes 0x0d.

[0019] According to a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an information processing method, the method comprising: generating control information, the control information including a control information element, the control information element including an empty slot information field, the empty slot information field indicating an empty slot in a block corresponding to the control information; and transmitting the control information. Includes:

[0020] In one possible implementation, the control information element further includes an indication field, and the value carried in the indication field includes a first value, which indicates that an empty slot information field is present in the control information element.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the free slot information field is used to carry a first bitmap, each bit in the first bitmap indicating whether the corresponding slot is a free slot, and the length of the first bitmap is equal to or greater than the number of slots included in the block, or the length of the first bitmap is equal to or greater than the number of remaining slots in the block, the remaining slots being slots in the block after the slot used to transmit control information.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the free slot information field is used to carry starting slot information corresponding to the second bitmap and the second bitmap, where the starting slot information indicates a slot corresponding to the first bit in the second bitmap, and each bit in the second bitmap indicates whether the corresponding slot is a free slot.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the control information further includes a capability information field, which is used to carry capability information of the controller.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the method includes receiving an association request frame in a free slot indicated by the free slot information field, and transmitting an association response frame in response to the association request frame.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the association request frame includes a medium access control MAC layer management entity MLME element, which includes an extended capabilities information element, which is used to carry capability information of the controlled object, and an identifier of the extended capabilities information element includes 0x1.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the identifier of the association request frame includes 0x0c.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the association response frame includes at least one of an Ultra Wideband Session at Capacity field or an Association Reject field, where the identifier of the UWB Session at Capacity field includes 0x04 and the identifier of the Association Reject field includes 0x05.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the identifier of the association response frame includes 0x0d.

[0029] According to a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device configured to perform the method of the first aspect or any one of possible implementation forms of the first aspect. The communication device includes a unit that performs the method of the first aspect or any one of possible implementation forms of the first aspect. For example, the communication device may include a processing unit and a transceiver unit.

[0030] According to a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device configured to perform the method of the second aspect or any one of possible implementation forms of the second aspect. The communication device includes a unit that performs the method of the second aspect or any one of possible implementation forms of the second aspect. For example, the communication device may include a processing unit and a transceiver unit.

[0031] According to a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device includes a processor configured to execute the method described in the first aspect or any one of the possible implementation forms of the first aspect. Alternatively, the processor is configured to execute a program stored in a memory. When the program is executed, the method described in the first aspect or any one of the possible implementation forms of the first aspect is performed.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the memory is located external to the communication device.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the memory is located within the communication device.

[0034] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor and the memory may alternatively be integrated into one component. In other words, the processor and the memory may alternatively be integrated.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a transceiver configured to receive signals and / or transmit signals.

[0036] According to a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device includes a processor configured to execute the method described in the second aspect or any one of the possible implementation forms of the second aspect. Alternatively, the processor is configured to execute a program stored in a memory. When the program is executed, the method described in the second aspect or any one of the possible implementation forms of the second aspect is performed.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the memory is located external to the communication device.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the memory is located within the communication device.

[0039] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor and the memory may alternatively be integrated into one component. In other words, the processor and the memory may alternatively be integrated.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a transceiver configured to receive signals and / or transmit signals.

[0041] According to a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device includes a logic circuit and an interface. The logic circuit is coupled to the interface. The interface is configured to input control information. The logic circuit is configured to determine information about an empty slot based on an empty slot information field in the control information.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the logic circuitry is further configured to output association request frames in free slots indicated by the free slot information field, and to analyze association response frames input via the interface.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the interface is further configured to input beacon frames, and the logic circuitry is configured to analyze the beacon frames.

[0044] It will be understood that for a description of the logic circuit and interface, reference is made to the first embodiment, and the details will not be described again here.

[0045] According to an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device includes a logic circuit and an interface. The logic circuit is coupled to the interface. The logic circuit is configured to generate control information. The interface is configured to output the control information.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the logic circuitry is further configured to input an association request frame to the free slot indicated by the free slot information field, and to output an association response frame in response to the association request frame.

[0047] For example, the logic may be configured to input an association request frame via the interface, parse the association request frame, determine an association response frame, and output the association response frame via the interface.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the interface is configured to output a beacon frame.

[0049] For example, the logic circuitry may be further configured to determine a beacon frame.

[0050] It will be appreciated that for a description of the logic circuitry and interfaces, reference is made to the second embodiment, and the details will not be described again here.

[0051] According to a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium configured to store a computer program, which, when run on a computer, performs the method set forth in the first aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0052] According to a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium configured to store a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, performs the method set forth in the second aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect.

[0053] According to an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, the computer program product including a computer program, which, when run on a computer, performs the method set forth in the first aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0054] According to a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, the computer program product including a computer program, which, when run on a computer, performs the method set forth in the second aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect.

[0055] According to a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program, which, when run on a computer, performs the method set forth in the first aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0056] According to a fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program, which, when run on a computer, performs the method set forth in the second aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect.

[0057] According to a fifteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system. The communication system includes a control object and a controller. The control object is configured to execute a method described in the first aspect or any one of possible implementation forms of the first aspect. The controller is configured to execute a method described in the second aspect or any one of possible implementation forms of the second aspect. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0058] [Figure 1a] 1 is a diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 1b] 1 is a diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2a] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a time structure of a beacon interval according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2b] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a time structure of an application period according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2c] FIG. 1 is a diagram of the relationship between blocks, rounds, and slots according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2d] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a UWB in-band discovery and association mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic flowchart of an information processing method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 4]1 is a schematic flowchart of an information processing method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 5a] FIG. 2 is a timing diagram of association request and association response frames according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5b] FIG. 2 is a timing diagram of association request and association response frames according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5c] FIG. 2 is a timing diagram of association request and association response frames according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic flowchart of an information processing method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 7a] 1 is a schematic flowchart of an information processing method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 7b] 1 is a schematic flowchart of an information processing method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 10] 1 is a diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0059] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions in the present application, the present application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0060] In the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application, terms such as "first," "second," etc. are used merely to distinguish between different objects and are not used to describe a particular order. In addition, terms such as "comprise" and "have," as well as any other variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, processes, methods, systems, products, and devices that include a series of steps or units are not limited to the enumerated steps or units, but instead may optionally include additional steps or units that are not enumerated, or may optionally include other steps or units that are inherent to those processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0061] The term "embodiment" as used herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Phrases appearing in various places in this specification may not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and are not an independent or optional embodiment that is exclusive of another embodiment. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that an embodiment described herein may be combined with another embodiment.

[0062] In this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more, and "at least two (items)" means two, three, or more. "And / or" is used to describe an association relationship between associated objects and indicates that a triple relationship may exist. For example, "A and / or B" may indicate that only A is present, only B is present, or both A and B are present. A and B may be singular or plural. "Or" indicates that a triple relationship may exist, e.g., only A is present and only B is present. When A and B are not mutually exclusive, it may indicate that a triple relationship exists, e.g., only A is present, only B is present, and both A and B are present. The character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between associated objects. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c may refer to a, b, c, "a and b," "a and c," "b and c," or "a and b and c."

[0063] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are applicable to UWB technology-based wireless personal area networks (WPANs). For example, the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application are applicable to Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15 series protocols, such as the 802.15.4a protocol, the 802.15.4z protocol, the 802.15.4ab protocol, or future-generation UWB WPAN standards. Examples are not listed. For example, the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application are further applicable to IEEE 802.11 series protocols, such as the 802.11a / b / g protocol, the 802.11n protocol, the 802.11ac protocol, the 802.11ax protocol, the 802.11be protocol, or next-generation protocols. Examples are not listed. The methods provided in the embodiments of the present application may further be applied to various communication systems, such as internet of things (IoT) systems, vehicle to everything (V2X) and narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) systems, and applied to vehicle to everything devices, internet of things (IoT) internet of things nodes, sensors, etc., such as smart cameras, smart remote controls, and smart water or electricity meters in smart homes, sensors in smart cities, etc.The methods provided in the embodiments of the present application may be further applicable to an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, a fifth-generation (5G) communication system, a sixth-generation (6G) communication system, etc.

[0064] UWB technology is a new wireless communication technology. In UWB technology, data is transmitted via non-sinusoidal narrow pulses at the nanosecond level, and modulation is performed on the pulses with very steep rise and fall times. Therefore, UWB technology occupies a wide spectral range, resulting in signals with gigahertz (GHz) bandwidths. The bandwidth used by UWB is typically greater than 1 GHz (or 500 MHz, for example). UWB systems do not need to generate a sinusoidal carrier signal; they can directly transmit pulse sequences. Therefore, UWB systems have a wide spectrum and low average power. UWB wireless communication systems have advantages such as strong multipath resolution, low power consumption, and high confidentiality. This facilitates coexistence with other systems, thereby improving spectrum utilization and system capacity. In addition, for short-range communication applications, the transmission power of a UWB transmitter can generally be lower than 1 mW (milliwatt). Theoretically, the interference generated by a UWB signal is equivalent to only wideband white noise. This facilitates good coexistence between ultra-wideband and existing narrowband communications: both UWB and narrowband (NB) communication systems can operate without interfering with each other.

[0065] For example, the IEEE 802.15 Working Group for Wireless Specialty Networks (WSN) established the 4ab Working Group to develop revisions to 802.15.4-2020 and 802.15.4z-2020 to further enhance the UWB PHY layer and UWB MAC layer (also known as the MAC sublayer) and related ranging technologies. The scope of the extensions includes additional coding, preambles, and modulation schemes to increase link budget and / or reduce air interface time compared to IEEE Standard 802.15.4 UWB; improvements to accuracy, precision, reliability, and interoperability to achieve high-integrity ranging; solutions to reduce complexity and power consumption; defining tightly coupled hybrid operation and narrowband signaling to support UWB; enhanced local discovery and connection establishment mechanisms; sensing capabilities to support presence detection and environment mapping; and mechanisms to support low-power, low-latency, and high-data-rate flows to achieve a throughput of at least 50 Mb / s. It should be understood that the UWB technology described in the embodiments of the present application is merely an example. For example, as technology develops, the characteristics or application fields of UWB may change, which is not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0066] The embodiments of the present application are primarily described using WPANs as examples, and in particular networks used in the IEEE 802.15 series of standards as examples. However, those skilled in the art will readily understand that various aspects of the embodiments of the present application can be extended to other networks using various standards or protocols, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs), Bluetooth®, high performance radio LANs (HIPERLANs) (a wireless standard similar to the IEEE 802.11 standard used primarily in Europe), wide area networks (WANs), or other networks now known or developed in the future. Therefore, 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.

[0067] The methods provided in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented by a communication device in a communication system. The communication device may be a device in a UWB system. For example, the communication device may include, but is not limited to, a communication server, a router, a switch, a bridge, a computer, a mobile phone, etc. As another example, the communication device may include a central control point, such as a personal area network (PAN) or a PAN coordinator. As another example, the communication device may include user equipment (UE). The user equipment may include various handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, computing devices, other processing devices connected to wireless modems, etc. Examples are not listed. As another example, the communication device may include a chip, and the chip may be located in a communication server, a router, a switch, a user terminal, etc. Examples are not listed.

[0068] For example, FIGS. 1a and 1b are diagrams of architectures of communication systems according to embodiments of the present application. FIG. 1a illustrates a star topology structure according to an embodiment of the present application, and FIG. 1b illustrates a point-to-point topology structure according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1a, in the star topology structure, one central control node may perform data communication with one or more other devices. As shown in FIG. 1b, in the point-to-point topology structure, data communication may be performed between different devices. In FIGS. 1a and 1b, both full function devices (FFDs) and reduced function devices (RFDs) may be understood as communication devices shown in the present application. The full function devices and reduced function devices are relative to each other. For example, a reduced function device cannot be a PAN coordinator. As another example, compared to a full function device, a reduced function device may not have coordination capabilities or may have a lower communication speed than a full function device. It will be understood that the PAN coordinator shown in FIG. 1b is merely an example, and that the other three full-function devices shown in FIG. 1b may also be used as PAN coordinators, and these are not shown one by one here.

[0069] It will be understood that the full-function devices and reduced-function devices shown in the embodiments of the present application are merely examples of communication devices, and any communication device capable of implementing the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application falls within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application.

[0070] 2a is a diagram of a time structure of a beacon interval according to one embodiment of the present application. The time structure of a beacon interval may also be understood as the time structure for a beacon-enabled application, a time structure applicable to a beacon-enabled application, etc. As shown in FIG. 2a, the time structure may include an application management period and an application period. Because ultra-wideband communication and narrowband communication and / or Wi-Fi communication may successfully coexist, it will be understood that the blank after the application period shown in FIG. 2a may be understood as a time when UWB communication is not used, e.g., the time corresponding to the blank may be used for narrowband communication and / or Wi-Fi communication.

[0071] For example, an application management period may include one or more contention access periods (CAPs) and one or more contention-free periods (CFPs). Each CAP may include one or more beacon slots (BSs), and each CFP may include one or more beacon slots. Channel access within a CFP slot may be understood as scheduling-based channel access, and channel access within a CAP slot may be understood as contention-based channel access. It will be understood that a beacon interval may or may not include an application management period (shown in FIG. 2a). The sequence of CAPs and CFPs in an application management period shown in FIG. 2a is merely an example and should not be construed as a limitation on this embodiment of the present application. It will be understood that the configuration of beacon slots in an application management period may differ from the configuration of slots in an application period. For example, the duration (also called size) of a beacon slot in an application management period may differ from the duration of a slot in an application period.

[0072] An application period may include one or more slots. For example, the controller may periodically transmit a beacon frame, and the beacon frame may include at least one of a beacon interval value, a beacon slot duration, an application management period usage, or an application period start position. For example, as shown in FIG. 2b, an application period may be based on blocks. For example, one application period may include one or more blocks, one block may include one or more rounds, and one round may include one or more slots. For example, one slot may be understood as a duration sufficient to transmit at least one application-specific frame (ASF), which may include a ranging frame, a sensing frame, a data frame, etc. One round may be understood as a duration sufficient to complete an entire application measurement period, for example, a duration sufficient to complete one ranging process, a duration sufficient to complete one sensing process, or a duration sufficient to complete one data communication process. One block may be understood as a period sufficient to complete one or more applications, such as ranging, sensing, and data communication. It will be understood that the number of slots included in the blocks shown in Figure 2b is merely an example, and that Figure 2b does not show the relationship between blocks and rounds or between rounds and slots.

[0073] FIG. 2c is a diagram illustrating the relationship between blocks, rounds, and slots according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2c, each block may be divided into several rounds, and each round may be used to complete one independent sensing measurement (ranging, data communication, etc.) and result reporting (result reporting may be included as necessary). Each round may be divided into several slots, and each slot may be used to transmit at least one ASF. For example, at the beginning of each round, the controller may configure configuration information corresponding to the block in which the round is located (e.g., the control phase shown in FIG. 2c) by transmitting control information in one or more slots. Then, the controller and the controlled object may perform sensing measurement (or ranging, data communication, etc.) in the next slot (e.g., the application phase shown in FIG. 2c). Optionally, the last one or more slots of each round may be used for result reporting (e.g., the reporting phase shown in FIG. 2c). In FIG. 2c, P is a positive integer less than Q, and Q is a positive integer less than M. N, M, P, and Q may all be positive integers. It should be understood that the control phase, application phase, and reporting phase shown in FIG. 2c are merely examples. In a specific implementation, the slots included in each round may not be classified into different phases. Alternatively, in a specific implementation, there may be more or fewer division schemes than those shown in FIG. 2c. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application. In the relationship diagram shown in FIG. 2c, the indexes of the slots in round 1 are not shown. For example, the index of the first slot in round 1 may be slot M. For example, the indexes of the slots included in a block may be in ascending order.

[0074] In the relationship diagram shown in FIG. 2c, it can be understood that the controller does not need to transmit control information in the first P+1 slots of each round, and the transmission of control information needs to be determined based on the measurement application process. For example, one measurement process may continue over multiple rounds. In this case, the controller may transmit control information only during the control phase of the measurement process. If the sensing measurement continues over two rounds, for example, round 0 and round 1, the controller may transmit control information in round 0 and then not transmit control information in round 1.

[0075] Currently, a UWB in-band discovery and association mechanism has been proposed. This mechanism can be understood as a process in which a controller transmits control information, a controlled object transmits an association request frame, and a controlled object receives an association response frame. Please refer to Figures 2a to 2d for an explanation of the mechanism.

[0076] For example, the controller may transmit configuration information of the block in which the round is located at the start time of the round by transmitting a control message (CM). As shown in FIG. 2d, the controller may transmit a CM including a control information element (IE) (also referred to as an application control IE) and a scheduling IE. For example, the control IE may be used to configure information such as the duration (or size) of a slot, the duration (or size) of a round, and the duration (or size) of a block. The control IE may include an association availability field (also referred to as an association availability field). If the value carried in the association availability field is 1, the controller may be awake in the remaining slots in the block in which the round is located and may receive one or more association request frames from the controlled object. After receiving the CM, the controlled object can learn which devices have configured slots in the block corresponding to the CM by analyzing the scheduling IE in the CM, and as a result, the unconfigured slots may be used as free slots. Specifically, the controlled object may obtain an empty slot by analyzing the scheduling IE, and then randomly select a slot from the empty slots to transmit an association request frame (as shown in FIG. 2b, the controlled object may transmit the association request frame in the second empty slot of the five empty slots). After receiving the association request frame, the controller may transmit an association response frame in a slot of the next block (as shown in FIG. 2b, the controller may transmit the association response frame in block N+1). For example, after receiving the association response frame, the controlled object may perform subsequent communication based on the short address in the association response frame, and performing communication based on the short address can effectively reduce signaling overhead.

[0077] However, based on the method shown in Figure 2d, there are some problems, as shown below.

[0078] First, the UWB in-band discovery and association mechanism needs to be further optimized to improve efficiency. For example, a controller schedules slots for other devices (devices other than the controlled device) through a scheduling IE in a CM. The controlled device needs to analyze the scheduling IE to obtain the slots scheduled for the other device, and then use the slots not scheduled for the other device as free slots to learn information about free slots. In other words, for a controlled device not associated with the controller, the CM generally does not have slots scheduled for the controlled device. Therefore, even if the controlled device knows from the scheduling IE in the CM that the controlled device has no slots scheduled, the controlled device still needs to analyze the scheduling IE in the CM to learn information about free slots.

[0079] Second, the UWB in-band discovery and association mechanism has some drawbacks. For example, the format of the association request frame is not backward compatible with the format of the association response frame. For example, in the IEEE 802.15.4-2020 standard, a value of 0x01 in the association status field of the association response frame indicates a PAN at capacity, or a value of 0x02 in the association status field indicates PAN access denied. However, in the UWB in-band discovery and association mechanism, 0x01 indicates a UWB session at capacity, and 0x02 indicates association denied. As a result, the association response frame in the UWB in-band discovery and association mechanism is not backward compatible.

[0080] Third, the UWB in-band discovery and association mechanism is incomplete. For example, before sending an association request frame to the controller, the controlled object does not know the controller's capability information. If the controlled object does not know the controller's capability information, the controlled object cannot know whether the controller can provide services to the controlled object and cannot decide whether to associate with the controller.

[0081] In consideration of this, embodiments of the present application provide an information processing method and apparatus for further optimizing and improving the UWB in-band discovery and association mechanism, so that the UWB in-band discovery and association mechanism is more complete and efficient. This method may be applied to a controller and a controlled object. The controller and the controlled object may be understood as relative communication devices. For example, the controller may be understood as a communication device configured to control one or more controlled objects, and the controlled object may be understood as a communication device controlled by the controller.

[0082] For example, the controller may include a full-function device, and the controlled object may include a reduced-function device. As another example, the controller may include a reduced-function device, and the controlled object includes a reduced-function device. As another example, the controller includes a reduced-function device, and the controlled object includes a full-function device. As another example, both the controller and the controlled object are full-function devices. It will be understood that the full-function device and the reduced-function device in FIGS. 1a and 1b are merely examples, and any apparatus capable of implementing the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application falls within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. Therefore, the controller and the controlled object shown in the above examples should not be understood as limitations on the embodiments of the present application.

[0083] It should be understood that the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application are described using two aspects: a controller and a controlled object. However, another device may be involved in the process of transmitting information between the controller and the controlled object. For example, information between the controller and the controlled object is transferred via a transfer device. Therefore, the mutual transfer of information in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by using technical means that can be accomplished by those skilled in the art, and devices other than the controller and the controlled object are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0084] For example, the following embodiment shown in Figure 3 can effectively solve the first problem, or a combination of the following embodiment shown in Figure 3 with another embodiment can effectively solve the first problem. The following method shown in Figure 3 may be an independent embodiment, or the method shown in Figure 3 may be combined with another embodiment.

[0085] For example, the following embodiment shown in Figure 4 can effectively solve the second problem, or a combination of the following embodiment shown in Figure 4 with another embodiment can effectively solve the second problem. The following method shown in Figure 4 may be an independent embodiment, or the method shown in Figure 4 may be combined with another embodiment.

[0086] For example, the following embodiment shown in Figure 6 can effectively solve the third problem, or a combination of the following embodiment shown in Figure 6 with another embodiment can effectively solve the third problem. The following method shown in Figure 6 may be an independent embodiment, or the method shown in Figure 6 may be combined with another embodiment.

[0087] For example, the combination of the method shown in Figure 3 with the method shown in Figure 4 can effectively solve the first and second problems, the combination of the method shown in Figure 3 with the method shown in Figure 6 can effectively solve the first and third problems, and the combination of the method shown in Figure 4 with the method shown in Figure 6 can effectively solve the second and third problems. The combinations of the methods shown below will not be described in detail in the embodiments of the present application.

[0088] 3 is a schematic flowchart of an information processing method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 3, the method includes the following steps:

[0089] 301: The controller transmits control information. In response, the controlled object receives the control information. The control information may include a control IE. The control IE includes an empty slot information field, which indicates an empty slot in a block corresponding to the control information.

[0090] For example, before transmitting the control information, the controller may generate (or determine) the control information. The control IE may also be referred to as an application control IE. A block corresponding to the control information may be understood as a block where the control information is located, a block where a slot scheduled via the control information is located, etc.

[0091] For example, the control information may include at least one of the following fields: content control, session ID, block duration (also referred to as block duration, block size, etc.), round duration (also referred to as round duration, round size, etc.), slot duration (also referred to as slot duration, slot size, etc.), contention phase structure, ranging control, data communication control, sensing control, TDOA control, or empty slot information. For example, see Table 1 for the lengths of the aforementioned fields. See Table 2 for a description of the content control field. It should be understood that the sequence of fields and the length of each field shown in Tables 1 and 2 are merely examples. In a specific implementation, the sequence of fields may change, or the length of each field may change, which is not enumerated in the embodiments of the present application.

[0092] [Table 1]

[0093] For example, the session ID indicates the ID of the session corresponding to the CM. The block duration field indicates the duration (or size) of a block, the round duration field indicates the duration (or size) of a round, the slot duration field indicates the duration (or size) of a slot, and the contention phase structure field indicates information about the contention phase. The ranging control field is used to carry control information about ranging, the data communication control field is used to carry control information about data communication, the sensing control field is used to carry control information about sensing, and the free slot information field indicates a free slot in the block corresponding to the control information. It will be understood that when at least one of the following information in the control information is the same as at least one of the following information in previous control information, the control information may not include at least one of the following information: session ID, block duration, round duration, slot duration, contention phase structure, ranging control, data communication control, sensing control, TDOA control, or free slot information. For example, if the session ID in the control information is the same as the session ID in the previous control information, the control information may not contain a session ID, in other words, the length of the session ID field is 0. The description of other information is not listed.

[0094] For example, the control IE may further include an indication field, and the indication field may indicate whether the free slot information field is present in the control IE, e.g., when the value carried in the indication field includes a first value, it may indicate that the free slot information field is present in the control IE, or when the value carried in the indication field includes a second value, it may indicate that the free slot information field is not present in the control IE.

[0095] For example, the content control field may be shown in Table 2. For example, the content control field may include at least one of the following: session ID present (SIP), ranging block duration present (RBDP), ranging round duration present (RRDP), ranging slot duration present (RSDP), scheduling mode, association availability (also called association availability), ranging control present (RCP), data communication control present (DCP), sensing control present (SCP), or time difference of arrival (TDOA) control present (TCP). For descriptions of the fields shown in Table 2, please refer to related standards or protocols, etc. This is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0096] [Table 2]

[0097] Generally, when the value carried in the association availability (or referred to as association availability) field is 1, the controller may be awake in the remaining slots of the block in which the round is located to receive one or more association request frames from the controlled object. However, in an embodiment of the present application, the association availability field may be reused as an indication field. The association availability field may indicate whether an empty slot in the block corresponding to the control information (or referred to as the current block) is available for association. For example, if the value carried in the association availability field includes a first value, it indicates that an empty slot in the current block is available for association, or if the value carried in the association availability field includes a second value, it indicates that an empty slot in the current block is not available for association. As another example, if the value carried in the association availability field includes a first value, it may further indicate that the controller is awake in the remaining slots of the current block to receive one or more association request frames from the controlled object. As another example, if the value carried in the association availability field includes a first value, it indicates that the free slot information field is present in the control IE, or if the value carried in the association availability field includes a second value, it indicates that the free slot information field is not present in the control IE. For example, the first value may be 1 and the second value may be 0, or the first value may be 0 and the second value may be 1.

[0098] For example, because the free slots in one block are the same, the values ​​carried in the association availability fields of the content control fields in all CMs in the same block may be the same. For example, all association availability fields of the content control fields in all CMs in the same block may carry a first value. As another example, the free slot information fields of all CMs in the same block may be the same. In this way, the control target can know the information of the free slots after obtaining one piece of control information in the block.

[0099] The free slot information field in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below.

[0100] In one possible implementation of the present application, the free slot information field is used to carry a first bitmap. Optionally, the free slot information field may further be used to carry length information of the first bitmap. For example, the free slot information field includes a bitmap size field (or referred to as a bitmap size field, etc.) and a free slot bitmap field (or referred to as a free slot bitmap field, bitmap field, etc.). The bitmap size field indicates the size of the first bitmap included in the free slot bitmap field. For example, the size may be in octets. Each bit in the free slot bitmap field may indicate whether the corresponding slot is a free slot. By indicating the size of the first bitmap in octets, the signaling overhead of the bitmap size field can be effectively reduced. Of course, the unit of the size of the first bitmap indicated by the bitmap size field may alternatively be bits. This is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. Since the free slot information field includes the bitmap size field, the control object can know the length of the bitmap based on the free slot information field in order to quickly analyze the first bitmap. Optionally, the free slot information field may not include the bitmap size field. In this case, the control object may determine the number of slots included in the block based on the block duration and slot duration in the control information, and may determine the number of remaining slots in the block based on the block duration, slot duration, and duration for transmitting the control information in the control information.

[0101] In one example, the length of the free slot bitmap field may be equal to or greater than the number of slots included in the block. For example, the first bit in the first bitmap carried in the free slot bitmap field may correspond to the first slot in the block, or the least significant bit (LSB) in the first bitmap may correspond to the first slot in the block. For example, if one block includes 60 slots, the size of the first bitmap may be 8 octets (64 bits), and the length indicated by the bitmap size field may be 8 octets. For example, if the value carried by the bit in the first bitmap is the third value, it indicates that the slot corresponding to that bit is a free slot. As another example, if the value carried by the bit in the first bitmap is the fourth value, it indicates that the slot corresponding to that bit is not a free slot. For example, the third value may be 1 and the fourth group may be 0, or the third value may be 0 and the fourth group may be 1.

[0102] In another example, the length of the free slot bitmap field may be equal to or greater than the number of remaining slots in the block. The remaining slots may be understood as slots in the block that follow the slot used to transmit control information, or as slots in the block that follow the transmit slot. The transmit slot may be understood as a slot used to transmit control information. Alternatively, the remaining slots may be understood as slots in the block other than the transmit slot and the slot before the transmit slot. For example, the first bit in the first bitmap carried in the free slot bitmap field may correspond to the transmit slot or the first slot after the transmit slot. In conclusion, the slot corresponding to the least significant bit in the first bitmap carried in the free slot bitmap field may be determined based on the transmit slot (e.g., it may correspond to the slot before the transmit slot). The fact that the first bit in the first bitmap corresponds to the transmit slot may be understood as the LSB in the first bitmap corresponding to the slot in which the CM carrying the control IE is transmitted. For example, if one block includes 60 slots and the transmit slot is the 17th slot of the block, in other words, there are 43 remaining slots in the block. For example, the first bit in the first bitmap may correspond to the 17th slot, the 18th slot, etc. Examples are not enumerated. For example, the size of the first bitmap may be 6 octets (48 bits). For example, if the value carried by a bit in the first bitmap is the third value, it indicates that the slot corresponding to that bit is an empty slot. As another example, if the value carried by a bit in the first bitmap is the fourth group, it indicates that the slot corresponding to that bit is not an empty slot.

[0103] In another possible implementation of the present application, the free slot information field includes at least one of the following information: a second bitmap or starting slot information corresponding to the second bitmap. Optionally, the free slot information field may further include length information of the second bitmap. For example, the free slot information field may include a starting slot index field, a bitmap size field, and a free slot bitmap field. The starting slot index field may indicate the index of a slot corresponding to the LSB in the second bitmap included in the free slot bitmap field, or may indicate the index of a slot corresponding to the first bit in the second bitmap. The bitmap size field may indicate the size of the second bitmap included in the free slot bitmap field. For example, the size may be in octets. The bitmap size field may be determined based on the number of slots included in the block and the index of the slot indicated by the starting slot index field. Each bit in the second bitmap may indicate whether the corresponding slot is a free slot. For example, if the index of the slot indicated by the starting slot index field is 18, it indicates that the slot corresponding to the first bit in the second bitmap is slot 18. If one block contains 60 slots, the size of the second bitmap may be 6 octets. For a related description of the second bitmap, please refer to the above description of the first bitmap. Details will not be described again here.

[0104] The size of the bitmap carried in the above-mentioned empty slot information field is indicated by using the number of slots included in the block as an example. In this case, the empty slot information fields in all control information in the block may carry the same bitmap, and the controlled object may learn information about the empty slots by receiving any control information in the block. For example, the empty slot information field may indicate an empty slot in a round corresponding to the control information. In this case, the bitmaps carried in the empty slot information fields in all control information may be different. When the empty slot information field indicates an empty slot in a round corresponding to the control information, please refer to the above description for a specific description of the empty slot information field.

[0105] It should be understood that the above first bitmap and second bitmap are used to distinguish between different objects. In a specific implementation, the first bitmap and the second bitmap may not be distinguished. Therefore, the description of the first bitmap and the second bitmap in the embodiments of the present application should not be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0106] 302: The control object determines information about the free slot based on the free slot information field of the control IE.

[0107] For example, the control information may further include a scheduling IE. For example, the control object may ignore the scheduling IE in the control information, or the control object may skip parsing the scheduling IE in the control information, or may obtain information about the free slot without parsing the scheduling IE. For example, the information about the free slot shown in this embodiment of the present application may include an index of the free slot, a position of the free slot, etc.

[0108] In this embodiment of the present application, after receiving control information, a controlled object that is not associated with the controller and does not send an association request frame to the controller may obtain information about free slots by analyzing a control IE in the control information, and skip analyzing a scheduling IE in the same control information, so that the power consumption of the controlled object can be effectively reduced and the energy efficiency of the controlled object can be improved. For example, after determining that the value carried in the association availability field of the control IE is a first value, the controlled object may analyze the control IE to obtain information about free slots.

[0109] 4 is a schematic flowchart of an information processing method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 4, the method includes the following steps:

[0110] 401: The controlled object sends an association request frame, and in response, the controller receives the association request frame.

[0111] For example, before transmitting the association request frame, the controlled object may generate (or determine) the association request frame.

[0112] 402: The controller sends an association response frame, and in response, the controlled object receives an association response frame.

[0113] For example, before transmitting the association response frame, the controller may generate (or determine) the association response frame.

[0114] For example, after receiving the association response frame, the controlled object parses the association response frame to obtain the short address, and then communicates with the controller based on the short address. As another example, after receiving the association request frame, the controller may verify the identity and capabilities of the controlled object.

[0115] The following describes in detail the association request frame and the association response frame in the embodiment of the present application.

[0116] In a possible implementation of the present application, the association request and association response frames are extended in an embodiment of the present application to support UWB in-band association and maintain backward compatibility.

[0117] For example, the association request frame may include at least one of a MAC header (MHR) field, a MAC sublayer management entity (MLME) IE, a payload termination IE, a command ID field, a capability information field, or a frame check sequence (FCS) field. For example, the format of the association request frame may be shown in Table 3. It should be understood that the field sequence and the length of each field shown in Table 3 are merely examples. In a specific implementation, the field sequence or the length of each field may change, which is not enumerated in the embodiments of the present application. Here, the description of the field sequence and the field lengths in Table 3 is also applicable to subsequent tables. Details will not be described below.

[0118] [Table 3]

[0119] A value of 1 carried in the IE Present field in the Frame Control field of the MHR field indicates the presence of one or more IEs (e.g., MLME ID and Payload Termination IE) in the association request frame. The value carried in the Command ID field may be 0x1, where a Command ID of 0x1 may correspond to an association request frame. The Capability Information field may be used to carry capability information of the controlled object. The capability information of the controlled object may include at least one of whether the controlled object is an FFD or RFD, whether the controlled object is powered by alternating current, whether the controlled object turns off its receiver during idle time to save energy, whether the controlled object can send and receive encrypted frames, whether the controlled object requests fast association, whether the controlled object wishes to be assigned a short address as a result of the association process, etc.

[0120] Table 4 shows an example of the format of the MLME IE. For example, the MLME IE includes an Extended Capability Information IE, i.e., a nested IE. The value carried in the Group ID field may be 0x1, and the Group ID 0x1 may correspond to the MLME IE.

[0121] [Table 4]

[0122] Table 5 shows an example of the format of the Extended Capability Information IE. For example, the Extended Capability Information IE includes a SubID field and an Extended Capability Information field. For example, the value carried in the SubID field may be 0x10. It should be understood that the SubID 0x10 shown here is merely an example. For example, the value carried in the SubID field may be set to any of 0x10-0x19, 0x2a, 0x3a-0x3f, 0x41-0x45, and 0x47-0x7f.

[0123] [Table 5]

[0124] Tables 6 and 7 show an example of the format of the extended capability information field. For example, the extended capability information field may include at least one of the following information:

[0125] A. Whether a low density parity code (LDPC) code is supported. For example, the LDPC field may indicate whether LDPC is supported. A value of 1 carried in the LDPC field (or the LDPC field is set to 1) indicates that LDPC is supported, or a value of 0 carried in the LDPC field indicates that LDPC is not supported.

[0126] B. Data Rate (or Whether the Rate is Supported). Table 6 uses an example of supporting 124.8 Mbps. The 124.8 Mbps field may indicate whether the 124.8 Mbps data rate is supported. For example, a value of 1 carried in the 124.8 Mbps field indicates that the 124.8 Mbps data rate is supported, or a value of 0 carried in the 124.8 Mbps field indicates that the 124.8 Mbps data rate is not supported.

[0127] C. Whether the ranging sequence fragment (RSF)-only multi-millisecond (MMS) packet format is supported (or whether ranging sequence fragment-only multi-millisecond packets are supported). The RSF-only MMS packet field indicates whether the RSF-only MMS packet format is supported. For example, a value of 1 carried in the RSF-only MMS packet field indicates that the RSF-only MMS packet format is supported, or a value of 0 carried in the RSF-only MMS packet field indicates that the RSF-only MMS packet format is not supported.

[0128] D. Whether the mixed MMS packet format is supported (or whether mixed MMS packets are supported). The mixed MMS packet field indicates whether the mixed MMS packet format is supported. For example, if the mixed MMS packet field is set to 1, it indicates that the mixed MMS packet format is supported, or if the mixed MMS packet field is set to 0, it indicates that the mixed MMS packet format is not supported. When the mixed MMS packet field is set to 1, the RSF-only MMS packet field MUST be set to 1.

[0129] E. MMS Fragment Number Recommendation. The MMS fragment number recommendation field indicates whether the ranging responder is supported to recommend the number of RSFs and the number of ranging integrity fragments (RIFs) in the next ranging round to the ranging initiator. For example, if the MMS fragment number recommendation field is set to 1, it indicates that the ranging responder (e.g., the controlled entity) is supported to recommend the number of RSFs and the number of RIFs in the next ranging round to the ranging initiator (e.g., the controller), or if the MMS fragment number recommendation field is set to 0, it indicates that the ranging responder is not supported to recommend the number of RSFs and the number of RIFs in the next ranging round to the ranging initiator. When both the RSF-only MMS packet field and the Mixed MMS packet field are set to 1, the MMS fragment number recommendation field MUST be set to 1.

[0130] F. Whether UWB sensing (also referred to as UWB-based sensing measurement) is supported. For example, the sensing field indicates whether UWB sensing is supported. For example, if the sensing field is set to 1, it indicates that UWB sensing is supported, or if the sensing field is set to 0, it indicates that UWB sensing is not supported.

[0131] G. Whether packet format 1 is supported. For example, the SENS1 field indicates whether sensing packet format 1 (SENS1) is supported. If the SENS1 field is set to 1, it indicates that sensing packet format 1 (SENS1) is supported, or if the SENS1 field is set to 0, it indicates that sensing packet format 1 (SENS1) is not supported.

[0132] H. Whether packet format 2 is supported. For example, the SENS2 field indicates whether sensing packet format 2 (SENS2) is supported. When the SENS2 field is set to 1, it indicates that sensing packet format 2 (SENS2) is supported, or when the SENS2 field is set to 0, it indicates that sensing packet format 2 (SENS2) is not supported.

[0133] I. Whether the processed CIR is supported to be reported. For example, the processed CIR report field indicates whether the processed CIR (e.g., the distance and velocity of an object) is supported to be reported. For example, if the processed CIR report field is set to 1, it indicates that the processed CIR is supported to be reported, or if the processed CIR report field is set to 0, it indicates that the processed CIR is not supported to be reported.

[0134] J. Bit Width of CIR Report. For example, the bit width field of the CIR report may indicate the bit width supported by the quadrature and in-phase components of the CIR, or the bit width supported by the amplitude and phase. The bit width field of the CIR report may occupy two bits. For example, if the first bit is set to 1, it indicates that a 10-bit width is supported, or if the first bit is set to 0, it indicates that a 10-bit width is not supported. If the second bit of the bit width field of the CIR report is set to 1, it indicates that a 12-bit width is supported, or if the second bit is set to 0, it indicates that a 12-bit width is not supported.

[0135] K. Whether the strongest detected tap (or strongest detected path, etc.) is used as a reference. For example, the strongest detected tap as reference field indicates whether the strongest detected tap is supported to be used as a reference for window-based CIR reporting. When the Strongest Detected Tap as Reference field is set to 1, it indicates that the strongest detected tap is supported to be used as a reference for window-based CIR reporting, or when the Strongest Detected Tap as Reference field is set to 0, it indicates that the strongest detected tap is not supported to be used as a reference for window-based CIR reporting.

[0136] L. DL TDOA Supported or Not: The DL TDOA field indicates whether DL TDOA is supported or not. If the DL TDOA field is set to 1, it indicates that DL TDOA is supported, or if the DL TDOA field is set to 0, it indicates that DL TDOA is not supported.

[0137] M. Whether UL TDOA is supported: The UL TDOA field indicates whether UL TDOA is supported. If the UL TDOA field is set to 1, it indicates that DL TDOA is supported, or if the UL TDOA field is set to 0, it indicates that DL TDOA is not supported.

[0138] [Table 6]

[0139] [Table 7]

[0140] It should be understood that the capability information shown in Tables 6 and 7 is merely an example. In a specific implementation, the association request frame may contain more or less capability information than those in Tables 6 and 7.

[0141] Table 8 shows an example of the format of an association response frame. For example, the association response frame may include at least one of an MHR field, a command ID field, a short address field, an association status field, and an FCS field. The command ID field may be set to 0x02, or a command ID of 0x02 may correspond to the association response frame. For descriptions of the short address field, the FCS field, and the MHR field, please refer to the relevant standard (e.g., the IEEE 802.15.4-2020 standard). The details will not be described again here.

[0142] Table 9 shows an example of valid values ​​for the Association Status field. As shown in Table 9, UWB Session-at-Capacity may be set to 0x04, and Association Reject may be set to 0x05. In this way, the following problem is effectively avoided: 0x01 indicates both PAN-at-Capacity and UWB Session-at-Capacity, and 0x02 indicates both PAN Access Reject and Association Reject, so the controlled entity cannot know the association status. The Association Response frame provided in the embodiment of the present application implements backward compatibility. It should be understood that the above 0x04 and 0x05 are merely examples. For example, the values ​​of UWB Session-at-Capacity and Association Reject may alternatively be set to any two values ​​from 0x03 to 0xff.

[0143] [Table 8]

[0144] [Table 9]

[0145] The association request frame and association response frame provided in the embodiments of the present application may reuse the frame format of the IEEE 802.15.4-2020 standard, thereby effectively reducing the complexity of standardization.

[0146] In another possible implementation of the present application, the association request frame may be a newly defined MAC command frame to support UWB in-band association. Table 10 shows an example of the format of the newly defined association request frame. For example, the association request frame may include at least one of an MHR field, a command ID field, a capability information field, an extended capability information field, or an FCS field. To indicate the newly defined association request frame, the command ID field is set to a value reserved in the IEEE 802.15.4-2020 standard and any revision prior to the IEEE 802.15.4ab revision (e.g., any of 0x0c-0x12, 0x1d-0x1f, or 0x29-0xff). For a description of the capability information field, see Table 3. For a description of the extended capability information field, see Tables 6 and 7. Details will not be repeated here.

[0147] [Table 10]

[0148] For example, the association response frame may be a newly defined MAC command frame to support UWB in-band association. Table 11 shows an example of the format of the newly defined association response frame. For example, the association response frame includes at least one of an MHR field, a command ID field, a short address field, an association status field, or an FCS field. To indicate the newly defined association response frame, the command ID field is set to a value reserved in the IEEE 802.15.4-2020 standard and any revision prior to the IEEE 802.15.4ab revision (e.g., any of 0x0c-0x12, 0x1d-0x1f, or 0x29-0xff). The value of the command ID field in the association request frame must be different from the value of the command ID field in the association response frame. Table 12 shows an example of valid values ​​for the association status field. Three values ​​of the association status field (e.g., 0x01, 0x02, and 0x03) may indicate "association successful," "UWB session at capacity," and "association rejected," respectively. It will be appreciated that for relevant descriptions of the values ​​of the association status field, please refer to Table 9. Details will not be described again here.

[0149] [Table 11]

[0150] [Table 12]

[0151] In the embodiment of the present application, the association request frame and the association response frame are newly defined and are simple to implement.

[0152] In one example, after receiving the control information sent by the controller, the controlled object may send an association request frame in an empty slot. In response, the controller receives the association request frame and sends an association response frame in the next block. For example, as shown in FIG. 5a, the control IE of the control information of FIG. 5a may include the empty slot information field shown in FIG. 3. For related descriptions of the control information and the empty slot information field, please refer to the related descriptions of FIG. 3. Details will not be described again here. It should be understood that the number of empty slots shown in FIG. 5a is merely an example. For related descriptions of FIG. 5a, please refer to FIGS. 2b, 3, and 4. Details will not be described again here. The dashed line shown in FIG. 5a indicates that the control information may or may not include the empty slot information field.

[0153] In another example, a controlled object may transmit an association request frame at a CAP during an application management period. For example, when an application management period occurs within a beacon interval, the controlled object may transmit an association request frame to the controller at any CAP, and the controller may transmit an association response frame to the controlled object at the same CAP, the next CAP, or a slot scheduled by the CM within the same beacon interval. Transmitting an association request frame at a CAP during an application management period may provide association opportunities for more unassociated controlled objects.

[0154] For example, as shown in Figure 5b, when the controller receives an association request frame sent by the controlled object at a CAP, if the remaining CAP duration is sufficient to send an association response frame, the controller may attempt to send the association response frame to the controlled object at the same CAP (i.e., both the association request frame and the association response frame are at the same CAP), or if the remaining CAP duration is insufficient to send the association response frame, the controller may attempt to send the association response frame to the controlled object at the next CAP. In other words, if the controller does not have an opportunity to send the association response frame at the same CAP or fails to send the association response frame at the same CAP, the controller may attempt to send the association response frame to the controlled object at the next CAP.

[0155] For example, as shown in Figure 5c, when the controller receives an association request frame sent by a controlled object at the last CAP of an application management period, if the remaining CAP duration is insufficient to send an association response frame, the controller may send the association response frame to the controlled object through a slot of the application period scheduled by the CM, or if the remaining CAP duration is sufficient to send an association response frame, the controller may attempt to send the association response frame to the controlled object at the same CAP. In this case, if the controller does not have an opportunity to send the association response frame at the same CAP or fails to send the association response frame at the same CAP, the controller may send the association response frame to the controlled object through a slot of the application period scheduled by the CM.

[0156] For example, the control information in the application period shown in Figures 5b and 5c may or may not include an empty slot information field.

[0157] 6 is a schematic flowchart of an information processing method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, the method includes the following steps:

[0158] 601: The controller transmits capability information. In response, the controlled object receives capability information. The capability information is used to convey the capability information of the controller.

[0159] In this embodiment of the present application, the capability information may include the capability information shown in Table 3 and the extended capability information shown in Tables 6 and 7. Therefore, for the specific content of the capability information, please refer to the above description. The details will not be described again here. It will be understood that the capability information shown in Tables 3, 6, and 7 may be understood as the capability information of the controlled object, and the capability information shown in this embodiment of the present application is the capability information of the controller. Although the objects of the capability information are different, for the types of capability information, refer appropriately to the related descriptions such as Tables 3, 6, and 7.

[0160] In one example, the capability information may be carried in a beacon frame. Table 13 shows an example of a beacon frame format. For example, the capability information may be included in a beacon payload field in the beacon frame. Alternatively, for example, the capability information shown in Table 3 is included in the beacon payload field of the beacon frame. For example, the payload IE of the beacon frame includes the extended capability information shown in Tables 6 and 7. Examples are not listed. For example, when the capability information of the controller is carried in the beacon frame, as shown in FIG. 7a, for example, the controller transmits a beacon frame, the controlled object receives the beacon frame, and determines the capability information of the controller based on the beacon frame. Next, the controller transmits control information in an application period, and the controlled object receives the control information and determines an available slot. The controlled object transmits an association request frame in the available slot, and in response, the controller receives the association request frame. The controller transmits an association request frame, and in response, the controlled object receives an association response frame. If the value of the association status field in the association response frame indicates "association successful", the controlled object is successfully associated with the controller, or if the value of the association status field in the association response frame does not indicate "association successful" (see Table 9 or Table 12 for descriptions of states other than association successful), the controlled object fails to associate with the controller. The control IE in the control information shown in Figure 7a may or may not include an empty slot information field. For the frame formats of the association request frame and the association response frame shown in Figure 7a, please refer to the related description of Figure 4. Of course, the frame format shown in Figure 2b may be used instead, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0161] [Table 13]

[0162] In another example, the capability information may be carried in a CM. For example, when the capability information is carried in the control information, as shown in FIG. 7b, the controller may transmit the control information, and the control IE in the control information may include an available slot information field. After receiving the control information, the controlled object can determine the capability information of the controller based on the control information and quickly learn information about available slots based on the control IE. For the frame formats of the association request frame and the association response frame shown in FIG. 7a, please refer to the related description of FIG. 4. Of course, the frame format shown in FIG. 2b may be used instead. This is not limited to the embodiment of the present application. For example, the capability information of the controller may be carried in an IE of the control information, in a control element or a scheduling element of the control information, or in another field of the control information. This is not limited to the embodiment of the present application.

[0163] Of course, capability information may alternatively be carried in beacon frames and CMs.

[0164] 602: The controlled object determines the capability information of the controller based on the capability information.

[0165] For example, after determining the capability information of the controller, the control target may determine whether to send an association request frame to the controller based on the capability information.

[0166] It will be understood that the method shown in Figure 6 may be combined with the method shown in Figure 4. The specific combination scheme will not be described in detail again herein.

[0167] In this embodiment of the present application, the controlled object knows the capability information of the controller before sending an association request frame, so that the case where association cannot be performed because the controller's capability is insufficient to provide services to the controlled object can be effectively avoided. In this way, the controlled object can fully understand the capability of the controller. This ensures the successful association between the controlled object and the controller and improves the integrity of the UWB in-band discovery and association mechanism.

[0168] In the embodiments described herein, "fields" are used as an example for explanation, and "fields" are not particularly distinguished from "subfields" or the like. Although "fields" and "subfields" are not particularly distinguished in the embodiments described herein, those skilled in the art may adaptively distinguish the relationship between the fields (or elements and fields) described herein. Optionally, in practical applications, the fields, elements, etc. described in the embodiments of the present application may alternatively be represented in the form of information. Therefore, the representation formats of content such as fields, subfields, elements, and instruction information are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In the above-described embodiments, for content not described in detail in one embodiment, please refer to another embodiment. Alternatively, the above-described embodiments may be combined with each other. Specific combination methods will not be described in detail again.

[0169] A communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application is described below.

[0170] In the present application, the communication device is divided into functional modules based on the embodiment of the aforementioned method. For example, each functional module may be divided into corresponding 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 the division into modules in the present application is merely an example and is merely a logical division of functions. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Below, the communication device in the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10.

[0171] 8 is a diagram of a structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 8, the communication device includes a processing unit 801 and a transceiver unit 802. The transceiver unit 802 may implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing unit 801 is configured to process data. For example, the transceiver unit 802 may also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0172] In some embodiments of the present application, a communication device may be configured to perform the actions performed by the controlled object in the aforementioned method embodiments. In this case, the communication device may be the controlled object or a component (such as a chip or a system) that may be configured as the controlled object. The transceiver unit 802 is configured to perform operations related to reception and transmission of the controlled object in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processing unit 801 is configured to perform operations related to processing of the controlled object in the aforementioned method embodiments. The communication device may be configured to perform steps or functions performed by the controlled object in the aforementioned method embodiments, etc.

[0173] The transceiver unit 802 is configured to receive control information.

[0174] The processing unit 801 is configured to determine information about the free slot based on a free slot information field in a control information element in the control information.

[0175] It will be understood that the transceiver unit 802 being configured to input control information may be understood as the processing unit 801 inputting the control information via the transceiver unit 802, or the transceiver unit 802 receiving the control information transmitted by the controller.

[0176] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 801 is further configured to ignore scheduling information elements in the control information (or it may be understood that the scheduling information elements are not parsed).

[0177] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 802 is further configured to transmit an association request frame in the free slot indicated by the free slot information field and to receive an association response frame for the association request frame.

[0178] For example, the transceiver unit 802 may be configured to send an association request frame to the controller and receive an association response frame from the controller. Alternatively, the transceiver unit 802 may be configured to output an association request frame from the processing unit 801 and input an association response frame to the processing unit 801, etc. Specific implementation forms of the transceiver unit are not recited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0179] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 802 is further configured to receive beacon frames.

[0180] For example, the transceiver unit 802 may be configured to receive beacon frames transmitted by the controller or input the beacon frames to the processing unit 801 .

[0181] Optionally, the communication device may further include a storage unit. The storage unit may be configured to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 801 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the communication device performs the above-described method embodiment. For example, the storage unit may be configured to store at least one of the first bitmap (or the second bitmap), the capability information of the controller, or the capability information of the controlled object.

[0182] It should be understood that the specific descriptions of the transceiver unit and the processing unit shown in the embodiments of the present application are merely examples. For specific functions, steps, etc. performed by the transceiver unit and the processing unit, please refer to the aforementioned method embodiments. Details will not be described again here. The foregoing descriptions of the processing unit and the transceiver unit are merely examples. For explanations of the aforementioned terms, please refer to the method embodiments. For explanations of, for example, control information, control IEs, scheduling IEs, association request frames, association response frames, beacon frames, etc., please refer to the aforementioned method embodiments. Details will not be described again here.

[0183] FIG. 8 is reused. In some other embodiments of the present application, a communication device may be configured to perform the actions performed by the controller in the aforementioned method embodiments. In this case, the communication device may be the controller or a component configured within the controller. The transceiver unit 802 is configured to perform operations related to the transmission and reception of the controller in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processing unit 801 is configured to perform operations related to the processing of the controller in the aforementioned method embodiments. In other words, the communication device may be configured to perform the steps or functions performed by the controller in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0184] The processing unit 801 is configured to generate control information.

[0185] The transceiver unit 802 is configured to output control information.

[0186] For example, the transceiver unit 802 may transmit control information to a controlled object, or may output control information from the processing unit 801 .

[0187] For example, the transceiver unit 802 may be configured to receive association request frames and transmit association response frames.

[0188] For example, the transceiver unit 802 may be configured to receive an association request frame transmitted by the controlled object or input the association request frame to the processing unit 801. The transceiver unit 802 may be configured to transmit an association response frame to the controlled object or output the association response frame from the processing unit 801.

[0189] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 802 is further configured to transmit a beacon frame. For example, the transceiver unit 802 may output the beacon frame from the processing unit 801 or may transmit the beacon frame to a controlled object.

[0190] Optionally, the communication device may further include a storage unit. The storage unit may be configured to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 801 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the communication device performs the above-described method embodiment. For example, the storage unit may be configured to store at least one of the first bitmap (or the second bitmap), the capability information of the controller, or the capability information of the controlled object.

[0191] It should be understood that the specific descriptions of the transceiver unit and the processing unit shown in the embodiments of the present application are merely examples. For specific functions, steps, etc. performed by the transceiver unit and the processing unit, please refer to the aforementioned method embodiments. Details will not be described again here. It should be understood that the above descriptions of the processing unit and the transceiver unit are merely examples. For explanations of the aforementioned terms, please refer to the method embodiments. For example, for explanations of control information, control IEs, scheduling IEs, association request frames, association response frames, beacon frames, etc., please refer to the aforementioned method embodiments. Details will not be described again here.

[0192] The above describes the communication device of the embodiment of the present application. The following describes possible product forms of the communication device. It should be understood that any product in any form having the function of the communication device of FIG. 8 falls within the scope of protection of the embodiment of the present application.

[0193] In one possible implementation, in the communication device shown in FIG. 8 , the processing unit 801 may be one or more processors, the transceiver unit 802 may be a transceiver, or the transceiver unit 802 may be a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The transmitting unit may be a transmitter, and the receiving unit may be a receiver. The transmitting unit and the receiving unit may be integrated into one component, for example, a transceiver. In this embodiment of the present application, the processor and the transceiver may be combined or the like. The connection method between the processor and the transceiver is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. In the process of performing the above-mentioned method, the process of transmitting information in the above-mentioned method may be understood as a process of outputting information by the processor. When outputting information, the processor outputs the information to the transceiver, which then transmits the information. After the information is output by the processor, other processing may need to be performed on the information before the processed information arrives at the transceiver. Similarly, the process of receiving information in the above-mentioned method may be understood as a process of receiving input information by the processor. When the processor receives input information, the transceiver receives the information and inputs the information to the processor. Additionally, after the transceiver receives the information, other processing may need to be performed on the information before the processed information is input to the processor.

[0194] As shown in FIG. 9, the communications device 90 includes one or more processors 920 and a transceiver 910 .

[0195] For example, the communication device is configured to perform the steps, methods, or functions performed by the controlled object.

[0196] The transceiver 910 is configured to receive control information.

[0197] The processor 920 is configured to determine information regarding the free slot based on a free slot information field in a control information element in the control information.

[0198] In one possible implementation, the processor 920 is further configured to ignore scheduling information elements in the control information (or it may be understood that the scheduling information elements are not parsed).

[0199] In one possible implementation, the transceiver 910 is further configured to transmit an association request frame in the free slot indicated by the free slot information field and to receive an association response frame for the association request frame.

[0200] In one possible implementation, the transceiver 910 is further configured to receive beacon frames.

[0201] For example, the communications device may be configured to perform the steps, methods, or functions performed by the controller.

[0202] The processor 920 is configured to generate control information.

[0203] The transceiver 910 is configured to output control information.

[0204] For example, the transceiver 910 may be configured to receive association request frames and transmit association response frames.

[0205] For example, the transceiver 910 is further configured to transmit beacon frames.

[0206] It will be understood that for a specific description of the processor and the transceiver, please refer to the description of the processing unit and the transceiver unit shown in Figure 8. Details will not be described again here. For an explanation of the aforementioned terms, please refer to the method embodiments. For example, for an explanation of control information, control IE, scheduling IE, association request frame, association response frame, beacon frame, etc., please refer to the method embodiments above. Details will not be described again here.

[0207] 9, the transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver is configured to perform a receiving function (or operation), and the transmitter is configured to perform a transmitting function (or operation). In addition, the transceiver is configured to communicate with another device / apparatus over a transmission medium.

[0208] Optionally, the communication device 90 may further include one or more memories 930 configured to store program instructions and / or data. The memory 930 is coupled to the processor 920. The coupling in this embodiment of the present application may be an electrical, mechanical, or other form of indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, and is used for information exchange between the devices, units, or modules. The processor 920 may operate in cooperation with the memory 930. The processor 920 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 930. Optionally, at least one of the one or more memories may be included in the processor. Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the one or more memories may be configured to store the first bitmap (or the second bitmap), capability information of the controller, capability information of the controlled object, etc.

[0209] In this embodiment of the present application, the specific connection medium between the transceiver 910, the processor 920, and the memory 930 is not limited. In this embodiment of the present application, in FIG. 9, the memory 930, the processor 920, and the transceiver 910 are connected to each other through a bus 940. In FIG. 9, the bus is represented by using a thick line. The connection manner between the other components is only described schematically and is not used as a limitation. The bus may be classified as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used to represent the bus in FIG. 9, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0210] In this embodiment of the present application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or another programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, etc. The processor can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present application may be performed directly by a hardware processor, or may be performed using a combination of hardware modules and software modules in a processor, etc.

[0211] In this embodiment of the present application, memory may include, but is not limited to, non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), read-only memory (ROM), or portable read-only memory (CD-ROM). Memory is any storage medium that can be used to carry or store program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be read and / or written by a computer (e.g., a communication device shown in this application). However, the present application is not limited thereto. Memory in the embodiments of the present application may alternatively be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing a storage function and configured to store program instructions and / or data.

[0212] For example, the processor 920 is primarily configured to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process data of the software programs. The memory 930 is primarily configured to store software programs and data. The transceiver 910 may include control circuitry and an antenna. The control circuitry is primarily configured to convert between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and process the radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily configured to receive and transmit radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. The input / output device, such as a touch screen, display, or keyboard, is primarily configured to receive data input by a user and output data to the user.

[0213] After the communication device is powered on, the processor 920 can read the software program in the memory 930, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 920 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and then outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal in the form of electromagnetic waves through an antenna. When data is transmitted to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 920. The processor 920 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0214] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna may be located independently from the processor that performs the baseband processing, e.g., in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna may be located independently and remotely from the communication device.

[0215] It will be understood that the communication device illustrated in the embodiments of the present application may further include more components than those illustrated in FIG. 9 and the like. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application. The methods performed by the processor and transceiver and illustrated above are merely examples. Please refer to the above-mentioned methods for specific steps performed by the processor and transceiver.

[0216] In another possible implementation, in the communication device shown in FIG. 8, the processing unit 801 may be one or more logic circuits. The transceiver unit 802 may be an input / output interface, which may also be referred to as a communication interface, interface circuit, interface, etc. Alternatively, the transceiver unit 802 may be a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The transmitting unit may be an output interface, and the receiving unit may be an input interface. The transmitting unit and the receiving unit are integrated into one unit, such as an input / output interface. As shown in FIG. 10, the communication device shown in FIG. 10 includes a logic circuit 1001 and an interface 1002. That is, the processing unit 801 may be implemented via the logic circuit 1001, and the transceiver unit 802 may be implemented via the interface 1002. The logic circuit 1001 may be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit, a system on chip (SoC), etc. The interface 1002 may be a communication interface, an input / output interface, a pin, etc. FIG. 10 illustrates an example in which the communication device is a chip. The chip includes the logic circuit 1001 and the interface 1002.

[0217] In this embodiment of the present application, the logic circuit and the interface may be coupled to each other, and the specific connection manner between the logic circuit and the interface is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0218] For example, when the communication device is configured to execute a method, function, or step performed by a controlled object, the interface 1002 is configured to input control information, and the logic circuit 1001 is configured to determine information regarding an empty slot based on an empty slot information field in the control information.

[0219] In one possible implementation, the logic circuit 1001 is further configured to output an association request frame in a free slot indicated by the free slot information field and to analyze an association response frame input via the interface.

[0220] In one possible implementation, the interface 1002 is further configured to input a beacon frame, and the logic circuit 1001 is configured to analyze the beacon frame.

[0221] For example, when the communication device is configured to perform a method, function, or step performed by a controller, the logic circuitry 1001 is configured to generate control information and the interface 1002 is configured to output the control information.

[0222] In one possible implementation, the logic circuit 1001 is further configured to input an association request frame into the free slot indicated by the free slot information field, and to output an association response frame in response to the association request frame.

[0223] For example, the logic may be configured to input an association request frame via the interface, parse the association request frame, determine an association response frame, and output the association response frame via the interface.

[0224] In one possible implementation, the interface 1002 is configured to output a beacon frame.

[0225] For example, the logic circuitry may be further configured to determine a beacon frame.

[0226] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory configured to store the first bitmap (or the second bitmap), the capability information of the controller, the capability information of the controlled object, etc.

[0227] For the description of the aforementioned terms, please refer to the method embodiments, such as for the description of control information, control IE, scheduling IE, association request frame, association response frame, beacon frame, etc., please refer to the aforementioned method embodiments, and the details will not be described again here.

[0228] It should be understood that the communication device shown in the embodiments of the present application may implement the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application in the form of hardware, or may implement the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application in the form of software, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0229] For the specific implementation of the embodiment shown in Figure 10, please refer to the above-mentioned embodiment, and the details will not be described again here.

[0230] An embodiment of the present application further provides a wireless communication system. The wireless communication system includes a control object and a controller. The control object and the controller may be configured to perform the method according to any one of the above-described embodiments. Alternatively, the control object and the controller may refer to the communication devices shown in Figures 8 to 10.

[0231] Additionally, the present application further provides a computer program, which is used to implement the actions and / or processes performed by the controlled object in the methods provided herein.

[0232] The present application further provides a computer program, which is used to implement the actions and / or processes performed by the controller in the methods provided herein.

[0233] The present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium that stores computer code that, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to perform the actions and / or processes performed by the controlled object in the methods provided herein.

[0234] The present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium that stores computer code that, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to perform the actions and / or processes performed by the controller in the methods provided herein.

[0235] The present application further provides a computer program product, which includes computer code or a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, performs the actions and / or processes performed by the controlled object in the manner provided herein.

[0236] The present application further provides a computer program product, which includes computer code or a computer program that, when executed on a computer, performs the operations and / or processes performed by the controller in the methods provided herein.

[0237] In some embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are merely examples. For example, the division into units is merely a logical division of functionality, 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 ignored or not implemented. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual or direct couplings or communication connections may be implemented by some interfaces, indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units, or electrical, mechanical, or other forms of connection.

[0238] The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and the parts shown as units may or may not be physical units, and may be located in one place or distributed over multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected based on actual requirements for achieving the technical effects of the solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0239] In addition, the 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. The integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0240] When the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, the integrated unit may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application may essentially, or a portion contributing to the prior art, or all 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 readable storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for instructing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc.) to perform all or a portion of the steps of the method described in the embodiments of the present application. The readable storage medium includes any medium capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0241] The above description is merely a specific implementation form of the present application and does not limit the protection scope of the present application. Any variations 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 protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0242] 801 Processing Unit 802 Transceiver Unit 90 Communication Equipment 910 Transceiver 920 processor 930 memory 940 Bus 1001 Logic Circuit 1002 Interface

Claims

1. 1. An information processing method, the method comprising: receiving control information, the control information including a control information element, the control information element including an empty slot information field, the empty slot information field indicating an empty slot within a block corresponding to the control information; determining information about the free slot based on the free slot information field in the control information element; A method comprising:

2. The control information further includes a scheduling information element, and the method further comprises: ignoring the scheduling information element in the control information. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

3. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the control information element further includes an indication field, and the value carried in the indication field includes a first value, and the first value indicates that the empty slot information field is present in the control information element.

4. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the free slot information field is used to carry a first bitmap, each bit in the first bitmap indicating whether a corresponding slot is a free slot, and the length of the first bitmap is equal to or greater than the number of slots included in the block, or the length of the first bitmap is equal to or greater than the number of remaining slots in the block, the remaining slots being slots in the block after the slot used to transmit the control information.

5. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the free slot information field is used to carry starting slot information corresponding to a second bitmap and the second bitmap, the starting slot information indicating a slot corresponding to a first bit in the second bitmap, and each bit in the second bitmap indicating whether the corresponding slot is a free slot.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the control information further comprises a capability information field, the capability information field being used to carry capability information of a controller.

7. After determining the information regarding the free slot based on the free slot information field in the control information element, the method further comprises: transmitting an association request frame in the free slot indicated by the free slot information field; receiving an association response frame in response to the association request frame; 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the association request frame includes a medium access control MAC layer management entity (MLME) element, the MLME element includes an extended capabilities information element, the extended capabilities information element is used to carry capability information of a controlled object, and an identifier of the extended capabilities information element includes 0x1.

9. 9. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein the identifier of the association request frame comprises 0x0c.

10. 10. The method of claim 7, wherein the association response frame includes at least one of an Ultra Wideband Session at Capacity field or an Association Reject field, wherein an identifier of the UWB Session at Capacity field includes 0x04 and an identifier of the Association Reject field includes 0x05.

11. 11. The method of claim 7, wherein an identifier of the association response frame comprises 0x0d.

12. 1. An information processing method, the method comprising: generating control information, the control information including a control information element, the control information element including an empty slot information field, the empty slot information field indicating an empty slot within a block corresponding to the control information; transmitting the control information; A method comprising:

13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the control information element further comprises an indication field, and the value carried in the indication field comprises a first value, the first value indicating that the empty slot information field is present in the control information element.

14. 14. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the free slot information field is used to carry a first bitmap, each bit in the first bitmap indicating whether a corresponding slot is a free slot, and the length of the first bitmap is equal to or greater than the number of slots included in the block, or the length of the first bitmap is equal to or greater than the number of remaining slots in the block, the remaining slots being slots in the block after the slot used to transmit the control information.

15. 14. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the free slot information field is used to carry starting slot information corresponding to a second bitmap and the second bitmap, the starting slot information indicating a slot corresponding to a first bit in the second bitmap, and each bit in the second bitmap indicating whether the corresponding slot is a free slot.

16. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the control information further comprises a capability information field, the capability information field being used to carry capability information of a controller.

17. The method comprises: receiving an association request frame in the free slot indicated by the free slot information field; transmitting an association response frame in response to the association request frame; 17. The method of any one of claims 12 to 16, further comprising:

18. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the association request frame includes a Medium Access Control MAC Layer Management Entity (MLME) element, the MLME element including an extended capabilities information element, the extended capabilities information element being used to carry capability information of a controlled object, and an identifier of the extended capabilities information element including 0x1.

19. 19. The method of claim 17 or 18, wherein the identifier of the association request frame comprises 0x0c.

20. 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the association response frame includes at least one of an Ultra Wideband Session at Capacity field or an Association Reject field, wherein an identifier of the UWB Session at Capacity field includes 0x04 and an identifier of the Association Reject field includes 0x05.

21. 21. The method of claim 17, wherein an identifier of the association response frame comprises 0x0d.

22. A communication device comprising a unit configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

23. A communication device comprising a processor and a memory, the memory configured to store instructions; The processor is configured to execute the instructions, such that the method of any one of claims 1 to 21 is performed. Communication equipment.

24. 1. A communication device comprising a logic circuit and an interface, the logic circuit coupled to the interface; The interface is configured to input and / or output code instructions, and the logic circuit is configured to execute the code instructions, thereby performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 21. Communication equipment.

25. 22. A computer-readable storage medium configured to store a computer program that, when executed, performs the method of any one of claims 1 to 21.

26. A computer program which, when executed, performs the method of any one of claims 1 to 21.

27. A communication system comprising a control object and a controller, the control object configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 11, and the controller configured to perform the method of any one of claims 12 to 21.

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