Sensing method and communication device

Abstract

This application provides a sensing method in which a first STA primarily controls complementary measurements of a first link between a second STA as a source node and the first STA as a destination node. When the first STA determines that complementary measurements need to be performed on the first link, the first STA sends a first notification message to the second STA to notify the second STA to begin complementary measurements of the first link. Compared to a method in which the AP primarily controls complementary measurements of the first link, this method eliminates the need for the first STA to send the corresponding CSI measurement results to the AP after each measurement of the second STA's data packets. This reduces channel occupancy during sensing measurements and further reduces interference to data communications caused by sensing.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202311294135.9, entitled "SENSING METHOD AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS", filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on September 28, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] This application relates to the field of wireless communications, and in particular, to a sensing method and a communication apparatus. BACKGROUND ART

[0003] Currently, when a non-access point station (non-AP STA) (hereinafter abbreviated as STA) performs opportunistic measurement on a wireless communication link that uses the STA as a destination node, the STA performs channel state information (CSI) measurement based on a data packet from STA#2, notifies an access point (AP) of the obtained CSI measurement result, and the AP determines whether to initiate complementary measurement for the wireless communication link. The opportunistic measurement refers to a sensing measurement mode for performing CSI measurement by using a data packet, and the complementary measurement refers to a sensing measurement mode for performing CSI measurement by using a specific measurement packet.

[0004] In general, the measurement frequency of sensing measurement on a wireless link is high. For example, if CSI measurement needs to be performed 10 times per second, STA#1 needs to occupy the channel 10 times per second to feed back the CSI measurement result to the AP, resulting in a large number of channel occupation times and causing stronger interference to normal data communication. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] This application provides a sensing method for reducing channel occupancy during sensing measurements, thereby reducing interference to data communications caused by sensing.

[0006] According to the first embodiment, a sensing method is provided. This method may be performed by a first STA or by a component of the first STA (e.g., a chip or circuit). This is not limited to the first embodiment. For the sake of clarity, the following examples will use an example in which the method is performed by a first STA.

[0007] The method includes the following: a first station STA determines that a complementary measurement needs to be performed on a first link, the first link being a link that uses a second STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node, and a complementary measurement being a measurement method that performs sensing using dedicated measurement packets; and the first STA sending a first notification message to the second STA, the first notification message being intended to notify the second STA to start a complementary measurement on the first link.

[0008] In the aforementioned technical solution, the first STA primarily controls the complementary measurements of the first link. Compared to the technical solution where the AP primarily controls the complementary measurements of the first link, in this technical solution, the first STA does not need to send the corresponding CSI measurement results to the AP after each measurement of the data packets of the second STA. This reduces channel occupation and further reduces interference to data communications.

[0009] Referring to the first embodiment, in a partial implementation of the first embodiment, the first STA determines that a complementary measurement needs to be performed on the first link based on a first condition. The first condition is that the first STA cannot perform an opportunistic measurement on the first link, where opportunistic measurement is a measurement method that uses data packets for sensing, or the measurement requirements for the first link cannot be met when the first STA performs an opportunistic measurement on the first link, or the first STA determines that the fluctuation amplitude of the first channel state information CSI measurement result is greater than a predetermined CSI fluctuation threshold, where the first CSI measurement result is a CSI measurement result obtained by the first STA by measuring the data packets of the second STA that it has received.

[0010] In the aforementioned technical solution, after detecting CSI fluctuations, the STA directly initiates complementary measurements, reducing the process of reporting measurements to the AP, allowing for a faster response to CSI fluctuations, thereby effectively obtaining real-time measurement results with finer granularity for use in subsequent applications.

[0011] Referring to the first embodiment, in some implementations of the first embodiment, the inability of the first STA to perform opportunistic measurements on the first link includes the first STA not receiving data packets from the second STA, or the first STA being unable to measure data packets from the second STA.

[0012] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the first STA performs an opportunistic measurement on the first link, the first STA's determination that the measurement requirements for the first link cannot be met includes the frequency at which the first STA receives data packets from the second STA being lower than the first measurement frequency, where the first measurement frequency is a reference frequency for the first STA to perform the opportunistic measurement.

[0013] Referring to the first embodiment, in a partial implementation of the first embodiment, when the first STA determines that the amplitude of variation of the first CSI measurement result is greater than the CSI variation threshold, the first STA's determination that a complementary measurement is necessary for the first link includes the first STA determining that the amplitude of variation of the first CSI measurement result is greater than the CSI variation threshold and that the first link needs to be measured at a first frequency higher than the first measurement frequency, where the first measurement frequency is a reference frequency for the first STA to perform opportunistic measurements, and the first STA determining that a complementary measurement is necessary for the first link when the frequency at which the first STA transmits data packets is lower than the first measurement frequency.

[0014] Referring to the first embodiment, in some implementations of the first embodiment, the first notification message includes timer information and measurement link information, wherein the timer information indicates a first period, the measurement link information indicates a first link, and the first timer period indicates that after the first period has expired, the second STA should begin a complementary measurement of the first link.

[0015] Referring to the first embodiment, in some implementations of the first embodiment, the dedicated measurement packet is a null data packet NDP, and the method further includes the first STA receiving a null data packet announcement NDPA packet from a second STA at intervals of a first period, and the first STA receiving an NDP from the second STA after receiving an NDPA.

[0016] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes a first STA receiving a first sensing measurement request message from a first access point AP, the first sensing measurement request message comprising first instruction information, the first instruction information mainly indicating that the first STA should control the complementary measurement.

[0017] Referring to the first embodiment, in some implementations of the first embodiment, the first sensing measurement request message further includes measurement link information, and the measurement link information indicates the first link.

[0018] Referring to the first embodiment, in a part of the implementation of the first embodiment, the first sensing measurement request message further includes a first measurement frequency, a second measurement frequency, a channel state information CSI fluctuation threshold, and a first time interval, wherein the first measurement frequency is a reference frequency for the first STA to perform opportunistic measurements, the second measurement frequency is a reference frequency for the first STA to perform complementary measurements, and the first time interval is a time interval between two consecutive times during which a measurement report message is sent to the first AP when the fluctuation amplitude of the CSI measurement result corresponding to the first link does not exceed the CSI fluctuation threshold.

[0019] According to a second embodiment, a sensing method is provided. This method may be performed by a second STA or by a component of the second STA (e.g., a chip or circuit). This is not limited to the above. For the sake of clarity, the following examples will use an example in which the method is performed by a second STA.

[0020] The method includes the following: a second STA receives a first notification message from a first STA, the first notification message notifying the second STA to start complementary measurement of a first link, the first link being a link that uses the second STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node, and complementary measurement being a measurement method that performs sensing using dedicated measurement packets; and the second STA starting complementary measurement of the first link.

[0021] For the beneficial effects of the second embodiment, please refer to the description of the first embodiment. Further details will not be explained here.

[0022] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first notification message includes timer information and measurement link information, wherein the timer information indicates a first period, the measurement link information indicates a first link, and the first timer period indicates that the second STA should start a supplemental measurement of the first link after the first period has expired.

[0023] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the dedicated measurement packet is a null data packet NDP, and the second STA initiating a complementary measurement of the first link includes the second STA sending a null data packet announcement NDPA packet to the first STA at intervals of a first period, and the second STA sending an NDP to the first STA after sending the NDPA.

[0024] According to a third aspect, a sensing method is provided. This method may be performed by a first STA or by a component of the first STA (e.g., a chip or circuit). This is not limited to the above. For the sake of clarity, the following examples will use a demonstration in which the method is performed by a first STA.

[0025] The method includes the first station STA sending a first measurement report message to a first access point AP, the first measurement report message indicating that the first STA is unable to measure a first link, the first link being a link that uses a second STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node, and the first STA receiving a second sensing measurement request message from the first AP, the second sensing measurement request message requesting the first STA to perform a sensing measurement on a second link, the second link being a link that uses a third STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node.

[0026] In the foregoing technical solutions, a mechanism for feeding back errors to the AP is provided for the STA, thereby freeing the AP from the task that needs to continuously monitor specific measurement procedures between STAs. This mechanism provides support for STA autonomous measurement, and improves the reliability of opportunistic measurement.

[0027] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first measurement report message includes measurement link information and error report information, the measurement link information indicates a first link, and the error report information indicates that the first STA cannot perform measurement on the first link.

[0028] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first measurement report message further includes error cause information, and the error cause information indicates an error cause that the first STA cannot perform measurement on the first link.

[0029] For example, the error cause is that the second STA does not respond.

[0030] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, that the first STA performs sensing measurement on the second link includes performing opportunistic measurement on the second link, and the opportunistic measurement is a measurement manner for performing sensing by using a data packet.

[0031] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: determining, by the first STA, that complementary measurement needs to be performed on the second link; and transmitting, by the first STA, a second notification message to a third STA, where the second notification message is configured to notify the third STA to start the complementary measurement on the second link, and the complementary measurement is a measurement manner for performing sensing by using a dedicated measurement packet.

[0032] Referring to the third embodiment, in some implementations of the third embodiment, the second sensing measurement request message includes measurement link information, and the measurement link information indicates the second link.

[0033] Referring to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the second sensing measurement request message further includes measurement parameters for the first STA to perform sensing measurements on the second link.

[0034] According to a fourth aspect, a sensing method is provided. This method may be performed by a first AP or by a component of the first AP (e.g., a chip or circuit). This is not limited to the above. For the sake of clarity, the following examples will use a demonstration in which the method is performed by a first AP.

[0035] The method includes the following: a first AP receives a first measurement report message from a first station STA, the first measurement report message indicating that the first STA is unable to measure a first link, the first link being a link that uses a second STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node; and the first AP sends a second sensing measurement request message to the first STA, the second sensing measurement request message requesting the first STA to perform a sensing measurement on a second link, the second link being a link that uses a third STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node.

[0036] For the beneficial effects of the fourth aspect, please refer to the description of the third aspect. Further details will not be explained here.

[0037] Referring to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the first measurement report message further includes measurement link information and error report information, wherein the measurement link information indicates a first link and the error report information indicates that the first STA is unable to measure the first link.

[0038] Referring to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the first measurement report message further includes error cause information, which indicates the cause of the error that prevents the first STA from measuring the first link.

[0039] For example, the cause of the error is that the second STA is not responding.

[0040] Referring to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the second sensing measurement request message includes measurement link information, and the measurement link information indicates the second link.

[0041] Referring to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the second sensing measurement request message further includes measurement parameters for the first STA to perform opportunistic and complementary measurements on the second link.

[0042] According to the fifth aspect, a sensing method is provided. This method may be performed by a first STA or by a component of the first STA (e.g., a chip or circuit). This is not limited to the above. For the sake of clarity, the following examples will use a first STA as the method.

[0043] The method includes the first station STA receiving a third sensing measurement request message from a first access point AP, the third sensing measurement request message requesting the first STA to perform a sensing measurement on any one of N links, all of which are destination nodes of the N links and N is an integer greater than 1, and the first STA performing a measurement on one of the N links.

[0044] It can be understood that in the opportunistic measurement process, each node randomly transmits data packets. Under these conditions, the method allows the first STA to measure any one of multiple links, thereby significantly improving the probability of successful opportunistic measurements and reducing the impact on data communications when dedicated sensing measurement packets are used for sensing measurements.

[0045] Referring to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the third sensing measurement request message includes measurement link information and measurement type information, wherein the measurement link information indicates N links, and the measurement type information indicates that the first STA needs to measure only one of the N links.

[0046] Referring to the fifth aspect, in a partial implementation of the fifth aspect, one link is a first link, the first link is a link that uses a second STA as a source node, the first STA measuring one of N links means the first STA receiving data packets from the second STA based on a first measurement frequency, the first measurement frequency being a reference frequency for the first STA to perform opportunistic measurements, opportunistic measurement being a measurement method that performs sensing using data packets, and the first STA performing channel state information CSI measurements based on data packets from the second STA.

[0047] Referring to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the N links include a second link which uses a third STA as the source node, and the method further includes the first STA receiving a first dedicated measurement packet from the third STA which is a measurement packet used for complementary measurement, which is used by the first STA to perform complementary measurement on the second link, and the first STA sending a first notification message to the third STA which is to notify the third STA that complementary measurement on the second link does not need to be initiated.

[0048] In the aforementioned technical solution, the first STA can, through a first notification message, suppress the third STA from continuing to send supplementary measurement messages if the third STA does not have data packets to send, thereby reducing the transmission of redundant measurement packets.

[0049] According to the sixth aspect, a sensing method is provided. This method may be performed by a first AP or by a component of the first AP (e.g., a chip or circuit). This is not limited to the above. For the sake of clarity, the following examples will use a demonstration in which the method is performed by a first AP.

[0050] The method includes the first access point AP determining a third sensing measurement request message, the third sensing measurement request message requesting the first station STA to perform a sensing measurement on any one of N links, all of which are destination nodes of the N links, and N being an integer greater than 1, and the first AP sending the third sensing measurement request message to the first STA.

[0051] For the beneficial effects of the sixth aspect, please refer to the description of the fifth aspect. Further details will not be explained here.

[0052] Referring to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the third sensing measurement request message includes measurement link information and measurement type information, wherein the measurement link information indicates N links, and the measurement type information indicates that the first STA needs to measure only one of the N links.

[0053] According to the seventh aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device is configured to perform a method according to any of the first to sixth aspects. Specifically, the communication device may include, for example, a processing unit and / or transceiver unit, a unit and / or module configured to perform a method according to any one of the first aspect or an implementation of the first aspect; a unit and / or module configured to perform a method according to any one of the second aspect or an implementation of the second aspect; a unit and / or module configured to perform a method according to any one of the third aspect or an implementation of the third aspect; a unit and / or module configured to perform a method according to any one of the fourth aspect or an implementation of the fourth aspect; a unit and / or module configured to perform a method according to any one of the fifth aspect or an implementation of the fifth aspect; or a unit and / or module configured to perform a method according to any one of the sixth aspect or an implementation of the sixth aspect.

[0054] In one implementation, the communication device is a device (e.g., a first STA, a second STA, or a first AP). If the communication device is a device, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface, and the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0055] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used within a device (e.g., a first STA, a second STA, or a first AP). If the communication device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used within a device, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or associated circuit within the chip, chip system, or circuit, and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0056] According to the eighth aspect, a communication device is provided. The device includes a memory configured to store a program, and at least one processor configured to execute a computer program or instruction stored in the memory in a manner that follows any one of the first aspect or an implementation of the first aspect, a manner that follows any one of the second aspect or an implementation of the second aspect, a manner that follows any one of the third aspect or an implementation of the third aspect, a manner that follows any one of the fourth aspect or an implementation of the fourth aspect, a manner that follows any one of the fifth aspect or an implementation of the fifth aspect, or a manner that follows any one of the sixth aspect or an implementation of the sixth aspect.

[0057] In one implementation, the communication device is a device (for example, a first STA, a second STA, or a first AP).

[0058] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used within a device (e.g., a first STA, a second STA, or a first AP).

[0059] According to the ninth aspect, the application provides a processor configured to perform a method according to the preceding aspects.

[0060] Operations related to the processor, such as transmission and acquisition / reception, may be understood as operations of the processor, such as output and reception or input, or as transmission and reception operations performed by radio frequency circuits and antennas, unless otherwise specified, or unless such operations do not contradict the actual function or internal logic of the operations described herein. This is not limited to the present invention.

[0061] According to the tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable medium stores program code to be executed by the device. The program code includes instructions used to perform a method according to any one of the first aspect or an implementation of the first aspect, or instructions used to perform a method according to any one of the second aspect or an implementation of the second aspect, or instructions used to perform a method according to any one of the third aspect or an implementation of the third aspect, or instructions used to perform a method according to any one of the fourth aspect or an implementation of the fourth aspect, or instructions used to perform a method according to any one of the fifth aspect or an implementation of the fifth aspect, or instructions used to perform a method according to any one of the sixth aspect or an implementation of the sixth aspect.

[0062] According to the eleventh aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided. When the computer program product is executed on a computer, the computer is enabled to perform a method according to any one of the first aspect or an implementation of the first aspect, or the computer is enabled to perform a method according to any one of the second aspect or an implementation of the second aspect, or the computer is enabled to perform a method according to any one of the third aspect or an implementation of the third aspect, or the computer is enabled to perform a method according to any one of the fourth aspect or an implementation of the fourth aspect, or the computer is enabled to perform a method according to any one of the fifth aspect or an implementation of the fifth aspect, or the computer is enabled to perform a method according to any one of the sixth aspect or an implementation of the sixth aspect.

[0063] According to the twelfth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions stored in memory via the communication interface and performs a method according to any one of the first aspect or implementations of the first aspect, a method according to any one of the second aspect or implementations of the second aspect, a method according to any one of the third aspect or implementations of the third aspect, a method according to any one of the fourth aspect or implementations of the fourth aspect, a method according to any one of the fifth aspect or implementations of the fifth aspect, or a method according to any one of the sixth aspect or implementations of the sixth aspect.

[0064] Optionally, in one implementation, the chip further includes memory, which stores computer programs or instructions, and the processor is configured to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When a computer program or instruction is executed, the processor is configured to perform a method according to any one of the first embodiment or implementation of the first embodiment, a method according to any one of the second embodiment or implementation of the second embodiment, a method according to any one of the third embodiment or implementation of the third embodiment, a method according to any one of the fourth embodiment or implementation of the fourth embodiment, a method according to any one of the fifth embodiment or implementation of the fifth embodiment, or a method according to any one of the sixth embodiment or implementation of the sixth embodiment.

[0065] According to the 13th embodiment, a communication system is provided which includes at least one node from the first STA, the second STA, and the first AP described above. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0066] [Figure 1] This is a diagram of a network architecture for a wireless local area network applicable to one embodiment of this application. [Figure 2] This is a diagram of wireless passive sensing. [Figure 3] This is a diagram of a communication device interaction system applicable to this application. [Figure 4] This is a diagram of Method 400 for opportunistic measurement between STAs. [Figure 5] This is a schematic flowchart of the sensing method 500 in accordance with this application. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing the possible frame structures of a sensing measurement request message in accordance with this application. [Figure 7] This is a figure of Method 700 for complementary measurement, mainly controlled by STA, in accordance with this application. [Figure 8]This is a figure of another method 800 for complementary measurements, mainly controlled by STA, in accordance with this application. [Figure 9] This is a schematic flowchart of the sensing method 900 in accordance with this application. [Figure 10] This is a diagram of possible frame structures for a measurement report message in accordance with this application. [Figure 11] This is a diagram of the sensing method 1100 in accordance with this application. [Figure 12] This is a diagram of the sensing method 1200 in accordance with this application. [Figure 13] This is a diagram of the sensing method 1300 in accordance with this application. [Figure 14] This is a block diagram of a communication device 200 according to one embodiment of this application. [Figure 15] This is a block diagram of a communication device 300 according to one embodiment of this application. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0067] The technical solution of this application will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0068] Embodiments of this application may be applied to wireless local area networks (WLANs). The standard currently used for WLANs is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series. A WLAN can include multiple basic service sets (BSSs), and the network nodes within a BSS are APs and non-AP STAs (abbreviated as STAs).

[0069] Figure 1 is a diagram of a network architecture of a wireless local area network applicable to one embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1(a), one BSS may include one AP and one or more STAs associated with the AP. The network architecture of the wireless local area network may instead include multiple BSSs. For example, Figure 1(b) shows two BSSs, these two BSSs partially overlapping, i.e., an OBSS. BSS#1 includes AP#1, STA11, STA12, and STA13, and BSS#2 includes AP#2, STA21, STA22, and STA23. STA11, STA12, STA22, and STA23 are the overlapping portions of the two BSSs. Each BSS includes an AP and multiple STAs. In one BSS, data can be transmitted between the AP and each STA. AP#1 and AP#2 can also communicate with each other.

[0070] An access point can be a device used by a terminal (e.g., a mobile phone) to access a wired (or wireless) network, and is primarily located in homes, buildings, and on campuses. A typical coverage radius is several tens to over a hundred meters. Certainly, access points may also be located outdoors. An access point acts as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks. The main function of an access point is to connect various wireless network clients together and to connect wireless networks to Ethernet®.

[0071] Specifically, an AP can be a terminal or network device having a Wi-Fi chip. Network devices can be servers, routers, switches, bridges, computers, mobile phones, relay stations, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, network devices in a 5G network, network devices in a future 6G network, or network devices in a public land mobile network (PLMN), etc. This is not limited to the embodiments of this application. An access point may also be a device that supports Wi-Fi standards. For example, an access point may instead support one or more standards from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ad, and 802.11ay.

[0072] An STA can be a wireless communication chip, wireless sensor, or wireless communication terminal, and may also be called a user, user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile console, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user equipment. An STA can be a cellular telephone, cordless telephone, session initiation protocol (SIP) telephone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, computing device, other processing device connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle device, Internet of Things device, wearable device, terminal device in a 5G network, terminal device in a future 6G network, or terminal device in a PLMN, etc. This is not limited to the embodiments of this application. An STA may also be a device that supports the WLAN standard. For example, STA may support one or more standards of the IEEE 802.11 family, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ad, and 802.11ay.

[0073] For example, STA can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, set-top box, smart TV, smart wearable device, in-vehicle communication device, computer, Internet of Things (IoT) node, sensor, smart camera, smart remote control, or smart water / electricity meter in a smart home, and sensor in a smart city.

[0074] An AP or STA may include a transmitter, receiver, memory, and processor. The transmitter and receiver are configured to transmit and receive packet structures, respectively. The memory is configured to store signaling information, pre-agreed preset values, etc. The processor is configured to parse signaling information, process related data, etc.

[0075] It should be understood that Figure 1 is merely an example and should not be interpreted as a limitation on the network architecture of wireless local area networks to which this application may apply. For example, the network architecture may instead include more BSSs, each BSS may instead include more STAs, or areas where multiple BSSs overlap may instead include more STAs. This is not limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0076] With the development of wireless local area networks and wireless cellular technologies, various wireless communication devices are widely deployed in people's daily lives. These wireless communication devices include mobile phones, computers, wireless routers, smart home devices, wireless sensors, and more. Key characteristics of these devices are their large volume, low cost, and very short distance from the user. In a typical home environment, there are more than 10, or even hundreds, of wireless devices around the user. In the process of wireless communication, these devices sense interference to radio waves caused by the movement of surrounding target objects and sense the movement of target objects by measuring such interference.

[0077] Figure 2 is a diagram of wireless passive sensing. The main task of a wireless passive sensing system is to sense one or more targets in an environment, such as the sensing target 101 in Figure 1. A passive sensing system generally includes one or more signal transmitting ends, such as transmitting end A (103) and transmitting end B (104) in the figure, and one or more signal receiving ends, such as receiving end 102 in the figure. A wireless signal transmitted by the transmitting end is reflected by the sensing target 101 to form reflected signals A (105) and B (106). After the reflected signals are received by the receiving end 102, the receiving end can sense the state of the target 101 by measuring the CSI of the reflected signals. Variations in the amplitude and phase of the CSI represent variations in the wireless channel. Using the variations in the CSI measured at the receiving end over time, it is possible to sense whether there are moving targets in the vicinity and what specific actions the targets are taking. Therefore, this technology can be widely applied to applications such as intrusion detection, elderly care, gesture recognition, respiration and sleep monitoring, and indoor people counting.

[0078] Existing wireless passive sensing technologies primarily perform passive sensing by using specific wireless packets, such as null data packets (NDPs), and performing CSI measurements on the packets using a long training field (LTF) within the NDP. In this technical solution, each measurement on the wireless link (the wireless communication connection between a pair of transmitting and receiving nodes) requires a single interaction between the transmitting and receiving ends and occupies the wireless channel for a specific period of time. The wireless channel is typically used simultaneously for data transmission and wireless sensing. If wireless sensing occupies an excessive amount of wireless channel resources, data communication will inevitably be affected to some extent. Therefore, finding a low-cost wireless sensing solution is a crucial part of wireless sensing protocol design. In wireless communication, in addition to dedicated sensing packets, other data packets typically carry the long training field, which can be used for CSI measurement without decoding the entire packet. Therefore, the receiving end may continue listening on the radio channel, and the measuring receiving end may perform CSI measurements based on the data packets received from the transmitting end. Note that the destination address of the data packets used for CSI measurements by the measuring receiving end is not necessarily the address of the measuring receiving end; the measuring receiving end only needs to determine that the source address of the data packets used for CSI measurements is the address of the transmitting end and fully acquire the LTF within the packet. Currently, such techniques that use data packets transmitted over a wireless network for sensing measurements are generally called opportunistic measurements.

[0079] Figure 3 is a diagram of a communication device interaction system applicable to this application. The system includes a measurement initiator 301 and measurement responders 302 and 303. The measurement initiator is responsible for planning the measurement task and collecting the measurement results. Generally, an AP functions as the measurement initiator. In the subsequent steps of this application, the AP represents the measurement initiator. Certainly, this application can be extended to scenarios where the measurement initiator is not an AP or where multiple APs coexist. The measurement responders are responsible for transmitting and receiving measurement packets, performing the actual measurements, and reporting the measurement results to the measurement initiator. Generally, a wireless terminal device accessing a wireless local area network functions as the measurement responder. In the subsequent steps of this application, an STA represents the measurement responder. As shown in Figure 3, the measurement initiator 301 notifies the measurement responder 302 of relevant information about the measurement task through a sensing measurement request message 310. The measurement responder 302 transmits the measurement result to the measurement initiator 301 via a measurement report message 311. The measurement responder can perform a CSI measurement using a measurement packet 312. One party is responsible for transmitting the measurement packet and may be referred to in this application as the measurement transmitter. The other party is responsible for measuring a given packet to obtain the CSI and may be referred to in this application as the measurement receiver. The wireless communication link between the measurement transmitter and the measurement receiver may be referred to in this application as the sensing measurement link. The measurement responder can function as both the measurement transmitter and the measurement receiver in the same measurement task. The measurement responders can exchange measurement information with each other via a measurement notification (Notify) message 313.

[0080] This application primarily relates to opportunistic measurement between STs. The specific procedure for opportunistic measurement between STs will be described below with reference to Figure 4.

[0081] Figure 4 is a diagram of Method 400 for opportunistic measurement between STAs. The method includes the following steps:

[0082] Step 1a: The AP determines that an opportunistic measurement is needed for link #1, which is a link that uses STA#2 as the source node and STA#1 as the destination node. The AP packages the measurement requirements into a Sensing Measurement Request message #1 and sends Sensing Measurement Request message #1 to STA#1.

[0083] Step 2a: STA#1 records the measurement requirements for the corresponding link and sends a Sensing Measurement Response message to the AP to decide whether to participate in the sensing measurement.

[0084] Step 1b: The AP packages the measurement requirements into Sensing Measurement Request Message #2 and sends Sensing Measurement Request Message #2 to STA#2.

[0085] Step 2b: STA#2 records the measurement requirements for the corresponding link and sends sensing measurement response message #2 to the AP to decide whether to participate in the sensing measurement.

[0086] Step 3: STA#1 successfully transmits a data packet (Data Frame). For example, STA#2 transmits a data packet to the AP. In this case, based on the opportunistic measurement requirements, STA#1 listens to the data packet transmitted by STA#2, performs a CSI measurement based on the data packet, and obtains CSI measurement result #1.

[0087] Step 4: STA#1 sends Measurement Report message #1 to AP, which includes CSI measurement result #1.

[0088] Note that the opportunistic measurement process in steps 3 and 4 of this procedure may be repeated multiple times. Here, "repeated multiple times" means that STA#1 sends a measurement report message to the AP once after measuring the data packet.

[0089] Optionally, if the AP does not receive a measurement report message within the specified time period, or if the number of data packets sent by STA#2 is insufficient to meet the measurement frequency requirements, the AP will determine that a supplemental measurement needs to be performed for link #1.

[0090] It should be understood that complementary measurements perform sensing measurements using specific wireless packets that are non-data packets. The complementary measurement procedure is initiated only when link measurements need to be completed but opportunistic measurements cannot be performed.

[0091] For example, the following section continues to explain how to perform complementary measurements using an example where the measurement packets used for complementary measurements are NDP. In this case, steps 5 through 9 are further included.

[0092] Step 5: The AP sends a Sensing Polling Trigger message to STA#1 and STA#2 to wake them up and perform complementary measurements on link #1.

[0093] Step 6: STA#1 and STA#2 each send a Clear-to-Send-to-Self (CTS-to-Self) message to the AP to confirm that STA#1 and STA#2 are participating in the measurement.

[0094] Step 7: The AP sends a Sensing SR2SI Sounding Trigger Frame message to STA#2, triggering STA#2 to send an NDP to the AP, where SR2SI is a sensing responder to sensing initiator.

[0095] Step 8: STA#2 sends an SR2SI NDP to the AP. STA#1 listens to the SR2SI NDP sent by STA#2 and performs a CSI measurement based on the NDP to obtain CSI measurement result #2.

[0096] Step 9: STA#1 sends measurement report message #2 to AP, which includes CSI measurement result #2.

[0097] Note that the complementary measurement process in steps 5 through 9 of this procedure may be repeated multiple times. Here, "repeated multiple times" means that STA#1 sends a measurement report message to the AP once after measuring the NDP.

[0098] What we understand is that in this procedure, the AP primarily controls the complementary measurements between the STAs, so STA#1 needs to notify the AP of the measurement results after each measurement, and the AP decides whether to start complementary measurements. Generally, the measurement frequency in link measurements is high. For example, if 10 CSI measurements need to be performed per second, STA#1 needs to occupy the channel 10 times per second to feed the CSI measurement results back to the AP, resulting in a large number of channel occupancies, which in turn causes stronger interference to normal data communication.

[0099] In view of this, this application provides a sensing method for effectively solving the aforementioned technical problems. The method provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 5.

[0100] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of the sensing method 500 according to this application. The method 500 includes the following steps:

[0101] S510: The first STA determines that complementary measurements are needed for the first link, the first link is a link that uses the second STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node, and complementary measurement is a measurement method that performs sensing by using dedicated measurement packets.

[0102] The following provides several possible scenarios in which the first STA may need to perform complementary measurements on the first link.

[0103] (1) If the first STA is unable to perform opportunistic measurements on the first link, the first STA determines that complementary measurements are necessary for the first link, and opportunistic measurements are a measurement method that uses data packets to perform sensing.

[0104] For example, if the first STA is not receiving data packets from the second STA, the first STA will be considered unable to perform opportunistic measurements on the first link.

[0105] For example, if the first STA is unable to measure data packets from the second STA, the first STA is considered unable to perform opportunistic measurements of the first link. Specifically, the first STA may be unable to measure data packets from the second STA for reasons such as the first STA's sleep mode, transmit-end power control, and beamforming.

[0106] (2) If the measurement requirements for the first link cannot be met when the first STA performs an opportunistic measurement on the first link, the first STA determines that a supplementary measurement needs to be performed on the first link.

[0107] For example, if the frequency at which the first STA receives data packets from the second STA is lower than the first measurement frequency, the measurement requirements for the first link are considered not to be met when the first STA performs an opportunistic measurement on the first link, where the first measurement frequency is the reference frequency for the first STA to perform an opportunistic measurement.

[0108] It should be understood that the first measurement frequency is the frequency that needs to be reached when the first STA performs an opportunistic measurement on the first link. However, it should be noted that the frequency at which the second STA transmits data packets is determined based on the data that actually needs to be transmitted, so the frequency at which the second STA transmits data packets may be lower than the first measurement frequency. In this case, the first STA may also perform an opportunistic measurement on the first link. However, when the first STA performs an opportunistic measurement on the first link at this point, the measurement requirements for the first link cannot be met.

[0109] (3) If the first STA determines that the amplitude of the fluctuation of the first CSI measurement result is greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold, the first STA determines that a complementary measurement is required for the first link, where the first CSI measurement result is the CSI measurement result obtained by the first STA by performing a CSI measurement on the data packet received by the second STA.

[0110] For example, the CSI fluctuation threshold may be predetermined, or it may be carried in a first sensing measurement request message in which the first AP requests the first STA to measure the first link, where the first sensing measurement request message requests that a sensing measurement be performed on the first link. The first sensing measurement request message will not be described here, but will be described in detail below.

[0111] It can be understood that if the amplitude of variation in the first CSI measurement result is greater than the CSI variation threshold, it indicates that the current measurement environment is clearly changing. In this case, the measurement frequency needs to be increased in order to quickly obtain the fine-grain measurement result and acquire valuable real-time data for subsequent sensing tasks. Therefore, the first STA can trigger complementary measurements to measure the first link at a higher frequency than the first measurement frequency.

[0112] In one possible implementation, the opportunistic measurement process records the historical CSI measurement results of the first link. Each time the CSI of the first link is measured, the first STA determines, based on the newly measured CSI and the historical CSI, whether the amplitude of the variation in the first CSI measurement result is greater than the CSI variation threshold. If the amplitude of variation is greater than the CSI variation threshold, the first STA determines that a complementary measurement is necessary for the first link. For example, the amplitude of variation in the first CSI measurement result is the amplitude of variation of the newly measured CSI (i.e., the first CSI measurement result) by the first STA relative to the mean of previously recorded CSIs. For example, the CSI values ​​at time points 1, 2, and 3 are 1, 2.5, and 0.5, respectively, and the CSI value at time point 4 is 0.2, and the mean of the CSI recorded at time points 1, 2, and 3 is (1 + 2.5 + 0.5) / 3. In this case, the fluctuation amplitude of the CSI measured at time point 4 is a fluctuation amplitude of 0.2 relative to (1+2.5+0.5) / 3.

[0113] As can be seen from the explanation in (2), in order to satisfy the measurement requirements for the first link, the first STA must perform opportunistic measurements on the first link at a first measurement frequency, that is, the measurement requirements for opportunistic measurements on the first link can only be satisfied when the frequency at which the second STA transmits data packets is greater than or equal to the first measurement frequency. If the frequency at which the second STA transmits data packets is higher than the first measurement frequency, the first STA may choose to perform CSI measurements based on only a portion of the data packets transmitted by the second STA, that is, CSI measurements are performed on data packets from the second STA at the first measurement frequency.

[0114] In one embodiment, if the amplitude of the fluctuation of the first CSI measurement result is greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold, the first STA needs to measure the first link at a higher frequency than the first measurement frequency (e.g., frequency #A). If the frequency at which the second STA transmits data packets is not higher than the first measurement frequency, the first STA decides that complementary measurements need to be performed on the first link. If the frequency at which the second STA transmits data packets is greater than or equal to frequency #A, the first STA may continue to perform opportunistic measurements on the first link at frequency #A.

[0115] In another embodiment, the amplitude of the fluctuation of the first CSI measurement result is greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold, and the first STA considers that a complementary measurement is necessary for the first link, regardless of whether the second STA transmits data packets at a higher frequency than frequency #A.

[0116] Optionally, in this application, a second STA may determine whether supplementary measurements need to be performed for the first link. For example, the second STA may determine that supplementary measurements need to be performed for the first link because it does not have the data packets that need to be transmitted, or because it is not listening to the measurement report that has been sent to the AP by the first STA.

[0117] The scenarios described above are merely examples of some scenarios in which the first and second STAs determine that complementary measurements are necessary for the first link. In practice, there may be many more scenarios in which complementary measurements are necessary for the first link. This is not limited to the present application.

[0118] For example, prior to S510, the method further includes the first STA receiving a first sensing measurement request message from the first AP, the first sensing measurement request message including first instruction information, the first instruction information mainly indicating that the first STA should control the complementary measurement.

[0119] For example, if the first STA primarily controls the complementary measurement of the first link, it means that the first STA decides whether complementary measurement needs to be performed for the first link.

[0120] For example, the first sensing measurement request message includes measurement link information, which indicates N links, and the N links include the first link, where N is a positive integer.

[0121] For example, the first sensing measurement request message includes at least one of the following parameters: a first measurement frequency, a second measurement frequency, a CSI variation threshold, and a first time interval, where the first measurement frequency is a reference frequency for the first STA to perform opportunistic measurements, the second measurement frequency is a reference frequency for the first STA to perform complementary measurements, and the first time interval is the time interval between two consecutive times during which a measurement report message is sent to the first AP when the variation amplitude of the CSI measurement result corresponding to the first link does not exceed the CSI variation threshold.

[0122] It should be understood that, unless otherwise stated, the measurement requirement parameters are applicable to the N links indicated by the measurement link information, and we will not explain each one in detail.

[0123] Figure 6 shows the possible frame structures of a sensing measurement request message according to this application. The sensing measurement request message may be any of the sensing measurement messages described in the embodiments of this application. For ease of explanation, the frame corresponding to the sensing measurement request message shown in Figure 6 will be referred to as the sensing measurement request frame. The sensing measurement request frame may include, but is not limited to, the parameters included in the first sensing measurement request message described above.

[0124] It should be understood that the number of bits occupied by each field in the sensing measurement request frame shown in Figure 6 is merely an example and should not constitute a limitation on the frame structure or frame length of the sensing measurement request frame provided in this application.

[0125] Furthermore, it should be understood that the names of the sensing measurement request frames and the fields included in Figure 6 are merely examples and should not constitute any limitation to the sensing measurement request frames provided in this application.

[0126] As shown in Figure 6, the sensing measurement request frame consists of a Measurement Type field and an Opportunistic Measurement Frequency field. Measurement Frequency (CSI) field, CSI variation threshold (CSI Variation) Threshold field, Active Measurement Frequency field, Report Interval field, Link Count field, Source association identifier This includes the identification (AID) (S / AID) field and the Destination association identifier (D / AID) field. These fields are described in detail below.

[0127] (1) The measurement type field occupies 8 bits, with 3 bits having specific indication meanings and the remaining 5 bits being reserved bits. The 3 bits with specific meanings are described below, and the positions of the 1st to 3rd bits within the 8 bits shown below are not limited.

[0128] The first bit indicates whether the node receiving the message needs to measure all links in the link list that use that node as the destination node. For example, if the bit is 0, it means that the node needs to measure all links in the link list that use that node as the destination node, and if the bit is 1, it means that only one of the links in the link list that uses that node as the destination node needs to be measured. For example, the link list contains two links: STA#2 → STA#1 and STA#3 → STA#1. In this case, if the bit is 1, it means that STA#1 needs to measure only one of these two links. Solutions corresponding to this field are described in detail in Figures 12 and 13 below and will not be described in detail here.

[0129] The second bit indicates the link direction. For example, if the bit is 0, it indicates that bidirectional measurements are required for the link, i.e., measurements are required for both the receiving and transmitting ends of the link. If the bit is 1, it indicates that only unidirectional measurements are required for the link, i.e., the requirement can be met if the destination node simply measures the measurement packets sent by the source node.

[0130] The third bit indicates whether the node that received the sensing measurement request frame is allowed to actively increase the measurement frequency for complementary measurements when it detects a variation in the CSI measurement results. For example, if this bit is 1, it indicates that it is allowed.

[0131] (2) The Opportunistic Measurement Frequency field indicates the number of CSI measurements that should be performed per second for each link under opportunistic measurement conditions (i.e., the first measurement frequency is carried in the field). For example, if the field occupies 10 bits, it indicates that the maximum number of CSI measurements that should be performed per second is 1023. For example, if the field is 10 in decimal, it indicates that 10 CSI measurements should be performed per second.

[0132] (3) The CSI fluctuation threshold field indicates that when the CSI fluctuation amplitude exceeds a threshold, reporting or further action should be taken with the AP (i.e., the CSI fluctuation threshold is carried in the field). For example, if the interval is 2%, then when the field is 2 in decimal, it indicates that the CSI fluctuation threshold is 4%.

[0133] (4) The Active Measurement Frequency indicates the number of CSI measurements that need to be performed per second for each link when the measurement frequency is actively increased (i.e., the second measurement frequency is carried in the field). For example, if the field occupies 16 bits, the field may indicate that the maximum number of CSI measurements that need to be performed per second is 65535. For example, if the value corresponding to the field is 100 in decimal, it indicates that 100 CSI measurements need to be performed per second.

[0134] (5) The reporting interval field indicates the interval at which a measurement report message should be sent when the CSI fluctuation amplitude is less than the CSI fluctuation threshold (i.e., the first time interval is carried in this field). For example, if the field occupies 8 bits in seconds, the maximum duration of the first time interval is 255 seconds. For example, after sending a measurement report to the AP at time a, the STA sends another measurement report message to the AP at time b after a period of time, where the CSI fluctuation amplitude of the link corresponding to time a to time b does not exceed the CSI fluctuation threshold, and the time interval between time b and time a is the first time interval.

[0135] It can be understood that in Method 400, STA#1 (i.e., the measurement receiving end) needs to report the measurement results to the AP each time it obtains CSI results through the measurement, informing the AP of the specific measurement situation. Thus, the AP can decide whether to initiate a complementary measurement procedure. However, in this embodiment, based on the reporting interval field and the CSI variation threshold field, STA#1 can perform multiple measurements continuously and provide feedback only when there is variation in the measurement results, thereby greatly reducing the number of feedback messages. For example, according to Method 400, if 10 CSI measurements per second are required in a monitoring scenario, then 10 measurement result feedbacks per second are required. However, in this embodiment, if the environment is clearly not changing and STA#1 does not find that the CSI variation exceeds the CSI variation threshold, STA#1 may report that the environment is not changing at a long interval (e.g., the first time interval is 30 seconds). It can be understood that the number of feedback messages is reduced to one-thousandth. In monitoring scenarios, the most common scenario in the monitoring process is when no action is taken within the environment. Optimizing this scenario can significantly reduce interference to data communications caused by sensing in monitoring scenarios.

[0136] (6) The link count field indicates the number of links included in the subsequent link list. For example, if the field occupies 8 bits, it can indicate up to 255 links.

[0137] (7) The S / AID field indicates the source node identifier of the link, and the D / AID field indicates the destination node identifier of the link (i.e., the S / AID field and the corresponding D / AID field carry information about the link in the measured link information). An AID identifier that is all 0 or all 1 may indicate a special node. For example, if the S / AID field is all 0, it may indicate any source node, and if the S / AID field is all 1, it may indicate that the source node is an AP.

[0138] S520: The first STA sends a first notification message to the second STA, which notifies the second STA to begin complementary measurements on the first link. Correspondingly, the second STA receives the first notification message from the first STA and decides that complementary measurements should be initiated.

[0139] For example, the first notification message includes timer information and measurement link information, the measurement link information indicates the first link, the timer information indicates the first period, and the first period indicates that the second STA should start supplemental measurement of the first link after the first period has expired.

[0140] What can be understood is that the first period is a timer period, and the first period indicates that the second STA should start counting down after the second STA has completed the first period, and when the timer reaches zero, the second STA will begin to start the complementary measurement of the first link.

[0141] For example, if the frequency for complementary measurement is frequency #A, the first period is determined based on frequency #A. For example, if frequency #A is 100 times per second, the first period is 0.01 seconds.

[0142] For example, frequency #A is determined based on the actual frequency required for the complementary measurement of the first link or the second measurement frequency, where the second measurement frequency is the reference frequency for the first STA to perform the complementary measurement.

[0143] S530: The second STA begins complementary measurements of the first link.

[0144] It should be understood that the first STA notifies the second STA to initiate complementary measurements of the first link, that is, notifies the second STA to send a dedicated measurement packet for complementary measurements to the first STA, and as a result, the first STA performs complementary measurements on link #1 based on the dedicated measurement packet from the second STA.

[0145] In one embodiment, if the dedicated packet for complementary measurement is an NDP, the second STA needs to send an NDPA packet to the first STA before sending the NDP to the first STA. Therefore, the second STA initiating complementary measurement of the first link includes the second STA sending an NDPA packet to the first STA at a first period interval to notify the first STA that an NDP is about to be sent. Correspondingly, the first STA receives an NDPA packet from the second STA at a first period interval. The second STA sends an NDP to the first STA after sending the NDPA packet. Correspondingly, the first STA receives an NDP from the second STA after receiving the NDPA packet and performs a CSI measurement based on the NDP to obtain the CSI measurement result.

[0146] It can be understood that the second STA sends an NDPA packet, and then sends an NDP to the first STA at a short interframe space (SIFS). Since the transmission interval between sending the NDPA packet and sending the NDP is fixed, the second STA also sends an NDPA packet to the first STA at the first interval.

[0147] Furthermore, all NDPAs described in this application and in the attached drawings are sensing NDPAs, and will not be described in detail in the following sections.

[0148] Optionally, the first STA may send notification message #1 to the second STA to inform it that packets for complementary measurements have been successfully received, or it may not. For example, if notification message #1 is not sent, the second STA will, by default, assume that the reception was successful, the timer setting (i.e., the first period) will remain unchanged, and it will continue to send packets for complementary measurements at intervals of the first period.

[0149] It is understood that in Method 400, STA#1 needs to report the measurement results after each measurement to inform the AP of the specific measurement status so that the AP can decide whether to initiate the complementary measurement procedure. However, in the technical solution described above, the first STA mainly controls the complementary measurements of the first link, and the first STA does not need to send the corresponding CSI measurement results to the AP after each measurement of the second STA's data packets. This reduces channel occupation and further reduces interference to data communications.

[0150] In addition, in each embodiment of this application, unless there is a special explanation or logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to one another, and the technical features of different embodiments can be combined according to their inherent logical relationships to form new embodiments.

[0151] Method 500 will be explained below with reference to Figures 7 and 8 and specific scenarios, using examples.

[0152] Figure 7 is a diagram of Method 700 for Complementary Measurement, mainly controlled by an STA, in accordance with this application. Figure 7 mainly illustrates a procedure for complementary measurement, mainly controlled by a first STA, in a scenario in which a first STA is not receiving data packets from a second STA. The method mainly comprises the following steps:

[0153] S710a: The AP determines that an opportunistic measurement needs to be performed on link #1 (i.e., an example of the first link), where link #1 is a link that uses STA#2 (i.e., an example of the second STA) as the source node and STA#1 (i.e., an example of the first STA) as the destination node. The AP then initiates the measurement establishment procedure, sending sensing measurement request message #1 (i.e., an example of the first sensing measurement request message) to STA#1 to notify STA#1 to participate in the opportunistic measurement on link #1, and notifying STA#1 of the relevant parameters for the opportunistic and complementary measurements.

[0154] S711a: After receiving Sensing Measurement Request message #1, STA#1 provides feedback to AP regarding participation in opportunistic measurement via Sensing Measurement Response message #1.

[0155] S710b: AP sends sensing measurement request message #2 to STA#2 to notify STA#2 to participate in opportunistic measurement on link #1, and notifies STA#2 of the relevant parameters for opportunistic and complementary measurements.

[0156] S711b: After receiving Sensing Measurement Request Message #2, STA#2 provides feedback to AP via Sensing Measurement Response Message #2, indicating its participation in the opportunistic measurement.

[0157] The order of S710a and S710b is not limited in this application.

[0158] S712: STA#2, as the measurement transmitter, does not have any data packets to transmit at this point, and therefore determines that the supplemental measurement procedure should be initiated after STA#1 has not received any measurement packets for a certain period of time. STA#1 then sends notification message #1 (i.e., an example of the first notification message) to STA#2 to notify STA#2 to begin the supplemental measurement of link #1. In response, STA#2 receives notification message #1 from STA#1.

[0159] For example, notification message #1 includes information about link #1 and timer period #1 (i.e., an example of the first period).

[0160] Optionally, in this procedure, STA#1 may need to enter a sleep state to conserve power, and STA#1 may carry its sleep parameters in notification message #1. For example, the sleep parameters include a time period after which STA#1 will enter sleep and a time period during which STA#1 can receive packets. Based on STA#1's sleep parameters, and in combination with STA#2's data transmission and sleep requirements, STA#2 determines the packet transmission time for complementary measurements.

[0161] S713: After receiving notification message #1, STA#2 determines that the complementary measurement needs to be initiated, and STA#2 counts down after obtaining timer period #1. When the timer reaches 0, STA#2 sends NDPA#1 to STA#1 to notify STA#1 that an NDP for the complementary measurement is about to be sent. In response, STA#2 receives NDPA#1 from STA#1.

[0162] S714: STA#2 sends NDP#1 to STA#1. In response, STA#1 receives NDP#1 from STA#2 and uses NDP#1 to perform a CSI measurement and obtain the CSI measurement result.

[0163] In S713 and S714, the NDP may be transmitted multiple times within a given measurement interval (i.e., timer period #1). For example, in S714, STA#2 starts counting down after transmitting NDP#1 to STA#1. When the timer changes from timer period #1 to 0, STA#2 continues to transmit NDPA#2 to STA#1, and after transmitting NDPA#2, continues to transmit NDP#2 to STA#1.

[0164] S715: STA#1 sends measurement report message #1 to AP, which includes relevant information about the measurement results of the complementary measurement on link #1.

[0165] It is understood that in the scenario in Method 400 where the AP primarily controls the link's complementary measurement, the procedure is complex. In Method 400, one complementary measurement can be completed by exchanging a total of five messages in steps 5 through 9. In this application, in complementary measurements primarily controlled by the STA, only two messages, namely NDPA and NDP, need to be sent by the measurement transmitter STA#2 to complete one complementary measurement. This procedure is simpler, significantly reducing the number of messages exchanged for the complementary measurement, decreasing channel occupancy, and thereby reducing interference to data communications.

[0166] Figure 8 illustrates another method 800 for complementary measurement, mainly controlled by STA, in accordance with this application. Figure 8 mainly illustrates a procedure for complementary measurement, mainly controlled by a first STA, in a scenario in which the fluctuation amplitude of the CSI measurement result is greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold. In this scenario, the measurement frequency needs to be increased over time in order to quickly obtain the fine particle size measurement result and obtain valuable real-time data for subsequent sensing tasks. This method mainly includes the following steps.

[0167] S810a: The AP determines that an opportunistic measurement needs to be performed on link #1 (i.e., an example of a first link), where link #1 is a link that uses STA #2 (i.e., an example of a second STA) as the source node and STA #1 (i.e., an example of a first STA) as the destination node. The AP then initiates the measurement establishment procedure and sends sensing measurement request message #1 (i.e., an example of a first sensing measurement request message) to STA #1 to notify STA #1 to participate in the opportunistic measurement on link #1 and to notify it of the relevant parameters for the opportunistic and complementary measurements. In addition, sensing measurement request message #1 from the AP includes instruction information #1, which indicates that the measurement frequency may be increased if the fluctuation amplitude of the CSI measurement result on link #1 is greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold. For example, instruction information #1 may be indicated by using the third bit of the measurement type in Figure 6.

[0168] For example, the increased frequency for complementary measurements is determined based on the actual requirements for complementary measurements of the first link, or the baseline frequency configured by AP for STA#1 to perform complementary measurements (i.e., an example of a second measurement frequency).

[0169] S811a: After receiving sensing measurement request message #1, STA#1 provides feedback to AP via sensing measurement response message #1, indicating participation in the opportunistic measurement.

[0170] S810b: AP sends sensing measurement request message #2 to STA#2 to notify STA#2 to participate in opportunistic measurement on link #1, and notifies STA#2 of the relevant parameters for opportunistic and complementary measurements.

[0171] S811b: After receiving sensing measurement request message #2, STA#2 provides feedback to AP via sensing measurement response message #2, indicating participation in the opportunistic measurement.

[0172] The order of S810a and S810b is not limited in this application.

[0173] S812: STA#2 sends a data packet to the AP as usual, STA#1 listens to the data packet sent by STA#2, performs a CSI measurement based on the data packet, and obtains the CSI measurement result for link #1.

[0174] It can be understood that in this step, STA#1 performs a CSI measurement on data packets from STA#2 based on a reference frequency configured by the AP for STA#1 to perform opportunistic measurements on link #1 (i.e., an example of a first measurement frequency). In other words, S812 needs to be repeated multiple times.

[0175] S813: During the measurement process, STA#1 detects that the CSI fluctuation amplitude exceeds the CSI fluctuation threshold, and based on the indication in Indication Information #1, STA#1 determines that additional measurements of finer-grained CSI are required. Subsequently, STA#1 sends Notification Message #1 (i.e., an example of the first notification message) to STA#2 to notify STA#2 to begin complementary measurements of Link #1. In response, STA#2 receives Notification Message #1 from STA#1.

[0176] For example, notification message #1 includes information about link #1 and timer period #1 (i.e., an example of the first period).

[0177] S814: After receiving notification message #1, STA#2 determines that the complementary measurement needs to be initiated, and after obtaining timer period #1, STA#2 starts a countdown. When the timer reaches 0, STA#2 sends NDPA packet #1 to STA#1 to notify STA#1 that an NDP for the complementary measurement is about to be sent. In response, STA#2 receives NDPA packet #1 from STA#1.

[0178] S815: STA#2 sends NDP#1 to STA#1. In response, STA#1 receives NDP#1 from STA#2 and uses NDP#1 to perform a CSI measurement and obtain the CSI measurement result.

[0179] For further explanations of S814 and S815, please refer to the explanation in S714. Details will not be explained again here.

[0180] S816: STA#1 sends measurement report message #1 to AP, which indicates that a CSI fluctuation has occurred on link #1 (for example, that the CSI fluctuation amplitude is greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold), and measurement report message #1 further includes the fine particle size CSI measurement results measured during the fluctuation process.

[0181] Optionally, in this method, STA#1 may obtain the CSI result using one measurement packet and then notify the AP of the measurement result through one measurement report message, or it may perform joint compression on the CSI measurement results of multiple measurement packets and send the CSI measurement results of multiple measurement packets through one measurement report message.

[0182] Compared to Method 400, Method 800 has the following advantages. Firstly, in this method, after detecting CSI fluctuations, the STA directly initiates a complementary measurement, reducing the process of reporting measurements to the AP, allowing for a faster response to CSI fluctuations, thereby effectively obtaining real-time measurement results with finer granularity for use in subsequent applications. Also, in the complementary measurement procedure initiated by the STA, only one notification message is sent, and in subsequent steps, one complementary measurement can be completed through two messages, NDPA and NDP. Compared to Method 400, Method 800 significantly reduces the number of messages exchanged in a single complementary measurement, thereby reducing interference with data communication.

[0183] The following describes in detail other sensing methods provided in this application. These methods provide a mechanism for the STA to feed back measurement errors to the AP. This mechanism provides a basic reliability guarantee for link measurements. When there is a failure in the measurement link, the STA can notify the AP of the failure, and the AP can replan the opportunistic measurement process. These methods are described in detail below with reference to Figure 9.

[0184] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of the sensing method 900 according to this application. The method 900 includes the following steps:

[0185] S910: The first STA sends a first measurement report message to the first AP, indicating that the first STA is unable to measure the first link, which is a link that uses the second STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node. Correspondingly, the first AP receives the first measurement report message from the first STA.

[0186] For example, the first measurement report message includes measurement link information and error report information, where the measurement link information indicates the first link and the error report information indicates that the first STA is unable to measure the first link.

[0187] For example, the first measurement report message further includes error cause information, which indicates the specific reason why the first STA is unable to measure the first link. For example, the error cause is that the peer end is not responding, and in this case the peer end is STA#2.

[0188] Figure 10 shows possible frame structures for a measurement report message in accordance with this application. The measurement report message may be any of the measurement report messages described in this embodiment of this application. For ease of explanation, the frame corresponding to the measurement report message shown in Figure 10 will be referred to as the measurement report frame. The measurement report frame may include, but is not limited to, the information contained in the first measurement report message.

[0189] It should be understood that the number of bits occupied by each field in the measurement report frame shown in Figure 10 is merely an example and should not constitute a limitation on the frame structure or frame length of the measurement report frame provided in this application.

[0190] Furthermore, it should be understood that the names of the measurement report frames and included fields shown in Figure 10 are merely examples and should not constitute any limitation to the measurement report frames provided in this application.

[0191] Optionally, the notification message and measurement report message in all embodiments of this application may use the same frame structure. Some fields relate to the notification message, and some fields relate to the measurement report message.

[0192] As shown in Figure 10, the measurement report frame includes the Report Type field, S / AID field, D / AID field, Measurement Timestamp field, Error Code field, Timer Reset field, and Sleep Period Information (Power Saving). This includes the Information field. These fields are described in detail below.

[0193] (1) The reporting type field occupies 8 bits. Of these, 6 bits have specific indication meanings, and the remaining 2 bits are reserved bits. The 6 bits with specific meanings are described below, and the positions of the 1st to 6th bits within the 8 bits are not limited in this application.

[0194] The first bit indicates whether the CSI report is a normal CSI report (i.e., it carries error reporting information). For example, if the bit is 0, it indicates that the CSI report is a normal CSI report, and if the bit is 1, it indicates that the CSI report is an error CSI report. For example, in S910, the bit is 1.

[0195] The second bit indicates whether the CSI fluctuation amplitude is greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold. For example, if the bit is 0, it indicates that the CSI fluctuation amplitude is less than the CSI fluctuation threshold, and if the bit is 1, it indicates that the CSI fluctuation amplitude is greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold. For example, in S816, the bit is 1.

[0196] The third bit indicates whether the receiving node needs to send a measurement packet. For example, if this bit is 0, it means that the receiving node does not need to send a measurement packet. For example, if this bit is 1, it means that the receiving node needs to send a measurement packet.

[0197] The fourth bit indicates whether the receiving node needs to reset its retransmission timer. For example, if the bit is 0, it indicates that the receiving node does not need to reset its retransmission timer, and if the bit is 1, it indicates that the receiving node needs to reset its retransmission timer.

[0198] The fifth bit indicates whether the message contains a specific CSI measurement result. For example, if the bit is 0, it indicates that the message does not contain a specific CSI measurement result, and if the bit is 1, it indicates that the message contains a specific CSI measurement result. For example, in S910, the bit is 0.

[0199] The sixth bit indicates whether the message contains sleep period information for the measuring receiver. For example, if the bit is 0, it indicates that the message does not contain sleep period information, and if the bit is 1, it indicates that the message contains sleep period information.

[0200] (2) For S / AID and D / AID, please refer to the explanation in (7) in Figure 6. We will not explain the details again here.

[0201] (3) The measurement timestamp field indicates the timestamp corresponding to the measurement result (i.e., the time when the last CSI measurement was performed on the link). For example, the field is in milliseconds.

[0202] (4) The error cause field indicates the specific cause of the CSI measurement error (i.e., the field carries error cause information). For example, the field occupies 4 bits, where 0000 indicates no error, 0001 indicates insufficient transmit power at the measurement receiver, 0010 indicates the measurement timer has expired, 0011 indicates insufficient power or computing power at the measurement receiver, 0100 indicates the peer end is unresponsive, and the remaining codes are reserved values.

[0203] (5) The retransmission timer setting field indicates that the node receiving the message should reset the timer based on the timer period indicated by the field (i.e., the field carries the timer information described in S520). For example, if the field occupies 20 bits in milliseconds, the maximum timer period is 1048 seconds.

[0204] (6) The sleep period information field indicates the duration of sleep from the current time, with the first 8 bits indicating the period of normal reception and transmission after the sleep has ended (i.e., the field carries the sleep parameters described in S712). For example, the duration indicated by the field is in units of 100 milliseconds.

[0205] S920: The first STA receives a second sensing measurement request message from the first AP, the second sensing measurement request message is for the first STA to request that it perform a sensing measurement on the second link, the second link being a link that uses the third STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node.

[0206] The explanation of the second sensing measurement request message is the same as the explanation of the first sensing measurement request message in S510, and we will not explain the details again here.

[0207] In this method, a mechanism is provided to the STA for feeding errors back to the AP, thereby freeing the AP from the task of continuously monitoring specific measurement procedures between STAs. This mechanism provides support for STA autonomous measurement provided in other procedures in this application and improves the reliability of opportunistic measurement. A complete possible implementation procedure of Method 900 is described below.

[0208] Figure 11 is a diagram of a sensing method 1100 according to this application. This method mainly includes the following steps:

[0209] S1110a: The AP determines that an opportunistic measurement needs to be performed on link #1 (i.e., an example of a first link), where link #1 is a link that uses STA #2 (i.e., an example of a second STA) as the source node and STA #1 (i.e., an example of a first STA) as the destination node. The AP then initiates the measurement establishment procedure and sends sensing measurement request message #1 (i.e., an example of a first sensing measurement request message) to STA #1 to notify STA #1 to participate in the opportunistic measurement on link #1 and notifies it of the relevant parameters for the opportunistic and complementary measurements.

[0210] S1120b: After receiving Sensing Measurement Request Message #1, STA#1 sends Sensing Measurement Response Message #1 to AP to provide feedback on participation in the opportunistic measurement.

[0211] S1110b: AP sends sensing measurement request message #2 to STA#2 to notify STA#2 to participate in opportunistic measurement on link #1, and notifies STA#2 of the relevant parameters for opportunistic and complementary measurements.

[0212] S1120b: After receiving sensing measurement request message #2, STA#2 provides feedback to AP via sensing measurement response message #2, indicating participation in the opportunistic measurement.

[0213] Note that the order of S1110a and S1110b is not limited in this application. S1130: As a measurement receiving end, STA#1 has not received a data packet transmitted by STA#2. STA#1 initiates notification message #1 to STA#2 to trigger a complementary measurement procedure and to indicate that STA#2 should start the complementary measurement procedure.

[0214] S1140: STA#2 may initiate a supplementary measurement due to reasons such as sleep or network disconnection. STA#1 determines that link #1 cannot be measured and sends measurement report message #1 to the AP, which indicates that the CSI report is an error CSI report, and the cause of the error is that the peer end is not responding. In response, the AP receives measurement report message #1.

[0215] S1150a: The AP decides, based on the information indicated by measurement report message #1, that measurement link #1 should be changed to measurement link #2, where link #2 is a link that uses STA #3 (i.e., an example of a third STA) as the source node and STA #1 (i.e., an example of a first STA) as the destination node. The AP then initiates the measurement establishment procedure and sends sensing measurement request message #3 (i.e., an example of a second sensing measurement request message) to STA #1 to notify STA #1 to participate in the opportunistic measurement on link #2 and notifies it of the relevant parameters for the opportunistic and complementary measurements.

[0216] S1160a: After receiving sensing measurement request message #3, STA#1 sends sensing measurement response message #3 to AP to provide feedback on participation in the opportunistic measurement.

[0217] S1150b: AP sends sensing measurement request message #4 to STA#3 to notify STA#3 to participate in opportunistic measurement on link #2, and notifies STA#3 of the relevant parameters for opportunistic and complementary measurements.

[0218] S1120b: After receiving sensing measurement request message #4, STA#3 provides feedback to AP via sensing measurement response message #4, indicating participation in the opportunistic measurement.

[0219] The order of S1150a and S1150b is not limited in this application.

[0220] S1170: If STA#3 has a normal data packet that should be sent to the AP, in this case STA#1 can correctly listen for the data packet from STA#3 and perform a CSI measurement based on that data packet to obtain the CSI measurement result.

[0221] S1180: STA#1 sends measurement report message #2 to AP, and in response, AP receives measurement report message #2 from STA#1.

[0222] For example, STA#1 determines whether the amplitude of the fluctuation in the measured CSI measurement result is greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold. If the amplitude of fluctuation is greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold, STA#1 reports the measurement result to AP. If the amplitude of fluctuation is not greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold, STA#1 does not need to report the measurement result for the time being. For specific reporting times, please refer to the explanation of the reporting interval field in Figure 6. We will not explain the details again here.

[0223] Other sensing methods provided in this application are described in detail below. In the sensing measurement request message shown in Figure 6, the AP may request that the STA measure multiple links. In this method, the STA only needs to measure any of the links in the link list included in the sensing measurement request message that use the STA as the measurement receiving node. This method can fully utilize the advantages of opportunistic measurement. For example, the STA can perform sensing measurements on links on which opportunistic measurements can be performed, thereby avoiding channel occupation by complementary measurements. In addition, this method can further avoid repeated measurements of similar links. This method is described in detail below with reference to Figure 12.

[0224] Figure 12 is a diagram of the sensing method 1200 according to this application. The method 1200 includes the following steps:

[0225] S1210: The first AP determines the third sensing measurement request message, which requests the first STA to perform a sensing measurement on any one of the N links, where the destination node for all N links is the first STA, and N is a positive integer.

[0226] For example, a third sensing measurement request message includes measurement link information and measurement type information, where the measurement link information indicates N links, and the measurement type information indicates that the first STA needs to measure only one of the N links.

[0227] For the frame structure of the third sensing measurement request message, please refer to the explanation in Figure 6. We will not go into detail again here. For example, the first bit in the measurement type field in Figure 6 carries the measurement type information.

[0228] S1220: The first AP sends a third sensing measurement request message to the first STA. In response, the first STA receives the third sensing measurement request message from the first AP.

[0229] S1230: The first STA measures one of the N links.

[0230] For example, the link is the first link, which uses the second STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node. In this case, the first STA measuring one of the N links includes the first STA receiving data packets from the second STA based on a first measurement frequency, where the first measurement frequency is a reference frequency for the first STA to perform opportunistic measurements, and the first STA performing CSI measurements based on the data packets from the second STA.

[0231] It can be understood that when the first STA performs a CSI measurement based on the data packets of the second STA, it indicates that the first STA successfully performed an opportunistic measurement on the first link.

[0232] In one possible scenario, the N links on which the first AP requests sensing measurements include a second link, which uses the third STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node. If the first STA successfully measures the first link, it does not need to measure any other links. However, the third STA does not know that the first STA only needs to measure any link on which the first STA uses the first STA as the destination node. Therefore, when the third STA is not sending data packets, the third STA assumes that the first STA cannot perform an opportunistic measurement on the second link and proactively triggers a complementary measurement. Specifically, the third STA sends measurement packet #1 for the complementary measurement to the first STA. In response, the first STA receives measurement packet #1 from the third STA. Since the first STA has successfully measured the first link, the first STA sends a first notification message to the third STA, informing the third STA that there is no need to initiate a complementary measurement of the second link. In response, the third STA receives the first notification message from the first STA and stops initiating a complementary measurement of the second link.

[0233] For example, the frame structure of the first notification message is shown in Figure 10. The first STA may set the third bit in the report type field in Figure 10 to 0 to indicate that the node receiving the message (the third STA) does not need to send a measurement packet for complementary measurement to the first STA.

[0234] For example, the first STA may set the fourth bit in the report type field in Figure 10 to 1 to indicate that the node receiving the message (the third STA) needs to reset the retransmission timer, and may set all the retransmission timer setting fields in the message to 0 to indicate that the timer period is infinite, i.e., that the third STA does not need to send the measurement packet to the first STA.

[0235] It can be understood that in the opportunistic measurement process, each node randomly transmits data packets. Under these conditions, the method allows the first STA to measure any one of several links, thereby significantly improving the probability of successful opportunistic measurements and reducing the impact on data communication when dedicated sensing measurement packets are used for sensing measurements. In addition, the method can reduce the transmission of redundant measurement packets by preventing the third STA from continuing to transmit supplementary measurement messages afterward through a first notification message for a third STA that does not have data packets to transmit. A complete possible implementation procedure of Method 1200 is described below with an example.

[0236] Figure 13 is a diagram of the sensing method 1300 according to this application. The method mainly includes the following steps:

[0237] S1310a: The AP determines that opportunistic measurements need to be performed on link #1 (i.e., an example of the first link) and link #2 (i.e., an example of the second link), where link #1 is a link that uses STA#2 (i.e., an example of the second STA) as the source node and STA#1 (i.e., an example of the first STA) as the destination node, and link #2 is a link that uses STA#3 (i.e., an example of the third STA) as the source node and STA#1 as the destination node. The AP then initiates the measurement establishment procedure and sends sensing measurement request message #1 (i.e., an example of the third sensing measurement request message) to STA#1 to notify STA#1 to participate in the opportunistic measurements on links #1 and #2, and notifies STA#1 of the relevant parameters for the opportunistic and complementary measurements.

[0238] S1320a: After receiving sensing measurement request message #1, STA#1 provides feedback to AP via sensing measurement response message #1, indicating participation in the opportunistic measurement.

[0239] S1310a: AP sends sensing measurement request message #2 to STA#2 to notify STA#2 to participate in opportunistic measurement on link #1, and notifies STA#2 of the relevant parameters for opportunistic and complementary measurements.

[0240] S1320b: After receiving sensing measurement request message #2, STA#2 provides feedback to AP via sensing measurement response message #2, indicating participation in the opportunistic measurement.

[0241] S1310c: AP sends sensing measurement request message #3 to STA#3 to notify STA#3 to participate in opportunistic measurement on link #2, and notifies STA#3 of the relevant parameters for opportunistic and complementary measurements.

[0242] S1320c: After receiving sensing measurement request message #3, STA#3 provides feedback to AP via sensing measurement response message #3, indicating participation in the opportunistic measurement.

[0243] The order of S1310a, S1310b, and S1310c is not limited in this application.

[0244] S1330: When STA#2 needs to send data packets to the AP, STA#2 continuously sends data packets to the AP. STA#1 also listens for data packets from STA#2 and measures the CSI based on those data packets.

[0245] For example, STA#1 determines whether the amplitude of the fluctuation in the measured CSI measurement result is greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold. If the amplitude of fluctuation is greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold, STA#1 reports the measurement result to AP. If the amplitude of fluctuation is not greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold, STA#1 does not need to report the measurement result for the time being.

[0246] S1340: STA#3 does not send a data packet, and STA#3 does not know that STA#1 only needs to measure one link using STA#1 as the destination node, so STA#3 proactively initiates a supplementary measurement for link #2. For example, STA#3 sends NDPA packet #1 to STA#1 to notify STA#1 that an NDP for supplementary measurement is about to be sent.

[0247] S1350: STA#3 sends NDP#1 to STA#1, and in response, STA#1 receives NDP#1 from STA#3.

[0248] S1360: Since STA#1 has already measured link #1, STA#1 does not need to measure link #2. Therefore, STA#1 sends notification message #1 to STA#3 to inform STA#3 that the complementary measurement procedure does not need to be started again. In response, STA#3 receives notification message #1 from STA#1 and no longer initiates the complementary measurement for link #2.

[0249] S1370: STA#2 continues to transmit data packets, STA#1 listens to the data packets transmitted by STA#2, performs a CSI measurement based on the data packets to obtain the CSI measurement result, and sends measurement report message #1 to the AP based on the measurement result.

[0250] For example, if the fluctuation amplitude of the CSI measurement result corresponding to link #1 is always below the CSI fluctuation threshold within a certain period after the reporting interval (e.g., the first time interval in S510) following the last time measurement report #1 was sent to the AP, STA#1 will notify the AP via measurement report message #1 that the CSI fluctuation amplitude for link #1 is below the CSI fluctuation threshold.

[0251] This method utilizes an opportunistic measurement approach that selects one of several options, fully leveraging the benefits of opportunistic measurement. Compared to current opportunistic measurement solutions that require fixed link transmit and receive ends, this method avoids repeated measurements of similar links and reduces redundant measurement packets.

[0252] Typical scenarios to which the solutions provided in this application are applicable include security monitoring scenarios and action recognition scenarios. In such scenarios, if the environment changes only slightly, i.e., if the surrounding objects do not move in most cases, the CSI of the corresponding link will not change. In this case, the AP may need to monitor the link between the STA to detect changes in the surrounding environment over time. This is mainly because the link between the STA is more susceptible to the surrounding environment. Monitoring tasks generally require measuring the link CSI at relatively frequent time intervals and comparing the difference between the CSI and the historical link CSI. For example, if the monitoring task needs to detect environmental changes within 100 milliseconds, 10 CSI measurements per second are required. However, since environmental changes are infrequent in monitoring tasks, CSI fluctuations only occur when someone intrudes or when a target takes action. Therefore, to conserve measurement reporting resources, the STA generally does not need to report when there are no CSI fluctuations; i.e., if the CSI value obtained through the measurement remains unchanged, the STA may report the absence of CSI fluctuations to the AP at long time intervals (e.g., 30-second intervals). Therefore, in monitoring tasks performed using the opportunistic measurement method, if the environment does not change, the STA and AP can communicate with each other at long intervals. In this case, the system primarily uses the opportunistic measurement method to acquire CSI using data packets normally transmitted over the measurement network, and only a few dedicated packets need to be sent for the sensing monitoring task (i.e., only one interaction occurs every 30 seconds). Thus, using this solution can significantly reduce the occupation of air data transmission resources by the sensing monitoring task. In addition, since the CSI measurement node measures and compares CSI at a higher rate (e.g., 10 times per second), it can quickly detect changes occurring in the environment, and when a CSI change occurs, i.e., when an action occurs, the AP is immediately notified and the next action is performed, for example, the number of measurements is increased over time.Such rapid responses can effectively capture environmental changes and lay the foundation for low-latency detection and action recognition of subsequent intrusion alarms.

[0253] It should be understood that the sequence numbers of the processes described above do not indicate the order of execution. The order of execution of the processes should be determined based on the function and internal logic of the processes and should not be construed as any limitation to the implementation processes of the embodiments of this application.

[0254] Furthermore, it should be understood that some of the embodiments described above primarily use devices in existing network architectures as illustrative examples. It should be understood that the specific form of the device is not limited to the embodiments of this application. For example, all devices that can implement the same functionality in the future are applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0255] It can be understood that, in the above-described method embodiments, the methods and operations performed by the device (e.g., STA and AP) may instead be performed by a component of the device (e.g., a chip or circuit).

[0256] The methods provided in embodiments of this application have been described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 13. The methods described above are primarily described in terms of interactions between STAs and between APs and STAs. It can be understood that, in order to achieve the functions described above, either the AP or the STA includes corresponding hardware configurations and / or software modules for implementing each function.

[0257] Those skilled in the art should recognize that, in combination with the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in this specification, units and algorithmic steps in this application may be implemented by hardware or by a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed by hardware or by hardware driven by computer software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functions in different ways for specific applications, but such implementations should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application.

[0258] The communication device provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 14 and 15. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for matters not described in detail, please refer to the method embodiment described above. For brevity, some matters will not be described again. In the embodiments of this application, the AP or STA may be divided into functional modules based on the method example described above. For example, each functional module may be obtained through division based on each corresponding function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module may be implemented in hardware form or in the form of a software functional module. Note that in the embodiments of this application, the module division is an example and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementations, other division methods may be used. Below, for illustrative purposes, an example in which each functional module is obtained through division based on each corresponding function will be used.

[0259] The above describes in detail the data transmission method provided in this application, and below describes the communication device provided in this application. In one possible implementation, the device is configured to implement a step or procedure corresponding to the STA in the method embodiment described above. In another possible implementation, the device is configured to implement a step or procedure corresponding to the AP in the method embodiment described above.

[0260] Figure 14 is a block diagram of a communication device 200 according to one embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 14, the device 200 may include a communication unit 210 and a processing unit 220. The communication unit 210 is capable of communicating with the outside world, and the processing unit 220 is configured to process data. The communication unit 210 may also be referred to as a communication interface or transceiver unit.

[0261] In one possible design, the device 200 may implement steps or procedures performed by the AP in the method embodiment described above. The processing unit 220 is configured to perform the processing-related operations of the AP in the method embodiment described above, and the communication unit 210 is configured to perform the transmission-related operations of the AP in the method embodiment described above.

[0262] In another possible design, the device 200 may implement steps or procedures performed by the STA in the method embodiment described above. The communication unit 210 is configured to perform the receive-related operations of the STA in the method embodiment described above, and the processing unit 220 is configured to perform the processing-related operations of the STA in the method embodiment described above.

[0263] It should be understood that the device 200 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here refers to an application-specific integrated circuit (application). This may refer to a specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuitry, a processor configured to run one or more software or firmware programs (e.g., a shared processor, a dedicated processor, or a group processor), memory, merged logic circuits, and / or other suitable components that support the described functions. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, in one example of options, the device 200 may specifically be the AP in the embodiments described above and may be configured to perform the procedures and / or steps corresponding to the AP in the method embodiments described above. Alternatively, the device 200 may specifically be the STA in the embodiments described above and may be configured to perform the procedures and / or steps corresponding to the STA in the method embodiments described above. To avoid repetition, the details will not be described again here.

[0264] Each of the solutions described above has a device 200 that implements the corresponding steps performed by the AP in the method described above, or each of the solutions described above has a device 200 that implements the corresponding steps performed by the STA in the method described above. The functions may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware running corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules that correspond to the functions described above. For example, the communication unit may be replaced with a transceiver (e.g., the transmitting unit of the communication unit is replaced with a transmitter, and the receiving unit of the communication unit is replaced with a receiver) so that the transmit / receive operations and processing-related operations in the method embodiment are performed separately, and other units such as a processing unit may be replaced with a processor.

[0265] Alternatively, the communication unit may be a transceiver circuit (for example, including a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit may be a processing circuit. In this embodiment of the application, the apparatus of Figure 14 may be an STA or AP in the embodiments described above, or it may be a chip or chip system, such as a system on a chip (SoC). The communication unit may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface. The processing unit may be a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit on a chip. This is not limited to the present.

[0266] Figure 15 is a block diagram of a communication device 300 according to one embodiment of this application. The device 300 includes a processor 310 and a transceiver 320. The processor 310 and the transceiver 320 communicate with each other via an internal connection path, and the processor 310 is configured to execute instructions and control the transceiver 320 to transmit and / or receive signals.

[0267] Optionally, the device 300 may further include a memory 330. The memory 330, processor 310, and transceiver 320 communicate with each other via an internal connection path. The memory 330 is configured to store instructions, and the processor 310 can execute instructions stored in the memory 330. In one possible implementation, the device 300 is configured to implement the procedures and steps corresponding to AP in the method embodiment described above. In another possible implementation, the device 300 is configured to implement the procedures and steps corresponding to STA in the method embodiment described above.

[0268] It should be understood that the device 300 may specifically be an AP or STA in the embodiments described above, or a chip or a chip system. Correspondingly, the transceiver 320 may be a chip transceiver circuit. This is not limited to the above. Specifically, the device 300 may be configured to perform steps and / or procedures corresponding to the AP or STA in the method embodiments described above. Optionally, the memory 330 may include read-only memory and random access memory and provide instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory may further include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may further store device type information. The processor 310 may be configured to execute instructions stored in memory. When the processor 310 executes instructions stored in memory, the processor 310 is configured to perform steps and / or procedures corresponding to the AP or STA in the method embodiments described above.

[0269] In one implementation process, the steps in the method described above may be implemented by using hardware integrated logic circuits within a processor or by using instructions in the form of software. The steps in the method disclosed with reference to embodiments of this application may be performed directly by a hardware processor or by using a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor. The software modules may reside in mature storage media in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. The storage medium resides in memory, and the processor reads information from memory and, in combination with the processor's hardware, completes the steps in the method described above. To avoid repetition, the details will not be described again here.

[0270] The processor in the embodiments of this application may be an integrated circuit chip and may have signal processing capabilities. In one implementation process, the steps in the above-described method embodiments may be implemented by using hardware integrated logic circuits within the processor or by using instructions in the form of software. The processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processing (DSP), an ASIC, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. The processor in the embodiments of this application may implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc. The steps in the methods disclosed with reference to embodiments of this application may be performed and completed directly by a hardware decoding processor, or they may be performed and completed by using a combination of hardware and software modules within the decoding processor. The software modules may be located in mature storage media in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. The storage medium resides in memory, and the processor reads the information from memory and, in combination with the processor's hardware, completes the steps in the method described above.

[0271] It should be understood that the memory in this embodiment of this application may be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory may be random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. For example, RAM can be of many forms, including, but is not limited to, static random access memory (static RAM, SRAM), dynamic random access memory (dynamic RAM, DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (double data rate SDRAM, DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (enhanced SDRAM, ESDRAM), synchlink dynamic random access memory (synchlink DRAM, SLDRAM), and direct rambus random access memory (direct rambus RAM, DR RAM). The memory of the systems and methods described in this specification includes, but is not limited to, these memories and any other suitable types of memory.

[0272] Furthermore, when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) may be integrated into the processor.

[0273] Furthermore, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium that stores computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the operations and / or procedures performed by the AP or STA in the method embodiments of this application are executed.

[0274] This application further provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes computer program code or instructions. When the computer program code or instructions are executed on a computer, the operations and / or procedures performed by the AP or STA in the method embodiments of this application are performed.

[0275] Furthermore, this application provides a chip comprising a processor. Memory configured to store computer programs is located independently of the chip. The processor is configured to execute the computer programs stored in the memory and to perform operations and / or processes performed by AP or STA in any method embodiment.

[0276] Furthermore, the chip may include a communication interface. This communication interface could be an input / output interface or an interface circuit, etc. Additionally, the chip may include memory.

[0277] Furthermore, this application provides a communication system including AP and STA in embodiments of this application.

[0278] It should be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these types of memory and any other appropriate types of memory.

[0279] As a person skilled in the art will recognize, in combination with the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the units and algorithmic steps may be implemented by electronic hardware or by a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are performed by hardware or by software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. A person skilled in the art may implement the described functions in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application. As a person skilled in the art will clearly understand, for the sake of convenience and conciseness, the detailed operating processes of the systems, devices, and units described above should be referred to the corresponding processes in the method embodiments described above. Details will not be described again here. In some embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods may be implemented in other ways. For example, the described device embodiments are merely examples. For example, the division into units is merely a logical functional division, and other divisions may be used in actual implementations. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into other systems, or some mechanisms may be ignored or not performed. Furthermore, the illustrated or described mutual coupling, direct coupling, or communication connection may be implemented via some interface. Indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be implemented in electronic, mechanical, or other forms. Units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts shown as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected based on actual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solution of the embodiment. In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of this application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically independently, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit.

[0280] When functions are implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, those functions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of this application, or the parts that contribute to the prior art, or parts of the technical solutions, may be implemented in the form of a software product. The software product includes several instructions stored in a storage medium for instructing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in embodiments of this application. The storage medium mentioned above includes any medium capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk, ROM, RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0281] It should be understood that “embodiments” as referred to throughout this specification means that the specific features, structures, or characteristics relating to that embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, those specific features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in one or more embodiments by any appropriate means.

[0282] Furthermore, it should be understood that the ordinal numbers in the embodiments of this application, such as "first" and "second," are for distinguishing multiple subjects and are not intended to limit the size, content, order, chronological order, priority, importance, etc., of those multiple subjects.

[0283] It should be further understood that in this application, both “when” and “in case” mean that the network element performs the corresponding processing in the desired situation, and do not constitute a limitation on time, nor do they require the network element to have a decision action during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitation.

[0284] It should be further understood that in this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality of" means two or more. "At least one item (piece) of the following" or similar expressions thereof means any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item (piece) or a plurality of items (pieces). For example, at least one item (piece) of a, b, or c indicates a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b and c.

[0285] It should be further understood that, unless otherwise specified, expressions similar to "an item includes one or more of A, B, and C" in this application generally mean that the item may be any one of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B and C; A and A; A, A and A; A, A and B; A, A and C; A, B and B; A, C and C; B and B; B, B and B; B, B and C; C and C; C, C and C; and other combinations of A, B, and C. In the above, three elements A, B, and C are used as examples to illustrate the selective cases of the item. When the expression is "the item includes at least one of A, B, ..., and X", in other words, when more elements are included in the expression, the cases where the item is applicable can also be obtained according to the above rules.

[0286] It should be further understood that the term "and / or" in this specification only describes the association relationship between related objects, and indicates that there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent the cases where A exists alone, both A and B exist, and B exists alone, and A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between related objects. For example, A / B indicates A or B.

[0287] It should be further understood that, in the embodiments of this application, "B corresponding to A" indicates that B is associated with A, and B can be determined based on A. However, it should be further understood that determining B based on A does not mean that B is determined solely based on A. Instead, B may be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0288] The foregoing description is merely a specific implementation of this application, and is not intended to limit the protection scope of this application. Any variation or replacement readily conceivable by a person of ordinary skill in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application shall fall within the protection scope of this application. Accordingly, the protection scope of this application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A sensing method, The first step is to determine that a first station STA needs to perform a supplementary measurement on a first link, wherein the first link is a link that uses a second STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node, and the supplementary measurement is a measurement method that performs sensing using a dedicated measurement packet. The steps include: the first STA sending a first notification message to the second STA, the first notification message being for informing the second STA to begin the complementary measurement of the first link; A method of having.

2. The step of determining, by the first STA, that the complementary measurement needs to be performed on the first link, The first STA determines, based on the first condition, that the complementary measurement needs to be performed on the first link. The first condition is, The first STA is unable to perform opportunistic measurements on the first link, and opportunistic measurements refer to a measurement method that uses data packets for sensing, or When the first STA performs opportunistic measurement on the first link, the measurement requirements for the first link cannot be met, or The first STA determines that the fluctuation amplitude of the first channel state information CSI measurement result is greater than a predetermined CSI fluctuation threshold, and the first CSI measurement result is a CSI measurement result obtained by the first STA by measuring the data packet received by the second STA. Having, The method according to claim 1.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the inability of the first STA to perform the opportunistic measurement on the first link is due to the first STA not receiving data packets from the second STA, or the first STA being unable to measure data packets from the second STA.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein when the first STA performs the opportunistic measurement on the first link, the first STA determines that the measurement requirements for the first link cannot be met, which means that the frequency at which the first STA receives data packets from the second STA is lower than the first measurement frequency, where the first measurement frequency is a reference frequency for the first STA to perform the opportunistic measurement.

5. When the first STA determines that the amplitude of the fluctuation in the first CSI measurement result is greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold, the first STA determines that the complementary measurement needs to be performed for the first link. The first STA determines that the fluctuation amplitude of the first CSI measurement result is greater than the CSI fluctuation threshold, and that it is necessary to measure the first link at a first frequency higher than the first measurement frequency, the first measurement frequency being the reference frequency for the first STA to perform the opportunistic measurement, and When the frequency at which the first STA transmits data packets is lower than the first measurement frequency, the first STA determines that the supplementary measurement needs to be performed for the first link. The method according to claim 2, having the following characteristics.

6. The first notification message includes timer information and measurement link information, wherein the timer information indicates a first period, the measurement link information indicates a first link, and the first period indicates that the second STA should start the complementary measurement of the first link after the first period has expired. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The aforementioned dedicated measurement packet is a null data packet (NDP), and the method further, The first STA receives a null data packet announcement (NDPA) packet from the second STA at intervals of the first period, The first STA receives the NDPA and then receives the NDP from the second STA, The method according to claim 6, having the following characteristics.

8. This method further, The first step is for the first STA to receive a first sensing measurement request message from a first access point AP, the first sensing measurement request message having first instruction information, the first instruction information mainly indicating that the first STA should control the complementary measurement, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising:

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first sensing measurement request message further includes the measurement link information, and the measurement link information indicates the first link.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the first sensing measurement request message further comprises a first measurement frequency, a second measurement frequency, a channel state information CSI fluctuation threshold, and a first time interval, the first measurement frequency being the reference frequency for the first STA to perform the opportunistic measurement, the second measurement frequency being the reference frequency for the first STA to perform the complementary measurement, and the first time interval being the time interval between two consecutive times for which a measurement report message is sent to the first AP when the fluctuation amplitude of the CSI measurement result corresponding to the first link does not exceed the CSI fluctuation threshold.

11. A sensing method, The steps include: a second station STA receiving a first notification message from the first STA, the first notification message notifying the second STA to start augmentative measurement of the first link, the first link being a link using the second STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node, and the augmentative measurement being a measurement method that performs sensing using dedicated measurement packets; The second STA is used to initiate the complementary measurement of the first link, A method of having.

12. The first notification message includes timer information and measurement link information, wherein the timer information indicates a first period, the measurement link information indicates a first link, and the first period indicates that the second STA should start the complementary measurement of the first link after the first period has expired. The method according to claim 11.

13. The aforementioned dedicated measurement packet is a null data packet (NDP), The step of initiating the complementary measurement of the first link using the second STA is: The second STA transmits a null data packet announcement (NDPA) packet to the first STA at intervals of the first period, The second STA transmits the NDPA and then transmits the NDP to the first STA, The method according to claim 12, having the following characteristics.

14. A sensing method, The steps include: a first station STA sending a first measurement report message to a first access point AP, the first measurement report message indicating that the first STA is unable to measure a first link, and the first link is a link that uses a second STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node; The first STA receives a second sensing measurement request message from the first AP, the second sensing measurement request message being for the first STA to perform a sensing measurement on a second link, the second link being a link that uses a third STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node, A method of having.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the first measurement report message includes measurement link information and error report information, the measurement link information indicates the first link, and the error report information indicates that the first STA is unable to measure the first link.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the first measurement report message further includes error cause information, the error cause information indicates an error cause that prevents the first STA from measuring the first link.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the cause of the error is that the second STA does not respond.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the first STA performing the sensing measurement on the second link includes performing an opportunistic measurement on the second link, and the opportunistic measurement is a measurement method that performs sensing using data packets.

19. This method further, The first STA determines that complementary measurements need to be performed on the second link, The first STA transmits a second notification message to the third STA, the second notification message being for informing the third STA to start the complementary measurement of the second link, and the complementary measurement being a measurement method that performs sensing using a dedicated measurement packet. The method according to claim 18, wherein the method is characterized by having the following:

20. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein the second sensing measurement request message has measurement link information, and the measurement link information indicates the second link.

21. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the second sensing measurement request message further includes measurement parameters for the first STA to perform the sensing measurement on the second link.

22. A sensing method, The steps include: a first access point AP receiving a first measurement report message from a first station STA, the first measurement report message indicating that the first STA is unable to measure a first link, and the first link is a link that uses a second STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node; The first AP transmits a second sensing measurement request message to the first STA, the second sensing measurement request message being for the first STA to perform a sensing measurement on a second link, the second link being a link that uses a third STA as the source node and the first STA as the destination node. A method of having.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the first measurement report message further includes measurement link information and error report information, the measurement link information indicates the first link, and the error report information indicates that the first STA is unable to measure the first link.

24. The method according to claim 22 or 23, wherein the first measurement report message further includes error cause information, the error cause information indicates an error cause that prevents the first STA from measuring the first link.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the cause of the error is that the second STA does not respond.

26. The method according to claim 22 or 25, wherein the second sensing measurement request message has measurement link information, and the measurement link information indicates the second link.

27. The method according to claim 22 or 26, wherein the second sensing measurement request message further includes measurement parameters for the first STA to perform opportunistic and complementary measurements on the second link.

28. A sensing method, The first step is to receive a third sensing measurement request message from a first access point AP via a first station STA, the third sensing measurement request message being for the first STA to perform a sensing measurement on any one of N links, the destination nodes of all N links being the first STA, and N being an integer greater than 1. The first STA is used to measure one of the N links, A method of having.

29. The third sensing measurement request message includes measurement link information and measurement type information, wherein the measurement link information indicates the N links, and the measurement type information indicates that the first STA needs to measure only one of the N links. The method according to claim 28.

30. The aforementioned link is the first link, and this first link is a link that uses the second STA as the source node. The step of measuring one of the N links using the first STA is: The first STA receives data packets from the second STA based on a first measurement frequency, the first measurement frequency being a reference frequency for the first STA to perform opportunistic measurement, and opportunistic measurement being a measurement method that performs sensing using data packets. The first STA performs channel state information CSI measurement based on the data packets of the second STA, The method according to claim 28 or 29, having the following characteristics.

31. The aforementioned N links include a second link, the second link being a link that uses a third STA as a source node, and the method further includes The first STA receives a first dedicated measurement packet from the third STA, the first dedicated measurement packet being a measurement packet used for complementary measurement, and the first dedicated measurement packet being used by the first STA to perform the complementary measurement on the second link, The first STA sends a first notification message to the third STA, the first notification message being for the purpose of informing the third STA that the complementary measurement of the second link does not need to be initiated. The method according to claim 30, comprising:

32. A sensing method, The first step is to determine a third sensing measurement request message using a first access point AP, the third sensing measurement request message is to request that the first station STA perform a sensing measurement on any one of the N links, the destination nodes of all N links are the first STA, and N is an integer greater than 1. The first AP transmits the third sensing measurement request message to the first STA, A method of having.

33. The third sensing measurement request message includes measurement link information and measurement type information, wherein the measurement link information indicates the N links, and the measurement type information indicates that the first STA needs to measure only one of the N links. The method according to claim 32.

34. A communication device having a module or unit configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or a module or unit configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 11 to 13, or a module or unit configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 14 to 21, or a module or unit configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 22 to 27, or a module or unit configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 28 to 31, or a module or unit configured to perform the method described in claim 32 or 33.

35. A communication device having at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is configured to input and / or output signals, and the at least one processor is configured to execute a computer program stored in memory to enable the communication device to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or the method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 21, or the method according to any one of claims 22 to 27, or the method according to any one of claims 28 to 31, or the method according to claim 32 or 33.

36. A processing apparatus having a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute a computer program stored in memory, enabling the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or the method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 21, or the method according to any one of claims 22 to 27, or the method according to any one of claims 28 to 31, or the method according to claim 32 or 33.

37. Processing apparatus, Memory configured to store computer programs, A processor configured to call the computer program from the memory and execute the computer program, enabling the device to perform the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or the method described in any one of claims 11 to 13, or the method described in any one of claims 14 to 21, or the method described in any one of claims 22 to 27, or the method described in any one of claims 28 to 31, or the method described in claim 32 or 33, A processing device.

38. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed on a computer, the computer is enabled to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or the method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 21, or the method according to any one of claims 22 to 27, or the method according to any one of claims 28 to 31, or the method according to claim 32 or 33.

39. A computer program product having a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed on a computer, the computer is enabled to perform the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or the method described in any one of claims 11 to 13, or the method described in any one of claims 14 to 21, or the method described in any one of claims 22 to 27, or the method described in any one of claims 28 to 31, or the method described in claim 32 or 33.

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