Communication methods and communication devices

Abstract

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

Description

Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to communication methods and communication devices.

Background Art

[0003] Target wake time (TWT) is an energy-saving technology. The core idea is to set several periodic periods so that several devices only need to be active during these periods, and can sleep during other periods, thereby achieving energy saving. These active periods are TWT Service Period (service period, SP). Each of two multi-link devices (MLD) that support multi-link communication may set up an individual TWT SP for each of the plurality of links, and each individual TWT SP may include a plurality of TWT Service Period that occur periodically.

[0004] Some MLD devices can operate on only one link at a time. When an MLD device performs link switching, it is not expected that the TWT period set up on the previous link will be interrupted. Therefore, setting up individual TWT SPs aligned on multiple links is a reasonable solution. However, currently, a method for setting up individual TWT SPs on multiple links associated with two MLDs by using one link associated with the two MLDs is provided, and a method for setting up individual TWT SPs aligned on multiple links by using one link is not clearly provided.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] This application provides a communication method and a communication device for specifying a method for setting up individual TWT SPs arranged on a plurality of links by using one link.

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

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

[0008] It should be understood that the alignment of the first individual TWT SP with the second individual TWT SP means that the times when the devices wake up in the two individual TWP SPs (i.e., the times when data is transmitted and received) are aligned.

[0009] It should be further understood that a transmitting device may transmit a first frame over any link associated with the transmitting and receiving devices. Correspondingly, a receiving device may receive a first frame over any link.

[0010] In the aforementioned technical solution, the second piece of information indicates the link on which the individual TWT SPs to be aligned must be set up, and the first piece of information indicates that multiple individual TWT SPs will be aligned on multiple links by using the first link as a reference link. Thus, a method is specified for setting up individual TWT SPs aligned on multiple links by using a single link.

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

[0012] Optionally, information regarding the first individual TWT SP further includes the wake interval and wake duration of the first individual TWT SP.

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

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

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

[0016] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the start time TWT of the second individual TWT SP j The formula is as follows: TWT j =TWT i +TWT offset Satisfying the condition, in the formula, TWT i This is the start time of the first individual TWT SP, and TWT offset The value of is equal to the difference between the time synchronization function TSF timer of the first link and the TSF timer of the second link.

[0017] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the first element further includes fourth information, the fourth information indicating that the first element includes second information.

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

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

[0020] In some embodiments of the first aspect, if the first element is a TWT element, the first information is a link ID bitmap field or link ID field in the TWT parameter information field of the TWT element, and the second information is an aligned TWT bitmap field in the TWT parameter information field.

[0021] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes: the receiving device transmits a second frame, the second frame comprising a second element, the second element comprising fifth information, the fifth information instructing the receiving device to acknowledge acceptance of the setup of individual TWT SPs on the first link and on N second links.

[0022] According to a second embodiment, a communication method is provided. The method may be carried out by a transmitting device, or by a chip or circuit configured within the transmitting device. This is not limited to the present application. For the sake of ease of explanation, an example in which the method is carried out by a transmitting device is used below.

[0023] The method may include: the transmitting device generates a first frame, the first frame contains a first element, the first element is Individual Target Wake Time TWT Service Period SPUsed to request the setup of a TWT SP, the first element contains first and second information; the first information indicates a first link to which an individual TWT SP is requested to be set up; the second information indicates N second links to which an individual TWT SP is requested to be set up; the N second individual TWT SPs set up on the N second links must be aligned with the first individual TWT SP on the first link; the N second individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one with the N second links; the first and second links are communication links between the transmitting and receiving devices, the N second links are different links, and N is a positive integer. The transmitting device transmits a first frame.

[0024] For the beneficial effects of the second embodiment, please refer to the description of the first embodiment. Further details are not provided herein.

[0025] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the first element includes third information, the third information indicates information about a first individual TWT SP, and the information about the first individual TWT SP includes the start time of the first individual TWT SP.

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

[0027] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the first element further includes fourth information, the fourth information indicating that the first element includes second information.

[0028] In some embodiments of the second aspect, if the first element is a TWT element, the fourth information is an aligned TWT subfield within the control field of the TWT element.

[0029] In some embodiments of the second aspect, if the first element is a TWT element, the first information is a link ID bitmap field or link ID field in the TWT parameter information field of the TWT element, and the second information is an aligned TWT bitmap subfield in the TWT parameter information field.

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

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

[0032] The method may include: the receiving device receives a first frame, the first frame contains M first elements, the first elements are used to request setting up individual TWT SPs, the first elements contain first information and second information; the first information is there Individual Target Wake Time TWT Service Period SP The first element specifies the target link to be set up, and the second information specifies information about target individual TWT SPs on the target link, with M target individual TWT SPs aligned corresponding to M first elements; the target link is a communication link between a transmitting device and a receiving device, where M is an integer greater than 1. The receiving device sets up M target individual TWT SPs on M target links based on the information about M target individual TWT SPs contained in the M first elements, and the M target links are different links. The receiving device communicates on the corresponding links based on the M target individual TWT SPs.

[0033] It should be understood that the alignment of M target individual TWT SPs means that the times when the device is activated in M ​​individual TWP SPs (i.e., the times when data is transmitted and received) are aligned.

[0034] It should be further understood that a transmitting device may transmit a first frame over any link associated with the transmitting and receiving devices. Correspondingly, a receiving device may receive a first frame over any link.

[0035] In the aforementioned technical solution, the second piece of information already directly contains information about the target individual TWT SPs on the corresponding target link (i.e., the link to which their individual TWT SPs need to be aligned). Therefore, the receiving device only needs to set up the aligned individual TWT SPs on the M target links by reading only the parameters contained in the second piece of information using only one link, without the need for additional calibration, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the receiving device.

[0036] In some embodiments of the third aspect, the first element further includes third information, the third information indicating that the first information points to a target link.

[0037] In the aforementioned technical solution, the receiving device can be clearly informed, by using the third piece of information, whether each of the first elements indicates a target link for setting up the aligned TWT SP. This helps the receiving device to quickly determine whether the link indicated by the first piece of information is the link to which the aligned TWT SP should be set up.

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

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

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

[0041] In some embodiments of the third aspect, the method further includes: the receiving device transmits a second frame, the second frame comprising a second element, the second element comprising a fourth information, the fourth information indicating that the receiving device acknowledges the acceptance of the setup of M individual TWT SPs on target links corresponding to M first elements.

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

[0043] The method may include: the transmitting device generates a first frame, the first frame contains M first elements, the first elements are used to request setting up individual TWT SPs, the first elements contain first information and second information; the first information is there Individual Wake Time TWT Service Period SPIndicates a target link required to be set up, and the second information indicates information about a target individual TWT SP on the target link, and M target individual TWT SPs corresponding to M first elements are aligned; the target link is a communication link between a transmitting device and a receiving device, and M is an integer greater than 1. The transmitting device transmits a first frame.

[0044] For the beneficial effects of the fourth aspect, refer to the description of the third aspect. Details will not be described again in this specification.

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

[0046] <000​​​​​​​​​​In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, if the first element is a TWT element, the third information is an aligned TWT field within the control field of the TWT element.

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

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

[0051] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the method further includes: a transmitting device receives a second frame, the second frame comprising a second element, the second element comprising a fourth information, the fourth information indicating that the receiving device acknowledges the acceptance of the setup of M individual TWT SPs on target links corresponding to M first elements.

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

[0053] The method may include the following: a receiving device receives a first frame on a first link, the first frame contains a first element, the first element is, Individual Target Wake Time TWT Service Period SPThe first element is used to request the setup of a TWT SP, and the second element contains the second information; the second information indicates N second links where individual TWT SPs are requested to be set up; the N individual TWT SPs set up on the N second links must be aligned, and the N individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one with the N second links; the N second links are distinct links, N is a positive integer, and the first and second links are communication links between the transmitting and receiving devices. The receiving device sets up the N aligned individual TWT SPs on the N second links by using the first link as a reference link. The receiving device communicates on the corresponding links based on the N individual TWT SPs.

[0054] In the aforementioned technical solution, the second piece of information indicates the link on which the individual TWT SPs to be aligned must be set up, and multiple individual TWT SPs are aligned on multiple links by using the first link on which the first frame is transmitted as the reference link. Thus, the transmitting device, together with the receiving device, specifies how to set up individual TWT SPs aligned on multiple links by using one link.

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

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

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

[0058] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the start time TWT of the second individual TWT SP j The formula is as follows: TWT j =TWT i +TWT offset The condition satisfies, and in the formula, TWT i This is the start time of the first individual TWT SP, and TWT offset The value of is equal to the difference between the time synchronization function TSF timer of the first link and the TSF timer of the second link.

[0059] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the first element further includes fourth information, the fourth information indicating that the first element includes second information.

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

[0061] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, if the first element is a TWT element, the second information is an aligned TWT bitmap field in the TWT parameter information field.

[0062] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the method further includes: the receiving device transmits a second frame, the second frame comprising a second element, the second element comprising fifth information, the fifth information instructing the receiving device to acknowledge acceptance of the setup of individual TWT SPs on the second link of N.

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

[0064] The method may include: the transmitting device generates a first frame, the first frame contains a first element, the first element is Individual Target Wake Time TWT Service Period SP The first element is used to request the setup of a TWT SP, and the second element contains the second information; the second information indicates N second links on which individual TWT SPs are requested to be set up; the N individual TWT SPs set up on the N second links must be aligned, and the N individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one with the N second links; the N second links are different links, and N is a positive integer. The transmitting device transmits the first frame on the first link, and the N individual TWT SPs are aligned by using the first link as a reference link, and the first and second links are communication links between the transmitting and receiving devices.

[0065] For the beneficial effects of the sixth aspect, please refer to the description of the fifth aspect. Further details are not provided herein.

[0066] In some embodiments of the sixth aspect, the first element includes third information, the third information indicates information about a first individual TWT SP on the first link, and the information about the first individual TWT SP includes the start time of the first individual TWT SP.

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

[0068] In some embodiments of the sixth aspect, the first element further includes fourth information, the fourth information indicating that the first element includes second information.

[0069] In some embodiments of the sixth aspect, if the first element is a TWT element, the fourth information is an aligned TWT subfield within the control field of the TWT element.

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

[0071] In some embodiments of the sixth aspect, the method further includes: a transmitting device receives a second frame, the second frame comprising a second element, the second element comprising fifth information, the fifth information instructing the receiving device to acknowledge acceptance of the setup of individual TWT SPs on the second link of N.

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

[0073] According to the eighth aspect, a communication device is provided. The device is configured to perform the method provided in the second or fourth aspect. Specifically, the device may include a module configured to perform the second aspect and any one of the possible embodiments of the second aspect, the fourth aspect and any one of the possible embodiments of the fourth aspect, or the sixth aspect and any one of the possible embodiments of the sixth aspect.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0084] According to the eleventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions. When a computer instruction is executed by the device, the device is enabled to implement any one of the first aspect and / or possible embodiments of the first aspect, or any one of the third aspect and / or possible embodiments of the third aspect, or any one of the fifth aspect and / or possible embodiments of the fifth aspect.

[0085] According to the twelfth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed by the device, the device is enabled to implement any one of the methods of the second aspect and any possible embodiment of the second aspect, or the device is enabled to implement any one of the methods of the fourth aspect and any possible embodiment of the fourth aspect, or the device is enabled to implement any one of the methods of the sixth aspect and any possible embodiment of the sixth aspect.

[0086] According to the thirteenth aspect, a computer program product including instructions is provided. The computer program product includes a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a device, the device is enabled to implement a method provided in the first aspect and any one of the possible embodiments of the first aspect, or to implement a method in the third aspect and any one of the possible embodiments of the third aspect, or to implement a method in the fifth aspect and any one of the possible embodiments of the fifth aspect.

[0087] According to the 14th aspect, a computer program product including instructions is provided. The computer program product includes a computer program. When the computer program is executed by an apparatus, the apparatus is enabled to implement a method provided in any one of the second aspect and any possible embodiment of the second aspect, or the apparatus is enabled to implement a method in any one of the fourth aspect and any possible embodiment of the fourth aspect, or the apparatus is enabled to implement a method in any one of the sixth aspect and any possible embodiment of the sixth aspect.

[0088] According to the 15th aspect, a communication system is provided which includes the aforementioned transmitting device and the aforementioned receiving device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0089] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating an application scenario to which one embodiment of this application may be applied. [Figure 2] This is a diagram illustrating a multilink communication scenario. [Figure 3] This is a diagram of individual TWT SPs. [Figure 4] This is a diagram illustrating the setup of a TWT agreement between two MLDs through negotiation. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing the structure of a TWT element. [Figure 6] This is a diagram of the individual TWT parameter information fields. [Figure 7] This is a diagram of the broadcast TWT parameter information field. [Figure 8] This is a block diagram of a communication method according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 9] This diagram shows how to align individual TWT SPs on multiple links. [Figure 10] This is a diagram illustrating the field design of the first and second information in the TWT element according to this application. [Figure 11] This is a diagram of the other field designs for the first and second information in the TWT element according to this application. [Figure 12] This is a diagram of the field design for the fourth piece of information in the TWT element according to this application. [Figure 13] This is a diagram of another field design for the fourth piece of information in the TWT element according to this application. [Figure 14] This is a diagram of yet another field design for the fourth piece of information in the TWT element according to this application. [Figure 15] This is a diagram of yet another field design for the fourth piece of information in the TWT element according to this application. [Figure 16] This is a block diagram of another communication method according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 17] This is a block diagram of yet another communication method according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 18] This is a block diagram of a communication device 200 according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 19] This is a block diagram of a communication device 300 according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 20] This is a diagram of a chip system 1300 according to one embodiment of the present application. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0090] The technical solution of this application will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

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

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

[0093] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application may be further applied to various communication systems, such as WLAN communication systems, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, long-term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, universal mobile telecommunication systems (UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5th generation (5G) systems or new radio (NR) systems, future 6th generation (6G) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) networks, or vehicle-to-vehicle / vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) networks.

[0094] The aforementioned communication systems applicable to this application are merely illustrative examples and are not limited to those applicable to this application. This is stated herefore, and will not be repeated below.

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

[0096] An access point may be an access point used by a terminal (e.g., a mobile phone) to access a wired (or wireless) network, and is primarily deployed in homes, buildings, and campuses. Typical coverage radii are tens of meters or over 100 meters. Naturally, access points may also be deployed 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 to each other and then connect the wireless network to Ethernet.

[0097] Specifically, the access point may be a terminal or network device having a Wi-Fi chip. The network device may be a server, router, switch, bridge, computer, mobile phone, relay station, in-vehicle device, wearable device, network device in a 5G network, network device in a future 6G network, network device in a public land mobile network (PLMN), etc. This is not limited to the embodiments of this application. The access point may be a device that supports Wi-Fi standards. For example, the access point may alternatively 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.

[0098] Non-AP stations may include wireless communication chips, wireless sensors, wireless communication terminals, etc., and may also be called users, user equipment (UE), access terminals, subscriber units, subscriber stations, mobile stations, remote stations, remote terminals, mobile devices, user terminals, terminals, wireless communication devices, user agents, or user equipment. Non-AP stations may also include cellular telephones, cordless telephones, session initiation protocol (SIP) telephones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices, processing devices connected to wireless modems, in-vehicle devices, Internet of Things devices, wearable devices, terminal devices in 5G networks, terminal devices in future 6G networks, terminal devices in PLMNs, etc. This is not limited to the embodiments of this application. Non-AP stations may also be devices that support WLAN standards. For example, a non-AP station may support one or more standards from the IEEE 802.11 family, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ad, and 802.11ay.

[0099] For example, non-AP stations could be mobile phones, tablet computers, set-top boxes, smart TVs, smart wearable devices, in-car communication devices, computers, Internet of Things (IoT) nodes, sensors, smart cameras, smart remotes, or smart water / electricity meters in a smart home, or sensors in a smart city.

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

[0101] The aforementioned communication systems applicable to this application are merely illustrative examples and are not limited to those applicable to this application. This is stated herefore, and will not be repeated below.

[0102] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, some nouns or terms used in this application are first briefly explained below.

[0103] 1. Multilink Communication: Next-generation WLAN standards are developing and evolving in a direction that continuously improves throughput. The IEEE 802.11 Standards Working Group primarily studies and discusses WLAN system standards. Based on the previous standard protocols 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax, the next-generation standard 802.11be uses EHT as its technical goal. One of the existing major technologies is multilink communication. The core idea of ​​multilink communication is that WLAN devices supporting the next-generation IEEE 802.11 standard, i.e., EHT devices, have the ability to transmit and receive on multiple bands, thereby allowing a larger bandwidth to be used for transmission. This further improves throughput. Multiband primarily includes, but is not limited to, the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band, the 5GHz Wi-Fi band, and the 6GHz Wi-Fi band. Access and transmission that takes place on each band is called one link. Therefore, access and transmission that takes place on multiple bands is called multilink. 802.11be provides a definition of a multilink device (MLD), i.e., a device that supports multilink communication.

[0104] Figure 2 is a diagram of a multilink communication scenario. Figure 2 includes one AP MLD and one STA MLD. One AP MLD may include multiple access points (APs), for example, AP1 and AP2, and one STA MLD may include multiple stations (STAs), for example, STA1 and STA1. For example, links 1 and 2 in Figure 2 form two links, and communication between AP MLD devices and STA MLD devices on links 1 and 2 may be called multilink communication.

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

[0106] 3. Individual TWT: An individual TWT means that a TWT requesting station (hereinafter abbreviated as the requesting station) sends a TWT request message to a TWT responding station (hereinafter abbreviated as the responding station) to request that it set a wake time. After receiving the TWT request message, the responding station sends a TWT response message to the requesting station. After the exchange is successful, a TWT agreement is set up between the requesting station and the responding station. After the TWT agreement is reached, both the requesting station and the responding station must be active for the agreed period in order to send and receive data. Outside of the active period, the stations may hibernate to conserve energy. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the STA may send a TWT request frame to the AP, which is used to request that the TWT agreement be set up. That is, the STA is the requesting station, the AP is the responding station, and vice versa. In response, the AP sends a TWT response frame to the STA, which indicates that the AP accepts the setup of the TWT agreement. After the TWT agreement is set up, the agreed active period is called the TWT SP. Each TWT agreement consists of several equally lengthy periods that occur periodically. TWT Service Period It may include.

[0107] 4. Broadcast TWT: Unlike individual TWTs, broadcast TWTs provide a "batch management" mechanism. APs are a series of events that occur periodically with multiple STAs. TWT Service Period It can be set up. Service periodFor this to work, multiple STAs must be active to communicate with the AP. The AP may carry information about one or more broadcast TWTs in a Beacon frame, each broadcast TWT represented by a broadcast TWT identifier and the AP's MAC address. After receiving a Beacon frame, if an STA wants to join a broadcast TWT, the STA may send a broadcast TWT setup request message to the AP to join the broadcast TWT. During broadcast TWT setup, the STA must specify a broadcast TWT identifier to request to join a particular broadcast TWT. After joining a broadcast TWT, the STA communicates with the AP using the TWT parameter set as instructed. Service period It can be started based on this. Note that if STA supports broadcast TWTs but does not explicitly join a broadcast TWT ID, STA will by default join the broadcast TWT with broadcast TWT ID=0. Similar to individual TWTs, the parameter set for broadcast TWTs is also TWT Service Period The wake interval and Each TWT service period Specify the duration. Additionally, the broadcast TWT parameters further include the broadcast TWT lifecycle, which is in units of Beacon intervals and indicates the duration of the setup broadcast TWT.

[0108] In 802.11be Draft 2.0, the functionality of individual TWTs is extended to accommodate multilink communication scenarios. An MLD can set up individual TWT agreements on multiple links with another MLD in the following ways: Method 1: Following the 802.11ax protocol, the MLD can set up individual TWT agreements and corresponding individual TWT SPs on each link. Method 2: Following 802.11be Draft 2.0, the MLD can send a TWT request message on one link to set up TWT agreements on multiple links and individual TWT SPs corresponding to each of the multiple links.

[0109] Figure 4 shows the setup of a TWT agreement between two MLDs by negotiation using Method 2 described above. Figure 4 shows two MLDs, namely one AP MLD and one Non-AP MLD. A TWT agreement(s) needs to be set up between the two MLDs via negotiation. As shown in Figure 3, the AP MLD has three associated AP stations: AP1, AP2, and AP3, operating at 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz, respectively. The Non-AP MLD has three associated Non-AP stations: STA1, STA2, and STA3. Three links are set up between the AP MLD and the Non-AP MLD: Link 1 between AP1 and STA1, Link 2 between AP2 and STA2, and Link 3 between AP3 and STA3. TWT agreements are set up between the stations of the two MLDs by transmitting TWT elements. Below, we will first refer to Figures 5 to 7 to describe the TWT elements and their parameter information.

[0110] Figure 5 is a diagram of the structure of a TWT element. As shown in Figure 5, a TWT element includes an element ID field, a length field, a control field, and a TWT parameter information field. The control field includes fields such as a null data packet (NDP) paging indicator field, a responder power management mode subfield, a negotiation type subfield, and a TWT information frame invalidation field. The negotiation type subfield indicates one of two individual TWT types and two other broadcast TWT types. For example, if the negotiation type subfield indicates an individual TWT type, the TWT parameter information field in Figure 5, as shown in Figure 6, includes a request type field, a target wake time field, a TWT group assignment field, a nominal minimum TWT wake duration field, a TWT wake duration mantissa field, a TWT channel field, an NDP paging field, and a link ID bitmap subfield. For example, if the negotiation type subfield indicates a broadcast TWT type, the TWT parameter information field in Figure 5, as shown in Figure 7, includes the request type field, the target wake time field, the nominal minimum TWT wake duration field, the TWT wake duration mantissa field, the broadcast TWT channel subfield, and the restricted TWT traffic information field. For the number of bits or octets occupied by each field, please refer to the description of the corresponding attached drawing, as these will not be described individually again herein.

[0111] For ease of distinction, it should be understood that the target wake time in Figure 7 may be referred to as the start time of the individual TWT SP in the embodiments of this application. Furthermore, it should be understood that the start time is the start time of the individual TWT SP in the first SP wake interval.

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

[0113] Method 1: As shown in Figure 4, the AP MLD may send a TWT request frame on link 1 to request the setup of a TWT agreement between two MLDs on multiple links, and the request frame carries a TWT element. The value of the Link ID bitmap presence field in the control field within the TWT element is set to 1. In this case, the individual TWT parameter information field of the TWT element carries the Link ID bitmap subfield. The number of bits in the Link ID bitmap subfield is the same as the number of links between the two MLDs. Each bit in the bitmap subfield corresponds to a link between the two MLDs. If a bit in the Link ID bitmap subfield is set to 1, it means that a TWT agreement is being requested to be set up on the link corresponding to the bit whose bit value is 1. If multiple bits are set to 1, the two MLDs may simultaneously set up a TWT agreement on multiple links corresponding to multiple bits whose bit value is 1. In this case, the TWT parameter information within the TWT element is applied to the links corresponding to the bits whose value is 1 in the element's Link ID bitmap subfield.

[0114] Method 2: As shown in Figure 4, AP MLD still transmits a TWT request frame over link 1, but the request frame carries multiple TWT elements. Additionally, the value of the link ID bitmap presence field in the control field of one or more TWT elements may be set to 1. In this case, the individual TWT parameter information fields of these TWT elements carry the link ID bitmap subfields. Similarly, the TWT parameter information within a TWT element is applied to the link corresponding to the bit in the element's link ID bitmap subfield whose value is 1, and all TWT element information is independent of each other.

[0115] For some MLD devices, such as enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR) / enhanced multi-link multi-radio (EMLMR) / non-simultaneously transmit and receive (NSTR) mode devices, aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links are important for energy saving of the device because these devices can only operate on one link at a time. When an MLD device switches links, the TWT SPs set up on the previous link are important. TWT periodIt is not expected that it will be interrupted. Therefore, setting up TWT SPs aligned on multiple links is a reasonable solution. However, from the two methods described above, it is clear that existing methods for setting up TWT agreements do not clearly explain how to set up individual TWT SPs aligned on multiple links by using one link. One TWT parameter information field is applied to multiple links, and each link has a different time synchronization function (TSF) timer. Therefore, the same parameter in the TWT parameter information field (for example, the value of the target waketime field in the TWT parameter information field) actually has an offset on different links; in other words, the starting points of multiple individual TWT SPs are not aligned. As a result, individual TWT SPs on different links are not aligned.

[0116] Currently, based on the aforementioned Method 1, Proposal 802.11-22 / 0552r4 proposes a method for setting up individual TWT SPs aligned on multiple links by using a single TWT element. Specifically, the method for calculating the target wake time on each link is as follows: TWT i =TWT ti +TWT offset , During the ceremony, TWT i This is the target wake time corresponding to the i-th link indicated in the Link ID bitmap subfield, and TWT ti This is the point in time when the target wake time instructed to the transported TWT element is mapped to the time axis of the i-th link, and TWT offset The value is given by the following formula: TWT offset =TSF0-TSF iThe following conditions are met, where TSF0 is the TSF time of the link with the smallest link ID among the links associated with the two MLDs, and TWT i This is the TSF time of the i-th link.

[0117] In the method described above, by using TSF0 as the reference, the corresponding TWT for each link is obtained. offset This is calculated. This is equivalent to aligning the target wake time for each link by using the target wake time of the link with the smallest link ID. Thus, aligned individual TWT SPs can be set up on multiple links by using one TWT element. However, this method is complex because it requires two TSF calibrations when the receiving MLD calculates the target wake time for each link. Also, the negotiation process between the two MLDs does not specify whether aligned individual TWT SPs are required to be set up.

[0118] With this in mind, this application provides a communication method for effectively solving the aforementioned technical problems. The method provided in this application will be described in detail below.

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

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

[0121] In this application, individual TWT SPs may also be called individual TWT agreements, and it should be understood that each individual TWT SP includes a plurality of TWT SPs of equal length that appear periodically, as shown in Figure 3.

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

[0123] Optionally, the first link may be any one of several communication links between the transmitting device and the receiving device. For example, the first link is the communication link through which the first frame is transmitted.

[0124] In this method, the second piece of information indicates the link on which the aligned individual TWT SPs need to be set up, and the first piece of information explicitly indicates that multiple individual TWT SPs are aligned on multiple links by using the first link as a reference link. Thus, a method is specified in which a transmitting device, together with a receiving device, sets up multiple aligned individual TWT SPs on multiple links by using one link. Therefore, in this application, the first link indicated by the first piece of information may also be called a reference link. These two descriptions may be interchangeable below.

[0125] S820: The transmitting device transmits the first frame. In response, the receiving device receives the first frame.

[0126] It should be understood that the transmitting device sends a first frame over any link associated with the transmitting and receiving devices. Correspondingly, the receiving device receives the first frame over that link.

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

[0128] Optionally, the first element further includes a third piece of information, the third piece of information indicating information about the first individual TWT SP. The information about the first individual TWT SP includes the start time of the first individual TWT SP, the wake interval of the first individual TWT SP, and the duration of the first individual TWT SP within the wake interval.

[0129] In this embodiment of the present application, if the first element is a TWT element, it will be understood that the start time of the first individual TWT SP is related to the value of the TWT field in the individual TWT parameter information field, the wake interval of the first individual TWT SP is the value of the TWT wake interval mantissa field in the individual TWT parameter information field, and the duration of the first individual TWT SP is the value of the nominal minimum TWT wake duration field in the individual TWT parameter information field.

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

[0131] Specifically, in this step, the receiving device may set up a first individual TWT SP on the first link based on the information about the first individual TWT SP in the third information. The receiving device also determines the start time of a second individual TWT SP based on the start time of the first individual TWT SP contained in the information about the first individual TWT SP. Start time of the second individual TWT SP TWT j The formula is as follows: TWT j =TWT i +TWT offset (1) The condition satisfies, and in the formula, TWT i This is the start time of the first individual TWT SP, and TWT offset The value is given by the following formula: TWT offset =TSF j -TSF i The condition satisfies, and in the formula, TSF i This is the TSF time corresponding to the first link, and TSF j This is the TSF time corresponding to the second link. In other words, the transmitting device uses the time axis of the reference link as a reference reference to determine the TWT on the time axis of the second link according to the formula above. i The corresponding time point is determined. The receiving device then determines the wake interval and duration of the second individual TWT SP based on the wake interval and duration of the first individual TWT SP, and sets up the second individual TWT SP on the second link based on the information.

[0132] Specifically, if the first element is a TWT element, then TWT i The value can be obtained by mapping the value of the target waketime subfield in the TWT parameter information field of the first element to the TSF timer of the first link. The target waketime subfield has a total of 16 bits, which correspond to the values ​​of bits 10 to 25 of the TSF timer. i The value can be obtained by replacing bits 10 through 25 of the TSF timer of the first link with the value of the target wake time subfield of the first element. It will be understood that the value of the target wake time subfield in the TWT parameter information field of the first element is an absolute value. Therefore, the value obtained by mapping the value of the target wake time subfield to the TSF timer of the first link will match the value obtained by mapping the value of the target wake time subfield to the TSF timer of another second link.

[0133] TWT i and TWT j It will be understood that these points are at the same time position and can be considered as points in time corresponding to the time axis of the first link and the time axis of the second link, respectively.

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0140] Optionally, the first element may further contain the fourth piece of information, and the fourth piece of information may indicate that the first element contains the second piece of information. For example, the fourth piece of information is 1 bit of information. If the value of the 1 bit is 1, it indicates that the first piece of information contains the second piece of information, or if the value of the 1 bit is 0, it indicates that the first piece of information does not contain the second piece of information.

[0141] For example, the first element is a TWT element. Below, we provide a possible element design method for the fourth piece of information of the TWT element.

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

[0143] For example, if the value of the aligned TWT field is 1, it indicates that the TWT parameter information field carried by the TWT element is a parameter that needs to be used to determine multiple aligned TWT SPs, or if the value of the aligned TWT field is 0, it indicates that the TWT parameter information field carried by the TWT element is not a parameter that needs to be used to determine multiple aligned TWT SPs, or that it is not specified whether the TWT parameter information field carried by the TWT element is a parameter that needs to be used to align TWT SPs. The reverse is also true, and no particular configuration method is limited in this embodiment.

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

[0145] For example, if the value of the aligned TWT field is 00, it indicates that the TWT parameter information field carried by the TWT element is a parameter that needs to be used to determine multiple aligned TWT SPs; or if the value of the aligned TWT field is 01, it indicates that the TWT parameter information field carried by the TWT element is not a parameter that needs to be used to determine multiple aligned TWT SPs; or if the value of the aligned TWT field is 10, it indicates that it is not specified whether the TWT parameter information field carried by the TWT element is a parameter that needs to be used to align the TWT SPs. Specific configuration methods are not limited to this embodiment.

[0146] For example, in this application, an aligned TWT bitmap field exists if the value of the aligned TWT field indicates that the TWT parameter information field carried by the TWT element is a parameter that needs to be used to determine multiple aligned TWT SPs. Otherwise, the aligned TWT bitmap field does not exist. Therefore, the aligned TWT field in this application may also be called the Aligned TWT Bitmap Present field.

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

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

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

[0150] For example, in this application, an aligned TWT bitmap field exists if the value of the aligned TWT field indicates that the TWT parameter information field carried by the TWT element is a parameter that needs to be used to determine multiple aligned TWT SPs. Otherwise, the aligned TWT bitmap field does not exist. Therefore, the aligned TWT field in this application may also be called the Aligned TWT Bitmap Present field.

[0151] Optionally, the aligned TWT field does not have to be added to the control field of the TWT element (in other words, it does not contain the fourth piece of information), and the aligned TWT bitmap subfield (i.e., the second piece of information) is always present. Specifically, when requesting the setup of individual TWT SPs, the transmitting device does not explicitly indicate whether to set up aligned SPs on multiple links, and the receiving end determines whether to set up aligned TWT SPs by using the indications in the aligned TWT bitmap subfield. Other behaviors of the receiving and transmitting devices remain unchanged. For example, if the value of some bits in the aligned TWT bitmap subfield is 0, the reference link and aligned TWT SP do not need to be set up on these links where the bit values ​​are 0, or if the value of some bits in the TWT bitmap subfield is 1, the reference link and aligned TWT SP will be set up on these links where the bit values ​​are 1.

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

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

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

[0155] MLD1 sends a TWT setup frame (i.e., an example of a first frame) to MLD2 over the link associated with MLD1 and MLD2. MLD1 carries a TWT element (i.e., an example of a first element) in the TWT setup frame and a value indicating Suggest TWT or Demand TWT in the TWT Setup Command field of the TWT element's request type field. Suggest TWT or Demand TWT indicates that the TWT setup frame is a request to initiate TWT SP setup. Suggest TWT or Demand TWT allows MLD1 to initiate the TWT SP setup request and carry a set of TWT parameter information (i.e., an example of a third piece of information). MLD1 also needs to set the aligned TWT field (an example of a fourth piece of information) in the TWT control field to 1 (or 00) to indicate that the TWT element also carries an aligned TWT bitmap field (an example of a second piece of information). Furthermore, the aligned TWT bitmap field indicates the link where a reference link and an aligned individual TWT SP are expected to be set up, and the reference link is indicated by the link ID bitmap subfield or link ID field (i.e., an example of the first information).

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

[0157] In possible scenarios, MLD2 accepts the request. In this case, MLD2 sends a TWT Setup frame containing the TWT element (i.e., an example of a second frame) to MLD1. If the value of the TWT Request subfield of the Request Type field of the TWT element is equal to 0, it indicates that the TWT Setup frame is a response frame. The TWT element carries a value in the TWT Setup Command field of the Request Type field that indicates Accept TWT (i.e., an example of a fifth piece of information). Accept TWT indicates that MLD1 acknowledges acceptance of the request. Optionally, the control field of the TWT element may carry an aligned TWT subfield, which is set to 1 (or 00). The meaning of the subfield is the same as described above and is not described again in this specification. Optionally, the TWT element may carry an individual TWT parameter information field, which is the same as that in the received TWT element, or it may not carry an individual TWT parameter information field.

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

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

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

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

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

[0163] Please understand that the first link is the communication link between the transmitting device and the receiving device.

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

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

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

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

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

[0169] In this embodiment of the present application, if the first element is a TWT element, it will be understood that the start time of the first individual TWT SP is related to the value of the TWT field in the individual TWT parameter information field, the wake interval of the first individual TWT SP is the value of the TWT wake interval mantissa field in the individual TWT parameter information field, and the duration of the first individual TWT SP is the value of the nominal minimum TWT wake duration field in the individual TWT parameter information field.

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

[0171] Specifically, in this step, the receiving device may determine the start time of the second individual TWT SP based on the start time of the first individual TWT SP contained in the information about the first individual TWT SP. j The formula is as follows: TWT j =TWT i +TWT offset (2) The condition satisfies, and in the formula, TWT i This is the start time of the first individual TWT SP, and TWT offset The value is given by the following formula: TWT offset =TSF j -TSF i The condition satisfies, and in the formula, TSF i This is the TSF time corresponding to the first link, and TSF jThis is the TSF time corresponding to the second link. In other words, the transmitting device uses the time axis of the reference link as a reference reference to determine the TWT on the time axis of the second link according to the formula above. i The corresponding time point is determined. The receiving device then determines the wake interval and duration of the second individual TWT SP based on the wake interval and duration of the first individual TWT SP, and sets up the second individual TWT SP on the second link based on the information.

[0172] Specifically, if the first element is a TWT element, then TWT i The value can be obtained by mapping the value of the target waketime subfield in the TWT parameter information field of the first element to the TSF timer of the first link. The target waketime subfield has a total of 16 bits, which correspond to the values ​​of bits 10 to 25 of the TSF timer. i The value can be obtained by replacing bits 10 through 25 of the TSF timer of the first link with the value of the target wake time subfield of the first element. It will be understood that the value of the target wake time subfield in the TWT parameter information field of the first element is an absolute value. Therefore, the value obtained by mapping the value of the target wake time subfield to the TSF timer of the first link will match the value obtained by mapping the value of the target wake time subfield to the TSF timer of another second link.

[0173] TWT i and TWT j It will be understood that these points are at the same time position and can be considered as points in time corresponding to the time axis of the first link and the time axis of the second link, respectively.

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

[0175] For example, if the first element is a TWT element, the field corresponding to the third information is the TWT parameter information field of the TWT element. For possible field design methods for the second information within the TWT element, please refer to the description of the embodiment corresponding to Figure 8. Further details are not described again in this specification.

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

[0177] Optionally, before the receiving device decides to accept the transmitting device's request for the first element, the method further includes: S1650: The receiving device transmits a second frame, the second frame containing a second element, the second element containing a fifth piece of information, the fifth piece of information instructing the receiving device to acknowledge acceptance of the setup of N individual TWT SPs on the second link. In response, the transmitting device receives a second frame.

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

[0179] MLD1 sends a TWT setup frame (i.e., an example of a first frame) to MLD2 over the link associated with MLD1 and MLD2. MLD1 carries a TWT element (i.e., an example of a first element) in the TWT setup frame and a value indicating Suggest TWT or Demand TWT in the TWT Setup Command field of the TWT element's request type field. Suggest TWT or Demand TWT indicates that the TWT setup frame is a request to initiate TWT SP setup. Suggest TWT or Demand TWT allows MLD1 to initiate the TWT SP setup request and carry a set of TWT parameter information (i.e., an example of a third piece of information). MLD1 also needs to set the aligned TWT field (an example of a fourth piece of information) in the TWT control field to 1 (or 00) to indicate that the TWT element also carries an aligned TWT bitmap field (an example of a second piece of information). Furthermore, the aligned TWT bitmap field indicates the link where a reference link and an aligned individual TWT SP are expected to be set up, and the reference link is the link to which the TWT setup frame is sent.

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

[0181] In possible scenarios, MLD2 accepts the request. In this case, MLD2 sends a TWT Setup frame containing the TWT element (i.e., an example of a second frame) to MLD1. If the value of the TWT Request subfield of the Request Type field of the TWT element is equal to 0, it indicates that the TWT Setup frame is a response frame. The TWT element carries a value in the TWT Setup Command field of the Request Type field that indicates Accept TWT (i.e., an example of a fifth piece of information). Accept TWT indicates that MLD1 acknowledges acceptance of the request. Optionally, the control field of the TWT element may carry an aligned TWT subfield, which is set to 1 (or 00). The meaning of the subfield is the same as described above and is not described again in this specification. Optionally, the TWT element may carry an individual TWT parameter information field, which is the same as that in the received TWT element, or it may not carry an individual TWT parameter information field.

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

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

[0184] In the following, this application provides an alternative communication method for effectively solving the aforementioned technical problems. The method is described in detail below.

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

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

[0187] Please understand that the M target links corresponding to the M first elements are all different links.

[0188] Optionally, information regarding the target-specific TWT SP includes the start time of the target-specific TWT SP, the wake interval of the target-specific TWT SP, and the duration of the target-specific TWT SP.

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

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

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

[0192] Target-specific TWT SP start time TWT j The formula is as follows: TWT j =TWT i +TWT offset (3) The condition satisfies, and in the formula, TWT i This is the corresponding point in time when the start time of the target-specific TWT SP is mapped to the time axis of the reference link. For example, TWT offset The value is given by the following formula: TWT offset =TSF j -TSF i The conditions are met, TSF i This is the TSF time corresponding to the reference link, and TSF j This is the TSF time corresponding to the target link. In other words, the transmitting device uses the time axis of the reference link as a reference reference to obtain the TWT on the time axis of M target links according to the formula above. i The corresponding time points are determined separately. Optionally, the reference link is any link within the communication link between the transmitting and receiving devices.

[0193] Optionally, the reference link may be pre-configured or pre-set. For example, the reference link may be the link to which the first frame is sent, the target link corresponding to the first of M first elements, or a specified link, such as the link with the minimum link ID.

[0194] S1720: The transmitting device transmits the first frame. In response, the receiving device receives the first frame.

[0195] It should be further understood that the transmitting device transmits a first frame over any link associated with the transmitting and receiving devices. Correspondingly, the receiving device receives the first frame over that link.

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

[0197] In one possible embodiment, if the first information indicates only one link and the link is a target link, the receiving device sets up M target individual TWT SPs on the M target links based on information about M target individual TWT SPs contained in the M first elements. The information transmitted by the transmitting device, which pertains to the M target individual TWT SPs, is information obtained by alignment and calibration, so the M target individual TWT SPs set up by the receiving device are aligned.

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

[0199] Optionally, the first element further includes a third piece of information indicating that a target link exists on one or more links indicated by the first piece of information. For example, the third piece of information is 1 bit. If the value of the 1 bit is 1, it indicates that a target link exists on one or more links indicated by the first piece of information, or if the value of the 1 bit is 0, it indicates that a target link does not exist on one or more links indicated by the first piece of information. If the third piece of information is 2 bits, the indication scheme is the same as the 1-bit indication scheme, and further details are not described herein.

[0200] In certain possible embodiments, if the first element is a TWT element, the field corresponding to the first information is a link ID bitmap field in the TWT parameter information field of the TWT element, or an aligned TWT bitmap subfield in the TWT parameter information field of the TWT element field; the field corresponding to the second information is a field in the TWT parameter information field of the TWT element relating to information about the TWT SP; and the field corresponding to the third information may reuse the design of the aligned TWT field in the embodiment shown in Figure 8. Further details are not described herein.

[0201] Optionally, in the embodiments described above, the aligned TWT fields may not be added to the control fields of the TWT element (i.e., the first element) (in other words, the third information may not be included). Specifically, when the transmitting device requests the setup of individual TWT SPs, it does not explicitly indicate whether the multiple links indicated by the link ID bitmap subfield include the target link, and the receiving end determines whether the multiple links indicated by the link ID bitmap subfield include the target link in the manner described above. The other behaviors of the receiving and transmitting devices remain unchanged.

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

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

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

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

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

[0207] In possible scenarios, MLD2 accepts the request. In this case, MLD2 sends a TWT Setup frame containing the TWT element (i.e., an example of a second frame) to MLD1. If the value of the TWT Request subfield of the Request Type field of the TWT element is equal to 0, it indicates that the TWT Setup frame is a response frame. The TWT element carries a value in the TWT Setup Command field of the Request Type field that indicates Accept TWT (i.e., an example of a fourth piece of information). Accept TWT indicates that MLD1 acknowledges acceptance of the request. Optionally, the control field of the TWT element may carry an aligned TWT subfield, which is set to 1 (or 00). The meaning of the subfield is the same as described above and will not be described again in detail herein. Also, the TWT element does not have to carry individual TWT parameter information fields.

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

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

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

[0211] It should be understood that the meanings of fields and subfields are not specifically defined in the embodiments of this application.

[0212] It should be further understood that the sequential number values ​​for each of the aforementioned processes do not indicate the execution order. The execution order of each process should be determined based on the function and internal logic of each process and should not be construed as any limitation to the implementation processes of the embodiments of this application.

[0213] In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or unless there is a logical inconsistency, the terminology and / or descriptions in different embodiments are consistent and may be cross-referenced, and it should be further understood that the technical features in different embodiments may be combined on the basis of their internal logical relationships to form a new embodiment.

[0214] It should be further understood that in some of the embodiments described above, devices within existing network architectures are primarily used 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 capable of performing the same function in the future are applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0215] In the aforementioned method embodiments, it will be understood that the methods and operations performed by a device (such as a transmitting device or a receiving device) may also be performed by components of the device (e.g., chips or circuits).

[0216] The above describes in detail the method provided in the embodiments of this application with reference to Figures 1 to 17. The method described above is primarily described in terms of the interaction between a transmitting device and a receiving device. It will be understood that in order to carry out the above-described function, the transmitting device and the receiving device include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for performing the function.

[0217] In combination with the examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithmic steps can be implemented in hardware or in combination with hardware and computer software as described in this application. Whether the 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 function using various methods for each specific application, but such embodiments should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0218] The communication device provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 18 to 20. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for content not described in detail, please refer to the method embodiment described above. For brevity, some content will not be described again. In the embodiments of this application, the functional modules of the transmitting or receiving device may be obtained by partitioning based on the method examples described above. For example, the functional modules may be obtained by partitioning based on function, or two or more functions may be integrated into a single 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 partitioning into modules is an example and is merely a logical functional partition. In actual implementation, a different partitioning method may be used. An example in which each functional module is obtained by partitioning based on the corresponding function is used for the following description.

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

[0220] Figure 18 is a block diagram of a communication device 200 according to one embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 18, 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 perform data processing. The communication unit 210 may also be called a communication interface or transceiver unit.

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

[0222] In yet another possible design, the device 200 may perform steps or procedures performed by the receiving device in the method embodiment described above. The communication unit 210 is configured to perform the receiving-related operations of the receiving device in the method embodiment described above, and the processing unit 220 is configured to perform the processing-related operations of the receiving device in the method embodiment described above.

[0223] It should be understood that the apparatus 200 described herein is presented in the form of a functional unit. The term “unit” as used herein may mean an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, 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, a merged logic circuit, and / or other suitable components supporting the described function. Those skilled in the art will understand that, in an optional example, the apparatus 200 may be a transmitting device in particular as described above and may be configured to perform procedures and / or steps corresponding to the transmitting device in the method embodiment described above, or the apparatus 200 may be a receiving device in particular as described above and may be configured to perform procedures and / or steps corresponding to the receiving device in the method embodiment described above. To avoid repetition, further details are not described herein.

[0224] The device 200 in the aforementioned solution has the function of performing the corresponding steps performed by the transmitting device in the aforementioned method, or the device 200 in the aforementioned solution has the function of performing the corresponding steps performed by the receiving device in the aforementioned method. The function may be performed by hardware, or by hardware running the corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the aforementioned function. For example, in order to perform the transmit / receive operation and processing-related operation separately in the method embodiment, the communication unit may be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the transmitting unit of the communication unit may be replaced by a transmitter, or the receiving unit of the communication unit may be replaced by a receiver), and another unit such as a processing unit may be replaced by a processor.

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

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

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

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

[0229] In the implementation process, the steps in the aforementioned method may be carried out by using hardware integrated logic circuits within the processor or by using instructions in the form of software. The steps of the methods disclosed with reference to embodiments of this application may be carried out and achieved directly by using 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 aforementioned method. To avoid repetition, further details are not described herein.

[0230] Note that the processor in the embodiments of this application may be an integrated circuit chip and has signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, the steps in the method embodiments described above may be performed 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 processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or another programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. The processor in the embodiments of this application may implement or perform 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 of the methods disclosed with reference to embodiments of this application may be performed and achieved directly by using a hardware decoding processor, or by using a combination of hardware and software modules within the decoding 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 the information from memory and combines it with the processor's hardware to complete the steps in the aforementioned method.

[0231] It will be understood that the memory in this embodiment of the present 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. Rather than providing a limited explanation, many forms of RAM may be used, for example, 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). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein includes, but is not limited to, these memories and any other suitable type of memory.

[0232] It should be noted that if 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, memory (storage modules) may be integrated into the processor. It should also be noted that the memories described herein are not limited to these, but aim to include these memories and any other suitable type of memory.

[0233] Figure 20 shows a chip system 1300 according to one embodiment of the present application. The chip system 1300 (or may also be called a processing system) includes a logic circuit 1310 and an input / output interface 1320.

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

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

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

[0237] For example, the logic circuit 1310 is configured to perform processing-related operations performed by the transmitting device in the method embodiment described above, for example, the processing-related operations performed by the transmitting device in the embodiment shown in Figure 8, Figure 16, or Figure 17, and the input / output interface 1320 is configured to perform transmission and / or reception-related operations performed by the transmitting device in the method embodiment described above, for example, the processing-related operations performed by the transmitting device in the embodiment shown in Figure 8, Figure 16, or Figure 17.

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

[0239] For example, the logic circuit 1310 is configured to perform processing-related operations performed by the receiving device in the method embodiment described above, for example, processing-related operations performed by the receiving device in the embodiment shown in Figure 8, Figure 16, or Figure 17, and the input / output interface 1320 is configured to perform transmission and / or reception-related operations performed by the receiving device in the method embodiment described above, for example, processing-related operations performed by the receiving device in the embodiment shown in Figure 8, Figure 16, or Figure 17.

[0240] Furthermore, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium that stores computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the actions and / or procedures performed by a transmitting device or a receiving device are carried out in the method embodiments of this application.

[0241] This application further provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code or instructions. When the computer program code or instructions are executed on a computer, the actions and / or procedures performed by a transmitting device or a receiving device are carried out in the method embodiments of this application.

[0242] Furthermore, this application provides a communication system including a transmitting device and a receiving device according to the embodiments of this application.

[0243] It should be further noted that the memories described herein are not limited to these, but are intended to include these memories and any other suitable type of memory.

[0244] In combination with the examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithmic steps can be implemented by electronic hardware or by a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the function is performed by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functions using various methods for each specific application, but such embodiments should not be considered beyond the scope of this application. For the sake of simplicity, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the detailed operating processes of the aforementioned systems, apparatus, and units are to be referred to by the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments. Details are not described again herein. It should be understood that in some embodiments provided in this application, the disclosed systems, apparatus, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the described apparatus embodiments are merely examples. For example, the division into units is merely a logical functional division, and other divisions may be used in practice. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or omitted. Also, the mutual coupling, direct coupling, or communication connection indicated or described may be implemented through several interfaces. Indirect coupling or communication connections 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 the units may be selected based on actual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions of the embodiments. Furthermore, the functional units in the embodiments of this application may be integrated into a single processing unit, each unit may exist physically independently, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit.

[0245] If a function is implemented in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, the function may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of this application may be implemented in the form of a software product, either essentially, or contributing to the prior art. The computer software product is stored on a storage medium and includes several instructions that instruct a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes any medium capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, removable hard disk, ROM, RAM, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0246] The “embodiments” referred to throughout this specification mean that certain features, structures, or characteristics related to these embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, embodiments throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner.

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

[0248] In this application, both "when" and "case" refer to the corresponding processing performed by the network element in the intended case, and are not intended to limit time, do not require that the decision-making action be taken during the implementation of the network element, and do not imply any other limitations.

[0249] It should be further understood that in this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality of" means two or more. "At least one item (part) among the following" or similar expressions thereof mean any combination of the items, including a single item (part) or any combination of a plurality of items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c.

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

[0251] In this specification, the term "and / or" describes only the relationship between the related objects, and it should be understood that there are three possible relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent the following three cases: that only A exists, that both A and B exist, and that only B exists. A and B may be singular or plural. The letter " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the related objects. For example, A / B indicates A or B.

[0252] In the embodiments of this application, “B corresponding to A” means that B is associated with A, and it should be further understood that B may be determined based on A. However, it should be further understood that determining A based on B does not mean that B is determined solely based on A; i.e., B may, alternatively, be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0253] The foregoing description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modification or substitution that is readily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the scope of the art disclosed in this application shall fall within the scope of protection of this application. Accordingly, the scope of protection of this application shall be subject to the scope of protection of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0254] 200 Communication devices 210 Communication Unit 220 processing units 300 Communication devices 310 Processor 320 transceivers 330 memory 1300 Chip System 1310 Logic Circuits 1320 Input / Output Interface, Logic Circuits

Claims

1. A step of receiving a first frame on a first link, wherein the first frame includes a first element used to request the setup of individual target wake time TWT service period SPs, the first element includes second information indicating N second links on which individual TWT SPs are requested to be set up, the N second individual TWT SPs set up on the N second links need to be aligned, the N second individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one with the N second links; the N second links are different links, where N is a positive integer, and the first link and the second link are communication links between a transmitting device and a receiving device. The steps include setting up the aligned N second individual TWT SPs on the N second links by using the first link as a reference link, The steps of performing communication on the corresponding link based on the N second individual TWT SPs: A communication method including, The first element further includes a fourth piece of information, the fourth piece of information indicating that the first element includes the second piece of information. A communication method wherein, if the first element is a TWT element, the fourth information is an aligned TWT field within the control field of the TWT element.

2. The first element includes third information, the third information indicates information about a first individual TWT SP on the first link, and the information about the first individual TWT SP includes the start time of the first individual TWT SP. The step of setting up the aligned N second individual TWT SPs on the N second links by using the first link as a reference link is: A step of determining information relating to the N second individual TWT SPs, wherein the information relating to the second individual TWT SPs includes the start time of the second individual TWT SPs, and the start time of the second individual TWT SPs is determined based on the start time of the first individual TWT SPs. The steps include setting up the N second individual TWT SPs on the N second links based on the information relating to the N second individual TWT SPs, and The method according to claim 1, including the method described in claim 1.

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

4. The start time TWT j of the second individual TWT SP is given by the following formula: TWT j =TWT i +TWT offset The condition satisfies, and in the formula, TWT i This is the start time of the first individual TWT SP, and TWT offset The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the value of is equal to the difference between the time synchronization function TSF timer of the first link and the TSF timer of the second link.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, if the first element is a TWT element, the second information is an aligned TWT bitmap field in a TWT parameter information field.

6. The aforementioned method, A step of transmitting a second frame, wherein the second frame includes a second element, the second element includes a fifth piece of information, the fifth piece of information instructing the receiving device to acknowledge acceptance of the setup of the individual TWT SPs on the N second links. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

7. A step of generating a first frame, wherein the first frame includes a first element used to request the setup of individual target wake time TWT service period SPs, the first element includes second information indicating N second links on which individual TWT SPs are requested to be set up, the N second individual TWT SPs set up on the N second links need to be aligned, the N second individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one with the N second links; the N second links are different links, where N is a positive integer, and A step of transmitting the first frame on a first link, wherein the N second individual TWT SPs are aligned by using the first link as a reference link, and the first link and the second link are communication links between a transmitting device and a receiving device. A communication method including, The first element further includes a fourth piece of information, the fourth piece of information indicating that the first element includes the second piece of information. A communication method wherein, if the first element is a TWT element, the fourth information is an aligned TWT subfield within the control field of the TWT element.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first element includes a third piece of information, the third piece of information indicates information relating to the first individual TWT SP on the first link, and the information relating to the first individual TWT SP includes the start time of the first individual TWT SP.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein aligning the second individual TWT SP with the first individual TWT SP includes aligning the start time of the second individual TWT SP with the start time of the first individual TWT SP.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein, if the first element is a TWT element, the second information is an aligned TWT bitmap subfield in a TWT parameter information field.

11. The aforementioned method, Steps of receiving a second frame, wherein the second frame includes a second element, the second element includes a fifth piece of information, the fifth piece of information instructing the receiving device to acknowledge acceptance of the setup of the individual TWT SPs on the N second links. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, further comprising:

12. A communication unit configured to receive a first frame on a first link, wherein the first frame includes a first element used to request the setup of individual target wake time TWT service period SPs, the first element includes second information indicating N second links on which individual TWT SPs are requested to be set up, the N second individual TWT SPs set up on the N second links need to be aligned, the N second individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one with the N second links; the N second links are different links, N is a positive integer, and the first link and the second link are communication links between a transmitting device and a receiving device. A processing unit configured to set up the aligned N second individual TWT SPs on the N second links by using the first link as a reference link, The processing unit is further configured to communicate on the corresponding link based on the N second individual TWT SPs, and A communication device including, The first element further includes a fourth piece of information, the fourth piece of information indicating that the first element includes the second piece of information. A communication device in which, if the first element is a TWT element, the fourth information is an aligned TWT subfield within the control field of the TWT element.

13. A processing unit configured to generate a first frame, wherein the first frame includes a first element used to request the setup of individual target wake time TWT service period SPs, the first element includes second information indicating N second links on which individual TWT SPs are requested to be set up, the N second individual TWT SPs set up on the N second links need to be aligned, the N second individual TWT SPs correspond one-to-one with the N second links; the N second links are different links, where N is a positive integer, and the processing unit A communication unit configured to transmit the first frame on a first link, wherein the N second individual TWT SPs are aligned by using the first link as a reference link, and the first link and the second link are communication links between a transmitting device and a receiving device. A communication device including, The first element further includes a fourth piece of information, the fourth piece of information indicating that the first element includes the second piece of information. A communication device in which, if the first element is a TWT element, the fourth information is an aligned TWT subfield within the control field of the TWT element.

14. A communication device including a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute computer instructions stored in memory so that the device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, or the method according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 or the method according to any one of claims 7 to 9 is performed.

16. A chip comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor reads instructions stored in memory via the communication interface in order to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 or the method according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

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