Channel tracking method, multi-link device for asynchronous transmission and reception, computer-readable storage media and chips.

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for channel monitoring and related equipment. The channel monitoring time is adjusted to avoid the impact of other link sending actions on the channel monitoring results, to perform link error recovery in the event that nonsimultaneous transmit and receive (NSTR) equipment is used in communication. This method is applied to a multi-link device that transmits and receives nonsimultaneously. The multi-link device transmits and receives nonsimultaneously consists of a first station (STA) and a second station (STA). The first STA transmits the first frame on the first link. The second STA transmits the second frame on the second link. The NSTR determines that at least one of the first and second frames fails to transmit. The first STA performs channel monitoring during the first interframe gap after the first frame has ended.The duration of the first interframe gap is less than or equal to the duration of the point coordination function interframe space (PITS). Additionally, the second STA performs channel monitoring within the second interframe gap after the second frame ends. The duration of the second interframe gap is greater than or equal to the duration of the short interframe space (SIPS) and less than or equal to the duration of the PIFS.

Description

A channel monitoring method and related device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on November 5, 2020, with application number 202011225545.4 and invention name “A channel monitoring method and related device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a channel monitoring method and related devices. Background Art

[0003] Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), often referred to as Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) communication networks, utilize the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series of standards. 802.11be has now adopted the definition of Multi-Link Devices (MLDs), devices that support multi-link communication. Each MLD device contains multiple access points (APs) or stations (STAs), forming an AP Multi-Link Device (MLD) or a STA Multi-Link Device (MLD). Communication between MLDs is multi-link communication.

[0004] 802.11be defines multi-link devices as capable of simultaneous transmitting and receiving (STR) or non-simultaneous transmitting and receiving (NSTR). MLDs are categorized as STR MLDs and non-STR MLDs based on whether they can simultaneously transmit and receive on different links. A link refers to the spatial path used by the MLD to transmit data on a frequency band. STR MLDs have STR capability, while NSTR MLDs do not.

[0005] An MLD can operate on two or more links. When an NSTR MLD sends a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) on one link, the PPDU affects the channel sensing on another link, preventing the other link from transmitting the PPDU. To prevent interference between links, a new channel sensing method is needed to enable NSTR MLD to synchronize multi-link communications.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention provides a channel sensing method and related apparatus, which adjusts the channel sensing time to prevent the transmission of other links from affecting the channel sensing result, thereby achieving link error recovery in a communication scenario where a multi-link device (NSTR MLD) cannot simultaneously transmit and receive.

[0008] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a channel sensing method, which is applied to a multi-link device NSTR MLD that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive, including:

[0009] After a station in NSTR MLD sends a PPDU, it performs channel sensing within an interframe interval less than or equal to PIFS, where the difference between PIFS and the channel sensing time is in the range of 0-4 microseconds, 0-8 microseconds, 0-9 microseconds, or 0-12 microseconds.

[0010] For example, assuming that the difference between PIFS and the channel sensing time is in the range of 0-4 microseconds (assuming that the difference is t, that is, the value range of t is [0, 4]), in other words, the channel sensing time is in the range of [PIFS-4, PIFS]. The aforementioned difference ranges of 0-8 microseconds, 0-9 microseconds, or 0-12 microseconds can be explained similarly and are not further elaborated here.

[0011] Alternatively, after receiving a BA, a station of the NSTR MLD performs channel sensing within an interframe interval less than or equal to PIFS, where the difference between PIFS and the duration of the channel sensing is in the range of 0-4 microseconds, or 0-8 microseconds, or 0-9 microseconds, or 0-12 microseconds;

[0012] For example, assuming that the difference between PIFS and the channel sensing time is in the range of 0-4 microseconds (assuming that the difference is t, that is, the value range of t is [0, 4]), in other words, the channel sensing time is in the range of [PIFS-4, PIFS]. The aforementioned difference ranges of 0-8 microseconds, 0-9 microseconds, or 0-12 microseconds can be explained similarly and are not further elaborated here.

[0013] Alternatively, a station in the NSTR MLD waits for an interframe space (IFS) less than or equal to the PIFS after sending a PPDU before sending the next PPDU, where the difference between the PIFS and the waiting time is in the range of 0-4 microseconds, or 0-8 microseconds, or 0-9 microseconds, or 0-12 microseconds.

[0014] It is understandable that channel sensing is not performed within the aforementioned waiting time period.

[0015] Alternatively, a station of the NSTR MLD waits for an interframe space length less than or equal to PIFS after receiving a BA before sending the next PPDU, where the difference between PIFS and the waiting time length is in the range of 0-4 microseconds, or 0-8 microseconds, or 0-9 microseconds, or 0-12 microseconds;

[0016] It is understandable that channel sensing is not performed within the aforementioned waiting time period.

[0017] Alternatively, after a station in NSTR MLD sends a PPDU, it waits for a certain period of time and then performs channel sensing within a certain interframe interval. The waiting period is 0-8 microseconds, and the sum of the waiting period and the interframe interval is less than or equal to PIFS.

[0018] Alternatively, after receiving a BA, a station of NSTR MLD waits for a certain period of time and then performs channel sensing within a certain interframe interval. The waiting period is 0-8 microseconds, and the sum of the waiting period and the interframe interval is less than or equal to PIFS.

[0019] Alternatively, after a station in NSTR MLD sends a PPDU, it performs channel sensing within an interframe interval greater than or equal to SIFS, where the difference between the channel sensing time and SIFS is in the range of 0-4 microseconds or 0-8 microseconds.

[0020] For example, it is assumed that the difference between the time length of channel listening and SIFS is in the range of 0-4 microseconds (assuming that the difference is t, that is, the value range of t is [0, 4]). In other words, the value range of the time length of channel listening is [SIFS, SIFS+4].

[0021] Alternatively, after receiving a BA, a station of the NSTR MLD performs channel sensing within an interframe interval greater than or equal to SIFS, where the difference between the channel sensing time and SIFS is 0-4 microseconds or 0-8 microseconds.

[0022] For example, it is assumed that the difference between the time length of channel listening and SIFS is in the range of 0-4 microseconds (assuming that the difference is t, that is, the value range of t is [0, 4]). In other words, the value range of the time length of channel listening is [SIFS, SIFS+4].

[0023] Alternatively, a station in the NSTR MLD waits for a time equal to or longer than the interframe space (SIFS) after sending a PPDU before sending the next PPDU, where the difference between the waiting time and the SIFS is 0-4 microseconds or 0-8 microseconds.

[0024] It is understandable that channel sensing is not performed within the aforementioned waiting time period.

[0025] Alternatively, a station of NSTR MLD waits for a time equal to or longer than the interframe space of SIFS after receiving a BA before sending the next PPDU, where the difference between the waiting time and SIFS is 0-4 microseconds or 0-8 microseconds;

[0026] It is understandable that channel sensing is not performed within the aforementioned waiting time period.

[0027] Alternatively, after a station in NSTR MLD sends a PPDU, it waits for a certain length of time and then performs channel sensing within an interframe interval greater than or equal to SIFS. The waiting time length is 0-8 microseconds;

[0028] Alternatively, after receiving a BA, a station of NSTR MLD waits for a certain period of time and then performs channel sensing within an interframe interval greater than or equal to SIFS. The waiting period is 0-8 microseconds.

[0029] Based on the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application proposes a channel sensing method, which is applied to a multi-link device NSTR MLD that cannot transmit and receive simultaneously. The method includes: the multi-link device that cannot transmit and receive simultaneously includes a first station STA and a second station STA, wherein the first STA transmits a first frame on a first link, and the second STA transmits a second frame on a second link, the first frame is an acknowledgment block BA, the second frame is a BA, and the end time of the first frame is later than the end time of the second frame; the NSTR MLD determines that at least one of the first frame and the second frame fails to be transmitted; after the first frame ends, the first STA performs channel sensing in a first interframe interval, wherein the time length of the first interframe interval is less than or equal to the time length of the point coordination function interframe interval PIFS, or after the second frame ends, the second STA performs channel sensing in a second interframe interval, wherein the time length of the second interframe interval is greater than or equal to the time length of the short interframe interval SIFS and less than or equal to the time length of the PIFS.

[0030] Specifically, in the embodiments of the present application, a BA can be understood as a reply frame. In addition, a reply frame can also include an acknowledgment (ACK). The BA in the present application can also be replaced by ACK. In other words, the BA in the present application only represents a reply frame, and the reply frame does not necessarily have to be a BA but can also be an ACK. The reply frame can also be other types of frames, which are not limited here.

[0031] In the embodiment of the present application, after receiving an erroneous reply frame (BA or ACK), the NSTR MLD can adjust the channel sensing time to prevent the transmission actions of other links from affecting the channel sensing result. At the same time, the inter-frame interval meets the communication requirements.

[0032] Based on the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, the multi-link-incapable device includes a first station STA and a second station STA, wherein the first STA transmits a first frame on a first link, and the second STA transmits a second frame on a second link, the first frame is an acknowledgment block BA, the second frame is a BA, and an end time of the first frame is later than an end time of the second frame;

[0033] NSTR MLD determines that transmission of at least one of the first frame and the second frame has failed;

[0034] After the first frame ends, the first STA performs channel sensing in a first interframe interval, wherein the duration of the first interframe interval is less than or equal to the duration of the point coordination function interframe interval PIFS.

[0035] Based on the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, the multi-link-incapable device includes a first station STA and a second station STA, wherein the first STA transmits a first frame on a first link, and the second STA transmits a second frame on a second link, the first frame is an acknowledgment block BA, the second frame is a BA, and an end time of the first frame is later than an end time of the second frame;

[0036] NSTR MLD determines that transmission of at least one of the first frame and the second frame has failed;

[0037] After the second frame ends, the second STA performs channel sensing in a second interframe interval, where the duration of the second interframe interval is greater than or equal to the duration of the short interframe space SIFS and less than or equal to the duration of the PIFS.

[0038] Based on the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, the multi-link-incapable device includes a first station STA and a second station STA, wherein the first STA transmits a first frame on a first link, and the second STA transmits a second frame on a second link, the first frame is an acknowledgment block BA, the second frame is a BA, and an end time of the first frame is later than an end time of the second frame;

[0039] NSTR MLD determines that transmission of at least one of the first frame and the second frame has failed;

[0040] After the first frame ends, the first STA performs channel listening in the first interframe interval, where the time length of the first interframe interval is less than or equal to the time length of the point coordination function interframe interval PIFS. After the second frame ends, the second STA performs channel listening in the second interframe interval, where the time length of the second interframe interval is greater than or equal to the time length of the short frame interval SIFS and less than or equal to the time length of PIFS.

[0041] Based on the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, when the frame that fails to be transmitted is the first frame, the length of the first interframe interval is the difference between the PIFS and the first time;

[0042] The value range of the first time may be 0-4 microseconds, or 0-8 microseconds.

[0043] Optionally, the value range of the first time may be 0-9 microseconds, or 0-12 microseconds.

[0044] Based on the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, when the frame that fails to be transmitted is the second frame, the time length of the first interframe interval is the difference between PIFS and the first time;

[0045] Among them, the value range of the first time can be 0-4 microseconds. It should be noted that when the value range of the first time is 0-4 microseconds, the next frame (such as PPDU) sent by the first STA can be avoided from interfering with the second STA, and the difficulty of listening can be avoided.

[0046] Optionally, the first time value may also be in the range of 0-8 microseconds. When the first time value is in the range of 0-8 microseconds, interference with the second STA caused by the next frame (e.g., PPDU) sent by the first STA can be avoided. Furthermore, the next frame (e.g., PPDU) sent by the first STA can be aligned with the next frame (e.g., PPDU) sent by the second STA. In addition, the difficulty of interception can be reduced.

[0047] Optionally, the value range of the first time may also be 0-9 microseconds, or 0-12 microseconds.

[0048] When the first time is in the range of 0-9 microseconds, interference caused by the first STA sending the next frame (e.g., PPDU) (next frame (e.g., PPDU)) to the second STA can be avoided. Furthermore, the next frame (e.g., PPDU) sent by the first STA can be aligned with the next frame (e.g., PPDU) sent by the second STA. At the same time, the current interframe interval requirement of being greater than or equal to SIFS is met.

[0049] When the first time is in the range of 0-12 microseconds, the 4 microseconds before sending the next frame (e.g., PPDU) is the transition from the receive state to the transmit state. Therefore, these 4 microseconds are not used for channel sensing. If the second frame is 8 microseconds ahead of the first frame, an interframe interval of PIFS-12 (microseconds) after the first frame does not affect the first STA's channel sensing.

[0050] Based on the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, when the frames that fail to be transmitted are the first frame and the second frame, the time of the first inter-frame interval is the difference between the PIFS and the first time;

[0051] The value range of the first time is 0-4 microseconds.

[0052] Optionally, the value range of the first time may be 0-8 microseconds, 0-9 microseconds, or 0-12 microseconds.

[0053] Based on the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, when the frame that fails to be transmitted is the first frame, the time of the second inter-frame interval is the sum of the short frame spacing SIFS and the second time;

[0054] The value range of the second time is 0-4 microseconds.

[0055] Optionally, the value range of the second time can be 0-8 microseconds.

[0056] Based on the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, when the frame that fails to be transmitted is the second frame, the time of the second inter-frame interval is the sum of the short frame spacing SIFS and the second time;

[0057] The value range of the second time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the second time is 0-8 microseconds.

[0058] Based on the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, when the frames that fail to be transmitted are the first frame and the second frame, the time of the second inter-frame interval is the sum of the short frame spacing SIFS and the second time;

[0059] The value range of the second time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the second time is 0-8 microseconds.

[0060] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a channel sensing method, which is applied to an NSTR MLD device that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive multi-link signals. The method includes:

[0061] The multi-link device that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive includes a first station STA and a second station STA, wherein the first STA transmits a first frame on a first link, and the second STA transmits a second frame on a second link, the first frame is a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU, the second frame is a PPDU, and the end time of the first frame is later than the end time of the second frame;

[0062] NSTR MLD determines the frames that failed to be transmitted, and the frames that failed to be transmitted are the first frame and the second frame;

[0063] After the first frame ends, the first STA performs channel sensing in the third interframe interval, where the third interframe interval is less than or equal to the length of the PIFS.

[0064] Alternatively, after the second frame ends, the second STA performs channel sensing in a fourth interframe interval, where the fourth interframe interval is less than or equal to the time length of the PIFS.

[0065] In the embodiment of the present application, after the NSTR MLD sends an erroneous PPDU, the channel sensing time can be adjusted to prevent the transmission actions of other links from affecting the channel sensing results. At the same time, the interframe interval meets the communication requirements.

[0066] Based on the second aspect, in a possible design of the second aspect, the multi-link device that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive includes a first station STA and a second station STA, wherein the first STA transmits a first frame on a first link, and the second STA transmits a second frame on a second link, the first frame is a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU, the second frame is a PPDU, and an end time of the first frame is later than an end time of the second frame;

[0067] NSTR MLD determines that the transmission of the first and second frames failed;

[0068] After the first frame ends, the first STA performs channel sensing in a third interframe interval, where the third interframe interval is less than or equal to the length of the PIFS.

[0069] Based on the second aspect, in a possible design of the second aspect, the multi-link device that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive includes a first station STA and a second station STA, wherein the first STA transmits a first frame on a first link, and the second STA transmits a second frame on a second link, the first frame is a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU, the second frame is a PPDU, and an end time of the first frame is later than an end time of the second frame;

[0070] NSTR MLD determines that the transmission of the first and second frames failed;

[0071] After the second frame ends, the second STA performs channel sensing in a fourth interframe interval, where the fourth interframe interval is greater than or equal to a short interframe space SIFS and less than or equal to a PIFS.

[0072] Based on the second aspect, in a possible design of the second aspect, the multi-link device that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive includes a first station STA and a second station STA, wherein the first STA transmits a first frame on a first link, and the second STA transmits a second frame on a second link, the first frame is a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU, the second frame is a PPDU, and an end time of the first frame is later than an end time of the second frame;

[0073] NSTR MLD determines that the transmission of the first and second frames failed;

[0074] After the first frame ends, the first STA performs channel sensing in the third interframe interval, where the third interframe interval is less than or equal to the length of the PIFS.

[0075] After the second frame ends, the second STA performs channel sensing in a fourth interframe interval, where the fourth interframe interval is greater than or equal to a short interframe space SIFS and less than or equal to a PIFS.

[0076] Based on the second aspect, in a possible design of the second aspect, the time of the third inter-frame interval is a difference between PIFS and the third time;

[0077] The value range of the third time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the third time is 0-8 microseconds, or the value range of the third time is 0-9 microseconds.

[0078] Optionally, the third time may be in the range of 0-12 microseconds. Based on the second aspect, in a possible design of the second aspect, the fourth inter-frame interval is the sum of the short interframe spacing SIFS and the fourth time;

[0079] The value range of the fourth time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the fourth time is 0-8 microseconds.

[0080] Based on the second aspect, in a possible design of the second aspect, after the end of the second frame, the second STA performs channel listening in the fifth inter-frame interval after the fifth time, wherein the sum of the time length of the fifth inter-frame interval and the fifth time is less than or equal to the time length of PIFS.

[0081] Based on the second aspect, in a possible design of the second aspect, the value range of the fifth time is 0-8 microseconds.

[0082] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a channel sensing method, which is applied to an NSTR MLD device that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive multi-link signals. The method includes:

[0083] The multi-link device that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive includes a first station STA and a second station STA, wherein the first STA transmits a first frame on a first link, and the second STA transmits a second frame on a second link, the first frame is an acknowledgment block physical layer protocol data unit PPDU, the second frame is a PPDU, and the end time of the first frame is later than the end time of the second frame;

[0084] After the second frame ends, the second STA performs channel sensing in the sixth interframe interval, where the duration of the sixth interframe interval is the sum of the acknowledgment timeout AckTimeout and the sixth time.

[0085] Based on the third aspect, in a possible design of the third aspect, the value range of the sixth time is 0-4 microseconds.

[0086] Based on the third aspect, in a possible design of the third aspect, the method further includes:

[0087] After the second frame ends, the second STA performs channel sensing in the seventh interframe interval after the seventh time, and the sum of the seventh time and the seventh interframe interval is equal to the time length of the sixth interframe interval.

[0088] Based on the third aspect, in a possible design of the third aspect, the value range of the seventh time is 0-8 microseconds.

[0089] In the embodiment of the present application, after the NSTR MLD sends an erroneous PPDU, the channel sensing time can be adjusted to avoid the transmission actions of other links affecting the channel sensing results. At the same time, the interframe interval meets the communication requirements.

[0090] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application proposes a method for sending a Multiple User-Request To Send (MU-RTS) frame, which is applied to a transmitting end MLD and includes:

[0091] When a station of the transmitting MLD sends an MU-RTS, another station of the transmitting MLD sends another frame. The difference between the end time of the MU-RTS and the end time of the other frame is in the range of 0-4 microseconds. The other frame can be a MU-RTS frame or another frame.

[0092] In a possible implementation, the end time of the MU-RTS is later than the end time of the other frame.

[0093] In another possible implementation, when the end time of the MU-RTS is earlier than the end time of the other frame, the difference between the end time of the MU-RTS and the end time of the other frame is not limited.

[0094] In another possible implementation, the transmitting end MLD includes a first access point AP and a second AP, wherein the first AP transmits a first multi-user request to send frame MU-RTS on a first link.

[0095] Based on the fourth aspect, in a possible design of the fourth aspect, the transmitting end MLD includes a first access point AP and a second AP, wherein the first AP transmits a first multi-user request to send frame MU-RTS on the first link, and the second AP transmits a second multi-user request to send frame MU-RTS on the second link;

[0096] The maximum difference between the end time of the first MU-RTS and the end time of the second MU-RTS is 4 microseconds.

[0097] For example, the first AP is AP1, the second AP is AP2, the first link is link 1, the second link is link 2, the first MU-RTS is MU-RTS1, and the second MU-RTS is MU-RTS2. When the end time of MU-RTS1 differs from the end time of MU-RTS2 by a maximum of 4 microseconds, the maximum difference between the start time of Clear to Send (CTS) frame 1 and CTS2 is also 4 microseconds. Therefore, the interference of the CTS frame (CTS1) sent in advance on the other link (link 2) will not affect the channel sensing result on the other link. STA2 in the receiving-end MLD can send CTS2 normally.

[0098] In the embodiment of the present application, the maximum value of the difference between the end times of MU-RTS on different links is limited to avoid interference between the reply frames (CTS) of the MU-RTS, thereby ensuring the normal transmission of CTS.

[0099] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application proposes a CTS frame sending method, which is applied to a receiving end MLD and includes:

[0100] After receiving an MU-RTS, the receiving end MLD performs channel sensing for a time interval of SIFS+T before sending a CTS, where T is 0-4 microseconds or T is 0-8 microseconds.

[0101] Based on the fifth aspect, in a possible design of the fifth aspect, the receiving-end MLD includes a first access point STA, wherein the first STA receives a first MU-RTS on the first link;

[0102] The first STA sends a first clear-to-send frame CTS on the first link. The start time of the first CTS differs from the end time of the first MU-RTS by the eighth interframe interval, and the duration of the eighth interframe interval is greater than or equal to the duration of the SIFS.

[0103] In the embodiment of the present application, the time interval before the receiving end MLD sends the CTS frame is agreed upon to avoid interference between CTS frames on different links and ensure the normal transmission of CTS.

[0104] Based on the fifth aspect, in a possible design of the fifth aspect, the time of the eighth inter-frame interval is the sum of the eighth time and SIFS, the value range of the eighth time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the eighth time is 0-8 microseconds.

[0105] Based on the fifth aspect, in a possible design of the fifth aspect, the first STA performs channel sensing within the eighth inter-frame interval.

[0106] Based on the fifth aspect, in a possible design of the fifth aspect, the receiving-end MLD further includes a second access point STA, wherein the second STA receives a second MU-RTS on the second link, and an end time of the second MU-RTS is later than that of the first MU-RTS;

[0107] The second STA sends a second clear to send frame CTS on the second link, and the start time of the second CTS differs from the end time of the second MU-RTS by a SIFS.

[0108] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the various methods described above. The communication device may be the NSTR MLD described in the first to third aspects, or a device including the NSTR MLD, or a device included in the NSTR MLD, such as a system chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the transmitter MLD described in the fourth aspect, or a device including the transmitter MLD, or a device included in the transmitter MLD, such as a system chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the receiver MLD described in the fifth aspect, or a device including the receiver MLD, or a device included in the receiver MLD, such as a system chip. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to implementing the methods described above. The modules, units, or means may be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions described above.

[0109] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store computer instructions, and when the processor executes the instructions, the communication device performs the method of any of the above aspects. The communication device may be the NSTR MLD described in the first to third aspects, or a device including the NSTR MLD, or a device included in the NSTR MLD, such as a system chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the transmitter MLD described in the fourth aspect, or a device including the transmitter MLD, or a device included in the transmitter MLD, such as a system chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the receiver MLD described in the fifth aspect, or a device including the receiver MLD, or a device included in the receiver MLD, such as a system chip.

[0110] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor; the processor is coupled to a memory, and after reading instructions from the memory, executes the method of any of the above aspects according to the instructions, wherein the memory and the communication device are independent of each other. The communication device may be the NSTR MLD described in the first to third aspects, or a device including the NSTR MLD, or a device included in the NSTR MLD, such as a system chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the transmitter MLD described in the fourth aspect, or a device including the transmitter MLD, or a device included in the transmitter MLD, such as a system chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the receiver MLD described in the fifth aspect, or a device including the receiver MLD, or a device included in the receiver MLD, such as a system chip.

[0111] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, the computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, enable the communication device to perform the method of any of the aforementioned aspects. The communication device may be the NSTR MLD described in the first to third aspects, or a device including the NSTR MLD, or a device included in the NSTR MLD, such as a system-on-chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the transmitter MLD described in the fourth aspect, or a device including the transmitter MLD, or a device included in the transmitter MLD, such as a system-on-chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the receiver MLD described in the fifth aspect, or a device including the receiver MLD, or a device included in the receiver MLD, such as a system-on-chip.

[0112] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device is enabled to perform the method of any of the above aspects. The communication device may be the NSTR MLD described in the first through third aspects, or a device comprising the NSTR MLD, or a device included in the NSTR MLD, such as a system-on-chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the transmitter MLD described in the fourth aspect, or a device comprising the transmitter MLD, or a device included in the transmitter MLD, such as a system-on-chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the receiver MLD described in the fifth aspect, or a device comprising the receiver MLD, or a device included in the receiver MLD, such as a system-on-chip.

[0113] In an eleventh aspect, a communication device (e.g., a chip or a system on chip) is provided, wherein the communication device includes a processor for implementing the functions described in any of the above aspects. In one possible design, the communication device further includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data. When the communication device is a system on chip, it may be composed of a chip or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0114] In the twelfth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to communicate with modules outside the chip shown, and the processor is used to run computer programs or instructions so that the device installed with the chip can execute any of the methods mentioned above.

[0115] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design method in the fifth to twelfth aspects can refer to the technical effects brought about by different design methods in the above-mentioned first aspect or second aspect or third aspect or fourth aspect or fifth aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0116] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the NSTR MLD, or the transmitting end MLD, or the receiving end MLD according to the above aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0117] FIG1a is a schematic diagram of the structure of a PPDU provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0118] FIG1b is a schematic diagram of the structure of another PPDU provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0119] FIG1c is a schematic diagram of the structure of a transmission opportunity TXOP provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0120] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a communication scenario of a multi-link device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0121] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a communication scenario in an embodiment of the present application;

[0122] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of another communication scenario in an embodiment of the present application;

[0123] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an inter-frame interval involved in an embodiment of the present application;

[0124] FIG6 is a flow chart of a channel sensing method proposed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0125] Figures 7-10 are schematic diagrams of an inter-frame interval proposed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0126] FIG11 is a flow chart of a channel sensing method proposed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0127] Figures 12-13 are schematic diagrams of an inter-frame interval proposed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0128] FIG14 is a flow chart of a channel sensing method proposed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0129] Figures 15-19 are schematic diagrams of an inter-frame interval proposed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0130] FIG20 is a schematic structural diagram of an NSTR MLD provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0131] Figure 21 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0132] The embodiments of the present application provide a channel sensing method and related apparatus, so that multi-link devices that cannot transmit and receive multi-links synchronously can synchronize multi-link communications.

[0133] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of this application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the terms used in this way can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances. This is merely a way of distinguishing when describing objects with the same properties in the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, so that a process, method, system, product or apparatus that includes a series of units is not necessarily limited to those units, but may include other units not expressly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or apparatuses.

[0134] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in the present application is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more items, and "multiple items" refers to two or more items. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0135] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to wireless local area networks (WLANs). Currently, WLANs adopt the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series. A WLAN may include multiple Basic Service Sets (BSSs). Network nodes in a BSS are stations (STAs), which include access point stations (APs) and non-access point stations (None Access Point Stations, Non-AP STAs). Each BSS may include an AP and multiple non-AP STAs associated with the AP.

[0136] Access point type sites are also called wireless access points or hotspots. AP is an access point for mobile users to enter the wired network. It is mainly deployed in homes, buildings and campuses. The typical coverage radius is tens of meters to hundreds of meters. Of course, it can also be deployed outdoors. AP is equivalent to a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks. Its main function is to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to Ethernet. Specifically, AP can be a terminal device or network device with a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) chip. Optionally, the AP can be a device that supports the 802.11ax standard. Further optionally, the AP can be a device that supports multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11be, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b and 802.11a. The AP can also support the next generation 802.11 protocol, which is not limited here.

[0137] A non-access point station (None Access Point Station, Non-AP STA) can be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal. For example: a mobile phone that supports WiFi communication function, a tablet computer that supports WiFi communication function, a set-top box that supports WiFi communication function, a smart TV that supports WiFi communication function, a smart wearable device that supports WiFi communication function, a vehicle-mounted communication device that supports WiFi communication function, and a computer that supports WiFi communication function. Specifically, a STA can be a terminal device or a network device with a wireless fidelity chip. Optionally, the station can support the 802.11ax standard. Further optionally, the station supports multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11be, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a. The STA can also support the next generation 802.11 protocol, which is not limited here.

[0138] First, for ease of understanding, the following is a brief introduction to the technical terms involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0139] 1. Physical protocol data unit (PPDU)

[0140] As shown in Figure 1a, it is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of the PPDU in the 802.11ax standard. The PPDU includes: a legacy short training field (L-STF), a legacy long training field (L-LTF), a legacy signaling field (L-SIG), a repeated legacy signaling field (RL-SIG), a high-efficiency signaling field A (HE-SIG A), a high-efficiency signaling field B (HE-SIG B), a high-efficiency short training field (HE-STF), a high-efficiency long training field (HE-LTF), and data. Optionally, the PPDU may also include a packet extension (PE).

[0141] Figure 1b shows the structure of an extremely high throughput (EHT) PPDU that may be used in 802.11be. The EHT PPDU may include a legacy preamble (L-preamble), a high-efficiency preamble (HE-preamble), and a physical layer convergence protocol service data unit (PSDU).

[0142] Among them, the L-preamble part includes the L-STF field, the L-LTF field, and the L-SIG field; the HE-preamble part includes the RL-SIG field and the universal field (U-SIG) field, the extremely high throughput signaling (EHT-SIG) field, the extremely high throughput short training field (EHT-STF) field, and the extremely high throughput long training field (EHT-LTF) field; the PSDU part includes fields such as the data field, among which the U-SIG field occupies 2 OFDM symbols, as shown in U-SIG SYM1 and U-SIG SYM1 in Figure 1b. The universal field (U-SIG) field may include a version-independent info field and a version-dependent info field, a CRC field, and a tail field. The version-independent info field may include a 3-bit WiFi version field, a 1-bit downlink / uplink field, a BSS color field of at least 6 bits, and a TXOP field of at least 7 bits. Furthermore, the version-independent info field may also include a bandwidth field. The version-dependent info field may include a PPDU format field, and may also include one or more of a modulation and coding scheme field, a spatial stream field, and a coding field. The CRC field occupies at least 4 bits, and the tail field occupies at least 6 bits.

[0143] In one possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field includes an EHT-SIG common field and an EHT-SIG user-specific field, wherein the EHT-SIG common field can be used to carry resource allocation information allocated to the STA, and the EHT-SIG user-specific field can be used to carry user information.

[0144] It should be understood that the EHT-PPDU is only an example, and other structures may be possible during the standard formulation process or technology development process, and this application does not limit it.

[0145] 2. Transmission opportunity (TXOP)

[0146] TXOP is the basic unit of wireless channel access. TXOP consists of an initial time and a maximum duration TXOP limit.

[0147] To minimize conflicts, after a device finishes sending a frame, it must wait for a short period of time before sending the next frame. This period is usually called the interframe space (IFS). Currently, this interframe space is usually the short interframe space (SIFS).

[0148] For example, taking a frame interval of SIFS as an example, Figure 1c shows a schematic diagram of normal PPDU transmission within a TXOP. The transmitting device begins transmitting PPDU11 SIFS after receiving a clear to send (CTS) frame. After a SIFS interval, it receives a block acknowledgment (BA) frame BA11 from the receiving device. BA11 is used to provide feedback to the transmitting device on whether PPDU11 was successfully transmitted. Assuming PPDU11 is successfully transmitted, the transmitting device continues to transmit PPDU12 SIFS after the BA11 frame ends, and so on.

[0149] The RTS signal in Figure 1c stands for Request to Send (RTS). RTS / CTS addresses the issue of hidden stations and prevents signal conflicts between multiple stations. Before sending a data frame, the transmitter sends an RTS frame, instructing it to send a data frame to a specified receiver within a specified duration. After receiving the RTS frame, the receiver responds with a CTS frame to confirm the transmission. Other stations that receive an RTS or CTS frame do not transmit wireless frames until the specified duration has expired.

[0150] 3. Error recovery

[0151] After a transmission opportunity (TXOP) is successfully established, if a PPDU within the TXOP fails to be transmitted, error recovery of the link is triggered.

[0152] Error recovery includes point coordination function interframe space (PIFS) error recovery and backoff error recovery. PIFS error recovery: After the channel has been idle for PIFS, the device sends the next PPDU on the channel. Waiting for the channel to be idle for PIFS before sending the next PPDU is called PIFS error recovery.

[0153] In the new generation standard 802.11be, extremely high throughput (EHT) is set as a technical goal. One of the existing key technologies is multi-link (ML) communication. The core idea of ​​link communication is to support the next generation IEEE 802.11 standard WLAN equipment, namely EHT equipment, to have the ability to send and receive on multiple frequency bands, so that a larger bandwidth can be used for transmission, thereby improving throughput. Multi-band mainly includes but is not limited to the 2.4GHz WiFi band, the 5GHz WiFi band and the 6GHz WiFi band. Among them, the access and transmission on each frequency band is called a link, and the access and transmission on multiple frequency bands is called multi-link communication. A device that supports multi-link communication is called a multi-link device (MLD), also known as an MLD device. For details, please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of the communication scenario of the multi-link device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Each MLD device contains multiple access points (APs) or stations (STAs). Communication between MLDs is multi-link communication. In Figure 1, link 1 and link 2 form a multi-link.

[0154] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of a communication scenario in an embodiment of the present application. For example, in the present application, the MLD (including MLD301 and MLD302) has the ability to send and receive on multiple frequency bands. Compared with devices that only support single-link transmission, multi-link devices have higher transmission efficiency and higher throughput. For example, the above-mentioned multiple frequency bands include but are not limited to: 2.4GHz frequency band, 5GHz frequency band, and 6GHz frequency band. The spatial path for MLD to perform data transmission on a frequency band can be called a link. In other words, MLD supports multi-link communication.

[0155] It should be understood that for MLD, each link supported by MLD corresponds to a frequency band.

[0156] It should be noted that, in the present application, MLD may also be referred to as a multi-band device (multi-band device), and the two may be interchangeable, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0157] In this application, an MLD includes at least two affiliated STAs. The affiliated STAs may be Access Point Stations (AP STAs) or non-Access Point Stations (non-AP STAs). For ease of description, this application refers to a multi-link device whose affiliated station is an AP as a multi-link AP or multi-link AP device or AP multi-link device (AP MLD), and a multi-link device whose affiliated station is a non-AP STA as a multi-link STA or multi-link STA device or STA multi-link device (STA MLD) or a non-AP multi-link device (non-AP MLD).

[0158] In one implementation, a non-AP STA can implement AP functionality, or in other words, a non-AP STA can be operated as an AP. The MLD composed of a non-AP STA that can implement AP functionality, or a non-AP MLD that can be operated as an AP, is called a soft AP MLD.

[0159] As you can understand, AP MLD can be divided into STR AP MLD and non-STR AP MLD. STR AP MLD has STR capability, while non-STR AP MLD does not. Similarly, non-AP MLD can be divided into STR non-AP MLD and non-STR non-AP MLD. STR non-AP MLD has STR capability, while non-STR non-AP MLD does not.

[0160] In the embodiment of the present application, the non-STR AP MLD may include the above-mentioned soft AP MLD. Of course, the non-STR AP MLD is not limited to the soft AP MLD.

[0161] Each STA in an MLD can establish a link for communication. As shown in Figure 4, taking MLD 301 including sites A1 and AN, and MLD 302 including sites B1 and BN as examples, sites A1 and B1 communicate via link 1, sites A2 and B2 communicate via link 2, and so on. Sites AN and BN communicate via link N.

[0162] In the following embodiments of the present application, description is made by taking the multiple links between MLD 301 and MLD 302 including the first link and the second link as an example.

[0163] When the frequency intervals between the multiple frequency bands supported by an MLD device are close, transmitting signals on one frequency band can affect receiving signals on another frequency band. For example, when a device transmits a signal on link 1, because the frequency interval between link 1 and link 2 is small, the signal transmitted on link 1 causes channel interference on link 2, affecting channel access and reception on link 2. Therefore, the MLD device cannot independently transmit and receive simultaneously on multiple frequency bands to avoid mutual interference. 802.11be defines multilink devices as either having simultaneous transmitting and receiving (STR) capabilities or non-simultaneous transmitting and receiving (NSTR) capabilities. A multilink device with STR capability is called an STR MLD, while a multilink device without STR capability is called an NSTR MLD.

[0164] It should be noted that an MLD can operate on two or more links, and its STR / NSTR capabilities are specific to each link pair. Therefore, the STR / NSTR capabilities of different link pairs within the same MLD may differ. For example, some link pairs are STR, while others are NSTR. In this embodiment of the present application, an NSTR MLD means that among the link pairs operating with the MLD, at least one link pair has NSTR capabilities. Correspondingly, an STR MLD means that all link pairs operating with the MLD have STR capabilities. In this embodiment of the present application, an NSTR MLD sends or receives data on a first link and a second link. The first and second links form a pair of NSTR links, and the first and second links are also referred to as an NSTR link pair.

[0165] Due to limited capabilities, NSTR MLDs may not be able to receive signals on one link while transmitting on another. Specifically, when an NSTR MLD is transmitting on one link while receiving data on another link, the data may not be received, resulting in packet loss.

[0166] Therefore, if NSTR MLD is to send PPDUs simultaneously on two links without interfering with each other, the start and end times of the two PPDUs on the two links must be aligned. The current protocol stipulates that the end times of two PPDUs are considered aligned if the difference between their end times is less than or equal to 8 microseconds.

[0167] In conjunction with the above description, when an NSTR MLD simultaneously sends PPDUs on an NSTR link without causing interference, the end times of the two PPDUs need to be aligned. The maximum (allowable) alignment error is 8 microseconds, which is also called alignment accuracy. Based on this alignment accuracy, when the NSTR MLD simultaneously sends two data-carrying PPDUs on an NSTR link (taking the NSTR links as the first and second links as an example), the MLD receiving the PPDUs will simultaneously reply with block acknowledgments (BAs) on the NSTR links (the first and second links). The maximum error in the end times of the PPDUs carrying these two BAs is also 8 microseconds.

[0168] The following explains the transmission errors mentioned in the embodiments of the present application. Specifically, the transmission errors in the embodiments of the present application may include the following two situations:

[0169] (1)BA reception error.

[0170] A BA reception error occurs, that is, the BA triggers the physical layer reception start indication (PHY-RXSTART.indication), and the MAC layer frame check sequence (Frame Check Sequence, FCS) check of the BA frame fails.

[0171] (2)PPDU sending error.

[0172] If a PPDU has a sending error, the STA that sends the PPDU is not triggered to send the primitive physical layer reception start indication (PHY-RXSTART.indication) within a specific time after the end of the PPDU.

[0173] It should be noted that transmission errors include sending errors and receiving errors. In the embodiment of the present application, transmission errors can also be referred to as transmission failures, wherein transmission failures include sending failures and receiving failures, which are not limited here.

[0174] In the embodiments of the present application, both a BA reception error and a PPDU transmission error can be considered a transmission error, or can be considered an errored frame or a transmission-failed frame, without limitation in this application. For ease of description, both a BA reception error and a PPDU transmission error are described as a transmission-failed frame.

[0175] For example, the channel sensing process in the case of a BA reception error is used as an example. Specifically, as shown in Figure 5, the STA performs channel sensing within the PIFS period after the BA frame ends. The STA (using STA2 as an example) performs channel sensing (for example, sensing STA1's channel) within the PIFS period after the BA frame ends to determine the busy or idle status of the channel. If STA2 determines that the channel is idle through channel sensing, it continues to send the next PPDU on the link. If STA2 determines that the channel is busy through channel sensing, it stops sending PPDUs on the link.

[0176] After receiving a correct BA, a STA also waits for the PIFS period before sending the next PPDU. Therefore, the end times of two BAs can differ by up to 8 microseconds. After receiving a correct BA, STA1 waits for the PIFS period before sending the next PPDU. Because of the effect of STA1 sending the next PPDU, STA2's channel sensing result is busy.

[0177] To address this issue, existing technical solutions propose that after receiving a correct BA, the STA waits for PIFS + δ before sending the next PPDU, where δ ranges from 0 to 4 microseconds (µs). For example, STA1's next PPDU will only interfere with STA2's PIFS for the last 4 µs. Since the last 4 µs typically transition from the receiving state to the transmitting state, no channel sensing occurs during this time (4 µs), thus not affecting the channel sensing results.

[0178] Since the current requirement for the interframe interval cannot exceed 25 microseconds, how to implement synchronous multi-link communication of NSTR MLD is still a problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0179] In order to solve the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for channel sensing. For example, take the NSTR MLD including the first station STA and the second STA as an example, wherein the first STA transmits the first frame on the first link, and the second STA transmits the second frame on the second link. The end time of the first frame is later than the end time of the second frame. It should be noted that other stations can also be included in the NSTR MLD, which is not limited here. The first link and the second link are only for illustration and do not represent the specific number of links. The first link and the second link represent any two links in the multi-link, and the solution of the present application can be extended to the case of more than two links. According to the type of the first frame and the second frame, the solutions proposed in the embodiment of the present application include:

[0180] (1) The first frame and the second frame are response frames, such as an acknowledgment block (BA). In this case, the first STA receives the first frame (response frame) and the second STA receives the second frame (response frame).

[0181] (2) The first and second frames are PPDUs. At this time, the first STA sends the first frame (PPDU) and the second STA sends the second frame (PPDU).

[0182] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, a BA can be understood as a response frame. In addition, a response frame can also include an acknowledgment (ACK). The BA in the present application can also be replaced by an ACK. In other words, the BA in the present application only represents a response frame, and the response frame does not necessarily have to be a BA but can also be an ACK. The response frame can also be other types of frames, which are not limited here.

[0183] First, the scheme in which the first frame and the second frame are response frames is introduced. Please refer to Figure 6, which is a flow chart of a channel listening method proposed in an embodiment of the present application. The channel listening method proposed in an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0184] 601. A first STA in an NSTR MLD transmits a first frame on a first link, and a second STA in the NSTR MLD transmits a second frame on a second link.

[0185] Specifically, in this embodiment, the first STA in an NSTR MLD receives a first frame on the first link, which is a response frame. The second STA in the NSTR MLD receives a second frame on the second link, which is a response frame. The end time of the first frame is later than the end time of the second frame. The following description uses a BA as an example for the response frame.

[0186] For example, please refer to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of an inter-frame interval proposed in an embodiment of the present application. The first STA can be understood as STA1, the second STA can be understood as STA2, the first frame can be understood as BA11, and the second frame can be understood as BA21.

[0187] 602. NSTR MLD determines the frame that failed to be transmitted.

[0188] In this embodiment, the NSTR MLD determines whether the first frame and the second frame are frames whose transmission fails, that is, determines whether the first frame and the second frame fail to be transmitted.

[0189] When the first frame is BA and the second frame is BA, NSTR MLD determines the frames that failed to be transmitted as follows:

[0190] When NSTR MLD (STA1) receives the first frame, the first frame triggers the primitive physical layer reception start indication PHY-RXSTART.indication, and the MAC layer frame detection sequence FCS check of the first frame fails, then NSTR MLD determines that the first frame is a transmission failure frame.

[0191] When NSTR MLD (STA2) receives the second frame, the second frame triggers the primitive physical layer reception start indication PHY-RXSTART.indication, and the MAC layer frame detection sequence FCS check of the second frame fails, then NSTR MLD determines that the second frame is a transmission failure frame.

[0192] When NSTR MLD (STA1) receives the first frame, the first frame triggers the primitive PHY-RXSTART.indication and the MAC layer FCS check of the first frame fails, and when NSTR MLD (STA2) receives the second frame, the second frame triggers the primitive PHY-RXSTART.indication and the MAC layer FCS check of the second frame fails, then NSTR MLD determines that both the first frame and the second frame are frames that failed to transmit.

[0193] 603. NSTR MLD performs channel monitoring.

[0194] In this embodiment, after NSTR MLD determines a frame with failed transmission, the first STA performs channel sensing in the first interframe interval after the first frame ends. Alternatively, the second STA performs channel sensing in the second interframe interval after the second frame ends. The following describes three scenarios: the first frame is a frame with failed transmission, the second frame is a frame with failed transmission, and the first and second frames are frames with failed transmission.

[0195] (1) The first frame is the frame that fails to be transmitted.

[0196] In one possible implementation, the first STA performs channel sensing in the first interframe interval after the end of the first frame. The duration of the first interframe interval is the difference between PIFS and the first time, and the value range of the first time is 0-4 microseconds (if the first time is represented by t, the value range of t is [0, 4]). In other words, the duration of the first interframe interval is in the range of [PIFS-4, PIFS]. Alternatively, the value range of the first time is 0-8 microseconds.

[0197] When the value range of the first time is 0-4 microseconds, the next frame (such as PPDU) sent by the first STA can be prevented from interfering with the second STA, and the difficulty of monitoring can be kept unchanged.

[0198] When the first time is in the range of 0-8 microseconds, the next frame (e.g., PPDU) sent by the first STA can be prevented from interfering with the second STA. Furthermore, the next frame (e.g., PPDU) sent by the first STA can be aligned with the next frame (e.g., PPDU) sent by the second STA. Furthermore, the difficulty of interception can be minimized.

[0199] Optionally, the value range of the first time can also be 0-9 microseconds, or 0-12 microseconds.

[0200] It should be noted that, taking the value range of the first time as 0-8 microseconds as an example, the first time in the embodiments of the present application can take any value in the range of 0-8 microseconds. This arbitrary value can be an integer, such as 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 microseconds; this arbitrary value can also be a decimal, such as 0.5, 1.5, 1.8, or 3.4 microseconds. The second time, third time, fourth time, fifth time, sixth time, seventh time, or eighth time involved in the embodiments of the present application are similar to the relevant definitions of the first time described above and will not be repeated here.

[0201] In another possible implementation, the duration of the first inter-frame interval is a short inter-frame spacing (SIFS).

[0202] In another possible implementation, the second STA performs channel sensing in a second interframe interval after the end of the second frame. The second interframe interval is the sum of the short interframe interval (SIFS) and a second time, where the second time ranges from 0 to 4 microseconds, or the second time ranges from 0 to 8 microseconds.

[0203] As shown in FIG8 , FIG8 is a schematic diagram of an interframe interval in an embodiment of the present application. BA11 is a frame in which transmission fails. The following example illustrates a specific implementation of channel sensing by NSTR MLD:

[0204] For example, when STA1 performs channel sensing in the first interframe interval after BA11, the duration of the first interframe interval is the difference between the PIFS and the first time. Correspondingly, the second interframe interval of STA2 after BA21 can be PIFS. Optionally, STA2 can perform channel sensing in the second interframe interval.

[0205] For example, when STA1 performs channel sensing in the first interframe interval after BA11, the duration of the first interframe interval is the short interframe interval (SIFS). Correspondingly, the second interframe interval of STA2 after BA21 can be the sum of SIFS and the second time. Optionally, STA2 can perform channel sensing in the second interframe interval.

[0206] It should be noted that the above examples are merely illustrative and do not limit other implementations of the embodiments of the present application.

[0207] (2) The second frame is the frame where transmission fails.

[0208] In one possible implementation, the first STA performs channel sensing during the first interframe interval after the end of the first frame. This allows the first STA to send the next PPDU only when the channel is idle, thereby reducing potential collisions. Specifically, the first interframe interval is the difference between the PIFS and the first time, where the first time ranges from 0 to 4 microseconds, or from 0 to 8 microseconds, or from 0 to 9 microseconds, or from 0 to 12 microseconds.

[0209] For example, as shown in FIG9 , FIG9 is a schematic diagram of an inter-frame interval in an embodiment of the present application, wherein when the first time value range is 0-4 microseconds, STA1 can avoid sending the next PPDU (PPDU12) to interfere with STA2.

[0210] When the first time is in the range of 0-8 microseconds, interference caused by STA1 sending the next PPDU (PPDU12) to STA2 can be avoided, and the PPDU12 sent by STA1 can be aligned with the PPDU22 sent by STA2.

[0211] When the first time is in the range of 0-9 microseconds, interference with STA2 caused by the next PPDU (PPDU12) sent by STA1 can be avoided. Furthermore, alignment between PPDU12 sent by STA1 and PPDU22 sent by STA2 can be ensured, while also satisfying the current interframe interval requirement of being greater than or equal to SIFS.

[0212] When the first time is in the range of 0-12 microseconds, the 4 microseconds before sending the next PPDU (PPDU12) is the transition from the receive state to the transmit state. Therefore, these 4 microseconds are not used for channel sensing. If BA21 is 8 microseconds ahead of BA11, an interframe interval of PIFS-12 (microseconds) after BA11 does not affect STA1's channel sensing.

[0213] In another possible implementation, since the first frame is transmitted correctly, the first STA does not perform channel sensing in the first interframe interval after the end of the first frame. If channel sensing is not required in the first interframe interval, the next PPDU is sent directly after the end of the first interframe interval.

[0214] In another possible implementation, the second STA performs channel monitoring in the second inter-frame interval after the end of the second frame, and the time of the second inter-frame interval is the sum of the short frame spacing SIFS and the second time, and the value range of the second time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the second time is 0-8 microseconds.

[0215] Based on the above description and in conjunction with Figure 9, BA21 is a frame that failed to be transmitted. The following example illustrates the specific implementation of channel sensing by NSTR MLD:

[0216] Exemplarily, STA2 performs channel sensing in the second interframe interval after BA21. The second interframe interval is the sum of the short interframe interval (SIFS) and the second time. Correspondingly, STA1's first interframe interval after BA11 is SIFS. Optionally, STA1 performs channel sensing in the first interframe interval.

[0217] For example, STA1's first interframe interval after BA11 is the difference between the PIFS and the first time. Accordingly, STA2 performs channel sensing in the second interframe interval after BA21, where the second interframe interval is equal to the PIFS. Specifically, STA1 can directly send the next PPDU without performing channel sensing in the first interframe interval, or STA1 can perform channel sensing in the first interframe interval and only send the next PPDU if the channel is idle.

[0218] It should be noted that the above examples are merely illustrative and do not limit other implementations of the embodiments of the present application.

[0219] (3) Both the first frame and the second frame are frames that failed to be transmitted.

[0220] In one possible implementation, the first STA performs channel listening in the first inter-frame interval after the end of the first frame, and the time length of the first inter-frame interval is the difference between PIFS and the first time, and the value range of the first time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the first time is 0-8 microseconds, or the value range of the first time is 0-9 microseconds, or the value range of the first time is 0-12 microseconds.

[0221] In another possible implementation, the second STA performs channel sensing in a second interframe interval after the end of the second frame. The second interframe interval is the sum of the short interframe spacing (SIFS) and the second time, where the second time ranges from 0 to 4 microseconds or from 0 to 8 microseconds.

[0222] It should be noted that the specific selection of the first time and the second time can be determined by measuring the difference between the end time of the first frame and the end time of the second frame using the NSTR MLD, or can be pre-configured in the NSTR MLD, and this is not limited here. For example, if the difference between the end time of the first frame and the end time of the second frame measured by the NSTR MLD is 5 microseconds, then the value range of the first time can be determined to be 5 microseconds, or the value range of the second time can be determined to be 5 microseconds.

[0223] In another possible implementation, after the second frame ends, the second STA may perform channel sensing within the PIFS. After the second frame ends, the second STA may also perform channel sensing within an interframe interval of other lengths, which is not limited here.

[0224] Based on the above description, in combination with FIG10, FIG10 is a schematic diagram of an interframe interval in an embodiment of the present application, where BA11 and BA21 are both frames of failed transmission. The following example illustrates a specific implementation method of NSTR MLD channel sensing:

[0225] For example, STA1 performs channel sensing in the first interframe interval after BA11, which is the difference between PIFS and the first time. Correspondingly, STA2 performs channel sensing in the second interframe interval after BA21, which is PIFS.

[0226] Exemplarily, STA2 performs channel sensing in the second interframe interval after BA21. The second interframe interval is the sum of the short interframe interval SIFS and the second time. Correspondingly, STA1 performs channel sensing in the first interframe interval after BA11, which is SIFS.

[0227] It should be noted that the above examples are merely illustrative and do not limit other implementations of the embodiments of the present application.

[0228] Further, after the first frame ends, when the result of STA1's channel sensing in the first interframe interval is that the channel is idle, STA1 sends the next PPDU (ie, PPDU12) on the first link after the first interframe interval ends.

[0229] Optionally, if channel sensing is not required within the first interframe interval, the next PPDU (ie, PPDU12) is sent directly after the first interframe interval ends.

[0230] In the embodiment of the present application, after receiving an erroneous response frame (BA or ACK), the NSTR MLD can adjust the channel sensing time to avoid the transmission actions of other links affecting the channel sensing results. At the same time, the interframe interval meets the communication requirements.

[0231] Next, we introduce a scheme where the first and second frames are PPDUs. Please refer to FIG11 , which is a flow chart of another channel sensing method proposed in an embodiment of the present application. Another channel sensing method proposed in an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0232] 1101. A first STA in an NSTR MLD transmits a first frame on a first link, and a second STA in the NSTR MLD transmits a second frame on a second link.

[0233] In this embodiment, the first STA in the NSTR MLD sends a first frame on the first link, and the first frame is a PPDU. The second STA in the NSTR MLD sends a second frame on the second link, and the second frame is a PPDU. The end time of the first frame is later than the end time of the second frame.

[0234] For example, please refer to Figure 12, which is a schematic diagram of an inter-frame interval proposed in an embodiment of the present application. The first frame can be schematically represented as PPDU12, and the second frame can be schematically represented as PPDU22.

[0235] 1102. NSTR MLD determines the frame that failed to be transmitted.

[0236] In this embodiment, the NSTR MLD determines whether the first frame and the second frame are frames that have failed to be transmitted.

[0237] When the first frame is PPDU12 and the second frame is PPDU22, NSTR MLD determines the frames that failed to be transmitted as follows:

[0238] After NSTR MLD (STA1) sends the first frame, within a specific time after the end of the first frame transmission (sending end), STA1 is not triggered by the primitive physical layer reception start indication PHY-RXSTART.indication, then NSTR MLD determines that the first frame is a frame with failed transmission.

[0239] After NSTR MLD (STA2) sends the second frame, within a specific time after the end of transmission (sending) of the second frame, STA2 is not triggered by the primitive physical layer reception start indication PHY-RXSTART.indication, then NSTR MLD determines that the second frame is a frame with failed transmission.

[0240] When the NSTR MLD determines that both the first frame and the second frame are frames whose transmission fails, the process goes to step 1103 .

[0241] 1103. NSTR MLD performs channel sensing.

[0242] In one possible implementation, the first STA performs channel sensing in the third inter-frame interval after the end of the first frame, where the third inter-frame interval is the difference between PIFS and a third time; the value range of the third time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the third time is 0-8 microseconds.

[0243] In another possible implementation, the duration of the third interframe interval is a short interframe spacing SIFS.

[0244] In yet another possible implementation, the second STA performs channel sensing in the fourth inter-frame interval after the end of the second frame, where the fourth inter-frame interval is the sum of SIFS and a fourth time; the value range of the fourth time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the fourth time is 0-8 microseconds.

[0245] Optionally, after the second frame ends, the second STA performs channel sensing in the fifth interframe interval after the fifth time. The sum of the time length of the fifth interframe interval and the fifth time is less than or equal to the time length of PIFS. The time length of the fifth time is 0-8 microseconds. For example, as shown in Figure 13, Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of an interframe interval proposed in an embodiment of the present application. After PPDU21 ends, STA2 performs channel sensing in the fifth interframe interval. Specifically: STA2 first waits for the fifth time (0-8 microseconds). When the fifth time ends, STA2 performs channel sensing in the fifth interframe interval.

[0246] Optionally, in the scenario shown in FIG13 , STA1 performs channel sensing in the third interframe interval after the end of PPDU11. The third interframe interval is as described in FIG12 above and is not repeated here. Optionally, STA1 performs channel sensing in the SIFS after the end of PPDU11.

[0247] Based on the above description, taking Figures 12 and 13 as examples, Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of an interframe interval in an embodiment of the present application. The following example illustrates a specific implementation method of NSTR MLD performing channel sensing:

[0248] For example, STA1 performs channel sensing in the third interframe interval after PPDU11, where the third interframe interval is the difference between PIFS and the third time. Correspondingly, STA2 performs channel sensing in the fourth interframe interval after PPDU21, where the fourth interframe interval is PIFS.

[0249] For example, STA1 performs channel sensing in the third interframe interval after the end of PPDU11. The duration of the third interframe interval is the difference between the PIFS and the third time. Accordingly, STA2 performs channel sensing in the fifth interframe interval after the fifth time has passed after the end of PPDU21. The sum of the fifth interframe interval and the fifth time is less than or equal to the PIFS. The value of the fifth time ranges from 0 to 8 microseconds.

[0250] For example, STA1 performs channel sensing in the third interframe interval after the end of PPDU11, where the third interframe interval is the short interframe interval (SIFS). Correspondingly, STA2 performs channel sensing in the fourth interframe interval after the end of PPDU21, where the fourth interframe interval is the sum of SIFS and the fourth time.

[0251] For example, STA1 performs channel sensing in the third interframe interval after the end of PPDU11, where the duration of the third interframe interval is the short interframe interval (SIFS). Accordingly, STA2 performs channel sensing in the fifth interframe interval after the fifth time has passed after the end of PPDU21, where the sum of the fifth interframe interval and the fifth time is less than or equal to the sum of the SIFS and the fourth time. The fifth time ranges from 0 to 8 microseconds.

[0252] It should be noted that the above examples are merely illustrative and do not limit other implementations of the embodiments of the present application.

[0253] Further, after the first frame ends, when STA1 performs channel sensing in the third interframe interval and the channel is idle, STA1 sends the next PPDU (ie, PPDU12) on the first link at the end of the third interframe interval.

[0254] After the second frame ends, when STA2 performs channel sensing within the fourth interframe interval (fifth interframe interval) and the channel is idle, STA2 sends the next PPDU (i.e., PPDU22) on the second link at the end of the fourth interframe interval (fifth interframe interval).

[0255] The specific selection of the third, fourth, and fifth times can be determined by measuring the difference between the end time of the first frame and the end time of the second frame using the NSTR MLD, or can be pre-configured in the NSTR MLD, without limitation herein. For example, if the difference between the end time of the first frame and the end time of the second frame measured by the NSTR MLD is 5 microseconds, the value range of the third time is determined to be 5 microseconds.

[0256] In the embodiment of the present application, after the NSTR MLD sends an erroneous PPDU, the channel sensing time can be adjusted to avoid the influence of the transmission actions of other links on the channel sensing results. At the same time, the interframe interval meets the communication requirements.

[0257] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 11-13 above, in the scenario where the first frame and the second frame are PPDUs, the following scheme is also included. Please refer to Figure 14, which is a flow chart of a channel sensing method proposed in an embodiment of the present application. The channel sensing method proposed in an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0258] 1401. A first STA in an NSTR MLD transmits a first frame on a first link, and a second STA in the NSTR MLD transmits a second frame on a second link.

[0259] In this embodiment, the first STA in the NSTR MLD sends a first frame on the first link, and the first frame is a PPDU. The second STA in the NSTR MLD sends a second frame on the second link, and the second frame is a PPDU. The end time of the first frame is later than the end time of the second frame.

[0260] For example, please refer to Figure 15, which is a schematic diagram of an inter-frame interval proposed in an embodiment of the present application. The first frame can be illustrated as PPDU12, and the second frame can be illustrated as PPDU22.

[0261] 1402. NSTR MLD determines the frame that failed to be transmitted.

[0262] In this embodiment, the manner in which the NSTR MLD determines whether the first frame and the second frame are frames that have failed to be transmitted is the same as that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 11 , and will not be described in detail herein.

[0263] When the NSTR MLD determines that both the first frame and the second frame are frames whose transmission fails, the process goes to step 1403 .

[0264] 1403. After the second frame ends, the second STA performs channel sensing.

[0265] In this embodiment, in one possible implementation, as shown in FIG15 , after the second frame (PPDU21) ends, STA2 performs channel sensing in the sixth interframe interval. The sixth interframe interval duration is the sum of the acknowledgment timeout (AckTimeout) and the sixth time. Optionally, the sixth time duration ranges from 0 to 4 microseconds or from 0 to 8 microseconds. The sixth interframe interval is also called the reserved interframe interval.

[0266] In another possible implementation, as shown in Figure 16, which is a schematic diagram of an interframe interval proposed in an embodiment of the present application, STA2 performs channel sensing in the seventh interframe interval after the seventh time period has elapsed after the second frame (PPDU21) ends. The sum of the seventh time period and the seventh interframe interval equals the duration of the sixth interframe interval. Optionally, the seventh time period ranges from 0 to 8 microseconds.

[0267] In the embodiment of the present application, after the NSTR MLD sends an erroneous PPDU, the channel sensing time can be adjusted to avoid the transmission actions of other links affecting the channel sensing results. At the same time, the interframe interval meets the communication requirements.

[0268] Taking the communication scenario shown in Figure 3 as an example, MLD301 can serve as a transmitting MLD, and MLD302 can serve as a receiving MLD. The 802.11ax standard introduces the interaction of multiple user request to send (MU-RTS) / clear to send (CTS) frames. By using MU-RTS / CTS frame interaction, the AP and multiple STAs can perform channel protection simultaneously. The basic process is that after the AP competes for the channel, it sends a MU-RTS frame, where the MU-RTS frame carries one or more association identifiers (AIDs) of the target STA. When the target STA receives the MU-RTS frame and confirms that it belongs to the target STA, it performs channel sensing (also known as energy detection) within the SIFS time after the MU-RTS frame. If the channel sensing result is idle, it replies with a CTS frame. If the channel sensing result is busy, it does not reply with a CTS frame. It should be noted that when the AP sends a MU-RTS frame to only one STA, if the STA detects the MU-RTS frame and determines that it is the target STA, the STA sends a CTS to the AP. In other words, only one STA replies to the CTS.

[0269] For ease of understanding, please refer to Figure 17, which is a schematic diagram of an interframe spacing proposed in an embodiment of the present application. It should be noted that the transmitting-side MLD can be an AP MLD, as shown in Figure 17 where the transmitting-side MLD includes AP1 and AP2, or a STA MLD; the receiving-side MLD can be a STA MLD, as shown in Figure 17 where the receiving-side MLD includes STA1 and STA2, or an AP MLD. Depending on whether the MLD has STR capability, the transmitting-side MLD can be a STR MLD or an NSTR MLD; the receiving-side MLD is an NSTR MLD.

[0270] Taking Figure 17 as an example, AP1 in the transmitting MLD sends MU-RTS1 to the receiving MLD via the first link (link 1), and AP2 in the transmitting MLD sends MU-RTS2 to the receiving MLD via the second link (link 2). Because the first and second links are an NSTR link pair relative to the receiving MLD, the maximum difference between the end time of MU-RTS1 and the end time of MU-RTS2 can be 8 microseconds, and the end time of MU-RTS1 is earlier than the end time of MU-RTS2. Correspondingly, when the end time of MU-RTS1 differs by 8 microseconds from the end time of MU-RTS2, the start time of CTS1 differs by 8 microseconds from the start time of CTS2, and the start time of CTS1 is earlier than the start time of CTS2.

[0271] In the time interval for channel sensing, the last 4us is generally the transition from the receiving state to the transmitting state. Therefore, channel sensing is not actually performed within this time (4us), so the channel state of these 4 microseconds will not affect the result of channel sensing. This 4 microseconds is also called the receiving-transmitting conversion time (RX / TX time). Therefore, when the end time of MU-RTS1 differs from the end time of MU-RTS2 by more than 4 microseconds, taking the end time of MU-RTS1 as an example, which is earlier than the end time of MU-RTS2. Then, the CTS1 replied by the receiving end MLD on the first link (link 1) will affect the channel detection result of STA2 in the receiving end MLD. The cross-link interference caused by this CTS1 makes the channel sensing result of STA2 busy. Therefore, STA2 cannot send CTS2.

[0272] Based on this, the present invention proposes two solutions to the above problem: (1) by limiting the difference between the end times of the MU-RTS sent by the transmitting MLD and (2) by stipulating the time interval for channel listening before the receiving MLD sends the CTS frame. These solutions are described below.

[0273] (1) By limiting the difference in the end time of sending MU-RTS by the sending MLD.

[0274] This embodiment of the present application provides a method for sending an MU-RTS frame, which is applied to a transmitting MLD. The method includes:

[0275] The transmitting end MLD includes a first access point AP and a second AP, wherein the first AP transmits a first multi-user request to send frame MU-RTS on a first link, and the second AP transmits a second multi-user request to send frame MU-RTS on a second link;

[0276] The maximum difference between the end time of the first MU-RTS and the end time of the second MU-RTS is 4 microseconds.

[0277] Specifically, taking Figure 18 as an example, the first AP is AP1, the second AP is AP2, the first link is link 1, the second link is link 2, the first MU-RTS is MU-RTS1, and the second MU-RTS is MU-RTS2. When the end time of MU-RTS1 differs from the end time of MU-RTS2 by a maximum of 4 microseconds, the maximum difference between the start time of CTS1 and CTS2 is also 4 microseconds. Therefore, the interference of the CTS frame (CTS1) sent in advance on the other link (link 2) will not affect the channel sensing results on the other link. STA2 in the receiving-end MLD can send CTS2 normally.

[0278] In the embodiment of the present application, the maximum value of the difference between the end times of MU-RTS on different links is limited to avoid interference between the reply frames (CTS) of the MU-RTS, thereby ensuring the normal transmission of CTS.

[0279] (2) By agreeing on the time interval before the receiving end MLD sends a CTS frame.

[0280] This embodiment of the present application provides a method for sending a CTS frame, which is applied to a receiving end MLD and includes:

[0281] The receiving end MLD includes a first access point STA, wherein the first STA receives a first MU-RTS on a first link;

[0282] The first STA sends a first clear-to-send frame CTS on the first link. The start time of the first CTS differs from the end time of the first MU-RTS by the eighth interframe interval, and the duration of the eighth interframe interval is greater than or equal to the duration of the SIFS.

[0283] In a possible implementation, the eighth inter-frame interval is the sum of the eighth time and SIFS, and the eighth time has a value range of 0-4 microseconds, or the eighth time has a value range of 0-8 microseconds.

[0284] In a possible implementation, the first STA performs channel sensing in the eighth interframe interval.

[0285] In a possible implementation, the receiving-end MLD further includes a second access point STA, wherein the second STA receives a second MU-RTS on the second link, and an end time of the second MU-RTS is later than that of the first MU-RTS;

[0286] The second STA sends a second clear to send frame CTS on the second link, and the start time of the second CTS differs from the end time of the second MU-RTS by a SIFS.

[0287] Specifically, taking Figure 19 as an example, the first STA is STA1, the second STA is STA2, the first link is link1, the second link is link, the first CTS is CTS1, and the second CTS is CTS2. When the eighth time ranges from 0 to 4 microseconds, the two STAs on the receiving end MLD can always reduce the transmission time alignment error of the two CTS frames to within 4 microseconds. Therefore, sending an earlier CTS (CTS1) will not affect the channel sensing before sending the later CTS (CTS2).

[0288] When the value range of the eighth time is 0 to 8 microseconds, the two STAs of the receiving end MLD can always reduce the transmission time alignment error of the two CTS frames to 0 microseconds. In this way, not only will the sending of the earlier CTS (CTS1) not affect the channel listening before the sending of the later CTS (CTS2), but the alignment error of the CTS frame can also be minimized, so that the subsequent PPDU can be better aligned.

[0289] In the embodiment of the present application, the time interval before the receiving end MLD sends the CTS frame is agreed upon to avoid interference between CTS frames on different links and ensure the normal transmission of CTS.

[0290] The above mainly introduces the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication device, which is used to implement the various methods described above. The communication device can be the NSTR MLD in the above method embodiments, or a device that includes the above NSTR MLD, or a device included in the above NSTR MLD, such as a system chip. Alternatively, the communication device can be the transmitting-end MLD in the above method embodiments, or a device that includes the above transmitting-end MLD, or a device included in the above transmitting-end MLD, such as a system chip. Alternatively, the communication device can be the receiving-end MLD in the above method embodiments, or a device that includes the above receiving-end MLD, or a device included in the above receiving-end MLD, such as a system chip.

[0291] It is understandable that, in order to realize the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0292] In the embodiment of the present application, the functional modules of the communication device can be divided according to the above method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0293] For example, consider the NSTR MLD in the above method embodiment as a communication device. FIG20 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an NSTR MLD. The NSTR MLD 2000 includes a listening module 2002 and a processing module 2001. Listening module 2002, also known as a transceiver unit, implements transmitting and / or receiving functions and can be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0294] In one possible implementation:

[0295] A processing module 2001 is configured to determine that at least one of the first frame and the second frame fails in transmission;

[0296] The monitoring module 2002 is configured to perform channel monitoring in a first interframe interval after the first frame ends, wherein the duration of the first interframe interval is less than or equal to the duration of the point coordination function interframe interval PIFS.

[0297] Alternatively, the listening module 2002 is used for the second STA to perform channel listening in a second inter-frame interval after the second frame ends, wherein the time length of the second inter-frame interval is greater than or equal to the time length of the short frame spacing SIFS and less than or equal to the time length of PIFS.

[0298] Optionally, when the first frame transmission fails, the time of the first inter-frame interval is the difference between PIFS and the first time;

[0299] The value range of the first time is 0-4 microseconds.

[0300] Optionally, when the transmission of the second frame fails, the time of the first inter-frame interval is the difference between PIFS and the first time;

[0301] The value range of the first time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the first time is 0-8 microseconds, or the value range of the first time is 0-9 microseconds, or the value range of the first time is 0-12 microseconds.

[0302] Optionally, when the transmission of the first frame and the second frame fails, the time of the first inter-frame interval is the difference between PIFS and the first time;

[0303] The value range of the first time is 0-4 microseconds.

[0304] Optionally, when the first frame transmission fails, the second inter-frame interval is the sum of a short interframe spacing SIFS and a second time;

[0305] The second time has a value range of 0-4 microseconds.

[0306] Optionally, when the second frame fails to be transmitted, the second inter-frame interval is the sum of a short interframe spacing SIFS and a second time;

[0307] The value range of the second time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the second time is 0-8 microseconds.

[0308] Optionally, when the transmission of the first frame and the second frame fails, the time of the second inter-frame interval is the sum of the short interframe spacing SIFS and the second time;

[0309] The value range of the second time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the second time is 0-8 microseconds.

[0310] Another possible implementation:

[0311] The processing module 2001 is configured to determine that a first physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) transmission on a first link fails;

[0312] The monitoring module 2002 is configured to perform channel monitoring in a first interframe interval after the first frame ends, wherein the duration of the first interframe interval is less than or equal to the duration of the point coordination function interframe interval PIFS.

[0313] Alternatively, after the second frame ends, channel sensing is performed in a second interframe interval, wherein the duration of the second interframe interval is greater than or equal to the duration of a short interframe space SIFS and less than or equal to the duration of PIFS.

[0314] In another possible implementation:

[0315] The processing module 2001 is configured to determine that the transmission of the first frame and the second frame fails;

[0316] A monitoring module 2002 is configured to perform channel monitoring in a third interframe interval after the first frame ends, where the third interframe interval is less than or equal to a PIFS time length;

[0317] The monitoring module 2002 is further configured to perform channel monitoring in a fourth interframe interval after the second frame ends, where the fourth interframe interval is less than or equal to the length of the PIFS.

[0318] Optionally, the time of the third inter-frame interval is the difference between PIFS and the third time;

[0319] The value range of the third time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the third time is 0-8 microseconds, or the value range of the third time is 0-9 microseconds.

[0320] Optionally, the fourth inter-frame interval is the sum of a short frame spacing SIFS and a fourth time;

[0321] The value range of the fourth time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the fourth time is 0-8 microseconds.

[0322] Optionally, the monitoring module 2002 is further used to perform channel monitoring in a fifth interframe interval after a fifth time has passed after the end of the second frame, wherein the sum of the time length of the fifth interframe interval and the fifth time is less than or equal to the time length of PIFS.

[0323] Optionally, the value range of the fifth time is 0-8 microseconds.

[0324] In another possible implementation:

[0325] The processing module 2001 is configured to determine that the transmission of the first frame and the second frame fails;

[0326] The monitoring module 2002 is configured to perform channel monitoring in a sixth interframe interval after the second frame ends. The sixth interframe interval is the sum of the acknowledgment timeout AckTimeout and a sixth time.

[0327] Optionally, the value range of the sixth time is 0-4 microseconds.

[0328] Optionally, the monitoring module 2002 is further configured to perform channel monitoring in a seventh interframe interval after a seventh time has passed after the second frame ends, and the sum of the seventh time and the seventh interframe interval is equal to the time length of the sixth interframe interval.

[0329] Optionally, the value range of the seventh time is 0-8 microseconds.

[0330] Among them, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0331] In this embodiment, the NSTR MLD2000 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. Here, "module" can refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0332] Since the NSTR MLD2000 provided in this embodiment can execute the above-mentioned communication method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0333] FIG21 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware structure of a communication device 210 according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the communication device 210 includes at least one processor 2101 , a communication circuit 2102 , a memory 2103 , and at least one communication interface 2104 .

[0334] Processor 2101 and processor 2108 are primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, as well as control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process software program data. Memory 2103 is primarily used to store software programs and data. The communication device may also include a control circuit and an antenna (not shown). The control circuit is primarily used to convert baseband signals into radio frequency signals and process radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Output device 2105 and input device 2106, such as a touch screen, display screen, keyboard, etc., are primarily used to receive data input by the user and output data to the user.

[0335] When the communication device is turned on, the processor 2101 and the processor 2108 can read the software program in the memory 2103, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be sent wirelessly, the processor 2101 and the processor 2108 perform baseband processing on the data to be sent, and then output the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal to the outside in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 2101 and the processor 2108. The processor 2101 and the processor 2108 convert the baseband signal into data and process the data.

[0336] In another implementation, the above-mentioned RF circuit and antenna can be set independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the RF circuit and antenna can be arranged remotely from the communication device.

[0337] The functions of the NSTR MLD described above can be implemented by the communication device 210. For example, the processor 2101 in FIG21 can call computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 2103 to enable the communication device 210 to execute the method in the above method embodiment.

[0338] Specifically, the steps / implementation processes of FIG6 or FIG11 or FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 2101 in FIG21 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 2103. Alternatively, the processing-related functions / implementation processes in FIG6 or FIG11 or FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 2101 in FIG21 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 2103, and the transceiver-related functions / implementation processes in FIG6 or FIG11 or FIG14 can be implemented by the communication interface 2104 in FIG21.

[0339] The processor 2101 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of the program of the present application.

[0340] The communication link 2102 may include a path to transmit information between the above components.

[0341] The communication interface 2104 uses any transceiver or other device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), etc.

[0342] The memory 2103 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, an optical disc storage (including a compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory may be independent and connected to the processor via a communication line 2102. The memory may also be integrated with the processor.

[0343] The memory 2103 is used to store computer-executable instructions for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 2101. The processor 2101 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 2103, thereby implementing the link error recovery method provided in the following embodiments of the present application.

[0344] Among them, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding device and will not be repeated here.

[0345] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0346] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 2101 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in Figure 21.

[0347] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 210 may include multiple processors, such as the processor 2101 and the processor 2108 in FIG21 . Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. The processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0348] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 210 may further include an output device 2105 and an input device 2106. The output device 2105 communicates with the processor 2101 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 2105 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 2106 communicates with the processor 2101 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 2106 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0349] The communication device 210 can be a general-purpose device or a dedicated device. In a specific implementation, the communication device 210 can be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a network server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal device, an embedded device, or a device with a structure similar to that shown in FIG21 . The present embodiment does not limit the type of the communication device 210.

[0350] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system), which includes a processor for implementing the method in any of the above method embodiments. In one possible design, the communication device also includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary program instructions and data, and the processor can call the program code stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute the method in any of the above method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be in the communication device. When the communication device is a chip system, it may be composed of a chip, or it may include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0351] In one example, any of the above communication devices (or modules in the communication device) can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above method, such as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more digital singnal processors (DSPs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms. For another example, when the module in the communication device can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element can be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or other processor that can call a program. For another example, these modules can be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0352] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, including a memory and a processor, the memory is used to store computer programs, and the processor is used to call and run computer programs from the memory, so that the chip executes any one of the implementation methods shown in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0353] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, including a processor, which is used to call and run a computer program so that the chip executes any one of the implementation methods shown in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0354] It should also be noted that the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative, wherein the units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place, or they may be distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment. In addition, in the drawings of the device embodiments provided in this application, the connection relationship between the modules indicates that there is a communication connection between them, which can be specifically implemented as one or more communication buses or signal lines.

[0355] Through the description of the above implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the present application can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware, and of course can also be implemented by dedicated hardware including application-specific integrated circuits, dedicated CPUs, dedicated memories, dedicated components, etc. In general, all functions performed by computer programs can be easily implemented with corresponding hardware, and the specific hardware structures used to implement the same function can also be diverse, such as analog circuits, digital circuits, or dedicated circuits. However, for the present application, software program implementation is a better implementation method in most cases. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a readable storage medium, such as a computer's floppy disk, USB flash drive, mobile hard disk, ROM, RAM, magnetic disk or optical disk, etc., and includes a number of instructions for enabling a computer device to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present application.

[0356] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product.

[0357] The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, a computer, a terminal device, a network device, a computing device, or a data center by wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website, a computer, a terminal device, a network device, a computing device, or a data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can store or a data storage device such as a terminal device, a network device, a data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, (such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid-state drive (SSD)).

[0358] It should be understood that “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” appearing throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0359] In this document, the term "and / or" simply describes a relationship between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0360] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A and B can be determined based on A. However, it should also be understood that determining B based on A does not mean determining B based solely on A, but B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0361] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the composition and steps of each example have been generally described in terms of function in the above description. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0362] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0363] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0364] Modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of these modules may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment based on actual needs.

[0365] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a processing module, or each module may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module. The above-mentioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules.

[0366] If the integrated module is implemented in the form of a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the various embodiments of the present application.

[0367] In short, the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the technical solution of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of this application shall be included in the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A channel monitoring method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a multi-link device NSTR MLD that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive multi-links, and the method includes: The multi-link device that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive includes a first station STA and a second station STA, wherein the first STA transmits a first frame on a first link, and the second STA transmits a second frame on a second link, the first frame is an acknowledgment block BA, the second frame is a BA, and an end time of the first frame is later than an end time of the second frame; The NSTR MLD determines that at least one of the first frame and the second frame has failed to be transmitted; After the first frame ends, the first STA performs channel sensing in a first interframe interval, wherein the duration of the first interframe interval is less than or equal to the duration of the point coordination function interframe interval PIFS. Alternatively, the second STA performs channel sensing in a second interframe interval after the second frame ends, wherein the time length of the second interframe interval is greater than or equal to the time length of the short interframe spacing SIFS and less than or equal to the time length of PIFS.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that When the transmission of the first frame fails, the time of the first inter-frame interval is the difference between PIFS and the first time; The value range of the first time is 0-4 microseconds.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that When the transmission of the second frame fails, the time of the first inter-frame interval is the difference between PIFS and the first time; The value range of the first time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the first time is 0-8 microseconds, or the value range of the first time is 0-9 microseconds, or the value range of the first time is 0-12 microseconds.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that When the first frame transmission fails and the second frame transmission fails, the time of the first inter-frame interval is the difference between PIFS and the first time; The value range of the first time is 0-4 microseconds.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that When the transmission of the first frame fails, the time of the second inter-frame interval is the sum of the short frame interval SIFS and the second time; The second time has a value range of 0-4 microseconds.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that When the second frame fails to be transmitted, the second inter-frame interval is the sum of the short frame spacing SIFS and the second time; The value range of the second time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the second time is 0-8 microseconds.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that When the first frame transmission fails and the second frame transmission fails, the second inter-frame interval is a sum of a short interframe spacing SIFS and a second time; The value range of the second time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the second time is 0-8 microseconds.

8. A channel monitoring method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a multi-link device NSTR MLD that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive multi-links, and the method includes: The multi-link device that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive includes a first station STA and a second station STA, wherein the first STA transmits a first frame on a first link, and the second STA transmits a second frame on a second link, the first frame is a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU, the second frame is a PPDU, and an end time of the first frame is later than an end time of the second frame; The NSTR MLD determines that the transmission of the first frame and the second frame fails; After the first frame ends, the first STA performs channel sensing in a third interframe interval, where the third interframe interval is less than or equal to a length of PIFS; Alternatively, after the second frame ends, the second STA performs channel sensing in a fourth interframe interval, where the fourth interframe interval is greater than or equal to a time length of a short interframe space SIFS and less than or equal to a time length of PIFS.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The time of the third interframe interval is the difference between PIFS and the third time; The value range of the third time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the third time is 0-8 microseconds.

10. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 9, characterized in that The fourth interframe interval is the sum of the short frame spacing SIFS and the fourth time; The value range of the fourth time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the fourth time is 0-8 microseconds.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: After the second frame ends, the second STA performs channel sensing in a fifth interframe interval after a fifth time, wherein the sum of the time length of the fifth interframe interval and the fifth time is less than or equal to the time length of PIFS.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The value range of the fifth time is 0-8 microseconds.

13. A channel monitoring method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a multi-link device NSTR MLD that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive multi-links, and the method includes: The multi-link device that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive includes a first station STA and a second station STA, wherein the first STA transmits a first frame on a first link, and the second STA transmits a second frame on a second link, the first frame is an acknowledgment block physical layer protocol data unit PPDU, the second frame is a PPDU, and an end time of the first frame is later than an end time of the second frame; After the second frame ends, the second STA performs channel sensing in a sixth interframe interval, where the time of the sixth interframe interval is the sum of the acknowledgment timeout AckTimeout and the sixth time.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The value range of the sixth time is 0-4 microseconds.

15. The method according to any one of claims 13-14, characterized in that The method further comprises: After the second frame ends, the second STA performs channel sensing in a seventh interframe interval after a seventh time, and the sum of the seventh time and the seventh interframe interval is equal to the time length of the sixth interframe interval.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The value range of the seventh time is 0-8 microseconds.

17. A multi-link device NSTR MLD that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive, characterized in that: The multi-link device that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive includes a first station STA and a second station STA, wherein the first STA transmits a first frame on a first link, and the second STA transmits a second frame on a second link, the first frame is an acknowledgment block BA, the second frame is a BA, and the end time of the first frame is later than the end time of the second frame, and the NSTR MLD includes: a processing module and a listening module; The processing module is configured to determine that at least one of the first frame and the second frame has failed in transmission; The monitoring module is configured to perform channel monitoring in a first interframe interval after the first frame ends, wherein the duration of the first interframe interval is less than or equal to the duration of the point coordination function interframe interval PIFS. Alternatively, the monitoring module is configured to perform channel monitoring in a second interframe interval after the second frame ends, wherein the second interframe interval is longer than or equal to a short interframe space SIFS and shorter than or equal to a PIFS.

18. The NSTR MLD according to claim 17, wherein: When the transmission of the first frame fails, the time of the first inter-frame interval is the difference between PIFS and the first time; The value range of the first time is 0-4 microseconds.

19. The NSTR MLD according to any one of claims 17-18, characterized in that When the transmission of the second frame fails, the time of the first inter-frame interval is the difference between PIFS and the first time; The value range of the first time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the first time is 0-8 microseconds, or the value range of the first time is 0-9 microseconds, or the value range of the first time is 0-12 microseconds.

20. The NSTR MLD according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein: When the first frame transmission fails and the second frame transmission fails, the time of the first inter-frame interval is the difference between PIFS and the first time; The value range of the first time is 0-4 microseconds.

21. The NSTR MLD according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein: When the transmission of the first frame fails, the time of the second inter-frame interval is the sum of the short frame interval SIFS and the second time; The second time has a value range of 0-4 microseconds.

22. The NSTR MLD according to any one of claims 17 to 21, wherein: When the second frame fails to be transmitted, the second inter-frame interval is the sum of the short frame spacing SIFS and the second time; The value range of the second time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the second time is 0-8 microseconds.

23. The NSTR MLD according to any one of claims 17 to 22, wherein: When the first frame transmission fails and the second frame transmission fails, the second inter-frame interval is a sum of a short interframe spacing SIFS and a second time; The value range of the second time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the second time is 0-8 microseconds.

24. A multi-link device NSTR MLD that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive, characterized in that: The NSTR MLD includes a first station STA and a second station STA, wherein the first STA transmits a first frame on a first link, and the second STA transmits a second frame on a second link, the first frame is a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU, the second frame is a PPDU, and the end time of the first frame is later than the end time of the second frame, and the NSTR MLD includes: a processing module and a listening module; The processing module is configured to determine that the transmission of the first frame and the second frame fails; The monitoring module is configured to perform channel monitoring in a third interframe interval after the first frame ends, where the third interframe interval is less than or equal to a time length of PIFS; Alternatively, the monitoring module is further configured to perform channel monitoring in a fourth interframe interval after the second frame ends, where the fourth interframe interval is greater than or equal to a time length of a short interframe space SIFS and less than or equal to a time length of PIFS.

25. The NSTR MLD according to claim 24, wherein The time of the third interframe interval is the difference between PIFS and the third time; The value range of the third time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the third time is 0-8 microseconds, or the value range of the third time is 0-9 microseconds.

26. The NSTR MLD according to any one of claims 24-25, characterized in that The fourth interframe interval is the sum of the short frame spacing SIFS and the fourth time; The value range of the fourth time is 0-4 microseconds, or the value range of the fourth time is 0-8 microseconds.

27. The NSTR MLD according to any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein: The monitoring module is further configured to perform channel monitoring in a fifth interframe interval after a fifth time has passed after the second frame ends, wherein the sum of the time length of the fifth interframe interval and the fifth time is less than or equal to the time length of PIFS.

28. The NSTR MLD according to claim 27, wherein The value range of the fifth time is 0-8 microseconds.

29. A multi-link device NSTR MLD that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive, characterized in that: The NSTR MLD includes a first station STA and a second station STA, wherein the first STA transmits a first frame on a first link, and the second STA transmits a second frame on a second link, the first frame is a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU, the second frame is a PPDU, and the end time of the first frame is later than the end time of the second frame, and the NSTR MLD includes: a processing module and a listening module; The processing module is configured to determine that the transmission of the first frame and the second frame fails; The monitoring module is configured to perform channel monitoring in a sixth interframe interval after the second frame ends, where the time of the sixth interframe interval is the sum of an acknowledgment timeout AckTimeout and a sixth time.

30. The NSTR MLD according to claim 29, wherein The value range of the sixth time is 0-4 microseconds.

31. The NSTR MLD according to any one of claims 29-30, characterized in that The monitoring module is further configured to perform channel monitoring in a seventh interframe interval after a seventh time has passed after the second frame ends, and the sum of the seventh time and the seventh interframe interval is equal to the time length of the sixth interframe interval.

32. The NSTR MLD according to claim 31, wherein The value range of the seventh time is 0-8 microseconds.

33. A multi-link device, characterized in that: The multi-link device includes: a processor; When the multi-link device is running, the processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, so that the multi-link device performs the method according to any one of claims 1-7, claims 8-12, or claims 13-16.

34. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium includes computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on the multi-link device, the multi-link device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, claims 8 to 12, or claims 13 to 16.

35. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed on a multi-link device, the multi-link device is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, claims 8 to 12, or claims 13 to 16.

36. A chip, characterized in that: The chip includes a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to communicate with a module outside the chip, and the processor is used to run a computer program or instruction to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-7, or claims 8-12, or claims 13-16.

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