Wireless communication method and device

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application provide a wireless communication method and a device. An STA grouping function is introduced during channel contention, such that the allocation of a TXOP is more efficient, and the usage frequency of a multi-user uplink (MU UL) is increased, thus reducing the delay of uplink and downlink data transmission, and alleviating the delay jitter. The wireless communication method is applied to an STA, wherein the STA has uplink data to be transmitted. The method comprises: an STA sending a first MAC frame, wherein the first MAC frame is used for channel contention, and a channel contention result corresponding to the first MAC frame is associated with group information of the STA.

Description

Wireless communication method and device Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a method and device for wireless communications. Background Art

[0002] In wireless local area networks (WLANs), the Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) mechanism has been introduced to improve channel access performance. However, in some scenarios, with a large number of stations (STAs), the performance of the current EDCA mechanism needs further improvement.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a method and device for wireless communication, which introduces a STA grouping function in channel competition, makes TXOP allocation more efficient, increases the frequency of multi-user uplink (MU UL), thereby reducing the latency of uplink and downlink data transmission and alleviating latency jitter.

[0005] In a first aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, applied to a station STA, where the STA has uplink data to be transmitted, the method comprising:

[0006] The STA sends a first media access control MAC frame; wherein the first MAC frame is used to compete for a channel, and a channel competition result corresponding to the first MAC frame is associated with the grouping information of the STA.

[0007] In a second aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, applied to an access point (AP), the method comprising:

[0008] The AP receives a first media access control MAC frame sent by a station STA;

[0009] The first MAC frame is used to compete for a channel, a channel competition result corresponding to the first MAC frame is associated with grouping information of the STA, and the STA has uplink data to be transmitted.

[0010] In a third aspect, a STA is provided for executing the method in the first aspect.

[0011] Specifically, the STA includes a functional module for executing the method in the above-mentioned first aspect.

[0012] In a fourth aspect, an AP is provided for executing the method in the second aspect.

[0013] Specifically, the AP includes a functional module for executing the method in the above second aspect.

[0014] In a fifth aspect, a STA is provided, comprising a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the STA executes the method in the above-mentioned first aspect.

[0015] In a sixth aspect, an AP is provided, comprising a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the AP executes the method in the above-mentioned second aspect.

[0016] In a seventh aspect, a device is provided for implementing the method in any one of the first to second aspects above.

[0017] Specifically, the apparatus includes: a processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the apparatus executes the method in any one of the first to second aspects described above.

[0018] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a computer to execute the method in any one of the first to second aspects above.

[0019] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising computer program instructions, wherein the computer program instructions enable a computer to execute the method in any one of the first to second aspects above.

[0020] In a tenth aspect, a computer program is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method in any one of the first to second aspects above.

[0021] Through the above technical solution, the STA grouping function is introduced in channel competition, the allocation of TXOP is more efficient, and the utilization frequency of multi-user uplink (MU UL) is increased, thereby reducing the latency of uplink and downlink data transmission and alleviating latency jitter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture applied in an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the channel access priority and timing of QoS STA and Non-QoS STA provided in this application.

[0024] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the timing relationship of the EDCA mechanism provided in this application.

[0025] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of SU UL provided in this application.

[0026] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the MU UL provided in this application.

[0027] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the NDP Feedback Report mechanism provided in this application.

[0028] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the frame format of the NFRP Trigger frame provided by this application.

[0029] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the frame format of the Common Info field provided by this application.

[0030] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the frame format of the user information list (User Info List) field provided by this application.

[0031] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the HE TB feedback NDP format provided by this application.

[0032] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the probability of a STA or AP obtaining a TXOP in a channel competition provided by the present application.

[0033] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of three stages of channel contention provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] FIG13 is a schematic flowchart of a wireless communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0035] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a G-RTS frame provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Figures 15 to 20 are schematic diagrams of channel contention and data reception and / or transmission provided according to embodiments of the present application.

[0037] Figure 21 is a schematic block diagram of a STA provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Figure 22 is a schematic block diagram of an AP provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Figure 23 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0040] Figure 24 is a schematic block diagram of a device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0041] Figure 25 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The following will describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. With respect to the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0043] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), or other communication systems.

[0044] Please refer to Figure 1, which shows a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication system may include: an access point (AP) and a station (STA).

[0045] In some scenarios, an AP can be referred to as an AP STA, meaning that in a sense, an AP is also a type of STA. In some scenarios, a STA can be referred to as a non-AP STA.

[0046] In some embodiments, STAs may include AP STAs and non-AP STAs. Communication in a communication system may be between an AP and a non-AP STA, between a non-AP STA and a non-AP STA, or between a STA and a peer STA. A peer STA may refer to a device that communicates with a STA. For example, a peer STA may be an AP or a non-AP STA.

[0047] An AP acts as a bridge between wired and wireless networks, connecting wireless network clients together and then connecting the wireless network to the Ethernet. An AP can be a terminal device (such as a mobile phone) or a network device (such as a router) equipped with a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) chip.

[0048] It should be understood that the role of STA in the communication system is not absolute. For example, in some scenarios, when a mobile phone is connected to a router, the mobile phone is a Non-AP STA. When the mobile phone serves as a hotspot for other mobile phones, the mobile phone acts as an AP.

[0049] APs and non-AP STAs can be devices used in the Internet of Vehicles, IoT nodes and sensors in the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cameras, smart remote controls, smart water and electricity meters in smart homes, and sensors in smart cities.

[0050] In some embodiments, a non-AP STA may support 802.11be. A non-AP STA may also support various current and future 802.11 family wireless LAN standards, such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a.

[0051] In some embodiments, the AP may be a device supporting the 802.11be standard. The AP may also be a device supporting various current and future 802.11 family WLAN standards, such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a.

[0052] In the embodiment of the present application, the STA may be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer, virtual reality (VR) device, augmented reality (AR) device, wireless device in industrial control, set-top box, wireless device in self-driving, in-vehicle communication equipment, wireless device in remote medical, wireless device in smart grid, wireless device in transportation safety, wireless device in smart city, wireless device in smart home, wireless communication chip, ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), SOC (System on Chip), etc. that supports WLAN / WIFI technology.

[0053] The frequency bands supported by WLAN technology may include but are not limited to: low frequency bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz) and high frequency bands (45 GHz, 60 GHz).

[0054] There are one or more links between the station and the access point. In some embodiments, the station and the access point support multi-band communication. For example, communication is performed simultaneously on the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, 45 GHz, and 60 GHz frequency bands, or communication is performed simultaneously on different channels of the same frequency band (or different frequency bands), thereby improving the communication throughput and / or reliability between devices. Such a device is generally referred to as a multi-band device, or a multi-link device (MLD), sometimes also referred to as a multi-link entity or a multi-band entity. A multi-link device can be an access point device or a station device. If the multi-link device is an access point device, the multi-link device includes one or more APs; if the multi-link device is a station device, the multi-link device includes one or more non-AP STAs.

[0055] A multi-link device including one or more APs may be referred to as an Access Point Multi-Link Device (AP MLD), and a multi-link device including one or more non-AP STAs may be referred to as a Non-AP Multi-Link Device (Non-AP MLD).

[0056] In an embodiment of the present application, the AP may include multiple APs, the Non-AP may include multiple STAs, multiple links may be formed between the APs in the AP and the STAs in the Non-AP, and data communication may be performed between the APs in the AP and the corresponding STAs in the Non-AP through the corresponding links.

[0057] An AP is a device deployed in a wireless local area network to provide wireless communication capabilities for STAs. A station may include: User Equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device. Optionally, a station may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, or a wearable device, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0058] In some embodiments, both the station (STA) and the access point (AP) support the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0059] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and / or" is simply a description of an association 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 " / " generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0060] It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association. For example, "A indicates B" can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; it can also mean that there is an association between A and B.

[0061] The terms used in the embodiments of this application are intended only to explain the specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. The terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," etc. in the specification and claims of this application and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0062] It should be understood that the "at least one or at least one" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can mean "one or more", and the "positive integer" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can mean "values ​​such as 1, 2, 3...", and the "non-negative integer" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can mean "values ​​such as 0, 1, 2, 3...", and the "integer" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can mean "values ​​such as..., -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3,...", and can be replaced with any possible value based on the requirements of the embodiment.

[0063] It should be understood that the figures and / or tables shown in the embodiments of the present application are merely examples. Specifically, in some cases, some of the information contained in the figures and / or tables shown in the embodiments of the present application may independently constitute an optional embodiment. For example, each row or column in the table may independently constitute an optional embodiment. The present application does not limit this.

[0064] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or an association relationship between the two, or a relationship between indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0065] In the embodiments of the present application, "pre-defined" or "pre-configured" may be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (e.g., including STAs and network devices). The present application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, pre-defined may refer to what is defined in the protocol.

[0066] In the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” may refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, for example, it may include a WiFi protocol and related protocols used in future WiFi communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

[0067] To facilitate a better understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) mechanism related to the present application is described.

[0068] The IEEE 802.11e standard defines a channel access mechanism with enhanced Quality of Service (QoS): EDCA. Compared to the traditional Distributed Coordination Function (DCF), EDCA defines four different access categories (ACs): AC_VO, AC_VI, AC_BE, and AC_BK. As shown in Table 1, different ACs have different parameter settings, resulting in different priorities when accessing the medium.

[0069] Table 1 EDCA parameter setting table

[0070] in,

[0071] CW min : Indicates the minimum value of the contention window upper limit. The smaller the CW, the higher the contention window upper limit. min Have a higher priority;

[0072] CW max : Indicates the maximum value of the contention window upper limit. The smaller the CW, the higher the contention window upper limit. max Have a higher priority;

[0073] Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) Limit: Indicates the maximum duration of channel occupancy;

[0074] Arbitration Interframe Space Number (AIFSN): Indicates the number of slots a STA must wait after detecting that the channel is idle for the Short Interframe Space (SIFS) time before starting the random backoff process. A smaller AIFSN has a higher priority.

[0075] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of QoS STA using four AC access channels. It can be seen that due to different AIFSN parameters, the priorities of AC_VO, AC_VI, AC_BE, and AC_BK gradually decrease.

[0076] Figure 2 also shows the timing diagram for Non-QoS STA channel access, which is the traditional DCF mechanism. The DCF mechanism includes two scenarios: one in which a STA can transmit after detecting that the channel is idle for the priority interframe space (PIFS), and the other in which a STA can transmit after detecting that the channel is idle for the distributed interframe space (DIFS) and performing a backoff. The standard stipulates that the former is generally only used to transmit certain special-purpose frames, such as beacon frames, because these frames require a higher transmission priority. Otherwise, STAs use the latter to access the channel.

[0077] It should be noted that, in FIG2 , a QoS STA may be a STA that supports the QoS EDCA mechanism, and a Non-QoS STA may be a STA that does not support the QoS EDCA mechanism.

[0078] The timing relationship between the priority interframe space (PIFS), distributed inter-frame spacing (DIFS), arbitration interframe space (AIFS) and short interframe space (SIFS) is shown in Figure 3.

[0079] PIFS=SIFS+1×aSlotTime.

[0080] DIFS=SIFS+2×aSlotTime.

[0081] AIFS=SIFS+AIFSN×aSlotTime.

[0082] To facilitate a better understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the single-user uplink (SU UL) and multi-user uplink (MU UL) transmission processes related to the present application are described.

[0083] The SU UL process is shown in Figure 4, which includes one AP and three STAs (non-AP STAs). Each STA must first compete for a channel using the EDCA mechanism before sending uplink (UL) low latency (LL) data and receiving an acknowledgment (ACK) frame. Multiple STAs (non-AP STAs) obtain TXOPs and send uplink data serially, one after another. This SU UL uplink data transmission method results in significant uplink transmission latency and jitter, as STAs may not necessarily secure a TXOP in a timely manner.

[0084] The MU UL process is shown in Figure 5, which includes 1 AP and n STAs (non-AP STAs). First, the AP competes for the TXOP through the EDCA mechanism. Second, the AP sends a trigger frame to each STA, allocating the resources required for each STA's uplink parallel transmission. Then, the n STAs (non-AP STAs) simultaneously send high-efficiency trigger-based physical layer protocol data units (HE TB PPDUs) to transmit uplink data based on the allocated resources. Finally, the AP replies with a multi-STA block acknowledgment (Multi-STA BlockAck) frame to the n STAs to confirm whether the transmission is successful. This MU UL uplink transmission method can achieve parallel uplink transmission (i.e., the uplink transmission occupies the same time domain resources but different frequency domain and / or spatial domain resources), and has higher transmission efficiency than SU UL.

[0085] To facilitate a better understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the Null Data Physical Protocol Data Unit (NDP) feedback report mechanism related to the present application is explained.

[0086] The IEEE 802.11ax standard defines a MU UL detection mechanism that enables an AP to detect STAs (non-AP STAs) that require resource allocation before sending a trigger frame.

[0087] The MU UL detection mechanism in IEEE 802.11ax also defines two related frame structures: the Null Data Physical Protocol Data Unit Feedback Report Polling (NFRP) trigger frame and the High Efficiency Trigger Based Feedback Null Data Physical Protocol Data Unit (HE TB feedback NDP). The AP sends the NFRP Trigger frame to all non-AP STAs, triggering them to send the HE TB feedback NDP. By parsing the HE TB feedback NDP, the AP can determine which non-AP STAs need to participate in subsequent MU UL transmissions.

[0088] As shown in Figure 6, the AP sends an NFRP Trigger frame to some non-AP STAs, triggering the non-AP STAs to send HE TB feedback NDPs. By parsing the HE TB feedback NDPs, the AP can determine which non-AP STAs need to participate in the subsequent MU UL transmission and then reasonably allocate resources to the non-AP STAs in the subsequent Trigger frames to complete the MU UL transmission.

[0089] To facilitate a better understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the NFRP trigger frame related to the present application is explained.

[0090] The frame format of the NFRP trigger frame is shown in FIG7 , wherein the format of the Common Info field is shown in FIG8 , and the format of the User Info List field is shown in FIG9 .

[0091] Specifically, as shown in Figure 7, the NFRP trigger frame may include the following fields: frame control (occupies 2 bytes), duration (occupies 2 bytes), receiving address (RA) (occupies 6 bytes), sending address (TA) (occupies 6 bytes), common information (Common Info) (occupies 8 or more bytes), user information list (User Info list) (occupies a variable number of bytes), padding (occupies a variable number of bytes), frame check sequence (FCS) (occupies 4 bytes).

[0092] Specifically, as shown in Figure 8, the Common Info field may include the following fields: Trigger Type (occupies 4 bits), Uplink Length (UL Length) (occupies 12 bits), More Trigger Frames (TF) (occupies 1 bit), Carrier Sense (CS) required (occupies 1 bit), Uplink Bandwidth (BW) (occupies 2 bits), Guard Interval (GI) and High Efficiency Long Training Field (HE-LTF) type (occupies 2 bits), Multiple Users multiple-in multiple-out (MU-MIMO) HE-LTF mode (occupies 1 bit), Number of HE-LTF symbols and midamble period (occupies 3 bits), Uplink Space Time Block Code (STBC) (occupies 1 bit), Low-density parity check (low-density parity) check, LDPC) additional symbol segment (occupies 1 bit), AP transmit power (occupies 6 bits), pre-forward error correction (Pre-FEC) filling factor (occupies 2 bits), packet extension (PE) disambiguation (occupies 1 bit), uplink spatial reuse (occupies 16 bits), Doppler (occupies 1 bit), uplink High Efficiency Signaling Field A2 (High Efficiency-SINGAL field-A2, HE-SIG-A2) reserved (occupies 9 bits), reserved (occupies 1 bit), trigger-related public information (occupies a variable number of bits).

[0093] Among them, the uplink bandwidth (UL BW) field indicates the bandwidth of the NDP feedback report response; the UL STBC, LDPC Extra Symbol Segment, Pre-FEC Padding Factor, PE Disambiguity, UL Spatial Reuse and Doppler fields are reserved; the Number Of HE-LTF Symbols and Midamble Periodicity fields indicate the number of HE-LTF symbols present in the NDP feedback report response and are set to 1; the GI And HE-LTF Type field is set to 2; the Trigger Dependent Common Info field does not exist.

[0094] Specifically, as shown in Figure 9, the user information list (User Info List) field may include the following fields: starting AID (occupying 12 bits), reserved (occupying 9 bits), feedback type (occupying 4 bits), reserved (occupying 7 bits), uplink target receive power (UL Target Receive Power) (occupying 7 bits), and the number of spatially multiplexed users (Number Of Spatially Multiplexed Users) (occupying 1 bit).

[0095] Among them, the starting AID (Staring AID) field defines the first AID in the range of association identifiers (AIDs) planned to respond to the NFRP trigger frame; the feedback type (Feedback Type) field indicates the type of feedback information carried by the HE TB feedback NDP; the UL Target Receive Power field indicates the expected received signal power measured at the antenna connector of the AP and averaged over the antenna; the Number Of Spatially Multiplexed Users field indicates the number of STAs multiplexed on the same group of subcarriers in the same resource unit (RU), encoded as the number of STAs - 1.

[0096] To facilitate a better understanding of the embodiments of the present application, HE TB feedback NDP related to the present application is described.

[0097] HE TB feedback NDP is used to carry NDP feedback report information, and its frame format is shown in Figure 10.

[0098] Specifically, the HE TB feedback NDP includes the following fields: legacy short training field (L-STF), legacy long training field (L-LTF), legacy signal (L-SIG), repeat legacy signal (RL-SIG), High Efficiency Signal A (HE-SIG-A), High Efficiency short training field (HE-STF), High Efficiency long training field (HE-LTF), and Packet Extension (PE).

[0099] As shown in FIG10 , there are 2 HE-LTF symbols of 4x HE-LTF type, each symbol is 16 μs (2 HE-LTF symbols with 16 μs per symbol using 4x HE-LTF).

[0100] Specifically, the NDP format uses the HE TB PPDU format, but without the Data field, the PE field duration is 0 microseconds (μs), there are two 4x HE-LTF symbols, and the guard interval (GI) used is 3.2 μs. The duration of a 1x HE-LTF symbol is 3.2 μs, the duration of a 2x HE-LTF symbol is 6.4 μs, and the duration of a 4x HE-LTF symbol is 12.8 μs. The guard interval is not included in the duration.

[0101] Specifically, the different RU tone set indexes (RU_TONE_SET_INDEX) in the HE-LTF field are used to identify the AIDs and feedback information (FEEDBACK_STATUS) of different Non-AP STAs, where tone (TONE) can also be referred to as a subcarrier. Specifically, the HE-LTF subcarrier mapping relationship in the HE TB feedback NDP can be shown in Table 2.

[0102] Table 2

[0103] Simply put, when the Number of Spatially Multiplexed Users field in the NFRP Trigger frame is 0, each RU_TONE_SET_INDEX corresponds to one non-AP STA (AID). When the bandwidth is 20 MHz, for a non-AP STA using RU_TONE_SET_INDEX = 1, the feedback information FEEDBACK_STATUS = 1 corresponds to the HE-LTF subcarriers –113, –77, –41, 6, 42, and 78 having energy, while all other subcarriers have no energy. The feedback information FEEDBACK_STATUS = 0 corresponds to the HE-LTF subcarriers –112, –76, –40, 7, 43, and 79 having energy, while all other subcarriers have no energy. When the bandwidth is 40 MHz or 80 MHz, the 20 MHz subcarrier mapping is expanded by 1 and 3 times, respectively, to allow for mapping of more non-AP STAs (AIDs). When the Number Of Spatially Multiplexed Users field in the NFRP Trigger frame is set to 1, each RU_TONE_SET_INDEX corresponds to two Non-AP STAs (AIDs), and the two Non-AP STAs are distinguished by different pre-assigned encoding matrices.

[0104] To facilitate a better understanding of the embodiments of the present application, single protection and multiple protection related to the present application are explained.

[0105] The Duration / ID field in the Media Access Control (MAC) frame header is used to set the Network Allocation Vector (NAV) for the STA receiving the MAC frame. The STA receiving the MAC frame considers the channel busy during the NAV time.

[0106] TXOPs initiated under the EDCA mechanism have two types of duration settings: Single Protection and Multiple Protection. In Single Protection, the duration indicated by the NAV only includes the next data, management, or response frame sent, plus any additional overhead frames. In Multiple Protection, the NAV can indicate a duration that includes multiple frames sent and received.

[0107] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the problems solved by the present application are described below.

[0108] In industrial scenarios, to enhance collaboration and achieve a higher level of automation among different production equipment, factory devices are generally connected via a network, forming an Internet of Things (IoT) network. Compared to other wireless communication methods, Wi-Fi offers advantages such as unlicensed spectrum, widespread availability, and high throughput. However, the existing Wi-Fi channel access mechanism, EDCA, is not suitable for industrial IoT scenarios with numerous stations. This is because Wi-Fi uses two methods for transmitting uplink data: SU-UL (Supervisory Uplink) and MU-UL (Multiple Uplink) (MU-UL). SU-UL requires the sending station to obtain a TXOP, while MU-UL requires the AP to obtain a TXOP; otherwise, the station cannot transmit uplink data. However, the probability of a station obtaining a TXOP and the probability of an AP obtaining a TXOP gradually decrease as the total number of stations increases, gradually converging to a small fixed value. The probability of a STA or AP obtaining a TXOP in a channel contention is shown in Figure 11. Therefore, when there are a large number of stations, the probability of a station executing SU-UL and an AP executing MU-UL is very low, resulting in delayed uplink data transmission and causing significant latency and jitter.

[0109] This problem occurs because the existing EDCA mechanism wasn't designed with MU UL in mind. MU UL relies on the AP obtaining a TXOP. However, with EDCA, as the number of non-AP STAs increases, the number of stations that need to transmit uplink data increases, and the probability of the AP obtaining a TXOP decreases. This reduces the chance of MU UL, and increases the uplink data transmission delay.

[0110] Based on the above problems, this application proposes an EDCA enhancement scheme with STA grouping function, which introduces the STA grouping function in channel competition, makes TXOP allocation more efficient, and increases the frequency of multi-user uplink (MU UL), thereby reducing the latency of uplink and downlink data transmission and alleviating latency jitter.

[0111] The embodiment of the present application enhances the EDCA mechanism to reduce the transmission delay of uplink data in industrial scenarios. The enhanced EDCA scheme includes four stages as shown in Figure 12: group initialization, medium contention, medium granting, and medium usage. In the group initialization stage, the AP allocates STAs with similar service cycles to different STA groups based on the statistical service rules of the STAs. In the medium contention stage, STAs that need to send low-latency services will send specific frames according to the rules to compete for the ownership of the TXOP. In the medium granting stage, the AP will reply with different frames based on the results of the MU UL detection, thereby granting the TXOP to a certain STA or the AP itself. In the medium usage stage, the STA that obtains the TXOP needs to execute a specific transmission process according to the rules.

[0112] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments. The following related technologies can be combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least part of the following contents.

[0113] FIG13 is a schematic flow chart of a wireless communication method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The wireless communication method 200 may be interactively performed by a STA and an AP. The STA may be a STA (Non-AP STA) as shown in FIG1 , and the AP may be an AP as shown in FIG1 . The STA has uplink data to be transmitted. Specifically, as shown in FIG13 , the wireless communication method 200 may include at least some of the following:

[0114] S210, the STA sends a first MAC frame; wherein the STA has uplink data to be transmitted, the first MAC frame is used to compete for a channel, and a channel contention result corresponding to the first MAC frame is associated with the grouping information of the STA;

[0115] S220: The AP receives the first MAC frame sent by the STA.

[0116] It should be understood that FIG13 shows the steps or operations of the wireless communication method 200, but these steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of the operations in FIG13.

[0117] In the embodiments of the present application, a “field” may also be referred to as a “field” or a “subfield.” A field may occupy one or more bytes (byte / octet), or a field may occupy one or more bits (bit).

[0118] In the embodiments of the present application, "medium" may also be referred to as "channel" and they may be interchangeable.

[0119] It should be noted that there are two methods of sending uplink data in WIFI: single-user uplink (SU UL) and multi-user uplink (MU UL). SU UL requires the sending station to obtain TXOP, and MU UL requires the AP to obtain TXOP. However, in industrial scenarios, the number of stations (STAs) is generally large, that is, there are many devices participating in the EDCA channel competition, which makes the probability of this station (STA) or AP obtaining TXOP very small, and the uplink data cannot be sent for a long time, which ultimately causes large delays and delay jitter. Based on the above problems, the embodiment of the present application proposes an enhanced EDCA scheme with STA grouping function. When any STA in the group is about to obtain TXOP, the AP can choose to force the TXOP and then execute the more efficient MU UL process, thereby quickly meeting the uplink data transmission requirements of multiple STAs with similar occurrence cycles and reducing delays.

[0120] In some embodiments, the uplink data described in the embodiments of the present application at least includes uplink delay-sensitive data. Of course, the uplink data described in the embodiments of the present application may also include other data, such as non-delay-sensitive data.

[0121] It should be noted that delay-sensitive data may also be referred to as low-latency (LL) data, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0122] In some embodiments, the first MAC frame is a group request to send (G-RTS) frame. Of course, the first MAC frame may also be other frames, or the first MAC frame may be a newly defined MAC frame.

[0123] For example, the first MAC frame is a G-RTS frame, as shown in Figure 14. The Frame Control field in the G-RTS frame includes the following fields: Protocol Version, Frame Type (=1), Frame Subtype (=15), To Distribution System (DS), From Distribution System (from DS), Power Management, More Data, and Contains High Throughput Control. The Protocol Version field indicates the MAC frame version. The Frame Type field, with a value of 1, indicates that the frame is a control frame. The Frame Subtype field, with a value of 15, indicates that the first MAC frame is a newly defined G-RTS frame. The To DS field and the From DS field, with a value of 0, are both meaningless. The Power Management field indicates the STA's power management mode. The More Data field indicates the data remaining in the buffer of a STA in power-saving mode. The Contains High Throughput Control field indicates whether the frame contains a High Throughput Control field. The Duration field indicates the value of the Network Allocation Vector (NAV), which is used to protect the medium from preemption. Receive address field: The address of the STA that receives the frame. Transmit address field: The address of the STA that sends the frame. Frame check field: Checks whether the control field of the frame is transmitted correctly.

[0124] In some embodiments, m STA groups may be pre-allocated, where m is a positive integer and m=1, or m≥2. For example, one or more STAs associated with the same AP may form a STA group. One or more STA groups may exist simultaneously, and each STA group has a unique identifier: a STA group ID.

[0125] For example, the AP pre-allocates m STA groups, or the physical AP MLD to which the AP belongs pre-allocates m STA groups, or the virtual AP MLD to which the AP belongs pre-allocates m STA groups.

[0126] In some embodiments, when m≥2, STAs with the same or similar service cycles belong to different STA groups among the m STA groups. Specifically, for example, the AP can assign STAs with similar service cycles to different STA groups based on statistically obtained service patterns of the STAs.

[0127] In some embodiments, the STA grouping information includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0128] Whether the STA belongs to a STA group among the m STA groups;

[0129] In the case that the STA belongs to a STA group among the m STA groups, the identifier of the STA group to which the STA belongs, and / or the number of STAs included in the STA group to which the STA belongs.

[0130] In some embodiments, the STA's grouping information is associated with the first field in the first MAC frame. That is, the STA's grouping information can be obtained based on the first field in the first MAC frame. Specifically, the STA's grouping information can be obtained directly or indirectly based on the first field in the first MAC frame.

[0131] In some embodiments, the first field is a field used to identify the identity of the STA. That is, the AP can indirectly obtain the grouping information of the STA based on the first field in the first MAC frame. Optionally, the first field is a transmit address (TA) field or other address identification field. For example, the AP identifies the identity of the STA based on the transmit address (TA) field or other address identification field in the received first MAC frame, as shown in Figure 14, and then replies with different CTS frames based on whether the STA belongs to a certain STA group and the number of STA devices in the STA group, thereby granting the TXOP to the STA or the AP.

[0132] In some embodiments, the first field is used to indicate the grouping information of the STA. That is, the AP can directly obtain the grouping information of the STA based on the first field in the first MAC frame.

[0133] In some embodiments, associating the channel contention result corresponding to the first MAC frame with the grouping information of the STA includes:

[0134] When the STA belongs to the first STA group among the m STA groups and the number of STAs in the first STA group is less than the first threshold, the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the STA; and / or,

[0135] When the STA belongs to a first STA group among the m STA groups and the number of STAs in the first STA group is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP; and / or,

[0136] In the case that the STA does not belong to any STA group among the m STA groups, the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the STA.

[0137] In some embodiments, associating the channel contention result corresponding to the first MAC frame with the grouping information of the STA includes:

[0138] When the STA belongs to the first STA group among the m STA groups and the number of STAs in the first STA group is less than or equal to the first threshold, the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the STA; and / or,

[0139] When the STA belongs to the first STA group among the m STA groups and the number of STAs in the first STA group is greater than the first threshold, the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP; and / or,

[0140] In the case that the STA does not belong to any STA group among the m STA groups, the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the STA.

[0141] For example, when the STA does not belong to any of the m STA groups, the AP replies with a CTS frame to the STA, declaring that the TXOP belongs to the STA, that is, the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the STA.

[0142] For example, when the STA belongs to the first STA group among m STA groups and the number of STAs in the first STA group is less than or equal to the first threshold, the AP replies with a CTS frame to the STA, declaring that the TXOP belongs to the STA, that is, the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the STA.

[0143] For example, when the STA belongs to the first STA group among m STA groups and the number of STAs in the first STA group is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the AP sends a CTS-to-self frame, declaring that the TXOP belongs to the AP, that is, the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the STA.

[0144] In some embodiments, the first threshold may be agreed upon by a protocol, or configured by an AP, or configured by a physical AP MLD to which the AP belongs, or configured by a virtual AP MLD to which the AP belongs.

[0145] In some embodiments, the TXOP used by the STA is a single protection (Single Protection) TXOP or a length-limited multiple protection (Multiple Protection) TXOP, and / or the TXOP used by the AP corresponding to the STA is a single protection (Single Protection) TXOP or a length-limited multiple protection (Multiple Protection) TXOP.

[0146] For example, the STA and the AP use a Single Protection TXOP or a Multiple Protection TXOP with a limited length.

[0147] In some embodiments, the TXOP used by the STA is a single protection TXOP or a length-limited multiple protection TXOP, and / or the TXOP used by the AP corresponding to the STA is a single protection TXOP or a multiple protection TXOP.

[0148] For example, the STA uses a Single Protection TXOP or a length-limited Multiple Protection TXOP, while the AP can use any type of TXOP.

[0149] In some embodiments, when the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP, some or all of the STAs in the first STA group send uplink data within the TXOP after receiving the trigger frame sent by the AP.

[0150] For example, after the AP obtains the TXOP, the AP sends a trigger frame to some or all STAs in the first STA group, and then receives a trigger-based physical layer protocol data unit (TB PPDU) to obtain uplink data and responds with a block acknowledgment (BlockAck) frame or a multi-STA block acknowledgment (Multi-STA BlockAck) frame.

[0151] In some embodiments, when the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP, some or all STAs in the first STA group transmit uplink data and receive downlink data within the TXOP after receiving the trigger frame sent by the AP. For example, the AP may receive uplink data first and then transmit downlink data, or may transmit downlink data first and then receive uplink data.

[0152] For example, after obtaining a TXOP, the AP sends a trigger frame to some or all STAs in the first STA group, then receives a TB PPDU to obtain uplink data and replies with a BlockAck frame or a Multi-STA BlockAck frame. Furthermore, when the AP uses a Multiple Protection TXOP or a length-limited Multiple Protection TXOP, if the TXOP duration is sufficient, the AP can also send downlink SU data or downlink MU data within the TXOP and receive the corresponding Ack frame or BlockAck frame. The AP can receive uplink data first and then send downlink data, or it can send downlink data first and then receive uplink data.

[0153] In some embodiments, when the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP, some or all of the STAs in the first STA group feedback uplink buffer status information (such as a buffer status report (BSR)) after receiving the NFRP trigger frame sent by the AP, and the resources for some or all of the STAs in the first STA group to send uplink data within the TXOP are associated with the uplink buffer status information fed back by some or all of the STAs in the first STA group.

[0154] For example, after obtaining a TXOP, the AP may first send an NFRP trigger frame to query the uplink low-latency buffer status information (such as BSR) of some or all STAs in the relevant STA group, and then allocate resources based on the information to perform MU UL transmission.

[0155] In some embodiments, in the group initialization phase as shown in FIG12 , one or more STAs associated with the same AP may form a STA group. Multiple STA groups may exist simultaneously, and each STA group has a unique identifier: STA group ID.

[0156] In some embodiments, during the medium contention phase shown in Figure 12, STAs that need to send uplink data compete for channels using the EDCA mechanism. If the STA allows the AP to change the TXOP grant based on packet information, it competes for the channel by sending a specific frame (i.e., the first MAC frame). Otherwise, the STA cannot use the specific frame (i.e., the first MAC frame) to compete for the channel.

[0157] In some embodiments, in the medium grant phase as shown in FIG12 , the AP identifies the identity of the STA based on the TA field or other address identification field in the received specific frame (i.e., the first MAC frame), and then replies with different CTS frames depending on whether the STA belongs to a certain STA group and the number of STAs in the STA group, thereby granting the TXOP to the STA or the AP.

[0158] For example, if the STA does not belong to any STA group, the AP replies with a CTS frame to the STA, declaring that the TXOP belongs to the STA. For another example, if the AP detects that the STA belongs to a STA group and the number of STAs in the STA group is less than or equal to a first threshold, the AP sends a CTS frame to the STA, declaring that the TXOP belongs to the STA. For another example, if the AP detects that the STA belongs to a STA group and the number of STAs in the STA group is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the AP sends a CTS-to-self frame, declaring that the TXOP belongs to the AP.

[0159] In some embodiments, during the medium usage phase as shown in FIG12 , the STA and the AP must use the Single Protection TXOP or the Length-Restricted Multiple Protection TXOP; in another embodiment, the STA must use the Single Protection TXOP or the Length-Restricted Multiple Protection TXOP, while the AP can use any type of TXOP.

[0160] In some embodiments, during the medium usage phase as shown in Figure 12, after the AP obtains a TXOP, the AP shall send a Trigger frame to some or all STAs in the STA group, then receive a TB PPDU to obtain uplink data and reply with a BlockAck frame or a Multi-STA BlockAck frame. Furthermore, when the AP uses a Multiple Protection TXOP or a Length-Limited Multiple Protection TXOP, if the TXOP duration is sufficient, the AP may also send downlink SU data or downlink MU data within the TXOP and receive the corresponding Ack frame or BlockAck frame. The AP may receive uplink data first and then send downlink data, or may send downlink data first and then receive uplink data.

[0161] Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the STA grouping function is introduced in the channel competition, the allocation of TXOP is more efficient, the frequency of use of multi-user uplink (MU UL) is increased, thereby reducing the delay of uplink and downlink data transmission and alleviating delay jitter.

[0162] The technical solution of this application is described in detail below through specific embodiments.

[0163] In Example 1, assume a WLAN network consists of one AP and four STAs (STA1, STA2, STA3, and STA4). If the AP uses Single Protection TXOP, the STAs also use Single Protection TXOP. STA1 and STA2 belong to STA Group 1, STA3 belongs to STA Group 2, and STA4 does not belong to any STA Group. All STAs use the AC_VO access type in EDCA. The frame exchange between the AP and STAs is shown in Figure 15.

[0164] Specifically, as shown in Figure 15, STA4 first sends a G-RTS frame during the Arbitration Interframe Space (AIFS) when the channel is idle. After receiving the G-RTS frame, the AP discovers that STA4 does not belong to any STA Group, so it replies with a CTS frame to STA4 and grants the TXOP to STA4. After receiving the CTS frame sent by the AP, STA4 discovers that the receiving address of the CTS frame is its own address, so it determines that the channel competition is successful and the TXOP belongs to it. Subsequently, in STA4's TXOP, STA4 sends SU uplink data to the AP, and the AP replies with an Acknowledgement (Ack) frame to STA4 to confirm the successful transmission. At this point, STA4's TXOP ends and the channel re-enters the idle state.

[0165] In Example 2, assume a WLAN network contains one AP and four STAs (STA1, STA2, STA3, and STA4). If the AP uses Single Protection TXOP, the STAs also use Single Protection TXOP. STA1 and STA2 belong to STA Group 1, STA3 belongs to STA Group 2, and STA4 does not belong to any STA Group. All STAs use the AC_VO access type in EDCA. The frame exchange between the AP and STAs is shown in Figure 16.

[0166] Specifically, as shown in Figure 16, STA3 first sends a G-RTS frame at the AIFS time when the channel is idle. Upon receiving this G-RTS frame, the AP discovers that STA3 belongs to STA Group 2 and that there is only one STA in STA Group 2. Therefore, it responds with a CTS frame to STA3, granting it the TXOP. Upon receiving the CTS frame from the AP, STA3 discovers that the CTS frame's recipient address is its own, thus determining that the channel contention has succeeded and the TXOP is itss. Subsequently, in STA3's TXOP, STA3 sends SU uplink data to the AP, and the AP responds with an Ack frame to STA3 confirming the successful transmission. At this point, STA3's TXOP ends, and the channel reenters the idle state.

[0167] In Example 3, assume a WLAN network contains one AP and four STAs (STA1, STA2, STA3, and STA4). If the AP uses Single Protection TXOP, the STAs also use Single Protection TXOP. STA1 and STA2 belong to Group 1, STA3 belongs to STA Group 2, and STA4 does not belong to any STA Group. All STAs use the AC_VO access type in EDCA. The frame exchange between the AP and STAs is shown in Figure 17.

[0168] Specifically, as shown in Figure 17, STA2 first sends a G-RTS frame when the channel is idle AIFS. After receiving the G-RTS frame, the AP finds that STA2 belongs to STA Group 1 and there are two STAs in STA Group 2, so it replies with a CTS-to-self frame and grants the TXOP to itself. After STA3 receives the CTS frame sent by the AP, it finds that the receiving address of the CTS frame is not its own address but the AP's address, so it determines that the channel contention has failed and the TXOP belongs to the AP. Subsequently, in the AP's TXOP, the AP sends a Trigger frame to STA1 and STA2, triggering STA1 and STA2 to simultaneously send TB PPDUs carrying MU uplink data, and replies with a Multi-STA BlockAck frame to confirm successful transmission.

[0169] In Example 4, assume a WLAN network contains one AP and four STAs (STA1, STA2, STA3, and STA4). If the AP uses Single Protection TXOP, the STAs also use Single Protection TXOP. STA1 and STA2 belong to STA Group 1, STA3 belongs to STA Group 2, and STA4 does not belong to any STA Group. All STAs use the AC_VO access type in EDCA. The frame exchange between the AP and STAs is shown in Figure 18.

[0170] Specifically, as shown in Figure 18, STA2 first sends a G-RTS frame at the AIFS time when the channel is idle. After receiving this G-RTS frame, the AP discovers that STA2 belongs to STA Group 1 and that there are two STAs in STA Group 2. Therefore, it replies with a CTS-to-self frame, granting the TXOP to itself. After receiving the CTS frame from the AP, STA3 discovers that the receiving address of the CTS frame is the AP's address, not its own. Therefore, it determines that the channel contention has failed, and the TXOP is allocated to the AP.

[0171] Subsequently, in the AP's TXOP, to further confirm the uplink low-latency service cache status in STA Group 1, the AP sends an NFRP trigger frame to all or some STAs in STA Group 1 and receives a TB feedback NDP, thereby confirming that STA1 and STA2 in STA Group 1 need to transmit uplink low-latency services. Subsequently, the AP sends a trigger frame to STA1 and STA2, triggering STA1 and STA2 to simultaneously send a TB PPDU carrying MU uplink data and reply with a Multi-STA BlockAck frame to confirm successful transmission.

[0172] In Example 5, assume a WLAN network contains one AP and four STAs (STA1, STA2, STA3, and STA4). If the AP uses a length-limited Multiple Protection TXOP and the STAs use a Single Protection TXOP, STA1 and STA2 belong to STA Group 1, STA3 belongs to STA Group 2, and STA4 does not belong to any STA Group. All STAs use the AC_VO access type in EDCA. The frame exchange between the AP and STAs is shown in Figure 19.

[0173] Specifically, as shown in Figure 19, STA1 first sends a G-RTS frame at the AIFS time when the channel is idle. After receiving this G-RTS frame, the AP discovers that STA1 belongs to STA Group 1 and that there are two STAs in STA Group 2. Therefore, it responds with a CTS-to-self frame, granting the TXOP to itself. After receiving the CTS frame from the AP, STA1 discovers that the address of the CTS frame is not its own, but the AP's address. Therefore, it determines that the channel contention has failed and the TXOP is owned by the AP. Subsequently, within its TXOP, the AP sends a Trigger frame to STA1 and STA2, triggering them to simultaneously send TB PPDUs carrying MU uplink data and reply with Multi-STA BlockAck frames to confirm successful transmission. The AP then sends MU downlink data to STA1 and STA2, which they reply with BlockAck frames using TB PPDUs to confirm successful transmission. The AP's TXOP ends, and the channel returns to an idle state.

[0174] In Example 6, assume a WLAN network contains one AP and four STAs (STA1, STA2, STA3, and STA4). If the AP uses Single Protection TXOP, the STAs also use Single Protection TXOP. STA1 and STA2 belong to STA Group 1, STA3 belongs to STA Group 2, and STA4 does not belong to any STA Group. All STAs use the AC_VO access type in EDCA. The frame exchange between the AP and STAs is shown in Figure 20.

[0175] Specifically, as shown in Figure 20, STA2 first sends an RTS frame at the AIFS time when the channel is idle. Upon receiving this RTS frame, the AP detects that it is not a G-RTS frame and, therefore, does not trigger any of the grouping rules discussed in this case. Instead, the AP determines the TXOP's ownership according to EDCA rules. Therefore, the AP responds with a CTS frame to STA2, granting it the TXOP. Upon receiving the CTS frame from the AP, STA2 detects that the CTS frame's recipient address is its own, declaring the TXOP contention successful. Subsequently, in STA2's TXOP, STA2 transmits uplink (SU) data, and the AP responds with an ACK frame confirming the successful transmission.

[0176] The above text, in combination with Figures 13 to 20, describes in detail the method embodiment of the present application. The following text, in combination with Figures 21 to 25, describes in detail the device embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the device embodiment and the method embodiment correspond to each other, and similar descriptions can refer to the method embodiment.

[0177] FIG21 shows a schematic block diagram of a STA 300 according to an embodiment of the present application. The STA 300 has uplink data to be transmitted. As shown in FIG21 , the STA 300 includes:

[0178] The communication unit 310 is configured to send a first media access control MAC frame; wherein the first MAC frame is used to compete for a channel, and a channel competition result corresponding to the first MAC frame is associated with the grouping information of the STA.

[0179] In some embodiments, the STA grouping information includes at least one of the following:

[0180] Whether the STA belongs to a STA group among m STA groups;

[0181] If the STA belongs to a STA group among m STA groups, the identifier of the STA group to which the STA belongs, and / or the number of STAs included in the STA group to which the STA belongs;

[0182] The m STA groups are pre-allocated STA groups, m is a positive integer, and m=1, or m≥2.

[0183] In some embodiments, associating the channel contention result corresponding to the first MAC frame with the grouping information of the STA includes:

[0184] When the STA belongs to the first STA group among the m STA groups and the number of STAs in the first STA group is less than the first threshold, the transmission opportunity TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the STA; and / or,

[0185] When the STA belongs to a first STA group among the m STA groups and the number of STAs in the first STA group is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the access point AP; and / or,

[0186] If the STA does not belong to any of the m STA groups, the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the STA.

[0187] The m STA groups are pre-allocated STA groups, m is a positive integer, and m=1, or m≥2.

[0188] In some embodiments, when the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP, some or all of the STAs in the first STA group send uplink data within the TXOP after receiving the trigger frame sent by the AP.

[0189] In some embodiments, when the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP, some or all of the STAs in the first STA group send uplink data and receive downlink data within the TXOP after receiving the trigger frame sent by the AP.

[0190] In some embodiments, when the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP, some or all STAs in the first STA group feedback uplink buffer status information after receiving the empty data physical protocol data unit feedback report polling NFRP trigger frame sent by the AP, and the resources for some or all STAs in the first STA group to send uplink data within the TXOP are associated with the uplink buffer status information fed back by some or all STAs in the first STA group.

[0191] In some embodiments, when m≥2, STAs with the same or similar service cycles belong to different STA groups among the m STA groups.

[0192] In some embodiments, the grouping information of the STA is associated with a first field in the first MAC frame.

[0193] In some embodiments, the first field is a field used to identify the identity of the STA.

[0194] In some embodiments, the first field is used to indicate grouping information of the STA.

[0195] In some embodiments, the TXOP used by the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a length-limited multiple-protected TXOP, and / or the TXOP used by the AP corresponding to the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a length-limited multiple-protected TXOP.

[0196] In some embodiments, the TXOP used by the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a length-limited multiple-protected TXOP, and / or the TXOP used by the AP corresponding to the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a multiple-protected TXOP.

[0197] In some embodiments, the uplink data includes at least uplink delay-sensitive data.

[0198] In some embodiments, the first MAC frame is a Group Request to Send (G-RTS) frame.

[0199] In some embodiments, the communication unit may be a communication interface or a transceiver, or an input / output interface of a communication chip or a system on chip. The processing unit may be one or more processors.

[0200] It should be understood that the STA 300 according to the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the STA in the embodiment of the method of the present application, and the above-mentioned and other operations and / or functions of each unit in the STA 300 are respectively for implementing the corresponding process of the STA in the method 200 shown in Figure 13. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0201] FIG22 shows a schematic block diagram of an AP 400 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG22 , the AP 400 includes:

[0202] The communication unit 410 is configured to receive a first media access control MAC frame sent by a station STA;

[0203] The first MAC frame is used to compete for a channel, a channel competition result corresponding to the first MAC frame is associated with grouping information of the STA, and the STA has uplink data to be transmitted.

[0204] In some embodiments, the STA grouping information includes at least one of the following:

[0205] Whether the STA belongs to a STA group among m STA groups;

[0206] If the STA belongs to a STA group among m STA groups, the identifier of the STA group to which the STA belongs, and / or the number of STAs included in the STA group to which the STA belongs;

[0207] The m STA groups are pre-allocated STA groups, m is a positive integer, and m=1, or m≥2.

[0208] In some embodiments, when the STA belongs to a first STA group among the m STA groups and the number of STAs in the first STA group is less than a first threshold, the communication unit 410 is further configured to send a Clear to Send (CTS) frame, where the CTS frame is used to declare that the transmission opportunity TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the STA; and / or

[0209] When the STA belongs to a first STA group among the m STA groups and the number of STAs in the first STA group is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the communication unit 410 is further configured to send a CTS-to-self frame, where the CTS-to-self frame is used to declare that the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP; and / or

[0210] When the STA does not belong to any of the m STA groups, the communication unit 410 is further configured to send a CTS frame, where the CTS frame is used to declare that the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the STA;

[0211] The m STA groups are pre-allocated STA groups, m is a positive integer, and m=1, or m≥2.

[0212] In some embodiments, when the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP, some or all of the STAs in the first STA group send uplink data within the TXOP after receiving the trigger frame sent by the AP.

[0213] In some embodiments, when the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP, some or all of the STAs in the first STA group send uplink data and receive downlink data within the TXOP after receiving the trigger frame sent by the AP.

[0214] In some embodiments, when the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP, the AP 400 further includes: a processing unit 420;

[0215] The communication unit 410 is further configured to send a null data physical protocol data unit feedback report polling NFRP trigger frame, wherein the NFRP trigger frame is used to query uplink buffer status information of some or all STAs in the first STA group;

[0216] The processing unit 420 is configured to allocate multi-user uplink transmission resources in the TXOP to some or all STAs in the first STA group according to uplink buffer status information of some or all STAs in the first STA group.

[0217] In some embodiments, when m≥2, STAs with the same or similar service cycles belong to different STA groups among the m STA groups.

[0218] In some embodiments, the grouping information of the STA is associated with a first field in the first MAC frame.

[0219] In some embodiments, the first field is a field used to identify the identity of the STA.

[0220] In some embodiments, the first field is used to indicate grouping information of the STA.

[0221] In some embodiments, the TXOP used by the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a length-limited multiple-protected TXOP, and / or the TXOP used by the AP corresponding to the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a length-limited multiple-protected TXOP.

[0222] In some embodiments, the TXOP used by the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a length-limited multiple-protected TXOP, and / or the TXOP used by the AP corresponding to the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a multiple-protected TXOP.

[0223] In some embodiments, the uplink data includes at least uplink delay-sensitive data.

[0224] In some embodiments, the first MAC frame is a Group Request to Send (G-RTS) frame.

[0225] In some embodiments, the communication unit may be a communication interface or a transceiver, or an input / output interface of a communication chip or a system on chip. The processing unit may be one or more processors.

[0226] It should be understood that the AP 400 according to the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the AP in the embodiment of the method of the present application, and the above-mentioned and other operations and / or functions of each unit in the AP 400 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes of the AP in the method 200 shown in Figure 13. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0227] Figure 23 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 500 shown in Figure 23 includes a processor 510, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0228] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG23 , the communication device 500 may further include a memory 520. The processor 510 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 520 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0229] The memory 520 may be a separate device independent of the processor 510 , or may be integrated into the processor 510 .

[0230] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 23 , the communication device 500 may further include a transceiver 530 , and the processor 510 may control the transceiver 530 to communicate with other devices. Specifically, the transceiver 530 may send information or data to other devices, or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0231] The transceiver 530 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 530 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0232] In some embodiments, the processor 510 may implement the functions of a processing unit in a STA, or the processor 510 may implement the functions of a processing unit in an AP, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0233] In some embodiments, the transceiver 530 may implement the functions of a communication unit in a STA, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0234] In some embodiments, the transceiver 530 may implement the functions of a communication unit in an AP, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0235] In some embodiments, the communication device 500 may specifically be the AP of the embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 500 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the AP in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0236] In some embodiments, the communication device 500 may specifically be the STA of the embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 500 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the STA in the various methods of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0237] Figure 24 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The apparatus 600 shown in Figure 24 includes a processor 610, which can call and execute a computer program from a memory to implement the method according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0238] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG24 , the apparatus 600 may further include a memory 620. The processor 610 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 620 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0239] The memory 620 may be a separate device independent of the processor 610 , or may be integrated into the processor 610 .

[0240] In some embodiments, the processor 610 may implement the functions of a processing unit in a STA, or the processor 610 may implement the functions of a processing unit in an AP, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0241] In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may further include an input interface 630. The processor 610 may control the input interface 630 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips. Optionally, the processor 610 may be located inside or outside the chip.

[0242] In some embodiments, the input interface 630 may implement the functionality of a communication unit in a STA, or the input interface 630 may implement the functionality of a communication unit in an AP.

[0243] In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may further include an output interface 640. The processor 610 may control the output interface 640 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips. Optionally, the processor 610 may be located inside or outside the chip.

[0244] In some embodiments, the output interface 640 may implement the functionality of a communication unit in a STA, or the output interface 640 may implement the functionality of a communication unit in an AP.

[0245] In some embodiments, the device can be applied to the AP in the embodiments of the present application, and the device can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the AP in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0246] In some embodiments, the device can be applied to the STA in the embodiments of the present application, and the device can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the STA in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0247] In some embodiments, the device mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may also be a chip, such as a system-on-chip, a system-on-chip, a chip system, or a system-on-chip chip.

[0248] FIG25 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG25 , the communication system 700 includes a STA 710 and an AP 720.

[0249] The STA 710 may be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the STA in the above method, and the AP 720 may be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the AP in the above method, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0250] It should be understood that the processor of the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0251] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0252] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM RAM (DR RAM), etc. In other words, the memories in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0253] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program.

[0254] In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the AP in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the AP in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0255] In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the STA in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the STA in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0256] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions.

[0257] In some embodiments, the computer program product can be applied to the AP in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the AP in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0258] In some embodiments, the computer program product can be applied to the STA in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the STA in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0259] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program.

[0260] In some embodiments, the computer program can be applied to the AP in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the AP in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0261] In some embodiments, the computer program can be applied to the STA in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the STA in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0262] 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, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. 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 beyond the scope of this application.

[0263] 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.

[0264] 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 the units is merely 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 through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0265] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0266] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0267] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. In view of this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the 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, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0268] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a station STA, the STA has uplink data to be transmitted, and the method includes: The STA sends a first media access control MAC frame; wherein the first MAC frame is used to compete for a channel, and a channel competition result corresponding to the first MAC frame is associated with the grouping information of the STA.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The STA grouping information includes at least one of the following: Whether the STA belongs to a STA group among m STA groups; In the case where the STA belongs to a STA group among m STA groups, an identifier of the STA group to which the STA belongs, and / or the number of STAs included in the STA group to which the STA belongs; The m STA groups are pre-allocated STA groups, m is a positive integer, and m=1, or m≥2.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The channel contention result corresponding to the first MAC frame is associated with the grouping information of the STA, including: When the STA belongs to a first STA group among the m STA groups and the number of STAs in the first STA group is less than a first threshold, the transmission opportunity TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the STA; and / or, When the STA belongs to a first STA group among the m STA groups and the number of STAs in the first STA group is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the access point AP; and / or, When the STA does not belong to any STA group among the m STA groups, the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the STA; The m STA groups are pre-allocated STA groups, m is a positive integer, and m=1, or m≥2.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that In a case where the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP, some or all of the STAs in the first STA group send uplink data within the TXOP after receiving the trigger frame sent by the AP.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that When the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP, some or all of the STAs in the first STA group send uplink data and receive downlink data within the TXOP after receiving the trigger frame sent by the AP.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that In the case that the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP, some or all STAs in the first STA group feedback uplink cache status information after receiving the empty data physical protocol data unit feedback report polling NFRP trigger frame sent by the AP, and the resources for some or all STAs in the first STA group to send uplink data in the TXOP are associated with the uplink cache status information fed back by some or all STAs in the first STA group.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that When m≥2, STAs with the same or similar service cycles belong to different STA groups among the m STA groups.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The grouping information of the STA is associated with the first field in the first MAC frame.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first field is a field used to identify the identity of the STA.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first field is used to indicate grouping information of the STA.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The TXOP used by the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a length-limited multiple-protected TXOP, and / or the TXOP used by the AP corresponding to the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a length-limited multiple-protected TXOP.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The TXOP used by the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a length-limited multiple-protected TXOP, and / or the TXOP used by the AP corresponding to the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a multiple-protected TXOP.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that The uplink data at least includes uplink delay sensitive data.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that The first MAC frame is a group request to send G-RTS frame.

15. A wireless communication method, characterized in that: Applied to an access point AP, the method comprises: The AP receives a first media access control MAC frame sent by a station STA; The first MAC frame is used to compete for a channel, and the channel competition result corresponding to the first MAC frame is the same as the channel competition result of the STA. The STA has uplink data to be transmitted.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The STA grouping information includes at least one of the following: Whether the STA belongs to a STA group among m STA groups; In the case where the STA belongs to a STA group among m STA groups, an identifier of the STA group to which the STA belongs, and / or the number of STAs included in the STA group to which the STA belongs; The m STA groups are pre-allocated STA groups, m is a positive integer, and m=1, or m≥2.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the STA belongs to a first STA group among the m STA groups and the number of STAs in the first STA group is less than a first threshold, the AP sends a CTS frame allowing sending, wherein the CTS frame is used to declare that the transmission opportunity TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the STA; and / or, When the STA belongs to a first STA group among the m STA groups and the number of STAs in the first STA group is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the AP sends a CTS-to-self frame, wherein the CTS-to-self frame is used to declare that the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP; and / or, In a case where the STA does not belong to any STA group among the m STA groups, the AP sends a CTS frame, wherein the CTS frame is used to declare that the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the STA; The m STA groups are pre-allocated STA groups, m is a positive integer, and m=1, or m≥2.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that In a case where the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP, some or all of the STAs in the first STA group send uplink data within the TXOP after receiving the trigger frame sent by the AP.

19. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that When the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP, some or all of the STAs in the first STA group send uplink data and receive downlink data within the TXOP after receiving the trigger frame sent by the AP.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that In a case where the TXOP associated with the channel contention corresponding to the first MAC frame belongs to the AP, the method further includes: The AP sends a null data physical protocol data unit feedback report polling NFRP trigger frame, wherein the NFRP trigger frame is used to query uplink buffer status information of some or all STAs in the first STA group; The AP allocates multi-user uplink transmission resources in the TXOP to some or all of the STAs in the first STA group according to the uplink buffer status information of some or all of the STAs in the first STA group.

21. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that When m≥2, STAs with the same or similar service cycles belong to different STA groups among the m STA groups.

22. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 21, characterized in that The grouping information of the STA is associated with the first field in the first MAC frame.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein: The first field is a field used to identify the identity of the STA.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein: The first field is used to indicate grouping information of the STA.

25. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 24, characterized in that The TXOP used by the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a length-limited multiple-protected TXOP, and / or the TXOP used by the AP corresponding to the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a length-limited multiple-protected TXOP.

26. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 24, characterized in that The TXOP used by the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a length-limited multiple-protected TXOP, and / or the TXOP used by the AP corresponding to the STA is a single-protected TXOP or a multiple-protected TXOP.

27. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 26, characterized in that The uplink data at least includes uplink delay sensitive data.

28. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 27, characterized in that The first MAC frame is a group request to send G-RTS frame.

29. A station STA, characterized in that: The STA has uplink data to be transmitted, and the STA includes: A communication unit is used to send a first media access control MAC frame; wherein the first MAC frame is used to compete for a channel, and a channel competition result corresponding to the first MAC frame is associated with the grouping information of the STA.

30. An access point AP, characterized in that: include: A communication unit, configured to receive a first media access control MAC frame sent by a station STA; The first MAC frame is used to compete for a channel, a channel competition result corresponding to the first MAC frame is associated with the grouping information of the STA, and the STA has uplink data to be transmitted.

31. A station STA, characterized in that: include: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the STA executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

32. An access point AP, characterized in that: include: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the AP executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 28.

33. A chip, characterized in that: include: A processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14.

34. A chip, characterized in that: include: A processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes a method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 28.

35. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: Used for storing a computer program, when the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 is implemented.

36. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: For storing a computer program, when the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 15 to 28 is implemented.

37. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises computer program instructions, and when the computer program instructions are executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 is implemented.

38. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises computer program instructions, when the computer program instructions are executed, the method according to any one of claims 15 to 28 is implemented.

39. A computer program, characterized in that When the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 is implemented.

40. A computer program, characterized in that When the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 15 to 28 is implemented.

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