Multi-link communication method, communication node, and storage medium

Abstract

The present application discloses a multi-link communication method, a communication node, and a storage medium. The method comprises: interacting with a second communication node by means of a first link to generate a transmission key, wherein there are at least two links between the first communication node and the second communication node; and processing, by means of a second link and on the basis of the transmission key, ranging-related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node, wherein the second link is any one of the at least two links.

Description

Multi-link communication method, communication node and storage medium Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, for example, to a multi-link communication method, a communication node and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In 2022, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11az working group completed the definition of the final version. As the next-generation positioning technology, 802.11az is characterized by an improvement in the physical layer based on the High Efficient (HE) physical layer (PHY) defined in the Wi-Fi 6 protocol. For example, the HE ranging protocol data unit (PPDU) defined by the 802.11az ranging technology includes a HE ranging null data packet (NDP) and a HE trigger-based (TB) ranging NDP, and allows a station (STA) to perform ranging with multiple access points (AP), ultimately achieving multi-point positioning.

[0003] However, there is currently no solution for how to implement secure and flexible multi-link communication between STAs and APs.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] This embodiment of the present application provides a multi-link communication method, applied to a first communication node, the method comprising:

[0006] Interacting with a second communication node through a first link to generate a transmission key; wherein the first communication node and the second communication node include at least two links;

[0007] Processing ranging related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node according to the transmission key via a second link; wherein the second link is any one link of the at least two links.

[0008] This embodiment of the present application provides a multi-link communication method, applied to a second communication node, the method comprising:

[0009] Interacting with a first communication node through a first link to generate a transmission key; wherein the first communication node and the second communication node include at least two links;

[0010] Processing ranging related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node according to the transmission key via a second link; wherein the second link is any one link of the at least two links.

[0011] An embodiment of the present application provides a first communication node, comprising: a processor; the processor is configured to implement the multi-link communication method of any of the above embodiments when executing a computer program.

[0012] An embodiment of the present application provides a second communication node, comprising: a processor; the processor is configured to implement the multi-link communication method of any of the above embodiments when executing a computer program.

[0013] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which implements the method of any of the above embodiments when the computer program is executed by a processor.

[0014] With respect to the above embodiments and other aspects of the present application and their implementation, further description is provided in the accompanying drawings, detailed description and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] FIG1A is a schematic diagram of a network of a wireless communication system provided by an embodiment;

[0016] FIG1B is a schematic diagram of another networking of a wireless communication system provided by an embodiment;

[0017] FIG2 is a schematic flow chart of a multi-link communication method provided by an embodiment;

[0018] FIG3 is an interactive schematic diagram of a multi-link communication method provided by an embodiment;

[0019] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a multi-link connection establishment process provided by an embodiment;

[0020] FIG5 is a schematic flow chart of another multi-link communication method provided by an embodiment;

[0021] FIG6 is an interactive schematic diagram of a multi-link communication method provided by an embodiment;

[0022] FIG7A is a schematic diagram of a first PASN authentication frame in the related art;

[0023] FIG7B is a schematic diagram of a second PASN authentication frame in the related art;

[0024] FIG7C is a schematic diagram of a third PASN authentication frame in the related art;

[0025] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a multi-link element provided by an embodiment;

[0026] FIG9A is a schematic diagram of a first authentication frame provided by an embodiment;

[0027] FIG9B is a schematic diagram of a second authentication frame provided by an embodiment;

[0028] FIG9C is a schematic diagram of a third authentication frame provided by an embodiment;

[0029] FIG10 is a schematic flow chart of a multi-link communication method provided by an embodiment;

[0030] FIG11 is a schematic flow chart of another multi-link communication method provided by an embodiment;

[0031] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of an application of a multi-link communication method provided by an embodiment;

[0032] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of a multi-link communication device provided by an embodiment;

[0033] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of another multi-link communication device provided by an embodiment;

[0034] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of a multi-link terminal device provided by an embodiment;

[0035] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of a multi-link network device provided by an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] The multi-link communication method provided in this application can be applied to various wireless communication systems, such as long-term evolution (LTE) systems, fourth-generation mobile communication technology (4G) systems, fifth-generation mobile communication technology (5G) systems, LTE and 5G hybrid architecture systems, 5G New Radio (NR) systems, 802.11az, Wi-Fi 8, and new communication systems emerging in future communication developments, such as sixth-generation mobile communication technology (6G) systems.

[0038] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the networking of a wireless communication system provided by one embodiment. As shown in Figure 1A, the wireless communication system provided by this embodiment includes: a first communication node 11 and a second communication node 12. The first communication node 11 may include multiple STAs, for example, STA1, STA2, ..., STA n. The second communication node 12 may include multiple APs, for example, AP1, AP2, ..., AP n. Multiple links (links) may be established between the first communication node 11 and the second communication node 12. For example, link 1 between STA1 and AP1, link 2 between STA2 and AP2, ..., link n between STA n and AP n. Where n is an integer greater than 0.

[0039] Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of the networking of another wireless communication system provided by one embodiment. As shown in Figure 1B, the wireless communication system provided by this embodiment includes: a first communication node 13 and a second communication node 14. The first communication node 13 may include multiple STAs, for example, STA1, STA2, ..., STA n. The second communication node 14 includes multiple APs deployed in different locations, for example, AP1, AP2, ..., AP n. Similar to Figure 1A, multiple links can also be established between the first communication node 13 and the second communication node 14. For example, link 1 between STA1 and AP1, link 2 between STA2 and AP2, ..., link n between STA n and AP n.

[0040] Currently, there is no solution for how to implement secure and flexible multi-link communication in the system shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B .

[0041] This embodiment provides a multi-link communication method, including: a first communication node interacting with a second communication node via a first link to generate a transmission key, wherein at least two links are provided between the first communication node and the second communication node; and processing ranging-related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node based on the transmission key via the second link, wherein the second link is any one of the at least two links. The method achieves the following technical effects: on the one hand, the first communication node interacts with the second communication node via the first link, and the generated transmission key can be used to transmit ranging-related information between the first and second communication nodes, thereby improving the security of multi-link communication and, thereby, improving the security of ranging and positioning; on the other hand, the transmission key is generated via the first link, and the ranging-related information is transmitted via the second link, where the first and second links can be the same or different, thereby improving the flexibility of multi-link communication and, thereby, improving the flexibility of ranging and positioning; on the other hand, after the transmission key is generated via the first link, there is no need to generate a key again when transmitting ranging-related information. Instead, the transmission key generated by the first link is directly used, thereby improving the communication efficiency of multi-link communication and, thereby, improving the efficiency of ranging and positioning.

[0042] The following describes a multi-link communication method, a communication node, and its technical effects.

[0043] Figure 2 is a flow chart of a multi-link communication method provided by an embodiment. The method provided in this embodiment is applicable to a first communication node. In this example, the first communication node (also referred to as a first communication node device) may be a terminal device. The terminal device in this embodiment may be a multi-link terminal device (non-AP Multi-Link Device, abbreviated as: non-AP MLD) that supports the 802.11az protocol, or a multi-link terminal device connected to a non-collocated AP MLD in the Wi-Fi 8 protocol. The method comprises the following steps.

[0044] Step 201: interact with the second communication node through the first link to generate a transmission key.

[0045] There are at least two links between the first communication node and the second communication node.

[0046] The second communication node in this embodiment may be a network device, for example, a multi-link network device (AP MLD) supporting the 802.11az protocol, or a non-collocated AP MLD in the Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn) protocol.

[0047] In this embodiment, the first communication node may include multiple subordinate nodes. In this embodiment, the subordinate nodes included in the first communication node are referred to as STAs. The second communication node also includes multiple subordinate nodes. In this embodiment, the subordinate nodes included in the second communication node are referred to as APs. There is a one-to-one correspondence between STAs and APs, and a link is established.

[0048] The difference between AP MLD and non-collocated AP MLD is that: AP MLD includes at least two APs located on the same physical machine, while non-collocated AP MLD includes at least two APs deployed on different physical machines at different locations.

[0049] In this embodiment, at least two links are included between the first communication node and the second communication node. The first link in this embodiment is any one of the at least two links mentioned above.

[0050] The first communication node and the second communication node may generate a transmission key through an interaction process between the two nodes. The transmission key in this embodiment may be a pairwise transient key (PTK) or a pairwise master key (PMK).

[0051] The process of generating a transmission key can involve transmitting device addresses between a first communication node and a second communication node. The first communication node generates a transmission key based on the device addresses of the first communication node and the second communication node. The second communication node generates a transmission key based on the device addresses of the first communication node and the second communication node. The specific interaction process will be described in detail in subsequent embodiments.

[0052] Step 202: Process ranging related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node according to the transmission key through the second link.

[0053] The second link is any one of the at least two links.

[0054] In this embodiment, the second link is any one of the at least two links, that is, the second link may be the same as or different from the first link, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0055] In this embodiment, the first communication node may send ranging related information to the second communication node via the second link based on the transmission key, or receive ranging related information from the second communication node via the second link based on the transmission key.

[0056] Optionally, the first communication node transmits the ranging-related information to the second communication node via the second link based on the transmission key. This means that the first communication node encrypts the ranging-related information based on the transmission key and transmits the encrypted ranging-related information to the second communication node via the second link. The encrypted ranging-related information in this embodiment may be included in a fine timing measurement (FTM) frame.

[0057] Optionally, the first communication node receives ranging-related information from the second communication node via the second link based on the transmission key, which means that the first communication node receives ranging-related information from the second communication node via the second link and decrypts the received ranging-related information using the transmission key. In this embodiment, the ranging-related information sent by the second communication node may be included in an FTM frame.

[0058] Optionally, the ranging related information in this embodiment includes: time information and other related information. The ranging related information in this embodiment is used to determine the position of the first communication node relative to the second communication node, thereby achieving positioning of the first communication node.

[0059] Figure 3 is an interactive schematic diagram of a multi-link communication method provided by one embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the first communication node includes STA1, STA2, and STA3, and the second communication node includes AP1, AP2, and AP3. Link 1 is established between STA1 and AP1, and the link operates in a first frequency band, for example, 2.4 GHz. Link 2 is established between STA2 and AP2, and the link operates in a second frequency band, for example, 5 GHz. Link 3 is established between STA3 and AP3, and the link operates in a third frequency band, for example, 6 GHz. Based on the multi-link communication method provided by this embodiment, the first communication node and the second communication node can interact through any link of link 1, link 2, or link 3 to generate a transmission key. Assume that the transmission key is generated based on link 2. Then, based on the differences in Wi-Fi signal coverage and signal attenuation across different frequency bands, the first communication node uses the transmission key to perform FTM frame-based ranging and positioning on the 6 GHz frequency band, i.e., Link 3, when the first communication node is close to the second communication node. When the first communication node is farther away from the second communication node, it uses the transmission key to perform FTM frame-based ranging and positioning on the 2.4 GHz frequency band, i.e., Link 1. This enables flexible, secure, and efficient multi-link communication between the first and second communication nodes, and further enables flexible, secure, and efficient ranging and positioning between the first and second communication nodes.

[0060] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a multi-link connection establishment process provided by one embodiment. The STA included in the first communication node in Figure 4 is similar to the STA included in the first communication node in Figure 3. The AP included in the second communication node in Figure 4 is similar to the AP included in the second communication node in Figure 3. After the first and second communication nodes generate a transmission key via link 1, they can use the transmission key to transmit data on links 1, 2, and 3.

[0061] This embodiment provides a multi-link communication method, including: a first communication node interacting with a second communication node via a first link to generate a transmission key, wherein at least two links are provided between the first communication node and the second communication node; and processing ranging-related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node based on the transmission key via the second link, wherein the second link is any one of the at least two links. The method achieves the following technical effects: on the one hand, the first communication node interacts with the second communication node via the first link, and the generated transmission key can be used to transmit ranging-related information between the first and second communication nodes, thereby improving the security of multi-link communication and, thereby, improving the security of ranging and positioning; on the other hand, the transmission key is generated via the first link, and the ranging-related information is transmitted via the second link, where the first and second links can be the same or different, thereby improving the flexibility of multi-link communication and, thereby, improving the flexibility of ranging and positioning; on the other hand, after the transmission key is generated via the first link, there is no need to generate a key again when transmitting ranging-related information. Instead, the transmission key generated by the first link is directly used, thereby improving the communication efficiency of multi-link communication and, thereby, improving the efficiency of ranging and positioning.

[0062] Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of another multi-link communication method provided by one embodiment. This embodiment, based on the embodiment shown in Figure 2 and various optional implementations, details the process of generating a transmission key. As shown in Figure 5, the multi-link communication method provided by this embodiment includes the following steps.

[0063] Step 501: Send a first authentication frame to a second communication node via a first link.

[0064] The first authentication frame includes the device address of the first communication node.

[0065] Optionally, the device address of the first communication node in this embodiment is a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the first communication node. Of course, it may also be other addresses that can uniquely identify the first communication node.

[0066] Step 502: Receive a second authentication frame sent by a second communication node through the first link.

[0067] The second authentication frame includes the device address of the second communication node.

[0068] Optionally, the device address of the second communication node in this embodiment is the MAC address of the second communication node. Of course, it can also be other addresses that can uniquely represent the second communication node.

[0069] Step 503: Generate a transmission key according to the device address of the second communication node and the device address of the first communication node.

[0070] Optionally, in this embodiment, generating the transmission key requires at least: a device address of the second communication node, a device address of the first communication node, and a pseudo-random function (Pseudo-Random Function, PRF for short).

[0071] Alternatively, the transmission key can be generated according to the PTK generation formula defined in 802.11az. The MAC address of the second communication node is used as the authentication MAC address. The MAC address of the first communication node is used as the supplicant's MAC address. The generation formula is as follows:

[0072] PTK=PRF-Length(PMK, "Pairwise key expansion", Min(AA,SPA)||Max(AA,SPA)||Min(ANonce,SNonce)||Max(ANonce,SNonce)).

[0073] PRF is a pseudorandom function. AA is the MAC address of the second communication node. SPA is the MAC address of the first communication node. ANonce is a random number associated with the second communication node. SNonce is a random number associated with the first communication node. Min refers to the minimum value. Max refers to the maximum value. || represents a connector. A||B means A and B are connected together.

[0074] In one embodiment, after step 502, the following step may be further included: sending a third authentication frame to the second communication node via the first link, wherein the third authentication frame includes the device address of the first communication node.

[0075] FIG6 is an interactive diagram of a multi-link communication method provided by an embodiment. As shown in FIG6 , the multi-link communication method includes the following steps:

[0076] Step 601: A first communication node sends a first authentication frame to a second communication node via a first link.

[0077] Step 602: The second communication node receives a first authentication frame sent by the first communication node through the first link.

[0078] Step 603: The second communication node generates a transmission key according to the device address of the second communication node and the device address of the first communication node.

[0079] Step 604: The second communication node sends a second authentication frame to the first communication node through the first link.

[0080] Step 605: The first communication node receives a second authentication frame sent by the second communication node through the first link.

[0081] Step 606: The first communication node generates a transmission key according to the device address of the second communication node and the device address of the first communication node.

[0082] Step 607: The first communication node sends a third authentication frame to the second communication node through the first link.

[0083] Step 608: The second communication node receives the third authentication frame sent by the first communication node through the first link.

[0084] There is no timing relationship between step 603 and step 604 .

[0085] In a multi-link communication scenario, each link has two addresses: a first communication node-side link address and a second communication node-side link address. The first communication node-side link address refers to the link address of each subordinate node of the first communication node, i.e., the link address of STA1, the link address of STA2, ..., the link address of STA n. The second communication node-side link address refers to the link address of each subordinate node of the second communication node, i.e., the link address of AP1, the link address of AP2, ..., the link address of AP n.

[0086] The first communication node and the second communication node may also exchange link addresses of both ends.

[0087] Optionally, in this embodiment, the first authentication frame further includes at least two candidate second communication node end link addresses requested by the first communication node.

[0088] Optionally, in this embodiment, the second authentication frame further includes at least two target second communication node end link addresses of the second communication node.

[0089] Optionally, the target second communication node end link address of the second communication node also included in the second authentication frame in this embodiment may be one.

[0090] In this embodiment, the second communication node end link address requested by the first communication node is referred to as a candidate second communication node end link address. The second communication node end link address fed back to the first communication node by the second communication node is referred to as a target second communication node end link address.

[0091] In this embodiment, the at least two target second communication node end link addresses included in the second authentication frame can be implemented in the following ways.

[0092] In a first implementation, the second authentication frame also includes a status code for each link. That is, the second authentication frame includes the second communication node link address and the status code for each link. The status code may indicate whether a connection is permitted on the link or not. In this embodiment, the second communication node link address corresponding to a status code indicating that a connection is permitted on the link is referred to as the target second communication node link address.

[0093] In the second implementation, the second communication node-side link addresses fed back by the second communication node in the second authentication frame are all second communication node-side link addresses corresponding to the link for which connection establishment is permitted. Therefore, in this implementation, the second communication node-side link addresses included in the second authentication frame are all target second communication node-side link addresses.

[0094] Optionally, the target second communication node end link address includes at least one of the following: an index of the target second communication node end link and a MAC address of the target second communication node end link. It is understood that the candidate second communication node end link address also includes at least one of the following: an index of the candidate second communication node end link and a MAC address of the candidate second communication node end link.

[0095] In this embodiment, the link index may also be referred to as a link ID. The link MAC address may also be referred to as a link identifier. The second communication node link address may include only one of the second communication node link ID and the second communication node link identifier, or may include both the second communication node link ID and the second communication node link identifier. In this embodiment, both the link ID and the link identifier can uniquely identify a link, the difference being that the link ID has fewer bits than the link identifier, thereby saving transmission resources.

[0096] In one implementation, at least two target second communication node end link addresses are the same as at least two candidate second communication node end link addresses.

[0097] In another implementation, the at least two target second communication node end-link addresses are a subset of the at least two candidate second communication node end-link addresses. In this implementation, after receiving the first authentication frame, the second communication node can select at least two target second communication node end-link addresses from the at least two candidate second communication node end-link addresses included in the first authentication frame, based on factors such as its own network status, scheduling policy, and access control. For example, the first communication node supports three links: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz, and wishes to establish an FTM session on all three links, while the second communication node may only allow sessions to be established on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. In this example, the first authentication frame sent by the first communication node to the second communication node includes the second communication node end-link addresses corresponding to the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz links. The second authentication frame returned by the second communication node to the first communication node includes the second communication node end-link addresses corresponding to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz links.

[0098] In this embodiment, the first communication node may further perform the following steps: determining, based on the second authentication frame, a first communication node end link address corresponding to at least two target second communication node end link addresses.

[0099] Optionally, the first authentication frame or the third authentication frame in this embodiment further includes: a first communication node end link address.

[0100] Optionally, the first authentication frame and the third authentication frame in this embodiment also include: a first communication node end link address.

[0101] Optionally, the first communication node end link address includes: a MAC address of the first communication node end link (STA link MAC address). In other words, the first communication node end link address includes a first communication node end link identifier (STA link identifier).

[0102] Optionally, the third authentication frame in this embodiment may further include at least one target second communication node end link address.

[0103] It should be noted that, in the scenario where only the third authentication frame includes the first communication node end link address, the first communication node end link address here may be the first communication node end link address corresponding to at least two target second communication node end link addresses.

[0104] When the first communication node end link address is sent through the third authentication frame, the first communication node end link address can be encrypted according to the generated transmission key, thereby further improving the security of multi-link communication.

[0105] Optionally, referring to FIG. 6 , before step 601 , the following steps may be further included:

[0106] Step 601a: The second communication node sends a management frame to the first communication node.

[0107] The management frame includes a second communication node end link address supported by the second communication node.

[0108] Step 601b: The first communication node receives the management frame sent by the second communication node.

[0109] Optionally, before step 601a, the first communication node may use the multi-link discovery process defined in the 802.11be or 802.11bn protocol to discover a second communication node that supports the 802.11az protocol. Thereafter, the second communication node may send a management frame to the first communication node. The management frame in this embodiment may be a beacon frame or a probe response frame.

[0110] Optionally, after receiving the management frame, the first communication node may include the following steps:

[0111] Step 601c: The first communication node determines at least two candidate second communication node end link addresses requested by the first communication node from the second communication node end link addresses supported by the second communication node included in the management frame.

[0112] Optionally, the management frame includes a first management frame and / or a second management frame, wherein the first management frame includes one second communication node end link address, and the second management frame includes at least two second communication node end link addresses.

[0113] Optionally, the number of the first management frames is at least two and they are located on different links. In other words, the first communication node receives at least two management frames from the at least two links respectively. The link addresses of the second communication node end of the two links are obtained respectively through the MAC headers of the at least two management frames.

[0114] The transmission link of the management frame in step 601a and step 601b (including the second communication node sending the management frame and the first communication node receiving the management frame) may be the same as or different from the first link in step 601. This embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0115] Optionally, the management frame in this embodiment further includes: a source robust security network element (Robust Security Network Element, RSNE for short) and a source extended robust security network element (RSN extension element, RSNXE for short).

[0116] Optionally, in this embodiment, the first authentication frame further includes at least one of the following: a first RSNE and a first RSNXE. Further, the requested link information of the first authentication frame further includes at least one of the following: a first RSNE and a first RSNXE. The requested link information of the first authentication frame will be described later.

[0117] Optionally, the first RSNE and the first RSNXE are subsets of the source RSNE and the source RSNXE included in the management frame. This implementation can improve the success rate of establishing multi-link communication between the first communication node and the second communication node.

[0118] Optionally, the second authentication frame further includes at least one of the following: a link connection permission indication, a second RSNE, and a second RSNXE. Further, the link request information of the second authentication frame further includes at least one of the following: a link connection permission indication, a second RSNE, and a second RSNXE.

[0119] The following describes in detail possible implementations of the first authentication frame, the second authentication frame, and the third authentication frame.

[0120] In this embodiment, the first authentication frame, the second authentication frame, and the third authentication frame may be frames improved based on the Preassociation Security Negotiation (PASN) authentication frame defined in 802.11az.

[0121] In related art, a first communication node and a second communication node communicate via three PASN authentication frames. The first PASN authentication frame is sent from the first communication node to the second communication node. The second PASN authentication frame is sent from the second communication node to the first communication node. The third authentication frame is sent from the first communication node to the second communication node.

[0122] Figure 7A is a schematic diagram of the first PASN authentication frame in the related art. As shown in Figure 7A, 1 indicates that the sequence number of the authentication frame is 1. PASN indicates that the authentication frame subtype is PASN. RSNE includes authentication key suite information, master key algorithm information, paired master key identifier (PMK Identifier, abbreviated as: PMKID) information, etc. RSNXE includes SAE hash unit, HE-LTF protection capability set, RTT protection capability set and other information. S-Ephemeral Pub represents the temporary public key generated by the first communication node. PASN parameters include field length, field ID, limited loop selection algorithm, temporary public key length and temporary public key information. AKMP data-1 includes data information used for 802.1X authentication in the first PASN authentication frame.

[0123] Figure 7B is a schematic diagram of a second PASN authentication frame in the related art. As shown in Figure 7B, 2 indicates that the authentication frame sequence number is 2. The meaning and content of PASN, RSNE, RSNXE, and PASN parameters are similar to those in Figure 7A and are not repeated here. A-Ephemeral Pub represents the temporary public key generated by the second communication node. AKMP Data-2 includes the data information used for 802.1X authentication in the second PASN authentication frame. MIC stands for Message Integrity Check (MIC).

[0124] Figure 7C is a schematic diagram of a third PASN authentication frame in the related art. As shown in Figure 7C, 3 indicates that the sequence number of the authentication frame is 3. AKMP Data-3 includes data information used for 802.1X authentication in the third PASN authentication frame.

[0125] In this embodiment, a multi-link operation (MLO) element may be defined. FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a multi-link element provided by one embodiment. As shown in FIG8 , the MLO element includes two parts: MLO common information and MLO link information. The MLO common information includes the device address of the communication node. The device address of the communication node here includes the device address of the second communication node, such as the AP MLD MAC address, or the device address of the first communication node, such as the non-AP MLD MAC address information. The MLO link info includes at least one of the following: a link address field and a link-related information field. The link address field here may include a link ID field and a link identifier field. The link-related information field may include at least one of the following: a link control bitmap field, a status code field, RSNE, and RSNXE. An explanation of each field is shown in Table 1.

[0126] Table 1 MLO Element field description

[0127] The following describes the implementation of the first, second, and third authentication frames, using as an example a case where the first communication node is a non-AP MLD and the second communication node is an AP MLD (including a non-collocated AP MLD). The first communication node's link address may include a STA link identifier (STA link MAC address). The second communication node's link address may include an AP link ID and / or an AP link identifier (AP link MAC address).

[0128] Figure 9A is a schematic diagram of a first authentication frame provided by an embodiment. As shown in Figure 9A , the first authentication frame in this embodiment can be implemented by adding an MLO element to the first PASN authentication frame. The MLO element in the first authentication frame includes the non-AP MLD MAC address and MLO link information (i.e., the requested link information in the first authentication frame). The MLO link information in the first authentication frame includes the AP link ID, the link control bitmap, the first RSNE (not shown), and the first RSNXE (not shown). There can be multiple AP link IDs, represented in Figure 9A as AP link ID-1, ..., AP link ID-x. The link control bitmap, the first RSNE, and the first RSNXE are optional elements in the first authentication frame. As previously mentioned, the AP link ID in the first authentication frame is the at least two candidate second communication node link addresses determined by the non-AP MLD from the management frame sent by the AP MLD. The link control bitmap can correspond to the AP link ID. x is an integer greater than 0.

[0129] It is understandable that the MLO link information of the MLO Element in the first authentication frame may also include an AP link MAC address (ie, an AP link identifier). Alternatively, the AP link ID may be replaced with the AP link MAC address.

[0130] Optionally, the first authentication frame may further include: a STA link MAC address.

[0131] In this embodiment, the position of the MLO Element in the first authentication frame is not limited. FIG9A illustrates an example in which the MLO Element in the first authentication frame is located after the AKMP data-1 field.

[0132] Figure 9B is a schematic diagram of a second authentication frame provided by an embodiment. As shown in Figure 9B , the second authentication frame in this embodiment can be implemented by adding an MLO Element to the second PASN authentication frame. The MLO Element in the second authentication frame includes: the AP MLD MAC address and MLO link information (i.e., the requested link information of the second authentication frame described above). The MLO link information in the second authentication frame includes: the AP link ID, the link control bitmap, the AP link identifier, the second RSNE (not shown in the figure), and the second RSNXE (not shown in the figure). There can be multiple AP link IDs, represented in Figure 9B as AP link ID-1, ..., AP link ID-x. Each AP link ID corresponds to an AP link identifier. The AP link identifier can be the AP1 link MAC address, the AP2 link MAC address, ..., the APx link MAC address. In Figure 9B , the MLO link information in the second authentication frame also includes the status code corresponding to each AP link ID.

[0133] Optionally, the MLO link information in the MLO Element of the second authentication frame may include either an AP link ID or an AP link identifier.

[0134] As previously described, the corresponding status code in the second authentication frame indicates that the AP link ID and / or AP link identifier that permits connection establishment on the link are at least two target second communication node link addresses of the AP MLD. Optionally, one of the at least two target second communication node link addresses in the second authentication frame may be included in the MAC header of the second PASN authentication frame. The remaining target second communication node link addresses are included in the frame body of the second PASN authentication frame.

[0135] Optionally, the AP link ID and / or AP link identifier in the second authentication frame is a subset of the AP link ID and / or AP link identifier in the first authentication frame. For example, if the AP MLD supports three links and the STA requests to establish a PASN on the first and second links, the MLO link info in the second PASN authentication frame sent by the AP may only contain information corresponding to the first and second links.

[0136] In this embodiment, the position of the MLO Element in the second authentication frame is not limited. FIG9B illustrates an example in which the MLO Element in the second authentication frame is located after the AKMP data-2 field and before the MIC field.

[0137] Figure 9C is a schematic diagram of a third authentication frame provided by an embodiment. As shown in Figure 9C, the third authentication frame in this embodiment can be implemented by adding an MLO Element to the third PASN authentication frame. The MLO Element in the third authentication frame includes: a non-AP MLD MAC address and MLO link information. The MLO link information in the third authentication frame includes: an AP link ID, a link control bitmap, a STA link identifier, a third RSNE, and a third RSNXE. There can be multiple AP link IDs, which are represented by AP link ID-1, ..., AP link ID-y in Figure 9C. Each AP link ID corresponds to a STA link identifier. The STA link identifier can be the STA 1 link MAC address, the STA 2 link MAC address, ..., the STA y link MAC address. y is an integer greater than 0.

[0138] Optionally, AP link ID, link control bitmap, STA link identifier, third RSNE and third RSNXE are optional contents in the third authentication frame. It can be understood that the AP link ID in the third authentication frame is the link address of the target second communication node.

[0139] In this embodiment, the position of the MLO Element in the third authentication frame is not limited. FIG9C illustrates an example in which the MLO Element in the third authentication frame is located after the AKMP data-3 field and before the MIC field.

[0140] Step 504: Process the ranging related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node according to the transmission key through the second link.

[0141] The second link is any one of the at least two links.

[0142] Possible implementations of step 504 are as follows: the first communication node may determine, based on a preset strategy, the current first communication node end link address corresponding to the second link; determine, based on the current first communication node end link address, the current second communication node end link address corresponding to the current first communication node end link address; encrypt the ranging related information based on the transmission key to obtain encrypted ranging related information; and send the encrypted ranging related information to the second communication node using the current second communication node end link address.

[0143] Optionally, the encrypted ranging related information is included in the FTM frame. Transmitting ranging related information between the first communication node and the second communication node according to the transmission key can also be referred to as an FTM session between the first communication node and the second communication node.

[0144] Optionally, the preset strategy here may be at least one of a network status, a scheduling strategy, a distance between the first communication node and the second communication node, and user indication information.

[0145] Optionally, the first communication node may first determine the second link according to a preset strategy; and then determine the corresponding current first communication node end link address according to the second link.

[0146] Of course, the FTM session may also be initiated by the second communication node.

[0147] Continuing with Figure 6, at time T1, an FTM session is established between the first communication node and the second communication node. Optionally, the first communication node uses the current second communication node link address corresponding to the current first communication node link address to initiate an FTM session with the second communication node, completing ranging and positioning. Alternatively, the second communication node uses the current first communication node link address corresponding to the current second communication node link address to initiate an FTM session with the first communication node, completing ranging and positioning.

[0148] At time T2, an FTM session is established between the first communication node and the second communication node. Optionally, the first communication node uses the current second communication node link address corresponding to the current first communication node link address to initiate an FTM session with the second communication node, completing ranging and positioning. Alternatively, the second communication node uses the current first communication node link address corresponding to the current second communication node link address to initiate an FTM session with the first communication node, completing ranging and positioning.

[0149] The current second communication node end link address or the current first communication node end link address at time T1 may be the same as or different from the current second communication node end link address or the current first communication node end link address at time T2.

[0150] It can be understood that, in this embodiment, the PASN frame interaction process and the FTM session may be completed on the same or different links, that is, the first link and the second link may be the same or different.

[0151] In a scenario where the second communication node is a non-collocated AP MLD, there are multiple second links and multiple current second communication node end link addresses. Using the current second communication node end link address to send encrypted ranging related information to the second communication node includes: using the multiple current second communication node end link addresses to send the encrypted ranging related information to subsidiary sub-nodes of the second communication node deployed at different locations.

[0152] In this implementation, the subsidiary sub-nodes deployed at different locations corresponding to the current second communication node end link address receive the encrypted ranging related information fed back by the first communication node. The subsidiary sub-node sends the encrypted ranging related information fed back by the first communication node and the corresponding current first communication node end link address to the second communication node. The second communication node receives the encrypted ranging related information fed back by the first communication node and the corresponding current first communication node end link address sent by multiple subsidiary sub-nodes. When the second communication node determines that the device addresses of the first communication nodes corresponding to multiple current first communication node end link addresses are the same, multi-point positioning of the first communication node is achieved based on the encrypted ranging related information fed back by the first communication node. In this scenario, multi-point positioning of the first communication node can be achieved, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

[0153] In the multi-link communication method provided in this embodiment, the first communication node and the second communication node interact with each other through the first authentication frame, the second authentication frame, and the third authentication frame to generate a transmission key. The generation efficiency is high, further improving the efficiency of multi-link communication.

[0154] Figure 10 is a flow chart of a multi-link communication method provided by one embodiment. The method provided in this embodiment is applicable to a second communication node. In this example, the second communication node (also referred to as a second communication node device) can be a network device. The network device in this embodiment can be an AP MLD that supports the 802.11az protocol, or a non-collocated AP MLD in the Wi-Fi 8 protocol. The method includes the following steps.

[0155] Step 1001: interact with a first communication node through a first link to generate a transmission key.

[0156] There are at least two links between the first communication node and the second communication node.

[0157] The implementation process and technical principles of step 1001 are similar to those of step 201 and will not be repeated here.

[0158] Step 1002: Process ranging related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node according to the transmission key through the second link.

[0159] The second link is any one of the at least two links.

[0160] In this embodiment, the second communication node may send ranging related information to the first communication node via the second link based on the transmission key, or receive ranging related information from the first communication node via the second link based on the transmission key.

[0161] Optionally, the second communication node transmits the ranging-related information to the first communication node via the second link based on the transmission key, which means that the second communication node encrypts the ranging-related information based on the transmission key and transmits the encrypted ranging-related information to the first communication node via the second link. The encrypted ranging-related information in this embodiment may be included in an FTM frame.

[0162] Optionally, the second communication node receives ranging-related information from the first communication node via the second link based on the transmission key, which means that the second communication node receives ranging-related information from the first communication node via the second link and decrypts the received ranging-related information using the transmission key. In this embodiment, the ranging-related information sent by the first communication node may be included in an FTM frame.

[0163] This embodiment provides a multi-link communication method, including: a second communication node interacting with a second communication node via a first link to generate a transmission key, wherein at least two links are provided between the first communication node and the second communication node; and ranging-related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node is processed via the second link based on the transmission key, wherein the second link is any one of the at least two links. The method achieves the following technical effects: on the one hand, the second communication node interacts with the second communication node via the first link, and the generated transmission key can be used to transmit ranging-related information between the first communication node and the second communication node, thereby improving the security of multi-link communication and, thereby, improving the security of ranging and positioning; on the other hand, the transmission key is generated via the first link, and the ranging-related information is transmitted via the second link, where the first link and the second link can be the same or different, thereby improving the flexibility of multi-link communication and, thereby, improving the flexibility of ranging and positioning; on the other hand, after the transmission key is generated via the first link, there is no need to generate a key again when transmitting ranging-related information. Instead, the transmission key generated by the first link is directly used, thereby improving the communication efficiency of multi-link communication and, thereby, improving the efficiency of ranging and positioning.

[0164] Figure 11 is a schematic flow chart of another multi-link communication method provided by one embodiment. This embodiment, based on the embodiment shown in Figure 10 and various optional implementations, details the process of generating a transmission key. As shown in Figure 11, the multi-link communication method provided by this embodiment includes the following steps.

[0165] Step 1101: Receive a first authentication frame sent by a first communication node through a first link.

[0166] The first authentication frame includes the device address of the first communication node.

[0167] Step 1102: Send a second authentication frame to the first communication node through the first link.

[0168] The second authentication frame includes the device address of the second communication node.

[0169] Step 1103: Generate a transmission key according to the device address of the second communication node and the device address of the first communication node.

[0170] Optionally, the first authentication frame further includes at least two candidate second communication node end link addresses requested by the first communication node.

[0171] Optionally, the second authentication frame further includes at least two target second communication node end link addresses of the second communication node.

[0172] Optionally, the at least two target second communication node end link addresses are a subset of the at least two candidate second communication node end link addresses.

[0173] Optionally, after step 1102, the method further includes the following step: receiving a third authentication frame sent by the first communication node through the first link, wherein the third authentication frame includes the device address of the first communication node.

[0174] Optionally, the first authentication frame and / or the third authentication frame further includes: a first communication node end link address corresponding to at least two target second communication node end link addresses.

[0175] The implementation process and technical principle of step 1103 are similar to those of step 503 and will not be repeated here.

[0176] The implementation methods of the first authentication frame, the second authentication frame, and the third authentication frame in this embodiment are similar to those in the embodiment shown in FIG5 and various optional implementations, and are not described again here.

[0177] Step 1104: Process the ranging related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node according to the transmission key through the second link.

[0178] In this embodiment, the implementation process of step 1104 may include the following steps: determining the current second communication node end link address corresponding to the second link according to a preset strategy; determining the current first communication node end link address corresponding to the current second communication node end link address according to the current second communication node end link address; encrypting the ranging related information according to the transmission key to obtain the encrypted ranging related information; and using the current first communication node end link address to send the encrypted ranging related information to the first communication node.

[0179] In a scenario where the second communication node is a non-collocated AP MLD, there are multiple second links and multiple current second communication node end link addresses. Using the current first communication node end link address to send encrypted ranging-related information to the first communication node can include: controlling multiple subsidiary sub-nodes deployed in different locations corresponding to the current second communication node end link address to send encrypted ranging-related information to the first communication node, and receiving ranging-related information and the corresponding current first communication node end link address fed back by the first communication node; receiving ranging-related information and the corresponding current first communication node end link address fed back by the multiple subsidiary sub-nodes; and when it is determined that the device addresses of the first communication nodes corresponding to the multiple current first communication node end link addresses are the same, implementing multi-point positioning of the first communication node based on the ranging-related information fed back by the first communication node. This implementation method can achieve multi-point positioning of the first communication node, thereby improving the positioning accuracy of the first communication node.

[0180] Optionally, before receiving the first authentication frame sent by the first communication node through the first link, the method provided in this embodiment further includes: sending a management frame to the first communication node, wherein the management frame includes a second communication node end link address supported by the second communication node.

[0181] In the multi-link communication method provided in this embodiment, the first communication node and the second communication node interact with each other through the first authentication frame, the second authentication frame, and the third authentication frame to generate a transmission key. The generation efficiency is high, further improving the efficiency of multi-link communication.

[0182] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an application of a multi-link communication method provided by an embodiment. As shown in Figure 12, in this application scenario, the first communication nodes are non-AP MLDs, including STA1, STA2, and STA3. The second communication nodes are non-collocated AP MLDs, including AP1, AP2, AP3, and AP MLD High MAC, all deployed at different locations. The process of establishing multi-link communication between non-AP MLDs and non-collocated AP MLDs in this scenario is as follows.

[0183] Step 1201: A non-AP MLD supporting 802.11az uses the multi-link transmission process defined in 802.11bn to discover a multi-link network device supporting both 802.11az and 802.11bn (a non-collocated AP MLD, whose subordinate AP1, AP2, and AP3 are deployed in different locations). For example, the non-AP MLD receives a management frame sent by the non-collocated AP MLD on any link, such as a Beacon or probe response frame.

[0184] Step 1202: On the first link, the non-AP MLD sends a first MLO PASN authentication frame (i.e., a first authentication frame). The frame format is shown in FIG9A and includes:

[0185] Non-AP MLD MAC address (non-AP MLD MAC1) address, multilink link ID information (AP Link ID corresponding to Link 1, Link 2, and Link 3, link control bitmap, and RSNE and RSNXE fields).

[0186] Step 1203: After receiving the request, the non-collocated AP MLD sends a second MLO PASN authentication frame (i.e., a second authentication frame). The frame format is shown in FIG9B and includes:

[0187] AP MLD MAC address, multi-link link ID information (AP Link ID corresponding to Link 1, Link 2, and Link 3, link control bitmap, RSN, RSNXE field, AP link MAC address (AP1, AP2, AP3) and connection permission indication information).

[0188] Step 1204: After the first and second MLO PASN authentication frames are exchanged, the non-AP MLD and the AP MLD respectively generate PTKs for encryption.

[0189] Step 1205: After receiving the second MLO PASN authentication frame sent by the AP MLD, the non-AP MLD sends a third MLO PASN authentication frame (i.e., a third authentication frame). The frame format is shown in FIG9C and includes:

[0190] Non-AP MLD MAC address, multi-link link ID information (AP Link ID corresponding to Link 1, Link 2, and Link 3, link control bitmap, and RSN, RSNXE fields, STA link MAC address (STA1, STA2, STA3)).

[0191] Step 1206: T1 time: The non-AP MLD or non-collocated AP MLD uses the link MAC address corresponding to AP1 / STA1 on the first link to initiate FTM session 1 to the peer end, completing ranging.

[0192] Step 1207: Time T2: The non-AP MLD or non-collocated AP MLD initiates FTM session 2 to the peer end on the second link using the link MAC address corresponding to AP2 / STA2, completing ranging.

[0193] Step 1208: Time T3: The non-AP MLD or non-collocated AP MLD initiates FTM session 3 to the peer end on the third link using the link MAC address corresponding to AP3 / STA3, completing ranging.

[0194] Among them, T1, T2 and T3 can be the same, different, or partially the same. There is no order between step 1206, step 1207 and step 1208.

[0195] Step 1209: Based on the MAC address information of STA1, STA2, and STA3, the non-collocated AP MLD determines that the ranging on the three links with STA1, STA2, and STA3 all come from the same non-AP MLD, thereby achieving accurate positioning of the non-AP MLD.

[0196] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-link communication device provided in an embodiment. The multi-link communication device may be provided in a first communication node. The multi-link communication device provided in this embodiment includes the following modules: a first generation module 131 and a first processing module 132.

[0197] The first generating module 131 is configured to interact with the second communication node through the first link to generate a transmission key.

[0198] There are at least two links between the first communication node and the second communication node.

[0199] The first processing module 132 is configured to process ranging related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node according to the transmission key through the second link.

[0200] The second link is any one of the at least two links.

[0201] In one embodiment, the first generation module 131 is configured to: send a first authentication frame to the second communication node via the first link, wherein the first authentication frame includes the device address of the first communication node; receive a second authentication frame sent by the second communication node via the first link, wherein the second authentication frame includes the device address of the second communication node; and generate a transmission key based on the device address of the second communication node and the device address of the first communication node.

[0202] In one embodiment, the first authentication frame further includes at least two candidate second communication node end link addresses requested by the first communication node.

[0203] In one embodiment, the second authentication frame further includes at least two target second communication node end link addresses of the second communication node.

[0204] In one embodiment, the at least two target second communication node end link addresses are a subset of the at least two candidate second communication node end link addresses.

[0205] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises: a sending module configured to send a third authentication frame to the second communication node via the first link, wherein the third authentication frame includes a device address of the first communication node.

[0206] In one embodiment, the apparatus further includes: a first determining module configured to determine, based on the second authentication frame, a first communication node end link address corresponding to the at least two target second communication node end link addresses.

[0207] In one embodiment, the first processing module 132 is configured to: determine, according to a preset strategy, a current first communication node end link address corresponding to the second link; determine, according to the current first communication node end link address, a current second communication node end link address corresponding to the current first communication node end link address; encrypt the ranging related information according to the transmission key to obtain the encrypted ranging related information; and use the current second communication node end link address to send the encrypted ranging related information to the second communication node.

[0208] In one embodiment, the number of the second links is multiple, and the number of the current second communication node end link addresses is multiple. In the aspect of using the current second communication node end link address to send the encrypted ranging-related information to the second communication node, the first processing module 132 is configured to use the multiple current second communication node end link addresses to send the encrypted ranging-related information to the second communication node's subordinate child nodes deployed at different locations.

[0209] In one embodiment, the encrypted ranging related information is included in a fine time measurement FTM frame.

[0210] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises: a receiving module configured to receive a management frame sent by the second communication node, wherein the management frame includes a second communication node end link address supported by the second communication node.

[0211] In one embodiment, the management frame includes a first management frame and / or a second management frame, wherein the first management frame includes one second communication node end link address, and the second management frame includes at least two second communication node end link addresses.

[0212] In one embodiment, the number of the first management frames is at least two and they are located in different links.

[0213] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a second determining module configured to determine at least two candidate second communication node end link addresses requested by the first communication node from the second communication node end link addresses supported by the second communication node.

[0214] In one embodiment, the management frame further includes: a source RSNE and a source RSNXE.

[0215] In one embodiment, the link request information of the first authentication frame further includes at least one of the following: a first RSNE and a first RSNXE.

[0216] In one embodiment, the first RSNE and the first RSNXE are a subset of the source RSNE and the source RSNXE included in the management frame.

[0217] In one embodiment, the target second communication node end link address includes at least one of the following: an index of the target second communication node end link and a MAC address of the target second communication node end link.

[0218] In one embodiment, the first authentication frame and / or the third authentication frame further includes: a first communication node end link address.

[0219] In one embodiment, the link request information of the second authentication frame further includes at least one of the following: an indication of whether to allow link connection, a second RSNE, and a second RSNXE.

[0220] In one embodiment, the device address is a MAC address.

[0221] In one embodiment, generating the transmission key requires at least: the device address of the second communication node, the device address of the first communication node, and a PRF.

[0222] The multi-link communication device provided in this embodiment is used to implement the multi-link communication method of the above embodiment. The implementation principle and technical effects of the multi-link communication device provided in this embodiment are similar to those of the above embodiment and will not be described in detail here.

[0223] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another multi-link communication device provided by an embodiment. The multi-link communication device can be provided in a second communication node. The multi-link communication device provided by this embodiment includes the following modules: a second generation module 141 and a second processing module 142.

[0224] The second generating module 141 is configured to interact with the first communication node through the first link to generate a transmission key.

[0225] There are at least two links between the first communication node and the second communication node.

[0226] The second processing module 142 is configured to process ranging related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node according to the transmission key through the second link.

[0227] The second link is any one of the at least two links.

[0228] In one embodiment, the second generation module 141 is configured to: receive a first authentication frame sent by the first communication node through a first link, wherein the first authentication frame includes the device address of the first communication node; send a second authentication frame to the first communication node through the first link, wherein the second authentication frame includes the device address of the second communication node; and generate a transmission key based on the device address of the second communication node and the device address of the first communication node.

[0229] In one embodiment, the first authentication frame further includes at least two candidate second communication node end link addresses requested by the first communication node.

[0230] In one embodiment, the second authentication frame further includes at least two target second communication node end link addresses of the second communication node.

[0231] In one embodiment, the at least two target second communication node end link addresses are a subset of the at least two candidate second communication node end link addresses.

[0232] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a receiving module configured to receive a third authentication frame sent by the first communication node via the first link, wherein the third authentication frame comprises a device address of the first communication node.

[0233] In one embodiment, the first authentication frame and / or the third authentication frame further includes: a first communication node end link address corresponding to the at least two target second communication node end link addresses.

[0234] In one embodiment, the second processing module 142 is configured to: determine, according to a preset strategy, a current second communication node end link address corresponding to the second link; determine, according to the current second communication node end link address, a current first communication node end link address corresponding to the current second communication node end link address; encrypt the ranging related information according to the transmission key to obtain encrypted ranging related information; and use the current first communication node end link address to send the encrypted ranging related information to the first communication node.

[0235] In one embodiment, the number of the second links is multiple, and the current second communication node end link address is multiple. In terms of using the current first communication node end link address to send the encrypted ranging-related information to the first communication node, the second processing module 142 is configured to: control multiple subsidiary sub-nodes deployed in different locations corresponding to the current second communication node end link address to send the encrypted ranging-related information to the first communication node, and receive the ranging-related information and the corresponding current first communication node end link address fed back by the first communication node; receive the ranging-related information and the corresponding current first communication node end link address fed back by the multiple subsidiary sub-nodes; and when it is determined that the device addresses of the first communication nodes corresponding to the multiple current first communication node end link addresses are the same, implement multi-point positioning of the first communication node based on the ranging-related information fed back by the first communication node.

[0236] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises: a sending module configured to send a management frame to the first communication node, wherein the management frame includes a second communication node end link address supported by the second communication node.

[0237] The multi-link communication device provided in this embodiment is used to implement the multi-link communication method of the above embodiment. The implementation principle and technical effects of the multi-link communication device provided in this embodiment are similar to those of the above embodiment and will not be described in detail here.

[0238] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication node, comprising: a processor, the processor being used to implement the method provided in any embodiment of the present application when executing a computer program. Specifically, the communication node may be a first communication node or a second communication node. The first communication node includes: a processor, the processor being used to implement the multi-link communication method provided in any embodiment of the present application when executing a computer program; the second communication node includes: a processor, the processor being used to implement the multi-link communication method provided in any embodiment of the present application when executing a computer program. Exemplarily, the first communication node may be the terminal device provided in any embodiment of the present application; the second communication node may be the network device provided in any embodiment of the present application. This application does not impose any specific restrictions on this.

[0239] Illustratively, the following embodiments respectively provide structural diagrams in which a communication node is a terminal device and a network device.

[0240] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-link terminal device provided by an embodiment. The multi-link terminal device (hereinafter referred to as the terminal) can be implemented in various forms. The terminal in this application may include, but is not limited to, mobile terminal devices such as mobile phones, smart phones, laptop computers, digital broadcast receivers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers (PADs), portable multimedia players (PMPs), navigation devices, vehicle-mounted terminal devices, vehicle-mounted display terminals, vehicle-mounted electronic rearview mirrors, and the like, as well as fixed terminal devices such as digital televisions (TVs) and desktop computers.

[0241] As shown in FIG15 , the terminal 50 may include a wireless communication unit 51, an audio / video (A / V) input unit 52, a user input unit 53, a sensing unit 54, an output unit 55, a memory 56, an interface unit 57, a processor 58, and a power supply unit 59, among others. FIG15 shows a terminal including various components, but it should be understood that implementation of all illustrated components is not required. More or fewer components may be implemented instead.

[0242] In this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 51 allows radio communication between the terminal 50 and a network device or network. The A / V input unit 52 is configured to receive audio or video signals. The user input unit 53 generates key input data based on user input commands to control various operations of the terminal 50. The sensing unit 54 monitors the current state of the terminal 50, its location, the presence or absence of user touch input to the terminal 50, its orientation, the acceleration or deceleration movement and direction of the terminal 50, and generates commands or signals for controlling the operations of the terminal 50. The interface unit 57 serves as an interface through which at least one external device can connect to the terminal 50. The output unit 55 is configured to provide output signals in a visual, audio, and / or tactile manner. The memory 56 can store software programs, etc., for processing and control operations executed by the processor 58, or can temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output. The memory 56 may include at least one type of storage medium. Furthermore, the terminal 50 may cooperate with a network storage device that performs the storage function of the memory 56 via a network connection. The processor 58 generally controls the overall operation of the terminal 50. The power supply unit 59 receives external power or internal power and provides appropriate power required to operate various elements and components under the control of the processor 58 .

[0243] The processor 58 executes at least one functional application and data processing by running the program stored in the memory 56, such as implementing the method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0244] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-link network device provided by one embodiment. As shown in Figure 16, the multi-link network device (hereinafter referred to as the network device) includes a processor 60, a memory 61, and a communication interface 62. The number of processors 60 in the network device can be one or more, and Figure 16 uses one processor 60 as an example. The processor 60, memory 61, and communication interface 62 in the network device can be connected via a bus or other means, and Figure 16 uses the bus connection as an example. The bus represents one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processor, or a local bus using any of a variety of bus structures.

[0245] The memory 61, as a computer-readable storage medium, can be configured to store software programs, computer-executable programs, and modules, such as program instructions / modules corresponding to the methods in the embodiments of the present application. The processor 60 executes the software programs, instructions, and modules stored in the memory 61 to execute at least one functional application and data processing of the network device, thereby implementing the above-mentioned method.

[0246] The memory 61 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store an operating system and at least one application required for a function; the data storage area may store data generated based on the use of the terminal. Furthermore, the memory 61 may include high-speed random access memory and non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-volatile solid-state memory device. In some instances, the memory 61 may include memory remotely located relative to the processor 60, and such remote memory may be connected to a network device via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an intranet, a network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

[0247] The communication interface 62 can be configured to receive and send data.

[0248] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method provided in any embodiment of the present application is implemented.

[0249] The computer storage medium of the embodiment of the present application can adopt any combination of one or more computer-readable media. The computer-readable medium can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium can be, for example, but not limited to: an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device or device, or any combination of the above. The computer-readable storage medium includes (a non-exhaustive list): an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. In the present application, a computer-readable storage medium can be any tangible medium containing or storing a program, which can be used by an instruction execution system, device or device or used in combination with it.

[0250] A computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, the data signal carrying computer-readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer-readable signal medium may also be any computer-readable medium other than a computer-readable storage medium that can transmit, propagate, or transfer a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0251] The program code contained on the computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wire, optical cable, radio frequency (RF), etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0252] Computer program code for performing the operations of the present disclosure may be written in one or more programming languages ​​or a combination of multiple programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​(such as Java, Smalltalk, C++, Ruby, Go), and conventional procedural programming languages ​​(such as "C" or similar programming languages). The program code may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a separate software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In cases involving a remote computer, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0253] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the term user terminal covers any suitable type of wireless user equipment, such as a mobile phone, a portable data processing device, a portable web browser or a vehicle-mounted mobile station.

[0254] In general, various embodiments of the present application may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, although the present application is not limited thereto.

[0255] Embodiments of the present application may be implemented by executing computer program instructions by a data processor of a mobile device, for example, in a processor entity, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The computer program instructions may be assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages.

[0256] Any block diagram of a logical flow in the drawings of this application may represent program steps, or may represent interconnected logical circuits, modules and functions, or may represent a combination of program steps and logical circuits, modules and functions. A computer program may be stored on a memory. The memory may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as, but not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), optical memory devices and systems (digital versatile discs DVD or CD), etc. Computer-readable media may include non-transitory storage media. A data processor may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment, such as, but not limited to, a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (FPGA), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture.

Claims

1. A multi-link communication method, applied to a first communication node, the method comprising: Interacting with a second communication node through a first link to generate a transmission key; wherein the first communication node and the second communication node include at least two links; The ranging related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node is processed according to the transmission key through a second link; wherein the second link is any one link of the at least two links.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of interacting with the second communication node through the first link to generate a transmission key includes: Sending a first authentication frame to a second communication node via the first link; wherein the first authentication frame includes a device address of the first communication node; receiving, through the first link, a second authentication frame sent by the second communication node; wherein the second authentication frame includes a device address of the second communication node; A transmission key is generated according to the device address of the second communication node and the device address of the first communication node.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The first authentication frame also includes at least two candidate second communication node end link addresses requested by the first communication node; The second authentication frame also includes at least two target second communication node end link addresses of the second communication node.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The at least two target second communication node end link addresses are a subset of the at least two candidate second communication node end link addresses.

5. The method according to claim 3, after receiving the second authentication frame sent by the second communication node through the first link, the method further comprises: A third authentication frame is sent to the second communication node via the first link; wherein the third authentication frame includes a device address of the first communication node.

6. The method according to claim 3, before processing the ranging related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node according to the transmission key through the second link, the method further comprises: According to the second authentication frame, a first communication node end link address corresponding to the at least two target second communication node end link addresses is determined.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The processing, through the second link, of the ranging related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node according to the transmission key includes: Determine, according to a preset strategy, a current first communication node end link address corresponding to the second link; Determine, according to the current first communication node end link address, a current second communication node end link address corresponding to the current first communication node end link address; Encrypting the ranging related information according to the transmission key to obtain encrypted ranging related information; The encrypted ranging related information is sent to the second communication node using the current second communication node end link address.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The number of the second links is multiple, and the number of the current second communication node end link addresses is multiple; The sending the encrypted ranging related information to the second communication node using the current second communication node end link address includes: The encrypted ranging related information is sent to the subsidiary sub-nodes of the second communication node deployed at different locations using the multiple current second communication node end link addresses.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The encrypted ranging related information is included in a fine time measurement FTM frame.

10. The method according to claim 3, before sending the first authentication frame to the second communication node through the first link, the method further comprises: Receive a management frame sent by a second communication node; wherein the management frame includes a second communication node end link address supported by the second communication node.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The management frame includes at least one of a first management frame and a second management frame; wherein the first management frame includes a second communication node end link address, and the second management frame includes at least two second communication node end link addresses.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The number of the first management frames is at least two and the first management frames are located in different links.

13. The method according to claim 10, before sending the first authentication frame to the second communication node through the first link, the method further comprises: At least two candidate second communication node end link addresses requested by the first communication node are determined from the second communication node end link addresses supported by the second communication node.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The management frame further includes: a source robust security network element RSNE and a source extended robust security network element RSNXE.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The request link information of the first authentication frame also includes at least one of the following: a first RSNE and a first RSNXE.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The first RSNE is a subset of source RSNEs included in the management frame, and the first RSNXE is a subset of source RSNXEs included in the management frame.

17. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The target second communication node end link address includes at least one of the following: an index of the target second communication node end link and a media access control MAC address of the target second communication node end link.

18. The method according to claim 5, wherein: At least one of the first authentication frame and the third authentication frame further includes: a first communication node end link address.

19. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The link request information of the second authentication frame further includes at least one of the following: an indication of whether to allow link connection, a second RSNE, and a second RSNXE.

20. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The device address is a MAC address.

21. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The generating a transmission key according to the device address of the second communication node and the device address of the first communication node comprises: Generating the transmission key requires at least: the device address of the second communication node, the device address of the first communication node, and a pseudo-random function PRF.

22. A multi-link communication method, applied to a second communication node, the method comprising: Interacting with a first communication node through a first link to generate a transmission key; wherein the first communication node and the second communication node include at least two links; The ranging related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node is processed according to the transmission key through a second link; wherein the second link is any one link of the at least two links.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein: The step of interacting with the second communication node through the first link to generate a transmission key includes: receiving, via a first link, a first authentication frame sent by the first communication node; wherein the first authentication frame includes a device address of the first communication node; Sending a second authentication frame to the first communication node via the first link; wherein the second authentication frame includes a device address of the second communication node; A transmission key is generated according to the device address of the second communication node and the device address of the first communication node.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein: The first authentication frame also includes at least two candidate second communication node end link addresses requested by the first communication node; The second authentication frame also includes at least two target second communication node end link addresses of the second communication node.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein: The at least two target second communication node end link addresses are a subset of the at least two candidate second communication node end link addresses.

26. The method according to claim 24, after sending the second authentication frame to the first communication node through the first link, the method further comprises: A third authentication frame sent by the first communication node is received through the first link; wherein the third authentication frame includes a device address of the first communication node.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein: At least one of the first authentication frame and the third authentication frame further includes: a first communication node end link address corresponding to the at least two target second communication node end link addresses.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein: The processing, through the second link, of the ranging related information transmitted between the first communication node and the second communication node according to the transmission key includes: Determine, according to a preset strategy, a current second communication node end link address corresponding to the second link; Determine, according to the current second communication node end link address, the current first communication node end link address corresponding to the current second communication node end link address; Encrypting the ranging related information according to the transmission key to obtain encrypted ranging related information; The encrypted ranging related information is sent to the first communication node using the current first communication node end link address.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein: The number of the second links is multiple, and the number of the current second communication node end link addresses is multiple; The sending the encrypted ranging related information to the first communication node using the current first communication node end link address includes: Control a plurality of subsidiary sub-nodes deployed at different locations corresponding to the link address of the current second communication node end to send the encrypted ranging related information to the first communication node, and receive the ranging related information and the corresponding current first communication node end link address fed back by the first communication node; Receiving ranging related information fed back by the first communication node and the corresponding current first communication node end link address sent by multiple subsidiary sub-nodes; When it is determined that the device addresses of the first communication nodes corresponding to the link addresses of the multiple current first communication nodes are the same, multi-point positioning of the first communication node is implemented according to the ranging related information fed back by the first communication node.

30. The method according to claim 24, before receiving the first authentication frame sent by the first communication node through the first link, the method further comprises: A management frame sent to a first communication node; wherein the management frame includes a second communication node end link address supported by the second communication node.

31. A first communication node, comprising: processor; The processor is configured to implement the multi-link communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 21 when executing a computer program.

32. A second communication node, comprising: processor; The processor is configured to implement the multi-link communication method according to any one of claims 22 to 30 when executing the computer program.

33. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the computer program implements the multi-link communication method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 21, or the multi-link communication method as claimed in any one of claims 22 to 30.

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