Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method can be applied to the field of communications. The method comprises: receiving configuration information, the configuration information comprising a mapping relationship between multiple access points (APs) and multiple pieces of indication information, wherein the multiple APs include a first AP, a second AP, and at least one third AP, the multiple pieces of indication information include first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used for identifying a first basic service set (BSS) to which an AP group consisting of the first AP and the second AP belongs, and the second indication information is used for identifying a second BSS to which any third AP belongs; and performing communication on the basis of the configuration information. By means of said method, in a multi-AP coordinated transmission scenario, a station can still perform communication on the basis of configuration information, thereby avoiding the occurrence of decoding conflicts and ambiguous identification, improving the performance and stability of wireless networks.

Description

Communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on September 2, 2023, with application number 202311138729.0 and application name “Communication Method and Communication Device,” the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] Currently, access points (APs) in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard can use a single-AP transmission mode, where each AP independently competes for a channel and transmits data after completing a backoff and securing the channel using enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA). Once an AP secures a channel, other APs determine the busy / idle status of the channel based on their channel sensing capabilities. If the channel is idle, they complete a backoff and access the channel. Basic service set coloring (BSS Color) technology can help other APs determine the busy / idle status of the channel. Specifically, BSS Coloring adds a color field to the header of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) to identify the BSS to which the PPDU belongs. If other APs detect that the color field in the PPDU sent by the AP that secured the channel is inconsistent with their own color field, they can mark the channel as idle. After completing the backoff, other APs can access the channel and communicate with the corresponding station (STA).

[0004] However, the above-mentioned BSS coloring technology is only applicable to the situation where one AP corresponds to one STA. In the scenario of multi-AP coordinated transmission (for example, the scenario where multiple APs correspond to one STA), the application of the above-mentioned BSS coloring technology may cause decoding conflicts and unclear identification, thereby reducing the performance and stability of the wireless network.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device, which enable stations to communicate based on configuration information in a scenario of multi-AP coordinated transmission, thereby avoiding decoding conflicts and unclear identification, and improving the performance and stability of the wireless network.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: receiving configuration information, the configuration information comprising a mapping relationship between multiple access points AP and multiple indication information, wherein the multiple APs comprise a first AP, a second AP and at least one third AP, the multiple indication information comprises first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used to identify a first basic service set BSS to which an AP group formed by the first AP and the second AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to identify a second BSS to which any third AP belongs; and communicating according to the configuration information.

[0008] Optionally, the method may be applied to a first station STA, the third AP may be an AP associated with the first STA, and the first AP and the second AP may be APs not associated with the first STA.

[0009] Optionally, the configuration information may be sent to the first STA by any one of the multiple APs.

[0010] Optionally, the mapping relationship between multiple APs and multiple indication information may include a mapping relationship between one indication information and multiple APs, for example, the first indication information may correspond to the first AP and the second AP, and the mapping relationship between multiple APs and multiple indication information may also include a mapping relationship between one indication information and one AP, for example, the third indication information may correspond to the fourth AP, and the fourth indication information may correspond to the fifth AP.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present application, the first STA can select a suitable AP for communication through configuration information in a scenario of multi-AP coordinated transmission. In this way, it can avoid the situation where the first STA is unable to communicate due to decoding conflicts and unclear identification, thereby improving the performance and stability of the wireless network.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the communicating according to the configuration information includes: receiving a first physical layer protocol data unit PPDU, the first PPDU including the first indication information; and determining to communicate with any one of the third APs based on the configuration information and the first PPDU.

[0013] Optionally, the first PPDU may be broadcasted by the first AP or the second AP, and the recipient of the first PPDU may be the first STA and / or the second STA, wherein the second STA may be a STA associated with the first AP and the second AP.

[0014] Alternatively, when the first PPDU carries the second indication information, the first STA may determine not to communicate with the third AP.

[0015] In this embodiment of the present application, a first STA can unambiguously determine that a third AP associated with the first STA is idle based on the received configuration information and the first indication information carried in the first PPDU, and then communicate with the third AP. This allows the first STA to avoid communicating with the third AP when the third AP is busy, thereby reducing the possibility of interference and conflicts in multi-AP transmission scenarios and improving communication quality and reliability. Furthermore, by selecting an idle third AP for communication at an appropriate time, the first STA can effectively utilize wireless channels and improve overall network throughput.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information includes a first BSS color, the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS, and the second indication information includes a second BSS color, the second BSS color corresponds to the second BSS.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present application, in the scenario of multi-AP joint transmission, the first indication information and the second indication information may respectively include different BSS colors. In this way, by identifying different BSSs by different BSS colors, it is convenient for the first STA to determine whether to communicate with the third AP, thereby avoiding interference and decoding conflicts.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first association identifier (AID), the first AID corresponds to the first BSS, the second indication information includes the first BSS color and a second AID, the second AID corresponds to the second BSS, and the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS and the second BSS.

[0019] In an embodiment of the present application, in the scenario of multi-AP joint transmission, the first indication information and the second indication information may respectively include the same BSS color and different AIDs. In this way, through the identification of the BSS color and AID, the first STA can more accurately determine whether to communicate with the third AP, thereby avoiding interference and decoding conflicts.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first bit map, the first bit map includes multiple bits, the multiple bits correspond to the multiple APs, and the multiple bits are used to identify whether the multiple APs participate in data transmission.

[0021] Optionally, a number 1 in a bit may indicate that the corresponding AP is participating in data transmission, and a number 0 in a bit may indicate that the corresponding AP is not participating in data transmission. Participating in data transmission may also be understood as: the AP corresponding to the bit is busy.

[0022] In an embodiment of the present application, in the scenario of multi-AP joint transmission, the first indication information may include a first BSS color and a first bit map. In this way, through the use of the BSS color and the first bit map, the first STA can more accurately determine whether to communicate with the third AP, thereby avoiding interference and decoding conflicts.

[0023] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which includes: sending configuration information, the configuration information including a mapping relationship between multiple APs and multiple indication information, wherein the multiple APs include a first AP, a second AP and at least one third AP, and the multiple indication information includes first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used to identify the first BSS to which the AP group formed by the first AP and the second AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to identify the second BSS to which any third AP belongs.

[0024] Optionally, the method may be used in a first AP or a second AP, and the first AP and the second AP may be associated with a second STA.

[0025] In an embodiment of the present application, the first AP or the second AP can broadcast configuration information so that after receiving the configuration information, the first STA can select a suitable AP for communication through the configuration information, thereby avoiding the situation where the first STA cannot communicate due to decoding conflicts and unclear identification.

[0026] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending a first PPDU, where the first PPDU includes the first indication information.

[0027] In an embodiment of the present application, the first AP or the second AP can send a first PPDU, which carries first indication information, so that the first STA can unambiguously determine that the third AP associated with the first STA is in an idle state based on the received configuration information and the first indication information carried by the first PPDU, and then communicate with the third AP.

[0028] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first indication information includes a first BSS color, the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS, and the second indication information includes a second BSS color, the second BSS color corresponds to the second BSS.

[0029] In an embodiment of the present application, in the scenario of multi-AP joint transmission, the first indication information and the second indication information may respectively include different BSS colors. In this way, by identifying different BSSs by different BSS colors, it is convenient for the first STA to determine whether to communicate with the third AP, thereby avoiding interference and decoding conflicts.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first AID, the first AID corresponds to the first BSS, the second indication information includes the first BSS color and a second AID, the second AID corresponds to the second BSS, and the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS and the second BSS.

[0031] In an embodiment of the present application, in the scenario of multi-AP joint transmission, the first indication information and the second indication information may respectively include the same BSS color and different AIDs. In this way, through the identification of the BSS color and AID, the first STA can more accurately determine whether to communicate with the third AP, thereby avoiding interference and decoding conflicts.

[0032] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first bit map, the first bit map includes multiple bits, the multiple bits correspond to the multiple APs, and the multiple bits are used to identify whether the multiple APs participate in data transmission.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present application, in the scenario of multi-AP joint transmission, the first indication information may include a first BSS color and a first bit map. In this way, through the use of the BSS color and the first bit map, the first STA can more accurately determine whether to communicate with the third AP, thereby avoiding interference and decoding conflicts.

[0034] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which includes: determining a first BSS to which the first AP belongs and a second BSS to which the second AP belongs based on a first PPDU sent by a first AP to a second AP; receiving a second PPDU based on the first BSS, the second PPDU being associated with the first AP; and receiving a third PPDU based on the second BSS, the third PPDU being associated with the second AP.

[0035] Optionally, the communication method can be applied to the first STA, and the association between the first AP and the second PPDU can be understood as: the second PPDU can be the PPDU sent by the first AP to the first STA, and the association between the second AP and the third PPDU can be understood as: the third PPDU can be the PPDU sent by the second AP to the first STA.

[0036] Optionally, the first STA may also determine a first BSS to which multiple APs belong and / or a second BSS to which multiple APs belong based on the first PPDU, and receive a second PPDU and a third PPDU based on the first BSS and the second BSS, respectively.

[0037] In an embodiment of the present application, the first STA can detect the first PPDU sent by the first AP to the second AP. The first STA can determine the first BSS to which the first AP belongs and the second BSS described by the second AP based on the first PPDU, and receive the second PPDU and the third PPDU based on the first BSS and the second BSS. In this way, it can be ensured that the second PPDU and the third PPDU have the same waveform to avoid mutual interference.

[0038] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: receiving a first preamble data packet and a second preamble data packet, the first preamble data packet and the second preamble data packet including first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information being used to identify a first BSS to which a first AP belongs, and the second indication information being used to identify a second BSS to which a second AP belongs; receiving a second PPDU according to the first preamble data packet, the second PPDU including the first indication information; receiving a third PPDU according to the second preamble data packet, the third PPDU including the second indication information.

[0039] Optionally, the communication method can be applied to a first STA, wherein the first preamble data packet can be sent by a first AP to the first STA, the second preamble data packet can be sent by a second AP to the first STA, the second PPDU can be sent by the first AP to the first STA, and the third PPDU can be sent by the second AP to the first STA.

[0040] In an embodiment of the present application, the first STA can receive the second PPDU and the third PPDU based on the first preamble data packet and the second preamble data packet. In this way, the second PPDU and the third PPDU can have the same waveform to avoid mutual interference.

[0041] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the first preamble data packet and the second preamble data packet are PPDUs using the same random seed, scrambling code, or format.

[0042] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the receiving the second PPDU includes: receiving the second PPDU in a non-omnidirectional manner; and the receiving the third PPDU includes: receiving the third PPDU in a non-omnidirectional manner.

[0043] In an embodiment of the present application, the first STA can receive the second PPDU and the third PPDU in a non-omnidirectional manner, which can reduce the area of ​​the overlapping area between the first AP and the second AP and reduce the probability that the first STA cannot receive the second PPDU and the third PPDU.

[0044] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided, which includes: receiving configuration information, the configuration information including a mapping relationship between multiple APs and indication information, the multiple APs including a first AP and at least one second AP, the multiple indication information including first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information being used to identify a first BSS to which an AP group consisting of the first AP and the at least one second AP belongs, and the second indication information being used to indicate a second BSS identified as the first AP or any one of the second APs; and communicating according to the configuration information.

[0045] In the sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, characterized in that the device includes: a transceiver unit for receiving configuration information, the configuration information including a mapping relationship between multiple APs and multiple indication information, wherein the multiple APs include a first AP, a second AP and at least one third AP, the multiple indication information include first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used to identify the first BSS to which the AP group composed of the first AP and the second AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to identify the second BSS to which any third AP belongs; a processing unit for communicating according to the configuration information.

[0046] In combination with the sixth aspect, in certain implementations of the sixth aspect, the transceiver unit is further used to receive a first PPDU, which includes the first indication information; the processing unit is further used to determine to communicate with any one of the third APs based on the configuration information and the first PPDU.

[0047] In combination with the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the first indication information includes a first BSS color, the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS, and the second indication information includes a second BSS color, the second BSS color corresponds to the second BSS.

[0048] In combination with the sixth aspect, in certain implementations of the sixth aspect, the first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first AID, the first AID corresponds to the first BSS, the second indication information includes the first BSS color and a second AID, the second AID corresponds to the second BSS, and the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS and the second BSS.

[0049] In combination with the sixth aspect, in certain implementations of the sixth aspect, the first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first bit map, the first bit map includes multiple bits, the multiple bits correspond to the multiple APs, and the multiple bits are used to identify whether the multiple APs participate in data transmission.

[0050] In the seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a transceiver unit for sending configuration information, the configuration information including a mapping relationship between multiple APs and multiple indication information, wherein the multiple APs include a first AP, a second AP and at least one third AP, the multiple indication information include first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used to identify a first BSS to which the AP group formed by the first AP and the second AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to identify a second BSS to which any third AP belongs.

[0051] In combination with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the transceiver unit is further used to send a first PPDU, where the first PPDU includes the first indication information.

[0052] In combination with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the first indication information includes a first BSS color, the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS, and the second indication information includes a second BSS color, the second BSS color corresponds to the second BSS.

[0053] In combination with the seventh aspect, in certain implementations of the seventh aspect, the first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first AID, the first AID corresponds to the first BSS, the second indication information includes the first BSS color and a second AID, the second AID corresponds to the second BSS, and the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS and the second BSS.

[0054] In combination with the seventh aspect, in certain implementations of the seventh aspect, the first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first bit map, the first bit map includes multiple bits, the multiple bits correspond to the multiple APs, and the multiple bits are used to identify whether the multiple APs participate in data transmission.

[0055] In the eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes: a transceiver unit for receiving configuration information, the configuration information including a mapping relationship between multiple APs and indication information, the multiple APs including a first AP and at least one second AP, the multiple indication information including first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information being used to identify a first BSS to which an AP group consisting of the first AP and the at least one second AP belongs, and the second indication information being used to identify the second BSS described in the first AP or any second AP; and a processing unit for communicating according to the configuration information.

[0056] In the ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processing unit for determining a first BSS to which the first AP belongs and a second BSS to which the second AP belongs based on a first PPDU sent by the first AP to the second AP; a transceiver unit for: receiving a second PPDU according to the first BSS, the second PPDU being associated with the first AP; and receiving a third PPDU according to the second BSS, the third PPDU being associated with the second AP.

[0057] In the tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a transceiver unit for receiving a first preamble data packet and a second preamble data packet, the first preamble data packet and the second preamble data packet including first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information being used to identify a first BSS to which a first AP belongs, and the second indication information being used to identify a second BSS to which a second AP belongs; a processing unit for: receiving a second PPDU according to the first preamble data packet, the second PPDU including the first indication information; and receiving a third PPDU according to the second preamble data packet, the third PPDU including the second indication information.

[0058] In combination with the tenth aspect, in certain implementations of the tenth aspect, the first preamble data packet and the second preamble data packet are PPDUs using the same random seed, scrambling code, or format.

[0059] In combination with the tenth aspect, in some implementations of the tenth aspect, the transceiver unit is specifically used to: receive the second PPDU in a non-omnidirectional manner; and receive the third PPDU in a non-omnidirectional manner.

[0060] In the eleventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor and a memory, wherein the at least one processor is coupled to the memory and is used to read and execute instructions in the memory, so that the device implements the method in any one of the implementation methods of the first to fifth aspects above.

[0061] In the twelfth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a program code. When the computer program code is run on a computer, the computer executes the method in any one of the implementation methods of the above-mentioned first to fifth aspects.

[0062] In a thirteenth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a circuit for executing the method in any one of the implementation modes of the first to fifth aspects above.

[0063] In a fourteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program. When the computer program is run, the computer executes the method in any one of the implementation modes of the first to fifth aspects above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0064] FIG1 is a network architecture of FRRT provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG2 is a process of realizing spatial spectrum reuse based on BSS color by other APs provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG3 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG4 is a process of multiple APs negotiating the use of BSS colors provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG5 is a process of multiple APs transmitting PPDUs to STA1 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of STA2 communicating based on BSS color according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of STA2 communicating based on BSS color and AID identification according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present application provided by STA2 communicating based on BSS color and AID identification;

[0072] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of STA2 communicating based on BSS color and bitmap according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the allocation and maintenance of BSS colors of multiple APs provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] 11 is a schematic diagram of uplink transmission based on BSS color of multiple APs provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG12 is another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG13 is another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a method for transmitting a plurality of APs in combination with a preceding data packet according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present application provided in conjunction with multiple APs for transmission of preamble data packets;

[0079] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present application provided by STA2 communicating based on BSS color;

[0080] FIG17 is a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG18 is another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0082] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0083] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, code division multiple access (CDMA) system, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, general packet radio service (GPRS), long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, future fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), etc.

[0084] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a user device, an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user apparatus. The terminal device may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a future 5G network, or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0085] The network device in the embodiment of the present application can be a device for communicating with a terminal device. The network device can be a base station (base transceiver station, BTS) in a global system of mobile communication (GSM) system or code division multiple access (CDMA), or a base station (NodeB, NB) in a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, or an evolved base station (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, or the network device can be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device in a future 5G network, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network, etc., and the embodiment of the present application is not limited.

[0086] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to wireless local area networks (WLANs). WLANs can connect devices using wireless signals (typically radio waves). These signals can be transmitted through wireless access points (APs) or routers. Devices (e.g., laptops, smartphones, tablets) can have wireless network cards or WiFi adapters and can access the Internet by establishing a connection with an AP.

[0087] The "access point AP" in this application can be an access service unit in various forms, which can control the transmission and reception of WiFi signals, or implement the transmission and reception of WiFi signals. For example, it includes but is not limited to a physical access point AP, which includes a media access control (MAC) layer, a physical layer (PHY) layer, and a radio frequency antenna; a logical access point AP form 1, which includes a MAC layer, a PHY layer, and multiplexes the radio frequency antenna of other APs; a logical access point AP form 2, which includes a MAC layer, and multiplexes the PHY layer and radio frequency antenna of other APs; a logical access point AP form 3, which includes a radio frequency antenna, and multiplexes the PHY layer and MAC layer of other APs, etc.

[0088] The preamble in this application includes L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, and version-specific SIGs. The U-SIG includes a version field, which identifies the content format of the U-SIG and the format of the version-specific SIG. The U-SIG also includes the BSS Color field described in this application. The AID can be carried by the U-SIG or a version-specific SIG.

[0089] The configuration information in this application (including the mapping relationship between multiple access points AP and multiple indication information) can be carried by beacon frames, association frames, probe frames or other management frames. The configuration information can be indicated to users through unicast, broadcast or multicast.

[0090] Users can carry a BSS color conflict indication in the control field of the MAC frame header. A conflict indication can also be carried in a management frame. The conflict indication includes the conflicting BSS color and the MAC address using that color, and optionally, the corresponding signal strength.

[0091] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to a wireless local area network, which can be a BSS including an AP. It should be understood that under the basic network structure of a WiFi system, the network can include multiple BSSs, each of which can include an AP and multiple stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The embodiments of the present application are described using stations as an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0092] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, first, a brief introduction to the concepts and technologies involved in the embodiments of the application is given.

[0093] (1) STA: STA can be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal device. For example: a mobile phone that supports WiFi communication function, a tablet computer that supports WiFi communication function, a set-top box that supports WiFi communication function, a smart TV that supports WiFi communication function, a smart wearable device that supports WiFi communication function, and a computer that supports WiFi communication function. Optionally, the STA can support the 802.11ax standard. Further optionally, the STA can support WiFi8 (802.11bn standard), WiFi7 (802.11be standard), or the next generation or generations of WiFi standards.

[0094] (2) AP: AP is also called wireless access point or hotspot. AP can provide access services for sites and can be an access point for mobile users to enter the wired network. It is mainly deployed in homes, buildings and campuses. The typical coverage radius is tens to hundreds of meters. Of course, it can also be deployed outdoors. AP is equivalent to a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks. Its main function is to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to Ethernet. The current main standards used by AP are the IEEE 802.11 series. Specifically, AP can be a terminal device or network device with a WiFi chip. Optionally, AP can be a device that supports the 802.11ax standard. Further optionally, the AP can be a device that supports WiFi8 (802.11bn standard), WiFi7 (802.11be standard) or the next generation or next generations of WiFi standards.

[0095] (3) Fiber to the room (FTTR) technology: Fiber optic networks play an increasingly important role in supporting broadband access to homes, offices, commercial buildings, factories, and smart cities. With the development of home networks, broadband data rates and quality of service (QoS) need to be continuously improved. For example, media services need to provide customers with ultra-high-definition videos such as 4K / 8K video, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR), which occupy up to Gb / s of network capacity. Various new business needs, including online education, telemedicine, and video conferencing, also need to ensure network quality in terms of low latency and packet loss rate. As shown in Figure 1, FTTR uses edge optical network terminals (Edge ONTs) to lay fiber to each room. FTTR optical gateways are deployed in the home, and multiple Edge ONTs are connected to support Gigabit Ethernet ports as the core to achieve full network coverage. Gigabit bandwidth can be achieved in every room, Wi-Fi seamless roaming, and low-latency bearer, easily meeting people's network needs in daily life and office.

[0096] (4) Inter-BSS / Intra-BSS PPDU. An Inter-BSS PPDU may refer to a physical layer protocol data unit for wireless communications between different BSSs. This type of PPDU may be used for communications between different WLANs. For example, when a STA receives an Inter-BSS PPDU, it may be considered that the PPDU comes from a BSS not associated with the STA. An Intra-BSS PPDU may refer to a physical layer protocol data unit for wireless communications within the same BSS. In other words, this type of PPDU may be used for communications between devices in the same WLAN. For example, when a STA receives an Intra-BSS PPDU, it may be considered that the PPDU comes from the BSS associated with the STA.

[0097] (5) Short interframe space (SIFS): SIFS is the time interval required by a wireless device between receiving a frame and responding to it. In IEEE 802.11 networks, SIFS is the interframe space maintained before and after the transmission of an acknowledgment frame and a clear-to-send frame. The duration of SIFS is typically 16 microseconds (μs).

[0098] (6) EDCA: It is a channel contention mechanism defined by Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM), which helps high-priority packets enjoy priority transmission rights and more bandwidth.

[0099] (7) AP Collaboration Group: This involves collaboration and cooperation between multiple APs to improve the performance and efficiency of the entire WLAN. Specifically, the main functions of the AP Collaboration Group include: coordinating the selection of different channels by APs within the group to reduce channel overlap and interference, and ensuring load balancing among APs to avoid overload and performance degradation.

[0100] Currently, APs in IEEE 802.11 can use a single-AP transmission method, that is, each AP independently competes for the channel and sends data after completing EDCA backoff and seizing the channel. When an AP seizes the channel, other APs determine the busy / idle status of its channel based on the channel sensing situation. When the channel is idle, they complete backoff and access the channel. BSS coloring technology can help other APs determine the busy / idle status of the channel. Specifically, BBS coloring technology can carry a color field in the header of the PPDU to identify the BSS to which the PPDU belongs. When other APs detect that the color field in the PPDU sent by the AP seizing the channel is inconsistent with the color field used by themselves, the other APs can mark the channel status as idle. After completing the backoff, the other APs can access the channel and communicate with the corresponding station (STA).

[0101] The following uses Figure 2 as an example to illustrate how other APs implement spatial spectrum reuse based on BSS color. As shown in Figure 2, AP1 (the AP occupying the channel) sends a PPDU serving STA1. When AP2 (another AP) detects the PPDU and finds that its BSS color field is inconsistent with its own color field, and if AP2 detects that the PPDU's receive power is below the overlapping basic service set_packet detect (OBSS_PD) level, AP2 can mark the channel state as idle and resume channel backoff. After the backoff is complete, AP2 can access the channel and send a PPDU to STA2. Similarly, STA2 can also detect the PPDU sent by AP1 to STA1 and find that its BSS color field is inconsistent with the color field used by AP2. STA2 can access the channel and communicate with AP2.

[0102] However, the above-mentioned BSS coloring technology is only applicable to the situation where one AP corresponds to one STA. In the scenario of multi-AP coordinated transmission (for example, the scenario where multiple APs correspond to one STA), the application of the above-mentioned BSS coloring technology may cause decoding conflicts and unclear identification, thereby reducing the performance and stability of the wireless network.

[0103] For example, in a scenario where STA1 is associated with AP1 and AP2, and STA2 is associated with AP3, when AP1 and AP2 perform coordinated or joint transmission, AP1 and AP2 simultaneously send PPDUs. The preambles in their respective PPDU signals contain their respective BSS identifiers. As a result, their preambles interfere with each other, preventing STA2 from successfully decoding the BSS information. Due to the lack of BSS information, STA2 cannot determine whether AP3 is busy, and thus cannot effectively determine whether it can communicate with AP3. For another example, in locations with dense APs, repeated BSS colors may occur, making it impossible for STAs to distinguish the source of received PPDUs, resulting in packet loss and power waste.

[0104] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a communication device, which enable stations to communicate based on configuration information in a scenario of multi-AP coordinated transmission, thereby avoiding decoding conflicts and unclear identification, and improving the performance and stability of the wireless network.

[0105] FIG3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Method 300 may include step S301 and step S302.

[0106] S301: A first STA receives configuration information sent by an AP.

[0107] The configuration information includes a mapping relationship between multiple APs and multiple indication information, wherein the multiple APs include a first AP, a second AP and at least one third AP, and the multiple indication information includes first indication information and second indication information. The first indication information is used to identify the first BSS to which the AP group composed of the first AP and the second AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to identify the second BSS to which any third AP belongs.

[0108] The AP in step S301 may be any one of the multiple APs. For example, the any one AP may be the first AP or the second AP.

[0109] Optionally, the above AP group can be understood as an AP cooperation group, that is, the first AP and the second AP can be adjacent APs, which work together to coordinate and manage the transmission of wireless signals, thereby improving the performance and efficiency of the entire WLAN.

[0110] Optionally, the mapping relationship between multiple APs and multiple indication information may include a mapping relationship between one indication information and multiple APs, for example, the first indication information may correspond to the first AP and the second AP, and the mapping relationship between multiple APs and multiple indication information may also include a mapping relationship between one indication information and one AP, for example, the third indication information may correspond to the fourth AP, and the fourth indication information may correspond to the fifth AP.

[0111] The first indication information and the second indication information may identify the BSS to which the corresponding AP belongs in different ways. The specific implementation will be described in detail below and will not be repeated here.

[0112] S302: The first STA communicates according to the configuration information.

[0113] In an embodiment of the present application, the first STA can select a suitable AP for communication through configuration information in a scenario of multi-AP coordinated transmission. In this way, it can avoid the situation where the first STA is unable to communicate due to decoding conflicts and unclear identification, thereby improving the performance and stability of the wireless network.

[0114] In one embodiment, in step S302, the first STA may receive a first PPDU that includes first indication information. The first STA may then determine to communicate with any third AP based on the configuration information and the first PPDU. This allows the first STA to avoid communicating with a third AP when the third AP is busy, thereby reducing the likelihood of interference and conflicts in multi-AP transmission scenarios and improving communication quality and reliability. Furthermore, by selecting an idle third AP for communication at an appropriate time, the first STA can effectively utilize wireless channels and improve overall network throughput.

[0115] The third AP may be an AP associated with the second STA.

[0116] Optionally, the first PPDU may be broadcasted by the first AP or the second AP, and the recipient of the first PPDU may be the first STA and / or the second STA, wherein the second STA may be a STA associated with the first AP and the second AP.

[0117] Alternatively, when the first PPDU carries the second indication information, the first STA may determine not to communicate with the third AP.

[0118] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between the various embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their internal logical relationships.

[0119] It should also be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, both the AP and the STA can perform channel detection, and the various embodiments of the present application are introduced using the STA side performing channel detection as an example.

[0120] The steps S301 and S302 in the method 300 are described in detail below with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 10 . Specifically, the first STA in the method 300 may communicate according to the multiple indication information in the configuration information in the following manner.

[0121] Method 1:

[0122] The first STA may communicate according to different BBS colors in the first indication information and the second indication information.

[0123] In one possible implementation, in a multi-AP coordinated transmission scenario, the first indication information includes a first BSS color corresponding to the first BSS, and the second indication information includes a second BSS color corresponding to the second BSS. In this way, different BSS colors identify different BSSs, making it easier for a first STA to determine whether to communicate with the AP associated with the first STA.

[0124] Specifically, this implementation method may include the following two stages.

[0125] (1) Phase 1: BSS color assignment indication.

[0126] In this stage, one or more APs may send a data packet indicating a BSS color assignment to the STA, indicating the BSS color used by each AP or AP combination participating in the transmission. The data packet indicating the BSS color assignment may be the configuration information in method 300, and the STA may include the first STA in method 300.

[0127] For example, as shown in Table 1 below, when AP1 is not participating in joint transmission with multiple APs, that is, when AP1 and AP2 do not belong to the same AP cooperation group, it can be identified using BSS color A. When AP1 is participating in joint transmission with AP2, that is, when AP1 and AP2 belong to the same AP cooperation group, it can be identified using BSS color C. Similarly, when AP2 is not participating in joint transmission with multiple APs, it can be identified using BSS color B. When AP2 is participating in joint transmission with AP1, it can be identified using BSS color C. AP1 in the table may correspond to the first AP in method 300, AP2 in the table may correspond to the second AP in method 300, and AP3 in the table may correspond to the third AP in method 300. BSS color C may correspond to the first BSS color in the first indication information.

[0128] Table 1

[0129] In the first phase, one or more APs can send BSS color assignment instruction packets to STAs in the following two ways:

[0130] In a possible implementation, any one of the one or more APs may send a data packet indicating the BSS color allocation shown in Table 1 to the STA.

[0131] In one possible implementation, each of one or more APs may send a data packet indicating the BSS color assignment associated with itself to the STA. For example, when AP1 sends AP1 transmission alone to the STA, the corresponding BSS color is A, and when AP1 participates in AP2 joint transmission, the corresponding BSS color is C; when AP2 sends AP2 transmission alone to the STA, the corresponding BSS color is B, and when AP1 participates in AP2 joint transmission, the corresponding BSS color is C.

[0132] Optionally, in the first stage, the BSS color may be indicated by a BSS color allocation indication frame in a data packet, wherein the BSS color allocation indication frame may be a MAC frame, and the BSS color allocation data packet may be understood as a PPDU including the above MAC frame.

[0133] The BSS color assignment indication frame can specifically indicate the BSS color in the following three ways:

[0134] In a possible implementation, the BSS color allocation indication frame may include at least one of the following: a color value or an AP ID corresponding to the color value, where the ID may be represented as an AP media access control (MAC) address.

[0135] In a possible implementation, the BSS color allocation indication frame may include all used color values ​​corresponding to an AP. For example, the BSS color allocation indication frame includes the color values ​​corresponding to BSS color A and BSS color C corresponding to AP1.

[0136] In a possible implementation, the BSS color allocation indication frame may include all used color values ​​and masks corresponding to an AP, for example, the included color value is 0100XX and the mask is 111100.

[0137] The following specifically describes the process of multiple APs negotiating to use BSS colors with reference to FIG. 4 .

[0138] As shown in Figure 4, AP1 uses BSS color A, AP2 uses BSS color B, and AP3 uses BSS color D. After AP2 learns that AP3 uses BSS color D, AP2 can notify AP1 of AP3 using BSS color D and request to establish a multi-AP transmission group with AP1. After receiving the request, AP1 can instruct AP2 to establish BSS color C for multi-AP transmission.

[0139] When the multiple APs (including AP1, AP2, and AP3) are multi-radio devices or have multi-link capabilities, the multiple APs may adjust the BSS color values ​​uniformly or independently on the links of each frequency band.

[0140] (2) Phase 2: Using BSS color assignment indication in data transmission.

[0141] The following describes in detail the process of multiple APs transmitting PPDUs to STA1 with reference to FIG. 5 . Method 500 may be performed after method 400 .

[0142] As shown in Figure 5, AP2 can indicate to STA1 the BSS color C used for multi-AP transmission of AP1 and AP2, and after AP1 and AP2 coordinate to use multi-AP transmission for the PPDU specified by STA1, AP1 and AP2 can send the PPDU transmitted by multi-AP to STA1.

[0143] The above-mentioned multiple APs (including AP1 and AP2) may include a BSS color field in HE operation element information so that STA1 can identify basic BSS color information.

[0144] For any AP in multi-AP transmission, at least one of the APs can indicate the BSS color of the multi-AP to STA1 through the air interface; this indication can be in the UHR operation element (UHR operation element) or in the multi-AP transmission configuration element. The above elements can be carried by beacon frames, association request / response frames, and multi-AP transmission configuration frames.

[0145] 6 , how STA2 determines whether to communicate with AP3 based on the BSS color assignment instruction packet will be described.

[0146] As shown in Figure 6, the BSS color can be carried in the U-SIG in the preamble of the PPDU sent by the AP to the STA. The U-SIG can adopt a single-stream transmission mode, which can be a transmission mode of cyclic delay diversity. Taking the joint transmission of AP1 and AP2 as an example, when STA1 in the BSS where AP1 and AP2 are located receives the preamble of the PPDU, it can determine the BSS color (in Figure 6, the BSS color is C) based on the preamble. STA1 can determine that it is being served by the data packet based on the BSS color, and therefore can continue to receive the preamble and the data or information in the payload. STA2 (corresponding to the first STA in method 300) knows that AP1 and AP2 are in a busy state (AP1 and AP2 are serving STA1, therefore, STA2 may not initiate uplink transmission to AP1 or AP2, or suspend EDCA channel access), and STA2 corresponding to AP3 finds that the BSS color of the PPDU is C, that is, it determines that the PPDU is an inter-BSS PPDU (because the PPDU involves AP1 and AP2 and their users). Therefore, STA2 can perform a busy / idle judgment based on the inter-BSS PPDU and complete the channel access after backing off. That is, after STA2 learns that AP3 is in an idle state, it can communicate with AP3.

[0147] Method 2:

[0148] The first STA may communicate according to the BBS color and the AID included in the first indication information and the second indication information.

[0149] In one possible implementation, in a multi-AP coordinated transmission scenario, the first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first AID, where the first AID corresponds to the first BSS; the second indication information includes the first BSS color and a second AID, where the second AID corresponds to the second BSS, and the first BSS color corresponds to the first and second BSSs. In this way, the identification of the BSS color and AID can enable a first STA to more accurately determine whether to communicate with its associated AP.

[0150] Specifically, the second method may include two implementation methods (1) and (2), which are described in detail below.

[0151] (1) All APs can use the same BSS color for transmission, and APs with different instantaneous transmissions can be identified and distinguished by AID.

[0152] For example, as shown in Table 2 below, AP1 to AP3 can all be identified using BSS color A. When AP1 does not participate in the joint transmission of multiple APs, it can be identified using AID1. When AP1 participates in the joint transmission of AP2, it can be identified using AID3. Similarly, when AP2 does not participate in the joint transmission of multiple APs, it can be identified using AID2. When AP2 participates in the joint transmission of AP1, it can be identified using AID3. Among them, AP1 in the table can correspond to the first AP in method 300, AP2 in the table can correspond to the second AP in method 300, and AP3 in the table can correspond to the third AP in method 300; BSS color A in the table can correspond to the first BSS color in the first indication information and the second indication information, and AID3 can be the first AID in the first indication information.

[0153] Table 2

[0154] Alternatively, the above-mentioned AID identifier can also be replaced with other identifiers, for example, an ID identifying the physical transmission mode, an ID identifying the transmission link transceiver mode, an ID identifying the transmission memory-mapped input and output (memory-mapped I / O, MIMO) mode (whether a specific receiver is required to receive or all receivers are required to receive), and an ID for multiple BSS combinations.

[0155] In a possible implementation, the AP may use some bits of the AID as extended bits of the BSS color.

[0156] For example, it can be set that when the first two bits of the AID are 01, it indicates that AP1 transmits alone, when the first two bits of the AID are 10, it indicates that AP2 transmits alone, and when the first two bits of the AID are 11, it indicates that AP1 and AP2 transmit jointly.

[0157] It should be understood that the above-mentioned use of the first two bits of the AID as extension bits is only an exemplary explanation. The number of bits of the extension bit used for the BSS color can be dynamically set, and the dynamic setting can be related to the number of APs. For example, Table 2 includes four APs (AP1, AP2, AP3 and AP4). When AP1, AP2, and AP3 perform joint transmission, the first three bits of the AID can be used as extension bits or any three bits in the AID can be used as extension bits.

[0158] Optionally, in the above implementation, when the AP associates with the STA, the AP may specify to the STA the specific bit position of the AID used for the BSS color extension bit.

[0159] Optionally, when all joint transmissions use the same BSS color (for example, BSS color 0), AID can be used to distinguish specific AP sets. In this way, for a 11ax STA, when it encounters a PPDU with BSS color 0, it can be determined as an Intra-BSS PPDU, thereby avoiding interference from multi-AP transmissions.

[0160] The following describes in detail the application of this implementation method in data transmission.

[0161] As shown in Figure 7, taking the joint transmission of AP1 and AP2 as an example, when STA1 in the BSS where AP1 and AP2 are located receives the preamble of the PPDU, it can determine the BSS color and AID based on the preamble code (in Figure 7, the BSS color is A and the AID is AID3). STA1 can determine that it is being served by the data packet based on the BSS color, so STA1 can continue to receive the preamble and the data or information in the payload. STA2 (corresponding to the first STA in method 300) knows that AP1 and AP2 are busy (AP1 and AP2 are serving STA1, so STA2 can not initiate uplink transmission to AP1 or AP2, or suspend EDCA channel access), and STA2 corresponding to AP3 finds that the BSS color of the PPDU is A and the AID is AID3, that is, STA2 determines that AP3 is idle and can communicate with AP3.

[0162] (2) Each AP can use one BSS color when transmitting alone and another BSS color when transmitting in a joint manner. Furthermore, all APs can use the same BSS color in a joint transmission, and a transient AP transmission group (involving multiple APs) can be identified by an AID.

[0163] For example, as shown in Table 3 below, when AP1 transmits alone, it can be identified using BSS color A; when AP2 transmits alone, it can be identified using BSS color B; when AP1 and AP2 transmit jointly, they can be identified using BSS color C and AID1; and when AP2 and AP3 transmit jointly, they can be identified using BSS color C and AID2. AP1 in the table may correspond to the first AP in method 300, AP2 in the table may correspond to the second AP in method 300, AP3 in the table may correspond to the third AP in method 300, BSS color C in the table may correspond to the first BSS color in the first indication information and the second indication information, and AID1 may be the first AID in the first indication information.

[0164] Table 3

[0165] The following describes in detail the application of this implementation method in data transmission.

[0166] As shown in Figure 8, taking the joint transmission of AP1 and AP2 as an example, when STA1 in the BSS where AP1 and AP2 are located receives the preamble of the PPDU, it can determine the BSS color and AID based on the preamble code (in Figure 8, the BSS color is C and the AID is AID1). STA1 can determine that it is being served by the data packet based on the BSS color, so STA1 can continue to receive the preamble and the data or information in the payload. STA2 (corresponding to the first STA in method 300) knows that AP1 and AP2 are busy (AP1 and AP2 are serving STA1, so STA2 can not initiate uplink transmission to AP1 or AP2, or suspend EDCA channel access). In addition, STA2 corresponding to AP3 finds that the BSS color of the PPDU is C and the AID is AID1, that is, STA2 determines that AP3 is idle and can communicate with AP3.

[0167] Optionally, in order to enable STAs of different versions to successfully receive data, two PPDUs can be sent during joint transmission. The BSS color of the first PPDU is 0, and the BSS color of the second PPDU is C. The sending interval included in the two data is the protocol-specified interval time, such as the SIFS time. In this way, after receiving the first PPDU, the legacy site will judge it as an intra-BSS PPDU and perform intra-BSS backoff. The new version site that supports this application (for example, the first STA) can perform specific intra-BSS / inter-BSS PPDU judgment based on the BSS color C after receiving the second PPDU. In implementation, the new version site can ignore the intra-BSS PPDU judgment caused by the first PPDU.

[0168] Method 3:

[0169] The first STA may communicate according to the BSS color and the first bitmap included in the first indication information.

[0170] In one possible implementation, the first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first bitmap. The first bitmap includes multiple bits, each of which corresponds to multiple APs and is used to identify whether the multiple APs participate in data transmission. Thus, by using the BSS color and the first bitmap, the first STA can more accurately determine whether to communicate with the third AP.

[0171] Optionally, a number 1 in a bit may indicate that the corresponding AP is participating in data transmission, and a number 0 in a bit may indicate that the corresponding AP is not participating in data transmission. Participating in data transmission may also be understood as: the AP corresponding to the bit is busy.

[0172] For example, the first bit map is 110, where the first bit corresponds to the first AP, the second bit corresponds to the second AP, and the third bit corresponds to the third AP. The first STA can determine based on the first bit map that the first AP and the second AP participate in data transmission, and the third AP does not participate in data transmission.

[0173] The following describes this implementation in detail.

[0174] For example, as shown in Table 4 below, when AP1 and AP2 transmit jointly, they can be identified using BSS color C and bitmap 110, and when AP2 and AP3 transmit jointly, they can be identified using BSS color C and bitmap 011. AP1 in the table may correspond to the first AP in method 300, AP2 in the table may correspond to the second AP in method 300, AP3 in the table may correspond to the third AP in method 300, the bitmap in the table may be the first bitmap in method 300, and the BSS color C in the table may be the first BSS color in the first indication information.

[0175] Table 4

[0176] It should be understood that the number of bits in the bitmap shown in Table 4 can be associated with the number of APs, and the number 1 in the bit can be used to indicate that the corresponding AP participates in data transmission, and the number 0 in the bit can be used to indicate that the corresponding AP does not participate in data transmission.

[0177] The following describes in detail the application of this implementation method in data transmission.

[0178] As shown in Figure 9, taking the joint transmission of AP1 and AP2 as an example, when STA1 in the BSS where AP1 and AP2 are located receives the preamble of the PPDU, it can determine the BSS color and AID based on the preamble (in Figure 9, the BSS color is C and the bitmap is 110). STA1 can determine that it is being served by the data packet based on the BSS color, and therefore, STA1 can continue to receive the preamble and the data or information in the payload. STA2 (corresponding to the first STA in method 300) knows that AP1 and AP2 are busy (AP1 and AP2 are serving STA1, so STA2 may not initiate uplink transmission to AP1 or AP2 or suspend EDCA channel access). Furthermore, STA2 corresponding to AP3 finds that the BSS color of the PPDU is C and the bitmap is 110, which means that STA2 determines that AP3 is idle and can communicate with AP3.

[0179] In an embodiment of the present application, STA2 can unambiguously determine whether the associated AP (i.e., AP3 serving the STA) is in a busy state based on multiple methods such as BSS color, BSS color and AID, BSS color and bit map, so as to determine whether to access the channel for spatial reuse. In this way, decoding conflicts and unclear identification can be avoided in the scenario of multi-AP coordinated transmission, thereby improving the performance and stability of the wireless network.

[0180] The specific allocation and maintenance of BSS color identifiers of multiple APs will be described below with reference to FIG. 10 .

[0181] In one embodiment, the allocation and maintenance of BSS color identifiers should avoid duplication of BSS color identifiers used by multiple APs. In addition, the AP can perform maintenance when there is a BSS color conflict.

[0182] For example, as shown in Table 5 and Figure 10 below, AP1 uses color A and color C. When STA1 corresponding to AP1 finds that color C conflicts with other OBSSs (for example, AP3 uses color C), STA1 can notify AP1 of the above situation, so that AP1 and AP2 negotiate to update color C used for joint transmission.

[0183] Optionally, after negotiation, AP1 and AP2 may update the BSS color for joint transmission to a color different from color C (eg, color D).

[0184] Optionally, after negotiation, AP1 and AP2 may update the BSS color of the joint transmission to a color different from color C and add an AID identifier, for example, to color D+AID1.

[0185] Optionally, after negotiation, AP1 and AP2 may not update the BSS color of the joint transmission, but add an AID identifier, for example, update it to color C+AID1.

[0186] Table 5

[0187] In an embodiment of the present application, when there is a BSS color conflict, the AP can negotiate with other APs to update the BSS color during joint transmission. In this way, in the scenario of multi-AP coordinated transmission, identification conflicts can be avoided, thereby improving the performance and stability of the wireless network.

[0188] The following describes the manner in which STAs perform uplink transmission based on BSS colors with reference to FIG11 .

[0189] In one embodiment, in specific circumstances (e.g., when the STA is mobile or a high-priority STA), a separate BSS color assignment can be provided for each STA. For example, a PPDU sent to a specific STA or a set of STAs uses a specified BSS color. This BSS color can be maintained even when the STA or set of STAs moves. In the uplink, the AP can use the detection field to determine the uplink signal reception mode, which can include the antenna set used or determine the AP processing entity to which the received signal is forwarded.

[0190] The following describes in detail the case where a high-priority or mobile STA uses a designated BSS color with reference to FIG11(a).

[0191] As shown in Figure 11 (a), a logical controller can coordinate at least two APs (e.g., AP1, AP2, and AP3). STA1 uses an identifier or identifier combination (e.g., Color C, or Color X+AID Y) in transmission (e.g., uplink transmission). The logical controller can instruct one or more of the multiple APs to be the receiving participants of the PPDU sent by STA1. For example, the logical controller can instruct one or more APs close to STA1 to be the receiving participants, or one or more APs close to STA1 with strong signals to be the receiving participants. STA1 sends a PPDU, and each AP that receives the PPDU, if it is a receiving participant, forwards the information received and processed by the PPDU to a designated aggregation device (e.g., AP1, or other data processing device). The aggregation device can deduplicate the received data packets and forward the processed data packets to the designated information receiver.

[0192] In a possible implementation, as shown in FIG11( b ), during joint transmission, after STA1 sends a data packet to AP1 and AP2 , AP1 and AP2 may send the data packet to a data processing unit (DPU) for unified processing.

[0193] The following describes how to save STA power based on BSS color.

[0194] In one embodiment, after identifying the PPDU header and determining the destination of the data packet, the STA may ignore irrelevant PPDUs in the air. For example, if the AP set corresponding to the PPDU's BSS color does not include the AP associated with the STA, the STA may not process part or all of the PPDU. For another example, if the AP set corresponding to the PPDU's BSS color includes the AP associated with the STA, but the destination STA information included in the PPDU does not correspond to the STA receiving the PPDU, the STA may not process part or all of the PPDU.

[0195] In an embodiment of the present application, in a scenario of multi-AP coordinated transmission, after a STA identifies the ownership of a data packet, it can ignore irrelevant PPDUs in the air, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the STA and extending its battery life.

[0196] FIG12 is another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method may be performed by a first STA. Method 1200 may include steps S1201 to S1203.

[0197] S1201 : Determine, according to a first PPDU sent by a first AP to a second AP, a first BSS to which the first AP belongs and a second BSS to which the second AP belongs.

[0198] S1202: Receive a second PPDU according to the first BSS.

[0199] The second PPDU is associated with the first AP, and the association between the first AP and the second PPDU can be understood as: the second PPDU can be a PPDU sent by the first AP to the first STA.

[0200] In one embodiment, the first STA may receive the second PPDU in a non-omnidirectional manner.

[0201] S1203: Receive a third PPDU according to the second BSS.

[0202] The third PPDU is associated with the second AP, and the association between the second AP and the third PPDU can be understood as: the third PPDU can be a PPDU sent by the second AP to the first STA.

[0203] In one embodiment, the first STA may receive the third PPDU in a non-omnidirectional manner.

[0204] In one embodiment, the first STA may also determine the first BSS to which the multiple APs belong and / or the second BSS to which the multiple APs belong based on the first PPDU, and receive the second PPDU and the third PPDU based on the first BSS and the second BSS, respectively.

[0205] In an embodiment of the present application, a first STA can detect a first PPDU sent by a first AP to a second AP. Based on the first PPDU, the first STA can determine the first BSS to which the first AP belongs and the second BSS described by the second AP. The first STA then receives the second and third PPDUs based on the first and second BSSs. This ensures that the second and third PPDUs have identical waveforms, thus avoiding mutual interference. Furthermore, the first STA can receive the second and third PPDUs in a non-omnidirectional manner, thereby reducing the area of ​​overlap between the first and second APs and reducing the probability that the first STA will not receive the second and third PPDUs.

[0206] FIG13 is another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method may be performed by a first STA. Method 1300 may include steps S1301 to S1303.

[0207] S1301: Receive a first preamble data packet and a second preamble data packet, where the first preamble data packet and the second preamble data packet include first indication information and second indication information.

[0208] The first indication information is used to indicate a first BSS to which the first AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to indicate a second BSS to which the second AP belongs.

[0209] Optionally, the first preamble data packet may be sent by the first AP to the first STA, and the second preamble data packet may be sent by the second AP to the first STA.

[0210] In one embodiment, the first preamble data packet and the second preamble data packet may be PPDUs using the same random seed, scrambling code, or format.

[0211] S1302: Receive a second PPDU according to the first preceding data packet.

[0212] Optionally, the second PPDU may be a PPDU sent by the first AP to the first STA.

[0213] In one embodiment, the first STA may receive the second PPDU in a non-omnidirectional manner.

[0214] S1303: Receive a third PPDU according to the second preamble data packet.

[0215] Optionally, the third PPDU may be a PPDU sent by the second AP to the first STA.

[0216] In one embodiment, the first STA may receive the third PPDU in a non-omnidirectional manner.

[0217] In this embodiment of the present application, a first STA can receive the second and third PPDUs based on the first and second preamble packets. This ensures that the second and third PPDUs have identical waveforms, thus preventing mutual interference. Furthermore, the first STA can receive the second and third PPDUs in a non-omnidirectional manner, thereby reducing the area of ​​overlap between the first and second APs and lowering the probability that the first STA will not receive the second and third PPDUs.

[0218] The following describes steps S1301 to S1303 in method 1300 in detail with reference to FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 .

[0219] In one embodiment, when each AP uses a different BSS color, the first STA can combine the preamble packets sent by AP1 and AP2 to avoid preamble code transmission conflicts. Wherein, AP1 can be the first AP in method 1300, and AP2 can be the second AP in method 1300.

[0220] For example, as shown in Figure 14, AP1 and AP2 can send a preamble data packet to STA1. The preamble data packet can directly or indirectly carry the IDs of AP1 and AP2 (for example, BSS color A corresponding to AP1 and BSS color B corresponding to AP2). The preamble data packet can be a PPDU sent using a random seed, the same scrambling code, or the same format. This allows the data packets subsequently sent by AP1 and AP2 to have the same waveform, thus avoiding mutual interference. In addition, to prevent coherent waveforms from canceling each other out of the air, the preamble data packets sent by AP1 and AP2 can have a relative delay that is less than the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing cyclic prefix (OFDM CP) time.

[0221] In subsequent data packets, the data packets can be sent in a non-omnidirectional manner (for example, beamforming), and AP1 and AP2 use their respective BSS colors to mark the leading edge of their respective data packets. In this way, the stability of data transmission can be improved. Specifically, if the above-mentioned data packets are sent in an omnidirectional manner, since the waveforms of the 11ax SIG-A symbols or WiFi 7U-SIG symbols corresponding to different BSS colors in the data packets are different, this will cause the SIG symbols sent by multiple APs to interfere with each other, and the first STA in the overlapping area of ​​multiple APs may not be able to successfully receive the SIG symbol. In comparison, the use of non-omnidirectional data transmission includes reducing the area of ​​the overlapping area between AP1 and AP2, reducing the probability that the first STA cannot receive. In addition, AP1 and AP2 can coordinate the direction of the beam before transmitting data to reduce the area of ​​the overlapping area.

[0222] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG15 , when AP1 and AP2 carry the same BSS color in the leading part of the data packet subsequently sent (for example, the BSS color in FIG15 is C, and BSS color C does not correspond to AP1 and AP2), the first STA receiving the data packet can look back at the PPDU within a specified time according to the protocol implementation agreement, and the specified time may include the SIFS time.

[0223] For example, the first STA looks back at the previous data packet and finds that the previous data packet includes BSS colors A and B. Then the STA can communicate with AP1 and AP2 based on the previous data packet, where AP1 corresponds to the above BSS color A and AP2 corresponds to the above BSS color B.

[0224] For another example, after AP1 and AP2 send the preamble data packet shown in Figure 15, they send the first and second data packets at a first moment, and send the third and fourth data packets at a second moment. The second moment is later than the first moment, and the BSS colors of the first to fourth data packets are all C. At the second moment, the first STA looks back and finds that the BSS corresponding to the first and second data packets at the first moment is still C. In this case, the first STA can continue to look back at the preamble data packets.

[0225] Optionally, when the STA cannot make a judgment based on the PPDU before the SIFS time, it may perform conservative processing, that is, consider that the data packet is a PPDU sent by the AP associated with the STA. In this case, the STA may not communicate with the associated AP.

[0226] The above content introduces a specific scenario in which the first STA can communicate based on configuration information during multi-AP transmission. The following introduces another specific scenario in which the first STA communicates based on configuration information.

[0227] Specifically, the first STA can receive configuration information, which includes a mapping relationship between multiple APs and indication information, the multiple APs include a first AP and at least one second AP, and the multiple indication information includes first indication information and second indication information. The first indication information is used to identify the first BSS to which the AP group composed of the first AP and at least one second AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to identify the second BSS to which the first AP or any second AP belongs. The first STA can communicate based on the configuration information.

[0228] Exemplarily, this implementation is described by taking an example where an AP group includes a first AP and a second AP, and the first indication information and the second indication information include BSS colors.

[0229] As shown in Table 6 below, when AP1 transmits alone, it can be identified by BSS color A; when AP2 transmits alone, it can be identified by BSS color B; and when AP1 and AP2 transmit jointly, they can be identified by BSS color C (corresponding to the content of the first indication information identification). In Table 6, AP1 can correspond to the first AP, AP2 can correspond to the second AP, and AP1 and AP2 can be associated with STA1.

[0230] Table 6

[0231] The application of this implementation method in data transmission is described in detail below with reference to FIG16 .

[0232] As shown in Figure 16, after STA1 receives the preamble of a PPDU, it can determine the BSS color based on the preamble. If the BSS color of the PPDU preamble received by STA1 is C, STA1 can continue to receive the preamble and the data or information in the payload. After STA2 receives the PPDU, STA2 (corresponding to the first STA) knows that AP1 and AP2 are busy (AP1 and AP2 are serving STA1, so STA2 can not initiate uplink transmission to AP1 or AP2, or suspend EDCA channel access). At this time, STA2 can communicate with its associated AP3.

[0233] Alternatively, the first indication information and the second indication information may be replaced by various modes including: BSS color and AID, BSS color and bitmap, etc.

[0234] In an embodiment of the present application, when a first AP and at least one second AP transmit jointly, the first STA can identify the joint transmission situation based on the configuration information, thereby communicating. This can avoid decoding conflicts and unclear identification situations, and improve the performance and stability of the wireless network.

[0235] The above describes the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application. The following describes the device and equipment of the embodiment of the present application in conjunction with Figures 17 and 18 respectively.

[0236] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 1700 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 1700 may include a transceiver unit 1710, a storage unit 1720, and a processing unit 1730. The transceiver unit 1710 is used to receive and send instructions and / or data. The transceiver unit 1710 may also be referred to as a communication interface or communication unit. The storage unit 1720 is used to implement corresponding storage functions and store corresponding instructions and / or data. The processing unit 1730 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit to enable the device 1700 to implement the aforementioned communication method.

[0237] As a design, the device 1700 can be used to perform the actions performed by the first STA in the above method embodiment.

[0238] In one embodiment, the device 1700 includes: a transceiver unit 1710, used to receive configuration information, the configuration information including a mapping relationship between multiple APs and multiple indication information, wherein the multiple APs include a first AP, a second AP and at least one third AP, and the multiple indication information includes first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used to identify the first BSS to which the AP group consisting of the first AP and the second AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to identify the second BSS to which any third AP belongs; a processing unit 1730, used to communicate according to the configuration information.

[0239] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1710 is further configured to receive a first PPDU, where the first PPDU includes first indication information; and the processing unit 1730 is further configured to determine, based on the configuration information and the first PPDU, to communicate with any third AP.

[0240] In a possible implementation, the first indication information includes a first BSS color, where the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS; the second indication information includes a second BSS color, where the second BSS color corresponds to the second BSS.

[0241] In one possible implementation, the first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first AID, the first AID corresponds to the first BSS, the second indication information includes the first BSS color and a second AID, the second AID corresponds to the second BSS, and the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS and the second BSS.

[0242] In a possible implementation, the first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first bitmap, where the first bitmap includes multiple bits, the multiple bits correspond to multiple APs, and the multiple bits are used to identify whether the multiple APs participate in data transmission.

[0243] In one embodiment, the device 1700 includes: a processing unit 1730, used to determine a first BSS to which the first AP belongs and a second BSS to which the second AP belongs based on a first PPDU sent by the first AP to the second AP; a transceiver unit 1710, used to: receive a second PPDU according to the first BSS, wherein the second PPDU is associated with the first AP; and receive a third PPDU according to the second BSS, wherein the third PPDU is associated with the second AP.

[0244] In one embodiment, the device 1700 includes: a transceiver unit 1710, used to receive a first preamble data packet and a second preamble data packet, the first preamble data packet and the second preamble data packet include first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used to identify the first BSS to which the first AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to identify the second BSS to which the second AP belongs; a processing unit 1730, used to: receive a second PPDU according to the first preamble data packet, the second PPDU includes the first indication information; receive a third PPDU according to the second preamble data packet, the third PPDU includes the second indication information.

[0245] In a possible implementation, the first preamble data packet and the second preamble data packet are PPDUs using the same random seed, scrambling code, or format.

[0246] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1710 is specifically configured to: receive the second PPDU in a non-omnidirectional manner; and receive the third PPDU in a non-omnidirectional manner.

[0247] In one embodiment, the device 1700 includes: a transceiver unit 1710, used to receive configuration information, the configuration information including a mapping relationship between multiple APs and indication information, the multiple APs including a first AP and at least one second AP, the multiple indication information including first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the first BSS to which the AP group formed by the first AP and the at least one second AP belongs, and the second indication information being used to indicate the second BSS described by the first AP or any second AP; a processing unit 1730, used to communicate according to the configuration information.

[0248] As a design, the device 1700 can be used to execute the actions performed by any one of the multiple APs in the above method embodiments.

[0249] The device 1700 includes: a transceiver unit 1710, used to send configuration information, the configuration information including a mapping relationship between multiple APs and multiple indication information, wherein the multiple APs include a first AP, a second AP and at least one third AP, and the multiple indication information include first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used to identify the first BSS to which the AP group composed of the first AP and the second AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to identify the second BSS to which any third AP belongs.

[0250] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1710 is further configured to send a first PPDU, where the first PPDU includes first indication information.

[0251] In a possible implementation, the first indication information includes a first BSS color, where the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS; the second indication information includes a second BSS color, where the second BSS color corresponds to the second BSS.

[0252] In one possible implementation, the first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first AID, the first AID corresponds to the first BSS, the second indication information includes the first BSS color and a second AID, the second AID corresponds to the second BSS, and the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS and the second BSS.

[0253] In a possible implementation, the first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first bitmap, the first bitmap includes multiple bits, the multiple bits correspond to multiple APs, and the multiple bits are used to identify whether the multiple APs participate in data transmission.

[0254] FIG18 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 1800 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0255] The device 1800 includes a memory 1810, a processor 1820, and a communication interface 1830. The memory 1810, processor 1820, and communication interface 1830 are connected via an internal connection path. The memory 1810 is used to store instructions, and the processor 1820 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1810 to control the communication interface 1830 to obtain information, so that the device 1800 implements the aforementioned communication method. Optionally, the memory 1810 can be coupled to the processor 1820 via an interface or integrated with the processor 1820.

[0256] It should be noted that the communication interface 1830 may be a transceiver such as, but not limited to, a transceiver. The communication interface 1830 may also include an input / output interface.

[0257] The processor 1820 stores one or more computer programs, which include instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor 1820, the apparatus 1800 executes the communication method in each of the above embodiments.

[0258] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0259] It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the memory may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the processor may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the processor may also store device type information.

[0260] During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor 1820 or by instructions in the form of software. The method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory 1810, and the processor 1820 reads the information in the memory 1810 and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0261] Optionally, the communication interface 1830 in FIG. 18 may implement the transceiver unit 1710 in FIG. 17 , the memory 1810 in FIG. 18 may implement the storage unit 1720 in FIG. 17 , and the processor 1820 in FIG. 18 may implement the processing unit 1730 in FIG. 17 .

[0262] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a program code. When the computer program code runs on a computer, the computer executes any one of the methods in Figures 3 to 16 above.

[0263] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program. When the computer program is executed, the computer executes any one of the methods in Figures 3 to 16 above.

[0264] An embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, comprising: a circuit, wherein the circuit is used to execute any one of the methods in FIG. 3 to FIG. 16 above.

[0265] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0266] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0267] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0268] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0269] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0270] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0271] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Receive configuration information, the configuration information including a mapping relationship between multiple access points APs and multiple indication information, wherein the multiple APs include a first AP, a second AP, and at least one third AP, the multiple indication information includes first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used to identify a first basic service set BSS to which an AP group formed by the first AP and the second AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to identify a second BSS to which any third AP belongs; Communicate according to the configuration information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The communicating according to the configuration information includes: receiving a first physical layer protocol data unit PPDU, where the first PPDU includes the first indication information; According to the configuration information and the first PPDU, it is determined to communicate with any one of the third APs.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first indication information includes a first BSS color, the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS, and the second indication information includes a second BSS color, the second BSS color corresponds to the second BSS.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first association identifier AID, the first AID corresponds to the first BSS, the second indication information includes the first BSS color and a second AID, the second AID corresponds to the second BSS, and the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS and the second BSS.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first bit map, the first bit map includes a plurality of bits, the plurality of bits correspond to the plurality of APs, and the plurality of bits are used to identify whether the plurality of APs participate in data transmission.

6. A communication method, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Send configuration information, the configuration information including a mapping relationship between multiple APs and multiple indication information, wherein the multiple APs include a first AP, a second AP and at least one third AP, the multiple indication information include first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used to identify a first BSS to which an AP group formed by the first AP and the second AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to identify a second BSS to which any third AP belongs.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: A first PPDU is sent, where the first PPDU includes the first indication information.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that The first indication information includes a first BSS color, the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS, and the second indication information includes a second BSS color, the second BSS color corresponds to the second BSS.

9. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that The first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first AID, the first AID corresponds to the first BSS, the second indication information includes the first BSS color and a second AID, the second AID corresponds to the second BSS, and the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS and the second BSS.

10. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first bit map, the first bit map includes a plurality of bits, the plurality of bits correspond to the plurality of APs, and the plurality of bits are used to identify whether the plurality of APs participate in data transmission.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Determine, according to a first PPDU sent by the first AP to the second AP, a first BSS to which the first AP belongs and a second BSS to which the second AP belongs; receiving, according to the first BSS, a second PPDU, the second PPDU being associated with the first AP; A third PPDU is received according to the second BSS, the third PPDU being associated with the second AP.

12. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Receive a first preamble data packet and a second preamble data packet, wherein the first preamble data packet and the second preamble data packet include first indication information and second indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to identify a first BSS to which the first AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to identify a second BSS to which the second AP belongs; receiving a second PPDU according to the first preceding data packet, where the second PPDU includes the first indication information; According to the second preceding data packet, a third PPDU is received, where the third PPDU includes the second indication information.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first preamble data packet and the second preamble data packet are PPDUs using the same random seed, scrambling code or format.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that The receiving a second PPDU includes: receiving the second PPDU in a non-omnidirectional manner; The receiving a third PPDU includes: The third PPDU is received in a non-omnidirectional manner.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises: a transceiver unit, configured to receive configuration information, wherein the configuration information includes a mapping relationship between multiple APs and multiple indication information, wherein the multiple APs include a first AP, a second AP, and at least one third AP, and the multiple indication information includes first indication information and second indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to identify a first BSS to which an AP group formed by the first AP and the second AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to identify a second BSS to which any third AP belongs; A processing unit is used to communicate according to the configuration information.

16. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first PPDU, where the first PPDU includes the first indication information; The processing unit is further used to determine, based on the configuration information and the first PPDU, to communicate with any one of the third APs.

17. The device according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that The first indication information includes a first BSS color, the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS, and the second indication information includes a second BSS color, the second BSS color corresponds to the second BSS.

18. The device according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that The first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first AID, the first AID corresponds to the first BSS, the second indication information includes the first BSS color and a second AID, the second AID corresponds to the second BSS, and the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS and the second BSS.

19. The device according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that The first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first bit map, the first bit map includes a plurality of bits, the plurality of bits correspond to the plurality of APs, and the plurality of bits are used to identify whether the plurality of APs participate in data transmission.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises: A transceiver unit is used to send configuration information, wherein the configuration information includes a mapping relationship between multiple APs and multiple indication information, wherein the multiple APs include a first AP, a second AP and at least one third AP, and the multiple indication information includes first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used to identify a first BSS to which an AP group formed by the first AP and the second AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to identify a second BSS to which any third AP belongs.

21. The device according to claim 20, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further used to send a first PPDU, where the first PPDU includes the first indication information.

22. The device according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that The first indication information includes a first BSS color, the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS, and the second indication information includes a second BSS color, the second BSS color corresponds to the second BSS.

23. The device according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that The first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first AID, the first AID corresponds to the first BSS, the second indication information includes the first BSS color and a second AID, the second AID corresponds to the second BSS, and the first BSS color corresponds to the first BSS and the second BSS.

24. The device according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that The first indication information includes a first BSS color and a first bit map, the first bit map includes a plurality of bits, the plurality of bits correspond to the plurality of APs, and the plurality of bits are used to identify whether the plurality of APs participate in data transmission.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises: A processing unit, configured to determine a first BSS to which the first AP belongs and a second BSS to which the second AP belongs according to a first PPDU sent by the first AP to the second AP; Transceiver unit, used for: receiving, according to the first BSS, a second PPDU, the second PPDU being associated with the first AP; A third PPDU is received according to the second BSS, the third PPDU being associated with the second AP.

26. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises: A transceiver unit is configured to receive a first preamble data packet and a second preamble data packet, wherein the first preamble data packet and the second preamble data packet are The packet includes first indication information and second indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to identify a first BSS to which the first AP belongs, and the second indication information is used to identify a second BSS to which the second AP belongs; A processing unit for: receiving a second PPDU according to the first preceding data packet, where the second PPDU includes the first indication information; According to the second preceding data packet, a third PPDU is received, where the third PPDU includes the second indication information.

27. The device according to claim 26, characterized in that The first preamble data packet and the second preamble data packet are PPDUs using the same random seed, scrambling code or format.

28. The device according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that The transceiver unit is specifically used for: receiving the second PPDU in a non-omnidirectional manner; The third PPDU is received in a non-omnidirectional manner.

29. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor and a memory, wherein the processor is coupled to the memory and is configured to read and execute instructions in the memory to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

30. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor and a memory, wherein the processor is coupled to the memory and is configured to read and execute instructions in the memory to perform the method according to any one of claims 6 to 10.

31. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor and a memory, wherein the processor is coupled to the memory and is configured to read and execute instructions in the memory to perform the method according to any one of claims 11 to 14.

32. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a program code, and when the computer program code is executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

33. A chip, characterized in that: include: A circuit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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