Data transmission method, communication apparatus and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a data transmission method, a communication apparatus, and a storage medium. The data transmission method comprises: receiving a first frame sent by a second AP, the second AP and a first AP belonging to the same multi-AP cooperation group, the first frame comprising a group member identifier of the first AP in the multi-AP cooperation group, and the first frame being used for allocating a target channel resource to the first AP on the basis of the group member identifier; and performing data transmission on the target channel resource.

Description

Data transmission method, communication device and storage medium

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202311170846.5 filed on September 11, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a data transmission method, a communication device, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0003] The basic principle of multi-AP collaboration is that after an AP (called a sharing AP) obtains channel access rights, it allocates the sub-channel resources it obtains to itself and other APs around it that belong to the same channel (called shared APs). The shared APs transmit data on the allocated channel resources.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] On the one hand, a data transmission method is provided, which is applied to a first AP. The data transmission method includes: receiving a first frame sent by a second AP, where the second AP and the first AP belong to the same multi-AP cooperation group, the first frame includes a member identifier of the first AP in the multi-AP cooperation group, and the first frame is used to allocate target channel resources to the first AP based on the member identifier; and performing data transmission on the target channel resources.

[0006] On the other hand, a data transmission method is provided, which is applied to a second AP. The data transmission method includes: sending a first frame to a first AP; the second AP and the first AP belong to the same multi-AP cooperation group; the first frame includes a member identifier of the first AP in the multi-AP cooperation group; and the first frame is used to allocate target channel resources to the first AP based on the member identifier.

[0007] In another aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a receiving module and a transmitting module. The receiving module is configured to receive a first frame sent by a second AP; the second AP and the first AP belong to the same multi-AP cooperative group; the first frame includes a member identifier of the first AP in the multi-AP cooperative group; the first frame is configured to allocate a target channel resource to the first AP based on the member identifier; and the transmitting module is configured to transmit data on the target channel resource.

[0008] In another aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a transmitting module configured to transmit a first frame to a first AP; a second AP and the first AP belong to the same multi-AP cooperative group; the first frame includes a member identifier of the first AP in the multi-AP cooperative group; and the first frame is configured to allocate a target channel resource to the first AP based on the member identifier.

[0009] On the other hand, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which computer program instructions are stored. When the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the above-mentioned data transmission method is implemented.

[0010] On the other hand, a computer program product is provided, which includes computer program instructions, and when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the above data transmission method is implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present disclosure, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the drawings described below are only drawings of some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0012] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a format of a TIM field according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of allocating resources using a C-OFDMA technology according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of resource allocation by different APs according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG5 is a flow chart of a data transmission method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an AP belonging to multiple groups according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of interaction in a joining scenario according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of interaction in an exit situation according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of interaction in another exit scenario according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a network discovery according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of another network discovery according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of this disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some of the embodiments of this disclosure, not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of this disclosure without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0027] It should be noted that in this disclosure, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described in this disclosure as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0028] In the following, the terms "first," "second," etc. are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the quantity of the technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature specified as "first," "second," etc. may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features.

[0029] In the description of this disclosure, unless otherwise specified, " / " means "or." For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" herein is merely a description of an association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A, only B, and both A and B. Furthermore, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more.

[0030] In the relevant standards of multi-AP (Access Point) collaboration technology, when sharing APs allocate channel resources, different APs may compete for channel resources, resulting in conflicts.

[0031] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, a brief introduction to the related technologies of the present disclosure is first given as follows.

[0032] IEEE 802.11 architecture

[0033] The IEEE 802.11 architecture can include components such as the basic service set (BSS), the distribution system (DS), and the distribution system medium (DSM). These components interact to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN), which can provide wireless access services to stations (STAs) in the BSS. The DS can provide connection services to the BSS, for example, it can connect to different BSSs; for example, the DS can transmit data frames in the BSS to other networks, allowing the STA to access upper-layer networks (such as the core network or the Internet) through the DS. Furthermore, the transmission medium used by the DS, namely the DSM, can be a wired medium and / or a wireless medium. For example, the wired medium can be an optical fiber or a cable, and the wireless medium can be radio electromagnetic waves.

[0034] Furthermore, the specifications for information transmission over a wired medium may be those specified in the IEEE 802.3 protocol, those specified in protocols related to passive optical networks (PONs), or those specified in other protocols related to wired transmission, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. It is understood that information transmission over a wired medium described below, unless otherwise specified, may comply with the relevant protocols described above, which are hereby uniformly described and will not be further elaborated upon.

[0035] BSS

[0036] A BSS is the basic unit (or block) of a WLAN. A BSS can include multiple members, which can be connected to each other via a wireless medium. BSS members can be categorized as the aforementioned APs and STAs (or non-AP STAs). For example, an AP can be an entity that includes STA functionality and a distributed system access function (DSAF).

[0037] association identifier (AID)

[0038] The 16-bit identifier assigned by the AP to an associated STA serves as the STA's identity within the BSS. In the BSS, the AID field contains a 16-bit value assigned by the AP during the connection process that uniquely identifies a connected STA.

[0039] AIDs are widely used in functions such as channel status (sounding) collection, trigger frame (TF) allocation of channel resources, and unicast buffer indication. Taking the trigger frame and unicast buffer indication functions as examples, they are described below.

[0040] (1) Trigger Frame: When a STA connects to an AP, the AP uses a 12-bit AID (AID12) to identify each STA. In the trigger frame, the AP uses AID12 to allocate channel resources to each STA.

[0041] (2) Unicast Cache Indication: In the beacon frame sent by the AP containing the traffic indication message (TIM) field, the AP uses the AID information to indicate the cache status of each STA. The format of the TIM field is shown in Figure 1. The Element ID is the identifier of the TIM field, and the Length is the length of the field. The DTIM Count indicates the count of beacon frames before the delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) appears in this field. When the DTIM is 0, it indicates that the TIM is a DTIM. Other values ​​indicate that the field is a TIM. The DTIM Period indicates the frequency of the appearance of this field (an integer multiple of the beacon frame period). The Bitmap Control contains the control information of the AID. The Partial Virtual Bitmap is 0-251 bytes long. Each bit indicates whether the corresponding STA has unicast data cache information. When the bit is 1, it indicates cache information. When the bit is 0, there is no cache. The maximum cache information indicated is 2007 STAs.

[0042] In Multi-AP technology, such as coordination orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (C-OFDMA), coordination spatial reuse (C-SR), and coordination time division multiple address (C-TDMA), the basic principle is to allocate channel resources obtained by the sharing AP to other shared APs, and the shared APs allocated channels communicate on their corresponding channel resources. Channel resources can be frequency domain resources, time domain resources, and spatial domain resources.

[0043] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating resource allocation using a C-OFDMA technology according to the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, AP1 is a sharing AP. It allocates different channel resources to AP2 and AP3 (shared APs) via trigger frames (TFs). Channel resources can be represented as resource units (RUs), e.g., AP1 corresponds to RU1, AP2 corresponds to RU2, and AP3 corresponds to RU3. After a certain time interval, AP1, AP2, and AP3 each transmit a presentation protocol data unit (PPDU) packet on their corresponding RUs.

[0044] Furthermore, because APs are in a peer-to-peer relationship, each AP can function as both a sharing AP and a shared AP. This means each AP can compete for channel resources and send trigger frames to allocate channel resources to other APs. As shown in Figure 3, during time period T1, AP1 obtains channel resources and becomes a sharing AP. It allocates frequency domain resources to AP1, AP2, and AP3, and these three APs then simultaneously transmit data using C-OFDMA. During time period T2, AP3 obtains channel resources and becomes a sharing AP. It allocates frequency domain resources to AP1 and AP2, and AP1 and AP2 then simultaneously transmit data using C-SR.

[0045] Traditional OFDMA technology is suitable for single-BSS scenarios. The AP allocates different channel resources to associated STAs, which can then communicate uplink and downlink data on the allocated channel resources. During the channel resource allocation process, the AP can identify different STAs by AID.

[0046] In scenarios where multiple APs collaborate, the relevant standards lack information similar to the AID identifier to indicate the target of resource allocation. Therefore, when sharing APs allocate channel resources, they cannot accurately allocate resources to a specific shared AP. Different APs may compete for channel resources, leading to conflicts.

[0047] Based on this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a data transmission method in which a first AP can receive a first frame sent by a second AP in the same multi-AP cooperative group and perform data transmission on a target channel resource indicated by a member identifier in the first frame. That is, the first AP corresponds to a member identifier in the multi-AP cooperative group. Thus, when allocating channel resources, the first AP can determine its corresponding target channel resource based on the member identifier. This ensures that each AP in the multi-AP cooperative group can communicate on its corresponding channel resource, avoiding channel occupancy conflicts.

[0048] Referring to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of a network architecture involved in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the network architecture includes a first AP, a second AP, a management AP (master AP), and a station (STA).

[0049] An AP can be a device with a WLAN chip or a WLAN system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip. For example, an AP can be a device with DSAF functionality among the aforementioned devices related to STAs, such as the aforementioned mobile phone with core network access or the aforementioned computer with internet access. For another example, an AP can be a communication entity such as a communication server, router, switch, or bridge. Alternatively, an AP can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, and relay stations. Of course, an AP can also be the chip and processing system within these various devices, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0050] A STA is a terminal device with wireless communication capabilities that can access a WLAN network. A terminal device can be a device with wireless transceiver capabilities and can be deployed on land (including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable, or vehicle-mounted); on water (such as ships); or in the air (for example, on airplanes, balloons, and satellites). A terminal device can be a workstation, mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal in industrial control, vehicle-mounted terminal device, wireless terminal in unmanned driving, wireless terminal in remote medical care, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, wireless terminal in smart home, wearable terminal device, or Internet of Things (IoT) terminal, etc.

[0051] In some embodiments, the management AP is the central control device of a multi-AP cooperative group, and the second AP is a sharing AP in the multi-AP cooperative group. The management AP has a specific identifier and can broadcast beacon frames to announce its presence. APs within the signal coverage of the management AP can request to join the multi-AP cooperative group from the management AP. After the first AP joins the multi-AP cooperative group, it can obtain channel resources allocated by the second AP in the multi-AP cooperative group as a shared AP.

[0052] In some embodiments, the second AP and the management AP may be the same AP or different APs. The figure shows that the second AP and the management AP are different APs.

[0053] In some embodiments, the management AP, the first AP, and the second AP may be non-MLD APs or MLD APs.

[0054] It should be noted that the network architecture and application scenarios described in the embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0055] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Exemplarily, the data transmission method provided by the present disclosure can be applied to the network architecture shown in Figure 4, for example, can be applied to the first AP in Figure 4.

[0056] As shown in FIG5 , the data transmission method provided by the present disclosure may include, for example, the following S501 and S502 .

[0057] In S501 , the second AP sends a first frame to the first AP; correspondingly, the first AP receives the first frame sent by the second AP.

[0058] The second AP and the first AP belong to the same multi-AP cooperation group. The first frame includes a member identifier of the first AP in the multi-AP cooperation group. The first frame is used to allocate target channel resources to the first AP based on the member identifier.

[0059] In S502, the first AP performs data transmission on the target channel resources.

[0060] Regarding S501 and S502 above, after the second AP obtains channel resource access rights, it can allocate channel resources based on the members of the multi-AP cooperative group and send channel resource allocation information to surrounding APs by broadcasting a first frame. Different channel resources correspond to different member identifiers. The first AP that receives the first frame can determine the target channel resource based on its own member identifier and then transmit data to devices within its BSS on the target channel resource.

[0061] In some embodiments, the first frame is a trigger frame, or other control frame or management frame with scheduling management functions.

[0062] In some embodiments, the group member identifier is an identifier assigned to the first AP by a management AP in the multi-AP assistance group, or is a unique identifier of the first AP.

[0063] The unique identifier may be a basic service set identifier (BSSID), a service set identifier (SSID), a multi-link device media access control address (MLD MAC address), etc. Alternatively, the unique identifier may be part of a BSSID, part of an MLD MAC address, or a combination or derivation of the above information. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the content of the unique identifier.

[0064] It should be noted that in some scenarios, the first AP may belong to multiple multi-AP cooperation groups. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the first AP belongs not only to group 1 but also to group 2. Therefore, the first AP can receive the first frame for channel resource allocation sent by the sharing AP (second AP) in group 1, and can also receive the first frame for channel resource allocation sent by the sharing AP (third AP) in group 2.

[0065] In the case where the member identifier is an identifier assigned by the management AP, the first frame includes not only the member identifier of the first AP, but also the information of the multi-AP cooperation group. Since the member identifiers assigned to the first AP in different groups may be different, based on the information of the multi-AP cooperation group, the first AP can distinguish which multi-AP cooperation group allocated the target channel resource specified in the first frame. That is, the first AP can communicate within the BSS on the target channel resource specified by group 1, or on the target channel resource specified by group 2.

[0066] It should be understood that, when the member identifier is an identifier assigned by the management AP, the member identifier of the first AP in group 1 may or may not be the same as the member identifier of the first AP in group 2. The target channel resources specified by group 1 may or may not be the same as the target channel resources specified by group 2, and this is not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0067] In the case where the member identifier is a unique identifier, since the unique identifier is globally unique, the first frame may not include information about the multi-AP cooperative group, and the first AP may also be able to transmit data on the target channel resources allocated in the first frame, which can effectively reduce the overhead of information transmission. In addition, for the first AP, if the number of multi-AP cooperative groups joined by the first AP is large, the AP does not need to maintain the relevant information of multiple groups and the corresponding member identifiers, and only needs to save the globally unique member identifier, which can effectively reduce the space resource occupation of the first AP.

[0068] In some scenarios, if the first AP does not belong to the multi-AP assistance group, the first AP can request to join the multi-AP assistance group to facilitate subsequent channel resource allocation. The following example uses the second AP and the management AP as the same AP, combined with the drawings and embodiments of the specification to illustrate.

[0069] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an interaction in a joining situation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG7 , it includes S701 and S702.

[0070] In S701 , the first AP sends a second frame to the management AP (second AP) in the multi-AP assistance group; accordingly, the second AP (management AP) receives the second frame sent by the first AP.

[0071] The second frame is used to request to join the multi-AP cooperation group.

[0072] In S702 , the second AP sends a response frame to the second frame to the first AP; correspondingly, the first AP receives the response frame sent by the second AP.

[0073] For the above S701 and S702, as mentioned above, the management AP is the central control device of the multi-AP cooperation group. The management AP can broadcast a beacon frame to the surrounding area, and the beacon frame carries information about the multi-AP cooperation group. The first AP can learn about the existence of the multi-AP cooperation group through the beacon frame broadcast by the management AP. Then, the first AP can send a second frame requesting to join to the management AP. Accordingly, the management AP can obtain the second frame for requesting to join the multi-AP cooperation group. If the management AP determines that the first AP meets the conditions for joining (for example, having the same function), it can feedback a response frame to the second frame to the first AP, and the response frame is used to indicate that it agrees to the first AP to join. Conversely, if the first AP does not meet the conditions for joining, it can feedback a response frame for refusing to join the multi-AP cooperation group to the first AP. The response frame may include information such as the reason for rejection.

[0074] In some embodiments, when the group member identifier is an identifier assigned by the management AP to the first AP, the response frame of the second frame includes the group member identifier.

[0075] It should be understood that if the member identifier is assigned by the management AP, the management AP can assign a member identifier to the first AP based on the number of APs it manages. For example, if the multi-AP collaboration group managed by the management AP includes three APs, and the member identifiers are AP1, AP2, and AP3, then for the first AP, the management AP can assign AP4 as the member identifier in order and feed AP4 back to the first AP through a response frame.

[0076] In some embodiments, when the member identifier is the unique identifier of the first AP, the disclosed embodiment may further include S703 after S702: determining, in response to the response frame, the unique identifier of the first AP as the member identifier.

[0077] It should be understood that if the member identifier is a unique identifier, in one implementation, the management AP can notify the first AP of the member identifier by carrying indication information in the response frame. For example, if the response frame includes an indication field with a value of 1, it can be considered to carry indication information, and the first AP can determine the unique identifier as its member identifier in the multi-AP cooperative group. In another implementation, a pre-configured approach can be adopted, whereby upon receiving a response frame indicating consent to join, the first AP autonomously determines its own unique identifier as the member identifier.

[0078] In some embodiments, after agreeing to join the first AP, that is, when the first AP belongs to the multi-AP cooperation group, the first AP can broadcast a sixth frame for network discovery. Exemplarily, the sixth frame is a beacon frame, which carries information about the multi-AP cooperation group and group member identifiers. In contrast, when the first AP does not belong to the multi-AP cooperation group, the sixth frame broadcast by the first AP does not carry information about the multi-AP cooperation group and group member identifiers.

[0079] In some embodiments, the information of the multi-AP cooperation group includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the multi-AP cooperation group, and a member identifier of each member in the multi-AP cooperation group.

[0080] In the following, in conjunction with the embodiments and the accompanying drawings, the interaction process between the first AP and the management AP when the first AP exits the multi-AP cooperation group is described in detail.

[0081] It should be noted that there are two implementation methods for the first AP to exit the multi-AP cooperation group: one implementation method is that the first AP actively exits, and the other implementation method is that the first AP passively exits, as described below.

[0082] In one implementation, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an interaction in an exit situation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 8 , it includes S801 and S802.

[0083] In S801 , the first AP sends a third frame to the management AP in the multi-AP assistance group; accordingly, the management AP (second AP) receives the third frame.

[0084] The third frame is used to notify the management AP that the first AP exits the multi-AP cooperation group.

[0085] In S802 , in response to the third frame, the second AP (management AP) deletes the correspondence between the member identifier and the first AP, or reclaims the member identifier.

[0086] For the above S801 and S802, when it is necessary to exit the multi-AP cooperative group, the first AP can actively send a third frame to the management AP. In addition, the first AP can delete the member identifier stored by itself. Accordingly, after receiving the third frame, the management AP can respond to the third frame and delete the corresponding relationship between the member identifier of the first AP and the first AP, or in other words, reclaim the member identifier. When other APs join the multi-AP cooperative group, the reclaimed member identifier can be assigned to other APs.

[0087] For example, the management AP assigns the member ID of the first AP to AP4. If the first AP leaves the multi-AP cooperation group, the management AP reclaims the member ID of AP4. When a new AP joins, the management AP can assign AP4 to the new AP.

[0088] In another implementation, Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of interaction in another exit scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 9 , it includes S901 and S902.

[0089] In S901 , the second AP (management AP) sends a fourth frame to the first AP; correspondingly, the first AP receives the fourth frame sent by the management AP.

[0090] The fourth frame is used to instruct the first AP to exit the multi-AP cooperation group.

[0091] In S902 , the first AP deletes the member identifier in response to the fourth frame.

[0092] Regarding S901 and S902 above, the management AP can send a fourth frame to the first AP, instructing the first AP to exit the multi-AP cooperative group. Furthermore, the management AP can delete the correspondence between the member ID and the first AP, or reclaim the first AP's member ID. Accordingly, after receiving the fourth frame, the first AP can delete the member ID, completing the exit process.

[0093] In other scenarios, if the second AP is different from the management AP, and the first AP is newly added, the second AP does not yet have the first AP's member ID. When the second AP obtains channel access rights (i.e., becomes a sharing AP), it cannot allocate channel resources to the first AP. Therefore, the second AP can obtain information about the first AP either actively or passively.

[0094] The case of active acquisition is described with reference to FIG10 . FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a network discovery according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG10 , it includes S1001 and S1002 .

[0095] In S1001 , the second AP sends a fifth frame to the first AP; correspondingly, the first AP receives the fifth frame.

[0096] The fifth frame is used to request the member identifier of the first AP in the multi-AP cooperation group.

[0097] In S1002 , the first AP sends a response frame to the fifth frame to the second AP; correspondingly, the second AP receives the response frame to the fifth frame.

[0098] Regarding S1001 and S1002 above, when the first AP is within the signal coverage of the second AP, the second AP can discover the presence of the first AP. Furthermore, the second AP can send a fifth frame to the first AP to request the first AP's identity in the multi-AP cooperative group. In response, the first AP sends a response frame to the second AP in response to the fifth frame. After receiving the response frame, the second AP can save the first AP's group membership information to facilitate subsequent allocation of channel resources to the first AP.

[0099] In some embodiments, the fifth frame is a probe request frame, and the response frame to the fifth frame is a probe response frame.

[0100] The passive acquisition situation is described with reference to FIG11 . FIG11 is a schematic diagram of another network discovery according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG11 , it includes S1101 and S1102 .

[0101] In S1101 , the first AP sends the sixth frame; correspondingly, the second AP receives the sixth frame.

[0102] The sixth frame includes information about the multi-AP cooperation group and group member identifiers.

[0103] In S1102, the second AP saves the member identifier of the first AP.

[0104] For the above S1101 and S1102, as described above, the first AP can continuously broadcast the sixth frame to the surrounding area. Moreover, when the first AP belongs to a multi-AP cooperative group, the sixth frame carries information about the multi-AP cooperative group and a member identifier. If the second AP is within the signal coverage of the first AP, it can receive the sixth frame sent by the first AP, and when it is determined that the information of the multi-AP cooperative group to which the first AP belongs is consistent with the multi-AP cooperative group to which it belongs, it obtains the member identifier of the first AP and records it for subsequent allocation of channel resources to the first AP.

[0105] In some embodiments, the sixth frame is a beacon frame.

[0106] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a data transmission method in which a first AP can receive a first frame sent by a second AP in the same multi-AP cooperative group and perform data transmission on a target channel resource indicated by a member identifier in the first frame. Specifically, the first AP corresponds to a member identifier in the multi-AP cooperative group. Thus, when allocating channel resources, the first AP can determine its corresponding target channel resource based on the member identifier. This ensures that each AP in the multi-AP cooperative group can communicate on its corresponding channel resource, avoiding channel occupancy conflicts.

[0107] Furthermore, using a unique identifier as a member identifier can effectively reduce data transmission overhead during channel resource allocation. In addition, the AP itself does not need to store member identifiers corresponding to multiple groups, which can effectively reduce its own space resource usage.

[0108] It is understandable that, in order to implement the above functions, the communication device (which may be the above-mentioned management AP, the first AP or the second AP) includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the algorithm steps of the various examples described in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the present disclosure can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in a hardware or computer software driven hardware manner depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the present disclosure.

[0109] The embodiments of the present disclosure can divide the functional modules of the communication device according to the above-mentioned method embodiments. For example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional module. The above-mentioned integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or software. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present disclosure is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. The following is an example of dividing each functional module corresponding to each function.

[0110] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which can execute the data transmission method provided by the above method embodiment. As shown in FIG12 , the communication device includes: a receiving module 1201 and a transmitting module 1202 .

[0111] The receiving module 1201 is configured to receive a first frame sent by a second AP. The second AP and the first AP belong to the same multi-AP cooperation group. The first frame includes a member identifier of the first AP in the multi-AP cooperation group. The first frame is used to allocate target channel resources to the first AP based on the member identifier.

[0112] The transmission module 1202 is configured to perform data transmission on target channel resources.

[0113] In some embodiments, the first frame is a trigger frame, or other control frame or management frame with scheduling management functions.

[0114] In some embodiments, the member identifier is an identifier assigned to the first AP by a management AP in the multi-AP cooperation group, or is a unique identifier of the first AP.

[0115] In some embodiments, when the group member identifier is an identifier assigned by the management AP to the first AP, the first frame further includes information about the multi-AP cooperation group.

[0116] In some embodiments, the communication device further includes a sending module 1203. The sending module 1203 is configured to send a second frame to the management AP in the multi-AP cooperation group. The second frame is used to request to join the multi-AP cooperation group. The receiving module 1201 is further configured to receive a response frame to the second frame sent by the management AP. The response frame is used to indicate that the first AP agrees to join the multi-AP cooperation group.

[0117] In some embodiments, when the group member identifier is an identifier allocated by the management AP to the first AP, the response frame includes the group member identifier.

[0118] In some embodiments, when the member identifier is the unique identifier of the first AP, the communication device further includes a determination module 1204. The determination module 1204 is configured to, in response to the response frame, determine that the unique identifier of the first AP itself is the member identifier.

[0119] In some embodiments, the communication device further includes: a deletion module 1205. The sending module 1203 is further configured to send a third frame to the management AP in the multi-AP cooperation group. The third frame is used to notify the management AP that the first AP exits the multi-AP cooperation group. The deletion module 1205 is configured to delete the member identifier.

[0120] In some embodiments, the receiving module 1201 is further configured to receive a fourth frame sent by the management AP in the multi-AP cooperation group. The fourth frame is used to instruct the first AP to exit the multi-AP cooperation group. The deleting module 1205 is further configured to delete the member identifier.

[0121] In some embodiments, the receiving module 1201 is further configured to receive a fifth frame sent by the second AP. The fifth frame is used to request the first AP's member identifier in the multi-AP cooperative group. The sending module 1203 is further configured to send a response frame to the second AP in response to the fifth frame. The response frame includes information about the multi-AP cooperative group and the member identifier.

[0122] In some embodiments, the fifth frame is a probe request frame, and the response frame to the fifth frame is a probe response frame.

[0123] In some embodiments, the sending module 1203 is further configured to send a sixth frame when the first AP belongs to a multi-AP cooperation group. The sixth frame includes information about the multi-AP cooperation group and group member identifiers.

[0124] In some embodiments, the sixth frame is a beacon frame.

[0125] In some embodiments, the information of the multi-AP cooperation group includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the multi-AP cooperation group, and a member identifier of each member in the multi-AP cooperation group.

[0126] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which can execute the data transmission method provided by the above method embodiment. As shown in FIG13 , the communication device includes: a sending module 1301.

[0127] The sending module 1301 is used to send a first frame to the first AP. The second AP and the first AP belong to the same multi-AP cooperation group; the first frame includes the member identifier of the first AP in the multi-AP cooperation group; and the first frame is used to allocate target channel resources to the first AP based on the member identifier.

[0128] In some embodiments, the first frame is a trigger frame, or other control frame or management frame with scheduling management functions.

[0129] In some embodiments, the member identifier is an identifier assigned to the first AP by the management AP of the multi-AP cooperation group, or is a unique identifier of the first AP.

[0130] In some embodiments, when the member identifier is an identifier assigned by the management AP of the multi-AP cooperation group to the first AP, the first frame further includes information about the multi-AP cooperation group.

[0131] In some embodiments, when the second AP is a management AP of the multi-AP cooperative group, the communication device further includes a receiving module 1302. The receiving module 1302 is configured to receive a second frame sent by the first AP. The second frame is used to request to join the multi-AP cooperative group. The sending module 1301 is further configured to send a response frame to the first AP in response to the second frame. The response frame is used to indicate that the first AP agrees to join the multi-AP cooperative group.

[0132] In some embodiments, when the group member identifier is an identifier allocated by the management AP to the first AP, the response frame includes the group member identifier.

[0133] In some embodiments, when the second AP is a management AP of the multi-AP cooperative group, the communication device further includes a deletion module 1303. The receiving module 1302 is further configured to receive a third frame sent by the first AP. The third frame is used to notify the management AP that the first AP has exited the multi-AP cooperative group. The deletion module 1303 is configured to, in response to the third frame, delete the correspondence between the member identifier and the first AP, or reclaim the member identifier.

[0134] In some embodiments, when the second AP is the management AP of the multi-AP cooperation group, the receiving module 1301 is further configured to send a fourth frame to the first AP. The fourth frame is used to instruct the first AP to exit the multi-AP cooperation group. The deleting module 1303 is further configured to delete the correspondence between the member identifier and the first AP, or to reclaim the member identifier.

[0135] In some embodiments, the sending module 1301 is further configured to send a fifth frame to the first AP. The fifth frame is used to request the first AP's member identifier in the multi-AP cooperative group. The receiving module 1302 is further configured to receive a response frame from the first AP to the fifth frame. The response frame includes information about the multi-AP cooperative group and the member identifier.

[0136] In some embodiments, the fifth frame is a probe request frame, and the response frame to the fifth frame is a probe response frame.

[0137] In some embodiments, the receiving module 1302 is further configured to receive a sixth frame sent by the first AP, wherein the sixth frame includes information of the multi-AP cooperation group and group member identifiers.

[0138] In some embodiments, the sixth frame is a beacon frame.

[0139] In some embodiments, the information of the multi-AP cooperation group includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the multi-AP cooperation group, and a member identifier of each member in the multi-AP cooperation group.

[0140] In the case of implementing the functions of the above-mentioned integrated modules in hardware, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide another structure of the communication device involved in the above-mentioned embodiments. As shown in Figure 14, the communication device 140 includes: a processor 1402 and a bus 1404. In some embodiments, the communication device may also include a memory 1401. In some embodiments, the communication device may also include a communication interface 1403.

[0141] Processor 1402 may implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the embodiments of this disclosure. Processor 1402 may be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof, and may implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the embodiments of this disclosure. Processor 1402 may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like.

[0142] The communication interface 1403 is used to connect to other devices via a communication network, such as Ethernet, wireless access network, or wireless local area network (WLAN).

[0143] The memory 1401 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto.

[0144] As an implementation, the memory 1401 may exist independently of the processor 1402. The memory 1401 may be connected to the processor 1402 via a bus 1404 to store instructions or program codes. When the processor 1402 calls and executes the instructions or program codes stored in the memory 1401, the data transmission method provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0145] In another implementation, the memory 1401 may also be integrated with the processor 1402 .

[0146] Bus 1404 can be an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Bus 1404 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, FIG14 shows only one thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0147] In some embodiments, the memory 1401 stores executable instructions. When the processor 1402 executes the executable instructions, the communication device executes the data transmission method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0148] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium), which stores computer program instructions. When the computer program instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the data transmission method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0149] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact disks (CDs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), cards, sticks, or key drives, etc.). The various computer-readable storage media described in the present disclosure may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable storage media for storing information. The term "machine-readable storage medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0150] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer program product comprising instructions. When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is enabled to execute the data transmission method described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0151] In the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, a first AP can receive a first frame sent by a second AP in the same multi-AP cooperative group and transmit data on a target channel resource indicated by the member identifier in the first frame. That is, the first AP corresponds to a member identifier in the multi-AP cooperative group. Thus, when allocating channel resources, the first AP can determine its corresponding target channel resource based on the member identifier. This ensures that each AP in the multi-AP cooperative group can communicate on its corresponding channel resource, avoiding channel occupancy conflicts.

[0152] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, but the scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present disclosure should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A data transmission method, applied to a first access point AP, comprising: receiving a first frame sent by a second AP; The second AP and the first AP belong to the same multi-AP cooperation group; The first frame includes a member identifier of the first AP in the multi-AP cooperation group; The first frame is used to allocate target channel resources to the first AP based on the group member identifier; Data transmission is performed on the target channel resource.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first frame is a trigger frame, or other control frame or management frame with scheduling management function.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The member identifier is an identifier assigned to the first AP by a management AP in the multi-AP cooperation group, or is a unique identifier of the first AP.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: In the case where the group member identifier is an identifier assigned by the management AP to the first AP, the first frame further includes information of the multi-AP cooperation group.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Sending a second frame to the management AP in the multi-AP cooperation group; The second frame is used to request to join the multi-AP cooperation group; receiving a response frame to the second frame sent by the management AP; The response frame is used to indicate that the first AP is allowed to join the multi-AP cooperation group.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: In the case where the group member identifier is an identifier allocated by the management AP to the first AP, the response frame includes the group member identifier.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein: In a case where the group member identifier is a unique identifier of the first AP, the method further includes: In response to the response frame, the unique identifier of the first AP itself is determined as the group member identifier.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Sending a third frame to the management AP in the multi-AP cooperation group; The third frame is used to notify the management AP that the first AP exits the multi-AP cooperation group; Delete the group member ID.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving a fourth frame sent by a management AP in the multi-AP cooperation group; The fourth frame is used to instruct the first AP to exit the multi-AP cooperation group; In response to the fourth frame, the group member identification is deleted.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving a fifth frame sent by the second AP; The fifth frame is used to request the member identification of the first AP in the multi-AP cooperation group; A response frame to the fifth frame is sent to the second AP; the response frame includes information of the multi-AP cooperation group and the group member identifier.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The fifth frame is a probe request frame, and the response frame of the fifth frame is a probe response frame.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: When the first AP belongs to the multi-AP cooperation group, sending a sixth frame; The sixth frame includes information of the multi-AP cooperation group and the group member identifier.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The sixth frame is a beacon frame.

14. The method according to any one of claims 4, 10 or 12, wherein: The information of the multi-AP cooperation group includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the multi-AP cooperation group, and a member identifier of each member in the multi-AP cooperation group.

15. A data transmission method, applied to a second access point AP, comprising: Sending a first frame to a first AP; The second AP and the first AP belong to the same multi-AP cooperation group; The first frame includes a member identifier of the first AP in the multi-AP cooperation group; The first frame is used to allocate target channel resources to the first AP based on the group member identifier.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The first frame is a trigger frame, or other control frame or management frame with scheduling management function.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The member identifier is an identifier assigned to the first AP by the management AP of the multi-AP cooperation group, or is a unique identifier of the first AP.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein: In the case where the member identifier is an identifier assigned by the management AP of the multi-AP cooperation group to the first AP, the first frame also includes information of the multi-AP cooperation group.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein: In the case where the second AP is a management AP of the multi-AP cooperation group, the method further includes: receiving a second frame sent by the first AP; wherein the second frame is used to request to join the multi-AP cooperation group; A response frame to the second frame is sent to the first AP; the response frame is used to indicate that the first AP is allowed to join the multi-AP cooperation group.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein: In the case where the group member identifier is an identifier allocated by the management AP to the first AP, the response frame includes the group member identifier.

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein: In the case where the second AP is a management AP of the multi-AP cooperation group, the method further includes: receiving a third frame sent by the first AP; the third frame is used to notify the management AP that the first AP exits the multi-AP cooperation group; In response to the third frame, the corresponding relationship between the group member identifier and the first AP is deleted, or the group member identifier is recovered.

22. The method according to claim 15, wherein: In the case where the second AP is a management AP of the multi-AP cooperation group, the method further includes: Sending a fourth frame to the first AP; the fourth frame is used to instruct the first AP to exit the multi-AP cooperation group; The corresponding relationship between the group member identifier and the first AP is deleted, or the group member identifier is recycled.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising: Sending a fifth frame to the first AP; The fifth frame is used to request the member identification of the first AP in the multi-AP cooperation group; receiving a response frame from the first AP to the fifth frame; The response frame includes information of the multi-AP cooperation group and the group member identifier.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein: The fifth frame is a probe request frame, and the response frame of the fifth frame is a probe response frame.

25. The method of claim 15, further comprising: receiving a sixth frame sent by the first AP; The sixth frame includes information of the multi-AP cooperation group and the group member identifier.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein: The sixth frame is a beacon frame.

27. The method according to any one of claims 18, 23 or 25, wherein: The information of the multi-AP cooperation group includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the multi-AP cooperation group, and a member identifier of each member in the multi-AP cooperation group.

28. A communication device, comprising: a processor and a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor; The processor is configured to execute the instructions so that the communication device performs the data transmission method according to any one of claims 1-27.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the data transmission method according to any one of claims 1 to 27.

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