Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method. The method can be applied to WLAN systems that support IEEE 802.11ax next-generation Wi-Fi protocols, such as 802.11be, Wi-Fi 7 or EHT, and 802.11be next generation, Wi-Fi 8, and other 802.11 series protocols, can also be applied to IEEE 802.11bf and IEEE 802.11bf next-generation protocols, and can also be applied to UWB-based wireless personal area network systems, sensing systems, etc. The method comprises: in a scenario where a multi-link device participates in a sensing-by-proxy measurement, a sensing-by-proxy initiator sends, to a sensing-by-proxy responder, a request message for requesting to establish a sensing-by-proxy measurement, the request message comprising first indication information used for indicating a link mapped by a first sensing responder. By carrying information indicating a link in a request message, a sensing-by-proxy measurement can be established in a scenario where a multi-link device participates in sensing-by-proxy.

Description

Communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on September 28, 2023, with application number 202311291954.8 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 communication technology, and more particularly, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] 802.11 is one of the most popular wireless access standards for wireless local area networks (WLANs), and has been widely used commercially for over a decade. 802.11bf is a next-generation wireless standard for WLAN sensing. WLAN sensing allows devices with WLAN sensing capabilities to determine the characteristics of a target (such as an object, animal, or person) in a given environment based on received wireless signals. These characteristics include distance, location, speed, motion, and behavior.

[0004] In scenarios where an access point (AP) establishes a sensing relationship with at least two stations (STAs), sensing measurements can be performed using a sensing by proxy (SBP) process. For example, a proxy sensing requesting station (one of the stations) can directly obtain the sensing results of the sensing responding stations (the remaining stations) through the AP. The access points and / or stations participating in the SBP process can be multi-link devices that support multiple links.

[0005] How to establish SBP in the process of multi-link devices participating in the perception has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides a communication method for establishing proxy-aware measurement in a scenario where multiple link devices participate in proxy awareness.

[0008] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a first multi-link device (MLD), or by circuitry configured in the first MLD, although this application is not limited thereto. The first MLD can be an access point (AP) or a non-access point (non-AP). For ease of description, the following description uses the first MLD as an example.

[0009] The communication method includes: a first multi-link device (MLD) generating a request message for requesting establishment of a proxy-aware SBP measurement, the request message including first indication information for indicating a link mapped by a first perception responder; and the first MLD sending the request message to a second MLD. The first MLD is a proxy perception initiator (SBP initiator) in the proxy perception measurement, the second MLD is a proxy perception responder (SBP responder) in the proxy perception measurement, and the first perception responder is any one of at least one device for which the proxy perception initiator requests the proxy perception responder to obtain a perception result.

[0010] Based on the above technical solution, in the scenario where multi-link devices participate in proxy perception measurement, the request message sent by the proxy perception initiator to the proxy perception responder to establish proxy perception measurement includes the link status mapped by the first perception responder, so that the proxy perception responder can clearly know the requirements of the proxy perception initiator for each perception responder link, which is conducive to the establishment of proxy perception measurement and improves the efficiency of establishing proxy perception measurement, thereby realizing the establishment of proxy perception measurement in the scenario where multi-link devices participate in proxy perception measurement.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the request message includes information of at least one perception response end and at least one first indication information corresponding to the at least one perception response end, the first perception response end is any one of the at least one perception response end, and the first indication information is the first indication information corresponding to the first perception response end in the at least one first indication information.

[0012] Based on the above technical solution, the request message sent by the proxy perception initiator to the proxy perception responder may also include information of at least one perception responder from which the proxy perception initiator expects the proxy perception responder to obtain perception results, and may indicate the link conditions corresponding to the at least one perception responder respectively through at least one first indication information, so that the proxy perception responder can clearly know the link conditions corresponding to different perception responders expected by the proxy perception initiator based on the received request message, which is conducive to the establishment of proxy perception measurement.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: the first MLD receives a response message from the second MLD, the response message including information of the perception response end participating in the SBP measurement and second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate the link mapped by the perception response end participating in the SBP measurement.

[0014] Based on the above technical solution, when the request message carries information of at least one perception responder, the proxy perception responder replies to the request message with a response message carrying information of the perception responder that actually participates in the proxy perception measurement among the at least one perception responder, as well as link status indication information corresponding to the perception responder that participates in the proxy perception measurement, so that the proxy perception initiator can obtain information about the perception responder that actually participates in the proxy perception measurement and the link status corresponding to the perception responder based on the received response message.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the response message includes a parameter indicating that the response message carries the second indication information.

[0016] Based on the above technical solution, in order to enable the proxy perception initiator to clearly know whether the response message carries the second indication information indicating the link status of the perception responder participating in the proxy perception measurement, the response message can carry a parameter to indicate that the response message carries the second indication information, so that the proxy perception initiator can quickly determine whether the second indication information exists based on the parameter, thereby improving the response message parsing rate.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the response message includes information about the first availability window, and the information about the first availability window includes information about the availability window corresponding to the first link, wherein the information about the availability window corresponding to the first link includes an identifier of the first link.

[0018] Based on the above technical solution, the response message also includes information about the first availability window indicating the availability window corresponding to the link, so that the proxy perception initiator can clearly obtain information about the availability windows corresponding to different links based on the information of the first availability window, perform perception measurement or information transmission in the accurate availability window, and improve the performance of the proxy perception measurement.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information is also used to indicate the links mapped to other perception response ends participating in the SBP measurement other than the first response end, and the first perception response end is any one of the perception response ends participating in the SBP measurement.

[0020] Based on the above technical solution, the above-mentioned first indication information can indicate the link conditions corresponding to all perception response ends participating in the perception measurement, that is, for the proxy perception initiator, the link conditions corresponding to all perception response ends are the same, and there is no need to indicate separately for different perception response ends, thereby improving the indication efficiency.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: the first MLD receiving a response message from the second MLD, the response message including information of at least one link, and the at least one link is part or all of the links indicated by the first indication information.

[0022] Based on the above technical solution, in a scenario where the first indication information can simultaneously indicate the link conditions corresponding to all perception responding ends participating in the proxy perception measurement, the proxy perception responding end can indicate the actual link conditions corresponding to the perception responding ends participating in the proxy perception measurement through a response message in response to the request message, so that the proxy perception initiating end can obtain the link conditions corresponding to the perception responding ends participating in the proxy perception measurement based on the received response message.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the response message includes a parameter indicating that the response message carries information about the at least one link.

[0024] Based on the above technical solution, in order to enable the proxy perception initiator to clearly know whether the response message carries information about at least one link indicating the link status of the perception responder participating in the proxy perception measurement, the response message can carry a parameter indicating that the response message carries information about at least one link, so that the proxy perception initiator can quickly determine whether the information about at least one link exists based on the parameter, thereby improving the response message parsing rate.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the response message includes information about the first availability window, and the information about the first availability window includes information about the availability window corresponding to the first link, wherein the information about the availability window corresponding to the first link includes an identifier of the first link.

[0026] Based on the above technical solution, the response message also includes information about the first availability window indicating the availability window corresponding to the link, so that the proxy perception initiator can clearly obtain information about the availability windows corresponding to different links based on the information of the first availability window, perform perception measurement or information transmission in the accurate availability window, and improve the performance of the proxy perception measurement.

[0027] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information includes a first control field, and a mandatory link indication field and / or a preferred link indication field, the first control field includes information of the mandatory link indication field and / or information of the preferred link indication field, the mandatory link indication field is used to indicate a mandatory link for the first perception response end, and the preferred link indication field is used to indicate a preferred link for the first perception response end.

[0028] Based on the above technical solution, the first indication information includes a field indicating a mandatory link and / or a field indicating a preferred link, so as to realize that the link corresponding to the first perception response end can be mandatory and / or optional, thereby improving flexibility.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first control field includes information indicating whether the first indication information carries the mandatory link indication field, and / or information indicating whether the first indication information carries the preferred link indication field.

[0030] Based on the above technical solution, by carrying information indicating whether the first indication information carries a mandatory link indication field in the first control field, and / or indicating whether the first indication information carries a preferred link indication field, the proxy-aware response end can quickly determine the content of the first indication information based on the first control field, thereby improving the request message parsing rate.

[0031] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first control field includes information indicating the number of links corresponding to the first perception response end.

[0032] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first control field, and the mandatory link indication field and / or the preferred link indication field are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message; or, the first control field is carried in the SBP control parameter of the request message, and the mandatory link indication field and / or the preferred link indication field are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message.

[0033] Based on the above technical solution, the content of the first indication information can be carried in the SBP parameter element and / or SBP control parameter. The specific transmission method is not limited. The first indication information can be carried in the request message. The structure of the request message can have multiple possibilities, which improves the flexibility of the solution.

[0034] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information includes a second control field, a link identification field and / or a mandatory indication field, the second control field includes information of the link identification field and / or information of the mandatory indication field, the link identification field is used to indicate at least one link provided by the first site for the first perception response end, and the mandatory indication is used to indicate whether each link in the at least one link is mandatory.

[0035] Based on the above technical solution, the first indication information includes a field indicating the link and / or a field indicating whether the link is mandatory, so as to realize that the link corresponding to the first perception response end can be mandatory and / or optional, thereby improving flexibility.

[0036] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the second control field includes information indicating whether the first indication information carries the link identification field, and / or information indicating whether the first indication information carries the mandatory indication field.

[0037] Based on the above technical solution, by carrying information indicating whether the first indication information carries a link identification field in the second control field, and / or indicating whether the first indication information carries a mandatory indication field, the proxy-aware response end can quickly determine the content of the first indication information based on the second control field, thereby improving the request message parsing rate.

[0038] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the second control field, and the link identification field and / or the mandatory indication field are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message; or, the second control field is carried in the SBP control parameter of the request message, and the link identification field and / or the mandatory indication field are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message.

[0039] Based on the above technical solution, the content of the first indication information can be carried in the SBP parameter element and / or SBP control parameter. The specific transmission method is not limited. The first indication information can be carried in the request message. The structure of the request message can have multiple possibilities, which improves the flexibility of the solution.

[0040] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the request message also includes information about a second availability window, and the information about the second availability window includes information about an availability window corresponding to the second link, wherein the information about the availability window corresponding to the second link includes an identifier of the second link.

[0041] Based on the above technical solution, the request message also includes information about a second availability window indicating the availability window corresponding to the link, so that the proxy perception response end can clearly obtain information about the availability windows corresponding to different links based on the information of the second availability window, perform perception measurement or information transmission in an accurate availability window, and improve the performance of the proxy perception measurement.

[0042] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a second MLD, or by circuitry configured in the second MLD, though this application does not limit this. The second MLD can be an AP or a non-AP. For ease of description, the following description uses the second MLD as an example.

[0043] The communication method includes: a second multi-link device MLD receives a request message from a first MLD, the request message is used to request to establish an agent-aware SBP measurement, the request message includes first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate a link mapped by the first perception responder; the second MLD parses the request message.

[0044] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the request message includes information of at least one perception response end and at least one first indication information corresponding to the at least one perception response end, the first perception response end is any one of the at least one perception response end, and the first indication information is the first indication information corresponding to the first perception response end in the at least one first indication information.

[0045] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: the second MLD determines the perception response end participating in the SBP among the at least one perception response end, and the links mapped respectively to the perception response ends participating in the SBP based on the at least one first indication information; the second MLD sends a response message to the first MLD, the response message including information of the perception response end participating in the SBP measurement and second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the links mapped to the perception response ends participating in the SBP measurement.

[0046] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the response message includes a parameter indicating that the response message carries the second indication information.

[0047] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the response message includes information about the first availability window, and the information about the first availability window includes information about the availability window corresponding to the first link, wherein the information about the availability window corresponding to the first link includes an identifier of the first link.

[0048] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first indication information is also used to indicate the links mapped to other perception response ends participating in the SBP measurement other than the first response end, and the first perception response end is any one of the perception response ends participating in the SBP measurement.

[0049] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: the second MLD determines at least one link corresponding to the perception response end participating in the SBP based on the first indication information; the second MLD sends a response message to the first MLD, and the response message includes information about at least one link, and the at least one link is part or all of the links indicated by the first indication information.

[0050] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first indication information includes a first control field, and a mandatory link indication field and / or a preferred link indication field, the first control field includes information of the mandatory link indication field and / or information of the preferred link indication field, the mandatory link indication field is used to indicate a mandatory link for the first perception response end, and the preferred link indication field is used to indicate a preferred link for the first perception response end.

[0051] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first control field includes information indicating whether the first indication information carries the mandatory link indication field, and / or information indicating whether the first indication information carries the preferred link indication field.

[0052] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first control field, and the mandatory link indication field and / or the preferred link indication field are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message; or, the first control field is carried in the SBP control parameter of the request message, and the mandatory link indication field and / or the preferred link indication field are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message.

[0053] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first indication information includes a second control field, a link identification field and / or a mandatory indication field, the second control field includes information of the link identification field and / or information of the mandatory indication field, the link identification field is used to indicate at least one link provided by the first site for the first perception response end, and the mandatory indication is used to indicate whether each link in the at least one link is mandatory.

[0054] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second control field includes information indicating whether the first indication information carries the link identification field, and / or information indicating whether the first indication information carries the mandatory indication field.

[0055] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the second control field, and the link identification field and / or the mandatory indication field are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message; or, the second control field is carried in the SBP control parameter of the request message, and the link identification field and / or the mandatory indication field are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message.

[0056] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the request message also includes information about a second availability window, and the information about the second availability window includes information about an availability window corresponding to the second link, wherein the information about the availability window corresponding to the second link includes an identifier of the second link.

[0057] The technical effects of the method shown in the above second aspect and its possible design can refer to the technical effects in the first aspect and its possible design.

[0058] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which is configured to execute the method provided in the first aspect. Specifically, the device may include units and / or modules, such as a processing unit and / or a communication unit, configured to execute the method provided in any one of the above implementations of the first aspect.

[0059] Exemplarily, when the communication device is the first MLD in the first aspect above, the processing unit is used to generate a request message, wherein the request message is used to request the establishment of an agent-aware SBP measurement, and the request message includes first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate the link mapped by the first perception response end; the communication unit is used to send the request message to the second MLD.

[0060] In one implementation, the communication unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface; the processing unit may be at least one processor. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0061] Exemplarily, when the communication device is the first MLD in the first aspect above, the processor is used to generate a request message, the request message is used to request the establishment of an agent-aware SBP measurement, the request message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the link mapped by the first perception response end; the transceiver element is used to send the request message to the second MLD.

[0062] In another implementation, the apparatus is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a first MLD. When the apparatus is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a terminal device, the communication unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip, chip system, or circuit; and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0063] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is used to execute the method provided in the second aspect. Specifically, the device may include units and / or modules, such as a processing unit and / or a communication unit, for executing the method provided in any one of the above implementations of the second aspect.

[0064] Exemplarily, when the communication device is the second MLD in the second aspect, the communication unit is configured to receive a request message from the first MLD, the request message being used to request establishment of proxy-aware SBP measurement, the request message including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a link mapped to the first perception responder. The processing unit is configured to parse the request message.

[0065] In one implementation, the communication unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface; the processing unit may be at least one processor. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0066] Exemplarily, when the communication device is the second MLD in the second aspect, the transceiver is configured to receive a request message from the first MLD, the request message being used to request establishment of proxy-aware SBP measurement, the request message including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a link mapped to the first perception responder. The processor is configured to parse the request message.

[0067] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a second MLD. When the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a network device, the communication unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip, chip system, or circuit; and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0068] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes: a memory for storing programs; and at least one processor for executing computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to execute any one of the above-mentioned implementations of the first aspect or the second aspect, or the method provided by the second aspect or any one of the above-mentioned implementations of the second aspect.

[0069] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a processor for executing the methods provided in the above aspects.

[0070] For the operations such as sending and acquiring / receiving involved in the processor, unless otherwise specified, or if they do not conflict with their actual functions or internal logic in the relevant descriptions, they can be understood as processor output, reception, input and other operations, and can also be understood as sending and receiving operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and antenna. This application does not limit this.

[0071] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a program code for execution by a device, and the program code includes a method provided by any one of the above-mentioned implementations of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0072] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method provided by any one of the above-mentioned implementations of the first or second aspect.

[0073] In the ninth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions stored in the memory through the communication interface and executes the method provided by any one of the above-mentioned implementation methods of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0074] Optionally, as an implementation method, the chip also includes a memory, in which a computer program or instruction is stored, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instruction stored in the memory. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided in any one of the above implementation methods.

[0075] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising the first MLD according to the first aspect and the second MLD according to the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0076] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario to which an embodiment of the present application is applicable.

[0077] FIG2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a device provided in this application.

[0078] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a multi-link device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0079] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a multi-link between multi-link devices provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0080] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a proxy perception measurement process.

[0081] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of an SBP request frame.

[0082] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of an SBP response frame.

[0083] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of an availability window.

[0084] FIG9 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0085] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of an SBP parameter element provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0086] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the perception response end address and the link mapping indication provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0087] Figure 12 (a) to (c) are schematic structural diagrams of a first indication information provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0088] Figure 13 (a) and (b) are structural diagrams of another type of first indication information provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0089] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present application that carries first indication information.

[0090] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present application that carries first indication information.

[0091] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present application that carries first indication information.

[0092] FIG17 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present application that carries first indication information.

[0093] FIG18 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present application that carries first indication information.

[0094] FIG19 is another schematic diagram carrying first indication information provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0095] FIG20 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present application that carries first indication information.

[0096] FIG21 is a schematic diagram of an ISTA availability window information field provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0097] FIG22 is a schematic diagram of an RSTA availability window information field provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0098] FIG23 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a perception measurement request frame provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0099] Figure 24 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0100] Figure 25 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0101] Figure 26 is a schematic diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0102] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are first explained.

[0103] First, in this application, "used to indicate" can include being used for direct indication and being used for indirect indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but it does not mean that the indication information must carry A.

[0104] The information indicated by the indication information is called the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein there is an association between the other information and the information to be indicated. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, it is also possible to use the arrangement order of each piece of information agreed in advance (such as specified in the protocol) to achieve the indication of specific information, thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. At the same time, it is also possible to identify the common parts of each piece of information and indicate them uniformly to reduce the indication overhead caused by indicating the same information separately.

[0105] Second, "at least one" shown in the present application refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, "first", "second" and various digital numbers (for example, "#1", "#2", etc.) are only used to distinguish for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the sequence number of each process below does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the objects described in this way can be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances so as to be able to describe solutions other than the embodiments of the present application. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "S910" are only used for the convenience of description and do not limit the order of execution steps.

[0106] Third, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design described in this application 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.

[0107] Fourth, the term "storage" used in the embodiments of this application may refer to storage in one or more memories. The one or more memories may be provided separately or integrated into an encoder or decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The one or more memories may also be partially provided separately and partially integrated into a decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The type of memory may be any form of storage medium, and this application is not limited thereto.

[0108] Fifth, in the implementation of this application, "protocol" may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, for example, it may include the NR protocol and related protocols used in future communication systems, and this application does not limit this.

[0109] Sixth, in the embodiments of the present application, the terms “of”, “corresponding, relevant”, “corresponding” and “associate” can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the distinction between them is not emphasized, the meanings they intend to express are consistent.

[0110] Seventh, in the embodiments of the present application, "under the circumstances", "when", and "if" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be pointed out that when the distinction between them is not emphasized, the meanings they intend to express are consistent.

[0111] Eighth, the term "and / or" in this document simply describes a relationship between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0112] Ninth, some of the figures in the embodiments of this application that relate to message structures provide examples of field lengths in messages. It should be understood that the byte lengths shown in the figures in the embodiments of this application are merely examples, and in actual applications, the length of any byte may vary.

[0113] Tenth, some of the figures in the embodiments of this application that relate to message structures provide examples of the names of fields in the message. It should be understood that the names of the fields shown in the figures in the embodiments of this application are only examples, and in actual applications, the names of any field may vary.

[0114] Eleventh, in the drawings involving message structures in the embodiments of the present application, some of the lengths of fields in the message are shown as 0 or variable, indicating that the field is an optional field, that is, when the field is not included in the message, the length of the field is 0. If the length of the field is variable, it indicates that the length of the field is uncertain. In the actual design process, the specific length of the field can be indicated by other indication information, or the transceiver can negotiate the length of the field in advance, or the length of the field is predefined, or the receiving end can determine the length of the field based on other auxiliary information when receiving the message carrying the field, and parse the message. This application does not impose any restrictions on the method for determining the specific length of the variable-length field. Reference can be made to the description of the length of the variable field in the SBP request frame in the current related art, which will not be repeated here. The length of the variable-length field involved in the message will not be repeated below.

[0115] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0116] The technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applicable to wireless local area network (WLAN) scenarios, for example, supporting the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 related standards, such as 802.11a / b / g standards, 802.11n standards, 802.11ac standards, 802.11ax standards, 802.11be standards (Wi-Fi 7), also known as extremely high throughput (EHT), 802.11bn standards (Wi-Fi 8) or Wi-Fi 8 next-generation standards, etc., and also includes 802.11ad, 802.11ay standards, etc., and can also be applied to wireless personal area network systems based on ultra-wide band (UWB), such as the 802.15 series standards, and can also be applied to sensing systems, such as the 802.11bf series standards. The 802.11n standard is known as the high throughput (HT) standard, the 802.11ac standard is known as the very high throughput (VHT) standard, the 802.11ax standard is known as the high efficiency (HE) standard, and the 802.11be standard is known as the extremely high throughput (EHT) standard. 802.11bf includes two major categories of standards: low-frequency (e.g., sub7 GHz) and high-frequency (e.g., 60 GHz). The sub7 GHz implementation primarily relies on 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, and their next-generation standards, while the 60 GHz implementation primarily relies on 802.11ad, 802.11ay, and their next-generation standards. 802.11ad may also be called a directional multi-gigabit (DMG) standard, and 802.11ay may also be called an enhanced directional multi-gigabit (EDMG) standard.

[0117] Although the embodiments of the present application are primarily described using the deployment of a WLAN network, particularly a network using the IEEE 802.11 system standard, as an example, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the various aspects of the embodiments of the present application can be extended to other networks using various standards or protocols, such as a high-performance wireless local area network (HIPERLAN), a wireless wide area network (WWAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN), or other networks now known or developed in the future. Therefore, regardless of the coverage area and wireless access protocol used, the various aspects provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to any suitable wireless network.

[0118] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to various communication systems, such as: WLAN communication system, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), future communication system, Internet of Things (IoT) network or vehicle to x (V2X), etc.

[0119] The above-mentioned communication system applicable to the present application is only an example, and the communication system applicable to the present application is not limited to this. It is described uniformly here and will not be repeated below.

[0120] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG1 , the communication method provided by the present application is applicable to data communication between access points (APs) (such as AP1 and AP2 as shown in FIG1 ) and stations (STAs) (such as non-AP STA1, non-AP STA2, and non-AP STA3 as shown in FIG1 ), wherein the stations can be non-AP stations (non-AP STAs), referred to as non-AP stations or STAs, and the APs can be referred to as access stations. Specifically, the scheme of the present application is applicable to data communication between an AP and one or more non-AP stations (for example, data communication between AP1 and non-AP STA1 and non-AP STA2), as well as data communication between APs (for example, data communication between AP1 and AP2), and data communication between non-AP STAs (for example, data communication between non-AP STA2 and non-AP STA3).

[0121] An access point is a node that allows terminals (such as mobile phones) to access a wired (or wireless) network. It is primarily deployed in homes, buildings, and campuses, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. It can also be deployed outdoors. An access point acts as a bridge between wired and wireless networks, connecting wireless network clients and then connecting the wireless network to the Ethernet.

[0122] Specifically, the access point can be a terminal or network device with a Wi-Fi chip, and the network device can be a server, a router, a switch, a bridge, a computer, a mobile phone, a relay station, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a network device in a 5G network, a network device in a future communication system network, or a network device in a public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. The access point can be a device that supports the Wi-Fi standard. For example, the access point can also support one or more standards of the IEEE 802.11 series, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ad, and 802.11ay.

[0123] A non-AP site may be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal, and may also be referred to as a user, user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. A non-AP site may 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, an Internet of Things device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, a terminal device in a future communication system network, or a terminal device in a PLMN, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. A non-AP site may be a device that supports the WLAN standard. For example, a non-AP station may support one or more standards in the IEEE 802.11 series, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ad, and 802.11ay.

[0124] For example, non-AP sites can be mobile phones, tablets, set-top boxes, smart TVs, smart wearable devices, in-vehicle communication devices, computers, Internet of Things (IoT) nodes, sensors, smart homes such as smart cameras, smart remote controls, smart water and electricity meters, and sensors in smart cities.

[0125] The above-mentioned AP or non-AP site may include a transmitter, a receiver, a memory, a processor, etc., wherein the transmitter and the receiver are used for sending and receiving packet structures respectively, the memory is used to store signaling information and store preset values ​​agreed in advance, etc., and the processor is used to parse signaling information, process related data, etc.

[0126] For example, Figure 2 shows a communication device provided by the present application. The device shown in Figure 2 can be an AP or a non-AP site. Among them, a medium access control (MAC) layer processing module, a physical (PHY) layer processing module, a radio frequency / antenna, etc. are used to implement the relevant functions of the above-mentioned transmitter and receiver. As shown in Figure 2, in addition to the MAC layer processing module, the PHY layer processing module, the radio frequency / antenna, the memory, and the processor, the device can also include a controller and a scheduler.

[0127] It should be understood that FIG2 is merely an example of a device provided in the present application and does not constitute a limitation of the present application. For example, the device may not include a controller and / or a scheduler.

[0128] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, some terms or concepts that may be involved in the embodiments of the present application are first briefly described.

[0129] 1. Multi-link device (MLD): In the embodiments of the present application, a next-generation IEEE 802.11 standard device that supports multiple links simultaneously is referred to as a multi-link device.

[0130] For example, the multi-link device may be an access point multi-link device (AP MLD), or may be a non-AP MLD (non-AP MLD), such as a station multi-link device (STA MLD). It should be noted that the above-mentioned names of the multi-link devices are merely examples and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. For example, AP MLD may also be called a multi-link AP, or with the development of communication technology, AP MLD may have other names, which are not given examples here.

[0131] In the IEEE 802.11be protocol, MLD supports multi-link operation technology. If different links can respectively receive and transmit at the same time (for example, a multi-link device includes two links, and within the same time period, one link can be used to transmit signals and the other link can be used to receive signals), this mode is called simultaneous transmitting and receiving (STR) mode. If different links can only receive or transmit at the same time (for example, a multi-link device includes two links, and within the same time period, the two links can only be used to transmit signals, or within the same time period, the two links can only be used to receive signals), this mode is called non-simultaneously transmitting and receiving (NSTR) mode. The solution provided in the embodiments of the present application is applicable to both STR mode and NSTR mode.

[0132] An MLD has multiple radio frequency modules that can operate in different frequency bands. For example, the MLD can operate in all or part of the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, and high-frequency 60 GHz bands. The MLD can include an AP MLD and / or a non-access point (non-AP) MLD. For example, a non-AP MLD can be a STA MLD.

[0133] For example, using AP MLD as an example, an AP MLD may include one or more affiliated sites, each of which has its own media access control (MAC) address. Figure 3 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a multi-link device provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the affiliated sites of the AP MLD include AP1 and AP2. The lower MAC address of AP1 is link address 1, and the lower MAC address of AP2 is link address 2. In addition, the AP MLD also has an upper MAC address, referred to as the MLD MAC address.

[0134] AP MLD and non-AP MLD can establish a multi-link connection through signaling interaction on any link. Figure 4 exemplifies a schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-link between multi-link devices provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, AP MLD includes AP1 and AP2, AP1 includes AP1PHY, AP1 low-layer MAC and high-layer MAC, AP2 includes AP2PHY, AP2 low-layer MAC and high-layer MAC, wherein AP1 and AP2 share the high-layer MAC, non-AP MLD includes STA1 and STA2, STA1 includes STA1PHY, STA1 low-layer MAC and high-layer MAC, STA2 includes STA2PHY, STA2 low-layer MAC and high-layer MAC, wherein STA1 and STA2 share the high-layer MAC, AP1 and STA1 are connected via link 1, and AP2 and STA2 are connected via link 2.

[0135] In one possible implementation, when establishing multiple links, the non-AP MLD and the AP MLD may establish an association through an association process. For example, the association process may include: the non-AP MLD sends an association request frame on link 1, where the association request frame carries STA-side information for link 1 and STA-side information for link 2. For example, the association request frame may carry a multi-link element field, which is used to carry information about the non-AP MLD and sites in the non-AP MLD. The AP MLD sends an association response frame on link 1, where the association response frame carries AP-side information for link 1 and AP-side information for link 2, thereby establishing associations (or completing associations) between STA1 and STA2 of the non-AP MLD and AP1 and AP2 of the AP MLD, respectively.

[0136] 2. Sensing Technology: Signals emitted by WiFi devices are typically reflected, diffracted, and scattered by various obstacles before being received by terminal devices. This phenomenon often results in the received signal being a superposition of multiple signals, making the channel environment complex. However, this also facilitates the use of wireless signals to perceive the physical environment they pass through. By analyzing wireless signals affected by various obstacles, such as channel state information (CSI), it is possible to infer and perceive the surrounding environment, which has led to the development of sensing technology.

[0137] This application mainly involves the sensing by proxy (SBP) technology. In scenarios where an AP establishes a sensing relationship with at least two non-AP STAs, sensing measurements can be performed through the SBP process. For example, in the schematic diagram shown in Figure 1, non-AP STA1 and AP1, and non-AP STA2 and AP1 perform sensing processes separately or simultaneously. Non-AP STA1 can send a proxy sensing request to AP1, requesting the AP to act as a proxy for non-AP STA1 to obtain the sensing results obtained by AP1 and non-AP STA2 during the sensing process (or, in other words, requesting AP1 to obtain the sensing results of non-AP STA2).

[0138] It should be understood that non-AP STA1 is a requesting STA (requesting STA), or a sensing by proxy requesting STA (SBP requesting STA), which obtains sensing results of other stations by requesting AP1 as its proxy.

[0139] When the AP becomes the agent of non-AP STA1, non-AP STA1 can obtain the perception results of other perception stations through the AP, for example, obtain the perception results of non-AP STA2 and / or non-AP STA3 through the AP.

[0140] Proxy sensing technology includes six roles and three steps. The six roles are: proxy sensing initiator (SBP initiator), proxy sensing responder (SBP responder), sensing initiator (sensing initiator), sensing responder (sensing responder), sensing transmitter (sensing transmitter) and sensing receiver (sensing receiver). The three steps are: SBP setup exchange (SBP setup exchange), SBP reporting (SBP reporting) and SBP termination (SBP termination). It should be understood that each of the above six roles can be implemented by a STA or an AP as long as it can implement the functions of the corresponding role. This application does not impose any restrictions on this. For example, the above SBP initiator can be an AP or a STA.

[0141] Specifically, a perception initiator is a station that initiates a perception process; a perception responder is a station that participates in the perception process initiated by the perception initiator; a perception transmitter is a station that sends a physical protocol data unit (PPDU) for perception measurement within the perception process; and a perception receiver is a station that receives the PPDU sent by the perception transmitter and performs perception measurement within the perception process. A proxy perception initiator is a station that requests a proxy perception responder to initiate perception on its behalf; a proxy perception responder is a station that acts on behalf of the proxy perception initiator (e.g., AP1). The proxy perception responder is also a perception initiator.

[0142] 3. SBP Establishment and Exchange Process: Currently, SBP technology includes three steps: SBP establishment and exchange, SBP reporting, and SBP shutdown. As shown in Figure 5, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the proxy sensing measurement process, in which the sensing measurement phase is the WLAN sensing process. This sensing measurement phase includes sensing measurement establishment (sensing measurement session) and sensing measurement exchange (sensing measurement exchange). The sensing measurement establishment and SBP establishment exchange are relatively independent and have no timing restrictions. For example, before the proxy sensing initiator initiates an SBP establishment request to the proxy sensing responder, the proxy sensing responder has already established sensing measurements with at least one sensing responder, so that after receiving the SBP establishment request from the proxy sensing initiator, the proxy sensing responder can promptly provide the proxy sensing initiator with the corresponding sensing measurement results of the sensing responder. For another example, after the proxy sensing initiator initiates an SBP establishment request to the proxy sensing responder, the proxy sensing responder establishes sensing measurements with at least one sensing responder. For another example, the proxy sensing responder can simultaneously establish an SBP with the proxy sensing initiator and establish sensing measurements with at least one sensing responder.

[0143] This application mainly involves the improvement of the SBP establishment exchange step. Specifically, the SBP establishment exchange defined in the current protocol includes:

[0144] 1) The SBP initiator sends an SBP request frame (SBPrequest frame) to the SBP responder. The SBP request frame includes an SBP Parameters element, which indicates the sensing responders and their number. The SBP Parameters element is optional. The SBP request frame may also include a Sensing Measurement Parameters element and an Initiating Station (ISTA) Availability Window element.

[0145] 2) The SBP responder sends an SBP response frame (SBPresponse frame) to the SBP initiator. The SBP response frame indicates whether the parameters requested by the SBP request frame are accepted and carries the availability window element of the response station (RSTA) allocated to the SBP initiator to receive the report and participate in the perception (if any).

[0146] For ease of understanding, the SBP request frame is described in detail with reference to FIG6 . FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of an SBP request frame. As can be seen from FIG6 , the SBP request frame includes the following fields:

[0147] Category, Public Action (or Protected Dual of Public Action), Dialog Token, SBP Parameters element, Perception Measurement Parameters element, and ISTA Availability Window element. The SBP Parameters element, Perception Measurement Parameters element, and ISTA Availability Window element are optional.

[0148] The class field in the embodiment of the present application can be used to indicate the type of message. The common function field in the embodiment of the present application can be used to indicate the function of the message. The conversation token in the embodiment of the present application can be used to identify a conversation. For example, a corresponding request and response pair can have the same conversation token. The ISTA availability window element is used to indicate when the SBP initiator can perform perception measurements or receive measurement reports.

[0149] The SBP parameter element may include the following fields:

[0150] Element ID, Length, Element ID Extension, SBP Parameters Control, Sensing Responder Addresses, Sensing Responder IDs, or Sensing Responder Role Bitmap. A bitmap may also be referred to as a bitmap. In this application, a bitmap may be understood as an ID Bitmap, i.e., an identifier is embodied in the form of a bitmap. For example, a Sensing Responder Role Bitmap may be understood as an identifier of a Sensing Responder role.

[0151] In addition, the identification in this application can also be embodied in other ways, such as an identification list (ID list), address information (such as MAC Address), etc., which can be used to identify the corresponding object. This application does not limit the specific form of the identification.

[0152] The SBP parameter control field includes the following fields:

[0153] SBP Request, SBP Procedure Expiry Exponent, Sensing Responder, Number of Sensing Responders, Mandatory Number of Responders, Preferred Responder List, Number of Preferred Responders, Mandatory Preferred Responder, Preferred Responder Role Bitmap Present, Reserved.

[0154] The value carried by the perception responder in the SBP parameter field can indicate whether the device requesting proxy perception this time participates in the subsequent perception process as a perception responder and performs perception transmission and reception.

[0155] The value carried by the number of perception response terminals can indicate the number of perception response terminals perceived by the proxy of this request. The mandatory number of response terminals can indicate the information that the number of perception response terminals field needs to be satisfied (that is, the value indicated by the number of perception response terminals field must be used as the number of perception response terminals), or the information that the number of perception response terminals field is a recommended value (that is, the value indicated by the number of perception response terminals field does not have to be satisfied, and it is also possible not to satisfy it (or it can be understood as not needing to be satisfied)). In this way, it can be clearly pointed out when the number of perception response terminals must be satisfied, thereby improving the accuracy of the solution execution process. It can be clearly pointed out when the number of perception response terminals does not have to be satisfied, thereby improving the flexibility of the solution.

[0156] The value carried by the preferred response end list can indicate whether the identification of the perception response end appears in the message. The value carried by the response end list can indicate that the address of the perception response end appearing in the message needs to be satisfied (that is, the perception response end indicated by the preferred response end list must be used) or that the address of the perception response end appearing in the message does not necessarily have to be satisfied (that is, the address of the perception response end appearing in the message is a recommended value, and it is not necessary to satisfy it (or it can be understood as not needing to be satisfied)).

[0157] The value carried in the Perception Responder Address may indicate the identifier of the Perception Responder in the requested proxy perception. The value carried in the Perception Responder Address may also be the MAC address of the Perception Responder and / or the MAC address of the link for which the SBP initiator wishes to establish perception. The address information of at least one target device included in the message requesting proxy perception may be considered a Perception Responder Address, and the target device may be considered a Perception Responder. The target device in the at least one target device is the device performing the perception measurement.

[0158] For ease of understanding, the SBP response frame is described in detail with reference to FIG7 . FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of an SBP response frame. As can be seen from FIG7 , the SBP response frame includes the following fields:

[0159] Category, Public Action, Dialog Token, Status Code, Measurement Session Indication, SBP Parameters, Perception Measurement Parameters, and RSTA Availability Window elements. The SBP Parameters, Perception Measurement Parameters, and RSTA Availability Window elements in the response frame are optional.

[0160] For example, if the status code in the SBP response frame is set to SUCCESS or REJECTED_WITH_SUGGESTED_CHANGES, the SBP parameter element exists; otherwise, the SBP parameter element does not exist.

[0161] For another example, if the status code in the SBP response frame is set to REJECTED_WITH_SUGGESTED_CHANGES, the perception measurement parameter exists; otherwise, the perception measurement parameter does not exist.

[0162] For another example, if the status code in the SBP response frame is set to SUCCESS, the RSTA availability window (RSTA Availability Window element) exists. If the status code in the SBP response frame is set to REJECTED_WITH_SUGGESTED_CHANGES, the RSTA availability window may exist; otherwise, the RSTA availability window does not exist.

[0163] 6. Sensing measurement establishment process: The sensing initiator sends a sensing measurement request frame to the sensing responder to initiate the sensing measurement establishment and set the sensing measurement parameters, sensing type (TB / non-TB / SBP) and corresponding parameters.

[0164] 7. Sensing Availability Window Technology: IEEE 802.11bf utilizes the Sensing Availability Window technology. A Sensing Availability Window is a pre-scheduled periodic time window allocated by an AP to a non-AP. All TB sensing measurement interactions occur within the Sensing Availability Window. Figure 8 shows an availability window consisting of two TB sensing measurement interactions (TB sensing measurement interaction #1 and TB sensing measurement interaction #2).

[0165] As can be seen from FIG8 , a Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) includes a polling phase, a TF sounding phase, a polling phase, an NDPA sounding phase, and a reporting phase.

[0166] The above, in combination with Figure 1, briefly introduces the scenarios in which the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied, as well as the basic concepts that may be involved in the embodiment of the present application, and introduces the SBP process and multi-link equipment in the basic concepts, and provides a scheme for performing the SBP process in the scenario of multi-link equipment. In this scheme, the SBP establishment process includes: the SBP initiator sends an SBP request frame, the SBP request frame carries an SBP parameter element and a perception measurement parameter element, the SBP parameter element includes a list and number of perception responders, a list and number of perception links, and the SBP responder replies to an SBP response frame, indicating the number of links and the link list.

[0167] In the SBP establishment process, the SBP parameter element carries the list and number of perception responders, the list and number of links, but does not indicate the usage of the parameters, which may cause some problems.

[0168] Exemplarily, the link list and responder list provided in the SBP parameter element have equal priority. Assume that a responder and a link are both mandatory. For example, the link list includes link #1, the responder list includes responder #1, and both link #1 and responder #1 are mandatory, but responder #1 cannot perform perception measurements on link #1, then SBP cannot be established.

[0169] Exemplarily, the number of mandatory links and the information on the number of mandatory links in the link list provided in the SBP parameter element are inconsistent. For example, the link list includes mandatory link #1 and mandatory link #2, but the number of mandatory links is indicated as 1. The meaning of the field is contradictory, and the SBP cannot be established.

[0170] In order to solve the problems existing in the SBP process in the scenario of multi-link devices mentioned above, the present application provides a communication method, so as to perform SBP measurement in the scenario where multi-link devices participate in perception measurement.

[0171] The technical solution provided by the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the present application can be applied to a variety of different scenarios, including the scenario shown in FIG1 , but is not limited to this scenario.

[0172] It should be understood that the embodiments shown below do not particularly limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application. As long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided by the embodiments of the present application by running a program that records the code of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, for example, the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be a receiving device or a sending device, or a functional module in the receiving device or the sending device that can call and execute the program.

[0173] Below, without loss of generality, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail by taking the interaction between the first MLD and the second MLD as an example. The first MLD involved in the embodiment of the present application can be an access point AP or a chip system inside the AP, and the second MLD can be a non-access point non-AP (such as STA) or a chip system inside the non-AP; or, the first MLD can be a non-AP or a chip system inside the non-AP, and the second MLD can be an AP or a chip system inside the AP; or, the first MLD and the second MLD are access points AP or a chip system inside AP; or, the first MLD and the second MLD are non-access points non-AP or a chip system inside non-AP.

[0174] FIG9 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, comprising the following steps:

[0175] S910: The first MLD generates a request message.

[0176] In this embodiment, the first MLD is an SBP initiator, and the second MLD is an SBP responder. The first MLD and the second MLD are multi-link devices, for example, the first MLD is the non-AP MLD shown in FIG4 , and the second MLD is the AP MLD shown in FIG4 .

[0177] In addition, the first MLD involved in this embodiment may also be referred to as a first site, and the second MLD may also be referred to as a second site, where a site may be an AP or a non-AP.

[0178] It should be understood that this embodiment does not limit the name of the execution entity. Any device that can implement the first MLD function can be understood as the first MLD in this embodiment. Similarly, any device that can implement the second MLD function can be understood as the second MLD in this embodiment.

[0179] Specifically, in this embodiment, the first MLD may issue a proxy perception request to the second MLD, requesting the second MLD to act as a proxy for the first MLD to obtain perception results obtained by other sites (e.g., MLDs other than the first MLD, or MLDs including the first MLD) during the perception process (or, in other words, requesting the second MLD to obtain perception results of a third MLD). In this embodiment, the perception responder participating in the perception measurement is also a multi-link device, e.g., the third MLD is the non-AP MLD or AP MLD shown in FIG. 4 above.

[0180] It should be noted that in this embodiment, there is no limitation on which MLDs the first MLD specifically requests the second MLD to act as an agent of the first MLD to obtain perception results obtained during the perception process. It can be that the second MLD is requested to obtain the perception results obtained by at least one MLD during the perception process. For the sake of distinction, the at least one MLD is referred to as at least one perception response end below.

[0181] As mentioned above, the SBP process consists of three steps: SBP establishment exchange, SBP report, and SBP closure. The above request message is sent by the SBP initiator to the SBP responder during the SBP establishment exchange process to request the establishment of SBP.

[0182] Exemplarily, the request message in this embodiment may be called an SBP request frame, or a multilink SBP request frame, or an SBP establishment request frame, etc. It should be understood that in this embodiment, there is no limitation on the name of the message, and any message that can implement the function of the request message may be understood as the request message in this embodiment.

[0183] In this embodiment, the first MLD requests the second MLD to establish SBP measurement via a request message. The request message carries the parameters required for the first MLD to delegate the second MLD to initiate the perception measurement. For example, the request message carries information about at least one MLD from which the first MLD expects the second MLD to obtain perception results; for example, the request message carries information required for initiating the perception measurement and / or transmitting the measurement report, such as the time at which the first MLD receives the measurement report.

[0184] S920: The first MLD sends a request message to the second MLD, or in other words, the second MLD receives the request message from the first MLD.

[0185] Specifically, the parameters required for initiating the perception measurement in this embodiment include first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a link mapped by the first perception response end, wherein the first perception response end is any one of the at least one perception response end that may participate in the perception measurement. In this embodiment, the first MLD can indicate the link mapped by any one perception response end by carrying the first indication information in the request message.

[0186] As a possible implementation method, the request message includes information of at least one perception response end and at least one first indication information corresponding to the at least one perception response end. The first perception response end is any one of the at least one perception response end, and the first indication information is the first indication information corresponding to the first perception response end in the at least one first indication information.

[0187] For example, the request message includes information about perception response end #1 and information about perception response end #2, indicating that the proxy perception initiator requests the proxy perception response end to obtain the perception results of the perception response end #1 and the perception response end #2 on its behalf. The above request message includes first indication information #1 and first indication information #2, wherein the first indication information #1 is used to indicate the link mapped by the perception response end #1, and the first indication information #2 is used to indicate the link mapped by the perception response end #2.

[0188] For ease of understanding, the following will describe in detail with reference to Figures 10 to 16 how the request message includes the first indication information when the request message includes information of at least one perception response terminal and at least one first indication information corresponding to the at least one perception response terminal.

[0189] As another possible implementation manner, the first indication information is also used to indicate the links mapped to the perception responders other than the first responder that participate in the SBP measurement, where the first perception responder is any one of the perception responders that participate in the SBP measurement.

[0190] In this implementation, the first indication information can indicate the link conditions corresponding to all perception responders participating in the perception measurement, that is, for the proxy perception initiator, the link conditions corresponding to all perception responders are the same, and there is no need to indicate separately for different perception responders.

[0191] For example, the request message includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the links corresponding to all perception response ends include link #1 and link #2, indicating that the proxy perception initiator requests the proxy perception responder to obtain the perception results of the perception response end that can be obtained through link #1 and / or link #2.

[0192] For ease of understanding, the following will describe in detail with reference to Figures 17 to 20 how the request message includes the first indication information when the first indication information is used to indicate the links mapped by all perception responders participating in the perception measurement.

[0193] In the communication method shown in Figure 9, in a scenario where multi-link devices participate in proxy perception measurement, the request message sent by the proxy perception initiator to the proxy perception responder to request the establishment of proxy perception measurement includes the link status mapped by the first perception responder, so that the proxy perception responder can clearly know the link requirements of the proxy perception initiator for each perception responder, which is conducive to the establishment of proxy perception measurement, improves the efficiency of proxy perception measurement establishment, avoids the failure of proxy perception measurement establishment, and realizes the establishment of proxy perception measurement in a scenario where multi-link devices participate in proxy perception measurement.

[0194] Method 1: The request message includes information about at least one perception response end and at least one first indication information corresponding to the at least one perception response end, each first indication information being used to indicate the link status mapped to the corresponding response end. The at least one perception response end is a perception response end provided by the first MLD that is expected to participate in the SBP perception measurement process, and the information about the perception response end includes but is not limited to the address, identifier, and other information used to identify the perception response end.

[0195] For example, the first MLD is non-AP STA1 shown in Figure 1, and the first MLD requests AP1 to act as a proxy for non-AP STA1 to obtain the perception results obtained by AP2, non-AP STA2, and non-AP STA3 during the perception process. Then, the address of the at least one perception response end includes information about AP2, non-AP STA2, and non-AP STA3.

[0196] It should be understood that the perception response end involved in this embodiment is a multi-link device, and the above-mentioned request message includes at least one first indication information for indicating the link status mapped by the at least one response end, so that after receiving the request message, the second MLD can obtain the link status corresponding to different perception response ends based on the at least one first indication information carried in the request message.

[0197] For example, the first MLD is non-AP STA1 shown in Figure 1, and the first MLD requests AP1 to act as a proxy for non-AP STA1 to obtain the perception results obtained by AP2, non-AP STA2, and non-AP STA3 during the perception process. The request message includes information about AP2, non-AP STA2, and non-AP STA3, as well as first indication information #1, first indication information #2, and first indication information #3. First indication information #1 is used to indicate the link status mapped by AP2, first indication information #2 is used to indicate the link status mapped by non-AP STA2, and first indication information #3 is used to indicate the link status mapped by non-AP STA3. For example, first indication information #1 instructs AP2 to perform perception measurement (including information transmission and measurement report feedback during the perception measurement process) via link #1, first indication information #2 instructs non-AP STA2 to perform perception measurement via link #2, and first indication information #3 instructs non-AP STA3 to perform perception measurement via link #3.

[0198] In the case shown in the first approach, the request message may further include a control parameter, where the control parameter includes a parameter indicating that the request message carries the at least one first indication information.

[0199] For ease of understanding, the format of the request message in the case shown in Method 1 is explained below with reference to a specific example.

[0200] Example 1: The request message is an SBP request frame, and at least one first indication information is included in an SBP parameter element in the SBP request frame as an example for description.

[0201] As shown in Figure 10, the SBP parameter element includes first indication information, which is equivalent to the parameters required for the above-mentioned perception measurement. As can be seen from Figure 10, compared with the SBP parameter element in the SBP request frame shown in Figure 5 and the SBP parameter element in the SBP response frame shown in Figure 6, the SBP parameter element in this embodiment may carry a responder and link mapping indication list field or a mapped link list field.

[0202] It should be noted that the frame format shown in Figure 10 covers a variety of situations. As shown in Figure 10, the length of the response end and link mapping indication list field is 0 or variable. If the length is 0, it means that the field does not exist. If the length is not 0, the length of the field is variable. The specific length can be determined based on the number of perception response ends in the perception response end mapping link situation to be indicated, and this is not limited in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, the length of the mapping link list field is 0 or variable. If the length is 0, it means that the field does not exist. If the length is not 0, the length of the field is variable. The specific length can be determined based on the number of perception response ends in the perception response end mapping link situation to be indicated, and this is not limited in this embodiment.

[0203] It should be understood that in the case shown in Example 1, the frame shown in Figure 10 is an SBP request frame, which includes at least one first indication information, wherein the response end and link mapping indication list field shown in Figure 10 are equivalent to the at least one first indication information, that is, the SBP parameter element includes the response end and link mapping indication list field. It can be understood that the length of the response end and link mapping indication list field should be variable instead of 0. The length of the mapping link list field in the SBP request frame shown in Figure 10 is set to 0, and the length of the response end and link mapping indication list field is set to variable to represent an SBP request frame carrying at least one first indication information.

[0204] Exemplarily, the length of the responder and link mapping indication list field may be n*6, where the value of n is related to the number of sensing responders provided by the first MLD.

[0205] Exemplarily, whether the SBP parameter element carries the above-mentioned responder and link mapping indication list field or mapping link list field can be indicated by adding corresponding indication information in the SBP parameter control.

[0206] As can be seen from Figure 10, compared with the SBP parameter control in the SBP request frame shown in Figure 5 and the SBP parameter control in the SBP response frame shown in Figure 6, the SBP parameter control shown in Figure 10 includes a Responder and Link Mapping Indication List Present field or a Mapped Link List Present field. Specifically, the Responder and Link Mapping Indication List Present field is used to indicate whether the SBP parameter element carries the above-mentioned Link Mapping Indication List field; the Mapped Link List Present field is used to indicate whether the SBP parameter element carries the above-mentioned Mapped Link List field. For example, if the frame format shown in Figure 10 is an SBP request frame, the SBP parameter element in the SBP request frame includes a response end and a link mapping indication list field, and the SBP parameter control of the SBP parameter element includes providing a response end and a link mapping indication list field; if the frame format shown in Figure 10 is an SBP response frame (which will be explained below based on the response message sent by the second MLD), the SBP parameter element in the SBP response frame may include a mapping link list field, and the SBP parameter control of the SBP parameter element includes providing a mapping link list field.

[0207] Specifically, the above-mentioned responder and link mapping indication list includes at least one perception responder and link mapping indication (Responder and Link Mapping Indication List) field, and the arrangement order of the at least one perception responder and link mapping indication field is consistent with the order of at least one perception responder address included in the SBP request frame.

[0208] As shown in FIG11 , if the request message (e.g., SBP request frame) includes n perception responder addresses (e.g., perception responder address #1, perception responder address #2, ..., perception responder address #n) in FIG11 , the perception responder and link mapping indication list includes n perception responder and link mapping indications. Perception response end and link mapping indication #1, perception response end and link mapping indication #2, ..., perception response end and link mapping indication #n as shown in Figure 11), wherein the perception response end address #1 corresponds to the perception response end and link mapping indication #1, and the perception response end and link mapping indication #1 is used to indicate the link status of the perception response end corresponding to the perception response end address #1; similarly, the perception response end address #2 corresponds to the perception response end and link mapping indication #2, and the perception response end and link mapping indication #2 is used to indicate the link status of the perception response end corresponding to the perception response end address #2, ..., the perception response end address #n corresponds to the perception response end and link mapping indication #n, and the perception response end and link mapping indication #n is used to indicate the link status of the perception response end corresponding to the perception response end address #n.

[0209] As a possible implementation method, the first indication information includes a first control field (hereinafter referred to as a Link Bitmap Control field), and a mandatory link indication field (hereinafter referred to as a Mandatory Link Bitmap field) and / or a preferred link indication field (hereinafter referred to as a Preferred Link Bitmap field). Among them, the first control field includes information about the mandatory link indication field and information about the preferred link indication field (such as information for controlling whether the mandatory link indication field and the preferred link indication field exist, field length, position information, etc.), the mandatory link indication field is used to indicate the mandatory link for the first perception response end, and the preferred link indication field is used to indicate the preferred link for the first perception response end. The Link Bitmap involved in this application (such as Link Bitmap, Preferred Link Bitmap, Mandatory Link Bitmap, etc.) can be understood as a link identifier (Link ID). Exemplarily, the value of the i-th bit in the Link Bitmap is 1, the bit position is i-1, and the corresponding Link ID is i-1. For example, the value of the third bit in the Link Bitmap is 1, and the corresponding Link ID=2; for another example, the value of the first bit in the Link Bitmap is 1, and the corresponding Link ID=0.

[0210] For example, the first indication information includes a mandatory link indication field indicating link #1, and also includes a preferred link indication field indicating link #1 and link #2, which means that the first MLD expects the first perception responder to perform perception measurements on link #1 and link #2, and link #1 is mandatory.

[0211] Exemplarily, the first indication information includes information indicating whether a mandatory link indication field exists (hereinafter referred to as a Mandatory Link Bitmap Present field) and information indicating whether a preferred link indication field exists (hereinafter referred to as a Preferred Link Bitmap Present field).

[0212] Furthermore, the first indication information may also include information indicating the number of links (hereinafter referred to as the Number of Links field), which is used to indicate the number of links corresponding to the first perception response end, wherein the information indicating the number of links may also be used as a field in the first control information.

[0213] For ease of understanding, the following details possible forms of the first indication information under this implementation in conjunction with (a) to (c) in Figure 12. The first indication information can be understood as each responder and link mapping indication field.

[0214] Exemplarily, the first indication information, as shown in (a) of Figure 12, may include a link bitmap control field, a mandatory link bitmap field, and a preferred link bitmap field, wherein the link bitmap control field controls the mandatory link bitmap and the preferred link bitmap.

[0215] It can be seen from (a) in Figure 12 that the link bitmap control field may include a Mandatory Link BitmapPresent field, a Preferred Link BitmapPresent field, a Mandatory Preferred Link field, a Number of Links field and a Reserved field.

[0216] Exemplarily, the fields included in the link bitmap control field control the mandatory link bitmap field and the preferred link bitmap field including but not limited to the following manner:

[0217] 1) If the Mandatory Link Bitmap field is set to 1, the Mandatory Link Bitmap field exists and the Preferred Link Bitmap field does not exist;

[0218] 2) If the Provide Mandatory Link Bitmap field is set to 0, the Mandatory Link Bitmap field does not exist, and the Number of Links field exists, indicating the number of links requested by the first station;

[0219] 3) If the Provide Mandatory Link Bitmap field is set to 0 and the Provide Preferred Link Bitmap field is set to 1, the Preferred Link Bitmap field exists, and the Mandatory Link Bitmap field can indicate whether the link indicated by the Preferred Link Bitmap field is mandatory.

[0220] 4) If the mandatory link bitmap field is set to 0 and the preferred link bitmap field is set to 0, the preferred link bitmap field does not exist and the mandatory link bitmap field does not exist.

[0221] 5) If the Link Quantity field exists, it indicates the number of links requested by the first MLD.

[0222] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned mandatory link bitmap field and preferred link bitmap are optional. The first indication information, as shown in (b) in Figure 12, may include a link bitmap control field and a mandatory link bitmap field, wherein the link bitmap control field controls the mandatory link bitmap.

[0223] As can be seen from Figure 12(b), the Link Bitmap Control field may include a Mandatory Link Bitmap Field and a Preferred Link Bitmap Field. It can be understood that, in the case shown in Figure 12(b), a Mandatory Link Bitmap field is added to the SBP Parameters element, and a Mandatory Link Bitmap Present field is added to the SBP Parameters Control field.

[0224] Exemplarily, the first indication information, as shown in (c) of FIG12 , may include a link bitmap control field and a preferred link bitmap, wherein the link bitmap control field controls the preferred link bitmap.

[0225] As can be seen from Figure 12(c), the Link Bitmap Control field can include a field for providing a mandatory link bitmap and a field for providing a preferred link bitmap. It can be understood that, in the case shown in Figure 12(b), a Preferred Link Bitmap field is added to the SBP Parameters element, and a Preferred Link Bitmap Present field is added to the SBP Parameters Control field.

[0226] It should be understood that (a) to (c) in Figure 12 only exemplarily illustrate the possible forms of the first indication information when including the first control field, the mandatory link indication field and / or the preferred link indication field, and do not constitute any limitation on the protection field of this application. Information that can realize the function of the first indication information can be understood as the first indication information in this embodiment.

[0227] As another possible implementation, the first indication information includes a second control field (hereinafter referred to as a link identification bitmap control field), a link identification field (hereinafter referred to as a link bitmap field), and / or a mandatory indication field (hereinafter referred to as a mandatory link indication bitmap field). The second control field is used to control the link identification field and the mandatory indication field (e.g., to control whether the link identification field and the mandatory indication field exist, etc.), the link identification field is used to indicate at least one link provided by the first MLD for all perception responders (including the above-mentioned first perception responder and other perception responders that may participate in the perception measurement other than the first perception responder), and the mandatory indication is used to indicate whether the at least one link indicated by the link identification field is mandatory.

[0228] For example, the first indication information includes a link identification field indicating link #1 and link #2, and also includes a mandatory indication field indicating that link #1 is mandatory and link #2 is optional, which means that the first MLD expects the first perception response end to perform perception measurements on link #1 and link #2, and link #1 is mandatory.

[0229] Exemplarily, the second control field includes information indicating whether the link identification field exists (hereinafter referred to as the Link Bitmap Present field) and information indicating whether the mandatory indication field exists (hereinafter referred to as the Mandatory Link Indication Bitmap Present field).

[0230] Furthermore, the first indication information may also include information indicating the number of links (hereinafter referred to as the number of links (Number of Links) field), and the information indicating the number of links is used to indicate the number of links corresponding to all perception response ends.

[0231] Optionally, in the case where the first indication information includes information indicating the number of links, the above-mentioned second control field may also include information indicating whether the information indicating the number of links exists (hereinafter referred to as the number of links provided (Number of LinksPresent)), wherein the information indicating the number of links may also be used as a field in the second control information.

[0232] For ease of understanding, the following details possible forms of the first indication information under this implementation in conjunction with (a) and (b) in Figure 13. The first indication information can be understood as all responding end and link mapping indication fields.

[0233] Exemplarily, the first indication information, as shown in (a) of FIG13 , may include a Link Bitmap Control field, a Link Bitmap field, and a Mandatory Link Indication Bitmap field.

[0234] It can be seen from Figure 13 (a) that the link bitmap control field may include a link bitmap present field, a mandatory link indication bitmap present field, a number of links present field, a number of links field and a reserved field.

[0235] Among them, the provided link bitmap field in the link bitmap control field is used to indicate whether the link bitmap exists, the provided mandatory link indication bitmap field is used to indicate whether the mandatory link indication exists, the provided link quantity field is used to indicate whether the link quantity field exists, and the link quantity field is used to indicate the requested number of links.

[0236] The link bitmap field indicates the optional links provided by the first MLD. The mandatory link indication bitmap field indicates whether the link indicated by each bit in the link bitmap field having a preset value (eg, a bit value of 1) is preferred or mandatory.

[0237] Optionally, the link bitmap field and the mandatory link indication bitmap field have a one-to-one correspondence and are of the same length. For example, when the mandatory link indication bitmap field corresponding to a position where the link bitmap is 1 is set to 1, it indicates that the link indicated by the bit is mandatory; or, when the mandatory link indication bitmap field is set to 0, it indicates that the link indicated by the bit is optional.

[0238] Optionally, the link bitmap field and the mandatory link indication bitmap field do not correspond one-to-one and have different lengths. For example, when the mandatory link indication bitmap field corresponding to the position where the link bitmap is 1 is set to 11, it indicates that the link indicated by the bit is mandatory; or when the mandatory link indication bitmap field is set to 10, 01, or 00, it indicates that the link indicated by the bit is optional.

[0239] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, there is no restriction on the length relationship between the link bitmap field and the mandatory link indication bitmap field, which can be a one-to-one correspondence, or a one-to-many or many-to-one relationship.

[0240] Exemplarily, the fields included in the link bitmap control field control the mandatory link bitmap and the preferred link bitmap, including but not limited to the following manner:

[0241] 1) If the Link Bitmap field exists, it indicates an optional Link ID.

[0242] 2) If the Mandatory Link Indication Bitmap field exists, it indicates which link is mandatory and which link is optional.

[0243] 3) If the Number of Links field exists, it indicates the number of links requested, including all required links and some optional links.

[0244] 4) If the Number of Links field does not exist, the requested link is a mandatory link. Other instructions can be extended.

[0245] 5) If the Mandatory Link Indication Bitmap field does not exist, the Number of Links field exists, indicating the number of requested links.

[0246] It should be understood that in the responder and link mapping indication field shown in FIG13(a), the Mandatory Link Indication Bitmap field corresponding to the position where the Link Bitmap is 0 is 0 and the second MLD does not read this information.

[0247] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned mandatory indication field is optional, and the first indication information may include a link bitmap control field and a link bitmap field, as shown in (b) of Figure 13. It can be understood that, in the case shown in (b) of Figure 13, a Link Bitmap field is added to the SBP Parameters element, and a Link Bitmap Present field is added to the SBP Parameters Control field.

[0248] It can be seen from Figure 13(b) that the link bitmap control field may include a provide link bitmap field and a reserved field, wherein the provide link bitmap field in the link bitmap control field is used to indicate whether a link bitmap exists.

[0249] It should also be understood that (a) and (b) in Figure 13 are merely illustrative examples of possible forms of the first indication information including a second control field, a link identification field and / or a mandatory indication field, and do not constitute any limitation on the protection field of this application. Information that can realize the function of the first indication information can be understood as the first indication information in this embodiment.

[0250] For example, the difference between the responder and link mapping indication fields shown in (a) to (c) of Figures 12 and (a) and (b) of Figures 13 is that the responder and link mapping indication fields shown in (a) to (c) of Figures 12 set a mandatory link list. If the link list is mandatory, the requested links are consistent with the links in the given mandatory link list, and the number of requested links equals the number of mandatory links. The responder and link mapping indication fields shown in (a) and (b) of Figures 13 can set the requested number of links to be inconsistent with the number of mandatory links. That is, the requested links can include the mandatory links plus the links in the optional link list. For example, if three links are requested and two links are mandatory, the SBP responder can select the third link from the optional link list. This configuration provides accuracy in link selection while also offering a certain degree of flexibility.

[0251] It should be noted that, in the example shown in FIG10 , the at least one first indication information included in the SBP parameter element in the SBP request frame is only an example and does not constitute any limitation to the protection scope of the present application.

[0252] For example, in this embodiment, the first indication information can also be included in the SBP parameter control (SBP Parameters Control) field, as shown in Figure 14. In the frame structure shown in Figure 14, the above-mentioned response end and link mapping indication list field or mapping link list field can be carried in the SBP parameter control field.

[0253] For another example, the at least one first indication information mentioned above may be split into different contents, and the different contents may be carried in the SBP parameter element and the SBP parameter control field respectively.

[0254] As a possible implementation, the control-related information in at least one first indication message is carried in an SBP parameter control field, and other information is carried in an SBP parameter element. For example, the first control field in the first indication message is carried in the SBP control parameter of the request message, and the mandatory link indication field and the preferred link indication field are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message.

[0255] Exemplarily, in this implementation, the above-mentioned response end and link mapping indication list fields are split into two fields: link control list (Link Control List) and link mapping indication list (Link Mapping Indication List), wherein the link control list field is carried in the SBP parameter control field, and the link mapping indication list field is carried in the SBP parameter element field.

[0256] Exemplarily, the link control list (Link Control List) includes a link control (Link Control) field corresponding to at least one perception response end, and each link control field includes a mandatory link bitmap (Mandatory Link BitmapPresent) field, a preferred link bitmap (Preferred Link BitmapPresent) field, a mandatory preferred link (Mandatory Preferred Link) field, and a number of links (Number of Links) field as shown in (a) of Figure 12.

[0257] Exemplarily, the link mapping indication list (Link Mapping Indication List) field includes a link mapping indication (Link Mapping Indication) corresponding to at least one perception response end, and each link mapping indication field includes a mandatory link bitmap (Mandatory Link Bitmap) field and a preferred link bitmap (Preferred Link Bitmap) field as shown in (a) in Figure 12.

[0258] As shown in FIG15 , in the frame structure shown in FIG15 , the above-mentioned Responder and Link Mapping Indication List field is split into two fields: Link Control List and Link Mapping Indication List, and the Link Control List field is carried in the SBP parameter control field. As shown in FIG14 , the SBP parameter control field includes a Link Control List field, a Link Mapping Indication List Present field, or a Mapped Link List Present field. The SBP parameter element field includes a Link Mapping Indication List field and a Mapped Link List field.

[0259] As another possible implementation, the first indication information includes a second control field, a link identifier field, and / or a mandatory indication field. Control-related information in the first indication information is carried in the SBP parameter control field, and other information is carried in the SBP parameter element. For example, the second control field in the first indication information is carried in the SBP control parameter of the request message, and the link identifier field and mandatory indication field are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message.

[0260] Exemplarily, in this implementation, the above-mentioned Responder and Link Mapping Indication List field is split into two fields: Link Control List and Link Mapping Indication List, wherein the Link Control List field is carried in the SBP parameter control field, and the Link Mapping Indication List field is carried in the SBP parameter element field.

[0261] Exemplarily, the link control list (Link Control List) includes a link control (Link Control) field corresponding to at least one perception response end, and each link control field includes a provided link bitmap (Link Bitmap Present) field, a provided mandatory link indication bitmap (Mandatory Link Indication BitmapPresent) field, a provided link number (Number of LinksPresent) field, and a link number (Number of Links) field as shown in (a) of Figure 13.

[0262] Exemplarily, the link mapping indication list (Link Mapping Indication List) field includes a link mapping indication (Link Mapping Indication) corresponding to at least one perception response end, and each link mapping indication field includes a link bitmap (Link Bitmap) field and a mandatory link indication bitmap (Mandatory Link Indication Bitmap) field as shown in (a) in Figure 13.

[0263] As shown in FIG16 , in the frame structure shown in FIG16 , the above-mentioned Responder and Link Mapping Indication List field is split into two fields: Link Control List and Link Mapping Indication List, and the Link Control List field is carried in the SBP parameter control field. As shown in FIG16 , the SBP parameter control field includes a Link Control List field, a Link Mapping Indication List Present field, or a Mapped Link List Present field. The SBP parameter element field includes a Link Mapping Indication List field and a Mapped Link List field.

[0264] As can be seen from the above, in the case shown in Example 1, the link requirements of each responding end are finely indicated through the correspondence between at least one sensing responding end and the link.

[0265] Method 2: The first indication information is used to indicate the link status corresponding to all devices participating in the perception measurement. For example, all devices participating in the perception measurement include the above-mentioned first response end and other perception response ends participating in the perception measurement, then the first indication information is used to indicate the link mapped by the first response end and other perception response ends participating in the SBP measurement, and the first perception response end is any one of the perception response ends participating in the SBP measurement.

[0266] In the case of the second approach, no matter which perception response end or ends are selected by the second MLD to participate in the perception measurement, the link corresponding to the selected perception response end is determined according to the first indication information.

[0267] Exemplarily, in the case shown in the second method, the request message may also include information about at least one perception response end, and the first indication information is used to indicate the link status mapped by the at least one perception response end. The at least one perception response end is a perception response end provided by the first MLD that is expected to participate in the SBP perception measurement process, and the information of the perception response end includes but is not limited to the address, identifier, and other information used to identify the perception response end.

[0268] For example, the first MLD is non-AP STA1 shown in Figure 1, and the first MLD requests AP1 to act as a proxy for non-AP STA1 to obtain the perception results obtained by AP2, non-AP STA2, and non-AP STA3 during the perception process. Then, the address of the at least one perception response end includes information about AP2, non-AP STA2, and non-AP STA3.

[0269] It should be understood that the perception response end involved in this embodiment is a multi-link device, and the above-mentioned request message includes first indication information for indicating the link status of all perception response ends, so that after receiving the request message, the second MLD can obtain the link status corresponding to the perception response end according to the first indication information carried in the request message.

[0270] For example, the first MLD is non-AP STA1 shown in Figure 1, and the first MLD requests AP1 to act as a proxy for non-AP STA1 to obtain the perception results obtained by AP2, non-AP STA2, and non-AP STA3 during the perception process. The request message includes information about AP2, non-AP STA2, and non-AP STA3, as well as first indication information. The first indication information instructs AP2, non-AP STA2, and non-AP STA3 to perform perception measurements through link #1.

[0271] In the case shown in the second manner, the request message further includes a control parameter, and the control parameter includes a parameter indicating that the request message carries the first indication information.

[0272] For ease of understanding, the following describes, with reference to a specific example, how the request message carries the parameters required for the perception measurement in the case shown in the second method.

[0273] Example 2: The request message is an SBP request frame, and the first indication information is included in the SBP parameter element in the SBP request frame as an example for description.

[0274] As shown in FIG17 , the first indication information is included in the SBP parameter element, which is equivalent to the parameters required for the aforementioned perception measurement. As can be seen from FIG17 , compared to the SBP parameter element in the SBP request frame shown in FIG5 , the SBP parameter element in this embodiment may carry a Link Indication field or a Mapped Link Bitmap field. It should be understood that the second example shows an SBP request frame that includes the first indication information, wherein the Link Indication field shown in FIG17 is equivalent to the first indication information.

[0275] It should be noted that Figure 17 shows the frame format of an SBP request frame covering various situations. As shown in Figure 17, the length of the link indication field is 0 or variable. If the length is 0, it indicates that the field does not exist. If the length is not 0, the length of the field is variable. If the request message includes information about at least one perception responder, the specific length of this field can be determined based on the number of perception responders in the perception responder mapping link to be indicated, which is not limited in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 17, the length of the mapping link bitmap field is 0 or variable. If the length is 0, it indicates that the field does not exist. If the length is not 0, the length of the field is variable.

[0276] It should be understood that what is shown in Example 2 is an SBP request frame, which includes first indication information, wherein the link indication field shown in Figure 17 is equivalent to the first indication information, that is, it includes a link indication field. It can be understood that the length of the link indication field should be variable instead of 0. What is shown in Figure 17 is the frame format of the SBP request frame that includes multiple situations. The length of the mapping link bitmap field in the SBP request frame shown in Figure 17 is set to 0, and the length of the link indication field is set to variable to represent the SBP request frame shown in Example 2.

[0277] Exemplarily, the length of the link indication field may be n*6, where the value of n is related to the number of sensing response terminals provided by the first MLD.

[0278] Exemplarily, whether the SBP parameter element carries the above-mentioned link indication field or the mapping link bitmap field can be indicated by adding corresponding indication information in the SBP parameter control.

[0279] As can be seen from Figure 17, compared to the SBP parameter control shown in Figure 5 above, the SBP parameter control in this embodiment includes a Link Indication Present field or a Mapped Link Bitmap Present field. Specifically, the Link Indication Present field is used to indicate whether the SBP parameter element carries the above-mentioned link indication; the Mapped Link Bitmap Present field is used to indicate whether the SBP parameter element carries the above-mentioned Mapped Link Bitmap field.

[0280] As a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes a first control field (hereinafter referred to as a link bitmap control field), a mandatory link indication field (hereinafter referred to as a mandatory link bitmap field), or a preferred link indication field (hereinafter referred to as a preferred link bitmap field). The first control field is used to control the mandatory link indication field and the preferred link indication field (e.g., controlling whether the mandatory link indication field and the preferred link indication field exist, etc.), the mandatory link indication field is used to indicate the mandatory links of all perception response terminals, and the preferred link indication field is used to indicate the preferred links of all perception response terminals.

[0281] For example, the first indication information includes a mandatory link indication field indicating link #1, and also includes a preferred link indication field indicating link #1 and link #2, which means that the first MLD expects all perception responders to perform perception measurements on link #1 and link #2, and link #1 is mandatory.

[0282] Exemplarily, the first indication information includes information indicating whether the mandatory link indication field exists (hereinafter referred to as the Mandatory Link BitmapPresent field) and information indicating whether the preferred link indication field exists (hereinafter referred to as the Preferred Link BitmapPresent field).

[0283] Furthermore, the first indication information may also include information indicating the number of links (hereinafter referred to as the Number of Links field), which is used to indicate the number of links corresponding to the first perception response end, wherein the information indicating the number of links may also be used as a field in the first control information.

[0284] Exemplarily, possible forms of the first indication information are as shown in (a) to (c) in FIG. 12 above, which will not be described in detail here.

[0285] As another possible implementation, the first indication information includes a second control field (hereinafter referred to as a link bitmap control field), a link identification field (hereinafter referred to as a link bitmap field), and a mandatory indication field (hereinafter referred to as a mandatory link indication bitmap field). The second control field is used to control the link field and the mandatory indication field (e.g., to control whether the link identification field and the mandatory indication field exist, etc.), the link identification field is used to indicate at least one link provided by the first MLD for all perception responders, and the mandatory indication is used to indicate whether the at least one link indicated by the link identification field is mandatory.

[0286] For example, the first indication information includes a link identification field indicating link #1 and link #2, and also includes a mandatory indication field indicating that link #1 is mandatory and link #2 is optional, which means that the first site expects all perception response ends to perform perception measurements on link #1 and link #2, and link #1 is mandatory.

[0287] Exemplarily, the second control field includes information indicating whether the link identification field exists (hereinafter referred to as the LinkID Bitmap Present field) and information indicating whether the mandatory indication field exists (hereinafter referred to as the Mandatory Link Indication BitmapPresent field).

[0288] Furthermore, the first indication information may also include information indicating the number of links (hereinafter referred to as the number of links field), which is used to indicate the number of links corresponding to all perception responders. Optionally, when the first indication information includes information indicating the number of links, the second control field may also include information indicating whether the information indicating the number of links exists (hereinafter referred to as the number of links present), wherein the information indicating the number of links may also be a field in the second control information.

[0289] Exemplarily, possible forms of the first indication information are as shown in (a) and (b) in FIG. 13 above, which will not be described in detail here.

[0290] It should be noted that, in the example shown in FIG. 17 above, the first indication information included in the SBP parameter element in the SBP request frame is only an example and does not constitute any limitation to the protection scope of the present application.

[0291] For example, in this embodiment, the first indication information can also be included in the SBP parameter control (SBP Parameters Control) field, as shown in Figure 18. In the SBP request frame shown in Figure 18, the above-mentioned link indication (Link Indication) field or mapped link bitmap (Mapped Link Bitmap) field can be carried in the SBP parameter control field.

[0292] For another example, the first indication information mentioned above may be split into different contents, and the different contents may be carried in the SBP parameter element and the SBP parameter control field respectively.

[0293] As a possible implementation, the control-related information in the first indication information is carried in the SBP parameter control field, and other information is carried in the SBP parameter element. For example, the first control field of the first indication information is carried in the SBP control parameter of the request message, and the mandatory link indication field (Mandatory Link Bitmap) and the preferred link indication field (Preferred Link Bitmap) are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message.

[0294] Exemplarily, in this implementation, the Link Indication field is split into two fields: Link Control and Link Bitmap Indication. The Link Control field is carried in the SBP Parameter Control field, while the Link Bitmap Indication field is carried in the SBP Parameter Element field, as shown in Figure 19.

[0295] As another possible implementation, the control-related information in the first indication information is carried in the SBP parameter control field, and other information is carried in the SBP parameter element. For example, the second control field in the first indication information is carried in the SBP control parameter of the request message, and the link identifier field and the mandatory indication field are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message.

[0296] Exemplarily, in this implementation, the Link Indication field is split into two fields: Link Control and Link Bitmap Indication. The Link Control field is carried in the SBP Parameter Control field, while the Link Bitmap Indication field is carried in the SBP Parameter Element field, as shown in Figure 20.

[0297] From the above, it can be seen that in the case shown in Example 2, the first indication information can indicate the link conditions corresponding to all perception response ends participating in the perception measurement, that is, for the proxy perception initiator, the link conditions corresponding to all perception response ends are the same, and there is no need to indicate separately for different perception response ends, thereby improving the indication efficiency.

[0298] As shown above, the SBP request frame includes the ISTA Availability Window Info Field (ISTA Availability Window Info Field as shown in FIG6 ). In this embodiment, the request message may also include information about the second availability window, and the information about the second availability window includes information about the availability window corresponding to the second link, wherein the second link is any one of the links indicated by the first indication information, or the second link may not be any one of the links indicated by the first indication information. For example, if the SBP initiator does not participate in the perception measurement and only receives the SBP report, then the link of the SBP initiator may be different from the link indicated by the above-mentioned first indication information, because the link indicated by the first indication information refers to the link of the perception responder participating in the perception measurement. The information about the availability window corresponding to the second link includes the identifier of the second link.

[0299] As shown in FIG21 , the difference between the ISTA availability window information field in this embodiment and the ISTA availability window information field shown in FIG6 is that the ISTA availability window information field in this embodiment is for each link, and one link corresponds to one ISTA availability window information element (ISTA Availability Window per Link element), which includes a corresponding link identification (Link ID) field and a recommended report link (Recommended Report Link) field, wherein the recommended report link field is optional.

[0300] For example, when the first MLD participates in perception measurement, the Recommended Report Link field can be used to indicate whether the link is recommended for receiving reports. For example, when the first MLD participates in perception measurement in certain high-speed mobility scenarios, a higher measurement frequency is required (measurement on a link with a higher frequency). Receiving reports on such links may affect the measurement frequency, so the links receiving reports and the links participating in perception can be distinguished. Therefore, the Recommended Report Link field is used to indicate whether this link is a recommended link for receiving reports.

[0301] Furthermore, after receiving the request message, the second MLD may select a perception responder end that actually participates in the perception measurement according to the measurement environment. For example, the second MLD may determine the perception responder end that participates in the perception measurement according to the communication quality.

[0302] Exemplarily, the second MLD may feed back the determined information of the sensing response terminals participating in the sensing measurement and the link status corresponding to the sensing response terminals participating in the sensing measurement through a response message in response to the request message.

[0303] Optionally, the response message may be called an SBP response frame, a multilink SBP response frame, or an SBP establishment response frame, etc. It should be understood that in this embodiment, there is no limitation on the name of the message, and any message that can implement the function of the response message can be understood as a response message in this embodiment.

[0304] As a possible implementation method, corresponding to the above-mentioned method one, if the request message carries at least one first indication information, when a certain perception response end among the above-mentioned at least one perception response end is determined, the mandatory link corresponding to the perception response end is determined as mandatory.

[0305] In this implementation, the response message includes information of the perception responder participating in the SBP measurement and second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate the link mapped to the perception responder participating in the SBP measurement.

[0306] Optionally, the response message includes a parameter indicating that the response message carries the second indication information.

[0307] Example 3: The response message is an SBP response frame, and the second indication information is included in the SBP parameter element in the SBP request frame as an example for description.

[0308] For ease of understanding, the structure of the SBP response frame in the case shown in Example 3 is described in conjunction with Figure 10 above. When the SBP parameter element shown in Figure 10 is the SBP parameter element carried in the SBP response frame, the second indication information is the Mapping Link List field shown in Figure 10. The parameter indicating that the second indication information is carried in the response message is the Provide Mapping Link List field shown in Figure 10.

[0309] As another possible implementation method, corresponding to the above-mentioned method 2, if the request message carries first indication information indicating the link status of all perceived response ends, the response message includes information of at least one link, and the at least one link is part or all of the links indicated by the first indication information.

[0310] Optionally, the response message includes a parameter indicating that the response message carries information of at least one link.

[0311] Example 4: The response message is an SBP response frame, and the information of at least one link is included in the SBP parameter element in the SBP request frame as an example for description.

[0312] For ease of understanding, the structure of the SBP response frame in Example 4 is described with reference to Figure 17 above. When the SBP parameter element shown in Figure 17 is carried in the SBP response frame, the information about at least one link is the Mapping Link Bitmap field in Figure 17 , which is the link ultimately selected by the second MLD based on the link information indicated by the first indication information. It should be understood that when the SBP parameter element is carried in the SBP response frame, the Mapping Link Bitmap field is present.

[0313] As shown above, the SBP response frame includes an RSTA Availability Window Info Field (RSTA Availability Window Info Field) (as shown in FIG7 ). In this embodiment, the response message may also include information about the first availability window, and the information about the first availability window includes information about the availability window corresponding to the first link, wherein the first link is any one of the links indicated by the second indication information; or, the first link may not be any one of the links indicated by the second indication information. For example, if the SBP initiator does not participate in the perception measurement and only receives the SBP report, then the link of the SBP initiator may be different from the link indicated by the above-mentioned second indication information, because the link indicated by the second indication information refers to the link of the perception responder participating in the perception measurement. The information about the availability window corresponding to the first link includes the identifier of the first link.

[0314] As shown in FIG22 , the difference between the RSTA availability window information field in this embodiment and the RSTA availability window information field shown in FIG7 is that the RSTA availability window information field in this embodiment is for each link, and each link corresponds to an RSTA availability window information element (RSTA Availability Window per Link element), which contains the corresponding link identification (Link ID) field.

[0315] After the SBP is established, when the second MLD establishes a perception measurement session and sends a perception measurement request frame to the selected perception response end, the perception measurement parameter element in the perception measurement request frame also carries the first indication information, and the first indication information includes the link indication information of the corresponding perception response end.

[0316] For example, when the second MLD establishes a perception measurement session, it sends a multi-link perception measurement request frame #1 and a multi-link perception measurement request frame #2 to the selected perception response end #1 and the perception response end #2, respectively, wherein the multi-link perception measurement request frame #1 carries the first indication information #1 indicating the link corresponding to the perception response end #1, and the multi-link perception measurement request frame #2 carries the first indication information #2 indicating the link corresponding to the perception response end #2.

[0317] Exemplarily, after receiving the above-mentioned request message, the second MLD can, according to the indication of the perception response end link in the request message (such as the above-mentioned first indication information), initiate a perception measurement request for one or more perception response ends during the perception measurement process. The second MLD sends a perception measurement request frame (or a multi-link perception measurement establishment request frame) to a certain perception response end. Compared with the perception measurement request frame sent by the proxy perception response end in the existing mechanism for initiating a perception measurement request, in this application, since the proxy perception response end obtains the link status corresponding to different perception response ends through the above-mentioned request message, or obtains the link status corresponding to all perception response ends participating in the SBP measurement through the above-mentioned request message, the proxy perception response end can carry the corresponding link information indication in the perception measurement request frame, such as the perception measurement request frame carrying the Responder and Link Mapping Indication List field or the Link Indication field shown above.

[0318] As a possible implementation manner, the Responder and Link Mapping Indication List field or the Link Indication field may be carried in a multi-link awareness measurement parameter element in the awareness measurement request frame.

[0319] As another possible implementation manner, the Responder and Link Mapping Indication List field or the Link Indication field may be carried in the common perception information in the multi-link perception measurement parameter element in the perception measurement request frame.

[0320] For ease of understanding, the structure of the perception measurement request frame in this embodiment is briefly introduced with reference to FIG23 .

[0321] As shown in Figure 23, in this application, the proxy perception responder can use the session setup condition (Session Setup Condition) field of the perception common information in the multi-link perception measurement parameter element of the perception measurement request frame to be equivalent to the previous Responder and Link Mapping Indication List field or Link Indication field, which is used to indicate the link status corresponding to the perception responder.

[0322] It should be understood that the perception measurement request frame shown in Figure 23 is only an example and does not constitute any limitation to the scope of protection of this application. In this embodiment, the proxy perception responder can add an indication of the perception responder link in other parameters in the perception measurement request frame, such as carrying it in a multi-link perception measurement parameter element, which will not be repeated here.

[0323] It should be understood that the size of the serial numbers of the above processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0324] It should also 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 different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their internal logical relationships.

[0325] It should also be understood that in some of the above embodiments, devices in existing network architectures are mainly used as examples for illustrative purposes, and it should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific form of the devices. For example, devices that can achieve the same functions in the future are applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0326] It can be understood that in the above-mentioned various method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by the device (such as the first site) can also be implemented by components that can be used in the device (such as chips or circuits).

[0327] It can also be understood that some optional features in the various embodiments of the present application may not depend on other features in certain scenarios, and may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios, without limitation.

[0328] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figure 8. The communication method is mainly described from the perspective of the first MLD. It is understandable that the first MLD, in order to implement the above functions, includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to executing each function.

[0329] Those skilled in the art should be aware that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0330] The communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to Figures 24 to 26. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for matters not described in detail, reference can be made to the method embodiment above. For the sake of brevity, some contents are not repeated here.

[0331] In the embodiment of the present application, the functional modules of the transmitting device or the receiving device can be divided according to the above method example. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. The following is an example of dividing each functional module according to each function.

[0332] Figure 24 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 10 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 10 includes a transceiver module 11 and a processing module 12. The transceiver module 11 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 12 is used to process data. In other words, the transceiver module 11 is used to perform operations related to receiving and sending, and the processing module 12 is used to perform other operations besides receiving and sending. The transceiver module 11 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0333] Optionally, the device 10 may further include a storage module 13, which may be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 12 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the device implements the actions of the devices in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0334] In one design, the device 10 may correspond to the first MLD in the above method embodiment, or a component (such as a chip) of the first MLD.

[0335] The device 10 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the first MLD in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be used to perform the transceiver-related operations of the first MLD in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 12 can be used to perform the processing-related operations of the first MLD in the above method embodiment.

[0336] In one possible implementation, the processing module 12 is used to generate a request message, wherein the request message is used to request the establishment of an agent-aware SBP measurement, and the request message includes first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate the link mapped by the first perception response end; the transceiver module 11 is used to send the request message to the second MLD.

[0337] When the device 10 is used to execute the method in FIG8 , the transceiver module 11 may be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as step S820 , and the processing module 12 may be used to execute the processing steps in the method, such as step S810 .

[0338] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0339] In another design, the device 10 may correspond to the second MLD in the above method embodiment, or may be a component (such as a chip) of the second MLD.

[0340] The apparatus 10 can implement steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the second MLD in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be used to perform operations related to transceiving of the second MLD in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 12 can be used to perform operations related to processing of the second MLD in the above method embodiment.

[0341] In one possible implementation, processing module 12 and transceiver module 11 are configured to receive a request message from a first MLD, the request message being configured to request establishment of proxy-aware SBP measurement, the request message including first indication information indicating a link mapped to the first awareness responder. Processing module 12 is configured to parse the request message.

[0342] When the device 10 is used to execute the method in FIG8 , the transceiver module 11 may be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as step S820 , and the processing module 12 may be used to execute the processing steps in the method.

[0343] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0344] It should also be understood that the device 10 here is embodied in the form of a functional module. The term "module" here may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a dedicated processor or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combined logic circuit and / or other suitable components that support the described functions. In an optional example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 10 may be specifically the mobile management network element in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the mobile management network element in the above-mentioned method embodiments; or, the device 10 may be specifically the terminal device in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments. To avoid repetition, it will not be described here.

[0345] The apparatus 10 of each of the above-mentioned solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the device (such as the first MLD) in the above-mentioned method. This function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing the corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-mentioned functions; for example, the transceiver module can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the transmitting unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing module, can be replaced by a processor to respectively perform the transceiver operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0346] In addition, the transceiver module 11 may also be a transceiver circuit (for example, may include a receiving circuit and a sending circuit), and the processing module may be a processing circuit.

[0347] Figure 25 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 20 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 20 includes a processor 21, which is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in a memory 22, or read data / signaling stored in the memory 22, to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, there are one or more processors 21.

[0348] Optionally, as shown in FIG25 , the device 20 further includes a memory 22 for storing computer programs or instructions and / or data. The memory 22 may be integrated with the processor 21 or may be separately provided. Optionally, there may be one or more memories 22.

[0349] Optionally, as shown in Figure 25, the device 20 further includes a transceiver 23, which is used to receive and / or send signals. For example, the processor 21 is used to control the transceiver 23 to receive and / or send signals.

[0350] As a solution, the apparatus 20 is used to implement the operations performed by the first MLD or the second MLD in the above method embodiments.

[0351] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application 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, etc.

[0352] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0353] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0354] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0355] 26 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 30 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 30 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 31 and an input / output interface 32.

[0356] The logic circuit 31 may be a processing circuit in the chip system 30. The logic circuit 31 may be coupled to a storage unit and call instructions in the storage unit so that the chip system 30 can implement the methods and functions of the various embodiments of the present application. The input / output interface 32 may be an input / output circuit in the chip system 30, outputting information processed by the chip system 30 or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 30 for processing.

[0357] As a solution, the chip system 30 is used to implement the operations performed by the first MLD or the second MLD in the above method embodiments.

[0358] For example, the logic circuit 31 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the first MLD or the second MLD in the above method embodiment; the input / output interface 32 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the first MLD or the second MLD in the above method embodiment.

[0359] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by the device in the above-mentioned method embodiments are stored.

[0360] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the method performed by the first MLD or the second MLD in each embodiment of the above method.

[0361] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by the first MLD or the second MLD in the above method embodiments.

[0362] The embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, including the aforementioned first MLD and second MLD.

[0363] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which will not be repeated here.

[0364] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, 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.

[0365] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)). For example, the aforementioned available medium includes, but is not limited to, various media that can store program code, 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.

[0366] 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: include: The first multi-link device MLD generates a request message, where the request message is used to request to establish a proxy-aware SBP measurement, where the request message includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a link mapped by the first perception responder; The first MLD sends the request message to the second MLD.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The request message includes information of at least one perception response end and at least one first indication information corresponding to the at least one perception response end, the first perception response end is any one of the at least one perception response end, and the first indication information is the first indication information corresponding to the first perception response end in the at least one first indication information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first MLD receives a response message from the second MLD, where the response message includes information of the perception responder participating in the SBP measurement and second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate a link mapped by the perception responder participating in the SBP measurement.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The response message includes a parameter indicating that the response message carries the second indication information.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The response message includes information about the first availability window, where the information about the first availability window includes information about the availability window corresponding to the first link. The information of the availability window corresponding to the first link includes an identifier of the first link.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first indication information is also used to indicate links mapped to other perception responders participating in the SBP measurement except the first responder, and the first perception responder is any one of the perception responders participating in the SBP measurement.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first MLD receives a response message from the second MLD, where the response message includes information about at least one link, and the at least one link is part or all of the links indicated by the first indication information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The first indication information includes a first control field, and a mandatory link indication field and / or a preferred link indication field. The first control field includes information of the mandatory link indication field and / or information of the preferred link indication field. The mandatory link indication field is used to indicate a mandatory link for the first perception responder end, and the preferred link indication field is used to indicate a preferred link for the first perception responder end.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first control field includes information indicating whether the first indication information carries the mandatory link indication field and / or information indicating whether the first indication information carries the preferred link indication field.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The first control field, and the mandatory link indication field and / or the preferred link indication field are carried in an SBP parameter element of the request message; or, The first control field is carried in the SBP control parameter of the request message, and the mandatory link indication field and / or the preferred link indication field are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The first indication information includes a second control field, a link identification field and / or a mandatory indication field, the second control field includes information of the link identification field and / or information of the mandatory indication field, the link identification field is used to indicate at least one link provided by the first site for the first perception responder, and the mandatory indication is used to indicate whether each link in the at least one link is mandatory.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The second control field includes information indicating whether the first indication information carries the link identification field, and / or information indicating whether the first indication information carries the mandatory indication field.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The second control field, and the link identification field and / or the mandatory indication field are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message; or, The second control field is carried in the SBP control parameter of the request message, and the link identification field and / or the mandatory indication field is carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that The request message also includes information about a second availability window, where the information about the second availability window includes information about an availability window corresponding to the second link. The information of the availability window corresponding to the second link includes an identifier of the second link.

15. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The second multi-link device MLD receives a request message from the first MLD, where the request message is used to request to establish a proxy-aware SBP measurement, and the request message includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a link mapped by the first perception responder; The second MLD parses the request message.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The request message includes information of at least one perception response end and at least one first indication information corresponding to the at least one perception response end, the first perception response end is any one of the at least one perception response end, and the first indication information is the first indication information corresponding to the first perception response end in the at least one first indication information.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The method further comprises: The second MLD determines, according to the at least one first indication information, a sensing response end participating in the SBP among the at least one sensing response end, and links to which the sensing response ends participating in the SBP are respectively mapped; The second MLD sends a response message to the first MLD, where the response message includes information of the perception responder end participating in the SBP measurement and second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate a link mapped by the perception responder end participating in the SBP measurement.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The response message includes a parameter indicating that the response message carries the second indication information.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The response message includes information about the first availability window, where the information about the first availability window includes information about the availability window corresponding to the first link. The information of the availability window corresponding to the first link includes an identifier of the first link.

20. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The first indication information is also used to indicate links mapped to other perception responders participating in the SBP measurement except the first responder, and the first perception responder is any one of the perception responders participating in the SBP measurement.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The method further comprises: The second MLD determines, according to the first indication information, at least one link corresponding to the sensing responder participating in the SBP; The second MLD sends a response message to the first MLD, where the response message includes information of at least one link, and the at least one link is part or all of the links indicated by the first indication information.

22. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 21, characterized in that The first indication information includes a first control field, and a mandatory link indication field and / or a preferred link indication field. The first control field includes information of the mandatory link indication field and / or information of the preferred link indication field. The mandatory link indication field is used to indicate a mandatory link for the first perception responder end, and the preferred link indication field is used to indicate a preferred link for the first perception responder end.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The first control field includes information indicating whether the first indication information carries the mandatory link indication field and / or information indicating whether the first indication information carries the preferred link indication field.

24. The method according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that The first control field, and the mandatory link indication field and / or the preferred link indication field are carried in an SBP parameter element of the request message; or, The first control field is carried in the SBP control parameter of the request message, and the mandatory link indication field and / or the preferred link indication field are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message.

25. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 21, characterized in that The first indication information includes a second control field, a link identification field and / or a mandatory indication field, the second control field includes information of the link identification field and / or information of the mandatory indication field, the link identification field is used to indicate at least one link provided by the first site for the first perception responder, and the mandatory indication is used to indicate whether each link in the at least one link is mandatory.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that The second control field includes information indicating whether the first indication information carries the link identification field and / or information indicating whether the first indication information carries the mandatory indication field.

27. The method according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that The second control field, and the link identification field and / or the mandatory indication field are carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message; or, The second control field is carried in the SBP control parameter of the request message, and the link identification field and / or the mandatory indication field is carried in the SBP parameter element of the request message.

28. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 27, characterized in that The request message also includes information about a second availability window, where the information about the second availability window includes information about an availability window corresponding to the second link. The information of the availability window corresponding to the second link includes an identifier of the second link.

29. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program or instructions, the processor being used to execute the computer program or instructions in the memory, so that the device performs the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14; or, the device performs the method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 28.

30. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system comprises a first multi-link MLD device and a second MLD device; wherein the first multi-link MLD device is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, and the second MLD device is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 15 to 28.

31. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 28.

32. A chip system, characterized in that: include: A processor, used to call and run a computer program from a memory so that a communication device equipped with the chip system executes the method described in any one of claims 1 to 28.

33. A computer program product, characterized in that When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 28.

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