Method for sensing measurement and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a method for sensing measurement and a communication apparatus, mainly applied in a scenario where a MLD performs multi-link sensing in a WLAN. For a scenario where a sensing initiator or a sensing responder needs to remove a link, a solution comprising a sensing measurement establishment process and a sensing measurement interaction process is provided. On the basis of the type of a link to be removed, a sensing initiator or a sensing responder may remove said link, and close a sensing measurement session, or reconfigure a new link to allow the sensing measurement session to continue, or when said link is a redundant link, remove the redundant link without affecting the operation of the sensing measurement session on other links. Therefore, a corresponding operation is performed on the basis of the type of a link to be removed, so that unnecessary air interface occupancy and resource waste that may occur on other links can be avoided. Compared with reestablishment of a sensing measurement session, reconfiguration of a new link can reduce the resource waste and signaling overhead.

Description

Method and communication device for sensing measurement

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on November 22, 2023, with application number: 202311567067.9, and invention name: "Method and communication device for perception measurement", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and more specifically, to a method and a communication device for perception measurement. Background Art

[0003] The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11bf standard presents perception measurements in the form of sessions. Currently, perception in 802.11bf primarily focuses on single-link scenarios. However, 802.11be, also known as the seventh generation of wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi 7), has introduced multi-link features. With the widespread adoption of Wi-Fi 7, more multi-link devices will be deployed. In multi-link scenarios, when access point (AP) multi-link devices (MLDs) and non-AP MLDs perform multi-link perception, the AP MLD or non-AP MLD may need to remove or shut down a link. Because the functions of the links used for perception may vary in different perception scenarios, removing or shutting down different links will have different impacts on perception measurements and perception results. For example, if the link to be removed is essential for perception measurements, removing it will render perception reports on other links invalid. This will also cause other links to continue perception interactions, unnecessarily occupying the air interface and wasting resources.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a solution to remove or shut down links in multi-link scenarios.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a method and a communication device for sensing measurement, which provide reasonable solutions for different scenarios of removing links.

[0007] In a first aspect, a method for perception measurement is provided, which can be performed by a communication device or a module (for example, a chip or circuit, etc.) applied to a communication device, without limitation. For ease of description, the following description is given by taking a communication device as an example. The communication device can, for example, be a perception initiator or a perception responder in a multi-link perception scenario. The method may include: determining a link type of a first link, where the first link is a link to be removed from multiple links of a perception measurement session, and the link type includes a mandatory link, an optional link, or a redundant link; and removing the first link according to the link type of the first link.

[0008] In this technical solution, when the perception initiating device or the perception responding device needs to remove a link, it removes the link according to the link type of the link to be removed (the link type is the link to be removed relative to the perception measurement, for example, the link to be removed may be a mandatory link, an optional link or a redundant link for the perception measurement), providing reasonable solutions for different scenarios of link removal.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, removing the first link according to the link type of the first link includes: if the first link is the mandatory link or the optional link, removing the first link after a timer expires; and the method further includes: closing the perception measurement session.

[0010] In this implementation, other operations or processing can be performed after removing the first link based on the link type of the first link to be removed, thereby avoiding adverse effects of removing the first link. For example, if the first link is a mandatory link, closing the perception measurement session after removing the first link can prevent the perception measurement session from continuing on other links, thereby generating invalid perception measurement reports, and wasting air interface resources caused by reporting perception measurement reports.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, removing the first link according to the link type of the first link includes: if the first link is the optional link, removing the first link after the timer expires; and the method also includes: performing link reconfiguration before the timer expires.

[0012] In this implementation, other operations or processing can be performed after removing the first link based on the link type of the first link to be removed, so as to provide a reasonable solution for removing a link in a multi-link scenario. For example, if the first link is an optional link, after removing the first link, you can choose not to close the perception measurement session, but reconfigure a new link before the timer expires, so that after the new link configuration is completed, the perception measurement can continue on the new link. And the perception measurement on other links is not affected by removing the first link. It can be seen that the purpose of continuing the perception measurement can be achieved, and the overhead caused by re-establishing a new perception measurement session after closing the perception measurement session can be avoided.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, removing the first link according to the link type of the first link includes: if the first link is the redundant link, removing the first link after a timer expires.

[0014] In this implementation, if the first link to be removed is a redundant link, the first link can be removed after the timer expires. Since the redundant link is a backup link for the perception measurement, the removal of the redundant link will not affect the execution of the perception measurement on other links.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the link reconfiguration before the timer expires includes: sending a first request frame, where the first request frame is used to indicate a request to reconfigure the second link of the perception measurement session, and the first request frame carries information about the second link, where the information about the second link includes an identifier of the second link and perception measurement parameters of the second link.

[0016] In this implementation, when link reconfiguration is performed without closing the perception measurement session, the perception initiating device sends a request frame to the perception responding device requesting link reconfiguration. In the request frame, the perception responding device is informed of the second link to be reconfigured. During the perception process, the perception initiating device can reconfigure a new link as appropriate to continue perception activities, rather than establishing a new perception measurement session. Compared to establishing a new perception measurement session, this reduces resource overhead and minimizes the impact on perception performance.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first request frame includes a multi-link control field and a multi-link awareness measurement parameter element, the multi-link control field carries a type field, the type field is used to indicate that the multi-link awareness measurement element is a reconfigured multi-link awareness measurement parameter element, and the multi-link awareness measurement parameter element carries information of the second link.

[0018] In this implementation, the first request frame can be a variant of the multi-link perception measurement request frame. By designing the frame structure of the multi-link perception measurement request frame, it can be indicated that the multi-link perception measurement parameter element in the multi-link perception measurement request frame is a reconfigured multi-link perception measurement parameter element, providing a frame structure design for reconfiguring a new link.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the multi-link control field further includes a first field, wherein the first field is used to indicate whether the first request frame includes a link change bitmap, wherein the link change bitmap is used to determine the first link to be removed and the second link requested to be reconfigured; and, when the first field indicates that the first request frame includes the link change bitmap, the multi-link awareness measurement parameter element further includes a link change bitmap field.

[0020] This implementation provides a detailed frame structure design of a first request frame for requesting reconfiguration of a new link.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the multi-link perception measurement parameter element further carries a multi-link perception sub-element field, and the multi-link perception sub-element field carries the link-level perception measurement parameters of the second link based on different perception measurement types.

[0022] In this implementation, different sensing measurement types may include a TB sensing measurement type, a non-TB sensing measurement type, or a sensing by proxy (SBP) type.

[0023] In addition, the multi-link awareness sub-element carried in the multi-link awareness measurement parameter element carries link-level awareness measurement parameters, which can reduce signaling overhead compared to a new awareness measurement session carrying device-level awareness measurement parameters.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first request frame also carries an identifier of the perception measurement session; the first request frame carries a multi-link perception measurement reconfiguration parameter element, and the multi-link perception measurement reconfiguration parameter element carries information of the second link requested to be reconfigured.

[0025] In this implementation, the first request frame may be a multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration request frame newly designed in this application, which carries information about a new link requested to be reconfigured.

[0026] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the multi-link perception measurement reconfiguration parameter element carries information about the second link requested to be reconfigured, including: the multi-link perception measurement reconfiguration parameter element includes link information of the second link, the link information includes an identifier of the second link and the perception measurement parameters of the second link, the link information also includes a perception sub-element, and the perception sub-element carries link-level perception measurement parameters of the second link based on different perception measurement types.

[0027] This implementation provides a detailed frame structure design for the multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration request frame of the present application. Furthermore, the link information in the multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration request frame carries the link-level sensing measurement parameters for the reconfigured second link, which reduces signaling overhead compared to a new sensing measurement session carrying device-level sensing measurement parameters.

[0028] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a first response frame to the first request frame, the first response frame including a status code field, the status code field indicating acceptance of the multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame, or

[0029] The status code indicates that the multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame is partially accepted, and the first response frame also carries identification information of the accepted link, or

[0030] The status code indicates rejection of the multi-link measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame, and the first response frame further carries recommended perception measurement establishment parameters, or,

[0031] The status code indicates rejection of the sensing measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame, and the multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration parameter element does not carry recommended sensing measurement establishment parameters.

[0032] This implementation method provides a detailed frame structure design of the multi-link perception measurement reconfiguration response frame of the present application. Specifically, the multi-link perception measurement reconfiguration response frame carries a status code field, which is used to indicate whether the perception response device accepts the multi-link perception measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested by the perception initiating device. In combination with the above-mentioned multi-link perception measurement reconfiguration request frame, the present application provides a solution for the frame structure design of a request frame for reconfiguring a link and its response frame.

[0033] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before sending the first request frame, the method further includes: receiving a second request frame, where the second request frame is used to indicate a request for link reconfiguration for the perception measurement session.

[0034] In this implementation, the method of the first aspect is performed by a perception responder. The perception responder sends a second request frame to the perception initiator, notifying the perception initiator that the perception responder requests link reconfiguration. This can be applied to scenarios where the perception initiator initiates a link reconfiguration request.

[0035] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending a second response frame, where the second response frame indicates confirmation of receiving the second request frame.

[0036] In this implementation, the sensing initiator sends a receipt acknowledgement to the sensing responder after initiating a link reconfiguration request. The second request frame and its corresponding second response frame in this implementation primarily serve as notifications, allowing the sensing responder to notify the initiator of link reconfiguration. Subsequently, the sensing initiator can send a first request frame carrying information about the newly reconfigured link, as described in other implementations above.

[0037] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second request frame carries a link expiration index, and the link expiration index indicates the duration of a timer used to perform the link reconfiguration.

[0038] In this implementation, the second request frame carries a link expiration index, which is used to indicate a time limit for link reconfiguration. The new link needs to be completed before the timer indicated by the link expiration index expires.

[0039] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the second request frame further carries a reconfiguration link bitmap field, and the reconfiguration link bitmap field is used to indicate the identifier of the first link to be removed and the identifier of the second link requested to be reconfigured.

[0040] In this implementation, the second request frame may indicate the first link to be removed and information about the second link requested to be reconfigured, where the second link may be a link recommended by the perception responder.

[0041] With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method is applied to trigger-based perception measurement or non-trigger-based perception measurement.

[0042] The above-mentioned first aspect or any implementation manner thereof is applicable to the perception measurement interaction process of TB or non-TB, and can meet the requirements of removing links in different multi-link scenarios.

[0043] On the second aspect, a method for perception measurement is provided, which can be performed by a communication device or a module (for example, a chip or circuit, etc.) applied to a communication device, without limitation. For ease of description, the following description is given by taking a communication device as an example. The communication device can be, for example, a perception initiator in a multi-link perception scenario. The method may include: sending a first request frame, the first request frame being used to request reconfiguration of a second link of a perception measurement session, the first request frame carrying information of the second link, the information of the second link including an identifier of the second link and perception measurement parameters of the second link; and receiving a first response frame to the first request frame.

[0044] The method of the second aspect or any of the following implementations of the second aspect is mainly aimed at the case of reconfiguring the link. Its beneficial technical effects can refer to the description of the corresponding solution of the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0045] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first request frame includes a multi-link control field and a multi-link awareness measurement parameter element, the multi-link control field includes a type field, the type field is used to indicate that the multi-link awareness measurement parameter element is a reconfigured multi-link awareness measurement parameter element, and the multi-link awareness measurement parameter element carries information about the second link.

[0046] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the multi-link control field further includes a first field, wherein the first field is used to determine whether the first request frame includes a link change bitmap, wherein the link change bitmap is used to determine the first link to be removed and the second link requested to be reconfigured; and, when the first field indicates that the first request frame includes the link change bitmap, the multi-link awareness measurement parameter element further includes a link change bitmap field.

[0047] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the multi-link perception measurement parameter element also carries a multi-link perception sub-element field, and the multi-link perception sub-element field carries the link-level perception measurement parameters of the second link obtained based on different perception measurement types.

[0048] With reference to the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first request frame further carries an identifier of the perception measurement session;

[0049] The first request frame carries a multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration parameter element, and the multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration parameter element carries information of the second link requested to be reconfigured.

[0050] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration parameter element carries information of the second link requested to be reconfigured, including:

[0051] The multi-link perception measurement reconfiguration parameter element includes link information of the second link, the link information includes an identifier of the second link and the perception measurement parameters of the second link, and the link information also includes a perception sub-element, which carries link-level perception measurement parameters of the second link based on different perception measurement types.

[0052] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first response frame includes a status code field, where the status code field indicates acceptance of the multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame, or,

[0053] The status code indicates partial acceptance of the multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame, and the first response frame further carries identification information of the accepted link, or,

[0054] The status code indicates rejection of the multi-link measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame, and the first response frame further carries recommended perception measurement establishment parameters, or,

[0055] The status code indicates that the perception measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame is rejected, and the first response frame does not carry the recommended perception measurement establishment parameters.

[0056] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, before sending the first request frame, the method further includes: receiving a second request frame, where the second request frame is used to indicate a request for link reconfiguration for the perception measurement session.

[0057] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving a second response frame corresponding to the second request frame.

[0058] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the second request frame carries information about the duration of a timer used to perform the link reconfiguration.

[0059] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second request frame also carries a reconfiguration link bitmap field, and the reconfiguration link bitmap field is used to indicate the identifier of the first link to be removed and the identifier of the second link requested to be reconfigured.

[0060] In a third aspect, a method for perception measurement is provided, which can be performed by a communication device or a module (for example, a chip or circuit, etc.) applied to a communication device, without limitation. For ease of description, the following description is taken as an example. The communication device can be, for example, a perception initiator or a perception responder in a multi-link perception scenario. The method may include: determining to remove a first link, where the first link is any one of multiple links of a perception measurement session; removing the first link after a timer expires, and closing the perception measurement session.

[0061] In the method of the third aspect, when a link needs to be removed, the sensing initiating device or the sensing responding device removes the link after the timer expires. This is a parallel solution to the solution of the first aspect, providing another solution for removing a link in a multi-link scenario.

[0062] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, determining to remove the first link includes: determining to remove the first link when it is determined that the first link needs to enter a power saving mode.

[0063] In this implementation, the link removal device can be a non-AP MLD (either a sensing initiator or a sensing responder). If a non-AP MLD-affiliated STA needs to enter power-saving mode, the link between the STA and the corresponding AP is removed after the STA enters power-saving mode. This implementation provides a solution for removing the corresponding link when a non-AP MLD-affiliated STA enters power-saving mode.

[0064] In a fourth aspect, a method for perception measurement is provided, which can be performed by a communication device or a module (for example, a chip or circuit, etc.) applied to a communication device, without limitation. For ease of description, the following description is given by taking a communication device as an example. The communication device can, for example, be a perception initiator in a multi-link perception scenario. The method may include: determining a link type of a first link, where the first link is a link to be removed from multiple links of a perception measurement session, and the link type includes a mandatory link, an optional link, or a redundant link; removing the first link according to the link type of the first link and the link request information when establishing the perception measurement session, wherein the link request information indicates the minimum number of links requested.

[0065] In the method of the fourth aspect, when a link needs to be removed, the perception initiating device or the perception responding device removes the link based on the link type of the link to be removed and the different circumstances under which the perception measurement session was established. The fourth aspect is a parallel solution to the first aspect. When removing a link in a multi-link scenario, in addition to the link type, the different circumstances under which the perception measurement session was established are also considered, allowing for adaptability to more complex link removal requirements or multi-link scenarios.

[0066] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, removing the first link according to the type of the first link and the link request information when establishing the perception measurement session includes: if the number of the multiple links is equal to the minimum number of links and the first link is a mandatory link or an optional link, removing the first link after the timer expires; and the method also includes: closing the perception measurement session.

[0067] In this implementation, if the number of links requested when establishing a perception measurement session is equal to the minimum number of links, this indicates that the perception measurement session has no redundant links. If the first link to be removed is a mandatory or optional link, the first link is removed after the timer expires, and the perception measurement session is closed. If the first link is a mandatory link, closing the perception measurement session prevents perception activities on other links from continuing, resulting in invalid perception result reports, as well as the air interface resource and signaling overhead and waste caused by reporting perception result reports.

[0068] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, removing the first link according to the type of the first link and the link request information when establishing the perception measurement session includes: if the number of the multiple links is equal to the minimum number of links and the first link is an optional link, removing the first link after the timer expires; and the method also includes: performing link reconfiguration before the timer expires.

[0069] In this implementation, if the number of links requested when establishing a perception measurement session is equal to the minimum number of links, this indicates that the perception measurement session has no redundant links. If the first link to be removed is an optional link, the first link is removed after the timer expires, and a new link is reconfigured before the timer expires, thereby eliminating the need to close the perception measurement session. After the new second link is reconfigured, the perception activity on the first link can be transferred to the second link and continued, and the perception measurement session is not affected by the removal of the first link. Compared to reestablishing a perception measurement session, this can also reduce air interface resource and signaling overhead.

[0070] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, removing the first link according to the type of the first link and the link request information when establishing the perception measurement session includes: if the number of the multiple links is greater than the minimum number of links and the first link is a mandatory link or an optional link, removing the first link after the timer expires; and the method also includes: closing the perception measurement session.

[0071] In this implementation, if the number of links requested when establishing a perception measurement session is greater than the minimum number of links, this indicates that there are redundant links in the perception measurement session. If the first link to be removed is an optional link, the first link is removed after the timer expires, and a new link is reconfigured before the timer expires, thereby eliminating the need to close the perception measurement session. After the new second link is reconfigured, the perception activity on the first link can be transferred to the second link and continued, and the perception measurement session is not affected by the removal of the first link. Compared to reestablishing a perception measurement session, this can also reduce the overhead of air interface resources and signaling.

[0072] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, removing the first link according to the type of the first link and the link request information when establishing the perception measurement session includes: if the number of the multiple links is greater than the minimum number of links and the first link is an optional link, removing the first link after the timer expires; and the method also includes: performing link reconfiguration before the timer expires.

[0073] In this implementation, if the number of links requested when establishing a perception measurement session exceeds the minimum number of links, this indicates that redundant links exist in the perception measurement session. If the first link to be removed is an optional link, the first link is removed after the timer expires, and a new link is reconfigured before the timer expires, eliminating the need to terminate the perception measurement session. After the new second link is reconfigured, perception activities on the first link can be transferred to the second link, and the perception measurement session is not affected by the removal of the first link.

[0074] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, removing the first link according to the type of the first link and the link request information when establishing the perception measurement session includes: if the number of the multiple links is greater than the minimum number of links and the first link is a redundant link, implicitly removing the first link after the timer expires.

[0075] In this implementation, if the number of links requested when establishing a perception measurement session exceeds the minimum number of links, this indicates that redundant links exist in the perception measurement session. If the first link to be removed is a redundant link, the first link is removed after the timer expires. The perception measurement session on other links is not affected by the removal of the first link.

[0076] In a fifth aspect, a method for perception measurement is provided, which can be performed by a communication device or a module (for example, a chip or circuit, etc.) applied to a communication device, without limitation. For ease of description, the following description is given by taking a communication device as an example. The communication device can be, for example, a perception initiator in a multi-link perception scenario. The method may include: sending first information, the first information being used to determine whether a link requested to be established for a perception measurement session includes a redundant link, the link requested to be established for the perception measurement session including at least one of a mandatory link and an optional link; and performing perception measurement establishment based on the first information.

[0077] Based on this technical solution, during the multi-link perception measurement establishment process, the perception initiator adds a redundant link indication. Based on this indication, the perception receiver can determine whether a redundant link exists in the perception measurement session. This redundant link configuration improves the reliability and flexibility of perception measurement interactions. Furthermore, it provides a basis for performing different processing based on link type when removing a link in a multi-link scenario.

[0078] In combination with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, sending the first information includes: sending a multi-link awareness measurement request frame, where the multi-link awareness measurement request frame carries the first information.

[0079] In this implementation, the first information used to determine whether there is a redundant link among the multiple links corresponding to the awareness measurement session may be carried in a multi-link awareness measurement request frame.

[0080] With reference to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the first information includes a minimum number of links field and a maximum number of links field, the minimum number of links field is used to indicate the requested minimum number of links, and the maximum number of links field is used to indicate the requested maximum number of links;

[0081] If the value of the minimum link number indicator is equal to the value of the maximum link number indicator, the link requested to be established for the perception measurement session does not include the redundant link; or

[0082] If the value of the minimum link number indicator is not equal to the value of the maximum link number indicator, the link requested to be established for the perception measurement session includes the redundant link.

[0083] In this implementation, the flexibility of establishing the perception measurement is increased by designing the minimum number of links field and the maximum number of links field. In addition, the values ​​of these two fields can implicitly indicate (or imply) whether redundant links exist.

[0084] With reference to the fifth aspect, in certain implementations of the fifth aspect, the first information includes a redundancy indication field, where the redundancy indication field is used to indicate whether the optional link in the link requested to be established for the perception measurement session is a redundant link.

[0085] In this implementation, by designing a redundancy indication field, it is possible to indicate whether the optional link corresponding to the perception measurement session is a redundant link, and whether the perception measurement session has a redundant link, thereby increasing the flexibility of establishing the perception measurement.

[0086] In a sixth aspect, a communications device is provided, comprising a module or unit for executing the method of any one of the first to fifth aspects, or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects. The device may be a network device or a terminal device, or a module (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit) of the network device or terminal device. Optionally, the network device or terminal device is an MLD device. For example, the network device is an AP MLD, and the terminal device is a non-AP MLD.

[0087] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor coupled to a memory, and configured to execute the method of any one of aspects 1 to 5. In one possible implementation, the communication device further comprises a memory. In another possible implementation, the communication device further comprises a communication interface, and the processor, the memory, and the communication interface are coupled.

[0088] In one implementation, the communication device is a network device or a terminal device. When the communication device is a network device or a terminal device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, and the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit. In another implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. In this implementation, the communication interface may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuits on the chip or chip system. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit, an integrated circuit, or a logic circuit.

[0089] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: an input circuit, a processing circuit, and an output circuit. The processing circuit can receive a signal via the input circuit and perform the relevant processing and / or operations of the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 5 or any possible implementation thereof; and can also transmit a signal via the output circuit.

[0090] In the specific implementation process, the above-mentioned communication device can be a chip, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, and various logic circuits. The signal received by the input circuit may include but is not limited to being received and input by a receiver, and the output signal of the output circuit may include but is not limited to outputting the signal to a transmitter and transmitting the signal by the transmitter. In addition, the input circuit and the output circuit can be different circuits or the same circuit. In this case, the circuit is used as an input circuit and an output circuit respectively at different times. The input circuit and / or the output circuit can also be referred to as an interface circuit. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation methods of the processor and various circuits.

[0091] In the ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when executed, enables a computer to execute a method in any one of the first to fifth aspects, or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects.

[0092] In the tenth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions) which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method of any aspect of the first to fifth aspects above, or any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0093] In the eleventh aspect, a chip (or chip system) is provided, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program from the memory, so that a communication device equipped with the chip (or chip system) executes the method of any aspect of the first to fifth aspects above, or any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0094] The chip system may include an input circuit or interface for sending information and / or data, and an output circuit or interface for receiving information and / or data. The input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, for example, an interface circuit.

[0095] In the twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising at least one of the above-mentioned perception initiating end and perception responding end. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0096] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the action field of the perception measurement request frame.

[0097] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the elements of the perception measurement parameters.

[0098] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a perception measurement parameter field in a perception measurement parameter element.

[0099] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the action field of the perception measurement response frame.

[0100] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a communication system of an MLD and its affiliated STAs.

[0101] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a frame structure of a multi-link element.

[0102] FIG7 is a schematic flowchart of multi-link perception.

[0103] FIG8 is a schematic flowchart of a method for perceptual measurement provided in this application.

[0104] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of the action domain of the perception measurement termination frame provided in this application.

[0105] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of the control field of the measurement session termination frame provided by this application.

[0106] FIG11 is a schematic flowchart of another method for perceptual measurement provided in this application.

[0107] FIG12 is a schematic flowchart of another method for perceptual measurement provided in this application.

[0108] FIG13 is an example of an improved multi-link awareness measurement request frame provided in this application.

[0109] FIG14 is another example of the improved multi-link awareness measurement request frame provided by the present application.

[0110] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of the newly designed multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration request frame provided in this application.

[0111] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of the newly designed multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration response frame provided in this application.

[0112] FIG17 is a schematic interaction diagram of the link reconfiguration process initiated by the perception initiator.

[0113] Figure 18 is a schematic interactive diagram of the link reconfiguration process in which the perception responder requests link reconfiguration.

[0114] FIG19 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of the link reconfiguration request frame provided in this application.

[0115] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of the link reconfiguration response frame provided in this application.

[0116] FIG21 is a schematic interactive diagram of another method for perceptual measurement provided in this application.

[0117] FIG22 is an example of a multi-link awareness measurement request frame carrying first information.

[0118] FIG23 is another example of a multi-link awareness measurement request frame carrying first information.

[0119] FIG24 is another example of a multi-link awareness measurement request frame carrying the first information.

[0120] FIG25 is a schematic structural diagram of the communication device provided in this application.

[0121] FIG26 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in this application.

[0122] FIG27 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0123] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0124] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solution of this application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies or concepts is first given.

[0125] IEEE 802.11bf is a next-generation wireless standard for WLAN sensing. WLAN sensing is the process by which a WLAN-aware device uses received wireless signals in a given environment to determine the characteristics of a target (such as an object, animal, or person). These characteristics include distance, location, speed, motion, and behavior.

[0126] The existing IEEE 802.11bf standard involves four roles:

[0127] Sensing initiator: the device that initiates the sensing behavior;

[0128] Sensing responder: A device that responds to the sensing behavior initiated by the sensing initiator and participates in the sensing behavior;

[0129] Sensing transmitter (TX): The device that sends sensing PPDUs.

[0130] Sensing receiver (RX): A device that receives the sensing physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU).

[0131] The current IEEE 802.11bf standard is based on a single link and presents perception measurements in the form of sessions. The perception measurement process includes: perception capability interaction, perception measurement establishment, perception measurement exchange, and perception measurement shutdown.

[0132] The process of establishing perception measurement includes:

[0133] (1) The sensing initiator sends a sensing measurement request frame to the sensing responder to initiate sensing measurement establishment and set sensing measurement parameters, sensing type (trigger based, TB / non-TB, sending by proxy, SBP), and corresponding sensing measurement parameters. The sensing measurement request frame action field format is shown in Figure 1. The fields and elements contained in the sensing measurement parameters element are shown in Figure 2. The sensing measurement parameters field in the sensing measurement parameters element is shown in Figure 3.

[0134] The sensing measurement parameter element may carry different sensing sub-elements, which may be a TB sensing specific subelement, a Non-TB sensing specific subelement, and an SBP specific subelement.

[0135] (2) After receiving the sensing measurement establishment request frame, the sensing responder sends a sensing measurement response frame to establish the sensing. The action field format of the sensing measurement response frame is shown in Figure 4. In addition, the sensing measurement response frame follows the following rules:

[0136] If the sensing responder accepts the sensing measurement parameters element requested in the sensing measurement setup request frame, the status code in the sensing measurement setup response frame is set to success; or

[0137] If the perception responder rejects the perception measurement parameter element requested in the perception measurement setup request frame, but it provides recommended perception measurement setup parameters in the perception measurement setup response frame, the status code is set to rejected_with_suggested_changes; or,

[0138] If the perception responder rejects the perception measurement parameter element requested in the perception measurement setup request frame and does not provide recommended perception measurement setup parameters, the status code is set to request_declined.

[0139] After the sensing measurement is established, the sensing initiator initiates one or more sensing measurement exchanges based on its own needs, according to the sensing measurement parameters (or operational parameters of sensing measurement) negotiated during the sensing measurement establishment process. A sensing measurement exchange can be divided into two forms: trigger-based sensing measurement exchange (TB sensing measurement exchange) and non-trigger-based sensing measurement exchange (Non-TB sensing measurement exchange). Among them, the trigger-based sensing measurement instance is initiated by the AP as the sensing initiator, and the non-trigger-based sensing measurement instance is initiated by the non-AP STA as the sensing initiator.

[0140] Perception measurement closure includes explicit closure and implicit closure:

[0141] 1. Explicit Close: Either the sensing initiator or the sensing responder sends a sensing measurement termination frame to terminate the sensing measurement session.

[0142] 2. Implicit close: The perception initiator or the perception responder closes the perception measurement session without sending a perception measurement termination frame. This means that the perception measurement session is closed without sending frames for interaction. Alternatively, any method of closing a perception measurement session other than explicitly closing the perception measurement session is considered implicit close. As an example, the perception initiator sets a measurement session expiry timer during the perception establishment process. If no frame interaction is detected within the timer's duration, the perception measurement session is implicitly closed.

[0143] Currently, 802.11bf's awareness is primarily focused on single-link scenarios. IEEE 802.11be (also known as Wi-Fi 7) introduces multi-link features. As Wi-Fi 7 becomes more common, more multi-link devices (MLDs) will emerge.

[0144] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the communication system between an MLD and its affiliated STAs. As shown in Figure 5, an MLD can include one or more affiliated STAs, each with its own MAC address (MAC addr). Affiliated STAs have multiple lower MAC addresses, while the MLD has an upper MAC address.

[0145] MLD can establish multiple links simultaneously. If different links can transmit and receive simultaneously (for example, two links, one transmitting and one receiving), this mode is called simultaneous transmit and receive (STR). If multiple links can only transmit or receive simultaneously (for example, two links must transmit or receive simultaneously), this mode is called non-simultaneous transmit and receive (NSTR).

[0146] MLD STAs should inform other STAs in the MLD of their multi-link capabilities and information by including the Basic variant Multi-Link element in certain management frames they transmit. The Multi-link element can be carried in beacon frames, multi-link probe response frames, and (re)association response frames sent by the AP, as well as in probe request frames and (re)association request frames sent by STAs. The structure of the Multi-link element is shown in Figure 6.

[0147] In a multi-link scenario, when AP MLD and Non-AP MLD perform multi-link perception, if AP MLD needs to remove, delete, or disable a link, or Non-AP MLD needs to remove, delete, or disable a link, or an affiliated STA of Non-AP MLD enters power save mode, it may affect the perception measurement or perception results. The technical solution provided in this application can be used in these scenarios.

[0148] 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, 802.11bn standards / UHR standards, 802.11ad standards, 802.11ay standards, ultra wide band (UWB) standards 802.15 series standards, and 802.11bf series standards.

[0149] The technical solution of this application is introduced below.

[0150] The technical solution of this application is mainly aimed at the scenario of MLD performing multi-link perception in WLAN perception.

[0151] Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of multi-link sensing. The three main processes involved in the embodiment of the application include a multi-link sensing measurement session, a multi-link sensing measurement exchange, and a multi-link sensing measurement session termination.

[0152] In an embodiment of the present application, during the perception measurement establishment process, the number of links actually established is allowed to exceed the minimum number of links requested, that is, the existence of redundant links is allowed to increase the reliability of the perception measurement interaction. During the perception measurement interaction process, if the perception initiator or the perception responder wants to remove one or more links, the embodiment of the present application provides a corresponding solution. In addition, the multi-link perception measurement shutdown involved in the embodiment of the present application can include the implicit shutdown of the link and the implicit shutdown of the perception measurement session, as detailed in the embodiments below.

[0153] The names of frames (such as request frames, response frames, etc.), messages / information, fields, etc. involved in the various embodiments of this application are for the purpose of clearly describing the technical solutions. These names should not constitute any limitation on the essence of the technical solutions, but rather on the actual roles or functions played by these frames, messages / information, fields, etc. in the various embodiments. The names of frames, messages / information, fields, etc. involved in the various embodiments of this document are only for example. In future communication systems (such as 6G, or other short-range communication systems), these frames, messages / information, fields, etc. may have other names.

[0154] Solution 1

[0155] See FIG8 , which is a schematic flowchart of a method for perception measurement provided in this application.

[0156] 210. The multi-link device determines a link type of a first link, where the first link is a link to be removed from multiple links corresponding to the perception measurement session. The link type includes a mandatory link, an optional link, or a redundant link.

[0157] A mandatory link is a link that is essential or must be used for a perception measurement session. An optional link is a link that is required but not required for a perception measurement session. A redundant link is a backup link for a mandatory link or an optional link.

[0158] For example, a perception measurement session in a certain application scenario requires perception data on two links. Link 1 is mandatory, while the other link is optional. Assume that three links are established during the perception measurement setup phase: Link 1, which is mandatory, and Links 2 and 3. Of these three links, Link 1 is mandatory, while Link 2 or Link 3 is optional. If one of Links 2 or 3 is optional, the other is redundant. For example, if Link 2 is optional, Link 3 is redundant. Alternatively, if Link 3 is optional, Link 2 is redundant.

[0159] The redundant link is a link proposed in this application for improving the reliability of perception measurement interaction. In one possible scenario, if an optional link needs to be removed, the redundant link can take over as a new optional link.

[0160] The first link, second link, etc. described in the embodiments of the present application may be one or more. For example, removing a first link may be removing one or more first links, and reconfiguring a second link may be reconfiguring one or more second links, without limitation.

[0161] The term "plurality" in the embodiments of the present application includes two or more.

[0162] 220. The multi-link device removes the first link according to the link type of the first link.

[0163] In the present application, the expression "removing" a link can also be replaced by "closing" a link or "disabling" a link, etc., wherein, after removing or closing a link, the link no longer exists and the parameter configuration related to the link no longer exists. Disabling a link means that the link is no longer used, but the parameter configuration related to the link still exists. Exemplarily, an AP MLD can remove, delete or disable one or more links. A Non-AP MLD can remove, delete or disable one or more links. For example, if a subordinate STA of a Non-AP MLD enters a power saving mode, the link established between the subordinate STA and the AP is closed after the subordinate STA enters a power saving mode.

[0164] Depending on the link type of the first link, removing the first link may include the following situations:

[0165] In one possible scenario, the first link is a mandatory link. In this case, the multi-link device removes the first link after the timer expires. Furthermore, because the mandatory link is removed, the multi-link device may also close the awareness measurement session. For example, this may be done explicitly or implicitly, without limitation.

[0166] In another possible scenario, the first link is an optional link. In this case, one implementation is for the multi-link device to remove the first link after the timer expires, implicitly closing the awareness measurement session. Another implementation is for the multi-link device to remove the first link after the timer expires and perform link reconfiguration before the timer expires. Link reconfiguration establishes a new optional link to continue awareness measurements. The link reconfiguration process is described in detail below.

[0167] In addition, “after the timer expires” in each embodiment can be understood to include when the timer expires, when the timer times out, or when the timer duration ends.

[0168] In addition, if the multi-link device in method 200 is an AP MLD (which can be a perception initiator or a perception responder), the timer in method 200 can be an AP remover timer (AP remover timer) on the AP-MLD side, or a newly added timer for removing a link. If the multi-link device in method 200 is a non-AP MLD (which can be a perception initiator or a perception responder), the timer in method 200 can be a newly added timer for removing a link on the non-AP MLD side. In addition, the timer can also be a set default timer, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0169] In another possible case, the first link is a redundant link. In this case, the multi-link device may remove the first link after the timer expires.

[0170] The above method 200 is applicable to both the perception initiator and the perception responder. For example, the method 200 can be executed by an AP MLD or a non-AP MLD. Accordingly, the multi-link device in the method 200 can be an AP MLD or a non-AP MLD.

[0171] This applies to both AP MLD and non-AP MLD.

[0172] For example, if the AP MLD wants to remove the first link, after announcing the removal of the first link in a beacon frame, the AP MLD performs corresponding operations based on the type of the first link. For another example, if the first link to be removed is a mandatory link, the AP MLD automatically shuts down the first link after the timer expires. In addition, the AP MLD shuts down (for example, implicitly shuts down) the perception measurement session. If the first link to be removed is an optional link of the perception measurement session, the AP MLD can have the following two behaviors: the AP MLD shuts down the first link and the perception measurement session after the timer expires; or the AP MLD reconfigures a new second link in the current perception measurement session so that the perception measurement session continues. The process of reconfiguring the second link must be completed before the timer expires. For another example, if the first link to be removed is a redundant link of the perception measurement session, the AP MLD removes the redundant link after the timer expires, and the perception interaction on other links is not affected. Optionally, the beacon frame sent by the AP MLD can carry a timer, or the beacon frame does not carry a timer. In this case, the timer can be a set default duration. In another example, if an AP MLD establishes the same perception measurement session with multiple non-AP MLDs, and at least one of the multiple links established between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLDs is removed, deleted, or deactivated, then after the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD whose link was closed close the perception measurement session, the AP MLD needs to send a perception measurement termination frame to the remaining non-AP MLDs that have not closed their links, explicitly notifying them of the termination of the perception measurement session. The perception measurement termination frame can reuse the 11bf frame structure, as shown in Figures 9 and 10. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the action field frame structure of the perception measurement termination frame. Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the control field frame structure of the perception measurement termination frame.

[0173] Non-AP MLD can also remove, delete, or deactivate links. For example, if a first link established between a subordinate STA of the Non-AP MLD and an AP enters power-saving mode or low-power mode, or if the Non-AP MLD removes the first link for other reasons, the Non-AP MLD performs corresponding operations based on the link type of the first link to be removed. For example, if the first link to be removed is a required link for a perception measurement session, the first link is shut down after the subordinate STA enters power-saving mode, and the perception measurement session is also closed (e.g., implicitly or explicitly). If the first link is an optional link for the perception measurement session, the Non-AP MLD can have the following two behaviors: the first link is automatically shut down after the subordinate STA of the Non-AP MLD enters power-saving mode, and since the optional link is also required for the perception measurement session, the Non-AP MLD also closes (e.g., implicitly) the perception measurement session. Alternatively, the Non-AP MLD reconfigures a new second link in the current perception measurement session. The process of establishing the second link must be completed before the timer expires. When the timer expires, the first link is automatically shut down. If the first link to be removed is a redundant link, the Non-AP MLD removes the first link after the timer expires, and the perception interaction of other links is not affected.

[0174] In the embodiment of the present application, there is no limitation on the reasons why a multi-link device removes a link, and the reasons may include but are not limited to: the perception result of a certain link is not what the multi-link device expects, the switching of the perception scenario, a subordinate STA of a non-AP MLD needs to enter a power saving mode and the link between the subordinate STA and the AP needs to be removed, other business requirements, and interference in the environment, etc.

[0175] The above method 200 is a solution for removing a link in a multi-link scenario provided by this application. Another solution is provided below and will be described in conjunction with FIG3 .

[0176] Option 2

[0177] FIG11 is a schematic flowchart of another method for perceptual measurement provided in this application.

[0178] 310. The multi-link device determines a link type of a first link.

[0179] For step 310, please refer to the description of step 210 above, which will not be described in detail.

[0180] 320. The multi-link device removes the first link according to the link type of the first link and the link request information when establishing the awareness measurement session, wherein the link request information indicates the minimum number of links requested.

[0181] In method 300, the multi-link device performs the relevant operations for removing the first link based on the link type of the first link and the link request information when establishing the awareness measurement session. Specifically, the multi-link device first determines whether the number of links in the awareness measurement session is equal to or greater than the minimum number of links requested when establishing the awareness measurement session. It then further performs the relevant operations for removing the first link based on the link type of the first link to be removed. In summary, there are two possible scenarios.

[0182] Case 1

[0183] If the number of links of the awareness measurement session is equal to the minimum number of links requested when establishing the awareness measurement session, the multi-link device may further implement the following based on the link type of the first link:

[0184] 1. If the first link is a mandatory link for the perception measurement session, the multi-link device removes the first link after a timer expires. In addition, because the first link is a mandatory link, the multi-link device closes the perception measurement session after the timer expires, for example, implicitly or explicitly.

[0185] 2. If the first link is an optional link for the perception measurement session, the multi-link device can be implemented in the following two ways:

[0186] (1) The multi-link device shuts down the first link after the timer expires. Furthermore, since the shut-down first link is an optional link but is also a required link for the awareness measurement session, the awareness measurement session may also be shut down after the timer expires, for example, implicitly or explicitly.

[0187] (2) The multi-link device performs link reconfiguration. Specifically, the multi-link device re-establishes a new link (e.g., a second link) in the current perception measurement session so that perception measurements can continue on the second link. The second link establishment process must be completed before or when the timer expires.

[0188] In each embodiment of the present application, "performing link reconfiguration" refers to executing or completing the entire process of link reconfiguration.

[0189] Case 2

[0190] If the number of links in the awareness measurement session is greater than the minimum number of links requested when establishing the awareness measurement session, the multi-link device may include the following possible implementations:

[0191] 1. If the first link is a mandatory link for the perception measurement session, the multi-link device shuts down the first link after the timer expires. In addition, because the shut-down first link is a mandatory link, the multi-link device also shuts down the perception measurement session, for example, implicitly or explicitly.

[0192] 2. If the first link is an optional link for the perception measurement session, the multi-link device may include the following two implementations:

[0193] (1) The multi-link device closes the first link after the timer expires, and also closes the perception measurement session.

[0194] (2) The multi-link device reconfigures a new link before the timer expires and shuts down the first link after the timer expires. In this implementation, after the new link configuration is completed, the perception measurement session can continue on the reconfigured new link.

[0195] 3. If the first link is a redundant link for the awareness measurement session, the multi-link device shuts down the first link after the timer expires. In other words, it shuts down the awareness measurement session on the first link, and the awareness measurement session operates normally on other links.

[0196] It can be seen that in some of the above implementations, for example, when the first link to be removed is an optional link and the multi-link device performs link reconfiguration before the timer expires, or when the first link is a redundant link, the multi-link device removes the first link but does not close the perception measurement session.

[0197] In addition, if the first link to be removed is a redundant link, after the redundant link is closed, the perception measurement interaction continues on other links without being affected, and the perception measurement session continues. In the case where the first link to be removed is a mandatory link, the multi-link device closes the first link and the perception measurement session after the timer expires, which can avoid invalid perception reports on other links other than the first link, and also avoid unnecessary air interface occupation and resource waste caused by continued perception interaction on other links. In addition, in the case where an optional link is removed, the multi-link device can choose to reconfigure the link to ensure that the current perception continues.

[0198] The above method 300 is applicable to both the perception initiator and the perception responder. For example, the method 300 can be executed by an AP MLD or a non-AP MLD. Accordingly, the multi-link device in the method 300 can be an AP MLD or a non-AP MLD.

[0199] In addition, a solution for removing a link in a multi-link scenario is also provided, such as Solution 3 below.

[0200] Option 3

[0201] In Solution 3, if the multi-link device determines to remove the first link, it removes the first link after the timer expires and closes the awareness measurement session. The first link is any one of the multiple links in the awareness measurement session. The awareness measurement session can be closed implicitly or explicitly, without limitation.

[0202] Similarly, solution 3 is applicable to both AP MLD and non-AP MLD. For example, after AP MLD announces in the beacon frame that it will remove the first link, it closes the first link after the timer expires. In addition, the perception measurement session is closed. The timer can be set by default, or it can be carried in the beacon frame of AP MLD. For another example, a subordinate STA of non-AP MLD enters power saving mode (power save mode), or sleep mode, after which the first link established between the subordinate STA and the AP is automatically closed, and the perception measurement session is also closed (for example, implicitly closed or explicitly closed). In addition, optionally, before the subordinate STA enters power saving mode, non-AP MLD initiates a request for link reconfiguration in the current perception measurement session. The reconfiguration of the new link is completed before the timer expires. Optionally, the timer can be carried in a message for requesting link reconfiguration, or the timer can be a set default duration.

[0203] In some implementations of the above-mentioned solutions 1 to 3, the multi-link device can perform link reconfiguration before the timer expires, for example, reconfigure the second link, so that after the configuration of the second link is completed, the perception measurement interaction on the removed first link can be transferred to the newly configured second link to ensure continuous perception.

[0204] The link reconfiguration process is described in detail below in Solution 4. The embodiments of link reconfiguration before a timer expires in Solutions 1 through 3 above can be used in conjunction with the embodiments in Solution 4 below. For example, in Solution 1, if the AP MLD determines that the first link to be removed is an optional link, one possible option is to reconfigure the second link before the timer expires. After announcing the removal of the first link, the AP MLD can execute method 500 in Solution 4 below. In this implementation, the sensing initiator in method 500 is the AP MLD.

[0205] Option 4

[0206] FIG12 is a schematic flowchart of another method for perceptual measurement provided in this application.

[0207] 510. The perception initiating device sends a first request frame, where the first request frame is used to request reconfiguration of a second link of the perception measurement session.

[0208] The first request frame carries information about the second link, and the information about the second link includes an identifier of the second link and perception measurement parameters of the second link. The perception measurement parameters of the second link may include one or more parameters shown in FIG15 below.

[0209] In the embodiment of the present application, the first request frame for requesting link reconfiguration can be implemented in multiple ways.

[0210] In one implementation, the first request frame may be a multi-link awareness measurement request frame, which carries information about the second link.

[0211] 1. Multi-link awareness measurement request frame.

[0212] As an example, a multi-link sensing measurement request frame includes a multi-link sensing measurement parameter element and a multi-link control field. The multi-link control field includes a type field, and the type field is used to indicate that the multi-link sensing measurement parameter element is a reconfigured multi-link sensing measurement parameter element or a basic sensing measurement parameter element. In the case where the multi-link sensing measurement request frame is used to request configuration of a second link, the type field indicates that the multi-link sensing measurement parameter element is a reconfigured multi-link sensing measurement parameter element. Among them, the multi-link sensing measurement parameter element carries information of the second link. Therefore, the multi-link sensing measurement parameter element can be regarded as a variant of the multi-link sensing measurement parameter element (for example, it can be expressed as Multi-link sensing measurement parameters element variant). The variant is indicated as a basic multi-link sensing measurement parameter element or a reconfigured multi-link sensing measurement parameter element based on the type field, as shown in Table 1.

[0213] As an example, the encoding method of the type field is shown in Table 1.

[0214] Table 1

[0215] It should be understood that the value of the type field in Table 1 is only an example, and those skilled in the art may also indicate whether the multi-link awareness measurement parameter element is basic or reconfigured in other ways.

[0216] It should be noted that the basic multi-link perception measurement parameter element means that the multi-link perception measurement parameter element includes all perception measurement parameters required for perception measurement (or called operational parameters of perception measurement), that is, including device-level parameters and link-level parameters.

[0217] In addition, the multi-link control field also includes a first field, which is used to indicate whether the multi-link sensing measurement request frame includes a link change bitmap. The link change bitmap is used to determine the first link to be removed and the second link requested to be reconfigured. Exemplarily, the first field can be a presence bitmap field. As an example, the link change bitmap field is used to indicate the changed link ID, such as the link ID to be removed and the link ID requested to be reconfigured. The link change bitmap field only exists when the multi-link sensing measurement request frame carries a reconfiguration multi-link sensing measurement parameters element.

[0218] In one implementation, the link change bitmap field may be included in the reconfigured multi-link perception measurement parameter element, and the multi-link control field includes a presence bitmap field, which indicates whether the link change bitmap exists, as shown in Figure 13. In another implementation, the reconfigured multi-link perception measurement parameter element carries information about the second link, for example, carried in the perception link information field shown in Figure 14. In addition, the multi-link control field includes a type field and a presence bitmap field. In addition, in Figure 13, the reconfigured multi-link perception parameter element may specifically carry link-level information of the second link based on different perception measurement types, and optionally, may also carry device-level information based on different perception measurement types, without limitation. As an example, the link-level information may include one or more of the parameters included in the "per perception link profile" shown in Figure 15 below. Optionally, the "per perception link profile" in Figure 15 may also be replaced with "per link profile (per-link profile)" or per-STA profile (per-STA profile), without limitation.

[0219] In the two frame structure designs shown in Figures 13 and 14, the multi-link perception measurement request frame also includes a multi-link perception sub-element, which carries the perception measurement parameters of the link level of the second link based on different perception measurement types. Optionally, it can also carry information based on different perception measurement types at the multi-link device level. Carrying only link-level information can reduce overhead. In addition, carrying link-level information and MLD-level information can also reduce overhead compared to establishing a new perception measurement session after removing the link in the prior art. Among them, the perception measurement type can include a TB perception measurement type, a non-TB perception measurement type, or a proxy perception (SBP) type, etc.

[0220] In another implementation, the present application provides a newly designed request frame and a response frame for link reconfiguration, which are respectively referred to as a multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration request frame and a multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration response frame in the embodiments of the present application.

[0221] 2. Multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration request frame and multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration response frame.

[0222] As an example, the frame structure of a multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration request frame is shown in Figure 15. As shown in Figure 15, the multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration request frame includes a sensing measurement session ID indication field, which is used to indicate the sensing measurement session corresponding to the second link requested to be reconfigured. In addition, the multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration request frame also includes a multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration parameter element. The multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration parameter element carries link information of the second link. In addition, in Figure 15, the multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration parameter element can carry link-level information of the second link based on different sensing measurement types, and optionally, it can also carry device-level information based on different sensing measurement types, without limitation. In one example, the link information includes a sensing sub-element. In another example, the sensing sub-element can be directly carried in the multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration parameter element. Among them, the sensing sub-element can include link-level parameters based on different sensing measurement types, or the sensing sub-element includes link-level parameters based on different sensing measurement types and MLD-level parameters, without limitation. As an example, the link-level parameters included in the perception sub-element may include one or more parameters as shown in FIG. 15 , without limitation.

[0223] As an example, the frame structure of the multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration response frame is shown in Figure 16. As shown in Figure 16, the multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration response frame carries a measurement session ID indication field and a multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration parameter element.

[0224] 520. The perception initiating device receives a response frame to the first request frame.

[0225] The response frame to the first request frame is hereinafter referred to as the first response frame. The first response frame includes a status code field. The perception response frame establishes parameters based on whether the perception measurement requested in the first request frame is accepted. The status code field may include the following:

[0226] The status code field indicates that the multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame is accepted; or,

[0227] The status code indicates that the multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame is partially accepted, and the first response frame carries identification information of the link accepted by the sensing responder, or,

[0228] The status code indicates that the multilink perception measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame is partially rejected, and the first response frame carries the perception measurement establishment parameters recommended by the perception response end, or,

[0229] The status code indicates that the multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame is rejected, and the first response frame does not carry the recommended awareness measurement establishment parameters.

[0230] In the case where the status code field indicates the first two possibilities mentioned above, the establishment of the perception measurement is completed, and the configuration of the perception measurement parameters (or operational parameters of the perception measurement) of the second link is completed.

[0231] Optionally, if the first request frame is the improved multi-link sensing measurement request frame described above, the status code field is carried in a corresponding multi-link sensing measurement response frame. If the first request frame is the newly designed multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration request frame in FIG15 , the first response frame is a multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration response frame, and the status code field can be carried in the multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration parameter element of the multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration response frame, or can be carried in other locations without limitation.

[0232] In the embodiments involving link reconfiguration in the above solutions, the process of reconfiguring a new link must be completed before the timer expires.

[0233] Figure 17 is a schematic interactive flow chart of the link reconfiguration process initiated by the perception initiator. Take the AP MLD as the perception initiator and the non-AP MLD as the perception responder as an example. After the AP MLD announces in the beacon frame that it will remove the first link, it sends a multi-link perception measurement reconfiguration request frame. The beacon frame carries a timer, which can be an AP removal timer (e.g., an AP removal timer) as an example. The non-AP MLD replies to the AP MLD with a multi-link perception measurement reconfiguration response frame. The process of reconfiguring the second link must be completed before the AP removal timer expires.

[0234] It should be understood that FIG17 takes the newly designed multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration request frame and the multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration response frame as an example. Obviously, the above-mentioned multi-link awareness measurement request frame and its corresponding multi-link awareness measurement response frame can also be used to configure the second link, such as the frame shown in the dotted box in FIG17. In this case, the interaction behavior of AP MLD and non-AP MLD is similar and will not be repeated here.

[0235] In Figure 17 above, the AP MLD is used as the sensing initiator, the non-AP MLD is used as the sensing responder, and the AP MLD initiates a link reconfiguration request. Again, the link reconfiguration request is initiated by the sensing initiator. The following example, combined with Figure 18, shows an example in which the non-AP MLD, acting as the sensing responder, initiates a link reconfiguration request.

[0236] FIG18 is a schematic interactive diagram of the link reconfiguration process in which the perception responder requests link reconfiguration.

[0237] For example, the non-AP MLD sends a link reconfiguration request frame, which may include fields such as a timer, the link ID of the first link to be removed, and a recommended link ID (e.g., a reconfiguration link ID). The link reconfiguration request frame notifies the AP MLD that the first link will be shut down after the timer expires and requests link reconfiguration. Based on the link reconfiguration request frame, the AP MLD responds with a link reconfiguration response frame to the non-AP MLD. Optionally, in another implementation, the link reconfiguration request frame may not include a timer, and the timer duration may be set to a default value, such as 20ms. The link reconfiguration response frame indicates whether the AP MLD accepts the link reconfiguration request. If the AP MLD accepts the request, it initiates link reconfiguration. The process for the AP MLD to initiate link reconfiguration can be seen in the corresponding description in Figure 17 and will not be further described.

[0238] The link reconfiguration request frame in this embodiment is an example of the second request frame in this application, and the link reconfiguration response frame is an example of the second response frame.

[0239] In addition, the present application also provides the frame structure design of the above-mentioned link reconfiguration request frame and link reconfiguration response frame, which is explained below in conjunction with Figures 19 and 20.

[0240] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of a link reconfiguration request frame. The link reconfiguration request frame carries a link expiry exponent field, which is used to indicate the expiration time of the first link or the expiration time for link reconfiguration. The process of reconfiguring the link is completed before the expiration time indicated by the link expiry index, or at the latest when the expiration time expires. The first link is closed after the expiration time indicated by the link expiry index expires. In addition, optionally, the link reconfiguration request frame also carries a reconfiguration link bitmap field, which is used to indicate the link to be removed and the recommended link. As an example, the position of the link ID to be removed is set to 0, and the position of the recommended link ID is set to 1.

[0241] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of a link reconfiguration response frame. As shown in Figure 20, the link reconfiguration response frame may include a status code field, which is used to indicate whether the AP MLD agrees to perform link reconfiguration. Exemplarily, the status code field of the link reconfiguration response frame may indicate two states: success and request_declined. Success indicates agreement to perform link reconfiguration, while request_declined indicates refusal to perform link reconfiguration. Furthermore, the link reconfiguration response frame may also include a reconfiguration link field, which is used to indicate the link to be reconfigured. In another implementation, the link reconfiguration response frame may not carry the status code field. In this case, the link reconfiguration response frame is used to indicate an acknowledgment (ACK) of the link reconfiguration request frame or to indicate receipt of the link reconfiguration request frame. In another implementation, the interaction process shown in Figure 16 may not involve a link reconfiguration response frame. That is, after the sensing responder sends a link reconfiguration request frame, the sensing initiator directly sends a multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration request frame. The sensing responder then replies with a multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration response frame to the sensing initiator. If the link reconfiguration process does not include a link reconfiguration response frame, the link reconfiguration request frame does not include a dialog token field.

[0242] In another implementation, removing a first link and requesting reconfiguration of a second link can also be considered a request to replace the first link with the second link. In this case, the reconfigured link field is used to indicate the link to be replaced and the link to be reconfigured. As an example, the reconfigured link field can be a bitmap, with the position of the link ID to be replaced set to 0 and the position of the link ID to be reconfigured set to 1.

[0243] During the link reconfiguration process, one or more links can be shut down, and one or more links can be reconfigured, without limitation. Specifically, if the number of shut down links equals the number of reconfigured links, this can be considered a link replacement. For example, shutting down a first link and reconfiguring a second link replaces the first link with the second link.

[0244] As described above, TB sensing measurement interactions are initiated by the AP as the sensing initiator, while non-TB sensing measurement interactions are initiated by non-AP STAs as the sensing initiators. The sensing measurement interaction processes described in Schemes 1 to 4 above apply not only to TB sensing measurement processes but also to non-TB sensing measurement processes.

[0245] Specifically, the process of closing the link and the perception measurement session, the design of the relevant frame structure, and the process of reconfiguring the link in the above solutions 1 to 4 are also applicable to the non-TB perception measurement process. Specifically, it may include:

[0246] 1. For TB-aware measurement procedures, link reconfiguration can occur either after or before the AP MLD announces link removal, as long as the removal of the first link and the reconfiguration of the second link are completed before the timer expires. For non-TB-aware measurement procedures, link reconfiguration can occur after the non-AP MLD receives a beacon frame from the AP MLD announcing the closure of the first link. Similarly, the reconfiguration of the second link must be completed before the timer expires.

[0247] 2. During link reconfiguration, in the TB sensing measurement process, the elements carried by the sensing sub-element in the frame structure are elements for the TB sensing interaction process, while in the non-TB sensing measurement process, the sensing sub-element carries elements for the non-TB sensing interaction process, such as non-TB sensing specific subelement.

[0248] 3. Regarding the link reconfiguration process, in the aforementioned TB-aware measurement interaction, if a non-AP STA needs to remove a link and request link reconfiguration, the non-AP STA needs to send a link reconfiguration request frame to the AP MLD. However, in non-TB-aware measurement interactions, the non-AP STA does not need to send a link reconfiguration request frame and can directly initiate link reconfiguration. The link reconfiguration process is completed before the non-AP is deleted or deactivated, or before the attached STA enters power saving mode.

[0249] The above describes in detail the process of removing a link in a multi-link scenario, as well as the process of reconfiguring a link while removing a link. In the above embodiments, this application proposes the concept of redundant links. Based on this, this application also provides an improved multi-link perception measurement request frame to add redundant link settings during the multi-link perception measurement establishment phase, thereby improving the reliability of perception measurement interaction and the flexibility of perception measurement establishment. This is described below in Solution 5.

[0250] Option 5

[0251] FIG21 is a schematic flowchart of a method for perceptual measurement provided in this application.

[0252] 610. The perception initiating device sends first information, where the first information is used to determine whether the link requested to be established for the perception measurement session includes a redundant link, wherein the link requested to be established for the perception measurement session includes at least one of a mandatory link and an optional link, and the redundant link is a backup link of the mandatory link or the optional link.

[0253] 620. The perception initiating device establishes perception measurement based on the first information.

[0254] In one implementation, the first information may be carried in a multi-link awareness measurement request frame.

[0255] For example, a multi-link awareness measurement request frame includes a minimum number of links field and a maximum number of links field. The minimum number of links field is used to indicate the requested minimum number of links, and the maximum number of links field is used to indicate the requested maximum number of links. If the values ​​indicated by the minimum number of links and the maximum number of links are equal, the links requested for the awareness measurement session do not include redundant links. If the values ​​indicated by the minimum number of links and the maximum number of links are unequal, the links requested for the awareness measurement session include redundant links.

[0256] Figure 22 is an example of a multi-link perception measurement request frame carrying the first information. As shown in Figure 22, the minimum link number field and the maximum link number field are carried in the sensing link common information (sensing link common information) of the multi-link perception measurement request frame. Among them, the perception link common information indicates the parameter information shared by the links established for perception measurement. The mandatory link bitmap is used to indicate the links that must be used for perception measurement, that is, to indicate the mandatory links in the embodiment of the present application. The number of requested links is used to indicate the number of links required for perception measurement. The recommended link report bitmap indicates the link recommended for sending the perception measurement report in the perception measurement interaction.

[0257] Figure 23 shows another example of a multi-link sensing measurement request frame carrying the first information. As shown in Figure 23, the minimum number of links field is carried in the sensing link common information of the multi-link sensing measurement request frame. In this example, the multi-link sensing measurement request frame carries only the minimum number of links field.

[0258] In another implementation, the first information is a newly added field in the multi-link awareness measurement request frame, for example, a redundancy indication field. The redundancy indication field is used to indicate whether an optional link in the link requested to be established for the awareness measurement session is a redundant link.

[0259] Figure 24 is another example of a multi-link perception measurement request frame carrying the first information. As shown in Figure 24, the redundancy indication field is included in the perception link common information of the multi-link perception measurement request frame. For example, assuming that the link requested to be established for the perception measurement session includes an optional link, the redundancy indication field is set to a first value, such as "1", indicating that the optional link is a redundant link; if the redundancy indication field is set to a second value, such as "0", it indicates that the optional link is not a redundant link. When the link requested to be established for the perception measurement session includes multiple optional links, the redundancy indication field can be used to indicate the link identifier of the optional link that is a redundant link, so as to indicate a redundant link among the multiple optional links.

[0260] In Solution 5, redundant links are added during the multi-link perception measurement setup process to improve the reliability of the perception measurement interaction. In addition, the minimum and maximum number of links are set to increase the flexibility of the perception measurement setup.

[0261] As mentioned above, the names of frames, messages, information or fields in the embodiments of the present application are merely examples set to facilitate the description of the technical solutions of the present application. In different communication systems, these names may also be different from the examples in the embodiments of the present application.

[0262] Additionally, in some embodiments, the one-octet field following the category in the action field of the frame may be a public action, a protected dual of public action, or a public action / protected dual of public action. If it is a protected dual of public action, it indicates that the frame has a protected frame structure.

[0263] Taking the perception measurement process shown in Figure 7 as an example, "multi-link perception measurement establishment" can also be called "multi-link perception measurement session", and can also be replaced by "perception measurement establishment" or "perception measurement session", that is, removing the "multilink" prefix. "Multi-link perception measurement interaction" can also be called "multi-link perception measurement instance", "perception measurement interaction" or "perception measurement instance". "Multi-link perception measurement shutdown" can also be called "perception measurement shutdown".

[0264] For another example, in the link reconfiguration process, the names of the multilink awareness measurement reconfiguration request frame and the multilink awareness measurement reconfiguration response frame can also remove the "multilink" prefix and be called the "awareness measurement reconfiguration request frame" and the "awareness measurement reconfiguration response frame" respectively. The names of the "multilink awareness measurement request frame" and the "multilink awareness measurement response frame" can also be replaced with the "awareness measurement request frame" and the "awareness measurement response frame" respectively.

[0265] For another example, the "redundant link" in each embodiment of the present application can also be called a "backup link"; the "optional link" can also be called a "preferred link", etc. In the frame structure design, the "perceived link common information" in Figures 22 to 24 can also be called "common information".

[0266] In addition, some fields appearing in the embodiments of this application are uniformly explained:

[0267] Perception backhaul information: used to instruct non-associated devices to send perception measurement query frames to the AP within a given time to participate in perception measurement.

[0268] Measurement session ID indication: Indicates the session ID

[0269] Perception measurement parameter element: used to perceive the parameters set for measurement interaction, including the perception measurement parameter field and perception sub-elements.

[0270] Perception Measurement Parameters: are fields in the Perception Measurement Parameters element.

[0271] Perception sub-element: It is a field in the perception measurement parameter element, which varies depending on the perception measurement type. It can be a TB perception specific sub-element, a Non-TB perception specific sub-element, or an SBP specific sub-element.

[0272] The fields in the Perception Measurement Parameters domain include:

[0273] Sensing transmitter: Indicates that the function of the device is to send sensing PPDUs.

[0274] Sensing receiver: indicates that the function of the device is to receive sensing PPDUs.

[0275] Sensing measurement report requested: Indicates whether the device sends a sensing measurement report.

[0276] Measurement setup expiry exponent: indicates the timer time at which the session is closed.

[0277] Bandwidth (BW): Indicates the bandwidth used by the device.

[0278] Transmitter High Efficiency - Long Training Field Repetitions (TX HE-LTF Repetition): Indicates the number of HE-LTF repetitions used by the device to send NDP.

[0279] RX HE-LTF Repetition: Indicates the number of HE-LTF repetitions used by the device to receive NDP.

[0280] Transmitter Time and Space Streams (TX STS): Indicates the number of streams used by the device to transmit NDP within the specified bandwidth.

[0281] Receiver Time and Space Streams (RX STS): Indicates the number of streams used by the device to receive NDP within the specified bandwidth.

[0282] Number of Rx antennas: indicates the number of antennas used by the receiver.

[0283] Report timestamp: indicates whether a report timestamp exists in the perception measurement report frame.

[0284] Subcarrier grouping Indicates the subcarrier grouping in the perception measurement report.

[0285] Basic service set color information (BSS Color Information): indicates the basic service set color.

[0286] In addition, in some embodiments, a link-related bitmap may be used to indicate a link ID. For example, when the i-th bit in the bitmap is set to 1, it indicates the link with link ID i-1, where i is an integer. The link-related bitmap may indicate a link list or a link ID, without limitation.

[0287] The above describes in detail the method for sensing measurement provided by the present application and introduces the communication device provided by the present application.

[0288] In order to implement the functions of the communication device (eg, AP MLD or non-AP MLD) in the embodiments of the present application, the communication device may implement the corresponding functions through a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module.

[0289] See Figure 25, which is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in this application.

[0290] As shown in Figure 25 , a communication device 1000 includes a processing module 1001 and a communication module 1002. The communication device 1000 may be a communication device, or a device applied to a communication device and capable of implementing corresponding functions of the communication device, such as a chip, a chip system, or a circuit. For example, the communication device may include a sensing initiator (e.g., an AP MLD or a non-AP MLD), a sensing responder (e.g., a non-AP MLD or an AP MLD), and the like.

[0291] Among them, the communication module can also be a transceiver module, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a transceiver device, etc. The processing module can also be a processor, a processing board, a processing unit, or a processing device, etc. Optionally, the communication module is used to perform the sending operation and the receiving operation of the perception initiator or the perception response end in any method embodiment. The device used to implement the receiving function in the communication module can be regarded as a receiving unit, and the device used to implement the sending function in the communication module can be regarded as a sending unit, that is, the communication module includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. The processing module is used to perform operations / processing related to the internal implementation of the perception initiator or the perception response end in any method embodiment. It should be understood that the corresponding specific operations of each module can be found in the description of the method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0292] Furthermore, it should be noted that the aforementioned communication module and / or processing module may be implemented as a virtual module. For example, the processing module may be implemented as a software functional unit or a virtual device, and the communication module may be implemented as a software function or a virtual device. Alternatively, the processing module or the communication module may be implemented as a physical device. For example, if the device is implemented as a chip / hardware circuit, the communication module may be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface that performs input operations (corresponding to the aforementioned receiving operations) and output operations (corresponding to the aforementioned sending operations); the processing module may be an integrated circuit or a logic circuit, etc.

[0293] The division of modules in this application is illustrative and represents only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional modules in the examples of this application may be integrated into a single module, physically exist separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module. The aforementioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware, software functional modules, or a combination of hardware and software functional modules, without limitation.

[0294] Referring to FIG. 26 , the present application also provides a schematic structural diagram of another communication device.

[0295] The communication device 1100 can be used to implement the functions of any network element (e.g., AP MLD or non-AP MLD) in the communication system described in the above examples. The communication device 1100 may include at least one processor 1110. Optionally, the processor 1110 (or processing device) is coupled to a memory, which may be located within the communication device, or the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be located outside the communication device. For example, the communication device 1100 may also include at least one memory 1120. The memory 1120 stores the necessary computer programs, instructions, and / or data for implementing any of the above embodiments; the processor 1110 may execute the computer programs, instructions, and / or data stored in the memory 1120 to perform the corresponding functions of the AP MLD or non-AP MLD in any of the above embodiments.

[0296] The communication device 1100 may further include a communication interface 1130, through which the communication device 1100 may exchange information with other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface 1130 may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or another type of communication interface. When the communication device 1100 is a chip-type device or circuit, the communication interface 1130 in the device 1100 may also be an input / output circuit that may input information (or receive information) and / or output information (or send information). The processor may be an integrated circuit or a logic circuit, etc., and the processor may determine output information based on the input information.

[0297] Coupling in this application refers to an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. Processor 1110 may operate in conjunction with memory 1120 and communication interface 1130. This application does not limit the connection medium between the processor 1110, memory 1120, and communication interface 1130.

[0298] As shown in Figure 27, the present application also provides a chip. Chip 30 includes circuit 31 and communication interface 32. Input / output interface 32. Circuit 31 can be a logic circuit, integrated circuit, etc., and communication interface 32 can also be an input / output circuit, input / output interface, interface circuit, etc., which can input information (or receive information) or output information (or send information). Chip 30 can execute the methods performed by the perception initiator or perception responder in each embodiment of the present application.

[0299] In addition, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions. When the computer instructions are run on a computer, the operations and / or processing performed by the perception initiator or the perception responder in each method embodiment of the present application are executed.

[0300] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code or instructions. When the computer program code or instructions are run on a computer, the operations and / or processing performed by the perception initiator or the perception responder in the various method embodiments of the present application are executed.

[0301] In addition, the present application further provides a chip including a processor. A memory for storing a computer program is provided independently of the chip, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the operations and / or processing performed by the perception initiator or the perception responder in any of the method embodiments are performed.

[0302] Furthermore, the chip may further include a communication interface. The communication interface may be an input / output interface, or an interface circuit, etc. Furthermore, the chip may further include a memory.

[0303] The present application provides a communication system, including the perception initiator and the perception responder in the above method embodiment.

[0304] In this application, a processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, and may implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in this application. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in this application may be directly executed by a hardware processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor.

[0305] In this application, the memory may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), or a volatile memory, such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory is any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in this application may also be a circuit or any other device that can implement a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0306] In addition, the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is coupled to at least one memory, and the at least one processor is used to execute a computer program or instruction stored in the at least one memory so that the communication device has the above-mentioned AP MLD or non-AP MLD function.

[0307] The present application also provides a chip, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to receive information and / or data to be processed and send the information and / or data to be processed to the processor, and the processor is used to process the information and / or data to be processed, so that the communication device installed with the chip has the function of AP MLD or non-AP MLD as in any of the above embodiments.

[0308] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the functions of the AP MLD or non-AP MLD in any of the above embodiments are implemented.

[0309] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code. When the computer program code is executed on a computer, the functions of the AP MLD or non-AP MLD in any of the above embodiments are implemented.

[0310] The present application also provides a wireless communication system, including one or more network elements in any of the above embodiments. Exemplarily, the communication system includes at least one AP MLD and at least one non-AP MLD.

[0311] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0312] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0313] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0314] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0315] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0316] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0317] 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 method for perceptual measurement, characterized in that include: Determine a link type of a first link, where the first link is a link to be removed from multiple links of the perception measurement session, and the link type includes a mandatory link, an optional link, or a redundant link; The first link is removed according to the link type of the first link.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The removing the first link according to the link type of the first link includes: If the first link is the mandatory link or the optional link, remove the first link after the timer expires; And, the method further comprises: Close the perception measurement session.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The removing the first link according to the link type of the first link includes: If the first link is the optional link, removing the first link after the timer expires; And, the method further comprises: Perform link reconfiguration before the timer expires.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The removing the first link according to the link type of the first link includes: If the first link is the redundant link, the first link is removed after the timer expires.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The link reconfiguration before the timer expires includes: A first request frame is sent, where the first request frame is used to indicate a request to reconfigure a second link of the perception measurement session, and the first request frame carries information about the second link, where the information about the second link includes an identifier of the second link and perception measurement parameters of the second link.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The first request frame includes a multi-link control field and a multi-link awareness measurement parameter element, the multi-link control field carries a type field, the type field is used to indicate that the multi-link awareness measurement element is a reconfigured multi-link awareness measurement parameter element, and the multi-link awareness measurement parameter element carries information about the second link.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The multi-link control field further includes a first field, wherein the first field is used to indicate whether the first request frame includes a link change bitmap, wherein the link change bitmap is used to determine the first link to be removed and the second link requested to be reconfigured; In a case where the first field indicates that the first request frame includes the link change bitmap, the multi-link awareness measurement parameter element further includes a link change bitmap field.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The multi-link awareness measurement parameter element further carries a multi-link awareness sub-element field, and the multi-link awareness sub-element field carries link-level awareness measurement parameters of the second link based on different awareness measurement types.

9. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The first request frame also carries an identifier of the perception measurement session; The first request frame carries a multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration parameter element, and the multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration parameter element carries information of the second link requested to be reconfigured.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration parameter element carries information of the second link requested to be reconfigured, including: The multi-link perception measurement reconfiguration parameter element includes link information of the second link, the link information includes an identifier of the second link and perception measurement parameters of the second link, and the link information also includes a perception sub-element, and the perception sub-element carries link-level perception measurement parameters of the second link based on different perception measurement types.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The method further comprises: receiving a first response frame to the first request frame, the first response frame comprising a status code field, the status code field indicating acceptance of the multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame, or The status code indicates that the multi-link awareness measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame is partially accepted, and the first response frame also carries identification information of the accepted link, or The status code indicates that the multi-link measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame is rejected, and the first response frame It also carries the recommended parameters for establishing the perceptual measurement, or, The status code indicates that the sensing measurement reconfiguration parameter element requested in the first request frame is rejected, and the multi-link sensing measurement reconfiguration parameter element does not carry a recommended sensing measurement establishment parameter.

12. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 11, characterized in that Before sending the first request frame, the method further includes: A second request frame is received, where the second request frame is used to indicate a request for link reconfiguration for the perception measurement session.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: A second response frame is sent, wherein the second response frame indicates confirmation of receiving the second request frame.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The second request frame carries a link expiration index, where the link expiration index indicates the duration of a timer used for performing the link reconfiguration.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that The second request frame also carries a link reconfiguration bitmap field, where the link reconfiguration bitmap field is used to indicate the identifier of the first link to be removed and the identifier of the second link requested to be reconfigured.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that The method is applied to trigger-based perception measurement or non-trigger-based perception measurement.

17. A method for perceptual measurement, characterized in that include: Determine to remove a first link, where the first link is any one of multiple links of the perception measurement session; The first link is removed after expiration of the timer, and the awareness measurement session is closed.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The determining to remove the first link includes: In a case where it is determined that the first link needs to enter a power saving mode, it is determined to remove the first link.

19. A method for perceptual measurement, characterized in that include: Determine a link type of a first link, where the first link is a link to be removed from multiple links of the perception measurement session, and the link type includes a mandatory link, an optional link, or a redundant link; The first link is removed according to the link type of the first link and link request information when the awareness measurement session is established, wherein the link request information indicates a minimum number of links requested.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The removing the first link according to the type of the first link and the link request information when establishing the perception measurement session includes: If the number of the multiple links is equal to the minimum number of links, and the first link is a mandatory link or an optional link, remove the first link after the timer expires; And, the method further comprises: Close the perception measurement session.

21. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The removing the first link according to the type of the first link and the link request information when establishing the perception measurement session includes: If the number of the multiple links is equal to the minimum number of links, and the first link is an optional link, removing the first link after the timer expires; And, the method further comprises: Link reconfiguration is performed before the timer expires.

22. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The removing the first link according to the type of the first link and the link request information when establishing the perception measurement session includes: If the number of the multiple links is greater than the minimum number of links, and the first link is a mandatory link or an optional link, remove the first link after the timer expires; And, the method further comprises: Close the perception measurement session.

23. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The removing the first link according to the type of the first link and the link request information when establishing the perception measurement session includes: If the number of the multiple links is greater than the minimum number of links, and the first link is an optional link, remove the first link after the timer expires; And, the method further comprises: Link reconfiguration is performed before the timer expires.

24. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The removing the first link according to the type of the first link and the link request information when establishing the perception measurement session includes: If the number of the multiple links is greater than the minimum number of links, and the first link is a redundant link, the first link is implicitly removed after the timer expires.

25. A method for perceptual measurement, characterized in that include: Sending first information, where the first information is used to determine whether a link requested to be established for the perception measurement session includes a redundant link, where the link requested to be established for the perception measurement session includes at least one of a mandatory link and an optional link; Based on the first information, perception measurement establishment is performed.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that The sending of the first information includes: Send a multi-link awareness measurement request frame, where the multi-link awareness measurement request frame carries the first information.

27. The method according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that The first information includes a minimum link number field and a maximum link number field, the minimum link number field is used to indicate the requested minimum number of links, and the maximum link number field is used to indicate the requested maximum number of links; If the value of the minimum link number indication is equal to the value of the maximum link number indication, the link requested to be established for the perception measurement session does not include the redundant link; or, If the value of the minimum link number indicator is not equal to the value of the maximum link number indicator, the link requested to be established for the perception measurement session includes the redundant link.

28. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 27, characterized in that The first information includes a redundancy indication field, where the redundancy indication field is used to indicate whether the optional link in the link requested to be established for the awareness measurement session is a redundant link.

29. A method for perceptual measurement, characterized in that include: Sending a first request frame, where the first request frame is used to request reconfiguration of a second link of the perception measurement session, and the first request frame carries information about the second link, where the information about the second link includes an identifier of the second link and a perception measurement parameter of the second link; A first response frame to the first request frame is received.

30. The method according to claim 29, characterized in that The first request frame includes a multi-link control field and a multi-link awareness measurement parameter element, the multi-link control field includes a type field, the type field is used to indicate that the multi-link awareness measurement parameter element is a reconfigured multi-link awareness measurement parameter element, and the multi-link awareness measurement parameter element carries information about the second link.

31. The method according to claim 29 or 30, characterized in that The multi-link control field also includes a first field, wherein the first field is used to determine whether the first request frame includes a link change bitmap, wherein the link change bitmap is used to determine the first link to be removed and the second link requested to be reconfigured; and, when the first field indicates that the first request frame includes the link change bitmap, the multi-link awareness measurement parameter element also includes a link change bitmap field.

32. The method according to any one of claims 29 to 31, characterized in that The multi-link perception measurement parameter element further carries a multi-link perception sub-element field, and the multi-link perception sub-element field carries the link-level perception measurement parameters of the second link obtained based on different perception measurement types.

33. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module or a unit for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 32.

34. A communication device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a processor coupled to a memory, wherein the processor is used to execute a computer program or instruction stored in the memory so that the communication device performs the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16; or performs the method as claimed in claim 17 or 18; or performs the method as claimed in any one of claims 19 to 24; or performs the method as claimed in any one of claims 25 to 28; or performs the method as claimed in any one of claims 29 to 32.

35. A chip, characterized in that: It comprises a circuit and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to receive information and / or data to be processed and send the information and / or data to be processed to the circuit, and the circuit is used to process the information and / or data to be processed, so that the communication device installed with the chip executes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16; or executes the method as described in claim 17 or 18; or executes the method as described in any one of claims 19 to 24; or executes the method as described in any one of claims 25 to 28; or executes the method as described in any one of claims 29 to 32.

36. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16 is implemented; or the method as described in claim 17 or 18 is implemented; or the method as described in any one of claims 19 to 24 is implemented; or the method as described in any one of claims 25 to 28 is implemented; or the method as described in any one of claims 29 to 32 is implemented.

37. A wireless communication system, characterized in that: Comprising a communication device as claimed in claim 33 or claim 34.

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