Energy saving method and system for seamless roaming, and terminal and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiments of the present invention relate to the technical field of wireless communications. Disclosed are an energy saving method and system for seamless roaming, and a terminal and a storage medium. In the present invention, the method comprises: a terminal, which supports a TWT scheduled wake-up function, establishing a second connection with a second access point while maintaining a first connection with a first access point, wherein the first connection and the second connection are both composed of one or more connections; determining TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection; and performing seamless roaming, and cutting the first connection with the first access point. In this way, when an original access point and a target access point are multi-connection devices, when the target access point is switched to during seamless roaming, TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to each connection between a terminal and the target access point can be stably and efficiently determined; and due to the determination of the scheduled wake-up information, power management may also be performed on accessory devices of the multi-connection devices during seamless roaming, thereby reducing electric-energy consumption, and reducing the occurrence of packet loss.

Description

Energy-saving method, terminal, storage medium and system for seamless roaming CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on the Chinese patent application with application number "CN202311866606.9" and application date of December 29, 2023, and claims the priority of the above-mentioned Chinese patent application. The entire content of the above-mentioned Chinese patent application is hereby incorporated into this application by introduction. Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a seamless roaming energy-saving method, terminal, storage medium, and system. Background Art

[0003] Future Wi-Fi systems will transmit a wide variety of services, necessitating reduced packet loss and high reliability. However, current standards require that during roaming, a terminal first disconnects from its current access point before reconnecting to its target access point. This approach can easily lead to packet loss. To reduce packet loss, seamless roaming has been introduced. In seamless roaming, a terminal first establishes a connection to its target access point and then disconnects from its current access point. This ensures reliable data packet transmission and reduces packet loss during handover, guaranteeing highly reliable services.

[0004] In the Wi-Fi system, a target wake time (TWT) is defined. The purpose is to reduce the contention between terminals in energy-saving state when accessing the channel, so that the terminals wake up at the scheduled time and access the channel quickly as scheduled, reducing the contention between each other when accessing the channel. The terminal in TWT mode and the access point establish a TWT schedule through negotiation. The schedule consists of TWT timed wake-up information. Generally, the TWT period determined by negotiation between the terminal and the access point is counted according to the beacon period, and the TWT period consists of one or more beacon periods. The terminal will wake up and wait when the TWT period arrives. At this time, the access point triggers a data exchange by sending a trigger frame to the terminal. When the data exchange is completed, the terminal returns to sleep state. TWT has three working modes: individual TWT, broadcast TWT, and opportunistic TWT. The current access point (or original access point, referred to as "old AP" in English) refers to the access point that the terminal was connected to before switching during seamless roaming. The target access point (or new AP, target AP) refers to the access point that the terminal is connected to after switching during seamless roaming.

[0005] The inventors found that there are at least the following problems in the related technology: when the original access point and the target access point are multi-connection devices, when switching to the target access point during seamless roaming, how to determine the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection between the terminal and the target access point is an unresolved problem in the related technology. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a seamless roaming energy-saving method, terminal, storage medium and system, so that when the original access point and the target access point are multi-connection devices, when switching to the target access point during seamless roaming, the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection between the terminal and the target access point can be stably and efficiently determined.

[0007] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a seamless roaming energy-saving method, which is applied to a terminal that supports the TWT timed wake-up function, and there is a first connection between the terminal and a first access point. The method includes: while retaining the first connection between the terminal and the first access point, establishing a second connection with the second access point; wherein the first access point is a multi-connection device, the second access point is a multi-connection device, and the first connection and the second connection are both composed of one or more connections; respectively determining the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection; performing seamless roaming and disconnecting the first connection with the first access point.

[0008] An embodiment of the present application also provides a terminal that supports the TWT timed wake-up function, including: at least one processor; and a memory that is communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to execute the above-mentioned seamless roaming energy-saving method.

[0009] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the aforementioned energy-saving method for seamless roaming.

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention also provides a seamless roaming energy-saving system, including: a terminal supporting the TWT timed wake-up function as mentioned in the above embodiment; a first access point for communicating with the terminal supporting the TWT timed wake-up function before seamless switching; and a second access point for communicating with the terminal supporting the TWT timed wake-up function after seamless switching.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present application, a terminal supporting the TWT timed wake-up function establishes a second connection with a second access point while retaining the first connection with the first access point; wherein the first access point is a multi-connection device, the second access point is a multi-connection device, and the first connection and the second connection are both composed of one or more connections; the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection is determined respectively; seamless roaming is performed, and the first connection with the first access point is disconnected. When the original access point and the target access point are multi-connection devices, when seamless roaming is performed while switching to the target access point, the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection between the terminal and the target access point can be stably and efficiently determined. Due to the establishment of the TWT timed wake-up information, the energy state (power state) of the multi-connection device's auxiliary devices can also be managed during seamless roaming, saving power consumption and reducing packet loss.

[0012] In addition, the separately determining TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection includes: determining a reuse mode of the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to the second connection according to the seamless roaming capability of the second access point or the service type transmitted by each connection in the second connection; when the reuse mode is to reuse the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection, obtaining the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection through negotiation with the first access point, and determining the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the second connection according to the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection; when the reuse mode is not to reuse the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection, determining the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection through negotiation with the second access point. The object of negotiation when determining the TWT timed wake-up information can be the first access point, or / and the second access point. Or there is no need to negotiate with the first access point or the second access point. These negotiation modes have their own advantages and will bring corresponding beneficial effects.

[0013] In addition, the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the second connection is determined based on the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection, including: according to the switching relationship of the seamless roaming, based on the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection, determining that some connections in the second connection reuse the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connections in the first connection; in the second connection, except for the part of the connections that reuse the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connections in the first connection, the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the remaining connections in the second connection will be determined through negotiation with the second access point.

[0014] In addition, according to the switching relationship of the seamless roaming, based on the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection, determining that some connections in the second connection reuse the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connections in the first connection includes: according to the switching relationship of the seamless roaming, setting the scheduled service time in the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to some connections in the second connection to be the same as the scheduled service time in the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connections in the first connection; according to the end time of the scheduled service time in the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connections in the first connection, setting the end time of the scheduled service time corresponding to some connections in the second connection to be the same as the end time of the scheduled service time in the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connections in the first connection; or, setting the start time of the scheduled service time corresponding to some connections in the second connection to be the same as the time when the second connection is established. Whether the scheduled service time of the connection corresponding to the terminal and the new access point is aligned with or not aligned with the scheduled service time of the connection corresponding to the terminal and the original access point, both will bring corresponding beneficial effects.

[0015] In addition, before seamless roaming, the activation time of the scheduled service time in the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection is determined based on the scheduled service time in the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the second connection and the time of seamless roaming; after seamless roaming, the terminal enters the sleep state when the end time of the scheduled service time in the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the second connection is reached for the first time. The sleep time of the terminal is clarified.

[0016] In addition, when the first connection transmits a low-latency service or a service that meets preset QoS requirements, the constrained TWT schedule of the connection corresponding to the terminal is sent to the second access point. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] One or more embodiments are exemplarily described by the figures in the corresponding drawings, and these exemplified descriptions do not constitute limitations on the embodiments.

[0018] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a high-level architecture of a MAC without an auxiliary module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a high-level architecture of an auxiliary module MAC according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] FIG3 is a flow chart of a method for energy saving in seamless roaming according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of scheduling service time alignment during data switching according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of misalignment of scheduling service time during a data switching process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] 6 is a flowchart of seamless roaming initiated by a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal supporting a TWT timed wake-up function according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of an energy-saving system for seamless roaming according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, each embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that in each embodiment of the present application, many technical details are proposed to enable the reader to better understand the present application. However, even without these technical details and various changes and modifications based on the following embodiments, the technical solutions claimed in the present application can be implemented. The division of the following embodiments is for convenience of description and should not constitute any limitation on the specific implementation of the present application. The various embodiments can be combined and referenced with each other under the premise of no contradiction.

[0027] One embodiment of the present invention relates to a seamless roaming energy-saving method that can be applied to a terminal supporting a TWT timed wake-up function, such as a mobile phone, a computer, or other electronic device. In this embodiment, a terminal supporting the TWT timed wake-up function establishes a second connection with a second access point while retaining a first connection with a first access point; wherein the first access point is a multi-connection device, the second access point is a multi-connection device, and the first connection and the second connection are each composed of one or more connections; TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection is determined; seamless roaming is performed, and the first connection with the first access point is disconnected. When the original access point and the target access point are multi-connection devices, when seamless roaming is switched to the target access point, the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection between the terminal and the target access point can be stably and efficiently determined. Due to the establishment of the TWT timed wake-up information, the power state of the multi-connection device's auxiliary devices can also be managed during seamless roaming, saving power consumption and reducing packet loss. The following is a detailed description of the implementation details of the seamless roaming energy-saving method of this embodiment. The following content is only provided for ease of understanding and is not required for the implementation of this solution.

[0028] To better understand this solution, let's first explain the design architecture of access point devices. To support seamless roaming, access point devices are designed with a common MAC upper layer. Two MAC upper layer design architectures are provided here, one of which is shown in Figure 1. In this example, the MAC upper layer consists of the MAC upper layer of the Ultra High Reliability Access Point Multi-Connection Device (UHR AP MLD UMAC), the MAC upper layer of the Extremely High Throughput Access Point Multi-Connection Device 1 (EHT AP MLD1UMAC), and the MAC upper layer of the Extremely High Throughput Access Point Multi-Connection Device 2 (EHT AP MLD2UMAC). MLD (Multiple Link Device) stands for Multiple Link Device, AP (access point) stands for Access Point, UHR (Ultra High Reliability) stands for Ultra High Reliability, and EHT (Extra High Throughput) stands for Extra High Throughput. UMAC (upper MAC) stands for MAC upper layer, and LMAC (lower MAC) stands for MAC lower layer. The UHR AP MLD UMAC is the upper MAC layer of Wi-Fi 8, while the EHT AP MLD1 UMAC and EHT AP MLD2 UMAC are the upper MAC layers of Wi-Fi 7. The UHR AP MLD UMAC layer can manage multiple access points. In the example shown in Figure 1, the UHR AP MLD UMAC directly connects to the EHT device's TID-to-link mapping module and link merging module via interfaces 1 and 2, using a wired or wireless backhaul link. This manages the corresponding LMAC (lower MAC layer). In actual scenarios, the UHR AP MLD's upper MAC layer can be co-located with an EHT AP MLD, meaning they are physically located on the same device. The UHR AP MLD UMAC in Figure 1 represents the upper MAC layer of a Wi-Fi 8 access point with multiple connections. The TID-to-link mapping module and link merging module are shared with Wi-Fi 7 devices. In an example, EHT AP MLD1UMAC and EHT AP MLD2UMAC may also be replaced with the MAC upper layer of the Wi-Fi 8 device, namely, UHR AP MLD1UMAC and UHR AP MLD2UMAC.In one example, the TWT schedule (also called TWT timetable) or TWT element (also called TWT element) in the TWT timed wake-up information is transmitted between the UHR AP MLD UMAC and the lower layer interface on the connection already established between the terminal and access point 1 (UHR AP MLD1) in Figure 1. When seamlessly switching to access point 2 (UHR AP MLD2), it is transmitted on interface 1 and interface 2. In one example, when the TWT schedule or TWT element or broadcast TWT membership (broadcast TWT member information) in the TWT timed wake-up information is established, it is uploaded and saved in the UHR AP MLD UMAC. When the terminal establishes a TWT schedule or broadcast TWT membership with EHT AP MLD 1, the information is transmitted to the UHR AP MLD UMAC through interface 1. When the terminal switches, the UHR AP MLD UMAC transmits the information to the EHT AP MLD 2 through interface 2. The process of transmitting the TWT schedule or broadcast TWT membership to the UHR AP MLD UMAC through interface 1 is optional according to the situation. If this process is selected, the process of transmitting to EHT AP MLD 2 via interface 2 can also be selected according to the situation. For example, when a certain signaling is enabled, the transmission mode is supported, otherwise it is not supported.

[0029] In another MAC high-layer design architecture, as shown in Figure 2, the UHR AP MLD UMAC represents the high MAC layer of a Wi-Fi 8 access point multi-connection device. The high MAC layer of a Wi-Fi 8 access point multi-connection device has its own TID-to-link mapping module and link merging module. It receives or transmits data from the LMAC (lower MAC layer) of multiple access points via interfaces 3 and 4 via wire or wireless backhaul, and collaborates with the EHT AP MLD1UMAC and EHT AP MLD2UMAC to manage the LMAC (lower MAC layer) of multiple access points. In one example, the EHT AP MLD1UMAC and EHT AP MLD2UMAC can also be replaced by the high MAC layers of Wi-Fi 8 devices, namely the UHR AP MLD1UMAC and UHR AP MLD2UMAC. As in the example in Figure 1 above, the TWT schedule, TWT element, or broadcast TWT membership can be transmitted to the UHR AP MLD UMAC via interface 3. When a terminal handover occurs, the UHR AP MLD UMAC can transmit this information to the EHT AP MLD 2 via interface 4. Transmitting the TWT schedule or broadcast TWT membership to the UHR AP MLD UMAC via interface 3 is also optional depending on the situation. The TWT schedule, TWT element, or broadcast TWT membership. The restricted TWT element (restricted TWT element) is transmitted to the target access point by the terminal. This completes the transfer of TWT information. This determines whether to retain the TWT schedule on certain connections of the original access point. The terminal can directly transmit the TWT schedule or broadcast TWT membership to the target access point, such as EHT AP MLD2, via radio waves.

[0030] The process of the energy-saving method for seamless roaming of the present application is shown in Figure 3. In step 301, a terminal supporting the TWT timed wake-up function establishes a second connection with a second access point while retaining the first connection with the first access point. The first access point here can be understood as the original access point, and the second access point is the target access point. In the field of seamless roaming technology, it means that the terminal first establishes a connection with the target access point and then disconnects from the original access point. In one example, the first access point is a multi-connection device, the second access point is a multi-connection device, and the first connection and the second connection are both composed of one or more connections. In addition, in some cases, the terminal disconnecting the first connection from the first access point means that the first connection contains multiple connections. At least one connection in the first connection is disconnected, at least one connection in the first connection is maintained, and at the same time, the terminal establishes at least one connection in the second connection with the second access point. After all multiple connections in the second connection are established, all multiple connections in the first connection are disconnected. The terminal establishes multiple connections in the second connection with the second access point before or after the terminal disconnects the multiple connections in the first connection with the first access point. In some cases, maintaining the first connection with the first access point means that the terminal maintains an association with the MAC upper layer responsible for seamless roaming through the first access point. Establishing a second connection with the second access point means that the terminal maintains an association with the MAC upper layer responsible for seamless roaming through the second access point. The association between the terminal and the MAC upper layer persists and does not need to be terminated or re-established.

[0031] In step 302, the terminal supporting the TWT scheduled wake-up function determines the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection respectively; the TWT scheduled wake-up information enables the device corresponding to the connection to wake up or fall asleep at the corresponding time, and can be one of the related information such as the TWT schedule composed of the scheduling service time, broadcast TWT members, TWT elements, constrained TWT elements, etc., or any combination thereof.

[0032] There are many ways to determine the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection. You can first determine the reuse mode of the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection according to the seamless roaming capability of the second access point or the service type transmitted by each connection in the second connection; when the reuse mode is not to reuse the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection, the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection is determined separately by negotiation with the second access point. For example, when the terminal performs seamless roaming, the TWT scheduled wake-up information of each connection negotiated between the terminal and the original access point is directly released (tear down). Then negotiate a new TWT schedule with the target access point or join the broadcast TWT membership. This method in this example is referred to as a rough release method.

[0033] The rough release method can choose to directly release (tear down) the TWT timed wake-up information of each connection negotiated between the terminal and the original access point, and end the power saving mode of the terminal. When the terminal seamlessly roams and switches to a new access point, the terminal will enter an active state. In one example, when the terminal performs seamless roaming, the Automatic Power Save Delivery (APSD) scheduled service time (APSD scheduled SPs) between the terminal and the original access point needs to be deleted as soon as possible. In some cases, after the terminal is connected to the target access point, it continues to maintain APSD mode so that the terminal can re-establish (APSD scheduled SPs) with the new access point.

[0034] Here is an example of a special case. If a separate TTLM negotiation (individual Tid-to-link-mapping negotiation) happens to occur during seamless roaming, resulting in one connection of the terminal being disabled, the service flow of the connection is diverted to other connections. For example, there are three connections (link) between the terminal and the original access point. During seamless roaming, the content of the three connections is diverted and mapped to the two connections of the target access point, and the terminal eventually switches to the two connections of the target access point. At this time, for the terminal, one of the connections is disabled during the seamless roaming process. In this special case, the TWT agreements and TWT memberships of the terminal on the disabled connection should be terminated as soon as possible. In addition, the terminal can be a multi-connection device. It can also be a non-access point STA attached to a non-access point multi-connection device.

[0035] After respectively determining a reuse mode of the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection according to the seamless roaming capability of the second access point or the service type transmitted by each connection in the second connection, if the reuse mode is to reuse the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to a connection in the first connection, then obtaining the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection through negotiation with the first access point, and respectively determining the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection according to the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection;

[0036] It can be understood that during seamless roaming, the terminal originally transmits data with the first access point through one or more established connections, and finally needs to switch to the terminal transmitting data with the second access point through one or more established connections. That is to say, regardless of the number of connections in the first connection and the number of connections in the second connection, there is a natural mapping relationship, which is to meet the switching relationship of seamless roaming. In one example, when the reuse method chooses to reuse the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection, then according to the switching relationship of seamless roaming, the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection is determined according to the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection. For the TWT timed wake-up information of the first connection, two reuse methods are given as examples, namely the forced retention method and the selective retention method. Among them, the forced retention method is, in short, when the terminal performs seamless roaming, the TWT schedule and broadcast TWT membership negotiated by the terminal and the original access point will be directly retained in the target access point. After seamless roaming, the terminal continues to work according to the TWT schedule and broadcast TWT membership of the original access point on the new access point. Alternatively, when the terminal performs seamless roaming, one of the TWT schedule or broadcast TWT membership on a connection negotiated between the terminal and the original access point is directly retained on the connection corresponding to the terminal and the target access point, and the terminal continues to work on the connection using the corresponding TWT parameters carried by the TWT timed wake-up information. The selective retention method is relative to the above-mentioned forced retention method and rough release method. According to the switching relationship of seamless roaming, based on the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection, it is determined that some connections in the second connection reuse the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to the connections in the first connection; in the second connection, in addition to some connections that reuse the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to the connections in the first connection, the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to the remaining connections in the second connection will be determined through negotiation with the second access point; in short, the selective retention method refers to the TWT schedule and broadcast TWT membership on certain connections negotiated by the terminal and the original access point when the terminal performs seamless roaming, and it is determined through configuration whether to retain them on the corresponding connection between the terminal and the target access point.

[0037] If you choose to reuse the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection, you can set the scheduling service time in the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the second connection to be the same as the scheduling service time in the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection; at this time, you also need to consider the problem of breakpoint resumption. For the forced retention method, when seamless roaming occurs, if a connection between the terminal and the original access point does not complete the transmission of data within the TWT service time, the terminal and the corresponding connection of the new access point will continue to complete the transmission. At the same time, this connection between the terminal and the new access point continues to use the TWT scheduled wake-up information of the connection between the terminal and the original access point, such as TWT schedule or broadcast TWT membership. In an example, as shown in FIG4 , according to the end time of the scheduled service time in the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection, the end time of the scheduled service time corresponding to the connection in the second connection is made the same as the end time of the scheduled service time in the TWT scheduled wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection, that is, for the downlink physical layer protocol data unit (DL PPDU) data transmitted by connection 1 between the original access point and the terminal, after seamless roaming occurs, the data switching becomes the transmission by connection 1 between the target access point and the terminal, but the TWT SP1 (TWT scheduled service time 1) of the connection corresponding to the terminal and the new access point is the same as the TWT SP1 of the connection corresponding to the terminal and the original access point, and the end time is also the same, and the TWT SP2 (TWT scheduled service time 2) of the connection corresponding to the terminal and the new access point is also aligned with the TWT SP2 of the connection corresponding to the terminal and the original access point.

[0038] In one example, when seamless roaming occurs, the start time of the scheduled service time corresponding to the connection in the second connection is set to the same time as the time when the second connection was established. As shown in Figure 5, if a connection between the terminal and the original access point does not transmit complete data within the TWT service time, the data is continued to be transmitted by the corresponding connection between the terminal and the newly connected access point. At the same time, this connection between the terminal and the new access point continues to use the TWT parameters of the connection between the terminal and the original access point, such as TWT schedule or broadcast TWT membership. At this time, the TWT SP of the connection corresponding to the terminal and the new access point is not aligned with the TWT SP of the connection corresponding to the terminal and the original access point. The TWT SP of the connection corresponding to the terminal and the new access point begins to be calculated at the beginning of seamless switching and transmits a complete TWT scheduled service time. For example, the TWT SP1 of the connection 1 between the terminal and the newly connected access point is not aligned in time with the TWT SP1 of the connection 1 between the terminal and the original access point. Instead, the TWT SP of the connection 1 between the terminal and the newly connected access point continues to use the TWT parameters of the connection 1 between the terminal and the original access point. The TWT SP of the connection 1 between the terminal and the newly connected access point begins to recalculate the SP time when seamless roaming occurs and data is switched. In addition to continuing to transmit the original DL PPDU, new DL PPDU data can also be transmitted during the recalculated SP time. The TWT SP of the terminal under the new access point restarts, and there is no need to continue the TWT SP work under the original access point. The TWT SP2 of the terminal and the newly accessed connection 2 are similar and will not be described in detail. In some cases, the TWT SP of the new access point is calculated from the access point. If new downlink data is transmitted after the data cached by the original access point is transmitted,

[0039] In some cases, the TWT schedules of the connections between the terminal and the original access point are aligned. The above solutions of Figures 4 and 5 are also applicable. No further details will be given.

[0040] In some cases, the TWT schedule before and after the seamless switching of the terminal is aligned, or restarted, and the newly defined signaling indication is included in the newly defined seamless roaming element, or included in the seamless roaming request frame, seamless roaming response frame (seamless roaming request frame, seamless roaming response frame), or included in the TWT element, or included in the multiple link element.

[0041] In one example, the sleep state of a connection needs to be considered. Before seamless roaming begins, the activation time of the scheduled service time in the TWT scheduled wakeup information corresponding to the connection in the first connection is determined based on the scheduled service time in the TWT scheduled wakeup information corresponding to the connection in the first connection and the time of seamless roaming. After seamless roaming begins, the terminal enters a sleep state when the scheduled service time in the TWT scheduled wakeup information corresponding to the connection in the second connection first reaches its end time. Because this example presents a relatively complex situation, several examples are provided below to illustrate how to determine the activation time of the scheduled service time. Seamless roaming only occurs when the connection in which the original access point is operating in energy-saving mode is in a sleep state—that is, seamless roaming occurs when the TWT SP ends. In this case, seamless roaming does not disrupt data within the TWT SP. The TWT SP is intact on both the connection established between the terminal and the new access point. In some cases, seamless roaming only occurs when the connection in which the original access point is operating in energy-saving mode is in a sleep state. The TWT SP negotiated between the terminal and the original access point is retained on the corresponding connection between the terminal and the target node. The TWT SP of the second connection is activated after seamless roaming completes. The first TWT SP of the TWT SP activated for the connection is immediately activated and the timing starts again from 0. After the TWT SP ends, the terminal enters the sleep state. In some cases, the first TWT SP activated on the connection is activated after a period of terminal sleep time. The sleep time is the sleep time in the TWT schedule minus the sleep time that has passed between the terminal and the original access point to connect to the TWT SP, after which the first TWT SP is executed or triggered. In some cases, the first TWT SP activated on the connection is activated after a period of terminal sleep time plus the seamless switching delay. The sleep time is the sleep time in the TWT schedule minus the sleep time that has passed between the terminal and the original access point to connect to the TWT SP. In some cases, the first TWT SP minus the sleep time that has passed after the end of the connection between the terminal and the original access point and the switching delay of seamless roaming shortens the terminal's sleep time.

[0042] In a specific example, during seamless roaming, a single Tid-to-link-mapping (TTLM) negotiation occurs, enabling one connection for the terminal and redirecting traffic from the terminal's other connections to the newly enabled connection. For example, the terminal has two links with the original access point. During seamless roaming, traffic from the two links is redirected and mapped to three links on the target access point, ultimately switching the terminal to the three links. For the terminal, one of its connections is enabled during seamless roaming. In this case, the TWT agreements and TWT memberships on the newly enabled connection should inherit the parameters of the original connection, such as individual TWT agreements and broadcast TWT schedules. In some cases, the terminal is a multi-connection device. In some cases, the terminal is a non-access point STA attached to a non-access point multi-connection device. In some cases, the newly enabled connection is in the active state. In some cases, the terminal negotiates with the new access point to establish new individual TWT agreements and broadcast TWT schedules on the newly enabled connection. When the number of connections of the terminal is inconsistent before and after seamless roaming occurs, and a new connection of the terminal is enabled, it can be assumed that the TWT SP corresponding to the connection between the terminal and the new access point is aligned with the TWT SP of the connection where the service of the terminal and the original access point is located. Or it can be assumed that the TWT SP corresponding to the connection between the terminal and the new access point is not aligned with the TWT SP corresponding to the connection between the terminal and the original access point. In some embodiments, the TWT schedule or individual TWT agreements or broadcast TWT schedules of the terminal are included in a seamless roaming request frame (seamless roaming request frame) or a seamless roaming response frame (seamless roaming response frame) for seamless roaming.

[0043] Compared with the above-mentioned forced retention method and rough release method, the selective retention method is a more flexible method, which determines whether to retain the corresponding connection between the terminal and the target access point through configuration. In one example, the configuration is an implicit indication. For example, when the target access point supports seamless roaming and the terminal is in TWT mode, the TWT schedule and broadcast TWT membership negotiated by the terminal and the original access point on all connections are retained by default on the corresponding connection between the terminal and the target access point. Otherwise, when the target access point does not support seamless roaming, the TWT schedule and broadcast TWT membership negotiated by the terminal and the original access point on all connections should be released as soon as possible, and the TWT information should not be retained on the corresponding connection between the terminal and the target access point. In one example, the selective retention method can also be implemented by defining a new element. The field in the element and the new entry in the MIB can be called the "TWT Information Frame transfer disabled" field (also called the "TWT Information Frame transfer Disabled" field). When the "TWT Information Frame transfer Disabled" field is 0, the TWT schedule and broadcast TWT membership on the connection negotiated by the terminal and the original access point are retained by default on the corresponding connection between the terminal and the target access point. Otherwise (when the "TWT Information Frame transfer Disabled" field is not 0), the TWT schedule and broadcast TWT membership of the original connection between the terminal and the original access point are released as soon as possible. If it is necessary to establish the TWT schedule and broadcast TWT membership on the corresponding connection between the terminal and the new access point. Similarly, the definition can be that the "TWT Information Frame transfer Enabled" field is 1, and the TWT schedule and broadcast TWT membership on the connection negotiated by the terminal and the original access point are retained by default on the corresponding connection between the terminal and the target access point. Otherwise, the TWT schedule and broadcast TWT membership between the terminal and the original access point will be terminated as soon as possible. If necessary, the TWT schedule and broadcast TWT membership will be re-established between the terminal and the new access point.In one example, the newly defined element, field, or new entry in the MIB can be included in a TxVector (transmitter vector) or an RxVector (receiver vector), or in a seamless roaming request frame, a seamless roaming response frame, a beacon, or a probe response frame.

[0044] According to the seamless roaming capability of the second access point or the service type transmitted by each connection in the second connection, the reuse method of the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection is determined respectively. In fact, it is also an implementation method of the selective retention method. The implementation of this step includes the following implementation methods: In one example, when the terminal performs seamless roaming, the TWT schedule and broadcast TWT membership negotiated by the terminal and the original access point on a certain connection are directly determined by the type of service transmitted by the terminal on the connection to determine whether to retain the TWT information on the connection corresponding to the target access point. For example, if a low-latency service is transmitted on a connection between the terminal and the original access point, the TWT parameters (TWT schedule or broadcast TWT membership) corresponding to the connection are retained on the corresponding connection between the terminal and the new access point. In one example, when the terminal performs seamless roaming, the TWT schedule and broadcast TWT membership negotiated by the terminal and the original access point on a certain connection are directly determined by the Access Category (access type) of the service transmitted on the connection by the terminal, or the service type TC (Traffic Category, service type) to determine whether to retain the TWT information on the connection corresponding to the target access point. For example, if a service with access type AC_VO is transmitted between the terminal and the original access point on a connection, or the service type TC is 6, then the TWT parameters (TWT schedule or broadcast TWT membership) corresponding to the connection are retained in the corresponding connection between the terminal and the new access point, otherwise they are not retained. Among them, the AC_VO service, or the service type TC of 6 is just an example, and it can also be other values ​​TC of 1 to 8, or other newly defined values. IEEE802.11AC 802.11 protocol defines four types of access categories (AC), except AC_VO, which can be AC_VI, AC_BE, AC_BK, or other newly defined values.

[0045] In an example of the selective retention method, when a terminal performs seamless roaming, if the TWT schedule and broadcast TWT membership negotiated on a connection between the terminal and the original access point are retained on the corresponding connection of the target access point, then the TWT schedule and broadcast TWT membership on all connections between the terminal and the original access point are retained on the corresponding connections between the terminal and the new access point.

[0046] In step 301, a terminal supporting the TWT timed wake-up function performs seamless roaming and disconnects the first connection with the first access point. In one example, after the access point is switched by performing seamless roaming, the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the first connection is released and all connections in the first connection with the first access point are disconnected.

[0047] In general, the terminal's TWT schedule time or broadcast TWT membership is included in the seamless roaming request frame; it can also be included in the seamless roaming response frame, the seamless roaming request frame, or the seamless roaming response frame.

[0048] Seamless roaming can be initiated by the terminal or by the original access point (first access point). In some cases, for seamless roaming initiated by the terminal, the TWT schedule time or broadcast TWT membership of the terminal in the same connection with the original access point is included in the TWT element in the seamless roaming request frame. The seamless roaming request frame is sent by the terminal to the target access point. If the target access point supports the time parameters of the TWT schedule time or broadcast TWT membership in the TWT element in the TWT seamless roaming request frame, the target access point may include the TWT schedule time or broadcast TWT membership in the TWT element in the seamless roaming response frame it sends in some cases. Otherwise, the corresponding TWT element is not included in the seamless roaming response frame. Or, in some cases, the target access point may include the TWT schedule time or broadcast TWT membership in the TWT element in the seamless roaming request frame it sends in the TWT element. Otherwise, instead of including the TWT element in the seamless roaming response frame, the seamless roaming response frame includes a new TWT element corresponding to the new TWT schedule and broadcast parameters proposed by the target access point. The new target access point sends the seamless roaming response frame to the terminal.The TWT element in the seamless roaming request frame or the TWT element in the seamless roaming response frame may be replaced by a newly defined element or a newly defined field that contains the TWT schedule time or broadcast TWT membership information.

[0049] In some cases, the seamless roaming initiated by the original access point (first access point) includes the TWT schedule time or broadcast TWT membership information of the terminal in the seamless roaming suggest frame. The TWT schedule time or broadcast TWT membership information is included in a newly defined element or a newly defined field or TWT element. In some cases, the original access point sends a seamless roaming suggest frame, and the terminal sends a seamless roaming confirmation frame to the original access point or the target access point. The TWT schedule time or broadcast TWT membership information is included in the seamless roaming suggest frame, or the terminal sends a seamless roaming confirmation frame.

[0050] In one example, as shown in Figure 6, a terminal first sends a seamless roaming request frame to access point 2. After receiving the seamless roaming request frame, access point 2 sends a seamless roaming response frame to the terminal. The terminal then performs a seamless roaming handover and connects to access point 2. The handover process can switch the terminal's connection to access point 2 one by one, or switch the terminal's connection to multiple target access points at once. After the handover is complete, the terminal sends a seamless roaming confirmation frame to access point 1, indicating the handover is complete. In some cases, transmitting the seamless roaming confirmation frame is optional. In some cases, the seamless roaming confirmation frame is not sent to access point 1.

[0051] In some cases, for example, when a STA attached to a non-access point terminal (which can be a multi-connection device) has its connection declared or advertised by an AP (or a multi-connection access point device) to be in a disabled state through TTLM, or its connection is updated by TTLM, or reconfigured to be in a disabled state through TTLM, then during seamless roaming, the STA attached to the terminal will not be roamed, and a new connection will not be established for it at the target access point. If the links of other STAs attached to the terminal are in the enabled state, then roaming will be performed on these attached STAs, and new connections will be established for them at the target access point. In another example, regardless of whether the connection between the terminal and the original access point is enabled or disabled, each STA attached to the terminal needs to establish a connection with the target access point.

[0052] In one example, when the TWT is established, the TWT element, TWT Information Frame Disabled field of the non-access point STA to which the terminal is attached is 0. The non-access point STA should consider all active TWT agreements and broadcast TWT schedules to be in a suspended state (pause state) as soon as possible until a new connection is established between the non-access point STA to which the terminal is attached and the target access point when wireless roaming occurs. The new connection is in an enabled state from the beginning. The disabled connection between the non-access point STA to which the terminal is attached and the original access point is not enabled before wireless roaming occurs. In one example, after the non-access point STA to which the terminal is attached establishes a new connection with the target access point, the new connection is in a disabled state until it is enabled. After the new connection is enabled, the previously suspended TWT agreement and broadcast TWT schedules are unsuspended (that is, enabled, active, or executed). In one example, the function of the above-mentioned TWT Information Frame Disabled field is redefined as TWT Information Frame in Roaming Disabled field. It's just a different name, but it performs the same function. At this time, the original TWT Information Frame Disabled field performs the above-mentioned functions regarding TWT agreement and broadcast TWT schedules when there is no seamless roaming switch. In an example, if the TWT Information Frame Disabled field or the Information Frame in Roaming Disabled field is 1, the non-access point STA should cancel all TWT agreements and broadcast TWT schedules as soon as possible. In some cases, the connection between the non-access point STA to which the terminal is attached and the new access point continues to use the TWT agreement and broadcast TWT schedules on the connection between the non-access point STA to which the terminal is attached and the original access point. Alternatively, a new TWT agreement and broadcast TWT schedules can also be established for the connection between the non-access point STA to which the terminal is attached and the new access point. Based on the situation described above, both the forced retention method and the selective retention method can be used normally.

[0053] For some default processing methods, for example: when the TWT element is not included in the seamless roaming request frame, the default is that the current terminal and the terminal of the target access point do not follow the TWT agreements and broadcast TWT schedules between the terminal and the original access point. When the seamless roaming request frame does not contain the TWT information of the original access point, the default is that the current terminal and the terminal of the target access point do not follow the TWT agreements and broadcast TWT schedules between the terminal and the original access point. In some cases, this information can be a TWT element, or a newly defined element or field. When seamless roaming occurs, the terminal is in TWT mode, and the seamless roaming request frame does not contain the TWT information of the original access point. The default is that the current terminal and the terminal of the target access point do not follow the TWT agreements and broadcast TWT schedules between the terminal and the original access point. In some cases, this information can be a TWT element, or it can be included in a newly defined element or represented by a newly defined field.

[0054] In some cases, the terminal, the original access point and the target access point are all multi-connection devices. The first connection and the second connection include at least one connection. At least one connection in the second connection can indicate whether to reuse the TWT timed wake-up information on a connection in the first connection based on the newly defined signaling. For example, 1 means reuse, and 0 means no reuse. In some cases, the signaling is a bitmap containing two or two octets, corresponding to the value of the link ID of the connection, or the bitmap is a 4-bit combination corresponding to the value of the link ID. In some cases, the signaling is a field contained in the TWT element, or in the multi-link element, or in the newly defined seamless roaming element, or in the seamless roaming request frame, or in the seamless roaming response frame.

[0055] In some cases, the TWT timed wake-up information, or the signaling involved in this article, is included as a context in a seamless roaming request frame, or a seamless roaming response frame, or is included in the information transmitted between the original access point and the target access point, and is transmitted through interface 1, interface 2, interface 3, or interface 4.

[0056] In some cases, the selection of the connection is implicit. When the terminal is a multi-connection device and the connection corresponding to its affiliated STA has a relevant TWT timed wake-up information reuse setting. Then the setting is applied to the connection corresponding to the STA and the target access point. If the relevant setting of the relevant TWT timed wake-up information of the connection corresponding to the STA is not included (or there is no), the relevant TWT timed wake-up information is reused on the corresponding connection established between the STA and the target access point when seamless roaming is not in progress. In other cases, the selection of the connection is implicit. The connection in the second connection that carries certain TID services corresponds to the connection that carries the TID service in the first connection. The TWT timed wake-up information of the corresponding connection can be reused, and the above-mentioned optional reuse method is applied. In other cases, the selected connection is implicit, and the TTLM of the connection declared or advertised by the AP (or a multi-connection access point device) becomes disabled, or its connection is updated by TTLM, or the TTLM is reconfigured to become disabled, then the above-mentioned TWT timed wake-up information reuse method is applied.

[0057] In some cases, based on the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection, it is determined that some connections in the second connection reuse the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to the connections in the first connection; in the second connection, in addition to some connections that reuse the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to the connections in the first connection, the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to the remaining connections in the second connection will be determined through negotiation with the second access point. In other cases, based on the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection, it is determined that some connections in the second connection reuse the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to the connections in the first connection; some connections in the second connection include all connections of the second connection. There is no need to negotiate TWT for other connections in the second connection.

[0058] In some cases, the TWT information of the original connection is reused according to the service type on the terminal connection. During seamless roaming, when the first connection transmits low-latency services or services that meet the preset QoS requirements, the constrained TWT schedule (R-TWT schedule) corresponding to the terminal is sent to the second access point. Low-latency services include: R-TWT (Restricted-Target wakeup time) services, or services transmitted by the terminal in broadcast TWT. If there is no R-TWT SP / R-TWT schedule with corresponding parameters at the target access point, a new r-TWT is established at the target access point using the parameters of the r-TWT schedule at the original access point. When the terminal roams to the target access point, this parameter is used to work in r-TW mode.

[0059] In seamless roaming, all TWT solutions, whether brute force release, forced retention, or selective retention, can be applied to R-TWT. For example, brute force release of the R-TWT schedule, forced retention of the schedule, or (setting a configurable field or parameter for optional R-TWT configuration) a similar R-TWT element can be included in a roaming request frame or a roaming response frame.

[0060] In some cases, the r-TWT schedule is converted to an individual TWT schedule. For example, the same service period and transmitted traffic TID are used. When seamless roaming is performed, the terminal at the original access point operates in r-TWT mode. When seamless roaming occurs, the terminal at the target node operates in individual TWT schedule mode, using the same TWT / r-TWT parameters as the r-TWT at the original access point, such as service period, transmitted traffic TID, and whether it is an emergency service. In some cases, only emergency services or low latency services can convert the r-TWT schedule to an individual TWT schedule.

[0061] In this embodiment, a terminal supporting the TWT timed wake-up function establishes a second connection with a second access point while retaining the first connection with the first access point; wherein the first access point is a multi-connection device, the second access point is a multi-connection device, and the first connection and the second connection are both composed of one or more connections; the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection is determined respectively; seamless roaming is performed, and the first connection with the first access point is disconnected. When the original access point and the target access point are multi-connection devices, when seamless roaming is switched to the target access point, the TWT timed wake-up information corresponding to each connection between the terminal and the target access point can be stably and efficiently determined. Due to the establishment of the TWT timed wake-up information, the power state of the multi-connection device's ancillary devices can also be managed during seamless roaming, saving power consumption and reducing packet loss.

[0062] The steps of the above method are divided only for the purpose of clear description. During implementation, they can be combined into one step or some steps can be split and decomposed into multiple steps. As long as they include the same logical relationship, they are all within the scope of protection of this application; adding insignificant modifications or introducing insignificant designs to the algorithm or process without changing the core design of the algorithm and process are all within the scope of protection of this application.

[0063] Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a terminal that supports the TWT timed wake-up function, as shown in Figure 7, including at least one processor 701; and a memory 702 that is communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory 702 stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor 701, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor 701 to enable the at least one processor 701 to execute the energy-saving method of seamless roaming as described above.

[0064] The memory 702 and processor 701 are connected using a bus. The bus may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, connecting various circuits of one or more processors 701 and memory 702. The bus may also connect various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits. These are all well known in the art and are therefore not described further herein. The bus interface provides an interface between the bus and the transceiver. The transceiver may be a single component or multiple components, such as multiple receivers and transmitters, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium. Data processed by the processor 701 is transmitted over a wireless medium via an antenna. Furthermore, the antenna receives data and transmits it to the processor 701.

[0065] The processor 701 is responsible for managing the bus and general processing, and can also provide various functions, including timing, peripheral interfaces, voltage regulation, power management, and other control functions. The memory 702 can be used to store data used by the processor 701 when performing operations.

[0066] Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which implements the above method embodiment when executed by a processor.

[0067] That is, those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps in the above-mentioned embodiments can be implemented by instructing the relevant hardware through a program, which is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for causing a device (which may be a single-chip microcomputer, chip, etc.) or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a USB flash drive, a mobile hard drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, etc., various media that can store program code.

[0068] Another embodiment of the present invention relates to an energy-saving system for seamless roaming, as shown in Figure 8, including: a terminal 801 supporting the TWT timed wake-up function as mentioned in the above embodiment; a first access point 802, used for communicating with the terminal supporting the TWT timed wake-up function before seamless switching; and a second access point 803, used for communicating with the terminal supporting the TWT timed wake-up function after seamless switching.

[0069] It is not difficult to find that this embodiment is a system embodiment corresponding to the above-mentioned method embodiment, and this embodiment can be implemented in conjunction with the above-mentioned method embodiment. The relevant technical details mentioned in the above-mentioned method embodiment are still valid in this embodiment, and to reduce repetition, they are not repeated here. Accordingly, the relevant technical details mentioned in this embodiment can also be applied to the above-mentioned method embodiment.

[0070] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above-mentioned embodiments are specific examples for implementing the present invention, and that in actual applications, various changes may be made thereto in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An energy-saving method for seamless roaming, which is applied to a terminal supporting the TWT (Target Wake Time) timing wake-up function. There is a first connection between the terminal and a first access point. The method includes: Establishing a second connection with a second access point while retaining the first connection with the first access point; Wherein, the first access point is a multi-connection device, the second access point is a multi-connection device, and both the first connection and the second connection are composed of one or more connections; Respectively determining the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection; Performing seamless roaming and disconnecting the first connection with the first access point.

2. The energy-saving method for seamless roaming according to claim 1, wherein, The step of respectively determining the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection includes: Determining the reuse method of the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to the second connection according to the seamless roaming capability of the second access point or the service types transmitted by each connection in the second connection; When the reuse method is to reuse the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection, obtaining the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection through negotiation with the first access point, and determining the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection according to the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection; When the reuse method is not to reuse the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection, respectively determining the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection through negotiation with the second access point.

3. The energy-saving method for seamless roaming according to claim 2, wherein, The step of determining the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection according to the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection includes: According to the switching relationship of the seamless roaming, determining that some connections in the second connection reuse the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection according to the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection; In the second connection, except for the part of the connection that reuses the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection, the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to the remaining connections in the second connection will be determined through negotiation with the second access point.

4. The energy-saving method for seamless roaming according to claim 3, wherein, The step of determining that some connections in the second connection reuse the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection according to the switching relationship of the seamless roaming and the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to one or more connections in the first connection includes: According to the switching relationship of the seamless roaming, setting the scheduling service time in the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to some connections in the second connection to be the same as the scheduling service time in the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection; According to the end time of the scheduling service time in the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection, make the end time of the scheduling service time corresponding to some connections in the second connection the same as the end time of the scheduling service time in the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection; or, set the start time of the scheduling service time corresponding to some connections in the second connection to be the same as the time when the second connection is established.

5. The energy-saving method for seamless roaming according to claim 4, wherein, The method further includes: before performing the seamless roaming, determining the activation time of the scheduling service time in the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the second connection according to the scheduling service time in the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection and the time when the seamless roaming is performed. After performing the seamless roaming, when reaching the end time of the scheduling service time in the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the second connection for the first time, enter the sleep state.

6. The energy-saving method for seamless roaming according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The method further includes: When the first connection transmits low-latency services or services that meet the preset QoS requirements, send the constrained TWT time schedule corresponding to the terminal to the second access point.

7. The energy-saving method for seamless roaming according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection and the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection include one of the following or any combination thereof: A TWT time schedule composed of scheduling service times, broadcast TWT members, TWT elements, constrained TWT elements; Among them, the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to the connection in the first connection or the TWT timing wake-up information corresponding to each connection in the second connection will be included as a context in the seamless roaming request frame or the seamless roaming response frame.

8. A terminal supporting the TWT timing wake-up function, including: At least one processor; And, A memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein, The memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the at least one processor can execute the energy-saving method for seamless roaming as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the energy-saving method for seamless roaming as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. An energy-saving system for seamless roaming, including: A terminal supporting the TWT timing wake-up function as described in claim 8; A first access point for communicating with the terminal supporting the TWT timing wake-up function before seamless handover; A second access point for communicating with the terminal supporting the TWT timing wake-up function after seamless handover.

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