Buffer status report poll method and apparatus

Abstract

A buffer status report poll method and apparatus. The method comprises: a first device sending a first trigger frame, wherein the first trigger frame indicates N first resource units, with N being a positive integer, and the first resource unit is used for any second device to report a buffer status report; and receiving M buffer status reports on M resource units from among the N resource units, wherein the M buffer status reports correspond to the M second devices on a one-to-one basis, with M being a positive integer less than or equal to N. By using the above method, a second device having an uplink service can randomly select one first resource unit from among N first resource units to send a buffer status report, and a second device having no uplink service does not have to send a buffer status report, thereby making it possible to improve the utilization efficiency of spectrum resources and improve the poll efficiency of buffer status reports.

Description

Cache status report query method and device Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a cache status report query method and device. Background Art

[0002] When an access point (AP) performs orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) uplink scheduling, it needs to understand the service buffer status of associated users, namely the buffer status report (BSR). The AP can allocate corresponding spectrum resources to associated stations (STAs) by triggering frames (or buffer status report poll (BSRP) frames), so that the associated STAs can send BSRs on the corresponding spectrum resources.

[0003] Since the AP cannot accurately predict which of the associated STAs have uplink services (i.e., need to send uplink data), and among the STAs associated with the AP, only a small number of STAs may actually be busy, especially in the scenario where most of the associated STAs are Internet of Things (IoT) users, there are fewer IOT users with uplink services, and most IoT users have no uplink services. At this time, the AP allocates corresponding spectrum resources to the associated STAs, which may result in BSR queries for some STAs without uplink services, that is, invalid queries occur, which in turn causes spectrum resource waste and affects BSR query efficiency. For example, in a certain query, the AP allocates corresponding RUs to 8 STAs. Among the 8 STAs, only 2 STAs may need to send uplink data, while the other 6 STAs do not have uplink data to upload. That is, among the 8 STAs queried this time, only 2 STAs are valid queries, and the other 6 STAs are invalid queries.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a cache status report query method and apparatus to improve cache status report query efficiency.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a cache status report query method, which can be performed by a first device or a module (such as a chip) applied to the first device, for example, the first device is an AP. The method includes: the first device sends a first trigger frame, the first trigger frame indicating N first resource units, where N is a positive integer; the first resource units are used to report a cache status report to any second device; and M cache status reports are received on M resource units among the N resource units, the M cache status reports corresponding one-to-one to M second devices, where M is a positive integer less than or equal to N.

[0007] Using the above method, a second device with uplink service can randomly select a first resource unit from N first resource units to send a cache status report, while a second device without uplink service does not need to send a cache status report, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of spectrum resources, meeting actual transmission requirements, and improving the query efficiency of the cache status report.

[0008] In one possible design, the first trigger frame includes N first information, and the N first information corresponds one-to-one to the N first resource units; wherein, each first information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the values ​​of the N association identifier fields corresponding to the N first information are all first values, and the N resource unit allocation fields corresponding to the N first information indicate the N first resource units.

[0009] In one possible design, the first value is different from the association identifier of any second device associated with the first device.

[0010] With the above design, the first value can be used to identify the type of the resource unit as a first resource unit, to distinguish it from the resource unit allocated to the designated second device.

[0011] In one possible design, the N first information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

[0012] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also indicates K second resource units, where K is a positive integer; the K second resource units are different from the N first resource units, and the second resource units are used to specify a second device to report a cache status report, and the K second resource units correspond one-to-one to the K specified second devices; the method also includes: receiving K cache status reports on the K second resource units, and the K cache status reports correspond one-to-one to the K specified second devices.

[0013] With this design, a non-designated second device with uplink traffic can randomly select one of the N first resource units to send a buffer status report. A non-designated second device without uplink traffic can skip sending a buffer status report, thereby improving spectrum resource utilization. Furthermore, allocating dedicated second resource units to designated second devices ensures the transmission needs of active users.

[0014] In one possible design, the M second devices are different from the K designated second devices.

[0015] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also includes K second information, and the K second information corresponds one-to-one to the K second resource units; wherein, each second information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the K association identifier fields corresponding to the K second information indicate K association identifiers, the K association identifiers correspond one-to-one to the K designated second devices, and the K resource unit allocation fields corresponding to the K second information indicate the K second resource units.

[0016] In one possible design, the K second information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

[0017] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also includes public information, where the public information includes a type field, and the type field indicates that the type of the first trigger frame is a cache status report query.

[0018] In second aspect, the present application provides a cache status report query method, which includes: a second device receives a first trigger frame from a first device, the first trigger frame indicates N first resource units, N is a positive integer; the first resource unit is used to report a cache status report to any second device; when it is determined that there is an uplink service, the cache status report is sent on any one of the N first resource units.

[0019] Using the above method, a second device with uplink service can randomly select a first resource unit from N first resource units to send a cache status report, while a second device without uplink service does not need to send a cache status report, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of spectrum resources, meeting actual transmission requirements, and improving the query efficiency of the cache status report.

[0020] In one possible design, the first trigger frame includes N first information, and the N first information corresponds one-to-one to the N first resource units; wherein, each first information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the values ​​of the N association identifier fields corresponding to the N first information are all first values, and the N resource unit allocation fields corresponding to the N first information indicate the N first resource units.

[0021] In one possible design, the first value is different from the association identifier of any second device associated with the first device.

[0022] In one possible design, the N first information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

[0023] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also indicates K second resource units, where K is a positive integer; the K second resource units are different from the N first resource units, and the second resource units are used to specify a second device to report a cache status report, and the K second resource units correspond one-to-one to the K specified second devices.

[0024] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also includes K second information, and the K second information corresponds one-to-one to the K second resource units; wherein, each second information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the K association identifier fields corresponding to the K second information indicate K association identifiers, the K association identifiers correspond one-to-one to the K designated second devices, and the K resource unit fields corresponding to the K second information indicate the K second resource units.

[0025] With this design, a non-designated second device with uplink traffic can randomly select one of the N first resource units to send a buffer status report. A non-designated second device without uplink traffic can skip sending a buffer status report, thereby improving spectrum resource utilization. Furthermore, allocating dedicated second resource units to designated second devices ensures the transmission needs of active users.

[0026] In one possible design, the K second information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

[0027] In one possible design, the second device determines that its own association identifier is not one of the K association identifiers.

[0028] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also includes public information, where the public information includes a type field, and the type field indicates that the type of the first trigger frame is a cache status report query.

[0029] In a third aspect, the present application provides a data scheduling method, which includes: a first device sends a first frame, the first frame being used to request establishment of a first session; the first session being used by the first device to control the transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data; the first device receives a second frame from S second devices, the second frame indicating agreement to establish the first session, where S is a positive integer; the first device controls the transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data.

[0030] Using the above method, after the first session is established, the first device performs resource scheduling, and none of the S second devices participates in channel contention. That is, the first device allocates transmission resources for uplink transmission and / or allocates transmission resources for downlink transmission. This minimizes collisions between multiple second devices competing for channels, and timely scheduling of uplink and downlink transmissions reduces data transmission latency, improving system resource utilization efficiency.

[0031] In one possible design, when the first device controls the transmission of downlink data, the first device sends downlink data to one or more second devices among the S second devices.

[0032] In one possible design, when the first device controls the transmission of uplink data, the first device receives uplink data from one or more second devices among the S second devices.

[0033] In one possible design, before the first device receives uplink data from one or more second devices among the S second devices, the first device sends a first trigger frame, where the first trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of a cache status report; the first device receives W cache status reports, where the W cache status reports correspond one-to-one to W second devices, and the W second devices belong to the S second devices, where W is a positive integer less than or equal to S; wherein one or more second devices among the S second devices belong to the W second devices.

[0034] In one possible design, the first device sends a third frame, where the third frame is used to delete the first session.

[0035] In one possible design, the first frame includes a type field, where the type field indicates that the first session is used to control transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data.

[0036] In one possible design, the first trigger frame indicates N first resource units, where N is a positive integer; the first resource unit is used to report a cache status report by any second device.

[0037] In one possible design, the first trigger frame includes N first information, and the N first information corresponds one-to-one to the N first resource units; wherein, each first information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the values ​​of the N association identifier fields corresponding to the N first information are all first values, and the N resource unit allocation fields corresponding to the N first information indicate the N first resource units.

[0038] In one possible design, the first value is different from the association identifier of any second device associated with the first device.

[0039] In one possible design, the N first information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

[0040] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also indicates K second resource units, where K is a positive integer; the K second resource units are different from the N first resource units, and the second resource units are used to specify a second device to report a cache status report, and the K second resource units correspond one-to-one to the K specified second devices.

[0041] In one possible design, the M second devices are different from the K designated second devices.

[0042] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also includes K second information, and the K second information corresponds one-to-one to the K second resource units; wherein, each second information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the K association identifier fields corresponding to the K second information indicate K association identifiers, the K association identifiers correspond one-to-one to the K designated second devices, and the K resource unit allocation fields corresponding to the K second information indicate the K second resource units.

[0043] In one possible design, the K second information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

[0044] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also includes public information, where the public information includes a type field, and the type field indicates that the type of the first trigger frame is a cache status report query.

[0045] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a data scheduling method, which includes: a second device receives a first frame from a first device, the first frame being used to request the establishment of a first session; the first session is used by the first device to control the transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data; the second device sends a second frame to the first device, the second frame indicating agreement to establish the first session.

[0046] Using the above method, after the first session is established, the first device performs resource scheduling, and the second device that agrees to establish the first session does not participate in channel contention. In other words, the first device allocates transmission resources for uplink transmission and / or allocates transmission resources for downlink transmission. This minimizes collisions between multiple second devices competing for channels, and timely scheduling of uplink and downlink transmissions reduces data transmission latency, improving system resource utilization efficiency.

[0047] In one possible design, the second device receives downlink data from the first device.

[0048] In one possible design, the second device sends uplink data to the first device.

[0049] In one possible design, before the second device sends uplink data to the first device, the second device receives a first trigger frame from the first device, and the first trigger frame is used to trigger the reporting of a cache status report; when it is determined that there is uplink service, the second device sends a cache status report to the first device.

[0050] In one possible design, the second device receives a third frame from the first device, where the third frame is used to delete the first session.

[0051] In one possible design, the first frame includes a type field, where the type field indicates that the first session is used to control transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data.

[0052] In one possible design, the first trigger frame indicates N first resource units, where N is a positive integer; the first resource unit is used to report a cache status report by any second device.

[0053] In one possible design, the first trigger frame includes N first information, and the N first information corresponds one-to-one to the N first resource units; wherein, each first information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the values ​​of the N association identifier fields corresponding to the N first information are all first values, and the N resource unit allocation fields corresponding to the N first information indicate the N first resource units.

[0054] In one possible design, the first value is different from the association identifier of any second device associated with the first device.

[0055] In one possible design, the N first information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

[0056] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also indicates K second resource units, where K is a positive integer; the K second resource units are different from the N first resource units, and the second resource units are used to specify a second device to report a cache status report, and the K second resource units correspond one-to-one to the K specified second devices.

[0057] In one possible design, the M second devices are different from the K designated second devices.

[0058] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also includes K second information, and the K second information corresponds one-to-one to the K second resource units; wherein, each second information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the K association identifier fields corresponding to the K second information indicate K association identifiers, the K association identifiers correspond one-to-one to the K designated second devices, and the K resource unit allocation fields corresponding to the K second information indicate the K second resource units.

[0059] In one possible design, the K second information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

[0060] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also includes public information, where the public information includes a type field, and the type field indicates that the type of the first trigger frame is a cache status report query.

[0061] In a fifth aspect, the present application further provides an apparatus. The apparatus can execute the above-mentioned method design. The apparatus can be a chip or circuit capable of executing the functions corresponding to the above-mentioned method, or a device including the chip or circuit.

[0062] In one possible implementation, the apparatus includes: a memory for storing computer-executable program code; and a processor coupled to the memory. The program code stored in the memory includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus or a device equipped with the apparatus to perform any of the methods described above.

[0063] The device may further include a communication interface, which may be a transceiver, or, if the device is a chip or a circuit, the communication interface may be an input / output interface of the chip, such as an input / output pin.

[0064] In one possible design, the device includes corresponding functional units for implementing the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above functions.

[0065] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program runs on a device, it executes the method in any one of the possible designs described above.

[0066] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program. When the computer program runs on a device, it executes the method in any one of the possible designs described above.

[0067] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, comprising at least one second device and a first device, wherein the first device executes a method in any possible design of the first and third aspects, and the second device executes a method in any possible design of the second and fourth aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0068] FIG1 shows a network architecture diagram of a WLAN applied in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG2 shows an overview flow chart of a cache status report query method provided by the present application;

[0070] FIG3 shows a schematic structural diagram of a first trigger frame provided by the present application;

[0071] FIG4 shows a schematic diagram of a first resource unit and a second resource unit provided by the present application;

[0072] FIG5 shows a schematic diagram of STA distribution of the whole-house smart system provided by this application;

[0073] FIG6 shows a flowchart of an overview of a data scheduling method provided by the present application;

[0074] FIG7 shows a schematic structural diagram of the first frame and the third frame provided by the present application;

[0075] FIG8 shows a schematic structural diagram of the second frame provided by the present application;

[0076] FIG9 shows a schematic diagram of AP full scheduling provided by this application;

[0077] FIG10 shows a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG11 shows a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0079] The specific implementation of the present application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. However, the implementation of the present application may also include combining these embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application, such as adopting other embodiments and making structural changes. Therefore, the detailed description of the following embodiments should not be understood in a restrictive sense. The terms used in the examples section of the present application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0080] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b and c, where each of a, b, c can be an element itself, or a set containing one or more elements.

[0081] Throughout this application, the terms "exemplary," "in some embodiments," and "in other embodiments" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the word "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner.

[0082] In this application, the terms "of," "corresponding," and "relevant" may be used interchangeably. It should be noted that, when the distinction is not emphasized, the meanings they convey are the same. In the embodiments of this application, the terms "communication" and "transmission" may be used interchangeably. It should be noted that, when the distinction is not emphasized, the meanings they convey are the same. For example, "transmission" may include "send" and "receive" and may be either a noun or a verb.

[0083] It should be pointed out that the words "first", "second", etc. involved in the embodiments of the present application are only used for the purpose of distinguishing the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor can they be understood as indicating or implying order.

[0084] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to local area networks (LANs), particularly WLANs, such as WLANs that use any of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocols. A WLAN can include one or more basic service sets (BSSs), where network nodes include APs and STAs.

[0085] The following takes the embodiment of the present application as an example of a WLAN. Referring to Figure 1, a network architecture diagram of a WLAN to which the embodiment of the present application is applicable is shown. Figure 1 takes the WLAN as an example including 1 AP and 2 STAs. Among them, the STA associated with the AP can receive frames sent by the AP and can also send frames to the AP. The embodiment of the present application will be described using the communication between the AP and the STA as an example. It can be understood that the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to communication between APs, for example, each AP can communicate with each other through a distributed system (DS), and can also be applied to communication between STAs.

[0086] An AP can be an access point for a terminal device (such as a mobile phone) to enter a wired (or wireless) network. An AP is equivalent to a bridge connecting a wired network and a wireless network. Its main function is to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. For example, an AP can be a terminal device (such as a mobile phone) or a network device (such as a router) with a WiFi chip. In an embodiment of the present application, the AP can be a device that supports the 802.11be standard, or it can be a device that supports multiple WLAN standards of the 802.11 series, such as 802.11ax, 802.11ay, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, and the next generation of 802.11be.

[0087] A STA can be a wireless communication chip, wireless sensor, or wireless communication terminal, also known as a user. For example, a STA can be a mobile phone that supports Wi-Fi communication, a tablet that supports Wi-Fi communication, a set-top box that supports Wi-Fi communication, a smart TV that supports Wi-Fi communication, a smart wearable device that supports Wi-Fi communication, an in-vehicle communication device that supports Wi-Fi communication, or a computer that supports Wi-Fi communication. Optionally, a STA can support the 802.11be standard, or multiple WLAN standards in the 802.11 series, such as 802.11ax, 802.11ay, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11be next generation.

[0088] It is understandable that the number of APs and STAs shown in FIG1 is only an example, and may be more or less.

[0089] In the following method, the execution entities are described using the first device and the second device as examples. For example, the first device may be the AP shown in Figure 1. The second device may be any of the STAs shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, it should be understood that the first device may be replaced by a communication device having the functions of the first device, or a chip, unit, or module within a communication device having the functions of the first device. The second device may also be replaced by a communication device having the functions of the second device, or a chip, unit, or module within a communication device having the functions of the second device.

[0090] Currently, the AP allocates corresponding spectrum resources to each associated STA through trigger frames, so that each associated STA sends a BSR on the corresponding spectrum resources, which may lead to the problem of wasted spectrum resources. This application provides a cache status report query method to improve the utilization of spectrum resources. As shown in Figure 2, the method includes:

[0091] Step 200: A first device sends a first trigger frame. Correspondingly, at least one second device associated with the first device receives the first trigger frame.

[0092] The first trigger frame indicates N first resource units, where N is a positive integer. The first resource units are used for any second device to report a buffer status report. Exemplarily, the first resource units may also be referred to as resource units for random access.

[0093] Exemplarily, each first resource unit may be an RU, or a resource unit of other granularity, which is not limited in this application.

[0094] The first resource unit is used to report a cache status report to any second device. This can also be understood as the first resource unit not being bound to any second device, i.e., not limiting the specific second device to which the first resource unit is used to report the cache status report. Alternatively, the first resource unit can be used by any second device to report the cache status report.

[0095] In a possible implementation, the first trigger frame includes N first information, and the N first information correspond one-to-one to the N first resource units. Exemplarily, the N first information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

[0096] Each first message includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field. The values ​​of the N association identifier fields corresponding to the N first messages are all the first value, that is, the values ​​of the N association identifier fields are the same. It is understandable that the first value is different from the association identifier of any second device associated with the first device. The N resource unit allocation fields corresponding to the N first messages indicate N first resource units. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the association identifier field can be AID12, and the resource unit allocation field can be RU allocation.

[0097] Exemplarily, taking the i-th first information as an example, the i-th first information is any one of the N first information, i is a positive integer, and i is less than or equal to N. The i-th first information includes an i-th association identifier field and an i-th resource unit allocation field, the i-th association identifier field is a first value, the i-th resource unit allocation field indicates the i-th first resource unit, and the i-th first resource unit belongs to the N first resource units.

[0098] As shown in FIG3 , the first trigger frame includes user information (user info), which includes N first information items. Each first information item includes an association identifier field. For example, as shown in FIG3 , a portion of the association identifier fields has a first value, such as 2044. Furthermore, the first information may include other content. For details, please refer to other fields in FIG3 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0099] Step 210: M second devices send M buffer status reports on M first resource units among N first resource units, where the M buffer status reports correspond one-to-one to the M second devices, and M is a positive integer less than or equal to N.

[0100] Accordingly, the first device receives M buffer status reports on M resource units out of the N resource units.

[0101] Among them, the M second devices are part or all of the second devices associated with the first device, and the M second devices are second devices with uplink services. Exemplarily, the M second devices are second devices with uplink services, which can also be described as the M second devices being second devices that need to send uplink data, and the M second devices being second devices with uplink data to be transmitted. In other words, the above-mentioned M cache status reports are cache status reports sent by the second device with uplink services, that is, the above-mentioned M cache status reports all indicate that there is uplink data to be transmitted.

[0102] Exemplarily, for any second device that receives the first trigger frame, if the second device determines that there is uplink data to be transmitted or there is uplink service, the second device can select any first resource unit from N first resource units to report a cache status report.

[0103] For example, N=5, M=2, assuming that there are 10 second devices associated with the first device, and 2 of the 10 second devices need to send uplink data, then each of the 2 second devices randomly selects a first resource unit from the 5 first resource units to send uplink data.

[0104] It can be understood that the M second devices in step 210 are the second devices that successfully sent the cache status report. For example, assuming that among the second devices that receive the first trigger frame, there are 5 second devices that determine that they need to send uplink data, among which the first resource units selected by 3 second devices are different from each other, and the other 2 second devices select the same first resource unit to send the cache status report, then the first device can only successfully receive and parse the cache status reports sent by the 3 second devices respectively, but cannot correctly parse the cache status reports sent by the other 2 second devices respectively. That is, at this time M=3, M≠5, the first device can only determine the number of second devices that successfully sent the cache status report, and cannot know the number of second devices that selected the same first resource unit (i.e., a collision occurred).

[0105] It is understandable that, in a scenario where the number of second devices with uplink services is greater than N, there will be a situation where at least two second devices select the same first resource unit to send a cache status report. In addition, even in a scenario where the number of second devices with uplink services is less than or equal to N, there may be a situation where at least two second devices select the same first resource unit to send a cache status report. Further, when at least two second devices select the same first resource unit to send a cache status report, the first device cannot correctly parse the cache status reports corresponding to the at least two second devices, that is, the parsing of the cache status reports corresponding to the at least two second devices fails. At this time, the second device that failed to successfully report the cache status report (that is, the at least two second devices that selected the same first resource unit to report the cache status report) can report the cache status report again the next time the first device sends the first trigger frame.

[0106] Furthermore, after step 210, the first device may schedule uplink data for the M second devices. That is, the first device may schedule uplink data for the second devices that have no collision and have successfully sent buffer status reports.

[0107] In addition, the cache status report query method may also be referred to as a random frequency channel access (RFCA) query method, or other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0108] Using the above method, a second device with uplink service can randomly select a first resource unit from N first resource units to send a cache status report, while a second device without uplink service does not need to send a cache status report, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of spectrum resources, meeting actual transmission requirements, and improving the query efficiency of the cache status report.

[0109] In addition, in a possible implementation, the first trigger frame can also indicate K second resource units, where K is a positive integer; the K second resource units are different from the N first resource units, and the second resource units are used to specify the second device to report the cache status report, and the K second resource units correspond one-to-one to the K specified second devices.

[0110] Correspondingly, the first device receives K buffer status reports on the K second resource units, and the K buffer status reports correspond one-to-one to the K designated second devices.

[0111] The K designated second devices are some of the second devices associated with the first device, and the K designated second devices are different from the M second devices.

[0112] For example, the first device may collect statistics based on historical cache status reports to determine second devices with a higher level of activity as designated second devices. For example, based on historical cache status reports, the first device may determine second devices whose cache status reports indicate the presence of uplink data to be transmitted more than a preset threshold number of times within a preset time period, and designate these second devices as designated second devices, or active users. The first device may then allocate designated resource units, i.e., second resource units, to these second devices.

[0113] For example, if the AP determines that STA2 and STA3 are active users, the corresponding second resource unit is allocated to STA2, and the corresponding second resource unit is allocated to STA3, wherein the corresponding second resource unit allocated to STA2 is only used for STA2 to report the cache status report, and the corresponding second resource unit allocated to STA3 is only used for STA3 to report the cache status report.

[0114] It is understandable that among the K designated second devices, there may be at least one designated second device that has no uplink data to be transmitted, but the at least one designated second device still needs to send a buffer status report on the corresponding second resource unit. For example, in the above example, the corresponding second resource unit is allocated to STA2, and the corresponding second resource unit is allocated to STA3. Regardless of whether STA2 or STA3 has uplink data to be transmitted, STA2 needs to send a buffer status report on the corresponding second resource unit, and STA3 also needs to send a buffer status report on the corresponding second resource unit.

[0115] In a possible implementation, the first trigger frame further includes K pieces of second information, and the K pieces of second information correspond one-to-one to the K second resource units. The K pieces of second information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

[0116] Among them, each second information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the K association identifier fields corresponding to the K second information indicate K association identifiers, the K association identifiers correspond one-to-one to the K designated second devices, and the K resource unit allocation fields corresponding to the K second information indicate K second resource units.

[0117] Exemplarily, taking the j-th second information as an example, the j-th second information is any one of the K second information, j is a positive integer, and j is less than or equal to K. The j-th second information includes a j-th association identifier field and a j-th resource unit allocation field, the j-th association identifier field is the association identifier of the j-th designated second device, the j-th resource unit allocation field indicates the j-th second resource unit, the j-th second resource unit belongs to the K second resource units, and the j-th designated second device belongs to the K designated second devices.

[0118] As shown in Figure 3, the first trigger frame includes user information (user info), and the user information also includes K second information. Each second information includes an association identifier field. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the association identifier field can be AID12. At this time, the value of the association identifier field is the association identifier of the specified second device. For example, AID=2 indicates that the second resource unit is allocated to STA2, and AID=3 indicates that the second resource unit is allocated to STA3.

[0119] In addition, the first trigger frame further includes public information, and the public information includes a type field, and the type field indicates that the type of the first trigger frame is a cache status report query.

[0120] As shown in FIG3 , the first trigger frame includes common information (common info). The type field in the common information is a trigger frame type (trigger type). The value of the trigger frame type is 4, indicating that the trigger frame type is BSRP.

[0121] It is understood that if the first trigger frame includes N first information and K second information, for any second device that receives the first trigger frame, the second device can determine whether its own association identifier is one of the K association identifiers corresponding to the K second information. If so, it sends a cache status report in the corresponding second resource unit. Otherwise, the second device can further determine whether it has uplink data to be transmitted. If so, it randomly selects a first resource unit from the N first resource units to send a cache status report. Otherwise, it does not need to send a cache status report.

[0122] For example, as shown in Figure 4, the first device selects 9 26-tone RUs in the main 20M bandwidth as resources for reporting the cache status report, wherein the first trigger frame includes 2 second information and 7 first information, wherein the 2 second information respectively indicate the 1st RU and the 2nd RU of the 26-tone RU, the 1st RU of the 26-tone RU is allocated to STA2, and the 2nd RU of the 26-tone RU is allocated to STA3, and the 7 first information respectively indicate the 3rd RU to the 9th RU of the 26-tone RU, that is, the 3rd RU to the 9th RU of the 26-tone RU can be randomly selected by other STAs associated with the AP except STA2 and STA3 to send the cache status report.

[0123] In addition, when the first trigger frame indicates both the first resource unit and the second resource unit, the above-mentioned cache status report query method can also be called a query method combining RFCA and BSRP, or other names, which is not limited in this application.

[0124] Using the above method, a second device with uplink traffic and a non-designated second device can randomly select a first resource unit from N first resource units to send a buffer status report, while a second device without uplink traffic and a non-designated second device does not need to send a buffer status report, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of spectrum resources. At the same time, allocating dedicated second resource units to designated second devices can ensure the transmission needs of active users.

[0125] With the development of the Internet of Things and whole-home smart systems, the number of users associated with APs is gradually increasing. This can easily lead to increased collision rates when users compete for channels during channel access, and can also cause problems such as uneven uplink and downlink transmission opportunities. Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the STA distribution in a possible whole-home smart system. As shown in Figure 5, there are many STAs associated with an AP, but only some of these STAs frequently need to transmit data. These STAs are called active STAs, such as mobile phones and laptops. Other STAs, such as smart refrigerators and washing machines, do not frequently need to transmit data. Therefore, the actual number of active STAs is far smaller than the number of associated STAs.

[0126] Currently, STAs access APs using a distributed coordination function (DCF) mechanism. DCF is based on the carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) mechanism, and includes two processes: sensing and backoff. For example, the STA performs carrier sensing on the channel. To avoid collisions, it waits for a fixed distributed inter-frame spacing (DIFS) when the channel is idle, and then waits for a random number in the backoff window. When the backoff counter counts down to 0, the channel is seized to send data. During the backoff process, if the STA finds that the channel is occupied, the backoff counter stops counting.

[0127] For example, when there are a large number of active users, multiple STAs may select the same random number when the channel is idle. When the backoff counter reaches 0, multiple STAs using the same random number may send packets simultaneously, preventing the AP from decoding the preambles corresponding to each STA. Consequently, the parsing of packets sent by multiple STAs fails. As can be seen from the above, the DCF mechanism suffers from significant transmission delays and a high collision rate.

[0128] Based on the above problems, the present application further provides a data scheduling method to solve the problems of large transmission delay and high collision rate. As shown in FIG6 , the method includes:

[0129] Step 600: A first device sends a first frame, the first frame being used to request the establishment of a first session; the first session is used by the first device to control the transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data. Accordingly, multiple second devices receive the first frame, and the multiple second devices are associated with the first device.

[0130] For example, the first frame can also be called a session request (ADD-APCTR Request) frame, and the specific frame structure can be as shown in Figure 7 below. Exemplarily, the first frame includes a category field, which indicates that the first session is used to control the transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data. The category field indicates that the first session is used to control the transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data. Alternatively, the category field indicates that the first session is used to perform full scheduling on the first device. The first session can also be called an AP full scheduling session.

[0131] Exemplarily, the first device controls uplink data transmission including multi-user uplink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) transmission and / or single-user uplink transmission. The first device controls uplink data transmission including multi-user downlink OFDMA transmission and / or single-user downlink transmission.

[0132] Step 610: The S second devices send a second frame to the first device. Correspondingly, the first device receives the second frames from the S second devices, where the second frames indicate agreement to establish the first session.

[0133] It is understandable that the S second devices are the second devices that agree to establish the first session or agree to participate in the first session among the multiple second devices that receive the first frame. That is, the second device that receives the first frame may agree to establish the first session or disagree to establish the first session. The second device that disagrees to establish the first session may not have the ability to establish the first session or for other reasons, which are not limited in this application. For example, the AP sends the first frame, and all 10 STAs associated with the AP receive the first frame. Among them, 9 STAs agree to establish the first session, and the remaining 1 STA disagrees to establish the first session.

[0134] For example, if a first device receives second frames from S second devices, it can be understood that the S second devices each reply with a second frame. In one possible implementation, the S second devices send second frames at different times, and the first device receives the second frames at different times. That is, the first device receives S second frames, and each of the S second frames corresponds one-to-one to each of the S second devices.

[0135] In another possible implementation, S second devices send second frames at the same time, that is, the S second devices send second frames using OFDMA, then the first device can receive one second frame, that is, the first device understands the second frames sent by the S second devices respectively as one second frame for parsing.

[0136] For example, the second frame or the response frame may also be referred to as a session response (ADD-APCTR Response) frame.

[0137] For example, any second device that receives the first frame can determine whether it has the capability to participate in the first session (or whether it supports the first session) and whether it agrees to join the first session. If it has the capability to participate in the first session and agrees to join the first session, the second device can reply with a second frame indicating that it agrees to establish the first session. Furthermore, the second device no longer participates in channel contention and agrees to the first device controlling the transmission of uplink and / or downlink data.

[0138] Step 630: The first device controls the transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data.

[0139] Exemplarily, the first device determines that S second devices agree to establish the first session, schedules channel resources, and controls uplink transmission and / or downlink data transmission.

[0140] In one example, if the S second devices are all second devices associated with the first device, the first device does not need to participate in channel contention. That is, when all second devices agree to establish the first session, the first device and all second devices do not participate in channel contention.

[0141] In another example, if the S second devices are some of the second devices associated with the first device, that is, some of the second devices do not agree to establish the first session, then the first device and some of the second devices that do not agree to establish the first session participate in channel competition, while the second devices that agree to establish the first session do not participate in channel competition.

[0142] The first device controls the transmission of downlink data, which can be understood as the first device sending downlink data to one or more of the S second devices. The first device controls the transmission of uplink data, which can be understood as the first device receiving uplink data from one or more of the S second devices.

[0143] In one possible implementation, before a first device receives uplink data from one or more second devices among S second devices, the first device sends a first trigger frame, where the first trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of a buffer status report. Furthermore, the first device may receive W buffer status reports, where the W buffer status reports correspond one-to-one to the W second devices, where the W second devices belong to the S second devices, and W is a positive integer less than or equal to S. One or more second devices among the S second devices belong to the W second devices.

[0144] The W cache status reports are sent by W second devices among the second devices that agree to establish the first session, that is, the W second devices are W second devices among the S second devices.

[0145] In addition, it is understood that if there is at least one second device that does not agree to establish the first session, the at least one second device may also send a buffer status report after receiving the first trigger frame. Furthermore, if there is a second device among the at least one second device that needs to send uplink data, the first device may also schedule these second devices to send uplink data.

[0146] In one example, a first device may configure corresponding resource units for each of S second devices using a first trigger frame, and then receive buffer status reports respectively reported by the S second devices. The first device determines, based on the buffer status reports corresponding to the S second devices, that one or more of the S second devices has uplink data to be transmitted, and schedules these second devices to send the uplink data.

[0147] In another example, referring to the embodiment shown in FIG2 , the first device sends a first trigger frame, where the first trigger frame may indicate N first resource units, or alternatively, the first trigger frame may indicate N first resource units and K second resource units. At this point, both the second device that agrees to establish the first session and the second device that disagrees with establishing the first session may report a cache status report. Furthermore, the first device may obtain the cache status report, determine which second devices have uplink data to be transmitted, and schedule these second devices to send uplink data.

[0148] Furthermore, after step 630, the first device may optionally send a third frame for deleting the first session. Accordingly, the S second devices receive the third frame from the first device and, after receiving the third frame, switch their channel access from being completely controlled by the AP to a contention-free channel based on the DCF mechanism.

[0149] For example, the third frame may also be called a delete session request (DEL-APCTR Request) frame, and the specific frame structure may be as shown in FIG. 7 below.

[0150] Using this method, from the time the first session is established until it is deleted, the S second devices do not participate in channel contention. Instead, the first device performs resource scheduling, allocating transmission resources for uplink transmission and downlink transmission. This minimizes collisions between multiple second devices competing for channels, and timely scheduling of uplink and downlink transmissions reduces data transmission latency, improving system resource utilization efficiency.

[0151] As shown in Figure 7, the AP control (APCTR) action field is used to distinguish frame types. In one possible implementation, a value of 0 represents an ADD-APCTR Request frame, i.e., the first frame, and a value of 2 represents a DEL-APCTR Request frame, i.e., the third frame. In other words, the first and third frames have similar formats, but different values ​​in the APCTR action field.

[0152] In Figure 8, the APCTR action field is used to distinguish frame categories, and a value of 1 represents an ADD-APCTR Response frame, that is, the second frame. The APCTR Parameter Set includes three fields, namely the APCTR supported field, the AP accepted field, and the reserved field. Among them, APCTR supported indicates whether the second device supports the first session. In a possible implementation, a value of 0 indicates no support, and a value of 1 indicates support. APCTR accepted indicates whether the second device agrees to establish the first session. In a possible implementation, a value of 0 indicates disagreement, and a value of 1 indicates agreement.

[0153] As shown in Figure 9, an AP in a BSS is associated with 64 STAs. During a period of busy air interface traffic, the channel access collision rate is high, and the number of active users is far fewer than the number of associated users. The AP decides to use full scheduling, initiating the first session. The AP also selects nine 26-tone RUs in the primary 20 Mbps bandwidth as the first resource unit.

[0154] The AP sends a first frame, requesting the establishment of the first session. For example, at a certain moment when multi-user uplink and downlink traffic is heavy and the channel access collision rate is high, the AP sends the first frame. Each STA responds with a second frame, indicating agreement to establish the first session. If all 64 STAs respond with a second frame indicating agreement to establish the first session, the AP and its associated 64 STAs no longer compete for the channel. The AP initiates uplink and downlink transmissions and channel resource allocation.

[0155] After establishing the first session, the AP may initiate multi-user uplink OFDMA transmission (multi-user uplink-OFDMA).

[0156] In one example, the AP sends a first trigger frame. The first trigger frame indicates 9 26-tone RUs as the first resource unit. Then, some STAs report BSRs. The following description only uses STA2, STA3, and STA64 reporting BSRs as an example, which is not a limitation of this application. Among them, STA2, STA3, and STA64 among the 64 STAs respectively select the 1st RU, 4th RU, and 9th RU among the 9 26-tone RUs to report BSRs. It can be understood that at this time, STA2, STA3, and STA64 all have uplink data to be transmitted. That is, the STA that uses the first resource unit to report the BSR has uplink data to be transmitted.

[0157] Furthermore, the AP sends a second trigger frame. The second trigger frame is used to schedule STA2, STA3, and STA64 to send uplink data respectively. That is, the second trigger frame is used to allocate channel resources to STA2, STA3, and STA64 respectively. STA2, STA3, and STA64 respectively send physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs). STA2, STA3, and STA64 send PPDUs based on the channel resources allocated to them by the second trigger frame. STA2, STA3, and STA64 do not need to determine channel resources through channel competition. The AP can also send block acknowledgements (BAs) to STA2, STA3, and STA64 respectively.

[0158] In another example, the AP sends a first trigger frame. The first trigger frame indicates two 26-tone RUs as the second resource unit and seven 26-tone RUs as the first resource unit. The first RU of the 26-tone RU is allocated to STA2, the second RU of the 26-tone RU is allocated to STA3, and the third to ninth RUs of the 26-tone RU can be randomly selected by other STAs associated with the AP except STA2 and STA3 to send a cache status report. The following only uses STA2, STA3, and STA64 reporting BSR as an example for explanation, and is not a limitation of this application. STA2 sends BSR on the first RU of the 26-tone RU, STA3 sends BSR on the second RU of the 26-tone RU, and STA64 selects the sixth RU among the nine 26-tone RUs to report BSR.

[0159] Furthermore, assume that the AP determines, based on the BSR from STA2, that STA2 has no uplink data to transmit, but determines, based on the BSR from STA3, that STA3 has uplink data to transmit. STA64 also has uplink data to transmit. The AP sends a second trigger frame. The second trigger frame is used to schedule STA3 and STA64 to transmit uplink data, respectively. That is, the second trigger frame is used to allocate channel resources to STA3 and STA64, respectively. STA3 and STA64 each send a PPDU. STA3 and STA64 each send a PPDU based on the channel resources allocated to them by the second trigger frame. STA3 and STA64 do not need to determine channel resources through channel competition. The AP may also send a BA to STA3 and STA64, respectively. The corresponding frame interaction for this example is not shown.

[0160] After establishing the first session, the AP may initiate single-user downlink (SU DL) transmission.

[0161] For example, the following description uses the example of an AP sending downlink data to STA4, and is not intended to limit the present application. The AP sends a request to send (RTS) to STA4. STA4 sends a clear to send (CTS) to the AP. The AP sends a PPDU to STA4. STA4 sends a BA to the AP.

[0162] After establishing the first session, the AP may initiate a single-user uplink transmission (SU UL).

[0163] For example, the following description uses the example of an AP receiving uplink data from STA4 as an example and is not intended to limit the present application. The AP sends a first trigger frame, which indicates nine 26-tone RUs as the first resource unit. Only STA4 randomly selects the seventh of the nine 26-tone RUs to report a BSR. The AP sends a CTS to STA4, which is used to confirm channel access and allocate channel resources to STA4. STA4 can send PPDUs at the full bandwidth. After receiving the PPDU, the AP sends a BA to STA4.

[0164] After establishing the first session, the AP may initiate multi-user downlink OFDMA transmission (MU DL-OFDMA).

[0165] For example, the following description is based on the example of the AP buffering the downlink data of STA1 and STA64, which is not a limitation of the present application. The AP sends PPDUs to STA1 and STA64 respectively, and STA1 and STA64 send BA frames to the AP after receiving the PPDUs.

[0166] In addition, if the AP determines that uplink and downlink traffic has become idle, the AP can send a third frame. The third frame is used to request the deletion of the first session. The 64 STAs send an acknowledgment (ACK) to the AP. The ACK is used to confirm the deletion of the first session. For example, the AP can send the third frame when it has no downlink traffic and no other STAs have uplink traffic.

[0167] It is understandable that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the first device and the second device include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or in a computer software-driven hardware manner depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0168] Figures 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams of the structures of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments, thereby also achieving the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be STA1 or one of STA1 as shown in Figure 1, or the AP as shown in Figure 1, or a module (such as a chip) applied to the STA or AP.

[0169] As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 1000 includes a processing unit 1010 and a transceiver unit 1020. The communication device 1000 is used to implement the functions of the first device or the second device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 2 and 6 above.

[0170] When the communication apparatus 1000 is used to implement the function of the first device in the method embodiment shown in FIG2 :

[0171] The transceiver unit 1020 is used to send and receive information; the processing unit 1010 is used to send a first trigger frame through the transceiver unit 1020, where the first trigger frame indicates N first resource units, where N is a positive integer; the first resource unit is used to report a cache status report on any second device; M cache status reports are received on M resource units among the N resource units, where the M cache status reports correspond one-to-one to M second devices, and M is a positive integer less than or equal to N.

[0172] In one possible design, the first trigger frame includes N first information, and the N first information corresponds one-to-one to the N first resource units; wherein, each first information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the values ​​of the N association identifier fields corresponding to the N first information are all first values, and the N resource unit allocation fields corresponding to the N first information indicate the N first resource units.

[0173] In one possible design, the first value is different from the association identifier of any second device associated with the first device.

[0174] In one possible design, the N first information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

[0175] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also indicates K second resource units, where K is a positive integer; the K second resource units are different from the N first resource units, and the second resource units are used to specify a second device to report a cache status report, and the K second resource units correspond one-to-one to the K specified second devices; the transceiver unit 1020 is used to receive K cache status reports on the K second resource units, and the K cache status reports correspond one-to-one to the K specified second devices.

[0176] In one possible design, the M second devices are different from the K designated second devices.

[0177] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also includes K second information, and the K second information corresponds one-to-one to the K second resource units; wherein, each second information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the K association identifier fields corresponding to the K second information indicate K association identifiers, the K association identifiers correspond one-to-one to the K designated second devices, and the K resource unit allocation fields corresponding to the K second information indicate the K second resource units.

[0178] In one possible design, the K second information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

[0179] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also includes public information, where the public information includes a type field, and the type field indicates that the type of the first trigger frame is a cache status report query.

[0180] When the communication apparatus 1000 is used to implement the function of the second device in the method embodiment shown in FIG2 :

[0181] The transceiver unit 1020 is used to send and receive information; the processing unit 1010 is used to receive a first trigger frame from the first device through the transceiver unit 1020, where the first trigger frame indicates N first resource units, where N is a positive integer; the first resource unit is used to report a cache status report to any second device; when it is determined that there is an uplink service, the cache status report is sent on any one of the N first resource units.

[0182] In one possible design, the first trigger frame includes N first information, and the N first information corresponds one-to-one to the N first resource units; wherein, each first information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the values ​​of the N association identifier fields corresponding to the N first information are all first values, and the N resource unit allocation fields corresponding to the N first information indicate the N first resource units.

[0183] In one possible design, the first value is different from the association identifier of any second device associated with the first device.

[0184] In one possible design, the N first information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

[0185] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also indicates K second resource units, where K is a positive integer; the K second resource units are different from the N first resource units, and the second resource units are used to specify a second device to report a cache status report, and the K second resource units correspond one-to-one to the K specified second devices.

[0186] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also includes K second information, and the K second information corresponds one-to-one to the K second resource units; wherein, each second information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the K association identifier fields corresponding to the K second information indicate K association identifiers, the K association identifiers correspond one-to-one to the K designated second devices, and the K resource unit fields corresponding to the K second information indicate the K second resource units.

[0187] In one possible design, the K second information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

[0188] In one possible design, the processing unit 1010 is used to determine that its own association identifier is not one of the K association identifiers.

[0189] In one possible design, the first trigger frame also includes public information, where the public information includes a type field, and the type field indicates that the type of the first trigger frame is a cache status report query.

[0190] When the communication apparatus 1000 is used to implement the function of the first device in the method embodiment shown in FIG6 :

[0191] The transceiver unit 1020 is used to send and receive information; the processing unit 1010 is used to send a first frame through the transceiver unit 1020, where the first frame is used to request the establishment of a first session; the first session is used by the first device to control the transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data; receive a second frame from S second devices, where the second frame indicates agreement to establish the first session, where S is a positive integer; the first device controls the transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data.

[0192] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1020 is used to send downlink data to one or more second devices among the S second devices when controlling the transmission of downlink data.

[0193] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1020 is used to receive uplink data from one or more second devices among the S second devices when controlling the transmission of uplink data.

[0194] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1020 is used to send a first trigger frame before receiving uplink data from one or more second devices among the S second devices, where the first trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of a cache status report; receive W cache status reports, where the W cache status reports correspond one-to-one to W second devices, and the W second devices belong to the S second devices, where W is a positive integer less than or equal to S; wherein one or more second devices among the S second devices belong to the W second devices.

[0195] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1020 is used to send a third frame, and the third frame is used to delete the first session.

[0196] In one possible design, the first frame includes a type field, where the type field indicates that the first session is used to control transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data.

[0197] When the communication apparatus 1000 is used to implement the function of the second device in the method embodiment shown in FIG6 :

[0198] The transceiver unit 1020 is used to send and receive information; the processing unit 1010 is used to receive a first frame from the first device through the transceiver unit 1020, where the first frame is used to request the establishment of a first session; the first session is used by the first device to control the transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data; and send a second frame to the first device, where the second frame indicates agreement to establish the first session.

[0199] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1020 is used to receive downlink data from the first device.

[0200] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1020 is used to send uplink data to the first device.

[0201] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1020 is used to receive a first trigger frame from the first device before sending uplink data to the first device, and the first trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of a cache status report; when it is determined that there is uplink service, a cache status report is sent to the first device.

[0202] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1020 is used to receive a third frame from the first device, and the third frame is used to delete the first session.

[0203] In one possible design, the first frame includes a type field, where the type field indicates that the first session is used to control transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data.

[0204] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 1010 and the transceiver unit 1020 , reference may be made to the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 6 .

[0205] As shown in Figure 11, communication device 1100 includes a processor 1110 and an interface circuit 1120. Processor 1110 and interface circuit 1120 are coupled to each other. It will be appreciated that interface circuit 1120 may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, communication device 1100 may further include a memory 1130 for storing instructions executed by processor 1110, input data required by processor 1110 to execute instructions, or data generated by processor 1110 after executing instructions.

[0206] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 6 , the processor 1110 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 1010 , and the interface circuit 1120 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 1020 .

[0207] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0208] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disk, mobile hard disk, CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in the first device or the second device. The processor and storage medium can also exist in the first device or the second device as discrete components.

[0209] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0210] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0211] It is understood that the various numbers used in the embodiments of this application are merely for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily imply a specific order of execution; the order of execution of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A method for querying cache status reports, characterized in that, The method includes: A first device sends a first trigger frame, where the first trigger frame indicates N first resource units, and N is a positive integer; the first resource units are used for any second device to report a buffer status report; Receive M buffer status reports on M of the N resource units, where the M buffer status reports correspond to M second devices one by one, and M is a positive integer less than or equal to N.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first trigger frame includes N first pieces of information, and the N first pieces of information correspond to the N first resource units one by one; Wherein, each first piece of information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the values of the N association identifier fields corresponding to the N first pieces of information are all a first value, and the N resource unit allocation fields corresponding to the N first pieces of information indicate the N first resource units.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The first value is different from the association identifier of any second device associated with the first device.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The N first pieces of information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The first trigger frame further indicates K second resource units, and K is a positive integer; the K second resource units are different from the N first resource units, the second resource units are used for a specified second device to report a buffer status report, and the K second resource units correspond to K specified second devices one by one; The method further includes: receiving K buffer status reports on the K second resource units, where the K buffer status reports correspond to the K specified second devices one by one.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The M second devices are different from the K specified second devices.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The first trigger frame further includes K second pieces of information, and the K second pieces of information correspond to the K second resource units one by one; Wherein, each second piece of information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the K association identifier fields corresponding to the K second pieces of information indicate K association identifiers, the K association identifiers correspond to the K specified second devices one by one, and the K resource unit allocation fields corresponding to the K second pieces of information indicate the K second resource units.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, The K second pieces of information are carried by user information in the first trigger frame.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The first trigger frame further includes common information, and the common information includes a type field, where the type field indicates that the type of the first trigger frame is a buffer status report query.

10. A method for querying cache status reports, characterized in that, The method includes: A second device receives a first trigger frame from a first device, where the first trigger frame indicates N first resource units, and N is a positive integer; the first resource units are used for any second device to report a buffer status report; When it is determined that there is uplink traffic, send the buffer status report on any one of the N first resource units.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first trigger frame includes N first pieces of information, and the N first pieces of information correspond to the N first resource units one by one; Wherein, each first piece of information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the values of the N association identifier fields corresponding to the N first pieces of information are all a first value, and the N resource unit allocation fields corresponding to the N first pieces of information indicate the N first resource units.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The first value is different from the association identifiers of any of the second devices associated with the first device.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The N first pieces of information are carried by the user information in the first trigger frame.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10-13, characterized in that, The first trigger frame further indicates K second resource units, where K is a positive integer; the K second resource units are different from the N first resource units, and the second resource units are used to specify that the second devices report buffer status reports, and the K second resource units correspond to K designated second devices one by one.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The first trigger frame further includes K second pieces of information, and the K second pieces of information correspond to the K second resource units one by one; wherein, each second piece of information includes an association identifier field and a resource unit allocation field, the K association identifier fields corresponding to the K second pieces of information indicate K association identifiers, the K association identifiers correspond to the K designated second devices one by one, and the K resource unit fields corresponding to the K second pieces of information indicate the K second resource units.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The K second pieces of information are carried by the user information in the first trigger frame.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that Further included: The second device determines that its own association identifier is not one of the K association identifiers.

18. The method according to any one of claims 10-17, characterized in that, The first trigger frame further includes common information, and the common information includes a type field, and the type field indicates that the type of the first trigger frame is a buffer status report query.

19. A data scheduling method, characterized in that, The method includes: A first device sends a first frame, and the first frame is used to request to establish a first session; the first session is used for the first device to control the transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data; The first device receives second frames from S second devices, and the second frames indicate consent to establish the first session, where S is a positive integer; The first device controls the transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein The first device controls the transmission of downlink data, including: The first device sends downlink data to one or more of the S second devices.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that The first device controls the transmission of uplink data, including: The first device receives uplink data from one or more of the S second devices.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein Before the first device receives uplink data from one or more of the S second devices, further included: The first device sends a first trigger frame, and the first trigger frame is used to trigger the reporting of buffer status reports; The first device receives W buffer status reports, and the W buffer status reports correspond to W second devices one by one, and the W second devices belong to the S second devices, and W is a positive integer less than or equal to S; wherein, one or more of the S second devices belong to the W second devices.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19-22, characterized in that, Further included: The first device sends a third frame, and the third frame is used to delete the first session.

24. The method according to any one of claims 19-23, characterized in that, The first frame includes a type field, and the type field indicates that the first session is used to control the transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data.

25. A data scheduling method, characterized in that The method includes: A second device receives a first frame from a first device, and the first frame is used to request to establish a first session; the first session is used for the first device to control the transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data; The second device sends a second frame to the first device, and the second frame indicates consent to establish the first session.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein Further included are: The second device receives downlink data from the first device.

27. The method according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that, Further included are: The second device sends uplink data to the first device.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein Before the second device sends uplink data to the first device, further included is: The second device receives a first trigger frame from the first device, and the first trigger frame is used to trigger reporting a buffer status report. When it is determined that there is uplink traffic, the second device sends a buffer status report to the first device.

29. The method according to any one of claims 25-28, characterized in that, Further included are: The second device receives a third frame from the first device, and the third frame is used to delete the first session.

30. The method according to any one of claims 25-29, characterized in that, The first frame includes a type field, and the type field indicates that the first session is used to control the transmission of uplink data and / or downlink data.

31. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a unit or module for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 30.

32. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes at least one processor; the at least one processor is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 30.

33. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a program, and when the program runs on the device, the device is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 30.

34. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a program or instruction, and when the program or instruction is executed by the device, the device is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 30.

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