Communication method, apparatus and system

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus and system, which are used for reducing air interface overhead in WiFi environments, thus improving the throughput of a wireless network. The method comprises: receiving a request frame from a first station, wherein the request frame is used for requesting communication quality information; and sending a response frame to the first station, wherein the response frame comprises communication quality information of a plurality of access points, the plurality of access points are access points in a first access point set, and the first access point set comprises a first access point.

Description

Communication method, device and system

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on February 8, 2024, with application number 202410179406.4 and application name “Communication Methods, Devices and Systems”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of wireless fidelity (WiFi) technology, and in particular to communication methods, devices, and systems. Background Art

[0003] In current WiFi technology, if a station (STA) sends a probe request frame, each AP that receives the probe request frame will reply to the STA with a probe response frame by competing for a channel.

[0004] However, in an area where multiple APs and multiple STAs exist, if each AP replies with a probe response frame, the air interface overhead will be too high, thereby reducing the throughput of the wireless network.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus, and system for reducing air interface overhead in a WiFi environment, thereby improving the throughput of a wireless network.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0008] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. A device executing the communication method may be a first access point, or may be a module implemented in the first access point, such as a chip or a chip system. The communication method includes: receiving a request frame from a first station, the request frame requesting communication quality information; and sending a response frame to the first station, the response frame including communication quality information for multiple access points, the multiple access points being access points in a first access point set to which the first access point belongs.

[0009] In the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, only the first access point among the multiple access points sends a response frame to the first station, and the response frame can carry communication quality information of the multiple access points. Compared to a method in which each of the multiple access points sends a response frame separately, the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application can reduce air interface overhead, thereby improving network throughput.

[0010] In combination with the foregoing first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the response frame further includes identification information of the multiple access points.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the first access point has an association with the first station, the association being stored by each of the multiple access points, and the association being used by the first access point to obtain communication quality information from the multiple access points. In this solution, because the other access points other than the first access point in the multiple access points store the association between the first access point and the first station, upon receiving a request frame from the first station, the other access points can send their respective information to the first access point, thereby facilitating the first access point's acquisition of communication quality information from the multiple access points.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in a possible implementation, the communication quality between the first access point and the first station is higher than or equal to a first threshold. This solution is conducive to ensuring the transmission quality of the response frame.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the first access point is an access point selected by a first device, and the first device is configured to manage access points in the first access point set. In this solution, the first device may be a device having upper-layer functionality for scheduling, managing, or controlling multiple access points. For example, the first device may be an access point, such as a master access point, or an access controller AC.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving communication quality information of the multiple access points. In this solution, the multiple access points communicate directly with the first access point, which helps the first access point obtain the communication quality information of the multiple access points more quickly.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving communication quality information of the multiple access points from the first device. When the multiple access points operate on different channels from the first access point and cannot communicate directly with the multiple access points, this solution helps the first access point obtain the communication quality information of the multiple access points.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in a possible implementation, the first access point is an access point in the first access point set with the best signal quality to the first station. This solution is conducive to ensuring the transmission quality of the response frame.

[0017] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first access point is the access point in the first access point set that is closest to the first site; or, the first access point is the access point in the first access point set that has the largest received signal strength indication RSSI or signal-to-noise ratio SNR.

[0018] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in one possible implementation, the communication quality information of the multiple access points includes the communication quality information of each access point in the multiple access points, and the communication quality information of each access point includes at least one of the following: channel quality information between each access point and the first site, signal quality information between each access point and the first site, or roaming capability of each access point.

[0019] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in a possible implementation method, the channel quality information between each access point and the first site includes at least one of the following: bit error rate SER, channel bandwidth, channel capacity, or channel fading coefficient; the signal quality information between each access point and the first site includes at least one of the following: RSSI of the signal from the first site received by each access point, RSRP of the signal from the first site received by each access point, SINR of the signal from the first site received by each access point, or RSRQ of the signal from the first site received by each access point.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the request frame carries identification information of the first access point. In this solution, the first station can specify the access point to which the response frame is to be sent, that is, the first station can specify the first access point. Exemplarily, the first access point in this solution can also be an access point associated with the first station.

[0021] In combination with the foregoing first aspect, in a possible implementation, the communication quality information of the multiple access points includes RSSIs of signals received by the multiple access points from the first station, and / or roaming capabilities of the multiple access points.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, sending the response frame to the first station includes sending the response frame to the first station on a first channel, where the first channel is one of multiple operating channels of the first station. In this solution, the first station can wait to receive the response frame on the first channel without having to wait to receive the probe response frame on each scanning channel. This can shorten the time it takes for the first station to actively scan, thereby helping the first station quickly determine a roaming target access point.

[0023] In combination with the above first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the request frame includes an identifier of the first channel.

[0024] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving an identifier of the first channel from the first station. In this solution, the identifier of the first channel may be included in a management frame or a control frame, for example.

[0025] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. A device executing the communication method may be a first station, or a module implemented in the first station, such as a chip or a chip system. The communication method includes: sending a request frame requesting communication quality information; and receiving a response frame from a first access point, the response frame including communication quality information for multiple access points, the multiple access points being access points in a first access point set to which the first access point belongs.

[0026] In combination with the above second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the response frame further includes identification information of the multiple access points.

[0027] In combination with the second aspect above, in a possible implementation, the first access point has an association relationship with the first station, the association relationship is stored by each of the multiple access points, and the association relationship is used by the first access point to obtain communication quality information of the multiple access points.

[0028] In combination with the above second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first access point is an access point selected by a first device, and the first device is used to manage access points in the first access point set.

[0029] With reference to the second aspect above, in a possible implementation, the first device includes an access point or an access controller AC.

[0030] With reference to the second aspect above, in a possible implementation, the first access point is an access point in the first access point set having the best signal quality with the first station.

[0031] In combination with the above-mentioned second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first access point is the access point in the first access point set that is closest to the first site; or, the first access point is the access point in the first access point set that has the largest received signal strength indication RSSI or signal-to-noise ratio SNR.

[0032] In combination with the above-mentioned second aspect, in one possible implementation, the communication quality information of the multiple access points includes the communication quality information of each access point in the multiple access points, and the communication quality information of each access point includes at least one of the following: channel quality information between each access point and the first site, signal quality information between each access point and the first site, or roaming capability of each access point.

[0033] In conjunction with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the channel quality information between each access point and the first station includes at least one of the following: a bit error rate (SER), a channel bandwidth, a channel capacity, or a channel fading coefficient;

[0034] The signal quality information between each access point and the first site includes at least one of the following: the RSSI of the signal from the first site received by each access point, the RSRP of the signal from the first site received by each access point, the SINR of the signal from the first site received by each access point, or the RSRQ of the signal from the first site received by each access point.

[0035] In combination with the above second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the request frame carries identification information of the first access point.

[0036] In combination with the above second aspect, in a possible implementation, receiving a response frame from a first access point includes: receiving a response frame from the first access point on a first channel, where the first channel is one of multiple working channels of the first station.

[0037] In combination with the second aspect above, in a possible implementation, sending the request frame includes: sending the request frame to the multiple access points on multiple channels respectively, wherein the communication channel between the first access point and the first station is the first channel.

[0038] In combination with the above second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the request frame includes an identifier of the first channel.

[0039] In combination with the above second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending an identifier of the first channel.

[0040] According to a third aspect, a communication method is provided. Specifically, a first station sends a request frame requesting communication quality information; a first access point receives the request frame from the first station and sends a response frame to the first station, the response frame including communication quality information of a plurality of access points, the plurality of access points being access points in a first access point set in which the first access point is located, the plurality of access points including the first access point.

[0041] In combination with the third aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the response frame further includes identification information of the multiple access points.

[0042] In conjunction with the third aspect above, in one possible implementation, the multiple access points further include a second access point; the method further includes: the second access point storing an association relationship between the first access point and the first site; the second access point sending communication quality information of the second access point to the first access point based on the association relationship; and the first access point receiving the communication quality information from the second access point.

[0043] In combination with the third aspect above, in one possible implementation, the second access point sends the communication quality information of the second access point to the first access point based on the association relationship, including: when the second access point receives the request frame from the first station, the second access point sends the communication quality information of the second access point to the first access point based on the association relationship.

[0044] In conjunction with the third aspect above, in one possible implementation, the multiple access points further include a second access point, which is used to manage the access points in the first access point set; the method further includes: the multiple access points respectively sending communication quality information of each access point to the second access point; the second access point respectively receiving communication quality information from each access point of the multiple access points; the second access point sending the communication quality information of the multiple access points to the first access point; and the first access point receiving the communication quality information of the multiple access points from the second access point.

[0045] With reference to the third aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the first access point is an access point selected by the second access point.

[0046] In combination with the third aspect above, in one possible implementation, the multiple access points respectively send communication quality information of each access point to a first device, and the first device is used to manage the access points in the first access point set; the first device respectively receives communication quality information of each access point from the multiple access points; the first device sends the communication quality information of the multiple access points to the first access point; and the first access point receives the communication quality information of the multiple access points from the first device.

[0047] With reference to the third aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the first access point is an access point selected by the first device.

[0048] With reference to the third aspect above, in a possible implementation, the first access point is an access point in the first access point set having the best signal quality with the first station.

[0049] In combination with the above-mentioned third aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first access point is the access point in the first access point set that is closest to the first site; or, the first access point is the access point in the first access point set that has the largest received signal strength indication RSSI or signal-to-noise ratio SNR.

[0050] In combination with the above-mentioned third aspect, in one possible implementation, the communication quality information of the multiple access points includes the communication quality information of each access point in the multiple access points, and the communication quality information of each access point includes at least one of the following: channel quality information between each access point and the first site, signal quality information between each access point and the first site, or roaming capability of each access point.

[0051] In combination with the above-mentioned third aspect, in a possible implementation method, the channel quality information between each access point and the first site includes at least one of the following: bit error rate SER, channel bandwidth, channel capacity, or channel fading coefficient; the signal quality information between each access point and the first site includes at least one of the following: RSSI of the signal from the first site received by each access point, RSRP of the signal from the first site received by each access point, SINR of the signal from the first site received by each access point, or RSRQ of the signal from the first site received by each access point.

[0052] In combination with the third aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the request frame carries identification information of the first access point.

[0053] In combination with the third aspect above, in one possible implementation, the multiple access points also include a second access point; the method further includes: the second access point sending communication quality information of the second access point to the first access point based on the identification information of the first access point; and the first access point receiving the communication quality information from the second access point.

[0054] In combination with the third aspect above, in a possible implementation, the communication quality information of the multiple access points includes RSSIs of signals received by the multiple access points from the first site, and / or roaming capabilities of the multiple access points.

[0055] With reference to the third aspect above, in a possible implementation, the communication quality between the first access point and the first station is higher than or equal to a first threshold.

[0056] In combination with the above-mentioned third aspect, in a possible implementation method, the first access point sends a response frame to the first site, including: the first access point sends the response frame to the first site on a first channel, and the first channel is one of the multiple working channels of the first site.

[0057] In combination with the third aspect above, in one possible implementation, the first station sends a request frame, including: the first station sends the request frame to the multiple access points on multiple channels respectively, wherein the communication channel between the first access point and the first station is the first channel; the first access point receives the request frame from the first station, including: the first access point receives the request frame from the first station on the first channel.

[0058] In combination with the third aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the request frame includes an identifier of the first channel.

[0059] In combination with the third aspect above, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: the first station sending an identifier of the first channel to the first access point; and the first access point receiving the identifier of the first channel from the first station.

[0060] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the above method. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the above method. The modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

[0061] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device includes: a receiving module and a sending module; the receiving module is used to receive a request frame from a first site, the request frame being used to request communication quality information; the sending module is used to send a response frame to the first site, the response frame including communication quality information of multiple access points, the multiple access points being access points in a first access point set in which the communication device is located.

[0062] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the response frame further includes identification information of the multiple access points.

[0063] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the communication device has an association relationship with the first site, the association relationship is stored by each of the multiple access points, and the association relationship is used by the communication device to obtain communication quality information of the multiple access points.

[0064] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the communication quality between the communication device and the first site is higher than or equal to a first threshold.

[0065] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the communication apparatus is an access point selected by a first device, and the first device is used to manage access points in the first access point set.

[0066] With reference to the fourth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the first device is an access point or an access controller AC.

[0067] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the receiving module is further configured to receive communication quality information of the multiple access points.

[0068] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the receiving module is further configured to receive communication quality information of the multiple access points from the first device.

[0069] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the communication device is an access point in the first access point set having the best signal quality with the first station.

[0070] In combination with the above-mentioned fourth aspect, in one possible implementation method, the communication device is the access point in the first access point set that is closest to the first site; or, the communication device is the access point in the first access point set that has the largest received signal strength indication RSSI or signal-to-noise ratio SNR.

[0071] In combination with the above-mentioned fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the communication quality information of the multiple access points includes the communication quality information of each access point in the multiple access points, and the communication quality information of each access point includes at least one of the following: channel quality information between each access point and the first site, signal quality information between each access point and the first site, or roaming capability of each access point.

[0072] In combination with the above-mentioned fourth aspect, in a possible implementation method, the channel quality information between each access point and the first site includes at least one of the following: bit error rate SER, channel bandwidth, channel capacity, or channel fading coefficient; the signal quality information between each access point and the first site includes at least one of the following: RSSI of the signal from the first site received by each access point, RSRP of the signal from the first site received by each access point, SINR of the signal from the first site received by each access point, or RSRQ of the signal from the first site received by each access point.

[0073] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the request frame carries identification information of the communication device.

[0074] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the communication quality information of the multiple access points includes RSSIs of signals received by the multiple access points from the first site, and / or roaming capabilities of the multiple access points.

[0075] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the sending module is specifically used to send the response frame to the first site on a first channel, and the first channel is one of the multiple working channels of the first site.

[0076] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the request frame includes an identifier of the first channel.

[0077] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the receiving module is further configured to receive an identifier of the first channel from the first site.

[0078] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the above method. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the above method. The modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

[0079] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device includes: a sending module and a receiving module; the sending module is configured to send a request frame, the request frame being used to request communication quality information; and the receiving module is configured to receive a response frame from a first access point, the response frame including communication quality information of multiple access points, the multiple access points being access points in a first access point set in which the first access point is located.

[0080] In combination with the fifth aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the response frame further includes identification information of the multiple access points.

[0081] In combination with the fifth aspect, in a possible implementation, the first access point has an association relationship with the communication device, the association relationship is stored by each of the multiple access points, and the association relationship is used by the first access point to obtain communication quality information of the multiple access points.

[0082] In combination with the fifth aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the first access point is an access point selected by a first device, and the first device is used to manage access points in the first access point set.

[0083] In combination with the fifth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the first device includes an access point or an access controller AC.

[0084] With reference to the fifth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the first access point is an access point in the first access point set having the best signal quality with the communication device.

[0085] In combination with the above-mentioned fifth aspect, in a possible implementation method, the first access point is the access point in the first access point set that is closest to the communication device; or, the first access point is the access point in the first access point set with the largest received signal strength indication RSSI or signal-to-noise ratio SNR.

[0086] In combination with the above-mentioned fifth aspect, in a possible implementation method, the communication quality information of the multiple access points includes the communication quality information of each access point in the multiple access points, and the communication quality information of each access point includes at least one of the following: channel quality information between each access point and the first site, signal quality information between each access point and the first site, or roaming capability of each access point.

[0087] In combination with the above-mentioned fifth aspect, in a possible implementation method, the channel quality information between each access point and the first site includes at least one of the following: bit error rate SER, channel bandwidth, channel capacity, or channel fading coefficient; the signal quality information between each access point and the first site includes at least one of the following: RSSI of the signal from the first site received by each access point, RSRP of the signal from the first site received by each access point, SINR of the signal from the first site received by each access point, or RSRQ of the signal from the first site received by each access point.

[0088] In combination with the fifth aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the request frame carries identification information of the first access point.

[0089] In combination with the fifth aspect, in a possible implementation, the receiving module is specifically configured to receive a response frame from the first access point on a first channel, where the first channel is one of multiple working channels of the communication device.

[0090] In combination with the fifth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the sending module is specifically configured to send the request frame to the multiple access points on multiple channels respectively, wherein the communication channel between the first access point and the communication device is the first channel.

[0091] In combination with the fifth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the request frame includes an identifier of the first channel.

[0092] In combination with the fifth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the sending module is further configured to send an identifier of the first channel.

[0093] In a sixth aspect, a transmission system is provided, comprising a first site and multiple access points, the multiple access points belonging to a first access point set, the multiple access points including the first access point; wherein the first site is configured to send a request frame, the request frame being configured to request communication quality information; the first access point is configured to receive the request frame from the first site and send a response frame to the first site, the response frame including the communication quality information of the multiple access points.

[0094] In combination with the sixth aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the response frame further includes identification information of the multiple access points.

[0095] In conjunction with the sixth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the multiple access points further include a second access point; the second access point is configured to store an association relationship between the first access point and the first site; the second access point is further configured to send communication quality information of the second access point to the first access point based on the association relationship; and the first access point is further configured to receive communication quality information from the second access point.

[0096] In combination with the sixth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the second access point is further used to send the communication quality information of the second access point to the first access point based on the association relationship, including: the second access point is further used to send the communication quality information of the second access point to the first access point based on the association relationship when receiving the request frame from the first station.

[0097] In combination with the sixth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the multiple access points also include a second access point, which is used to manage the access points in the first access point set; the multiple access points are used to send communication quality information of each access point to the second access point respectively; the second access point is used to receive communication quality information from each access point of the multiple access points respectively; the second access point is further used to send the communication quality information of the multiple access points to the first access point; and the first access point is further used to receive communication quality information of the multiple access points from the second access point.

[0098] With reference to the sixth aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the first access point is an access point selected by the second access point.

[0099] In combination with the above-mentioned sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the transmission system also includes a first device, which is used to manage the access points in the first access point set; the multiple access points are used to send communication quality information of each access point to the first device respectively; the first device is used to receive communication quality information from each access point of the multiple access points respectively; the first device is further used to send the communication quality information of the multiple access points to the first access point; and the first access point is further used to receive communication quality information of the multiple access points from the first device.

[0100] In combination with the sixth aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the first access point is an access point selected by the first device.

[0101] With reference to the sixth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the first access point is an access point in the first access point set having the best signal quality with the first station.

[0102] In combination with the above-mentioned sixth aspect, in a possible implementation method, the first access point is the access point in the first access point set that is closest to the first site; or, the first access point is the access point in the first access point set with the largest received signal strength indication RSSI or signal-to-noise ratio SNR.

[0103] In combination with the above-mentioned sixth aspect, in a possible implementation method, the communication quality information of the multiple access points includes the communication quality information of each access point in the multiple access points, and the communication quality information of each access point includes at least one of the following: channel quality information between each access point and the first site, signal quality information between each access point and the first site, or roaming capability of each access point.

[0104] In combination with the above-mentioned sixth aspect, in a possible implementation method, the channel quality information between each access point and the first site includes at least one of the following: bit error rate SER, channel bandwidth, channel capacity, or channel fading coefficient; the signal quality information between each access point and the first site includes at least one of the following: RSSI of the signal from the first site received by each access point, RSRP of the signal from the first site received by each access point, SINR of the signal from the first site received by each access point, or RSRQ of the signal from the first site received by each access point.

[0105] In combination with the sixth aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the request frame carries identification information of the first access point.

[0106] In combination with the sixth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the multiple access points also include a second access point; the second access point is configured to send communication quality information of the second access point to the first access point based on the identification information of the first access point; and the first access point is configured to receive communication quality information from the second access point.

[0107] In combination with the sixth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the communication quality information of the multiple access points includes RSSIs of signals received by the multiple access points from the first site, and / or roaming capabilities of the multiple access points.

[0108] With reference to the sixth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the communication quality between the first access point and the first station is higher than or equal to a first threshold.

[0109] In combination with the sixth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the first access point is specifically configured to send the response frame to the first site on a first channel, where the first channel is one of multiple working channels of the first site.

[0110] In combination with the above-mentioned sixth aspect, in one possible implementation method, the first site is specifically used to send the request frame to the multiple access points on multiple channels respectively, wherein the communication channel between the first access point and the first site is the first channel; the first access point is specifically used to receive the request frame from the first site on the first channel.

[0111] In combination with the sixth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the request frame includes an identifier of the first channel.

[0112] In combination with the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the first site is further configured to send an identifier of the first channel to the first access point; and the first access point is further configured to receive the identifier of the first channel from the first site.

[0113] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor; the processor is configured to be coupled to a memory, and after reading computer instructions stored in the memory, execute the method described in the first or second aspect above according to the instructions.

[0114] In combination with the seventh aspect above, in a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory; the memory is used to store computer instructions.

[0115] In conjunction with the seventh aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface; the communication interface is used for the communication device to communicate with other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface can be a transceiver, an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuits.

[0116] In conjunction with the seventh aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, the communication device may be composed of a chip or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0117] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in one possible implementation, when the communication device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuits on the chip or chip system. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0118] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium. When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a computer, the computer can execute the method described in the first or second aspect above.

[0119] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the first or second aspect above.

[0120] In a tenth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising: a processor configured to execute instructions so that a device comprising the chip executes the method described in the first or second aspect above.

[0121] In combination with the tenth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the chip further includes a memory, and the memory is used to store instructions.

[0122] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any possible implementation method of the second to tenth aspects can be referred to the technical effects brought about by the above-mentioned first aspect or different implementation methods of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0123] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the deployment of neighboring APs of a STA provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0124] FIG2 is a network architecture diagram of a transmission system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0125] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0126] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0127] FIG5A is a first schematic diagram of a transmission of a response frame provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0128] FIG5B is a second transmission diagram of a response frame provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0129] FIG6A is a third transmission diagram of a response frame provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0130] FIG6B is a fourth transmission diagram of a response frame provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0131] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0132] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies or terms of the present application is first given as follows.

[0133] First, the AP coordination set and the STA's neighbor APs.

[0134] An AP collaboration set may be a collection of multiple APs that can collaborate with each other. Generally, the APs in an AP collaboration set may have the same attributes. The following describes the same attributes in conjunction with the process of creating an AP collaboration set and the process of deploying a new AP. When creating an AP collaboration set, in one possible implementation, the APs in the AP collaboration set are all deployed before or after a certain point in time. In other words, the same attributes may refer to deployment within the same time period. In another possible implementation, the APs in the AP collaboration set have the same capabilities, such as supporting joint transmission or collaborative beamforming, or supporting at least one of collaborative time division multiplexing, collaborative frequency division multiplexing, or collaborative space division multiplexing. In other words, the same attributes may refer to the same capabilities.

[0135] When a new AP is deployed, it can select a nearby AP collaboration set to join. Alternatively, if the new AP can receive information from multiple AP collaboration sets, it can select one of them to join. In other words, the same attribute can refer to the same deployment range.

[0136] From the perspective of a single STA, the STA's neighbor APs are deployed around the STA, and the STA's neighbor APs can receive information from the STA. The STA's neighbor APs can include one or more AP cooperation sets. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the deployment of the STA's neighbor APs. Among them, the STA's neighbor APs can be, for example, 11, namely AP1 to AP11, and the STA's neighbor APs can include two AP cooperation sets, namely AP cooperation set 1 and AP cooperation set 2. The four APs AP1 to AP4 can belong to AP cooperation set 1; the five APs AP5 to AP9 can belong to AP cooperation set 2; AP10 and AP11 may not belong to any AP cooperation set. For ease of drawing, the distance between APs in the same AP cooperation set in Figure 1 is relatively close. In actual implementation, two APs that are far apart can also belong to the same AP cooperation set.

[0137] Second, the current transmission method of response frames and the defects they have.

[0138] In some implementations, a STA can send a probe request frame to a neighboring AP by broadcasting. The probe request frame can be used by the STA to request identification information of a neighboring AP. Furthermore, the probe request frame can also be used by the STA to request some information about the neighboring AP, which can help the STA decide which AP to roam to. AP1 that receives the probe request frame will seize the channel to reply with a probe response frame that only includes AP1's information. If AP1 fails to seize the channel this time, AP1 can wait for the next channel seizure until the probe response frame is successfully sent. Each AP only replies with a probe response frame that only includes its own information, so a probe response frame only includes information about one AP, which results in low transmission efficiency of the probe response frame.

[0139] In addition, since each of the STA's multiple neighboring APs needs to reply with a probe response frame, the multiple neighboring APs will reply within a period of time after receiving the probe request frame. This will cause multiple probe response frames to occupy the channel for a period of time, thereby significantly increasing the air interface overhead and reducing the throughput of the wireless network.

[0140] For example, a gymnasium may contain multiple APs and multiple STAs. By capturing and analyzing wireless frames transmitted within the gymnasium, it can be concluded that if the current response frame transmission method is adopted, the transmission duration of probe response frames replied by multiple APs accounts for as much as 53.4% ​​of the transmission duration of all wireless frames. Clearly, the transmission duration of probe response frames accounts for more than half of the transmission duration of all wireless frames. In other words, compared to other types of wireless frames other than probe response frames, probe response frames have a larger air interface overhead, which limits the transmission of wireless frames other than probe response frames.

[0141] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Among them, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in the present application is only a description of the associated relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" refers to two or more than two. "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, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit differences. At the same time, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete way for easy understanding.

[0142] Figure 2 is a network architecture diagram of a transmission system provided in an embodiment of the present application. The network includes a first STA and N APs, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. The N APs belong to the same AP collaboration set, meaning that the N APs can communicate with each other. Furthermore, the N APs are neighbor APs of the first STA, meaning that each of the N APs can communicate with the first STA.

[0143] In conjunction with Figure 1 , the first STA in Figure 2 may be the STA in Figure 1 . The value of N in Figure 2 may be 4, and accordingly, AP1 to AP4 in Figure 2 may be AP1 to AP4 in Figure 1 . Alternatively, the value of N in Figure 2 may be 5, and accordingly, AP1 to AP5 in Figure 2 may be AP5 to AP9 in Figure 1 .

[0144] In the embodiment of the present application, the AP may be an AP device or an AP multi-link device (MLD); the STA may be a (non-AP) STA device or a non-AP MLD, and the embodiment of the present application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0145] The MLD in the embodiments of the present application can be a single-antenna device or a multi-antenna device. For example, it can be a device with two or more antennas. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of antennas included in the MLD. The frequency bands in which the multi-link device operates may include: sub-1 GHz, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, and high frequency 60 GHz.

[0146] The STA involved in the embodiments of the present application can be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal. For example, a user terminal, a user device, an access device, a subscriber station, a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a user agent, and a user equipment that supports WiFi communication functions. Among them, the user terminal can include various handheld devices with wireless communication functions, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, as well as various forms of user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), terminal, terminal equipment, portable communication devices, handheld devices, portable computing devices, entertainment devices, gaming devices or systems, global positioning system devices, or any other suitable devices configured to communicate over a wireless medium. In addition, the STA can support the 802.11be standard. The STA can also support multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a.

[0147] The AP involved in the embodiment of the present application can be a device deployed in a wireless communication network to provide wireless communication functions for its associated STAs. It is mainly deployed in homes, inside buildings and inside campuses, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. Of course, it can also be deployed outdoors. The AP is equivalent to a bridge connecting the wired network and the wireless network. Its main function is to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. Specifically, the AP can be a communication device such as a base station, router, gateway, repeater, communication server, switch or bridge with a WiFi chip, wherein the base station can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, etc. In addition, the AP can support the 802.11be standard. The AP can also support WLAN standards such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b and 802.11a.

[0148] In some embodiments, the AP and STA involved in this application may be collectively referred to as a WLAN device. In specific implementation, the WLAN device may adopt the composition structure shown in FIG3 , or include the components shown in FIG3 .

[0149] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the composition of a WLAN device 300 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The WLAN device 300 can be a STA or a chip or system-on-chip (or system-on-chip) within a STA; it can also be an AP or a chip or system-on-chip (or system-on-chip) within an AP. In the embodiment of the present application, the system-on-chip can be composed of a chip or can include a chip and other discrete components.

[0150] As shown in Figure 3, the WLAN device 300 includes a processor 301, a transceiver 302, and a communication line 303. Furthermore, the WLAN device 300 may also include a memory 304. The processor 301, the memory 304, and the transceiver 302 may be connected via the communication line 303.

[0151] The processor 301 is a central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. The processor 301 may also be other devices with processing functions, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0152] The transceiver 302 is configured to communicate with other devices or other communication networks, such as Ethernet, a radio access network (RAN), or WLAN. The transceiver 302 may be a module, a circuit, a transceiver, or any other device capable of communication.

[0153] The communication line 303 is used to transmit information between the components included in the WLAN device 300 .

[0154] The memory 304 is used to store instructions, where the instructions may be computer programs.

[0155] The memory 304 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and / or instructions, or a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and / or instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, etc., without limitation.

[0156] It should be noted that the memory 304 can exist independently of the processor 301 or can be integrated with the processor 301. The memory 304 can be used to store instructions, program code, or some data. The memory 304 can be located within the WLAN device 300 or outside the WLAN device 300, without limitation. The processor 301 is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory 304 to implement the methods provided in the following embodiments of this application.

[0157] In an example, the processor 301 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG. 3 .

[0158] As an optional implementation, the WLAN device 300 includes multiple processors. For example, in addition to the processor 301 in FIG. 3 , it may further include a processor 307 .

[0159] As an optional implementation, the WLAN device 300 further includes an output device 305 and an input device 306. For example, the input device 306 is a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a joystick, or the like, and the output device 305 is a display screen, a speaker, or the like.

[0160] It is understandable that the composition structure shown in FIG3 does not constitute a limitation on the WLAN device. In addition to the components shown in FIG3 , the WLAN device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0161] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 1 to 3.

[0162] FIG4 shows a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, including the following steps:

[0163] Step S401: The first station sends a request frame, where the request frame is used to request communication quality information.

[0164] Specifically, the request frame is used by the first station to request to obtain the communication quality information of the neighboring access point. Accordingly, the neighboring access point of the first station receives the request frame from the first station.

[0165] The neighbor access points of the first site include one or more access point sets, the neighbor access points of the first site include a first access point set, and the first access point set includes the first access point.

[0166] In the embodiment of the present application, the neighbor access points of the first station may be surrounding nodes that communicate and share data with the first station. When the first station broadcasts a request frame, it may be impossible to determine the identity of the access point that replies to the response frame.

[0167] Exemplarily, the request frame in the embodiment of the present application may be a probe request frame, and the response frame in the embodiment of the present application may be a probe response frame.

[0168] In an embodiment of the present application, a request frame may be used by a first station to request communication quality information of a neighboring access point, thereby helping the first station decide which access point to roam to. The communication quality information of a neighboring access point may include at least one of the following: channel quality information between the neighboring access point and the first station, signal quality information between the neighboring access point and the first station, signal transmit power, signal receive power, or the roaming capability of the neighboring access point.

[0169] The channel quality information between the neighbor access point and the first station may include at least one of the following: a symbol error rate (SER), a channel bandwidth, a channel capacity, or a channel fading coefficient. The signal quality information between the neighbor access point and the first station may include at least one of the following: a received signal strength indication (RSSI) of a signal from the first station received by the neighbor access point, a reference signal receiving power (RSRP) of a signal from the first station received by the neighbor access point, a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) of a signal from the first station received by the neighbor access point, or a reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ) of a signal from the first station received by the neighbor access point.

[0170] The roaming capability of an access point may include whether the access point can roam to other access points; if the access point can roam to other access points, the roaming capability of the access point also includes identification information of the access points that can be roamed to.

[0171] The access point set in the embodiment of the present application may be, for example, an AP cooperation set.

[0172] 1 , the first station in FIG4 may be the STA in FIG1 . In the embodiment shown in FIG4 , the neighboring access points of the first station may be AP1 to AP11 in FIG1 .

[0173] 2 , the first station in FIG4 may be the first STA in FIG2 . In the embodiment shown in FIG4 , the neighboring access points of the first station may include AP1, AP2, . . . , AP N in FIG2 .

[0174] Step S402: The first access point sends a response frame to the first station, where the response frame includes communication quality information of multiple access points. Correspondingly, the first station receives the response frame from the first access point.

[0175] The multiple access points are access points in the first access point set in which the first access point is located. That is, the multiple access points belong to the first access point set. Because the neighboring access points of the first station include the first access point set, the multiple access points belong to the neighboring access points of the first station. Furthermore, the multiple access points include the first access point.

[0176] In the embodiment of the present application, since there is a cooperative relationship between the first access point and the multiple access points, the first access point can reply to the response frame on behalf of the multiple access points in the first access point set where the first access point is located.

[0177] In this embodiment of the present application, although the first access point, the second access point, ..., and the Nth access point in the first access point set all receive a request frame, only the first access point sends a response frame. As shown in FIG4 , in one possible implementation, the second access point, ..., and the Nth access point can send their respective communication quality information to the first access point, and the first access point sends a response frame to the first station. The response frame includes the communication quality information of the N access points.

[0178] In conjunction with Figure 1 , when the first access point set is AP collaboration set 1, the multiple access points in the embodiment shown in Figure 4 may be at least two APs from AP1 to AP4 in Figure 1 ; when the first access point set is AP collaboration set 2, the multiple access points in the embodiment shown in Figure 4 may be at least two APs from AP5 to AP9 in Figure 1 .

[0179] 2 , the multiple access points in the embodiment shown in FIG4 may be AP1, AP2, ..., AP N in FIG2 . The interaction process shown in FIG2 may refer to the description of the interaction process shown in FIG4 , which will not be repeated here.

[0180] Optionally, the communication quality information of multiple access points includes communication quality information of each access point in the multiple access points, and the communication quality information of each access point may include at least one of the following: channel quality information between each access point and the first site, signal quality information between each access point and the first site, or roaming capability of each access point.

[0181] The channel quality information between each access point and the first station may include at least one of the following: SER, channel bandwidth, channel capacity, or channel fading coefficient. The signal quality information between each access point and the first station may include at least one of the following: RSSI of the signal from the first station received by each access point, RSRP of the signal from the first station received by each access point, SINR of the signal from the first station received by each access point, or RSRQ of the signal from the first station received by each access point.

[0182] Optionally, the response frame further includes identification information of the plurality of access points, for respectively identifying identity (ID) information of each access point. The response frame sent by the first access point to the first station includes the identification information of each access point and communication quality information of the access points corresponding to the identification information of each access point.

[0183] For example, the multiple access points may obtain the RSSI by measuring the strength of the request frame from the first station.

[0184] In the embodiments of the present application, the identification information of the access point may be, for example, a media access control (MAC) address and / or an Internet Protocol (IP) address. Alternatively, the identification information of the access point in the embodiments of the present application may also be, for example, an identifier of the access point within a neighboring access point. Alternatively, the identification information of the access point in the embodiments of the present application may also be, for example, an identifier of the first access point set to which the access point belongs and / or an identifier of the access point within the first access point set. The identifier of the first access point set is used to identify the first access point set to which the access point belongs.

[0185] In one possible implementation, all neighboring access points can be assigned identifiers arbitrarily or according to a specific rule. The specific rule may be an order of high to low communication quality. In this implementation, one identifier can be used to identify one access point. In another possible implementation, an identifier can be assigned to a set of access points first, and then, for each access point in the set, identifiers can be assigned arbitrarily or according to a specific rule. In this implementation, two identifiers can be used to identify one access point.

[0186] Optionally, the signal quality between the first access point and the first station is higher than or equal to a first threshold. This solution is conducive to ensuring the transmission quality of the response frame.

[0187] The following example shows which access point among multiple access points is used as the first access point:

[0188] 1) In mode 1, the first access point is the access point corresponding to the identification information included in the request frame.

[0189] In an embodiment of the present application, the request frame may carry identification information of the first access point. In this solution, the first station may specify the access point to which the response frame is to be sent, that is, the first station may specify the first access point. For example, the first access point in this approach may also be an access point associated with the first station.

[0190] In the embodiment of the present application, the first station and the first access point have an association relationship, which may refer to the first station and the first access point exchanging association frames.

[0191] After receiving the request frame, the multiple access points can obtain the identification information of the first access point. In one possible implementation, the multiple access points, excluding the first access point, can send their respective information to the first access point based on the identification information of the first access point, and the first access point can reply with a response frame. In other words, the information exchange between the multiple access points is triggered by the request frame.

[0192] In another possible implementation, multiple access points may periodically exchange their information. After receiving the request frame, the first access point may directly reply with a response frame to the first station because it has stored the communication quality information of multiple access points.

[0193] 2) In mode 2, the first access point is an access point associated with the first station.

[0194] In this approach, a first access point has an association with a first station. This association is stored by each of the multiple access points, and the association is used by the first access point to obtain communication quality information from the multiple access points. In this solution, since the association between the first access point and the first station is stored in the multiple access points other than the first access point, upon receiving a request frame from the first station, the other access points can send their respective information to the first access point, thereby facilitating the first access point's acquisition of communication quality information from the multiple access points.

[0195] For example, an access point may have associations with multiple sites. The associations between access points and sites may change dynamically. An access point may maintain (store and update) the associations between each access point and a site in its access point set.

[0196] Optionally, the plurality of access points includes a second access point in addition to the first access point; the second access point stores an association relationship between the first access point and the first station; the second access point sends communication quality information of the second access point to the first access point based on the association relationship; and the first access point receives the communication quality information from the second access point in response.

[0197] In one possible implementation, the second access point sending the communication quality information of the second access point to the first access point based on the association relationship includes: upon receiving a request frame from the first station, the second access point sending the communication quality information of the second access point to the first access point based on the association relationship. In other words, the sending of the communication quality information of the second access point to the first access point is triggered by the request frame.

[0198] In another possible implementation, the second access point and the first access point may periodically exchange information. After receiving the request frame, the second access point determines not to send a response frame to the first station based on a stored association between the first access point and the first station. After receiving the request frame, the first access point sends a response frame including the second access point's communication quality information to the first station based on the stored association between the first access point and the first station.

[0199] 3) In mode 3, the first access point is an access point selected by the first device, and the first device is used to manage the access points in the first access point set.

[0200] In the embodiment of the present application, the first device may be a device having upper layer functions of scheduling, managing or controlling multiple access points. For example, the first device may be a master access point or an access controller (AC).

[0201] The access point selected by the first device may or may not be associated with the first site, and this embodiment of the present application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0202] Optionally, the first access point is an access point in the first access point set with the best signal quality to the first station. This solution is conducive to ensuring the transmission quality of the response frame.

[0203] Exemplarily, the first access point is an access point in the first access point set that is closest to the first station; or, the first access point is an access point in the first access point set that has the largest RSSI or signal to noise ratio (SNR).

[0204] In one possible implementation, the first device may aggregate communication quality information from multiple access points and transmit the aggregated information to the first access point selected by the first device. This implementation facilitates the first access point obtaining communication quality information from multiple access points when the multiple access points operate on different channels from the first access point and cannot communicate directly with the first access point.

[0205] For example, the first device belongs to a plurality of access points other than the first access point. That is, the plurality of access points includes a second access point in addition to the first access point, and the second access point is used to manage the access points in the first access point set. In this case, the plurality of access points each transmits communication quality information of the access point to the second access point; accordingly, the second access point receives communication quality information of each access point from the plurality of access points. The second access point transmits communication quality information of the plurality of access points to the first access point; accordingly, the first access point receives communication quality information of the plurality of access points from the second access point.

[0206] For another example, the first device is a device other than the first station and the multiple access points. That is, the transmission system shown in Figure 2 also includes a first device, which is configured to manage the access points in the first access point set. In this case, the multiple access points each send communication quality information about the access point to the first device; accordingly, the first device receives communication quality information about each access point from the multiple access points. The first device sends communication quality information about the multiple access points to the first access point; accordingly, the first access point receives communication quality information about the multiple access points from the first device.

[0207] In another possible implementation, multiple access points can directly send their respective information to the first access point selected by the first device, without requiring the first device to forward the communication quality information of the multiple access points. This implementation can be applied to scenarios where the multiple access points and the first access point share the same operating channel and can communicate directly. This implementation can simplify the process by which the first access point obtains the communication quality information of the multiple access points.

[0208] Optionally, after aggregating the communication quality information of the multiple access points, that is, receiving the communication quality information of each access point from the multiple access points respectively, the first device may directly send a response frame including the communication quality information of the multiple access points to the first station.

[0209] In the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, only the first access point among the multiple access points sends a response frame to the first station, and the response frame can carry communication quality information of the multiple access points. Compared to a method in which each of the multiple access points sends a response frame separately, the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application can reduce air interface overhead, thereby improving network throughput.

[0210] The following takes the first access point set as the AP cooperation set 1 in FIG. 1 and the multiple access points in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 as AP1 to AP4 in FIG. 1 as an example to analyze the effects of the above technology.

[0211] Assuming the current communication method, as shown in Figure 5A , each AP from AP1 to AP4 responds to the first station with a probe response frame after receiving a probe request frame. Each probe response frame carries information about its own AP. In other words, the air interface transmission consists of five frames: one probe request frame and four probe response frames. These five frames occupy the same frequency domain resources.

[0212] Assuming that the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is adopted, as shown in Figure 5B, only AP1 among AP1 to AP4 replies with a probe response frame to the first station after receiving the probe request frame, and the probe response frame carries information about the four APs. In other words, the frames transmitted over the air interface include two frames, namely one probe request frame and one probe response frame. These two frames occupy the same frequency domain resources. The transmission of frames between APs (including frames from AP2 to AP1, frames from AP3 to AP1, and frames from AP4 to AP1) can be triggered by a probe request frame or performed periodically. In addition, the frames between APs can be transmitted in a wired manner, that is, the transmission of frames between APs does not occupy air interface transmission resources.

[0213] Obviously, the time domain resources occupied by 2 frames are much smaller than the time domain resources occupied by 5 frames. In other words, the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application can reduce air interface overhead, thereby achieving the technical effect of improving network throughput.

[0214] Optionally, the first access point sending a response frame to the first station includes: the first access point sending the response frame to the first station on a first channel, where the first channel is one of a plurality of operating channels of the first station. Correspondingly, the first station receiving the response frame from the first access point includes: the first station receiving the response frame from the first access point on the first channel.

[0215] For example, the first channel may be a primary 20 MHz channel of the first station. Typically, the primary 20 MHz channel of the first station and the primary 20 MHz channel of an access point associated with the first station may be the same channel.

[0216] The following takes the first access point set as the AP cooperation set 1 in FIG. 1 and the multiple access points in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 as AP1 to AP4 in FIG. 1 as an example to analyze the technical effect of the above solution.

[0217] During the first station's active scanning process, assuming the current communication method is used, as shown in Figure 6A , after sending a probe request frame to AP1 on channel 1, the first station needs to wait on channel 1 to receive a probe response frame from AP1. After receiving the probe response frame on channel 1, the first station switches to channel 2 to send a probe request frame to AP2 and wait for a probe response frame from AP2. This process continues in this manner until the first station receives a probe response frame from AP4 on channel 4. In other words, the first station needs to wait on the channel being scanned to receive a probe response frame.

[0218] Assuming that the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application is adopted, as shown in Figure 6B, the first site can quickly switch to a different channel to send a probe request frame, and then return to a specific channel (that is, the first channel can be channel 1) to wait for receiving a probe response frame from AP1 including information of 4 APs.

[0219] Obviously, in the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the first station waits to receive a response frame on the first channel without waiting to receive a probe response frame on each scanning channel, which can shorten the active scanning time of the first station and help the first station quickly decide on the roaming target access point.

[0220] In this embodiment of the present application, the first access point may operate on the first channel, that is, the first access point receives the request frame from the first station on the first channel. If the first access point does not operate on the first channel, that is, the first access point receives the request frame from the first station on a channel other than the first channel, then the first access point may switch the operating channel to the first channel and reply with a response frame on the first channel. Alternatively, the first access point may send the response frame to the first device, and the first device may forward the response frame to the first station on the first channel.

[0221] In one possible implementation, during active scanning, the first STA quickly switches to a different channel to send a request frame, eliminating the need to remain on the scanning channel to wait for a response frame. In another possible implementation, the first STA notifies the associated AP (e.g., the first AP) of its information in a request frame and instructs one or more other APs to share this information with the associated AP (e.g., the first AP). Multiple neighboring APs receive the request frame sent by the first STA on different channels and share communication quality information, such as RSSI, with a designated AP (e.g., the first AP) or report it to the primary AP / AC. When the channel quality between the first STA and the associated AP is no less than a specified threshold, the associated AP can respond with a response frame. When the channel quality between the first STA and the associated AP is less than a specified threshold, the primary AP / AC can designate another AP to respond with a response frame on the primary channel of the first STA's associated AP. Therefore, during active scanning, the STA receives response frames only on the primary channel of the associated AP, eliminating the need to remain on the scanning channel for an extended period. This significantly shortens the STA's active scanning time and helps quickly determine the target AP to roam to.

[0222] In one possible implementation, the first station may predetermine that the access point to send the response frame is the first access point, and the operating channel of the first access point is the first channel. The first station then determines to wait for receiving the response frame on the first channel where the first access point is located. The request frame sent by the first station may carry an identifier of the first channel.

[0223] In another possible implementation, although the first station predetermines the first access point as the access point for receiving the response frame, it also selects a second channel as the channel for receiving the response frame, for example, because the second channel has better channel quality than the first channel. The request frame sent by the first station may carry an identifier of the second channel. In the event that the access point predetermined to reply to the response frame does not match the channel indicated by the station, the first access point may optionally, upon receiving the request frame carrying the identifier of the second channel, switch its original operating channel from the first channel to the second channel; or, it may switch its original operating channel from the first access point whose operating channel is the first channel to the second access point whose operating channel is the second channel.

[0224] In another possible implementation, the first station does not predetermine which access point is to send the response frame. The first station may designate one of the first station's multiple working channels as the channel for receiving the response frame. For example, the first station determines the channel with the best channel quality among the multiple working channels as the first channel. The first station may designate the first channel as the channel for receiving the response frame, and the request frame sent by the first station carries an identifier of the first channel.

[0225] In a possible implementation manner, the request frame includes an identifier of the first channel.

[0226] In another possible implementation, the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application further includes: the first station sending an identifier of the first channel to the first access point. Accordingly, the first access point receives the identifier of the first channel from the first station. In this solution, the identifier of the first channel may, for example, be included in a management frame or a control frame. Before the first station sends the request frame, the first station may send the identifier of the first channel via a management frame or a control frame. The identifier of the first channel is used to indicate the channel on which the first station detects or receives the response frame.

[0227] It can be understood that in each of the above embodiments, the methods and / or steps implemented by the first site can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used for the first site or a device including the first site; the methods and / or steps implemented by the first access point can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used for the first access point or a device including the first access point.

[0228] It is understandable that, in order to implement the above functions, the first site or the first access point includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in a hardware or computer software-driven hardware manner depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0229] In the embodiments of the present application, the first station or the first access point may be divided into functional modules according to the above-mentioned method embodiments. For example, each functional module may be divided according to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into a single processing module. The above-mentioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used.

[0230] For example, the first station in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented in the form of a communication device 70 shown in Figure 7. The communication device 70 may include a sending module 701 and a receiving module 702. The communication device 70 is used to implement the functions of the first station in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6B above.

[0231] Exemplarily, when the communication device 70 is used to implement the function of the first station in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4: the sending module 701 is used to send a request frame; the receiving module 702 is used to receive a response frame including communication quality information of multiple access points from the first access point.

[0232] For a more detailed description of the sending module 701 and the receiving module 702, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6B .

[0233] For another example, the first access point in the embodiment of the present application may also be implemented in the form of a communication device 70 shown in Figure 7. The communication device 70 is used to implement the functions of the first access point in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6B above.

[0234] Exemplarily, when the communication device 70 is used to implement the function of the first access point in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4: the receiving module 702 is used to receive a request frame from the first station; the sending module 701 is used to send a response frame including communication quality information of multiple access points to the first station.

[0235] For a more detailed description of the sending module 701 and the receiving module 702, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6B .

[0236] In this embodiment, the communication device 70 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0237] In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the communication device 70 may take the form of the WLAN device 300 shown in FIG. 3 .

[0238] For example, the processor 301 and / or the processor 307 in the WLAN device 300 shown in FIG3 can cause the WLAN device 300 to execute the communication method in the above-described method embodiment by invoking computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 304. Specifically, the sending module 701 and the receiving module 702 in FIG7 can be implemented via the transceiver 302 in FIG3.

[0239] Since the communication device 70 provided in this embodiment can execute the above communication method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0240] It should be noted that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of the two. When any of the above modules or units is implemented by software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in a memory, and a processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into an SoC (system on chip) or an ASIC, or it can be an independent semiconductor chip. In addition to the core used to execute software instructions to perform calculations or processing within the processor, it can further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a PLD (programmable logic device), or a logic circuit that implements dedicated logic operations.

[0241] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, a microprocessor, a digital signal processing (DSP) chip, a microcontroller unit (MCU), an artificial intelligence processor, an ASIC, a SoC, an FPGA, a PLD, a dedicated digital circuit, a hardware accelerator or a non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or not rely on the software to execute the above method flow.

[0242] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system, comprising: at least one processor and an interface, wherein the at least one processor is coupled to a memory via the interface, and when the at least one processor executes a computer program or instruction in the memory, the method in any of the above method embodiments is executed. In one possible implementation, the communication device also includes a memory. Optionally, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0243] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, 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 instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0244] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, in the process of implementing the claimed application, those skilled in the art can understand and implement other changes to the disclosed embodiments by reviewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple situations. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. Certain measures are recorded in different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0245] Although the present application has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, it is apparent that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely illustrative of the present application as defined by the appended claims and are deemed to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: A chip used in a first access point or a first access node includes: receiving a request frame from a first station, wherein the request frame is used to request communication quality information; A response frame is sent to the first station, where the response frame includes communication quality information of multiple access points, where the multiple access points are access points in a first access point set, and the first access point set includes the first access point.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The response frame further includes identification information of the multiple access points.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The method further includes receiving communication quality information of the plurality of access points.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The request frame carries identification information of the first access point.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The first access point has an association relationship with the first station, the association relationship is stored by each of the multiple access points, and the association relationship is used by the first access point to obtain communication quality information of the multiple access points.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The communication quality between the first access point and the first station is higher than or equal to a first threshold.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first access point is an access point selected by a first device, and the first device is used to manage access points in the first access point set.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first device includes an access point or an access controller AC.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: The communication quality information of the multiple access points is received from the first device, where the first device is configured to receive the communication quality information of the multiple access points sent by the multiple access points.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that: The first access point is an access point in the first access point set having the best signal quality with the first station.

11. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that: The first access point is an access point in the first access point set that is closest to the first station; or The first access point is an access point with the largest received signal strength indicator RSSI or signal-to-noise ratio SNR in the first access point set.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The communication quality information of the multiple access points includes communication quality information of each access point in the multiple access points, and the communication quality information of each access point includes at least one of the following: channel quality information between each access point and the first station, signal quality information between each access point and the first station, or roaming capability of each access point.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that The channel quality information between each access point and the first station includes at least one of the following: a bit error rate SER, a channel bandwidth, a channel capacity, or a channel fading coefficient; The signal quality information between each access point and the first site includes at least one of the following: the RSSI of the signal from the first site received by each access point, the RSRP of the signal from the first site received by each access point, the SINR of the signal from the first site received by each access point, or the RSRQ of the signal from the first site received by each access point.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that The sending a response frame to the first station includes: The response frame is sent to the first station on a first channel, where the first channel is one of a plurality of working channels of the first station.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The request frame includes an identifier of the first channel.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: An identification of the first channel is received from the first site.

17. A communication method, characterized in that: The chip used in or at the first site includes: Sending a request frame, wherein the request frame is used to request communication quality information; A response frame is received from a first access point, the response frame including communication quality information of a plurality of access points, the plurality of access points being access points in a first access point set including the first access point.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The response frame also includes identification information of multiple access points.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The request frame carries identification information of the first access point.

20. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The first access point has an association relationship with the first station, the association relationship is stored by each of the multiple access points, and the association relationship is used by the first access point to obtain communication quality information of the multiple access points.

21. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The first access point is an access point selected by a first device, and the first device is used to manage access points in the first access point set.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The first device includes an access point or an access controller AC.

23. The method according to claim 21 or 22, characterized in that The first access point is an access point in the first access point set having the best signal quality with the first station.

24. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 23, characterized in that The first access point is an access point in the first access point set that is closest to the first station; or The first access point is an access point with the largest received signal strength indicator RSSI or signal-to-noise ratio SNR in the first access point set.

25. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 24, characterized in that The communication quality information of the multiple access points includes communication quality information of each access point in the multiple access points, and the communication quality information of each access point includes at least one of the following: channel quality information between each access point and the first station, signal quality information between each access point and the first station, or roaming capability of each access point.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that The channel quality information between each access point and the first station includes at least one of the following: a bit error rate SER, a channel bandwidth, a channel capacity, or a channel fading coefficient; The signal quality information between each access point and the first site includes at least one of the following: the RSSI of the signal from the first site received by each access point, the RSRP of the signal from the first site received by each access point, the SINR of the signal from the first site received by each access point, or the RSRQ of the signal from the first site received by each access point.

27. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 26, characterized in that The receiving a response frame from the first access point includes: A response frame is received from the first access point on a first channel, where the first channel is one of a plurality of operating channels of the first station.

28. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that The sending request frame includes: The request frame is sent on a plurality of channels respectively, wherein the communication channel between the first access point and the first station is the first channel.

29. The method according to claim 27 or 28, characterized in that The request frame includes an identifier of the first channel.

30. The method according to claim 27 or 28, characterized in that The method further comprises: The identifier of the first channel is sent.

31. A transmission system, characterized in that: comprising a first station and a plurality of access points, the plurality of access points belonging to a first access point set, the plurality of access points including the first access point; The first station is configured to send a request frame, wherein the request frame is configured to request communication quality information; The first access point is configured to receive the request frame from the first station and send a response frame to the first station, where the response frame includes communication quality information of the multiple access points.

32. The transmission system according to claim 31, characterized in that The plurality of access points further includes a second access point; The second access point is configured to store an association relationship between the first access point and the first station; The second access point is further configured to send the communication quality information of the second access point to the first access point according to the association relationship; and the first access point is further configured to receive the communication quality information from the second access point.

33. The transmission system according to claim 32, characterized in that The second access point is further configured to send the communication quality information of the second access point to the first access point according to the association relationship, including: The second access point is further configured to, when receiving the request frame from the first station, send the communication quality information of the second access point to the first access point according to the association relationship.

34. The transmission system according to claim 31, characterized in that The plurality of access points further includes a second access point, the second access point being configured to manage access points in the first set of access points; The multiple access points are configured to send communication quality information of each access point to the second access point respectively; The second access point is configured to respectively receive communication quality information from each of the plurality of access points; The second access point is further configured to send the communication quality information of the multiple access points to the first access point; the first access point, The method is further configured to receive communication quality information of the plurality of access points from the second access point.

35. The transmission system according to claim 31, characterized in that The transmission system further includes a first device configured to manage access points in the first access point set; The multiple access points are configured to respectively send communication quality information of each access point to the first device; The first device is configured to respectively receive communication quality information from each of the plurality of access points; The first device is further configured to send communication quality information of the multiple access points to the first access point; The first access point is further configured to receive communication quality information of the multiple access points from the first device.

36. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The first station sends a request frame, where the request frame is used to request communication quality information; The first access point receives the request frame from the first station and sends a response frame to the first station, where the response frame includes communication quality information of the multiple access points, where the multiple access points are access points in a first access point set where the first access point is located.

37. A communication device, characterized in that: include: Receiving module and sending module; The receiving module is configured to receive a request frame from the first station, wherein the request frame is used to request communication quality information; The sending module is configured to send a response frame to the first station, where the response frame includes communication quality information of multiple access points, where the multiple access points are access points in a first access point set where the first access point is located.

38. A communication device, characterized in that: include: Sending module and receiving module; The sending module is used to send a request frame, where the request frame is used to request communication quality information; The receiving module is configured to receive a response frame from a first access point, where the response frame includes communication quality information of multiple access points, where the multiple access points are access points in a first access point set where the first access point is located.

39. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A memory and a processor coupled to the memory, the memory being used to store a program, and the processor being used to execute the program stored in the memory; when the communication device is running, the processor runs the program, causing the communication device to execute the method described in any one of claims 1 to 16; or causing the communication device to execute the method described in any one of claims 17 to 30.

40. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that A computer program is stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16; or, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 17 to 30.

41. A chip, characterized in that: The chip includes: a processor and a memory, the memory is used to store instructions, and the processor is used to execute instructions so that the device including the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16; or, the processor is used to execute instructions so that the device including the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 17 to 30.

42. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, or the method according to any one of claims 17 to 30.

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