Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method can be applied to a WLAN system supporting an IEEE 802.11ax next generation Wi-Fi protocol, such as 802.11be, Wi-Fi 7 or EHT, and 802.11 series protocols such as 802.11be next generation and Wi-Fi 8, and can also be applied to a UWB-based wireless personal area network system and a sensing system. The method comprises: a first station sends a first control frame on both a main channel and a non-main channel, and on the non-main channel on which a second station works, the second station can receive the first control frame and reply to the first control frame with a response frame, so that the first station and the second station can determine that the non-main channel is available, and then data transmission can be carried out on the non-main channel. Compared with carrying out data transmission only on the main channel, the present invention can improve the communication efficiency and the channel utilization rate.

Description

Communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on February 21, 2024, with application number 202410192710.2 and invention name “A communication method and communication device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] With the development of wireless local area network (WLAN) technology, bandwidth has continued to expand. For example, the 802.11a / g standard supports 20MHz channel bandwidth, the 802.11n standard supports 20MHz and 40MHz channel bandwidths, and the 802.11ac standard supports 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and 80MHz+80MHz channel bandwidths. Future standards will support 240MHz, 320MHz, and even higher bandwidths.

[0004] Larger bandwidth can provide higher transmission rates. However, according to the 802.11 series of standards, only when the primary channel is idle can you successfully compete for a channel. If the primary channel is busy, even if other channels are idle, they cannot be used.

[0005] This will reduce the efficiency of communication. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device, which enable a transmitting end and a receiving end to perform data transmission on a non-primary channel, thereby improving communication efficiency and channel utilization.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a first site, or by a component of the first site (e.g., a chip, circuit, or chip system). For ease of understanding, the following description is based on an example of execution by the first site.

[0008] The method includes: sending a first control frame to a second site on a first channel and a second channel, the first control frame being used to request sending a data frame to the second site, the first channel being a primary channel and the second channel being a non-primary channel; receiving a second control frame from the second site on the second channel, the second control frame being in response to the first control frame; and sending a data frame to the second site on the second channel.

[0009] Based on the above technical solution, the first station sends the first control frame on both the primary channel and the non-primary channel. The second station can receive the first control frame on the non-primary channel it is operating on and reply with a response frame to the first control frame. In this way, the first station and the second station can determine that the non-primary channel is available and can then perform data transmission on the non-primary channel. Compared to data transmission only on the primary channel, this can improve communication efficiency and channel utilization.

[0010] Optionally, the second control frame includes first information, where the first information is used to indicate a first time, and the first time is the time when the second station switches to the first channel.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: before the first time, stopping sending data frames to the second station on the second channel.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending a data frame to the second station on the first channel after the first time.

[0013] Based on the above solution, the first site and the second site can communicate in the second channel before the first time, and switch to the first channel to continue communicating at the first time, which can improve the efficiency of communication compared to communicating only in one channel.

[0014] Optionally, the second control frame includes second information, where the second information is used to indicate available channels of the second site, and the available channels of the second site include the second channel.

[0015] Based on the above solution, the first site can determine the available channel of the second site according to the second information, so that data can be transmitted with the second site on the available channel, which can improve communication efficiency and channel utilization.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending third information to the second site, the third information being used to indicate the packet detection capability of the first site, the packet detection capability including any one of the following: supporting packet detection on two channels simultaneously, supporting packet detection switching between two channels, and supporting packet detection on only one channel.

[0017] Exemplarily, when the first site supports packet detection on two channels simultaneously, the first time interval is a short interframe space, and the first time interval is an interval between an end time of the first control frame and a start time of the second control frame.

[0018] Exemplarily, when the first site supports packet detection switching between two channels, the first time interval is greater than the time interval for the first site to switch between the first channel and the second channel, and the first time interval is the interval between the end time of the first control frame and the start time of the second control frame.

[0019] In one implementation, the first time interval is a point coordination function inter-frame interval.

[0020] Based on the above solution, the second site determines the time to start sending the second control frame according to the packet detection capability of the first site, so as to ensure that the first site can receive the second control frame on the second channel, thereby ensuring that data transmission on the second channel can proceed normally.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first control frame includes fourth information, and the fourth information is used to indicate available channels of the first site, where the available channels of the first site include a first channel and a second channel.

[0022] Based on the above solution, the first station can perform data transmission with the second station on their common available channel, which can improve communication efficiency and channel utilization.

[0023] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a second site or by a component of the second site (e.g., a chip, circuit, or chip system). For ease of understanding, the following description is based on an example of the method being performed by the second site.

[0024] The method includes: receiving a first control frame from a first site on a second channel, the first control frame being used to request sending a data frame to the second site, the first channel being a primary channel, and the second channel being a non-primary channel; sending a second control frame to the first site on the second channel, the second control frame being in response to the first control frame; and receiving a data frame from the first site on the second channel.

[0025] Based on the above solution, the first station sends the first control frame on both the primary channel and the non-primary channel. The second station can receive the first control frame on its non-primary channel and reply with a response frame to the first control frame. In this way, the first and second stations can determine that the non-primary channel is available and can then transmit data on the non-primary channel. Compared to transmitting data only on the primary channel, this can improve communication efficiency and channel utilization.

[0026] Optionally, the second control frame includes first information, where the first information is used to indicate a first time, and the first time is the time when the second station switches to the first channel.

[0027] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, receiving the data frame from the first site on the second channel includes: receiving the data frame from the first site on the second channel before the first time.

[0028] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: switching to the first channel at a first time to receive a data frame from the first site.

[0029] Based on the above solution, the first site and the second site can communicate in the second channel before the first time, and switch to the first channel to continue communicating at the first time, which can improve the efficiency of communication compared to communicating only in one channel.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: switching to the first channel at a second time, the second time being later than the first time; and performing a channel access recovery process on the first channel.

[0031] Exemplarily, the channel access recovery process includes any of the following: performing channel detection according to a first energy detection threshold, the first energy detection threshold being less than -62dBm; or, after performing backoff in channel competition, sending a third control frame to the first site, the third control frame being used to determine whether the first channel is available, and the number of times the third control frame is sent is less than the first threshold.

[0032] Based on the above solution, when the time when the second site switches to the first channel is later than the first time indicated by it, the second site can perform the channel access process to avoid direct data transmission and resulting in data transmission failure.

[0033] Optionally, the second control frame includes second information, where the second information is used to indicate available channels of the second site, and the available channels of the second site include the second channel.

[0034] Based on the above solution, the first site can determine the available channel of the second site according to the second information, so that data can be transmitted with the second site on the available channel, which can improve communication efficiency and channel utilization.

[0035] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method also includes: receiving third information from the first site, the third information being used to indicate the packet detection capability of the first site, the packet detection capability including any one of the following: supporting packet detection on two channels simultaneously, supporting packet detection switching between two channels, and supporting packet detection on only one channel.

[0036] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: determining a start time of the second control frame according to third information.

[0037] Exemplarily, when the first site supports packet detection on two channels simultaneously, the first time interval is a short interframe space, and the first time interval is an interval between an end time of the first control frame and a start time of the second control frame.

[0038] Exemplarily, when the first site supports packet detection switching between two channels, the first time interval is greater than the time interval for the first site to switch between the first channel and the second channel, and the first time interval is the interval between the end time of the first control frame and the start time of the second control frame.

[0039] In one implementation, the first time interval is a point coordination function inter-frame interval.

[0040] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, before sending the second control frame, the method also includes: sending a fourth control frame to the first site on the second channel, the fourth control frame responding to the first control frame, wherein the first time interval is 2 times the short inter-frame interval, and the interval between the time when the second site receives the first control frame and the time when the second site sends the fourth control frame is the short inter-frame interval.

[0041] Based on the above solution, the second site determines the time to start sending the second control frame according to the packet detection capability of the first site, so as to ensure that the first site can receive the second control frame on the second channel, thereby ensuring that data transmission on the second channel can proceed normally.

[0042] Optionally, the first control frame includes fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate available channels of the first site, where the available channels of the first site include a first channel and a second channel.

[0043] Based on the above solution, the first station can perform data transmission with the second station on their common available channel, which can improve communication efficiency and channel utilization.

[0044] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided. The device may be a first site or a component of the first site (eg, a chip or a circuit or a chip system).

[0045] The device includes: a transceiver unit, used to send a first control frame to a second site on a first channel and a second channel, the first control frame is used to request sending a data frame to the second site, the first channel is a main channel, and the second channel is a non-main channel; the transceiver unit is also used to: receive a second control frame from the second site on the second channel, the second control frame responds to the first control frame; the transceiver unit is also used to: send a data frame to the second site on the second channel.

[0046] Optionally, the second control frame includes first information, where the first information is used to indicate a first time, and the first time is the time when the second station switches to the first channel.

[0047] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the apparatus further includes: a processing unit, configured to stop sending data frames to the second station on the second channel before the first time.

[0048] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a data frame to the second station on the first channel after the first time.

[0049] Optionally, the second control frame includes second information, where the second information is used to indicate available channels of the second site, and the available channels of the second site include the second channel.

[0050] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the transceiver unit is also used to: send third information to the second site, the third information is used to indicate the packet detection capability of the first site, and the packet detection capability includes any one of the following: supporting packet detection on two channels at the same time, supporting packet detection switching between two channels, and supporting packet detection on only one channel.

[0051] Exemplarily, when the first site supports packet detection on two channels simultaneously, the first time interval is a short interframe space, and the first time interval is an interval between an end time of the first control frame and a start time of the second control frame.

[0052] Exemplarily, when the first site supports packet detection switching between two channels, the first time interval is greater than the time interval for the first site to switch between the first channel and the second channel, and the first time interval is the interval between the end time of the first control frame and the start time of the second control frame.

[0053] In one implementation, the first time interval is a point coordination function inter-frame interval.

[0054] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the first control frame includes fourth information, and the fourth information is used to indicate available channels of the first site, where the available channels of the first site include a first channel and a second channel.

[0055] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided. The device may be a second site or a component of the second site (eg, a chip or a circuit or a chip system).

[0056] The device includes: a transceiver unit, used to receive a first control frame from a first site on a second channel, the first control frame is used to request sending a data frame to the second site, the first channel is a main channel, and the second channel is a non-main channel; the transceiver unit is also used to send a second control frame to the first site on the second channel, the second control frame responds to the first control frame; the transceiver unit is also used to receive a data frame from the first site on the second channel.

[0057] Optionally, the second control frame includes first information, where the first information is used to indicate a first time, and the first time is the time when the second station switches to the first channel.

[0058] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is specifically configured to: receive a data frame from the first station on the second channel before the first time.

[0059] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the apparatus further includes: a processing unit, configured to switch to the first channel at a first time to receive a data frame from the first station.

[0060] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the device further includes: a processing unit, configured to switch to the first channel at a second time, the second time being later than the first time; and perform a channel access recovery process on the first channel.

[0061] Exemplarily, the channel access recovery process includes any of the following: performing channel detection according to a first energy detection threshold, the first energy detection threshold being less than -62dBm; or, after performing backoff in channel competition, sending a third control frame to the first site, the third control frame being used to determine whether the first channel is available, and the number of times the third control frame is sent is less than the first threshold.

[0062] Optionally, the second control frame includes second information, where the second information is used to indicate available channels of the second site, and the available channels of the second site include the second channel.

[0063] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is also used to: receive third information from the first site, the third information is used to indicate the packet detection capability of the first site, and the packet detection capability includes any one of the following: supporting packet detection on two channels at the same time, supporting packet detection switching between two channels, and supporting packet detection on only one channel.

[0064] Exemplarily, when the first site supports packet detection on two channels simultaneously, the first time interval is a short interframe space, and the first time interval is an interval between an end time of the first control frame and a start time of the second control frame.

[0065] Exemplarily, when the first site supports packet detection switching between two channels, the first time interval is greater than the time interval for the first site to switch between the first channel and the second channel, and the first time interval is the interval between the end time of the first control frame and the start time of the second control frame.

[0066] In one implementation, the first time interval is a point coordination function inter-frame interval.

[0067] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, before sending the second control frame, the transceiver unit is also used to: send a fourth control frame to the first site on the second channel, the fourth control frame responds to the first control frame, wherein the first time interval is 2 times the short inter-frame interval, and the interval between the time when the second site receives the first control frame and the time when the second site sends the fourth control frame is the short inter-frame interval.

[0068] Optionally, the first control frame includes fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate available channels of the first site, where the available channels of the first site include a first channel and a second channel.

[0069] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes: a memory for storing programs; and at least one processor for executing computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to execute the method provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementation.

[0070] In one implementation, the device is the first site or the second site.

[0071] In another implementation, the device is a chip, a chip system, or a circuit used in the first site or the second site.

[0072] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the at least one processor is configured to retrieve a computer program or instruction stored in a memory through the communication interface to execute the method provided by any one of the above aspects or implementations thereof. The communication interface may be implemented in hardware or software.

[0073] In one implementation, the apparatus further includes a memory.

[0074] In a seventh aspect, a processor is provided for executing the methods provided in the above aspects.

[0075] For the operations such as sending and acquiring / receiving involved in the processor, unless otherwise specified, or if they do not conflict with their actual functions or internal logic in the relevant descriptions, they can be understood as operations such as processor output, reception, and input, or as sending and receiving operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and antenna. This application does not limit this.

[0076] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores program code for execution by a device, and the program code includes a method for executing any one of the above aspects or its implementation method.

[0077] 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 provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementation.

[0078] In a tenth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface and executes the method provided by any of the above aspects or implementations thereof. The communication interface may be implemented in hardware or software.

[0079] Optionally, as an implementation method, the chip also includes a memory, in which a computer program or instruction is stored, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instruction stored in the memory. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided by any of the above aspects or its implementation methods.

[0080] When the method provided in this application is executed by a chip, this application does not limit the number of chips that implement the method. For example, the method can be executed by one chip or by two or more chips. Furthermore, when the number of chips implementing the method of this application is two or more, the chip manufacturers are not limited and can be the same manufacturer or different manufacturers.

[0081] In an eleventh aspect, a computer program is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the method provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementation to be executed.

[0082] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising the first site and the second site described above.

[0083] It should be understood that the beneficial effects of the third to twelfth aspects and any implementation thereof can refer to the first to second aspects and any implementation thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0084] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0085] FIG2 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application.

[0086] 3 and 4 are schematic structural diagrams of communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0087] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0088] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to wireless local area networks (WLANs). Currently, WLANs adopt the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series. A WLAN may include multiple basic service sets (BSSs). Network nodes in a BSS are collectively referred to as stations (STAs), which specifically include access points (APs) and non-AP STAs. Each BSS may include an AP and multiple non-AP stations associated with the AP. A BSS may also be understood as a cell.

[0089] The AP in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as a wireless access point or hotspot. The AP is an access point for mobile users to enter a wired network. It is mainly deployed in homes, inside buildings, and inside campuses. The typical coverage radius is tens of meters 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 device that supports the 802.11ax standard. Further, optionally, the AP can be a device that supports multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b and 802.11a or subsequent versions.

[0090] In the embodiments of the present application, non-AP stations can be wireless communication chips, wireless sensors, or wireless communication terminals. Examples include mobile phones that support Wi-Fi communication, tablet computers that support Wi-Fi communication, set-top boxes that support Wi-Fi communication, smart TVs that support Wi-Fi communication, smart wearable devices that support Wi-Fi communication, in-vehicle communication devices that support Wi-Fi communication, and computers that support Wi-Fi communication. Optionally, non-AP stations can support the 802.11ax standard. Furthermore, non-AP stations can support multiple WLAN standards, including 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a or later versions.

[0091] In the embodiments of the present application, a non-AP site or AP includes a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also known as main memory). The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as the Linux operating system, the Unix operating system, the Android operating system, the iOS operating system, or the Windows operating system. The application layer includes applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application. As long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, for example, the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be a non-AP site or AP, or a functional module in the non-AP site or AP that can call and execute a program.

[0092] In addition, various aspects or features of the present application can be implemented as methods, apparatus, or articles of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" as used in this application covers computer programs that can be accessed from any computer-readable device, carrier, or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), cards, sticks, or key drives, etc.). In addition, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0093] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a wireless local area network applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0094] As shown in Figure 1 (a), a BSS can include an AP and one or more non-AP sites associated with the AP. A wireless LAN network architecture can also include multiple BSSs. For example, Figure 1 (b) shows two BSSs that partially overlap, forming overlapping basic service sets (OBSSs). BSS#1 includes AP#1, non-AP site 11, non-AP site 12, and non-AP site 13, while BSS#2 includes AP#2, non-AP site 21, non-AP site 22, and non-AP site 23. Non-AP sites 11, 12, 22, and 23 represent the overlapping portions of the two BSSs. Each BSS consists of an AP and multiple non-AP sites. Within a BSS, data can be transmitted between the AP and each non-AP site, and multiple non-AP sites can also transmit data among themselves. AP#1 and AP#2 can also communicate, and the non-AP sites in the two BSSs can also communicate with each other.

[0095] It should be understood that Figure 1 is merely exemplary and should not limit the network architecture of the wireless local area network to which this application applies. For example, the network architecture may include more BSSs, each BSS may include more non-AP sites, or some BSSs may not include APs. The overlapping areas of multiple BSSs may also include more non-AP sites, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0096] With the development of WLAN technology, bandwidth has continued to expand, from the 20MHz channel bandwidth supported by the 802.11a / g standard, to the 20MHz and 40MHz channel bandwidths supported by the 802.11n standard, and then to the 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and 80MHz+80MHz channel bandwidths supported by the 802.11ac standard. 802.11be can support 240MHz, 320MHz, and even higher bandwidths.

[0097] Larger bandwidth can provide higher transmission rates. However, according to the 802.11 standards, a channel can only be successfully contended for if the primary channel is idle. If the primary channel is busy, other channels cannot be used, even if they are idle. In other words, the sender and receiver can only communicate on the primary channel.

[0098] To improve communication efficiency and resource utilization, a non-primary channel communication mechanism can be introduced. Specifically, when the transmitter detects that the primary channel is occupied by a site in another cell (e.g., OBSS), the transmitter can jump to another channel (i.e., a non-primary channel) to compete for the channel. After successfully competing for the channel, the transmitter and receiver can communicate with the receiver on the non-primary channel. Based on the data frame of the OSBB site, the transmitter and receiver can determine the transmission duration of the data frame, thereby jumping back to the original primary channel before the data frame transmission of the OBSS site is completed and resuming the previous communication on the primary channel.

[0099] In the above process, both the sender and receiver need to detect the data frames sent by the OBSS site. Otherwise, only one of the sender or receiver may switch to a non-primary channel, preventing successful communication. For example, if a data frame sent by an OBSS site is received by the receiver but not by the sender, the sender will continue to operate on the primary channel, but the receiver will switch to a non-primary channel. At this point, if the sender sends data frames to the receiver, the receiver will not be able to receive them correctly.

[0100] In view of this, the present application proposes a communication method and a communication device, which enable the sending end and the receiving end to transmit data on a non-primary channel, thereby improving the efficiency of communication and the utilization rate of the channel.

[0101] It should be understood that the embodiments shown below use the first site and the second site as examples of interactive execution subjects to illustrate the method, but the present application does not limit the execution subject, as long as it can communicate according to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application by running the program of the code of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. The execution subject of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be the first site and the second site, or it can be a functional module in the first site and the second site that can call and execute the program. For example, the first site in Figure 2 can also be a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the method that can be implemented by the first site, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first site; the second site in Figure 2 can also be a chip, a chip system or a processor that supports the method that can be implemented by the terminal device, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second site.

[0102] Fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 200 provided by the present application. As shown in Fig. 2, the method 200 includes the following steps.

[0103] S210 , a first station sends a first control frame to a second station on a first channel and a second channel. Correspondingly, the second station receives the first control frame on the second channel.

[0104] In this application, the first station can be a non-AP STA or an AP. Similarly, the second station can be a non-AP STA or an AP. When the first station is a non-AP STA and the second station is an AP, method 200 corresponds to uplink communication. When the first station is an AP and the second station is a non-AP STA, method 200 corresponds to downlink communication. When both the first station and the second station are non-AP STAs, method 200 corresponds to device-to-device (D2D) communication.

[0105] The first channel is a primary channel, and the second channel is a non-primary channel. In this application, the non-primary channel may also be referred to as a secondary channel, a temporary primary channel, or a slave channel.

[0106] When dividing channels, the channels may be divided into primary channels and non-primary channels. There may be multiple non-primary channels, and the second channel may belong to one of the non-primary channels.

[0107] Exemplarily, the bandwidth of the primary channel may be 20 MHz, which is within the entire system bandwidth (eg, 320 MHz).

[0108] In the present application, the available bandwidth of the first site includes the first channel and the second channel, or in other words, the second channel is located within the available bandwidth of the first site.

[0109] The first control frame is used to request sending the first data frame to the second station, or to request data transmission with the second station. Alternatively, the first control frame is used to determine whether the first channel and the second channel are available.

[0110] It should be understood that in this application, the term "channel available" may also be referred to as "channel idle," or "channel in an idle state." Similarly, the term "channel unavailable" may also be referred to as "channel busy," or "channel in a busy state or non-idle state."

[0111] In this application, the first station operates on the primary channel. Since the available bandwidth of the first station includes the first channel and the second channel, the first station can send the first control frame to the second station on the first channel and the second channel. The second station operates on the secondary channel. Therefore, the second station cannot receive the first control frame on the first channel, but can receive the first control frame on the second channel.

[0112] S220: The second station sends a second control frame to the first station on the second channel. Correspondingly, the first station receives the second control frame.

[0113] The second control frame responds to the first control frame.

[0114] In the present application, the first control frame may also be referred to as an initial control frame (ICF), and correspondingly, the second control frame may be referred to as an initial control response frame (ICR).

[0115] For example, the first control frame is a request to send (RTS) frame, and the second control frame is a clear to send (CTS) frame.

[0116] For another example, the first control frame and the second control frame may also be other frames or newly defined frames.

[0117] It can be understood that the second station operates on the second channel, so it can send a response frame to the first control frame to the first station through the second channel.

[0118] S230: The first station sends a first data frame to the second station on the second channel. Correspondingly, the second station receives the first data frame on the second channel.

[0119] In the present application, the first station receives the second control frame of the second station on the second channel. Therefore, the first station can determine that the second station is working on the second channel, and then can send a data frame to the second station on the second channel.

[0120] Based on the above solution, the first station sends the first control frame on both the primary channel and the non-primary channel. The second station can receive the first control frame on its non-primary channel and reply with a response frame to the first control frame. In this way, the first and second stations can determine that the non-primary channel is available and can then transmit data on the non-primary channel. Compared to transmitting data only on the primary channel, this can improve communication efficiency and channel utilization.

[0121] Optionally, as an implementation scenario, the second control frame includes first information, where the first information is used to indicate a first time, and the first time is the time when the second station switches to the first channel.

[0122] It should be understood that the first time may refer to a moment, namely, the moment when the second station switches to the first channel, or the moment when the second station completes switching from the second channel to the first channel.

[0123] Exemplarily, the first information may be an offset value, for example, the first information is an offset value between the time when the second station switches to the first channel and the time when the second control frame starts to be sent. Based on the first information, the first station may determine the first time.

[0124] Exemplarily, the first information may also be a moment, for example, the first information is the first time.

[0125] Optionally, if the second control frame is a CTS frame, the first information may be carried in a duration field of the CTS frame.

[0126] Optionally, if the second control frame is a newly defined frame, the first information may be carried in a field in the frame.

[0127] Optionally, the first time is the time when the second data frame is completed, and the second data frame is a data frame sent by an OBSS site, where the OBSS refers to a BSS where the first site and the second site are located.

[0128] For example, taking FIG1(b) as an example, the first station is AP#1, the second station is non-AP station 12, the BSS in which the first and second stations reside is BSS#1, and the BSS that is an OBSS to the BSS in which the first and second stations reside is BSS#2. The second data frame may be a data packet sent by a station in BSS#2, for example, a data frame sent by non-AP station 22. When non-AP station 12 receives a data frame from non-AP station 22, it may read the frame header of the data frame, determine that the data frame is a data frame from an OBSS station, and obtain the transmission duration of the data frame.

[0129] In the present application, the second station switches to the second channel for communication because it receives the second data frame from the OBSS station, and the second station switches back to the first channel when (or before) the communication with the OBSS station ends. However, the first station may not switch to the first channel in time because it does not receive the second data frame, or it is impossible to determine the time when the second station switches to the first channel because it does not receive the second data frame. By indicating the first time to the first station, when the second station switches back to the first channel, the first station stops communicating with the second station on the second channel, or in other words, the first station and the second station switch back to the first channel at the same time, and further the first station and the second station can continue to communicate on the first channel.

[0130] In this implementation scenario, the method 200 may also include the following two cases:

[0131] Case 1: Before the first time, the first station stops sending data frames to the second station on the second channel.

[0132] At this time, S230 may specifically include: before the first time, the first station sends a data frame to the second station on the second channel.

[0133] Specifically, based on the first information, the first site can determine that the second site will switch to the first channel at the first time. Therefore, before the first time, the first site sends data frames to the second site on the second channel, and the first site stops sending data frames to the second site on the second channel before the first time.

[0134] In the present application, stopping sending data frames to the second site on the second channel can also be said to end the frame interaction with the second site on the second channel, or stopping data transmission with the second site on the second channel, or ending the transmission opportunity of the first site.

[0135] It should be understood that before the first time, the first site can first send data frames to the second site on the second channel. After sending for a period of time, the first site will stop sending data frames to the second site on the second channel. The moment of "stopping sending data frames to the second site on the second channel" is also before the first time, so that it can be ensured that when the second site switches to the first channel, the transmission of the second channel has ended.

[0136] In this case 1, the method 200 may also include: the first site and the second site switch to the first channel at a first time, and after the first time, the first site sends a data frame to the second site on the first channel, and accordingly, the second site receives the data frame on the first channel.

[0137] Specifically, when the first station switches to the first channel, the first station may first send a control frame to the second station on the first channel to detect whether the first channel is available, and then send a data frame on the first channel if the first channel is available. Alternatively, the first station may not detect whether the first channel is available and directly send a data frame on the first channel.

[0138] Case 2: The first station stops sending data frames to the second station on the second channel after the first time. Correspondingly, the second station switches to the first channel after the first time.

[0139] For example, the second station switches to the first channel at a second time, and the second time is later than the first time. In this case, the second station may perform a medium access recovery procedure on the first channel.

[0140] Specifically, the first station may not end the frame interaction with the second station on the second channel before the first time, and the second station may not switch to the first channel at the first time, but switch at the second time. Since the second station switches to the first channel later, it may miss the frame on the first channel and will not set the network allocation vector (NAV) according to the frame on the first channel. NAV is equivalent to a counter, which is used to virtually reflect whether the channel is available. For example, non-0 means unavailable and 0 means available. If the second station does not set NAV on the first channel, the second station will determine that the first channel is in an available state, but the first channel may be transmitting data. Therefore, if the second station initiates transmission on the first channel at this time, it may affect the existing transmission on the first channel.

[0141] In this scenario 2, after switching back to the first channel, the second station may perform a channel access recovery process, which specifically includes the second station performing at least one of the following operations within a period of time:

[0142] (1) Channel detection is performed according to a first energy detection (ED) threshold, where the first ED threshold is less than -62dBm. In other words, the second station can use a lower ED threshold for channel detection.

[0143] Specifically, the energy detection threshold commonly used is -62dBm. If a lower energy detection threshold is used, more signals will be determined as signals of channels in use, thereby determining that the first channel is unavailable and no transmission will be performed.

[0144] (2) After performing backoff in channel contention, a third control frame is sent to the first station, where the third control frame is used to determine whether the first channel is available.

[0145] Optionally, the third control frame is used to request sending a data frame to the first station, or in other words, to request data transmission with the first station.

[0146] Exemplarily, the third control frame and the first control frame are of the same type, for example, both are RTS frames.

[0147] Specifically, during the channel contention process, after the backoff is completed, the second station may send a third control frame to determine whether the channel is available, and initiate data transmission when the channel is available.

[0148] Optionally, the number of times the third control frame is sent is less than the first threshold.

[0149] In other words, the second station cannot send the third control frame indefinitely to determine whether the channel is available. If one or a limited number of attempts (ie, the first threshold) have been made, further attempts cannot be made.

[0150] Based on the above solution, when the time when the second site switches to the first channel is later than the first time indicated by it, the second site can perform the channel access process to avoid direct data transmission and resulting in data transmission failure.

[0151] Optionally, the second control frame includes second information, where the second information is used to indicate available channels of the second site, and the available channels of the second site include the second channel.

[0152] Based on the above solution, the first site can determine the available channel of the second site according to the second information, so that data can be transmitted with the second site on the available channel, which can improve communication efficiency and channel utilization.

[0153] Similarly, the first control frame may include fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate available channels of the first station, where the available channels of the first station include the first channel and the second channel.

[0154] Optionally, the method may further include: the second site determining the second information based on the fourth information.

[0155] For example, the second site determines the channel indicated in the second information from the available channels of the first site and its own available channels, that is, the channel indicated by the second information is also the available channel of the first site, that is, the common available channel of the first site and the second site.

[0156] Based on the above solution, the first station can perform data transmission with the second station on their common available channel, which can improve communication efficiency and channel utilization.

[0157] Optionally, in an implementation scenario, the method 200 further includes: S201, the first site sends third information to the second site, and accordingly, the second site receives the third information.

[0158] Among them, the third information is used to indicate the packet detection (PD) capability of the first site, and the packet detection capability includes any one of the following: the first site supports packet detection on two channels at the same time; or, the first site supports packet detection switching between two channels; or, the first site only supports packet detection on one channel.

[0159] As an example, the third information can be carried in an association request frame or a beacon frame, or, when the first site establishes a non-primary channel communication mode with the second site, the third information can be carried in a non-primary channel communication establishment request frame or a non-primary channel communication establishment response frame.

[0160] Optionally, the third information may be sent to the second site via the first channel. For example, before S210 , both the first site and the second site operate on the primary channel, and the first site may indicate its packet detection capability to the second site.

[0161] It should be understood that packet detection capability is related to the device's hardware. If the device's hardware level is high, its packet detection capability is strong, and it can perform packet detection on two channels simultaneously. If the device's hardware level is average, its packet detection capability is average, and it can switch packet detection between the two channels, that is, perform packet detection alternately between the two channels. If the device's hardware level is low, its packet detection capability is low, and it may only perform packet detection on one channel, which is generally the primary channel.

[0162] Optionally, based on the packet detection capability of the first station, the second station can determine the time at which it sends the second control frame. For ease of description, the interval between the end time of the first control frame and the start time of the second control frame is hereinafter referred to as the first time interval. In other words, the first time interval is the interval between the time when the first control frame is received and the time when the second control frame starts to be sent (or referred to as the sending time of the second control frame).

[0163] When the first station supports packet detection on two channels simultaneously, the first time interval is a short interframe space (SIFS). In other words, the second station can send the second control frame after a SIFS interval after receiving the first control frame.

[0164] When the first station supports packet detection switching between two channels, the first time interval is greater than the time interval for the first station to switch between the first channel and the second channel, and the first time interval is greater than the time the first station performs packet detection on the first channel.

[0165] Specifically, if the first station cannot perform packet detection on the first channel and the second channel at the same time, the first station needs to first perform packet detection on the first channel. If the second control frame is not detected within a certain period of time, it needs to switch to the second channel for packet detection. For example, the time the first station performs packet detection on a channel (such as the first channel or the second channel) is SIFS + the length of a time slot (aSlotTime). In order for the first station to successfully detect the second control frame on the second channel, the interval between the time when the second control frame starts to be sent and the time when the first control frame is received should be greater than the time the first station performs packet detection on the first channel, and should also be greater than the time interval for the first station to switch between the first channel and the second channel.

[0166] As an example of this situation, the first time interval is a point coordination function interframe space (PIFS). In other words, the second station may send the second control frame after a PIFS interval after receiving the first control frame.

[0167] It should be understood that the 802.11 series of standards stipulate that after a station completes a transmission, it must wait for a time interval before sending the next frame. This time interval is called the interframe space (IFS). Common interframe spaces include SIFS and PIFS. Among them, SIFS is the shortest interframe space, which is used to separate the different frames belonging to a session. A station should be able to switch from sending mode to receiving mode within this period. PIFS is slightly longer than SIFS. It is used to prioritize access to the media under the point coordination function (PCF) mode. The specific duration of SIFS and PIFS is related to the frequency band in which the station operates.

[0168] As another example of this situation, the first time interval is 2 times of SIFS.

[0169] Specifically, before S220, the second station may first send a fourth control frame to the first station on the second channel, and the fourth control frame also responds to the first control frame, wherein the interval between the time when the second station receives the first control frame and the time when the second station starts sending the fourth control frame is SIFS, and the interval between the time when the second station starts sending the fourth control frame and the time when the second station starts sending the second control frame is also SIFS, therefore, the first time interval is 2 times SIFS. Correspondingly, since the time when the first station performs packet detection on the second channel is greater than SIFS, the first station cannot receive the fourth control frame. However, since the first time interval is greater than the time when the first station performs packet detection on the second channel, the first station can receive the second control frame.

[0170] In other words, the second station may send the response frame to the first control frame twice on the second channel, with intervals of SIFS and SIFS respectively. In this way, even if the first station does not receive the first response frame, it may receive the second response frame.

[0171] Optionally, the fourth control frame is the same as the second control frame.

[0172] In the case where the first site only supports packet detection on one channel, the first control frame may further include fifth information, which is used to indicate whether the first control frame occupies the main channel. In other words, it indicates whether the first control frame is sent under non-main channel transmission. Or, it indicates whether the first control frame is sent when the first site switches to a non-main channel, or in other words, whether the first site currently performs packet detection on the first channel or the second channel. Correspondingly, if the fifth information indicates that the first site is currently performing packet detection on the first channel, the second site can determine the time to send the second control frame in combination with the packet detection capability of the first site. If the fifth information indicates that the first site is currently performing packet detection on the second channel, the second site can use SIFS as the first time interval.

[0173] Based on the above solution, the second site determines the time to start sending the second control frame according to the packet detection capability of the first site, so as to ensure that the first site can receive the second control frame on the second channel, thereby ensuring that data transmission on the second channel can proceed normally.

[0174] It is understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the base station and the terminal include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in conjunction with the units and method steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or in a computer software-driven hardware manner depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0175] Figures 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams of the structures of communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of a terminal or base station in the above-mentioned method embodiments, thereby also achieving the beneficial effects possessed by the above-mentioned method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be a first site or a second site, or a module (such as a chip) applied to the first site or the second site.

[0176] As shown in FIG3 , the communication device 2000 includes a transceiver unit 2020. The communication device 2000 is used to implement the functions of the first station or the second station in the method embodiment shown in FIG2 . Optionally, the communication device 2000 further includes a processing unit 2010.

[0177] When the communication device 2000 is used to implement the function of the first site in the method embodiment shown in Figure 2: the transceiver unit 2020 is used to: send a first control frame to the second site on the first channel and the second channel, the first control frame is used to request to send a data frame to the second site, the first channel is the main channel, and the second channel is the non-main channel; the transceiver unit 2020 is also used to: receive a second control frame from the second site on the second channel, the second control frame responds to the first control frame; the transceiver unit 2020 is also used to: send a data frame to the second site on the second channel.

[0178] Optionally, the processing unit 2010 is configured to stop sending data frames to the second station on the second channel before a first time, where the first time is the time when the second station switches to the first channel.

[0179] When the communication device 2000 is used to implement the function of the second site in the method embodiment shown in Figure 2: the transceiver unit 2020 is used to receive a first control frame from the first site on the second channel, the first control frame is used to request to send a data frame to the second site, the first channel is the main channel, and the second channel is the non-main channel; the transceiver unit 2020 is also used to: send a second control frame to the first site on the second channel, the second control frame responds to the first control frame; the transceiver unit 2020 is also used to: receive a data frame from the first site on the second channel.

[0180] Optionally, the processing unit 2010 is configured to switch to the first channel at a first time to receive the data frame from the first site, where the first time is the time when the second site switches to the first channel.

[0181] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 2010 and the transceiver unit 2020 , please refer to the relevant description of the method 200 shown in FIG. 2 .

[0182] As shown in Figure 4, the communication device 3000 includes a processor 3010 and an interface circuit 3020. The processor 3010 and the interface circuit 3020 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 3020 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 3000 may also include a memory 3030 for storing instructions executed by the processor 3010, or storing input data required by the processor 3010 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 3010 executes instructions. Sometimes, the interface circuit 3020 can also be understood as part of the processor 3010, in which case the communication device 3000 includes the processor 3010.

[0183] When the communication device 3000 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 2 , the processor 3010 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 2010 , and the interface circuit 3020 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 2020 .

[0184] When the communication device is a chip used in the first site, the chip implements the functions of the first site in the above method embodiment. When the chip receives information from the second site, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the first site (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the chip by these modules. When the chip sends information to the second site, it can be understood that the information is first sent to other modules in the first site (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the second site by these modules.

[0185] When the communication device is a chip used in the second site, the chip implements the functions of the second site in the above method embodiment. When the chip receives information from the first site, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the second site (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the chip by these modules. When the chip sends information to the first site, it can be understood that the information is first sent to other modules in the second site (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the first site by these modules.

[0186] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a CPU, or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0187] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, mobile hard disks, CD-read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM) or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also be present in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0188] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0189] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0190] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: 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 the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

[0191] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the first, second, and various numerical numbers are merely distinctions for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not imply a specific order of execution; the order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0192] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0193] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0194] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0195] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0196] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0197] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0198] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to the first site, the method includes: Sending a first control frame to a second station on a first channel and a second channel, wherein the first control frame is used to request sending a data frame to the second station, the first channel being a primary channel and the second channel being a non-primary channel; receiving a second control frame from the second station on the second channel, the second control frame being in response to the first control frame; The data frame is sent to the second station on the second channel.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The second control frame includes first information, where the first information is used to indicate a first time, where the first time is the time when the second station switches to the first channel.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: Before the first time, stop sending data frames to the second station on the second channel.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: After the first time, a data frame is sent to the second station on the first channel.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The second control frame includes second information, where the second information is used to indicate available channels of the second station, and the available channels of the second station include the second channel.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send third information to the second site, where the third information is used to indicate the packet detection capability of the first site, where the packet detection capability includes any one of the following: Supports packet detection on two channels at the same time, supports packet detection switching between two channels, and supports packet detection on only one channel.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that In the case where the first site supports packet detection on two channels simultaneously, the first time interval is a short interframe space, and the first time interval is an interval between an end time of the first control frame and a start time of the second control frame.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that In the case where the first site supports packet detection switching between two channels, the first time interval is greater than the time interval for the first site to switch between the first channel and the second channel, and the first time interval is the interval between the end time of the first control frame and the start time of the second control frame.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first time interval is a point coordination function inter-frame interval.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The first control frame includes fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate available channels of the first station, where the available channels of the first station include the first channel and the second channel.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to the second site, the method includes: receiving a first control frame from a first station on a second channel, the first control frame being used to request sending a data frame to the second station, the first channel being a primary channel and the second channel being a non-primary channel; sending a second control frame to the first station on the second channel, the second control frame being in response to the first control frame; The data frame is received from the first station on the second channel.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The second control frame includes first information, where the first information is used to indicate a first time, where the first time is the time when the second station switches to the first channel.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The receiving the data frame from the first station on the second channel includes: The data frame is received from the first station on the second channel before the first time.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The method further comprises: At the first time, the device switches to the first channel to receive data frames from the first station.

15. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: switching to the first channel at a second time, the second time being later than the first time; A channel access recovery procedure is performed on the first channel.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The channel access recovery process includes any of the following: Performing channel detection according to a first energy detection threshold, where the first energy detection threshold is less than -62dBm; or, After performing backoff in channel contention, a third control frame is sent to the first station, where the third control frame is used to determine whether the first channel is available, and the number of times the third control frame is sent is less than a first threshold.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that The second control frame includes second information, where the second information is used to indicate available channels of the second station, and the available channels of the second station include the second channel.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive third information from the first site, where the third information is used to indicate a packet detection capability of the first site, where the packet detection capability includes any one of the following: Supports packet detection on two channels at the same time, supports packet detection switching between two channels, and supports packet detection on only one channel.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that In the case where the first site supports packet detection on two channels simultaneously, the first time interval is a short interframe space, and the first time interval is an interval between an end time of the first control frame and a start time of the second control frame.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein When the first site supports packet detection switching between two channels, the first time interval is greater than the time interval for the first site to switch between the first channel and the second channel, and the first time interval is the interval between the end time of the first control frame and the start time of the second control frame.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The first time interval is a point coordination function inter-frame interval.

22. The method according to claim 18, wherein Before sending the second control frame, the method further includes: A fourth control frame is sent to the first station on the second channel, and the fourth control frame responds to the first control frame, wherein the first time interval is 2 times the short interframe space, and the interval between the time when the second station receives the first control frame and the time when the second station sends the fourth control frame is the short interframe space.

23. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 22, characterized in that The first control frame includes fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate available channels of the first station, where the available channels of the first station include the first channel and the second channel.

24. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or comprising a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 11 to 23.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, the processor being coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or so that the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 11 to 23.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 11 to 23 is implemented.

27. A computer program product, characterized in that The invention comprises a computer program, which, when being executed, implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or implements the method according to any one of claims 11 to 23.

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