Extended service set transition method and apparatus

Abstract

An extended service set transition method and apparatus, which relate to the technical field of wireless communications. In the method, a non-AP MLD receives a first request frame from a first AP MLD, wherein the first request frame is used for requesting the non-AP MLD to perform ESS transition, and the first AP MLD belongs to a first extended service set; and the non-AP MLD sends a second request frame to a third AP MLD, wherein the second request frame is used for requesting transition to the third AP MLD, the third AP MLD is one of one or more second AP MLDs, and the third AP MLD belongs to a second extended service set. The embodiments provide an interaction process between the non-AP MLD and the first AP MLD to implement ESS transition of a multi-link station device.

Description

Extended service set transition method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410458788.4, filed on April 16, 2024, and entitled "Extended service set transition method and apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of wireless communication, and in particular to an extended service set transition method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0004] Currently, the standard defines that an access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) can indicate a non-AP station (non-AP STA) or a non-AP multi-link device (non-AP MLD) to perform BSS transition through a broadcast basic service set transition management (BTM) request frame.

[0005] However, considering that many chips currently integrate graphics processing units (GPUs) for artificial intelligence (AI), a potential application scenario is to use AI to improve the experience of user roaming. Therefore, in some scenarios, the non-AP station (non-AP STA) or the non-AP multi-link device (non-AP MLD) will not only perform BSS transition, but also may perform extended service set (ESS) transition. However, for ESS transition, the current protocol has not yet defined the related procedures and signaling indications. SUMMARY

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide an extended service set transition method and apparatus, and provide related procedures for extended service set transition.

[0007] In a first aspect, an extended service set (ESS) transfer method is provided. The method can be performed by a multi-link station device or by a module (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit, etc.) in the multi-link station device. Taking the multi-link station device as an example, the method includes: receiving, by the multi-link station device, a first request frame from a first access point multi-link device. The first request frame is used to request the multi-link station device to perform an ESS transfer, and the first request frame includes information of one or more second access point multi-link devices. The first access point multi-link device belongs to a first ESS. The multi-link station device sends a second request frame to a third access point multi-link device. The second request frame is used to request a transfer to the third access point multi-link device, and the second request frame includes information of the first access point multi-link device. The third access point multi-link device is one of the one or more second access point multi-link devices, and the third access point multi-link device belongs to a second ESS.

[0008] Based on the above scheme, the embodiments of the present application provide an interaction process between the multi-link station device and the first access point multi-link device to implement the ESS transfer of the multi-link station device.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the first request frame further includes one or more of the following:

[0010] A. A dialog token, which is used to match the first request frame and the first response frame. In the embodiments of the present application, the dialog token can also be used to match the ESS transfer operation of the multi-link station device and the first request frame / first response frame.

[0011] B. Reason information, which is used to indicate a specific reason for sending the first request frame by the first access point multi-link device. The reason information can be understood as a reason for which the first access point multi-link device requests the multi-link station device to perform the ESS transfer, or can be understood as a reason for which the ESS transfer request occurs.

[0012] For example, the reason information can be a reason code.

[0013] C. Indication information of an ESS disassociation timer, which is used to inform the multi-link station device that the multi-link station device will be disassociated from the first access point multi-link device after a first time length. It should be noted that the first time length can be predefined or determined by the first AP MLD, which is not limited in the present application.

[0014] Based on the above scheme, the embodiments of the present application provide information that can be carried by the first request frame, so that the multi-link station device determines related information and parameters of the ESS transfer operation.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the first time length is greater than or equal to the second time length, and the second time length is a time length between a timing start moment of the disassociation timer and a moment when the multi-link station device sends data to the first access point multi-link device after being rejected by the third access point multi-link device.

[0016] Based on the above scheme, when the first time length is set, the case that the multi-link station device retransmits data with the first access point multi-link device after being rejected by the third access point multi-link device can be considered, and sufficient time is left for the multi-link station device to avoid the case that the ESS transfer is unsuccessful and the multi-link station device is disassociated from the first access point multi-link device at the same time, thereby reducing the data transmission delay of the multi-link station device.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the information of the second access point multi-link device includes a service set identifier corresponding to the second access point multi-link device. Based on the above scheme, the multi-link station device can determine the ESS to which the alternative second access point multi-link device belongs through the service set identifier.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the information of the second access point multi-link device includes one or more of the following: one or more basic service set identifiers corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, one or more operation categories corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, one or more channel information corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, one or more bandwidth information corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, a trigger condition for the multi-link station device to perform an extended service set transfer operation, or a recommended value corresponding to the second access point multi-link device.

[0019] The recommended value indicates a priority recommended by the first access point multi-link device to transfer to the corresponding second access point multi-link device.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the trigger condition includes one or more of the following:

[0021] Condition a: A down link (DL) received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a first affiliated AP of the first access point multi-link device is less than or equal to a first threshold value.

[0022] For example, the first affiliated access point can be an affiliated access point that transmits data with the multi-link station device, or the first affiliated access point can be understood as an access point on a transmission link.

[0023] Condition b: A DL RSSI of a third affiliated access point of the third access point multi-link device is higher than a DL RSSI of a second affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device.

[0024] The third affiliated access point can be indicated by a link ID, for example. Alternatively, it can be the affiliated access point with the highest or lowest DL RSSI of the third access point multi-link device. Similarly, the second affiliated access point can be indicated by a link ID, or it can be the affiliated access point of the sending link where the first request frame is located by default.

[0025] The condition c is that the DL RSSI of the third affiliated access point of the third access point multi-link device is higher than the DL RSSI of the second affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device by a second threshold.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the recommended values of the second access point multi-link devices affiliated to one access point multi-link device are the same in one or more second access point multi-link devices.

[0027] Based on the above various possible implementations, information that can be contained in the information of the one or more second access point multi-link devices is provided, so that the multi-link station device can determine which access point multi-link device to transfer to according to the information.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the multi-link station device sends a first response frame to the first access point multi-link device, and the first response frame indicates whether to accept the extended service set transfer requested by the first request frame. Based on the above scheme, the multi-link station device can inform the first access point multi-link device whether to accept the extended service set transfer through the first response frame.

[0029] In a possible implementation, the first response frame includes one or more of the following: the downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, the location information of the multi-link station device, the time information of the multi-link station device, or the information of one or more fourth access point multi-link devices.

[0030] The session token ring is used to match the first request frame and the extended service set transfer operation of the multi-link station device. The first status code is used to indicate whether to accept the extended service set transfer requested by the first request frame. The downlink received signal strength of the first access point multi-link device includes the downlink signal received strength of each affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device, or includes the maximum value of the downlink signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device. The one or more fourth access point multi-link devices are part or all of the one or more second access point multi-link devices, and the one or more fourth access point multi-link devices include the third access point multi-link device.

[0031] Based on the above various possible implementation manners, information possibly contained in the first response frame is provided, so that the first access point multi-link device can perform AI learning according to the information, and the reliability of the first access point multi-link device initiating the extended service set transfer is improved.

[0032] In a possible implementation manner, the second request frame includes one or more of the following: address information of the first access point multi-link device, basic service set identifiers of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, operating categories of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, channel information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, bandwidth information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, transmission power of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, a conversation token ring, a reason code, channel load information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, position information of the multi-link station device, or time information of the multi-link station device.

[0033] The conversation token ring is used to match the first request frame and the extended service set transfer operation of the multi-link station device. The reason code is used to indicate the reason for the occurrence of the extended service set transfer.

[0034] Based on the above scheme, information possibly contained in the second request frame is provided, so that the third access point multi-link device can decide whether to accept the transfer or association of the multi-link station device according to the information.

[0035] In a possible implementation manner, the multi-link station device receives a second response frame from the third access point multi-link device, and the second response frame indicates whether to accept the transfer of the multi-link station device. Based on the above scheme, the multi-link station device can determine whether to transfer to the third access point multi-link device according to the second response frame.

[0036] In a second aspect, an extended service set transition method is provided. The method can be performed by a first access point multi-link device or by a module (such as a chip, a chip system, or a circuit, etc.) in the first access point multi-link device. Taking the first access point multi-link device as an example, the method includes: sending, by the first access point multi-link device, a first request frame to a multi-link station device, the first request frame being used to request the multi-link station device to perform an extended service set transition, the first request frame including information of one or more second access point multi-link devices. The first access point multi-link device belongs to a first extended service set. The first access point multi-link device receives a report frame from a third access point multi-link device, the report frame indicating whether to accept the transition of the multi-link station device. The third access point multi-link device belongs to a second extended service set.

[0037] Based on the above scheme, the embodiments of the present application provide an interaction process between the multi-link station device and the first access point multi-link device to implement the extended service set transition of the multi-link station device.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the first request frame further includes one or more of the following:

[0039] A. A dialog token ring (Dialog Token) is used to match the first request frame and the first response frame. In the embodiments of the present application, the dialog token ring can also be used to match the extended service set transition operation of the multi-link station device and the first request frame / first response frame.

[0040] B. Reason information is used to indicate the specific reason for sending the first request frame by the first access point multi-link device. The reason information can be understood as the reason for the first access point multi-link device to request the multi-link station device to perform the extended service set transition, or can be understood as the reason for the occurrence of this extended service set transition request.

[0041] For example, the reason information can be a reason code.

[0042] C. Indication information of an extended service set disassociation timer (ESS disassociation timer) is used to inform the multi-link station device that the multi-link station device will be disassociated from the first access point multi-link device after a first time length. It should be noted that the first time length can be predefined or determined by the first access point multi-link device, which is not limited in the present application.

[0043] Based on the above scheme, the embodiments of the present application provide information that can be carried by the first request frame, so that the multi-link station device determines the related information and parameters of the extended service set transition operation.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the first time length is greater than or equal to the second time length, and the second time length is a time length between a timing start moment of the disassociation timer and a moment when the multi-link station device sends data to the first access point multi-link device after being rejected by the third access point multi-link device.

[0045] Based on the above scheme, when the first time length is set, the case that the multi-link station device retransmits and receives data with the first access point multi-link device after being rejected by the third access point multi-link device can be considered, sufficient time is left for the multi-link station device, and the case that the ESS transfer is unsuccessful and the multi-link station device is disassociated from the first access point multi-link device at the same time is avoided, thereby reducing the data transmission delay of the multi-link station device.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the information of the second access point multi-link device includes a service set identifier corresponding to the second access point multi-link device. Based on the above scheme, the multi-link station device can determine the ESS to which the alternative second access point multi-link device belongs through the service set identifier.

[0047] In a possible implementation, the information of the second access point multi-link device includes one or more of the following: a basic service set identifier corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, an operating class corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, channel information corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, bandwidth information corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, a trigger condition for the multi-link station device to perform an extended service set transfer operation, or a recommended value corresponding to the second access point multi-link device. The recommended value indicates a priority recommended by the first access point multi-link device to transfer to the corresponding second access point multi-link device.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the trigger condition includes one or more of the following:

[0049] Condition a: A down link (DL) received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a first affiliated AP of the first access point multi-link device is less than or equal to a first threshold value.

[0050] For example, the first affiliated access point can be an affiliated access point that transmits data with the multi-link station device, or the first affiliated access point can be understood as an access point on a transmission link.

[0051] Condition b: A DL RSSI of a third affiliated access point of the third access point multi-link device is higher than a DL RSSI of a second affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device.

[0052] For example, the third affiliated access point can be indicated by a link ID. Alternatively, it can be the affiliated access point with the highest or lowest DL RSSI in the third access point multi-link device. Similarly, the second affiliated access point can be indicated by a link ID, or by default, it is the affiliated access point corresponding to the transmission link where the first request frame is located.

[0053] The condition c is that the DL RSSI of the third affiliated access point of the third access point multi-link device is higher than the DL RSSI of the second affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device by a second threshold.

[0054] In a possible implementation, in the one or more second access point multi-link devices, the second access point multi-link devices affiliated to one access point multi-link device have the same recommended value.

[0055] Based on the above various possible implementations, information that can be contained in the information of the one or more second access point multi-link devices is provided, so that the multi-link station device can determine which access point multi-link device to transfer to according to the information.

[0056] In a possible implementation, the first access point multi-link device receives a first response frame from the multi-link station device, and the first response frame indicates whether to accept the extended service set transfer requested by the first request frame. Based on the above scheme, the multi-link station device can inform the first access point multi-link device whether to accept the extended service set transfer through the first response frame.

[0057] In a possible implementation, the first response frame includes one or more of the following: the downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, the location information of the multi-link station device, the time information of the multi-link station device, or the information of one or more fourth access point multi-link devices.

[0058] The session token ring is used to match the first response frame and the extended service set transfer operation of the multi-link station device. The first status code is used to indicate whether to accept the extended service set transfer requested by the first request frame. The downlink received signal strength of the first access point multi-link device includes the downlink signal received strength of each affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device, or includes the maximum value in the downlink signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device. The one or more fourth access point multi-link devices are part or all of the one or more second access point multi-link devices, and the one or more fourth access point multi-link devices include the third access point multi-link device.

[0059] Based on the above various possible implementations, information possibly contained in the first response frame is provided, so that the first access point multi-link device can perform AI learning according to the information, and the reliability of the first access point multi-link device initiating the extended service set transfer is improved.

[0060] In a possible implementation, the report frame includes one or more of the following: address information of the multi-link station device, basic service set identifiers of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, operation categories of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, channel information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, bandwidth information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, transmission power of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, a conversation token ring, a reason code, channel load information of the first access point multi-link device, downlink received signal strengths of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, downlink received signal strengths of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, uplink received signal strengths of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, channel load information of the third access point multi-link device, location information of the multi-link station device, time information of the multi-link station device, or a second status code.

[0061] The conversation token ring is used to match the first request frame and the extended service set transfer operation of the multi-link station device. The reason code is used to indicate the reason for the occurrence of the extended service set transfer. The second status code is used to indicate whether the third access point multi-link device accepts the association request or the transfer of the multi-link station device.

[0062] In a possible implementation, the information carried in the report frame is stored.

[0063] Based on the above scheme, the first access point multi-link device can perform AI learning according to the information in the report frame, and the reliability of the first access point multi-link device initiating the extended service set transfer is improved.

[0064] In a third aspect, an extended service set transfer method is provided. The method can be executed by a third access point multi-link device or by a module (such as a chip, a chip system, or a circuit, etc.) in the third access point multi-link device. Taking the third access point multi-link device as an example, the method includes: receiving a second request frame from a multi-link station device, the second request frame being used to request a transfer to the third access point multi-link device, and the second request frame including information of a first access point multi-link device; and sending a report frame to the first access point multi-link device, the report frame indicating whether to accept the transfer of the multi-link station device. The first access point multi-link device belongs to a first extended service set, and the third access point multi-link device belongs to a second extended service set.

[0065] In a possible implementation, the report frame comprises one or more of the following: address information of the multi-link station device, basic service set identification of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, operating category of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, channel information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, bandwidth information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, transmission power of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, a conversation token ring, a reason code, channel load information of the first access point multi-link device, downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, uplink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, channel load information of the third access point multi-link device, location information of the multi-link station device, time information of the multi-link station device, or a second status code.

[0066] The conversation token ring is used to match the first request frame and the extended service set transfer operation of the multi-link station device. The reason code is used to indicate the reason for the extended service set transfer. The second status code is used to indicate whether the third access point multi-link device accepts the association request or the transfer of the multi-link station device.

[0067] In a possible implementation, the third access point multi-link device sends a second response frame to the multi-link station device, and the second response frame indicates whether to accept the association request or the transfer of the multi-link station device.

[0068] In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a processing unit and a transceiver unit.

[0069] The transceiver unit is configured to receive a first request frame from a first access point multi-link device, the first request frame being used to request an extended service set transfer of a multi-link station device, and the first request frame comprising information of one or more second access point multi-link devices, the first access point multi-link device belonging to a first extended service set. The processing unit is configured to generate a second request frame, the second request frame being used to request a transfer to a third access point multi-link device, and the second request frame comprising information of the first access point multi-link device. The transceiver unit is further configured to send the second request frame to the third access point multi-link device. The third access point multi-link device is one of the one or more second access point multi-link devices, and the third access point multi-link device belongs to a second extended service set.

[0070] In a possible implementation, the first request frame further comprises one or more of the following:

[0071] A, a dialog token, used for matching the first request frame and the first response frame. In the embodiments of the present application, the dialog token can also be used for matching the ESS transfer operation of the multi-link station device and the first request frame / first response frame.

[0072] B, reason information, used for indicating the specific reason for which the first access point multi-link device sends the first request frame. The reason information can be understood as the reason for which the first access point multi-link device requests the multi-link station device to perform the ESS transfer, or can be understood as the reason for which the ESS transfer request occurs.

[0073] Exemplarily, the reason information can be a reason code.

[0074] C, indication information of an ESS disassociation timer, used for informing the multi-link station device that the multi-link station device will be disassociated by the first access point multi-link device after a first time length. It should be noted that the first time length can be predefined, or determined by the first AP MLD, which is not limited in the present application.

[0075] In a possible implementation, the first time length is greater than or equal to a second time length, and the second time length is a time length between a timing start time of the disassociation timer and a time when the multi-link station device sends data to the first access point multi-link device after being rejected by the third access point multi-link device.

[0076] In a possible implementation, the information of the second access point multi-link device includes a service set identifier corresponding to the second access point multi-link device.

[0077] In a possible implementation, the information of the second access point multi-link device includes one or more of the following: one or more basic service set identifiers corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, one or more operation categories corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, one or more channel information corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, one or more bandwidth information corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, a trigger condition for the multi-link station device to perform the extended service set transfer operation, or a recommended value corresponding to the second access point multi-link device.

[0078] In a possible implementation, the trigger condition includes one or more of the following:

[0079] Condition a, a down link (DL) received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a first affiliated AP of the first access point multi-link device is less than or equal to a first threshold value.

[0080] Exemplarily, the first affiliated access point can be an affiliated access point transmitting data with the multi-link station device, or the first affiliated access point can be understood as an access point on a transmission link.

[0081] Condition b, the DL RSSI of the third affiliated access point of the third access point multi-link device is higher than the DL RSSI of the second affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device.

[0082] Exemplarily, the third affiliated access point can be indicated by a link ID. Or it can be the affiliated access point with the highest or lowest DL RSSI under the third access point multi-link device. Similarly, the second affiliated access point can be indicated by a link ID, or by default, it is the affiliated access point corresponding to the sending link where the first request frame is located.

[0083] Condition c, the DL RSSI of the third affiliated access point of the third access point multi-link device is higher than the DL RSSI of the second affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device by a second threshold.

[0084] In a possible implementation, in the one or more second access point multi-link devices, the second access point multi-link devices affiliated to one access point multi-link device correspond to the same recommended value.

[0085] In a possible implementation, the transceiver is further configured to send a first response frame to the first access point multi-link device, the first response frame indicating whether to accept the extended service set transfer requested by the first request frame.

[0086] In a possible implementation, the first response frame includes one or more of the following: a link ID and a corresponding downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, location information of the multi-link station device, time information of the multi-link station device, or information of one or more fourth access point multi-link devices.

[0087] Wherein, the session token ring is used to match the first request frame and the extended service set transfer operation of the multi-link station device. The first status code is used to indicate whether to accept the extended service set transfer requested by the first request frame. The downlink received signal strength of the first access point multi-link device includes the downlink signal received strength of each affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device, or includes the maximum value in the downlink signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device. The one or more fourth access point multi-link devices are part or all of the one or more second access point multi-link devices, and the one or more fourth access point multi-link devices include the third access point multi-link device.

[0088] In a possible implementation, the second request frame comprises one or more of the following: address information of the first access point multi-link device, link identification and corresponding basic service set identification of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, an operating class, channel information, bandwidth information, transmit power, channel load information, downlink received signal strength, a conversation token ring, a reason code, link identification and corresponding downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, location information of the multi-link station device, or time information of the multi-link station device.

[0089] The conversation token ring is used to match the first request frame and the extended service set transfer operation of the multi-link station device. The reason code is used to indicate the reason for the occurrence of the extended service set transfer.

[0090] In a possible implementation, the transceiver is further configured to receive a second response frame from the third access point multi-link device, the second response frame indicating whether to accept the transfer of the multi-link station device.

[0091] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, comprising a processing unit and a transceiver.

[0092] The processing unit is configured to generate a first request frame, the first request frame being used to request the multi-link station device to perform an extended service set transfer. The first request frame comprises information of one or more second access point multi-link devices, the first access point multi-link device belonging to a first extended service set. The transceiver is configured to send the first request frame to the multi-link station device. The transceiver is further configured to receive a report frame from a third access point multi-link device. The report frame indicates whether to accept the transfer of the multi-link station device, the third access point multi-link device belonging to a second extended service set.

[0093] In a possible implementation, the first request frame further comprises one or more of the following:

[0094] A. A conversation token ring (Dialog Token) is used to match the first request frame and the first response frame. In the embodiments of the present application, the conversation token ring can also be used to match the ESS transfer operation of the multi-link station device and the first request frame / first response frame.

[0095] B. Reason information is used to indicate the specific reason for the first access point multi-link device to send the first request frame. The reason information can be understood as the reason for the first access point multi-link device to request the multi-link station device to perform the ESS transfer, or can be understood as the reason for the occurrence of this ESS transfer request.

[0096] For example, the reason information can be a reason code.

[0097] C. indication information of an ESS disassociation timer, used to inform the multi-link station device that the multi-link station device will be disassociated by the first access point multi-link device after a first time length. It should be noted that the first time length can be predefined or determined by the first AP MLD, which is not limited in the present application.

[0098] In a possible implementation, the first time length is greater than or equal to a second time length, and the second time length is a time length between a timing start time of the disassociation timer and a time when the multi-link station device sends data to the first access point multi-link device after being rejected by the third access point multi-link device.

[0099] In a possible implementation, the information of the second access point multi-link device includes a service set identifier corresponding to the second access point multi-link device.

[0100] In a possible implementation, the information of the second access point multi-link device includes one or more of the following: a link identifier and a corresponding basic service set identifier corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, an operating class, channel information, bandwidth information, a trigger condition for the multi-link station device to perform an extended service set transition operation, or a recommended value corresponding to the second access point multi-link device. The recommended value indicates a priority recommended by the first access point multi-link device to transition to the corresponding second access point multi-link device.

[0101] In a possible implementation, the trigger condition includes one or more of the following:

[0102] Condition a: a down link (DL) received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a first affiliated AP of the first access point multi-link device is less than or equal to a first threshold.

[0103] For example, the first affiliated access point can be an affiliated access point that transmits data with the multi-link station device, or the first affiliated access point can be understood as an access point on a transmission link.

[0104] Condition b: a DL RSSI of a third affiliated access point of the third access point multi-link device is higher than a DL RSSI of a second affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device.

[0105] Exemplarily, the third affiliated access point can be indicated by a link ID. Or it can be the affiliated access point with the highest or lowest DL RSSI in the third access point multi-link device. Similarly, the second affiliated access point can be indicated by a link ID, or it is the affiliated access point corresponding to the sending link of the first request frame by default.

[0106] The condition c is that the DL RSSI of the third affiliated access point of the third access point multi-link device is higher than the DL RSSI of the second affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device by a second threshold.

[0107] In a possible implementation, in the one or more second access point multi-link devices, the recommended values corresponding to the second access point multi-link devices affiliated to one access point multi-link device are the same.

[0108] In a possible implementation, the transceiver is further configured to receive a first response frame from the multi-link station device, the first response frame indicating whether to accept the extended service set transition requested by the first request frame.

[0109] In a possible implementation, the first response frame includes one or more of the following: a link ID and a corresponding downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, position information of the multi-link station device, time information of the multi-link station device, or information of one or more fourth access point multi-link devices.

[0110] The first state code is used to indicate whether to accept the extended service set transition requested by the first request frame. The downlink received signal strength of the first access point multi-link device includes the downlink signal reception strength of each affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device, or includes the maximum value in the downlink signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device. The one or more fourth access point multi-link devices are part or all of the one or more second access point multi-link devices, and the one or more fourth access point multi-link devices include the third access point multi-link device.

[0111] In a possible implementation, the report frame comprises one or more of the following: address information of the multi-link station device, link identification of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, basic service set identification of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, operating category of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, channel information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, bandwidth information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, transmission power of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, channel load information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device; a session token ring; a reason code; link identification of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, uplink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, channel load information of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device; location information of the multi-link station device; time information of the multi-link station device; a second status code.

[0112] The session token ring is used to match the first request frame with the extended service set transition operation of the multi-link station device. The reason code is used to indicate the reason for the occurrence of the extended service set transition. The second status code is used to indicate whether the third access point multi-link device accepts the transition of the multi-link station device.

[0113] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is further configured to store the information carried in the report frame.

[0114] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a processing unit and a transceiver unit.

[0115] The transceiver unit is configured to receive a second request frame from the multi-link station device. The second request frame is used to request a transition to the third access point multi-link device, and the second request frame comprises information of the first access point multi-link device. The processing unit is configured to generate a report frame, which indicates whether to accept the transition of the multi-link station device. The first access point multi-link device belongs to a first extended service set, and the third access point multi-link device belongs to a second extended service set. The transceiver unit is further configured to send the report frame to the first access point multi-link device.

[0116] In a possible implementation, the report frame comprises one or more of the following: address information of the multi-link station device, basic service set identification of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, operating category of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, channel information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, bandwidth information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, transmission power of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, a conversation token ring, a reason code, channel load information of the first access point multi-link device, downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, uplink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, channel load information of the third access point multi-link device, location information of the multi-link station device, time information of the multi-link station device, or a second status code.

[0117] The conversation token ring is used to match the first request frame with the extended service set transition operation of the multi-link station device. The reason code is used to indicate the reason for the extended service set transition. The second status code is used to indicate whether the third access point multi-link device accepts the transition of the multi-link station device.

[0118] In a possible implementation, the transceiver is further configured to send a second response frame to the multi-link station device, the second response frame indicating whether to accept the transition of the multi-link station device.

[0119] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided for implementing the methods described above. The communication apparatus can be the multi-link station device in the first aspect above, or a device including the multi-link station device, or a chip included in the multi-link station device. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be the first access point multi-link device in the second aspect above, or a device including the first access point multi-link device, or a chip included in the first access point multi-link device. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be the third access point multi-link device in the third aspect above, or a device including the third access point multi-link device, or a chip included in the third access point multi-link device. The communication apparatus includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the methods described above, which can be implemented by hardware, software, or by a combination of hardware and software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions described above.

[0120] In an eighth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can include a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface can be configured to communicate with a module outside the communication apparatus. The processor can be configured to execute a computer program or instructions to cause the method in any of the aspects above to be performed. The communication apparatus can be the multi-link station device in the first aspect above, or a device including the multi-link station device, or a device included in the multi-link station device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be the first access point multi-link device in the second aspect above, or a device including the first access point multi-link device, or a device included in the first access point multi-link device. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be the third access point multi-link device in the third aspect above, or a device including the third access point multi-link device, or a device included in the third access point multi-link device.

[0121] In a ninth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can include at least one processor. The processor can be configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to implement the method in any of the aspects above. The memory can be coupled with the processor, or can be independent of the processor. The communication apparatus can be the multi-link station device in the first aspect above, or a device including the multi-link station device, or a device included in the multi-link station device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be the first access point multi-link device in the second aspect above, or a device including the first access point multi-link device, or a device included in the first access point multi-link device. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be the third access point multi-link device in the third aspect above, or a device including the third access point multi-link device, or a device included in the third access point multi-link device.

[0122] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which can include the first multi-link station device performing the method in the first aspect above, and the first access point multi-link device performing the method in the second aspect above. Optionally, the communication system can further include the third access point multi-link device performing the method in the third aspect above.

[0123] In an eleventh aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which can store computer readable instructions. When a computer reads and executes the computer readable instructions, the computer can perform the method in any of the possible implementation manners of any of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0124] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which can cause a computer to perform the method in any of the possible implementation manners of any of the first aspect to the third aspect when the computer reads and executes the computer program product.

[0125] In a thirteenth aspect, the present application provides a chip for reading a computer program stored in a memory to execute the method in any possible implementation of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0126] It can be understood that the technical effects of the third aspect to the thirteenth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the first aspect to the second aspect, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0127] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a multi-link device;

[0128] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0129] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a structure of another communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0130] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a BTM flow according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0131] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a format of a BTM request frame according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0132] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a format of a BSS Termination Duration subelement according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0133] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a format of a BTM response frame according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0134] FIG. 8 is an exemplary flowchart of an extended service set transfer method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0135] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0136] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a structure of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0137] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a structure of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0138] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a structure of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0139] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application, the following introduces the technical terms related to the embodiments of the present application.

[0140] 1) extended service set (ESS), a collection of one or more basic service sets (BSSs). The one or more BSSs are interconnected through a distributed system (DS). Different BSSs under the same ESS must have the same service set identifier (SSID), commonly known as network name.

[0141] 2) basic service set (BSS) is the basic component of a network, used to describe a group of mobile devices that communicate with each other. There are two types of basic service sets: one is an independent BSS (IBSS), which is a temporary network composed of a few workstations for specific purposes. Because of the short duration, small scale and special purpose, it is sometimes also called ad hoc BSS or ad hoc network. In IBSS, workstations can communicate directly with each other, but the distance between them must be within the range of direct communication. The other is an infrastructure BSS, which contains an AP and several mobile stations. Each basic service set has a unique identifier, called basic service set identifier (BSSID).

[0142] 3) BSS switching or BSS transfer, refers to roaming or switching between different BSSs under the same ESS.

[0143] 4) ESS switching or ESS transfer, refers to roaming or switching between BSSs under different ESSs.

[0144] 5) multi-link device (MLD), refers to a device that has multiple radio modules working on different frequency bands / channels at the same time. When the distance between the channels worked by the two radio modules in a device is large enough, they can not interfere with each other and can operate independently. If any two links support simultaneous transmit and receive (STR) on one link while the other link is receiving, it is considered that the two links support STR, otherwise the two links are non-simultaneous transmit and receive (NSTR).

[0145] In the embodiments of this application, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, represents "a singular noun or a plural noun", that is, "one or more". "At least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects in front and back. For example, A / B represents A or B. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c means a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0146] The ordinal numbers "first", "second", and the like mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish a plurality of objects, and are not used to limit the size, content, order, time sequence, priority, or importance of the plurality of objects. For example, the first type and the second type can be the same type or different types, and such names do not mean that the two types correspond to different devices, application scenarios, priorities, or importance, and the like. In addition, the numbering of steps in each embodiment introduced in this application is only to distinguish different steps, and is not used to limit the order of the steps.

[0147] In this application, "indication" can include direct indication, indirect indication, display indication, and implicit indication. When describing that certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0148] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to a local area network (LAN), in particular a wireless local area network (WLAN), for example a WLAN using any of the IEEE 802.11 series of protocols. The WLAN can include one or more basic service sets (BSSs), and the network nodes in the basic service set include access points (APs) and stations (STAs). The embodiments of the present application can also be applied to a wireless local area network system supporting the IEEE 802.11ax next generation wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) protocol, such as 802.11be, Wi-Fi 7 or extremely high throughput (EHT), for example 802.11be next generation, Wi-Fi 8, ultra high reliability (UHR, 802.11bn), Wi-Fi AI, etc. 802.11 series of protocols, and can also be applied to a wireless personal area network system based on ultra wide band (UWB), a sensing system.

[0149] The embodiments of the present application can also be applied to a wireless local area network such as an internet of things (IoT) network or a vehicle to X (V2X) network. Of course, the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other possible communication systems, such as a long term evolution (LTE) communication system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) communication system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD) communication system, a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a 5th generation (5G) communication system, or a future evolved communication system (e.g., a 6th generation (6G) communication system).

[0150] For example, embodiments of the present application can be applied to a WLAN system, and embodiments of the present application can be applicable to any one of the institute of electrical and electronics engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series protocols adopted by the WLAN, such as 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11bf, and future 802.11 protocols. The method provided by the present application can be implemented by a communication device in a wireless communication system or a chip or processor in the communication device, and accordingly, the communication device supports communication by adopting the IEEE 802.11 series protocol. Although embodiments of the present application are mainly described by taking the network deployed by IEEE 802.11 as an example, those skilled in the art can easily understand that various aspects involved in the present application can be extended to other networks adopting various standards or protocols, for example, BLUETOOTH, high performance radio LAN (HIPERLAN) (a wireless standard similar to the IEEE 802.11 standard, mainly used in Europe), and wide area network (WAN), WLAN, personal area network (PAN), or other now known or later developed networks. Therefore, regardless of the coverage range and wireless access protocol used, various aspects provided by the present application can be applicable to any suitable wireless network.

[0151] The WLAN can work on a low frequency band and a high frequency band, the low frequency band includes sub 1 gigahertz (GHz), 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, etc., and the high frequency band includes 60 GHz, etc. Although the multi-link is configured for the wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) of 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) and before, generally, each multi-link establishes a different basic service set (BSS), and only one link can communicate with the station in the BSS to which the link belongs at a time, and the operation of each link lacks sufficient cooperation.

[0152] In the IEEE 802.11 next generation Wi-Fi extremely high throughput (EHT) protocol, in addition to the transmission of a large bandwidth information packet on a new frequency band of 6GHz, a multi-link cooperation technology can be used to aggregate discontinuous multi-links to form a super large bandwidth. A device capable of implementing the multi-link cooperation technology is referred to as a multi-link device (MLD), and the MLD includes an AP MLD and / or a non-AP MLD, for example, a non-AP MLD can be a STA MLD. The MLD has multiple radio frequency modules, which respectively work on different frequency bands or channels or links. For example, the frequency bands in which the MLD works can be all or part of sub 1GHz, 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz, and high frequency 60GHz, which are not limited here. The MLD includes one or more affiliated stations, where the stations can be APs or STAs. Each affiliated station has its own media access control (MAC) address, as shown in FIG. 1, STA1 has its own low MAC address as link address 1, and STA2 has its own low MAC address as link address 2. The MLD also has a high MAC address, which is the MLD MAC address.

[0153] The MLD can aggregate a larger bandwidth, and can also use a multi-link cooperation technology, such as sharing the MAC layer on multiple links to implement flexible transmission of information packets, or simultaneously sending information packets of the same service to the same station. The AP MLD and the non-AP MLD can establish association on a link to quickly establish association on multiple links.

[0154] Referring to FIG. 2, an architecture diagram of a communication system suitable for embodiments of the present application is shown, which includes one or more AP MLDs and one or more non-AP MLDs. For example, the communication system includes AP MLD1, AP MLD2, and non-AP MLD. Among them, AP MLD1 includes AP1 and AP2, AP MLD2 includes AP1 and AP2, and non-AP MLD includes STA1 and STA2. In the communication system shown in FIG. 2, AP MLD1 and AP MLD2 can belong to the same ESS, or belong to different ESSs. Optionally, the communication system can also include one or more legacy STAs. The communication system shown in the embodiments of the present application is only an example, and the communication system suitable for the present application is not limited thereto. Here, it is uniformly explained that the following will not be repeated.

[0155] As shown in FIG. 3, the AP MLD includes AP1 and AP2, AP1 includes AP1 PHY, AP1 lower layer MAC and high layer MAC, AP2 includes AP2 PHY, AP2 lower layer MAC and high layer MAC, wherein the high layer MAC is shared between AP1 and AP2, the non-AP MLD includes STA1 and STA2, STA1 includes STA1 PHY, STA1 lower layer MAC and high layer MAC, STA2 includes STA2 PHY, STA2 lower layer MAC and high layer MAC, wherein the high layer MAC is shared between STA1 and STA2, AP1 and STA1 are connected through link1, and AP2 and STA2 are connected through link2.

[0156] In the multi-link establishment, the non-AP MLD sends an Association Request frame on link1, the Association Request frame carries STA side information of link1 and carries STA side information of link2. The Association Request frame can carry a Multi-link Element, which is used to carry information of the MLD and information of the stations in the MLD. The AP MLD sends an Association Response frame on link1, the Association Response frame carries AP side information of link1, and also carries AP side information of link2, so as to establish association between STA1 and STA2 of the non-AP MLD and AP1 and AP2 of the AP MLD respectively. The link (such as link1) used to exchange the Association Request / Response frame is called a Transmitted Link, and the other link (such as link2) is called a Non-transmitted Link.

[0157] Before the multi-link establishment, the STA can discover the existence of the AP through active scanning or passive scanning, so as to associate with the AP to establish a connection, and then realize the establishment of the multi-link. In simple terms, the purpose of the STA associating with the AP to establish a connection is to establish one or more links (such as link1 and link2 in FIG. 3) for communication between the STA and the AP.

[0158] In the passive scanning process, the STA can receive the management frame (such as the Beacon frame or the broadcast Probe Response frame) sent by the AP on the channel. For example, the STA can hop on different channels to search for the Beacon frame sent by the AP. Once the STA obtains the management information of the AP through the Beacon frame, the STA can further communicate with the AP through the Probe Request frame or the Probe Request frame to obtain other information in the AP.

[0159] In the active scanning process, the STA can actively broadcast a probe request frame without receiving a beacon frame. If the AP receives the probe request frame and meets certain conditions (the conditions are not limited in the embodiments of the present application), the AP can initiate random channel access and reply with a probe response frame.

[0160] To assist the STA in fast scanning, the AP can carry a reduced neighbor report element (RNR element) in the beacon frame or the probe response frame to report the relevant information of the corresponding AP. In this way, the STA can obtain the information of the neighbor APs during scanning, select a suitable AP for association, and avoid constantly scanning the channel, thereby reducing the scanning time of the STA. According to 802.11be, a certain subordinate AP needs to carry the relevant information of other subordinate APs belonging to the same AP MLD through the reduced neighbor report element. Among them, the neighbor AP refers to the neighbor AP of the STA for the STA, and the neighbor AP refers to the neighbor AP of the AP for the AP.

[0161] Currently, 802.11 defines related mechanisms and signaling indications for BSS transfer, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0162] S1: The AP sends a BTM request frame.

[0163] For example, the AP can broadcast the BTM request frame. The STA on the link can receive the BTM request frame broadcast by the AP.

[0164] For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the BTM request frame can include the following fields: category, wireless network management operation, session token, request mode, disassociation timer, validity interval, BSS termination duration, session information (session info URL), and BSS transfer candidate list. Among them, the BSS transfer candidate list is optional.

[0165] The validity interval field is used to indicate how many beacon periods the BSS transfer candidate list is valid for.

[0166] The disassociation timer field is used to indicate how long after the AP will send a disassociation frame, in units of TBTT.

[0167] The BSS termination duration field carries a BSS Termination Duration subelement, which is formatted as shown in FIG. 6.

[0168] The BSS termination TSF field carries the value of the TSF timer, which indicates the time of BSS termination.

[0169] The duration field indicates the duration of the BSS termination in minutes. 0 indicates that the field is reserved.

[0170] The request mode field is used to indicate the specific request mode. The request mode field can include the following fields: preferred candidate list include, abridge, disassociation imminent, BSS termination included, extended service set (ESS) disassociation imminent, Link Removal imminent, and reserved bits. The reserved bits are 2 bits.

[0171] The preferred candidate list include field is used to indicate whether the preferred candidate list is carried.

[0172] The abridge field is used as follows: if the AP does not recommend or prohibit the STA to switch to a BSS that is not included in the preferred candidate list, the abridge field is set to 0; if the AP sets the preference value of the BSS that is not included in the preferred candidate list to 0, the abridge field is set to 1.

[0173] Use of disassociation imminent field: when disassociation imminent field is set to 1, it means that the AP will send a disassociation frame to disassociate the STA; when disassociation imminent field is set to 0, it means that the AP will not send a disassociation frame to disassociate the STA.

[0174] BSS termination included field is used to indicate whether the BSS on the link will be closed.

[0175] ESS disassociation imminent field is used to indicate whether the STA will be disassociated from the entire ESS.

[0176] S2: the STA sends a response (acknowledgement, ACK) of the BTM request frame to the AP.

[0177] Correspondingly, the AP receives the ACK from the STA.

[0178] The ACK of the BTM request frame can be used to inform the AP that the STA has received the BTM request frame.

[0179] S3: the STA sends a BTM response frame to the AP.

[0180] Correspondingly, the AP receives the BTM response frame from the STA.

[0181] For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the BTM response frame can include the following fields: category, wireless network management operation, session token, BTM status code, BSS termination delay, target BSSID, and BSS transfer alternative list. The target BSSID and the BSS transfer alternative list are optional. Currently, in the related art, when the value of the BTM status code is 0, the BTM response frame includes the target BSSID field.

[0182] The BTM status code is used to indicate whether the BSS transfer request is accepted. The BSS termination delay is used to indicate the length of the time period from the current time to the termination of the BSS.

[0183] For example, the BTM status code can refer to Table 1.

[0184] Table 1: An example of a BTM status code

[0185] S4: The AP sends an ACK of the BTM response frame.

[0186] For example, the AP can broadcast the ACK of the BTM response frame, or the AP can unicast or groupcast the ACK of the BTM response frame. The ACK of the BTM response frame can be used to inform the STA that the AP has received the BTM response frame.

[0187] Based on the flow shown in FIG. 4, the STA can perform BSS transfer. However, considering that many chips currently integrate graphics processing units (GPUs) for artificial intelligence (AI), a potential application scenario is to use AI to improve the user's roaming experience. Therefore, in some scenarios, the STA will not only perform BSS transfer, but also may perform ESS transfer. However, for ESS transfer, the related flow and signaling indication have not been defined in the current protocol.

[0188] In view of this, the embodiments of the present application provide an extended service set transfer method. In the method, a non-AP MLD receives a first request frame from a first AP MLD, the first request frame being used to request the non-AP MLD to perform ESS transfer. The first request frame can include information of one or more second AP MLDs. The non-AP MLD sends a second request frame to a third AP MLD of the one or more second AP MLDs, the second request frame being used to request to transfer to the third AP MLD. In the above method, the first AP MLD belongs to a first ESS, and the third AP MLD belongs to a second ESS. In this way, the embodiments of the present application provide a related flow of ESS transfer, thereby realizing ESS transfer of the non-AP MLD.

[0189] Referring to FIG. 8, an example flowchart of an extended service set transfer method is provided by the embodiments of the present application. The method can be applied to a non-AP MLD or a module (such as a chip) in the non-AP MLD in the communication system shown in FIG. 2, and an AP MLD or a module (such as a chip) in the AP MLD in the communication system shown in FIG. 2. The method includes:

[0190] S801: The first AP MLD sends a first request frame to the non-AP MLD.

[0191] Correspondingly, the non-AP MLD receives the first request frame from the first AP MLD.

[0192] In one example, the first request frame is used to request (or indicate) the non-AP MLD to perform ESS transition. Illustratively, the first request frame can be a Transition Request frame.

[0193] In one possible case, the first request frame can comprise information of one or more second AP MLDs, which can be understood as neighbor APs of the non-AP MLD. The description of the first request frame can be referred to below, which is not elaborated here.

[0194] Optionally, the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 further comprises S802.

[0195] S802: The non-AP MLD sends a first response frame to the first AP MLD.

[0196] Correspondingly, the first AP MLD receives the first response frame from the non-AP MLD.

[0197] In S802, after the non-AP MLD receives the first request frame from the first AP MLD, the non-AP MLD can optionally send a first response frame to the first AP MLD. Illustratively, the first response frame can be a Transition Response frame.

[0198] In one possible case, the first response frame can be used to indicate whether the non-AP MLD accepts the ESS transition. The description of the first response frame can be referred to below, which is not elaborated here.

[0199] S803: The non-AP MLD sends a second request frame to the third AP MLD.

[0200] Correspondingly, the third AP MLD receives the second request frame from the non-AP MLD.

[0201] In one example, the second request frame can be used to request (or indicate) to transition (or associate) to the third AP MLD. Illustratively, the second request frame can be an Association Request frame. The description of the second request frame can be referred to below, which is not elaborated here.

[0202] In a possible scenario, the third AP MLD can be one of the one or more second AP MLDs. It should be noted that the first AP MLD in the embodiments of the present application belongs to the first ESS, and the third AP MLD can also belong to the first ESS; or the third AP MLD can belong to a second ESS different from the first ESS. Herein, the first AP MLD belongs to the first ESS, and the third AP MLD belongs to the second ESS are taken as examples for description.

[0203] It can be understood that the one or more second AP MLDs can include AP MLDs in one or more ESSs. The one or more ESSs can include the second ESS described above. It should be noted that the one or more ESSs must meet the condition that the non-AP MLD has the password of the ESS or is a legal user of the ESS, or the non-AP MLD can only select those second access point multi-link devices that are legal users of the second access point multi-link devices from the second access point multi-link device list for roaming.

[0204] In another possible scenario, the second request frame can carry information of the first AP MLD, such as address information of the first AP MLD.

[0205] Optionally, the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 can further include S804.

[0206] S804: The third AP MLD sends a second response frame to the non-AP MLD.

[0207] Correspondingly, the non-AP MLD receives the second response frame from the third AP MLD.

[0208] In a possible scenario, the second response frame can be used to indicate whether to accept the transfer (or association) of the non-AP MLD. Exemplarily, the second response frame can be an association response (Association Response) frame. In S804, the description of the second response frame can refer to the related description of the association response (Association Response) frame described above, which will not be described herein again.

[0209] Optionally, the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 can further include S805.

[0210] S805: The third AP MLD sends a report frame to the first AP MLD.

[0211] Correspondingly, the first AP MLD receives the report frame from the third AP MLD.

[0212] In one possible case, the report frame can be used to indicate whether the third AP MLD accepts the transfer or association of the non-AP MLD. In S805, the third AP MLD can determine the first AP MLD according to the information of the first AP MLD carried in the second request frame, and send a report frame to the first AP MLD. Optionally, the third AP MLD can send the report frame to the first AP MLD in a low load case, such as at night. The report frame belongs to a common action frame, that is, it allows transmission between access point multi-link devices.

[0213] For example, the report frame can be an ESS transition report (Transition Report) frame. The description of the report frame can be referred to below, and will not be described in detail here.

[0214] The information contained in the frames involved in the above process is described below. It should be noted that the number of bits (or bytes) occupied by each frame or each field or each element, the order, etc. given in the drawings of the embodiments of the present application should not constitute a limitation on the frame format or frame length or the order of each field proposed by the embodiments of the present application. The names of each frame and the fields contained in the drawings of the embodiments of the present application are only examples, and should not constitute a limitation on each frame proposed by the embodiments of the present application. For ease of description, each embodiment shown in the present application is illustrated by way of example as a "field", without specifically distinguishing between "field", "subfield", "element", "subelement", etc. Although each embodiment shown in the present application does not specifically distinguish between "field", "subfield", "element", "subelement", etc., those skilled in the art can adaptively distinguish the relationship between each field shown in the embodiments of the present application.

[0215] I. The first request frame.

[0216] In one possible case, the first request frame can be unicast, broadcast or groupcast by the first AP MLD under the conditions that the non-AP MLD moves, the signal strength on the communication link between the first AP MLD and the non-AP MLD is low, or the load of the first AP MLD is high, the first AP MLD finds a higher signal strength AP MLD, or the first AP MLD finds a lower load AP MLD, etc.

[0217] In the embodiments of the present application, the first request frame can include information of one or more neighbor APs (second AP MLDs). Optionally, the one or more neighbor APs can be collected by the first AP MLD from reports of other non-AP STAs or other non-AP MLDs, or can be collected by the first AP MLD itself through channel scanning.

[0218] Exemplarily, the other non-AP STA or the other non-AP MLD can perform active scanning or passive scanning to obtain information of respective neighbor AP MLDs. The other non-AP STA or the other non-AP MLD can send the obtained information of the neighbor APs to the first AP MLD. The first AP MLD can determine one or more neighbor APs, that is, information of the second AP MLD, from the received information of the neighbor APs according to the position information and the like of the non-AP MLD in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

[0219] In a possible implementation, the first request frame can carry one or more ESS Neighbor Report elements to carry information of one or more second AP MLDs. It should be noted that the one or more second AP MLDs can also include APs that do not support multi-link, which are referred to as second AP MLDs herein for ease of description. In fact, the second AP MLD can be understood as a neighbor AP of the non-AP MLD.

[0220] Exemplarily, information of one second AP MLD can be carried in one ESS Neighbor Report element (for example, the second AP MLD does not support multi-link). Exemplarily, there can be multiple affiliated APs under one second AP MLD, and since information of one affiliated AP can be carried in one ESS Neighbor Report element, information of one second AP MLD can be carried in multiple ESS Neighbor Report elements.

[0221] The ESS Neighbor Report element can include one or more of the following.

[0222] 1) SSID of the neighbor AP, used to indicate a service set identifier of the neighbor AP.

[0223] 2) BSSID of the neighbor AP, used to indicate an address of the neighbor AP.

[0224] 3) AP MLD ID, used to indicate an AP MLD to which the neighbor AP belongs. Exemplarily, if the ESS Neighbor Report element carries information of a certain AP, and the AP belongs to a certain AP MLD, the ESS Neighbor Report element can include the AP MLD ID to indicate the AP MLD to which the AP belongs.

[0225] In a possible case, when the AP MLD ID and the SSID are the same, it indicates that the corresponding neighbor AP belongs to the same AP MLD.

[0226] 4) recommendation value, used to indicate the recommended priority of the neighbor AP corresponding to the ESS neighbor report element. The recommended priority can be understood as the priority of the first AP MLD recommending the non-AP MLD to transfer or associate to the neighbor AP. For example, the higher the recommendation value, the higher the corresponding recommended priority, and the lower the recommendation value, the lower the corresponding recommended priority. Conversely, the higher the recommendation value, the lower the corresponding recommended priority, and the lower the recommendation value, the higher the corresponding recommended priority.

[0227] In some embodiments, the recommendation values corresponding to different neighbor APs affiliated to the first AP MLD should be the same.

[0228] 5) trigger condition, used to indicate the trigger condition for the non-AP MLD to perform ESS transfer. For example, when the trigger condition is met, the non-AP MLD can transfer or associate to the third AP MLD.

[0229] In one example, the trigger condition can include one or more of the following:

[0230] Condition a, the down link (DL) received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the first affiliated AP of the first AP MLD is less than or equal to a first threshold.

[0231] For example, the non-AP MLD can receive a beacon frame or a probe request frame of the first affiliated AP to determine the DL RSSI of the first affiliated AP. For another example, the non-AP MLD can determine the DL RSSI of the first affiliated AP according to the first request frame.

[0232] According to condition a, the non-AP MLD can perform ESS transfer operation when the DL RSSI of the first affiliated AP is less than or equal to the first threshold, and send a second request frame to the third AP MLD. It should be noted that the first threshold can be indicated by the first AP MLD, or pre-defined by the protocol, or pre-configured, which is not limited in the present application.

[0233] In addition, the first affiliated AP can be an affiliated AP transmitting data with the non-AP MLD, or the first affiliated AP can be understood as an AP on the transmission link.

[0234] Condition b, the DL RSSI of the third affiliated AP of the third AP MLD is higher than the DL RSSI of the second affiliated AP of the first AP MLD.

[0235] Similarly, the non-AP MLD can receive a beacon frame or a probe request frame of the third affiliated AP to determine the DL RSSI of the third affiliated AP; and receive a beacon frame or a probe request frame of the second affiliated AP to determine the DL RSSI of the second affiliated AP.

[0236] According to condition b, the non-AP MLD can perform the ESS transfer operation and send the second request frame to the third AP MLD in a case that the DL RSSI of the third affiliated AP is higher than the DL RSSI of the second affiliated AP.

[0237] It should be noted that the third affiliated AP can be indicated by a link ID. Alternatively, the third affiliated AP can be predefined, such as the affiliated AP corresponding to the sending link of the default first request frame, or the affiliated AP with the highest or lowest DL RSSI under the third AP MLD. Similarly, the second affiliated AP can be indicated by a link ID, or can be predefined.

[0238] Condition c, the difference between the DL RSSI of the third affiliated AP of the third AP MLD and the DL RSSI of the second affiliated AP of the first AP MLD is greater than or equal to a second threshold.

[0239] Similarly, the non-AP MLD can receive a beacon frame or a probe request frame of the third affiliated AP to determine the DL RSSI of the third affiliated AP; and receive a beacon frame or a probe request frame of the second affiliated AP to determine the DL RSSI of the second affiliated AP.

[0240] According to condition b, the non-AP MLD can perform the ESS transfer operation and send the second request frame to the third AP MLD in a case that the difference between the DL RSSI of the third affiliated AP and the DL RSSI of the second affiliated AP is greater than or equal to a second threshold.

[0241] It should be noted that the third affiliated AP can be indicated by a link ID. Alternatively, the third affiliated AP can be predefined, such as the affiliated AP corresponding to the sending link of the default first request frame, or the affiliated AP with the highest or lowest DL RSSI under the third AP MLD. Similarly, the second affiliated AP can be indicated by a link ID, or can be predefined.

[0242] In addition, the second threshold can be indicated by the first AP MLD, predefined, or preconfigured, which is not limited in the present application.

[0243] 6) operating class, used to indicate the operating class of the primary channel of the neighbor AP.

[0244] 7) channel number, used to indicate the primary channel of the neighbor AP.

[0245] 8) bandwidth, used to indicate the operating bandwidth of the neighbor AP.

[0246] Based on the above 1) to 8), the embodiments of the present application introduce information that can be contained in the information of one or more second AP MLDs.

[0247] In another possible implementation, the first request frame can further include one or more of the following:

[0248] A. Dialog Token, used to match the first request frame and the first response frame. In the embodiments of the present application, the Dialog Token can also be used to match the ESS transfer operation of the non-AP MLD and the first request frame / first response frame.

[0249] For example, if the non-AP MLD performs the ESS transfer operation after receiving the first request frame, and transfers or associates to a third AP MLD. Then the Dialog Token can match the ESS transfer operation of the non-AP MLD with the first request frame.

[0250] B. Reason information, used to indicate the specific reason for the first AP MLD to send the first request frame. The reason information can be understood as the reason for the first AP MLD to request the non-AP MLD to perform the ESS transfer, or can be understood as the reason for the occurrence of this ESS transfer request.

[0251] For example, the reason information can indicate that the first AP MLD discovers an AP MLD, such as one or more second AP MLDs, with a higher RSSI than the first AP MLD. For another example, the reason information can indicate that the first AP MLD has a higher load and needs to perform load balancing. For another example, the reason information can indicate that the first AP MLD discovers an AP MLD, such as one or more second AP MLDs, with a lower load than the first AP MLD.

[0252] Exemplarily, the cause information can be a reason code. In one example, the reason code can reuse the existing reason code in the aforementioned BSS transfer. In another example, the reason code can be a reason code designed for the ESS transfer in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the embodiments of the present application can predefine a correspondence (such as a list) between the reason code and the specific cause, so that the non-AP MLD can determine the specific cause of the ESS transfer according to the reason code carried in the first request frame and the correspondence.

[0253] C. indication information of an ESS disassociation timer, used to inform the non-AP MLD that the non-AP MLD will be disassociated by the first AP MLD after a first time length.

[0254] It should be noted that the first time length can be predefined or determined by the first AP MLD, which is not limited in the present application.

[0255] Optionally, when setting the first time length, the situation that the non-AP MLD re-performs data transmission with the first AP MLD after being rejected by the third AP MLD can be considered to give the non-AP MLD sufficient time. For example, the non-AP MLD can determine to perform ESS transfer after receiving the first request frame, and send a second request frame to the third AP MLD. In some possible scenarios, the third AP MLD can reject the transfer or association of the non-AP MLD, and then the non-AP MLD can re-perform data transmission with the first AP MLD. If the first time length is not considered when setting the first time length, the non-AP MLD is not given sufficient time, that is, when the non-AP MLD is rejected by the third AP MLD and cannot perform data transmission with the third AP MLD, the first AP MLD can disassociate the non-AP MLD because the timing length of the ESS disassociation timer reaches the first time length. In this scenario, the non-AP MLD needs to re-associate with the first AP MLD, and the signaling interaction is more, which affects the data transmission of the non-AP MLD and increases the data transmission delay. For example, the first time length is greater than or equal to a second time length, and the second time length is a time length between a timing start time of the disassociation timer and a time when the multi-link station device sends data to the first access point multi-link device after being rejected by the third access point multi-link device.

[0256] In one possible example, when the first time length is set to 0, it can be indicated that the ESS transfer requested by the first request frame is a suggestion or recommendation, and the first AP MLD does not forcibly disassociate the non-AP MLD.

[0257] Based on the above, the present application embodiment introduces information that can be carried in the first request frame. Next, information that can be carried in the first response frame in the present application embodiment is introduced.

[0258] II. First response frame

[0259] In one possible case, the non-AP MLD can send a first response frame to the first AP MLD after receiving the first request frame. In the present application embodiment, the first response frame can include one or more of the following.

[0260] (1) Dialog token, used to match the first request frame and the first response frame. In the present application embodiment, the dialog token can also be used to match the ESS transfer operation of the non-AP MLD and the first request frame / first response frame.

[0261] For example, if the non-AP MLD sends a first response frame to the first AP MLD after receiving the first request frame, and performs an ESS transfer operation to transfer or associate to a third AP MLD. Then the dialog token can match the ESS transfer operation of the non-AP MLD with the first request frame, or match the ESS transfer operation of the non-AP MLD with the first response frame.

[0262] (2) Status information, used to indicate whether the non-AP MLD accepts the ESS transfer. Optionally, if the non-AP MLD refuses the ESS transfer, the status information can also indicate the reason for refusal.

[0263] For example, the status information can be a status code. In one example, the status code can reuse the status code in the aforementioned BSS transfer. In another example, the status code can be a status code designed for ESS transfer in the present application embodiment. For example, the present application embodiment can predefine a correspondence relationship (such as a list) between the status code and the corresponding indication information, so that the first AP MLD can determine whether the non-AP MLD accepts the ESS transfer according to the status code carried in the first response frame and the correspondence relationship. Optionally, the first AP MLD can determine the specific reason for the non-AP MLD refusing the ESS transfer according to the status code and the correspondence relationship.

[0264] (3) DL RSSI, used to indicate the link identifier and DL RSSI of one or more affiliated APs of the first AP MLD.

[0265] In some embodiments, for multi-link scenario, the non-AP MLD can carry the DL RSSI of each link under the first AP MLD in the first response frame. Optionally, the corresponding link ID can also be carried to indicate which link the DL RSSI is. Or the non-AP MLD can carry the highest DL RSSI on the multiple links of the first AP MLD in the first response frame. Optionally, the corresponding link ID can also be carried to indicate which link the highest DL RSSI is.

[0266] (4) Position information of the non-AP MLD, used to indicate the current position of the non-AP MLD. For example, the non-AP MLD can obtain the geographic position information outdoors through the global positioning system (GPS) of a terminal (such as a mobile phone), the Beidou positioning system, or the like. Or, it can also be the angle of arrival obtained by the non-AP MLD measuring the signal (such as a management frame, a first request frame, or the like) of the first AP MLD, or it can also be the approximate direction obtained by a compass.

[0267] (5) Time information of the non-AP MLD, used to indicate the current time of the non-AP MLD. For example, the terminal (such as a mobile phone) can obtain the information.

[0268] (6) Information of one or more neighbor APs. Among them, the one or more neighbor APs can be part or all of the one or more second AP MLDs described above. For example, the information of the one or more neighbor APs can be carried through an ESS neighbor report element. The information of the one or more neighbor APs can include the SSID of the one or more neighbor APs. For multi-link scenario, if the neighbor AP belongs to an AP MLD, the AP MLD ID of the AP MLD can also be included. Optionally, the information of the one or more neighbor APs can also include other information, which can refer to the information of the one or more second AP MLDs described above, and will not be described here.

[0269] Based on the above scheme, the information that can be carried in the first response frame in the embodiments of the present application is introduced. Among the above information, (3) to (6) can be used for AI learning of the first AP MLD, so as to better use AI for ESS transfer and improve the reliability of ESS transfer initiated by the first AP MLD.

[0270] In one possible scenario, the first AP MLD can store one or more of the following information for AI learning.

[0271] MLD address of the non-AP MLD;

[0272] last DL RSSI and UL RSSI of the first AP MLD. For example, the last DL RSSI and UL RSSI of each affiliated AP under the first AP MLD can be carried. It can be understood that the last DL RSSI can be understood as the RSSI of the signal of a certain affiliated AP last received by the non-AP MLD. Similarly, the last UL RSSI can be understood as the RSSI of the signal of the non-AP MLD last received by a certain affiliated AP. For example, the DL RSSI can be obtained from the first response frame, and the UL RSSI can be determined by the first AP MLD through receiving the first response frame. Optionally, a corresponding link identifier can also be stored to indicate which link the DL RSSI and / or UL RSSI correspond to.

[0273] channel load of the first AP MLD. For example, the channel load of each link under the first AP MLD. For another example, the channel load of the link with the highest DL RSSI or UL RSSI under the first AP MLD. For example, the channel load can be indicated by the proportion of channel busy. For example, the ratio of the length of time when the channel is busy to the time period to indicate the channel load. Optionally, a corresponding link identifier can also be stored.

[0274] position information of the non-AP MLD, which can be obtained from the first response frame.

[0275] Optionally, the first AP MLD can also store a dialog token ring and / or time information. The dialog token ring can be the dialog token ring in the first request frame or the first response frame described above; the time information can be obtained from the first response frame. The dialog token ring and the time information here can be used to match the information stored by the first AP MLD with the report frame in S805. For example, the report frame in S805 can include a dialog token ring and / or time information, and then the first AP MLD can determine which non-AP MLD the report frame corresponds to the stored information of the ESS transfer.

[0276] III. Second request frame and second response frame.

[0277] In the embodiments of the present application, the second request frame can be an association request (Association Request) frame, and the second response frame can be an association response (Association Request) frame. The information carried by the second request frame and the second response frame can refer to the related description above.

[0278] In a possible implementation, the non-AP MLD initiates the ESS transfer due to receiving the first request frame, and the non-AP MLD can carry a newly defined element, such as a roaming information container element, in the second request frame to help the third AP MLD make a decision, such as whether to accept the transfer or association request. The second request frame, such as the roaming information container element, can also carry information of the first AP MLD to enable the third AP MLD to determine the first AP MLD. For example, the second request frame, such as the roaming information container element, can include one or more of the following information.

[0279] A, an MLD address of the first AP MLD, used by the third AP MLD to determine the address of the first AP MLD, so that the third AP MLD can send a report frame to the first AP MLD according to the address.

[0280] B, a BSSID of the first AP MLD, such as a BSSID of each affiliated AP of the first AP MLD.

[0281] C, an operating class of the first AP MLD, such as an operating class of a primary channel of each affiliated AP of the first AP MLD.

[0282] D, a channel number of the first AP MLD, such as a channel number of a primary channel of each affiliated AP of the first AP MLD.

[0283] E, a transmission power of the first AP MLD, such as a transmission power (Tx power) of each affiliated AP of the first AP MLD. For example, the non-AP MLD can obtain the transmission power according to a beacon frame or a probe response frame sent by the affiliated AP of the first AP MLD.

[0284] F, a dialog token, such as a dialog token in the first request frame / first response frame, used to match the information stored by the first AP MLD and the report frame in S805.

[0285] G, a channel load of the first AP MLD, such as a channel load of each affiliated AP of the first AP MLD, which can refer to the related description in the information stored by the first AP MLD, and will not be repeated here. For example, the non-AP MLD can obtain the channel load according to a beacon frame or a probe response frame sent by the affiliated AP of the first AP MLD.

[0286] H. UL RSSI of the first AP MLD and DL RSSI of the first AP MLD, such as the last UL RSSI and the last DL RSSI of each affiliated AP of the first AP MLD, can refer to the relevant description in the information stored by the first AP MLD, which will not be repeated here. For example, the non-AP MLD can obtain the DL RSSI according to the beacon frame or the probe response frame sent by the affiliated AP of the first AP MLD. For another example, the non-AP MLD can calculate the UL RSSI according to the difference between the transmission power of the non-AP MLD and the transmission power of the affiliated AP of the first AP MLD, and the DL RSSI, such as DL RSSI-(transmission power of the affiliated AP-transmission power of the non-AP MLD). Alternatively, the affiliated AP of the first AP MLD can feed back the UL RSSI to the non-AP MLD.

[0287] I. Bandwidth information of the first AP MLD, such as the bandwidth information of each affiliated AP of the first AP MLD.

[0288] Optionally, for the above information B-I, the second request frame can also carry the link identifier of the corresponding affiliated AP to indicate which one or more of the above information B-I corresponds to which link.

[0289] J. Cause information, such as the cause code carried in the first request frame.

[0290] K. Position information of the non-AP MLD, such as the position information carried in the first response frame.

[0291] L. DL RSSI of the third AP MLD. For example, the DL RSSI of each affiliated AP of the third AP MLD. For another example, the DL RSSI of the affiliated AP with the highest DL RSSI of the third AP MLD. It can be understood that the non-AP MLD can determine the DL RSSI of the third AP MLD by receiving the management frame. Optionally, the second request frame can also carry the link identifier of the corresponding affiliated AP.

[0292] Based on the above, the information that can be carried in the second request frame and the second response frame in the embodiments of the application is introduced.

[0293] Four, report frame.

[0294] In a possible scenario, the report frame can carry information of the non-AP MLD, so as to enable the first AP MLD to determine the report frame, that is, which non-AP MLD the ESS transfer is for. For example, the report frame can include one or more of the A to L. For another example, the report frame can include one or more of the UL RSSI of the third AP MLD, the channel load of the third AP MLD, or the status information of the third AP MLD.

[0295] In one example, the UL RSSI of the third AP MLD can be the UL RSSI of each affiliated AP under the third AP MLD, or the UL RSSI of the third AP MLD can be the UL RSSI of the affiliated AP that transmits data with the non-AP MLD, such as receiving the second request frame, that is, the UL RSSI of the affiliated AP on the transmission link, or the UL RSSI of the third AP MLD can be the UL RSSI of the affiliated AP with the largest UL RSSI under the third AP MLD. Optionally, the UL RSSI can be determined by receiving the second request frame. Optionally, the report frame can carry a link identifier corresponding to the UL RSSI, to indicate which link the UL RSSI is for.

[0296] In another example, the channel load of the third AP MLD can be the channel load of each affiliated AP under the third AP MLD, or the channel load of the third AP MLD can be the channel load of the affiliated AP that transmits data with the non-AP MLD, such as receiving the second request frame, that is, the channel load of the affiliated AP on the transmission link, or the channel load of the third AP MLD can be the channel load of the affiliated AP with the largest DL / UL RSSI under the third AP MLD. The description of the channel load can refer to the description of the channel load of the first AP MLD, which will not be repeated here. Optionally, the report frame can carry a link identifier corresponding to the UL RSSI, to indicate which link the channel load is for.

[0297] In yet another example, the status information can be used to indicate whether the third AP MLD accepts the transfer or association of the non-AP MLD. For example, the status information can be a status code. In a possible scenario, the status code can reuse the existing status code of the BSS transfer. In another possible implementation, the status code here can be a status code designed by the embodiments of the present application for the ESS transfer.

[0298] Based on the above, the embodiments of the present application introduce information that can be carried in the report frame. In one example, the information carried in the report frame can be used for the first AP MLD to perform AI learning, so as to improve the reliability of the first AP MLD initiating the ESS transfer, such as sending the first request frame.

[0299] In some possible scenarios, the first AP MLD can update the locally stored information after receiving the report frame. Illustratively, the first AP MLD can update and store one or more of the information carried in the report frame. Optionally, the first AP MLD can use the locally stored information for AI learning.

[0300] Based on the above-described embodiments, referring to FIG. 9, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication apparatus 900, which includes a processing unit 901 and a transceiver unit 902. The apparatus 900 can be a communication apparatus, or an apparatus applied to a communication apparatus, which can support the communication apparatus to perform the method of extended service set transition.

[0301] The transceiver unit can also be referred to as a transceiver module, a transceiver, a transceiver device, etc. The processing unit can also be referred to as a processor, a processing board, a processing unit, a processing device, etc. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit for implementing the receiving function can be regarded as a receiving unit, and it should be understood that the transceiver unit is used to perform the transmitting operation and the receiving operation of the communication apparatus in the above-described method embodiments, and the device in the transceiver unit for implementing the transmitting function can be regarded as a transmitting unit, that is, the transceiver unit includes the receiving unit and the transmitting unit.

[0302] In addition, it needs to be explained that if the apparatus is implemented by a chip / chip circuit, the transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, which performs the input operation (corresponding to the above-described receiving operation) and the output operation (corresponding to the above-described transmitting operation); and the processing unit is an integrated processor or a microprocessor or an integrated circuit.

[0303] The following detailed description is made for the embodiments of the apparatus 900 applied to the first AP MLD, the third AP MLD or the non-AP MLD.

[0304] Illustratively, the operations performed by each unit of the apparatus 900 when the apparatus 900 is applied to the non-AP MLD are described in detail.

[0305] In an optional embodiment, the communication apparatus 900 can be applied to the non-AP MLD, and perform the method performed by the non-AP MLD, for example, the method performed by the non-AP MLD in the above-described embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

[0306] For example, the transceiver 902 is configured to receive a first request frame from a first AP MLD, the first request frame being used to request a multi-link station device to perform an extended service set transition, the first request frame including information of one or more second AP MLDs, the first AP MLD belonging to a first extended service set. The processing unit 901 is configured to generate a second request frame, the second request frame being used to request a transition to a third AP MLD, the second request frame including information of the first AP MLD. The transceiver 902 is further configured to send the second request frame to the third AP MLD. The third AP MLD is one of the one or more second AP MLDs, and the third AP MLD belongs to a second extended service set.

[0307] For example, the transceiver 902 is configured to receive a first request frame from a first AP MLD, the first request frame being used to request a multi-link station device to perform an extended service set transition, the first request frame including information of one or more second AP MLDs, the first AP MLD belonging to a first extended service set. The processing unit 901 is configured to generate a second request frame, the second request frame being used to request a transition to a third AP MLD, the second request frame including information of the first AP MLD. The transceiver 902 is further configured to send the second request frame to the third AP MLD. The third AP MLD is one of the one or more second AP MLDs, and the third AP MLD belongs to a second extended service set.

[0308] In an optional implementation, the communication apparatus 900 can be applied to a first AP MLD to perform the method performed by the first AP MLD, for example, the method performed by the first AP MLD in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

[0309] For example, the processing unit 901 is configured to generate a first request frame, the first request frame being used to request a multi-link station device to perform an extended service set transition. The first request frame includes information of one or more second AP MLDs, and the first AP MLD belongs to a first extended service set. The transceiver 902 is configured to send the first request frame to the multi-link station device. The transceiver 902 is further configured to receive a report frame from a third AP MLD. The report frame indicates whether to accept the transition of the multi-link station device, and the third AP MLD belongs to a second extended service set.

[0310] For example, the transceiver 902 is configured to receive a first request frame from a first AP MLD, the first request frame being used to request a multi-link station device to perform an extended service set transition, the first request frame including information of one or more second AP MLDs, the first AP MLD belonging to a first extended service set. The processing unit 901 is configured to generate a second request frame, the second request frame being used to request a transition to a third AP MLD, the second request frame including information of the first AP MLD. The transceiver 902 is further configured to send the second request frame to the third AP MLD. The third AP MLD is one of the one or more second AP MLDs, and the third AP MLD belongs to a second extended service set.

[0311] In an optional implementation, the communication apparatus 900 can be applied to a third AP MLD to perform the method performed by the third AP MLD, for example, the method performed by the third AP MLD in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

[0312] For example, the transceiver 902 is configured to receive a second request frame from the multi-link station device. The second request frame is used to request to transfer to a third access point multi-link device, and the second request frame includes information of the first access point multi-link device. The processing unit 901 is configured to generate a second report frame, and the report frame indicates whether to accept the transfer of the multi-link station device. The first access point multi-link device belongs to a first extended service set, and the third access point multi-link device belongs to a second extended service set. The transceiver 902 is further configured to send the report frame to the first access point multi-link device.

[0313] Based on the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication device 1000. The communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010. Optionally, the communication device 1000 can further include a memory 1020, which is configured to store instructions executed by the processor 1010 or store input data required by the processor 1010 to run instructions or store data generated after the processor 1010 runs instructions. The processor 1010 can realize the method shown in the above method embodiment by the instructions stored in the memory 1020.

[0314] Based on the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication device 1100, which can be a chip or a chip system. Optionally, in the embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0315] The communication device 1100 can include at least one processor 1110 coupled to a memory. Optionally, the memory can be located inside the device or outside the device. For example, the communication device 1100 can further include at least one memory 1120. The memory 1120 stores necessary computer programs, configuration information, computer programs or instructions and / or data in any of the above embodiments; the processor 1110 can execute the computer programs stored in the memory 1120 to complete the method in any of the above embodiments. Optionally, the memory can also be integrated with the processor.

[0316] The coupling in the embodiment of the present application is indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for information interaction between devices, units or modules. The processor 1110 can operate in cooperation with the memory 1120. The specific connection medium between the transceiver 1130, the processor 1110 and the memory 1120 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0317] The communication device 1100 can further include a transceiver 1130, and the communication device 1100 can interact with other devices through the transceiver 1130. The transceiver 1130 can be a circuit, a bus, a transceiver, or any other device that can be used for information interaction, or a signal transceiving unit. As shown in FIG. 11, the transceiver 1130 includes a transmitter 1131, a receiver 1132, and an antenna 1133. In addition, when the communication device 1100 is a chip-type device or a circuit, the transceiver in the communication device 1100 can also be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, which can input data (or receive data) and output data (or send data). The processor is an integrated processor or a microprocessor or an integrated circuit, and the processor can determine the output data according to the input data.

[0318] In a possible implementation, the communication device 1100 can be applied to a communication device, and specifically, the communication device 1100 can be a communication device or a device capable of supporting a communication device, and implement the functions of the first AP MLD, the third AP MLD, or the non-AP MLD in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The memory 1120 stores necessary computer programs, computer programs or instructions, and / or data for implementing the functions of the first AP MLD, the third AP MLD, or the non-AP MLD in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The processor 1110 can execute the computer programs stored in the memory 1120 to complete the method performed by the first AP MLD, the third AP MLD, or the non-AP MLD in any of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0319] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor can be a general processor, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, and can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as a hardware processor for execution, or be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0320] In the embodiments of the present application, the memory can be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), and the like, and can also be a volatile memory, such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory can also be any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but is not limited to this. The memory in the embodiments of the present application can also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing a storage function, used to store computer programs, computer programs or instructions, and / or data.

[0321] Based on the above embodiments, referring to FIG. 12, the embodiments of the present application further provide another communication apparatus 1200, comprising: an input / output interface 1210 and a logic circuit 1220; the input / output interface 1210 is configured to receive code instructions and transmit the code instructions to the logic circuit 1220; the logic circuit 1220 is configured to run the code instructions to perform the method performed by the first AP MLD, the third AP MLD or the non-AP MLD in any of the above embodiments.

[0322] In the following, the communication apparatus 1200 is applied to the operations performed by the first AP MLD, the third AP MLD or the non-AP MLD.

[0323] In an optional implementation, the communication apparatus 1200 can be applied to the non-AP MLD to perform the method performed by the non-AP MLD, for example, the method performed by the non-AP MLD in the embodiment shown in the foregoing FIG. 8.

[0324] For example, the input / output interface 1210 is configured to input a first request frame, the first request frame being used to request a multi-link station device to perform an extended service set transition, the first request frame comprising information of one or more second access point multi-link devices, the first access point multi-link device belonging to a first extended service set. The logic circuit 1220 is configured to generate a second request frame, the second request frame being used to request a transition to a third access point multi-link device, the second request frame comprising information of the first access point multi-link device. The input / output interface 1210 is further configured to output the second request frame. The third access point multi-link device is one of the one or more second access point multi-link devices, and the third access point multi-link device belongs to a second extended service set.

[0325] Since the communication apparatus 1200 provided in the embodiment can be applied to the non-AP MLD, the method performed by the non-AP MLD is performed. Therefore, the technical effects that can be achieved by the communication apparatus 1200 can refer to the method embodiments described above, and will not be described here.

[0326] In an optional implementation, the communication apparatus 1200 can be applied to the first AP MLD, and the method performed by the first AP MLD is performed, for example, the method performed by the first AP MLD in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

[0327] For example, the logic circuit 1220 is configured to generate a first request frame, and the first request frame is used to request a multi-link station device to perform an extended service set transition. The first request frame includes information of one or more second access point multi-link devices, and the first access point multi-link device belongs to a first extended service set. The input and output interface 1210 is configured to output the first request frame. The input and output interface 1210 is also configured to input a report frame. The report frame indicates whether to accept the transition of the multi-link station device, and the third access point multi-link device belongs to a second extended service set.

[0328] Since the communication apparatus 1200 provided in the embodiment can be applied to the first AP MLD, the method performed by the first AP MLD is performed. Therefore, the technical effects that can be achieved by the communication apparatus 1200 can refer to the method embodiments described above, and will not be described here.

[0329] In an optional implementation, the communication apparatus 1200 can be applied to the third AP MLD, and the method performed by the third AP MLD is performed, for example, the method performed by the third AP MLD in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

[0330] For example, the input and output interface 1210 is configured to input a second request frame. The second request frame is used to request to transition to a third access point multi-link device, and the second request frame includes information of a first access point multi-link device. The logic circuit 1220 is configured to generate a report frame. The report frame indicates whether to accept the transition of the multi-link station device, and the third access point multi-link device belongs to a second extended service set. The input and output interface 1210 is also configured to output the report frame.

[0331] Since the communication apparatus 1200 provided in the embodiment can be applied to the third AP MLD, the method performed by the third AP MLD is performed. Therefore, the technical effects that can be achieved by the communication apparatus 1200 can refer to the method embodiments described above, and will not be described here.

[0332] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system, which comprises at least one non-AP MLD and at least one first AP MLD. Optionally, the communication system further comprises at least one third AP MLD. The technical effects that can be achieved can refer to the above method embodiments, which will not be described here again.

[0333] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores computer programs or instructions, when the instructions are executed, the method performed by the communication device in any of the above embodiments is implemented. The computer readable storage medium can include: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory, a random access memory, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0334] In order to realize the functions of the communication device in FIG. 9 to FIG. 12, the embodiments of the present application further provide a chip, which comprises a processor for supporting the communication device to realize the functions related to the first AP MLD, the third AP MLD or the non-AP MLD in the above method embodiments. In a possible design, the chip is connected with a memory or the chip comprises a memory, and the memory is used to save the computer programs or instructions and data necessary for the first AP MLD, the third AP MLD or the non-AP MLD.

[0335] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as a method, a system or a computer program product. Therefore, the present application can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Moreover, the present application can take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0336] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems) and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, and the combination of the flows and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams can be implemented by computer programs or instructions. These computer programs or instructions can be provided to the processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flows in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0337] These computer programs or instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a manufactured product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0338] These computer programs or instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, whereby the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0339] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the embodiments of the present application without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the embodiments of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. An extended service set transfer method, characterized by, Applied to a multi-link station device, comprising: receiving a first request frame from a first access point multi-link device, the first request frame being used to request the multi-link station device to perform extended service set transition, the first request frame comprising information of one or more second access point multi-link devices, the first access point multi-link device belonging to a first extended service set; sending a second request frame to a third access point multi-link device, the second request frame being used to request transition to the third access point multi-link device, the second request frame comprising information of the first access point multi-link device; wherein the third access point multi-link device is one of the one or more second access point multi-link devices, and the third access point multi-link device belongs to a second extended service set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first request frame further comprises one or more of the following: dialog token ring, reason code or disassociation timer indication information; wherein the dialog token ring is used to match the first request frame with the extended service set transition operation of the multi-link station device; the reason code is used to indicate the reason for the extended service set transition; the disassociation timer indication information is used to indicate that the multi-link station device is disassociated from the first extended service set after a first time period.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first time period is greater than or equal to a second time period, and the second time period is the time period between the start time of the disassociation timer and the time when the multi-link station device sends data to the first access point multi-link device after being rejected by the third access point multi-link device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The information of the second access point multi-link device comprises a service set identifier corresponding to the second access point multi-link device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The information of the second access point multi-link device comprises one or more of the following: one or more basic service set identifiers corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, one or more operating classes corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, one or more channel information corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, one or more bandwidth information corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, a trigger condition for the multi-link station device to perform the extended service set transition operation, or a recommended value corresponding to the second access point multi-link device; wherein the recommended value indicates the priority of the first access point multi-link device recommending transition to the corresponding second access point multi-link device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The trigger condition comprises one or more of the following: the downlink received signal strength of a first affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device is less than or equal to a first threshold value; or the downlink received signal strength of a third affiliated access point of the third access point multi-link device is higher than the downlink received signal strength of a second affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device by a second threshold value; wherein the third affiliated access point and the second affiliated access point are indicated by a link identifier.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, Among the one or more second access point multi-link devices, the recommended values corresponding to the second access point multi-link devices affiliated to one access point multi-link device are the same.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, Further comprising: sending a first response frame to the first access point multi-link device, the first response frame indicating whether to accept the extended service set transfer requested by the first request frame.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The first response frame includes one or more of the following: downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, location information of the multi-link station device, time information of the multi-link station device, or information of one or more fourth access point multi-link devices; The session token ring is used to match the first request frame and the extended service set transfer operation of the multi-link station device. The first status code is used to indicate whether to accept the extended service set transfer requested by the first request frame. The downlink received signal strength of the first access point multi-link device includes the downlink signal reception strength of each affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device, or includes the maximum value in the downlink signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device. The one or more fourth access point multi-link devices are part or all of the one or more second access point multi-link devices, and the one or more fourth access point multi-link devices include the third access point multi-link device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The second request frame includes one or more of the following: address information of the first access point multi-link device, basic service set identification of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, operation category of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, channel information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, bandwidth information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, transmission power of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, session token ring, reason code, channel load information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, location information of the multi-link station device, or time information of the multi-link station device; The session token ring is used to match the first request frame and the extended service set transfer operation of the multi-link station device. The reason code is used to indicate the reason for the occurrence of the extended service set transfer.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, Also includes: receiving a second response frame from the third access point multi-link device, the second response frame indicating whether to accept the transfer of the multi-link station device.

12. An extended service set transfer method, comprising: Applied to a first access point multi-link device, comprising: sending a first request frame to a multi-link station device, the first request frame being used to request the multi-link station device to perform an extended service set transfer, the first request frame including information of one or more second access point multi-link devices, the first access point multi-link device belonging to a first extended service set; receiving a report frame from a third access point multi-link device, the report frame indicating whether to accept the transfer of the multi-link station device, the third access point multi-link device belonging to a second extended service set.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The first request frame further comprises one or more of: an indication of a conversation token ring, a reason code, or a disassociation timer; The conversation token ring is used to match the first request frame with the extended service set transfer operation of the multi-link station device. The reason code is used to indicate the reason for the occurrence of the extended service set transfer. The indication of the disassociation timer is used to indicate that the multi-link station device is to be disassociated from the first extended service set after a first time duration.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The first time duration is greater than or equal to a second time duration, the second time duration being a time duration between a timing start time of the disassociation timer and a time when the multi-link station device sends data to the first access point multi-link device after being rejected by the third access point multi-link device.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that, The information of the second access point multi-link device comprises a service set identifier corresponding to the second access point multi-link device.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that, The information of the second access point multi-link device comprises one or more of: one or more basic service set identifiers corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, one or more operating class identifiers corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, one or more channel information corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, one or more bandwidth information corresponding to the second access point multi-link device, a trigger condition for the multi-link station device to perform the extended service set transfer operation, or a recommended value corresponding to the second access point multi-link device; The recommended value indicates a priority recommended by the first access point multi-link device for the multi-link station device to transfer to the corresponding second access point multi-link device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, The trigger condition comprises one or more of: a first downlink received signal strength of a first affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device being less than or equal to a first threshold value; or a downlink received signal strength of a third affiliated access point of the third access point multi-link device being higher than a downlink received signal strength of a second affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device by a second threshold value; wherein the third affiliated access point and the second affiliated access point are indicated by a link identifier.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that Among the one or more second access point multi-link devices, the recommended values corresponding to the second access point multi-link devices affiliated to one access point multi-link device are the same.

19. The method of any one of claims 12-18, wherein, Further comprising: receiving a first response frame from the multi-link station device, the first response frame indicating whether to accept the extended service set transfer requested by the first request frame.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, The first response frame comprises one or more of: downlink received signal strengths of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, location information of the multi-link station device, time information of the multi-link station device, or information of one or more fourth access point multi-link devices; The conversation token ring is used to match the first response frame with the extended service set transfer operation of the multi-link station device. The first status code is used to indicate whether the extended service set transition requested by the first request frame is accepted; The downlink received signal strength of the first access point multi-link device includes the downlink signal receiving strength of each affiliated access point of the first access point multi-link device, or includes the maximum value in the downlink signal strengths of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device; The one or more fourth access point multi-link devices are part or all of the one or more second access point multi-link devices, and the one or more fourth access point multi-link devices include the third access point multi-link device.

21. The method of any one of claims 12-20, wherein, The report frame includes one or more of the following: The address information of the multi-link station device, the link identifier of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, the basic service set identifier of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, the operating class of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, the channel information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, the bandwidth information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, the transmission power of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, the conversation token ring, the reason code, the channel load information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, the downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, the downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, the link identifier of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, the uplink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, the channel load information of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, the position information of the multi-link station device, the time information of the multi-link station device, or a second status code; The conversation token ring is used to match the extended service set transition operation of the first request frame and the multi-link station device; The reason code is used to indicate the reason for the occurrence of the extended service set transition; The second status code is used to indicate whether the third access point multi-link device accepts the transition of the multi-link station device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, Also includes: Storing the information carried in the report frame.

23. An extended service set transfer method, comprising: Applied to the third access point multi-link device, including: Receiving a second request frame from a multi-link station device, the second request frame being used to request a transition to the third access point multi-link device, and the second request frame including information of a first access point multi-link device; Sending a report frame to the first access point multi-link device, the report frame indicating whether to accept the transition of the multi-link station device; The first access point multi-link device belongs to a first extended service set, and the third access point multi-link device belongs to a second extended service set.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein, The report frame includes one or more of the following: address information of the multi-link station device, link identification of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, basic service set identification of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, operation type of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, channel information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, bandwidth information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, transmission power of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, channel load information of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device, downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the first access point multi-link device; a session token ring; a reason code; link identification of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, downlink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, uplink received signal strength of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, channel load information of one or more affiliated access points of the third access point multi-link device, position information of the multi-link station device, time information of the multi-link station device, or a second status code; wherein the session token ring is used to match the first request frame and the extended service set transition operation of the multi-link station device; the reason code is used to indicate the reason of the occurrence of the extended service set transition; the second status code is used to indicate whether the third access point multi-link device accepts the transition of the multi-link station device.

25. The method of claim 23 or 24, wherein, Further comprising: sending a second response frame to the multi-link station device, the second response frame indicating whether to accept the transition of the multi-link station device.

26. A communications device, characterized by including a unit for executing the method of any one of claims 1-11, or a unit for executing the method of any one of claims 12-22, or a unit for executing the method of any one of claims 23-25.

27. A communications device, characterized by including: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer programs or instructions; the processor is used to execute the computer programs or instructions in the memory, so that the apparatus executes the method of any one of claims 1-11, or the apparatus executes the method of any one of claims 12-22, or the apparatus executes the method of any one of claims 23-25.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores computer executable instructions, which, when invoked by an electronic device, cause the electronic device to execute the method of any one of claims 1-11, or cause the electronic device to execute the method of any one of claims 12-22, or cause the electronic device to execute the method of any one of claims 23-25.

29. A computer program product, characterised in that, computer, when the computer-executable instructions are run on the computer, to cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-11, or to cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 12-22, or to cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 23-25.

30. A chip system, characterized by The chip system comprises: a communication interface; a processor configured to invoke and run the instructions through the communication interface, so that the device installed with the chip system performs the method of any one of claims 1-11, or so that the device installed with the chip system performs the method of any one of claims 12-22, or so that the device installed with the chip system performs the method of any one of claims 23-25.

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