Method for indicating unavailability time window of device, and related apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed in the embodiments of the present application are a method for indicating an unavailability time window of a device, and a related apparatus. The present application is applied to a wireless local area network system that supports one or more of IEEE 802.11ax next-generation Wi-Fi protocols, IEEE 802.11be next-generation Wi-Fi protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi 8, UHR), Wi-Fi AI, millimeter wave, ultra-wideband and sensing. The method comprises: a first apparatus generating a setup frame, wherein the setup frame comprises first information and first indication information, the first information is used for determining an availability time window of the first apparatus, and the first indication information is used for indicating a manner for determining a start time of an unavailability time window of the first apparatus; and sending the setup frame. Therefore, an unavailability time window of a first apparatus can be accurately indicated, and a start time of the unavailability time window that is determined by a receiving end on the basis of a setup frame is the same as a start time of the unavailability time window that is indicated by the first apparatus.

Description

Method for indicating time window of device unavailability and related apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410725820.0, filed on June 5, 2024, entitled "Method for indicating time window of device unavailability and related apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication, and in particular to a method for indicating time window of device unavailability and related apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] Since a device (for example, a mobile phone) often has a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) module and a Bluetooth module or an ultra-wideband (UWB) module and other non-Wi-Fi modules, if these modules work on the same channel, they will interfere with each other. In order to avoid mutual interference between the Wi-Fi module and the non-Wi-Fi module inside the same device, Wi-Fi 8 defines a corresponding in-device coexistence mechanism. One application of the in-device coexistence mechanism is that a station (STA) can report a periodic time window or an aperiodic time period to the opposite end (for example, an access point (AP)) to indicate that the station is unavailable during this period. It is worth mentioning that there may be coexistence needs for the AP end, such as a mobile AP (i.e., a mobile phone hotspot). In addition, there may be coexistence needs for two STAs. Currently, it is necessary to study how to indicate the time window of device unavailability. SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a method for indicating time window of device unavailability and related apparatus, which can accurately indicate the time window of device unavailability.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for indicating a time window in which a device is unavailable. The method is applied to a first device, and is implemented by the first device or a component on the side of the first device. The method is described below by taking the first device as an example. The method comprises: generating, by the first device, a setup frame, the setup frame comprising first information and first indication information, the first information being used for determination of an available time window of the first device, and the first indication information being used for indication of a determination manner of a start time of an unavailable time window of the first device; and sending the setup frame. Thus, the unavailable time window of the first device can be accurately indicated, and the start time of the unavailable time window determined according to the setup frame by a receiving end (i.e., a device receiving the setup frame) is the same as the start time of the unavailable time window indicated by the first device. In the present application, the available time window can be referred to as an available window, and the unavailable time window can be referred to as an unavailable window.

[0006] In a possible implementation, the first device supports one or more of an 802.11n standard (also referred to as a high throughput (HT)), an 802.11ac standard (also referred to as a very high throughput (VHT)), an 802.11ax standard (also referred to as a high efficient (HE)), an 802.11be standard (also referred to as an extremely high throughput (EHT)), or an 802.11bn protocol (also referred to as Wi-Fi 8, and also referred to as ultra high reliability (UHR)).

[0007] In a possible implementation, the first device operates in a frequency band higher than 1 GHz, for example, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. As an example, the first device is a station operating at 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. The first device is not a station operating in a frequency band lower than 1 GHz.

[0008] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for indicating a time window in which a device is unavailable. The method is applied to a second device, and is implemented by the second device or a component on the side of the second device. The method is described below by taking the second device as an example. The method comprises: receiving, by the second device, a setup frame, the setup frame comprising first information and first indication information, the first information being used for determination of an available time window of a first device, and the first indication information being used for indication of a determination manner of a start time of an unavailable time window of the first device; and determining, by the second device, the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device according to the first indication information and the first information. Thus, the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device can be accurately determined, and the start time of the unavailable time window determined according to the setup frame by the second device is the same as the start time of the unavailable time window indicated by the first device.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: determining, by the second device, the unavailable time window of the first device according to the first information and the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device; and the unavailable time window of the first device determined by the second device can be the same as the unavailable time window of the first device indicated by the first device.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the second device supports one or more of the 802.11n standard, the 802.11ac standard, the 802.11ax standard, the 802.11be standard, or the 802.11bn protocol.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the second device works in a frequency band higher than 1 GHz, for example, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. As an example, the second device is an access point working in 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. The first device is not an access point working in a frequency band lower than 1 GHz.

[0012] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the first information and the first indication information are contained in a target wake time (TWT) element, and the first indication information contains a null data packet (NDP) paging indication / unavailable mode field. In the existing standard, if a station sending the TWT element is a station working in a frequency band lower than 1 GHz (Sub 1GHz station, S1G STA), the field is set to 1 to indicate that an NDP paging field exists; otherwise, the field is set to 0. In other words, at present, the field is only used by S1G STA, and HT / VHT / HE / EHT / UHR STA is not allowed to use it. In this implementation, the NDP paging indication / unavailable mode field is allowed to be used by HT / VHT / HE / EHT / UHR STA, and the field is used to indicate the determination mode of the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device, without the need to change other fields in the TWT element, which can better be compatible with the logic of the previous standard and can save bit overhead.

[0013] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the first information comprises a target wake-up time, a TWT wake-up interval, and a TWT wake-up duration; when the value of the bit contained in the first indication information is the first value, the first indication information is used to indicate that the determination manner of the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device is: the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device = the target wake-up time - (the TWT wake-up interval - the TWT wake-up duration); when the value of the bit contained in the first indication information is the second value, the first indication information is used to indicate that the determination manner of the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device is: the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device = the target wake-up time + the TWT wake-up duration.

[0014] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the establishment frame further comprises second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate that the establishment frame contains the first field, the first field contains the first indication information, and at least one of third indication information and fourth indication information, the third indication information is used to indicate the subchannel unavailable to the first device in the unavailable time window, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate the transceiving parameter of the first device; thereby the subchannel unavailable to the first device in the unavailable time window and / or the transceiving parameter of the first device can be indicated.

[0015] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the first information and the second indication information are contained in a TWT element, the bit contained in the second indication information is an NDP paging indication / unavailable mode field, and when the value of the bit contained in the second indication information is 1, the second indication information is used to indicate that the establishment frame contains the first field; in this way, other fields in the TWT element do not need to be changed, better compatibility with previous standards can be achieved, and bit overhead can be saved.

[0016] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the first indication information is contained in a second field in the establishment frame, the second field further contains at least one of third indication information and fourth indication information, the third indication information is used to indicate the subchannel unavailable to the first device in the unavailable time window, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate the transceiving parameter of the first device; thereby the determination manner of the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device and the subchannel unavailable to the first device in the unavailable time window and / or the transceiving parameter of the first device can be indicated.

[0017] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for indicating a time window in which a device is unavailable. The method is applied to a second device, and is implemented by the second device or a component on the second device side. The method is described below by taking the second device as an example. The method comprises: receiving, by the second device, a setup frame, the setup frame comprising a target wake-up time, a TWT wake-up interval, and a TWT wake-up duration; and determining, by the second device, a start time of an unavailable time window of a first device according to the target wake-up time, the TWT wake-up interval, and the TWT wake-up duration, the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device being equal to the target wake-up time plus the TWT wake-up duration. Alternatively, the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device is equal to the target wake-up time minus (the TWT wake-up interval minus the TWT wake-up duration).

[0018] In an embodiment of the present application, a protocol specifies a manner of determining the start time of the unavailable time window, and the setup frame indicates the start time of the unavailable time window according to case 1 by default. Accordingly, the start time of the unavailable time window is calculated according to case 1, i.e., the start time of the unavailable time window is equal to the target wake-up time plus the TWT wake-up duration, or the start time of the unavailable time window is equal to the target wake-up time minus (the TWT wake-up interval minus the TWT wake-up duration). The second device calculates the start time of the unavailable time window according to case 1, so that the unavailable time window of the first device determined by the second device is the same as the unavailable time window of the first device indicated by the first device.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the setup frame further comprises at least one of third indication information and fourth indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate a subchannel in which the first device is unavailable in the unavailable time window, and the fourth indication information being used to indicate a transceiving parameter of the first device. In this way, the subchannel in which the first device is unavailable in the unavailable time window and / or the transceiving parameter of the first device can be indicated.

[0020] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for indicating a time window in which a device is unavailable. The method is applied to a first device, and is implemented by the first device or a component on the first device side. The method is described below by taking the first device as an example. The method comprises: generating, by the first device, a setup frame, the setup frame comprising second information and fifth indication information, the second information being used for determining an unavailable time window of the first device, and the fifth indication information being used to indicate that the first information corresponds to the unavailable time window of the first device; and sending, by the first device, the setup frame. In this way, the unavailable time window of the first device can be accurately indicated.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the first device supports one or more of an 802.11n standard, an 802.11ac standard, an 802.11ax standard, an 802.11be standard, or an 802.11bn protocol.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the first device operates in a frequency band higher than 1 GHz, for example, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. As an example, the first device is a station operating in 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. The first device is not a station operating in a frequency band lower than 1 GHz.

[0023] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for indicating a time window in which a device is unavailable. The method is applied to a second device, and is implemented by the second device or a component at the side of the second device. The following is described by taking the second device as an example. The method comprises: receiving, by the second device, a setup frame, the setup frame comprising second information and fifth indication information, the second information being used for determining an unavailable time window of a first device, and the fifth indication information being used for indicating that the first information is used for determining the unavailable time window; determining, by the second device, a start time of the unavailable time window of the first device according to the second information; and thus the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device can be accurately determined.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the second information comprises a target wake-up time, a TWT wake-up interval, and a TWT wake-up duration, and the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device is the target wake-up time.

[0025] In a possible implementation, the second device supports one or more of the 802.11n standard, the 802.11ac standard, the 802.11ax standard, the 802.11be standard, or the 802.11bn protocol.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the second device operates in a frequency band higher than 1 GHz, for example, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. As an example, the second device is an access point operating in 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. The first device is not an access point operating in a frequency band lower than 1 GHz.

[0027] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect or the fifth aspect, the second information and the fifth indication information are contained in a TWT element, and the fifth indication information contains an NDP paging indication / unavailable mode field, so that other fields in the TWT element do not need to be changed, better compatibility with the logic of previous standards can be achieved, and bit overhead can be saved.

[0028] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which has functions of implementing the behaviors in the method embodiments of the first aspect. The communication apparatus can be a communication device, or a component (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) of the communication device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing the functions of the whole or part of the communication device. The functions of the communication apparatus can be realized by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions. In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus includes a transceiver module and a processing module, where: the processing module is configured to generate a setup frame, the setup frame including first information and first indication information, the first information being used for determination of an available time window of a first device, and the first indication information being used for indication of a determination manner of a start time of an unavailable time window of the first device; and the transceiver module is configured to send the setup frame, so that the unavailable time window of the first device can be accurately indicated.

[0029] Possible implementation manners of the communication apparatus of the sixth aspect can refer to the various possible implementation manners of the first aspect.

[0030] The technical effects brought by the various possible implementation manners of the sixth aspect can refer to the introduction of the technical effects of the first aspect or the various possible implementation manners of the first aspect.

[0031] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which has functions of implementing the behaviors in the method embodiments of the second aspect. The communication apparatus can be a communication device, or a component (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) of the communication device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing the functions of the whole or part of the communication device. The functions of the communication apparatus can be realized by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions. In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus includes a transceiver module and a processing module, where: the transceiver module is configured to receive a setup frame, the setup frame including first information and first indication information, the first information being used for determination of an available time window of a first device, and the first indication information being used for indication of a determination manner of a start time of an unavailable time window of the first device; and the processing module is configured to determine the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device according to the first indication information and the first information.

[0032] Possible implementation manners of the communication apparatus of the seventh aspect can refer to the various possible implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0033] The technical effects brought by the various possible implementation manners of the seventh aspect can refer to the introduction of the technical effects of the second aspect or the various possible implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0034] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus having functions of implementing the behaviors in the method embodiments of the third aspect. The communication apparatus can be a communication device, or a component (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) of the communication device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing the functions of the whole or part of the communication device. The functions of the communication apparatus can be realized by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions. In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus includes a transceiver module and a processing module, where: the transceiver module is configured to receive a setup frame, the setup frame including a target wake-up time, a TWT wake-up interval, and a TWT wake-up duration; and the processing module is configured to determine a start time of an unavailable time window of the first device according to the target wake-up time, the TWT wake-up interval, and the TWT wake-up duration, the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device being equal to the target wake-up time plus the TWT wake-up duration. Alternatively, the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device is equal to the target wake-up time minus (the TWT wake-up interval minus the TWT wake-up duration).

[0035] Possible implementation of the communication apparatus of the eighth aspect can refer to the various possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0036] The technical effects brought by the various possible implementation of the eighth aspect can refer to the introduction of the technical effects of the third aspect or the various possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0037] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus having functions of implementing the behaviors in the method embodiments of the fourth aspect. The communication apparatus can be a communication device, or a component (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) of the communication device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing the functions of the whole or part of the communication device. The functions of the communication apparatus can be realized by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions. In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus includes a transceiver module and a processing module, where: the processing module is configured to generate a setup frame, the setup frame including second information and fifth indication information, the second information being used for determination of an unavailable time window of the first device, and the fifth indication information being used for indicating that the first information corresponds to the unavailable time window of the first device; and the transceiver module is configured to send the setup frame.

[0038] Possible implementation of the communication apparatus of the ninth aspect can refer to the various possible implementation of the fourth aspect.

[0039] The technical effects brought by the various possible implementation manners of the ninth aspect can refer to the introduction of the fourth aspect or the various possible implementation manners of the fourth aspect.

[0040] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus having functions to implement the behaviors in the method embodiments of the fifth aspect. The communication apparatus can be a communication device, or a component (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) of the communication device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing the functions of the whole or part of the communication device. The functions of the communication apparatus can be realized by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions. In a possible implementation manner, the communication apparatus includes a transceiver module and a processing module, where: the transceiver module is configured to receive a setup frame, the setup frame including second information and fifth indication information, the second information being used for determination of an unavailable time window of the first apparatus, and the fifth indication information being used for indicating that the first information is used for determination of the unavailable time window; and the processing module is configured to determine a start time of the unavailable time window of the first apparatus according to the second information. Thus, the start time of the unavailable time window of the first apparatus can be accurately determined.

[0041] Possible implementation manners of the communication apparatus of the tenth aspect can refer to the various possible implementation manners of the fifth aspect.

[0042] The technical effects brought by the various possible implementation manners of the tenth aspect can refer to the introduction of the fifth aspect or the various possible implementation manners of the fifth aspect.

[0043] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides another communication apparatus, which includes one or more processors coupled with one or more memories, the one or more memories being configured to store computer programs or instructions, and the one or more processors being configured to execute the computer programs or instructions in the one or more memories, so that the communication apparatus performs the method of any one of the first aspect to the fifth aspect.

[0044] Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes one or more memories configured to store computer programs or instructions, and the computer programs or instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of the first aspect to the fifth aspect. Exemplarily, the communication apparatus can be a chip, the processor can be a processing unit in the chip, and the memory can be a random access memory or a cache in the chip.

[0045] In the embodiments of the present application, in the process of executing the above method, the process of sending information (or signal) in the above method can be understood as the process of outputting information based on the computer program or instruction of the processor. When outputting the information, the processor outputs the information to the transceiver for transmission by the transceiver. After the information is output by the processor, it can also be processed further and then reach the transceiver. Similarly, when the processor receives the input information, the transceiver receives the information and inputs it to the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the information, the information can be processed further and then input to the processor.

[0046] For the sending and / or receiving operations of the processor, if no special description is given, or if it does not contradict the actual role or inherent logic in the related description, it can be generally understood as output based on the computer program or instruction of the processor.

[0047] In the implementation process, the above processor can be a processor specially used for executing the method, or a processor executing the computer program or instruction in the memory to execute the method, such as a general processor. For example, the processor can also be used to execute the program stored in the memory, and when the program is executed, the communication device executes the method shown in the above first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0048] In a possible implementation manner, the memory is located outside the above communication device. In a possible implementation manner, the memory is located inside the above communication device.

[0049] In a possible implementation manner, the processor and the memory can also be integrated into one device, that is, the processor and the memory can also be integrated together.

[0050] In a possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes a transceiver, which is used for receiving a signal or transmitting a signal, etc.

[0051] The twelfth aspect provides another communication device, which includes a processing circuit and an interface circuit, the interface circuit is used for obtaining data or outputting data; the processing circuit is used for executing the method of any one of the above first aspect to the fifth aspect.

[0052] The thirteenth aspect provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores computer programs or instructions, and the computer programs or instructions are executed to make the computer execute the method of any one of the above first aspect to the fifth aspect.

[0053] In a fourteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which comprises a computer program, the computer program being executed to make a computer execute the method of any one of the first aspect to the fifth aspect.

[0054] In a fifteenth aspect, the present application provides a chip, which comprises a communication interface and a processor; the communication interface is configured to transceive signals of the chip; the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions, so that the chip executes the method of any one of the first aspect to the fifth aspect.

[0055] In a sixteenth aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication system, which comprises the communication device of the sixth aspect or any possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, and the communication device of the seventh aspect or any possible implementation manner of the seventh aspect.

[0056] In a seventeenth aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication system, which comprises the communication device of the ninth aspect or any possible implementation manner of the ninth aspect, and the communication device of the tenth aspect or any possible implementation manner of the tenth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0057] FIG. 1 is an example of a structure schematic diagram of a multi-link device provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0058] FIG. 2 shows an example of a structure schematic diagram of a multi-link between multi-link devices provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0059] FIG. 3 is an architecture schematic diagram of a communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0060] FIG. 4 is a timing schematic diagram of a TWT SP provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0061] FIG. 5 is an example of a format of a TWT element provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0062] FIG. 6 is an example of a format of a broadcast TWT element provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0063] FIG. 7 is an example of two cases of a start time of an unavailable time window provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0064] FIGS. 8-16 are flow schematic diagrams of communication methods provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0065] FIG. 17 is a structure schematic diagram of a communication device 1700 provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0066] FIG. 18 is a structure schematic diagram of another communication device 180 provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0067] FIG. 19 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication apparatus 190 provided by the embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] The terms "first", "second", and various numbered (e.g., "#1", "#2", etc.) in the specification, claims and drawings of the present application are only used to distinguish different objects, and are not used to describe a specific order. It can be understood that the various numbered in the embodiments of the present application are only distinguished for convenience of description, and do not limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the serial number of each process below does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device, etc. including a series of steps or units, is not limited to the listed steps or units, but can optionally include steps or units not listed, etc., or can optionally include other steps or units inherent to the process, method, product or device, etc.

[0069] "Embodiments" mentioned in this text means that the specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiments can be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is not mutually exclusive with other embodiments. Those skilled in the art can explicitly and implicitly understand that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments. Part of the steps in the embodiments described herein can be used as an independent embodiment. In the present application, the naming of messages (frames) is only used to distinguish different messages (frames), and should not be understood as a limitation. That is, the name of any message or frame in the present application can be replaced by other names, and the present application is not limited.

[0070] The terminology used in the following description of the embodiments herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. As used in the description of embodiments and the appended claims herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It also will be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. For example, the phrase "A and / or B" can refer to, among other things, A only, B only, and both A and B. The term "multiple" as used herein means two or more. The character " / " as used in the text of the description generally indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects.

[0071] It can be understood that, in the embodiments of the present application, "A corresponds to B" means that A and B have a corresponding relationship, and B can be determined according to A. However, it should also be understood that the determination (or generation) of B according to (or based on) A does not mean that B is determined (or generated) only according to (or based on) A, but B can also be determined (or generated) according to (or based on) A and / or other information.

[0072] It should be understood that, in the present application, the indication includes direct indication (also known as explicit indication) and implicit indication. Among them, the direct indication of information A means that information A is included; the implicit indication of information A means that information A is indicated by the corresponding relationship between information A and information B and the direct indication of information B. Among them, the corresponding relationship between information A and information B can be pre-defined, pre-stored, pre-burned or pre-configured.

[0073] It should be understood that, in the present application, information C is used for the determination of information D, which includes that information D is determined based on information C only, and also includes that information D is determined based on information C and other information. In addition, information C used for the determination of information D can also be determined indirectly, such as the case that information D is determined based on information E, and information E is determined based on information C.

[0074] In the embodiments of the present application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the exemplary or for example embodiments are intended to convey concepts in a concrete fashion. It is to be understood that at least some of the steps, operations, and functions described herein are implemented by one or more processors, hardware modules, or other processing devices as a result of execution of computer program instructions or software. The terms "processor" and "processing device" should be interpreted broadly to encompass all processors, hardware modules, or other processing devices that are capable of executing computer program instructions or software.

[0075] In addition, "network element A sends information A to network element B" in the embodiments of the present application can be understood as that the destination of the information A or the intermediate network element in the transmission path between the destination is network element B, and can include direct or indirect sending of the information to network element B. "Network element B receives information A from network element A" can be understood as that the source of the information A or the intermediate network element in the transmission path between the source is network element A, and can include direct or indirect receiving of the information from network element A. The information can be processed as necessary between the source and the destination of the information sending, such as format change, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in the present application can be similarly understood, and will not be described here.

[0076] In the drawings related to the message (frame) structure in the embodiments of the present application, some examples of the length of the field in the message are given. It should be understood that the length of the field shown in the drawings of the embodiments of the present application is only an example, and in actual application, the length of any field can be changed. In the drawings related to the message (frame) structure in the embodiments of the present application, the positions of the fields are not limited.

[0077] In the drawings related to the message structure in the embodiments of the present application, some examples of the name of the field in the message are given. It should be understood that the name of the field shown in the drawings of the embodiments of the present application is only an example, and in actual application, the name of any field can be changed.

[0078] In the drawings related to the message structure in the embodiments of the present application, some examples of the length of the field in the message are given. It should be understood that the length of the field shown in the drawings of the embodiments of the present application is only an example, and in actual application, the length of any field can be changed. In the drawings related to the message (frame) structure in the embodiments of the present application, the positions of the fields are not limited.

[0079] As described in the background section, it is currently necessary to study how to indicate the time window in which the device is unavailable. The present application provides a technical solution for establishing a frame to indicate the time window in which the device is unavailable, so that the receiving end can determine the same time window as the sending end according to the time window determined by the established frame. The following first introduces the communication system to which the technical solution provided by the present application is applicable.

[0080] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, such as Wi-Fi and the like. The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applicable to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series of protocols (or standards), for example, the 802.11be protocol, the 802.11bn protocol (or Wi-Fi 8, also referred to as ultra high reliability (UHR) or ultra high reliability and throughput (UHRT), and the like), or a next-generation protocol of the 802.11bn protocol or a protocol supporting ambient power (AMP), and the like, which are not listed one by one. The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to a wireless personal area network (WPAN) based on millimeter wave (MMW) and ultra wideband (UWB) technology, and the like. The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applicable to the IEEE 802.15 series of protocols, for example, the 802.15.4a protocol, the 802.15.4z protocol or the 802.15.4ab protocol, or a future generation UWB WPAN protocol, and the like, which are not listed one by one. The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to a spark link or nearlink standard protocol. The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to a communication system, for example, can be an internet of things (IoT) system, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) system (X can represent any thing), a device-to-device (D2D) system, a narrow band IoT (NB-IoT) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, a 5th-generation (5G) communication system, and a new communication system to be generated in future communication development, and the like. For example, the V2X can include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) or vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication, and the like.

[0081] The WLAN system can provide high-rate and low-latency transmission. As the WLAN application scenarios continue to evolve, the WLAN system will be applied to more scenarios or industries, such as the Internet of Things industry, the Internet of Vehicles industry, or the banking industry, enterprise offices, stadiums, exhibition halls, concert halls, hotel rooms, dormitories, hospital rooms, classrooms, supermarkets, squares, streets, production workshops, and warehouses, etc. Of course, the devices (such as access points or stations) supporting WLAN communication or sensing can be sensor nodes in smart cities (such as smart water meters, smart electricity meters, smart air detection nodes), smart devices in smart homes (such as smart cameras, projectors, display screens, televisions, sound systems, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.), nodes in the Internet of Things, entertainment terminals (such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), etc. wearable devices), smart devices in smart offices (such as printers, projectors, amplifiers, sound systems, etc.), Internet of Vehicles devices in the Internet of Vehicles, infrastructure in daily life scenarios (such as vending machines, self-service navigation stations in supermarkets, self-service checkout devices, self-service ordering machines, etc.), and devices in large sports and music venues, etc.

[0082] Although the embodiments of the present application mainly take WLAN as an example, especially the network applying to the IEEE 802.11 series standards. The various aspects involved in the embodiments of the present application can be extended to other networks using various standards or protocols. For example, Bluetooth, high performance radio LAN (HIPERLAN) (a wireless standard similar to the IEEE 802.11 standard) and wide area network (WAN) or other now known or later developed networks.

[0083] The above communication system applying to the present application is only an example, and the communication system applying to the present application is not limited thereto. Herein, the following will not be repeated.

[0084] In a possible implementation, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by a communication device in a communication system. For example, the communication device can be an access point (AP) or a station (STA). For another example, the communication device can be an AP multi-link device (MLD) or a non-AP MLD (i.e. non-AP MLD).

[0085] The AP is a device with wireless communication function, which supports communication or sensing or energy transmission using WLAN protocol, and has the function of communicating or sensing or energy transmission with other devices (such as non-AP STA or other access points) in the WLAN network, and of course, also has the function of communicating or sensing or energy transmission with other devices. Alternatively, the access point is equivalent to a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, and its main function is to connect various wireless network clients together and then access the wireless network to the Ethernet. In the WLAN system, the access point can be referred to as an access point station (AP STA). The device with wireless communication function can be a whole machine device, or a chip, processing system or functional module installed in the whole machine device, and the device installed with the chip or processing system or functional module can realize the method and function of the embodiments of the present application under the control of the chip or processing system or functional module. The AP in the embodiments of the present application is a device providing services for non-AP STA, which can support 802.11 series protocol or subsequent protocol, etc. For example, the access point can be an access point for terminals (such as mobile phones) to enter wired (or wireless) networks, and is mainly deployed in homes, buildings and parks, with a typical coverage radius of tens of meters to hundreds of meters, and of course, can also be deployed outdoors. For another example, the AP can be a communication server, a router, a switch, a network bridge and other communication entities; the AP can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, etc. Of course, the AP can also be a chip or processing system or module in the above various forms of devices, so as to realize the method and function of the embodiments of the present application.

[0086] The STA is a device with wireless communication function, which supports communication or sensing or energy transmission by using WLAN protocol, and has the ability to communicate or sense or energy transmission with other non-AP STAs or access points in the WLAN network. In the WLAN system, the station can be referred to as a non-access point station (non-AP STA). For example, the STA is any user communication device that allows users to communicate or sense or energy transmission with APs to realize WLAN communication. The device with wireless communication function can be a whole device, or a chip or processing system or functional module installed in the whole device. The device installed with the chip or processing system or functional module can realize the method and function of the embodiments of the present application under the control of the chip or processing system or functional module. For example, the STA can be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor or a wireless communication terminal, and can also be referred to as a user. For another example, the STA can be a mobile phone supporting Wi-Fi communication function, a tablet computer supporting Wi-Fi communication function, a set-top box supporting Wi-Fi communication function, a smart television supporting Wi-Fi communication function, a smart wearable device supporting Wi-Fi communication function, a vehicle-mounted communication device supporting Wi-Fi communication function, and a computer supporting Wi-Fi communication function. Of course, the STA can also be a chip or processing system or module in the above various forms of devices, thereby realizing the method and function of the embodiments of the present application.

[0087] The MLD is a device supporting (with) multi-link simultaneous transmission. In the embodiments of the present application, the device supporting multiple links and supporting IEEE 802.11 standard at the same time is referred to as MLD. The MLD can have the ability to establish multiple links at the same time. The MLD can be an AP MLD, or also a non-AP MLD, for example, the non-AP MLD can be a station multi-link device (STA MLD). It should be noted that the name of the above multi-link device is only an example, and does not constitute any limitation on the protection scope of the present application. For example, the AP MLD can also be referred to as a multi-link AP, or as the communication technology develops, the AP MLD can also have other names, which are not listed one by one here.

[0088] In IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) protocol, an MLD can use multiple links simultaneously. If different links of an MLD can respectively receive and transmit at the same time (for example, an MLD includes 2 links, one link can be used for transmitting signals and the other link can be used for receiving signals in the same time period), this mode is called simultaneously transmitting and receiving (STR) mode. If different links of an MLD can only receive or transmit at the same time (for example, an MLD includes 2 links, the two links can only be used for transmitting signals in the same time period, or the two links can only be used for receiving signals in the same time period, this mode is called non-simultaneously transmitting and receiving (NSTR) mode. The scheme provided in the embodiments of the present application is applicable to STR mode and also applicable to NSTR mode.

[0089] In a possible implementation, an MLD has multiple radio frequency modules, which can respectively work on different frequency bands, for example, the frequency bands in which the MLD works can be all or part of 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz and high frequency 60 GHz. For example, different APs in an AP MLD work on different frequency bands, and different STAs in a non-AP MLD work on different frequency bands.

[0090] An MLD can include one or more affiliated stations, each affiliated station has a respective media access control (MAC) address, the MAC address of each affiliated station can be called a low MAC address, and the MLD has an upper MAC address. FIG. 1 is an example of a structure diagram of a multi-link device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1, the affiliated stations of an AP MLD include AP1 and AP2, the low MAC address of AP1 is MAC address #1, and the low MAC address of AP2 is MAC address #2. In addition, the AP MLD also has an upper MAC address, which is called MLD MAC address.

[0091] The AP MLD and the non-AP MLD can establish a multi-link connection through signaling interaction on any link. FIG. 2 shows an example of a structure of a multi-link between multi-link devices according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2, 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 link 1, and AP2 and STA2 are connected through link 2. FIG. 2 is only an example, and the number of APs included in the AP MLD, the number of STAs included in the non-AP MLD, and the number of links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD are not limited.

[0092] For example, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the communication or sensing or energy transfer between the non-AP MLD and the AP MLD, between the AP MLD and the AP MLD, or between the non-AP MLD and the non-AP MLD in the WLAN, which is not limited by the embodiments of the present application. Optionally, the AP MLD can communicate or sense or transfer energy with a single STA, or the AP MLD can simultaneously communicate or sense or transfer energy with multiple STAs (belonging to one or more non-AP MLDs). Specifically, the communication or sensing between the AP MLD and the multiple STAs can be divided into downlink transmission in which the AP MLD simultaneously sends signals to multiple STAs, and uplink transmission in which the multiple STAs send signals to the AP MLD. The communication protocol supported by the non-AP MLD and the AP MLD, the AP MLD and the AP MLD, or the non-AP MLD and the non-AP MLD can include the IEEE 802.11 series of protocols, such as the 802.11bn protocol, and of course also applies to the protocols after 802.11bn.

[0093] For example, the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the communication or sensing between an AP and a STA, between an AP and an AP, or between a STA and a STA in a WLAN, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited in this regard. Optionally, the AP can communicate or sense with a single STA, or the AP can simultaneously communicate or sense with multiple STAs. Specifically, the AP communicating or sensing with multiple STAs can be divided into downlink transmission in which the AP simultaneously sends signals to multiple STAs, and uplink transmission in which multiple STAs send signals to the AP. The communication between the AP and the STA, between the AP and the AP, and between the STA and the STA can support a WLAN communication protocol, which can include the IEEE 802.11 series of protocols, such as the 802.11bn protocol, and of course, the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to protocols after the 802.11bn protocol.

[0094] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication system can include one or more non-AP MLDs and one or more AP MLDs, and one non-AP MLD and one AP MLD are shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the non-AP MLD includes a Wi-Fi module (for example, STA 1 and STA 2 in FIG. 3), a coexistence interface, and non-Wi-Fi modules such as a Bluetooth module (supporting Bluetooth communication), a UWB module, a zigbee module (i.e., a module supporting communication through a zigbee protocol), a 5G communication module (i.e., a module supporting 5G communication), and the like. The coexistence interface is used to process coexistence requests sent by other non-Wi-Fi modules, and the Wi-Fi module and each non-Wi-Fi module have different coexistence requests. FIG. 3 only shows a coexistence request #1 of the Bluetooth module and a coexistence request #2 of the 5G communication module. The types and number of non-Wi-Fi modules included in the non-AP MLD are not limited, and the non-Wi-Fi modules in FIG. 3 are only an example. In FIG. 3, STA 1 and STA 2 correspond to the Wi-Fi module.

[0095] The communication system of FIG. 3 is merely an example, and the non-AP MLD in FIG. 3 can be replaced by one or more STAs, and the AP MLD can be replaced by one or more APs. That is, the communication system to which the method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied can include an access point and a station, and the one or more stations can include a Wi-Fi module and a non-Wi-Fi module such as a Bluetooth module, a UWB module, a zigbee module, and a 5G communication module. The type and number of non-Wi-Fi modules included in the station are not limited.

[0096] The embodiments of the present application are described from the perspective of the first device and the second device, but the first device and the second device can also forward the signal in the process of transmitting the signal through other devices, such as forwarding the signal between the first device and the second device through a forwarding device, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit other devices in addition to the first device and the second device.

[0097] The first device shown below can be understood as a communication device that sends the establishment frame, and the second device can be understood as a communication device that receives the establishment frame. Alternatively, the first device can also be referred to as a sending end, and the second device can also be referred to as a receiving end.

[0098] From the perspective of different devices, as an example, the first device and the second device can be Wi-Fi chips or functional modules or processing systems, etc. arranged in different Wi-Fi devices. As another example, the first device can be an AP, and the second device can be a non-AP STA. As yet another example, the first device and the second device can both be non-AP STAs or both be APs. As yet another example, the first device can be a non-AP STA, and the second device can be an AP. As yet another example, at least one of the first device and the second device can be an MLD, etc., and the embodiments of the present application will not be listed one by one.

[0099] The following introduces the terms and technical features related by the embodiments of the present application.

[0100] 1. Target wake time (TWT)

[0101] TWT is a mechanism defined by Wi-Fi for energy saving. Under this mechanism, the AP and the STA negotiate to establish a TWT service time (SP), that is, a TWT SP. Within the TWT SP, the STA wakes up (or wakes up) to keep active, and outside the TWT SP, the STA can sleep, thereby achieving the purpose of energy saving.

[0102] TWT is divided into individual TWT and broadcast TWT. In individual TWT, each STA can establish a TWT protocol with the AP individually. Therefore, each STA can have its own active period (i.e., TWT SP) and sleep period. In broadcast TWT, the AP can establish a common TWT protocol for a group of STAs, and the STAs in the group work in the same active period and sleep in other periods.

[0103] 2. Individual TWT

[0104] In individual TWT, a STA can establish a TWT protocol with the AP individually. Therefore, the active period and sleep period corresponding to different STAs can be different. It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the TWT protocol and the TWT can be replaced with each other, and the establishment of the TWT protocol can also be referred to as the establishment of the TWT, and the joining of the TWT protocol can also be referred to as the joining of the TWT.

[0105] In individual TWT, a TWT requesting STA sends a TWT request message (which can be named as a TWT request frame) to a TWT responding STA to request to set a TWT SP. The responding STA sends a TWT response message (which can be named as a TWT response frame or a TWT response frame) to the requesting STA after receiving the TWT request message (or the TWT protocol establishment request message) to inform the information of the TWT SP. After the interaction is successful, a TWT protocol is established between the requesting STA and the responding STA. When the TWT protocol is reached, the requesting STA and the responding STA should keep active in the TWT SP to perform data transmission and reception. Outside the TWT SP, the STA can sleep to achieve the purpose of energy saving.

[0106] Generally, the STA sends the TWT request frame to the AP, that is, the STA is the requesting STA and the AP is the responding STA. Of course, the AP can also send the TWT request frame to the STA. After the TWT protocol is established, the agreed active period is referred to as the TWT SP. Each TWT protocol can include one or more periodically occurring equal-length TWT SPs, as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a timing diagram of a TWT SP provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 4, the STA is the requesting STA and the AP is the responding STA, and after the requesting STA and the responding STA successfully interact with the TWT request frame and the TWT response frame, a TWT protocol is established between the requesting STA and the responding STA, and the TWT protocol includes one or more periodically occurring equal-length TWT SPs.

[0107] The TWT request frame includes a TWT element, and details about other elements in the TWT request frame are not shown one by one in the embodiments of the present application. FIG. 5 is an example of a format of a TWT element provided in the embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, the TWT element includes the following fields: element ID, length, control, TWT parameter information. As shown in FIG. 5, the control field can include at least one of the following fields: NDP paging indication / unavailability mode, responder PM mode, negotiation type, TWT information frame disabled, wake duration unit, link ID bitmap present, aligned TWT. The existing usage of the NDP paging indication / unavailability mode field is as follows: if the station sending the TWT element is an S1G STA, the field is set to 1, indicating that the NDP Paging field is present; otherwise, the field is set to 0. It can be understood that the description about each field in the TWT element can refer to the related standards or protocols, and the embodiments of the present application will not be described in detail one by one.

[0108] Referring to FIG. 5, the TWT parameter information field includes at least one of the following: request type, target wake time, TWT group assignment, nominal minimum TWT wake duration, TWT wake interval mantissa, TWT channel, NDP paging (optional), link ID bitmap, aligned TWT link bitmap. The request type in the TWT parameter information field includes at least one of the following: TWT request, TWT setup command, trigger, implicit, flow type, TWT flow identifier, TWT wake interval exponent, TWT protection. In the drawings of the present application, the number below each field represents the length (i.e., the number of bits) of the field.

[0109] Some parameters related to TWT setup request and TWT setup response can be included in the request type in the TWT parameter information field. For example, if the value of the TWT request field in the TWT element is 1, it means that the frame corresponding to the TWT element is a TWT setup request frame. If the value of the TWT request field in the TWT element is 0, it means that the frame corresponding to the TWT element is a TWT setup response frame. For example, in the TWT negotiation process, the TWT setup command field in the TWT element in the TWT setup request frame can be used to carry the value of "suggest TWT" (in this case, the value is 1), and the TWT setup command field in the TWT element in the TWT setup response frame can be used to carry the value of "accept TWT" (in this case, the value is 4), at this time, a TWT agreement is successfully established.

[0110] The parameters of the wake-up window (i.e., wake-up window parameters) in the TWT parameter information field can include target wake time (e.g., length of 8 bytes), nominal minimum TWT wake duration (which can be named as nominal minimum TWT wake duration), and TWT wake interval (TWT wake interval, unit: ms).

[0111] Target Wake Time, used to indicate the start time of the target wake-up, corresponding to a target TSF (timestamp function, length of 8 bytes) value. The target wake-up time is the start time of the TWT SP, i.e. the start time of an available time window.

[0112] Nominal minimum TWT wake-up duration, used to indicate the duration of the TWT wake-up window (i.e. a TWT SP). When the wake duration unit subfield is set to 0, it means that the unit of the duration of the TWT wake-up window is 256us (microsecond); when the wake duration unit subfield is set to 1, it means that the unit of the duration of the TWT wake-up window is 1 time unit (TU), i.e. 1024us.

[0113] The TWT wake-up interval (in ms) is equal to (TWT Wake Interval Mantissa) x 2^(TWT Wake Interval Exponent).

[0114] 3. Broadcast TWT

[0115] Unlike unicast TWT, broadcast TWT provides a "bulk management" mechanism, and the AP can establish a series of periodic TWT SPs with multiple STAs, in which the above-mentioned multiple STAs need to keep active to communicate with the AP.

[0116] The AP can carry one or more broadcast TWT information (i.e. broadcast TWT parameter set) in the Beacon frame, and each broadcast TWT parameter set is represented by a broadcast TWT identifier (ID) and the MAC address of the AP. After receiving the Beacon frame, if the STA has the intention to join the broadcast TWT, it can send a broadcast TWT establishment request message to the AP to join the broadcast TWT. When sending the broadcast TWT establishment request message, the STA needs to specify the broadcast TWT identifier to request to join a specific broadcast TWT. After joining the broadcast TWT, the STA can wake up according to the service period indicated by the broadcast TWT parameter set to communicate with the AP. It should be noted that if the STA supports broadcast TWT but does not explicitly join a certain broadcast TWT ID, it will participate in the broadcast TWT with broadcast TWT ID = 0 by default.

[0117] Similar to unicast TWT, a broadcast TWT parameter set also specifies the periodicity of TWT service period occurrences and the duration of each TWT service period. In addition, a broadcast TWT parameter set also includes the lifetime of the broadcast TWT, which is in units of beacon intervals, indicating the duration of the established broadcast TWT.

[0118] 4. Restricted target wake time (r-TWT)

[0119] A restricted TWT is a special type of broadcast TWT, and the restricted TWT SP (rTWT SP) defined by the restricted TWT is used to serve low-latency services. The AP can carry a TWT IE in the beacon frame to declare the service time of the restricted TWT, and set the value of the broadcast TWT recommendation field in the request type field in the TWT IE to 4 to indicate the restricted TWT, as shown in the following FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is an example of a format of a broadcast TWT element provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, the broadcast TWT element includes: an element ID, a length, a control, TWT parameter information. As shown in FIG. 6, the control field can include at least one of the following fields: an NDP paging indication / unavailability mode, a responder PM mode, a negotiation type, a TWT information frame disabled, a wake duration unit, a link ID bitmap present, an aligned TWT. The existing use of the NDP paging indication / unavailability mode field is as follows: if the station sending the TWT element is an S1G STA, the field is set to 1, indicating that the NDP Paging field is present; otherwise, the field is set to 0. The description of each field in the broadcast TWT element can refer to related standards or protocols, etc., and the embodiments of the present application will not be described one by one.

[0120] As shown in FIG. 6, the TWT parameter information in the broadcast TWT element includes a plurality of broadcast TWT parameter sets, such as broadcast TWT parameter set 1 and broadcast TWT parameter set 2 shown in FIG. 6. Taking the broadcast TWT parameter set 1 as an example, referring to FIG. 6, the broadcast TWT parameter set can include: a request type, a target wake time, a nominal minimum TWT wake duration, a TWT wake interval mantissa, broadcast TWT info, restricted TWT traffic info (optional), an aligned TWT link bitmap; the request type includes at least one of: a TWT request, a TWT setup command, a trigger, a last broadcast parameter set, a flow type, a broadcast TWT recommendation, a TWT wake interval exponent, aligned; the broadcast TWT info includes: a restricted TWT traffic I, restricted TWT schedule info, a broadcast TWT ID, broadcast TWT persistence.

[0121] For a broadcast TWT, the TWT parameter information contains multiple broadcast TWT parameter sets. The broadcast TWT recommendation subfield in the request type field of each broadcast TWT parameter set is used to indicate the TWT type specified by the broadcast TWT parameter set, and the value 4 indicates that the broadcast TWT parameter set corresponds to an r-TWT. If a broadcast TWT parameter set corresponds to an r-TWT, a bit of the r-TWT traffic information subfield exists in the broadcast TWT information subfield in the TWT element field, and the bit takes the value 1 to represent that the TWT element field contains the r-TWT traffic information subfield shown in the figure, and takes the value 0 to represent that the TWT element field does not contain the r-TWT traffic information subfield shown in the figure. The broadcast TWT identification subfield represents the identification number of the TWT group.

[0122] The parameters of the wake-up window in the broadcast TWT parameter set are the same as the parameters of the wake-up window in the TWT parameter set described above, and will not be described again here.

[0123] 5. Low latency communication

[0124] With the development of wireless networks and the continuous upgrading of WLAN technology, more and more application traffic is carried by Wi-Fi. On the other hand, the ever-increasing mobile applications also have higher and higher requirements for the latency performance of WLAN. For example, wireless video, voice, games, real-time video and other applications have high requirements for the latency of communication. In order to meet the requirements of different types of traffic as much as possible, WLAN needs to prioritize different services. For example, there are four different access categories for each device in the channel contention access process of WLAN, and different transmission priorities are achieved through different contention parameters; each access category can include two traffic identifiers (TIDs) to correspond to two different services. However, it is difficult to guarantee low latency and low latency jitter only by distinguishing the contention parameters.

[0125] As described in the section of background, there is a need to study how to indicate the time window of device unavailability. As described above, the wake-up window parameters (i.e., target wake-up time, TWT wake-up duration, TWT wake-up interval) in the TWT element can indicate the time window of device (e.g., station) availability, i.e., TWT SP. However, when a periodic time window of availability is indicated by the TWT element to indirectly indicate a time window of unavailability, the start time of the time window of unavailability has the following two cases, i.e., case 0 and case 1, as shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is an example of the two cases of the start time of the time window of unavailability according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG. 7, the announcement time point (ATP) is the time point of reporting or establishing a periodic time window of unavailability, the start time of the time window of availability is unique, and the start time of the time window of unavailability has two cases. When the start time of the time window of unavailability indirectly indicated by the TWT element has two cases, the start time of the time window of unavailability determined by the receiving end according to the TWT element can be different from the start time of the time window of unavailability indicated by the sending end.

[0126] The present application provides a technical solution of indicating the time window of device unavailability by sending the establishment frame, which can make the start time of the time window of unavailability determined by the receiving end according to the establishment frame the same as the start time of the time window of unavailability indicated by the sending end, so as to alleviate or avoid the mutual interference of multiple modules in the device working on the same channel. The embodiments of the present application can be applied to multiple different scenarios, including the communication system shown in FIG. 3, but are not limited to these communication systems.

[0127] The first device and the second device are taken as the execution subjects of the interaction in the present application, but the present application is not limited to the execution subjects of the interaction. For example, the method performed by the second device in the present application can also be implemented by a module (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) in the second device, or a logical node, a logical module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the second device; the method performed by the first device in the present application can also be implemented by a communication module in the first device or a circuit or a chip in the first device responsible for the communication function.

[0128] The method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described below.

[0129] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The first device and the second device involved in FIG. 8 are described above and will not be described in detail here. As shown in FIG. 8, the method includes:

[0130] 801, the first device generates an establishment frame.

[0131] The setup frame includes first information and first indication information. The first information is used for determination of the available time window of the first device. The first indication information is used for indicating the determination manner of the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device. The setup frame can be named as TWT setup frame, or TWT setup request frame, or other frames, which are not limited in the present application. The setup frame is used for determination of the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device, and determination of the unavailable time window and / or the available time window of the first device. In other words, the setup frame is used for determination of the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device, and determination of the unavailable time window and / or the available time window of the first device. In one possible implementation, the setup frame indicates the unavailable time window and / or the available time window of the first device (e.g. AP). In another possible implementation, the setup frame is used for requesting to set the unavailable time window (i.e. sleep period) and the available time window (i.e. active period) of the first device (e.g. STA). In the present application, the unavailable time window and the available time window of the first device can be periodic.

[0132] In one possible implementation, the setup frame carries one or more TWT elements, and the first information and the first indication information are included in the same TWT element. In the present application, the unicast TWT element and the broadcast TWT element can be referred to as TWT element. The format of the TWT element in the setup frame can be the same as the format of the TWT element shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6. As an example, the setup frame carries one TWT element, the first information is used for determination of the unavailable time window of the first device, the first indication information is used for indicating the determination manner of the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device, and the first information and the first indication information are included in the TWT element. As another example, the setup frame is a TWT request message, the setup frame is used for requesting to set a wake-up time, the setup frame carries one unicast TWT element, and the first information and the first indication information are included in the unicast TWT element. As yet another example, the setup frame is a beacon frame, the beacon frame carries one or more broadcast TWT elements, and the first information and the first indication information are included in the same broadcast TWT element. One possible format of the setup frame is shown in Table 1.

[0133] Table 1 (format of setup frame)

[0134] Referring to Table 1, the order refers to the order of the fields (or element fields) in the setup frame, the category field can be used to represent the general type of the message (or frame), i.e. to distinguish different types of action frames; the action field is used to indicate the corresponding specific function; and the dialog token is used to identify a dialog, such as a pair of request and response corresponding to each other can have the same dialog token.

[0135] In a possible implementation, the first indication information contains a bit of an NDP paging indication / unavailable mode field, and the NDP paging indication / unavailable mode field is contained in a control field in a TWT element, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. In this implementation, the first device supports one or more of the 802.11n standard, the 802.11ac standard, the 802.11ax standard, the 802.11be standard, or the 802.11bn protocol, or the first device works in a frequency band higher than 1 GHz, for example, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. As an example, the first device is a station working in 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. The first device is not a station working in a frequency band lower than 1 GHz. In the existing standard, if the station sending the TWT element is a station working in a frequency band lower than 1 GHz (namely, an S1G STA), the NDP paging indication / unavailable mode field is set to 1 to indicate that an NDP paging field exists; otherwise, the field is set to 0. In other words, the current NDP paging indication / unavailable mode field is only used by the S1G STA, and the HT / VHT / HE / EHT / UHR STA is not allowed to use it. In this implementation, the NDP paging indication / unavailable mode field is allowed to be used by the HT / VHT / HE / EHT / UHR STA, and the field is used to indicate the determination manner of the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device, without the need to change other fields in the TWT element, which can better be compatible with the logic of the previous standard, and can save bit overhead.

[0136] In a possible implementation, the establishing the frame further includes second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate that the establishing frame contains the first field, the first field contains the first indication information, and at least one of third indication information and fourth indication information, the third indication information is used to indicate subchannels that are unavailable to the first device in the unavailable time window, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate the transceiving parameter of the first device. The first field can be contained in the TWT element or not contained in the TWT element. In a possible implementation, the second indication information contains bits of an NDP paging indication / unavailable mode field, and the NDP paging indication / unavailable mode field is contained in a control field in the TWT element. The first field can be named as an IDC field or other fields, which are not limited in the present application. As an example, when the value of the bits contained in the second indication information is 1, the second indication information is used to indicate that the establishing frame contains the first field, that is, the first field exists in the establishing frame; and when the value of the bits contained in the second indication information is 0, the second indication information is used to indicate that the establishing frame does not contain the first field, that is, the first field does not exist in the establishing frame. As another example, when the value of the bits contained in the second indication information is 0, the second indication information is used to indicate that the establishing frame contains the first field; and when the value of the bits contained in the second indication information is 1, the second indication information is used to indicate that the establishing frame does not contain the first field. As an example, the third indication information is a subchannel bitmap, the bitmap contains a plurality of bits, each bit in the plurality of bits corresponds to a 20 MHz subchannel (that is, a subchannel with a bandwidth of 20 MHz), and the subchannel bitmap is used to indicate subchannels that are unavailable to the first device in the unavailable time window, for example, subchannels that are unavailable to the first device in the unavailable time window correspond to bits of 1 in the plurality of bits, and subchannels that are available to the first device in the unavailable time window correspond to bits of 0 in the plurality of bits. The fourth indication information is used to indicate some parameters related to transceiving, for example, a maximum modulation and coding scheme (MCS) supported by the first device, a maximum transmit power of the first device, and the like. In the implementation, the establishing frame can further indicate subchannels that are unavailable to the first device in the unavailable time window and / or the transceiving parameter of the first device, and signaling overhead can be saved.

[0137] In a possible implementation, the first indication information is contained in a second field in the setup frame, the second field further contains at least one of third indication information and fourth indication information, the third indication information is used to indicate subchannels unavailable to the first device in the unavailable time window, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate the transceiving parameter of the first device. The second field can be named as an IDC subelement field, or can be named as other fields, which are not limited in the present application. The second field can be a newly defined field, and the second field is not contained in the TWT element. As an example, the setup frame contains a TWT element and the second field, the TWT element contains the first information, and the first indication information is contained in the second field, and the second field further contains at least one of the third indication information and the fourth indication information. In this implementation, the setup frame can further indicate the subchannels unavailable to the first device in the unavailable time window and / or the transceiving parameter of the first device, and signaling overhead can be saved.

[0138] 802. The first device sends the setup frame.

[0139] Correspondingly, one or more second devices receive the setup frame from the first device. The present application takes an example of one second device receiving the setup frame from the first device for description.

[0140] In a possible implementation, the first device sends the setup frame to the second device through unicast, and correspondingly, the second device receives the setup frame from the first device; wherein the first device is a STA, and the second device is an AP, or the first device and the second device are both STAs, or the first device and the second device are both APs. Unicast is a one-to-one communication mode. As an example, the first device is a TWT request station, the setup frame is a TWT request message, and the setup frame is used to request to set an awake time, and the first device sends the setup frame to the second device through unicast. In a possible implementation, the first device sends the setup frame through broadcast or groupcast, and correspondingly, one or more second devices receive the setup frame from the first device; wherein the first device is an AP, and the second device is a STA. Broadcast or groupcast is a one-to-many communication mode. As an example, the first device sends the setup frame through broadcast, the setup frame is a beacon frame, the beacon frame carries one or more broadcast TWT elements, the first information and the first indication information are contained in a same broadcast TWT element.

[0141] In a possible implementation, the second device supports one or more of the 802.11n standard, the 802.11ac standard, the 802.11ax standard, the 802.11be standard, or the 802.11bn protocol, or the second device operates in a frequency band higher than 1 GHz, for example, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. As an example, the second device is an access point operating at 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. The first device is not an access point operating in a frequency band lower than 1 GHz.

[0142] 803. The second device determines, according to the first indication information and the first information, a start time of the unavailable time window of the first device.

[0143] In a possible implementation, the first information includes a target wake time, a TWT wake-up interval, and a TWT wake-up duration; when a value of a bit included in the first indication information is a first value, the first indication information indicates that a determination manner of the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device is: the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device (i.e., the start time of the first unavailable time window in time in case 0 shown in FIG. 7) = the target wake time - (the TWT wake-up interval - the TWT wake-up duration); when the value of the bit included in the first indication information is a second value, the first indication information indicates that the determination manner of the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device is: the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device (i.e., the start time of the first unavailable time window in time in case 1 shown in FIG. 7) = the target wake time + the TWT wake-up duration. As an example, the first value is 1, and the second value is 0. As another example, the first value is 0, and the second value is 1. In this application, the target wake time is a time point, and the TWT wake-up interval and the TWT wake-up duration are time lengths. As an example, the bit included in the first indication information is an NDP-Poll Indication / Unavailability Mode field, which is included in a control field in a TWT element.

[0144] In a possible implementation, the second device further performs the following steps: determining, according to the first information, an available time window of the first device; and determining, according to the available time window of the first device and a start time of the unavailable time window of the first device, the unavailable time window of the first device. As an example, the first information includes a target wake time, a TWT wake interval, and a TWT wake duration; the second device determines the available time window of the first device according to the target wake time, the TWT wake interval, and the TWT wake duration, for example, the available time window shown in FIG. 7; the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device is determined according to the first indication information as: the target wake time-(TWT wake interval-TWT wake duration), for example, the start time of the unavailable time window shown in case 0 in FIG. 7; and the unavailable time window of the first device is determined according to the available time window of the first device and the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device, for example, the unavailable time window shown in case 0 in FIG. 7. As another example, the first information includes a target wake time, a TWT wake interval, and a TWT wake duration; the second device determines the available time window of the first device according to the target wake time, the TWT wake interval, and the TWT wake duration, for example, the available time window shown in FIG. 7; the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device is determined according to the first indication information as: the target wake time+TWT wake duration, for example, the start time of the unavailable time window shown in case 1 in FIG. 7; and the unavailable time window of the first device is determined according to the available time window of the first device and the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device, for example, the unavailable time window shown in case 1 in FIG. 7.

[0145] In some possible implementation, the Wi-Fi module of the first device stops working on some or all of the sub-channels in the unavailable time window of the first device, to avoid interference between the Wi-Fi module and the non-Wi-Fi module working on the same channel. For example, the first device sleeps in the unavailable time window of the first device, to save energy.

[0146] In the embodiments of this application, the second device determines the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device according to the first indication information and the first information, which can accurately determine the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device, and make the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device determined by the second device according to the establishment frame same as the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device indicated by the first device.

[0147] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of another communication method provided by the embodiments of this application. The method flow shown in FIG. 9 is an example of a possible application of the method flow shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 9, the method includes the following steps:

[0148] 901. The first device generates an establishment frame.

[0149] The setup frame includes first information and first indication information. The first information is used for determination of the available time window of the first device. The first indication information is used for indicating the determination manner of the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device. The setup frame can be referred to the description of the setup frame in FIG. 8, which will not be repeated here. The setup frame is used for requesting to set (or to configure) the unavailable time window (i.e. the sleep time period) and the available time window (i.e. the active time period) of the first device (e.g. the STA).

[0150] 902、The first device sends the setup frame to the second device.

[0151] Correspondingly, the second device receives the setup frame from the first device. As an example, the first device is a STA and the second device is an AP. As another example, the first device is a non-AP MLD and the second device is an AP MLD. As another example, the first device is an AP and the second device is a STA. As another example, the first device and the second device are both APs. As another example, the first device and the second device are both STAs.

[0152] 903、The second device determines the unavailable time window of the first device according to the first indication information and the first information.

[0153] As an example, the first information includes a target wake-up time, a TWT wake-up interval and a TWT wake-up duration; the second device determines the available time window of the first device according to the target wake-up time, the TWT wake-up interval and the TWT wake-up duration, e.g. the available time window shown in FIG. 7; the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device is determined according to the first indication information, which is the target wake-up time - (the TWT wake-up interval - the TWT wake-up duration), refer to the start time of the unavailable time window shown in case 0 in FIG. 7; the unavailable time window of the first device is determined according to the available time window of the first device and the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device, refer to the unavailable time window shown in case 0 in FIG. 7.

[0154] As another example, the first information includes a target wake-up time, a TWT wake-up interval and a TWT wake-up duration; the second device determines the available time window of the first device according to the target wake-up time, the TWT wake-up interval and the TWT wake-up duration, e.g. the available time window shown in FIG. 7; the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device is determined according to the first indication information, which is the target wake-up time + the TWT wake-up duration, refer to the start time of the unavailable time window shown in case 1 in FIG. 7; the unavailable time window of the first device is determined according to the available time window of the first device and the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device, refer to the unavailable time window shown in case 1 in FIG. 7.

[0155] 904. The second device sends a response frame to the first device.

[0156] Correspondingly, the first device receives the response frame from the second device. The response frame indicates that the second device agrees with the unavailable time window (i.e. the sleep time period) and the available time window (i.e. the active time period) requested by the first device. The second device can send the response frame to the first device when it agrees with the unavailable time window and the available time window requested by the first device. As an example, the establishment frame is a TWT request message, the response frame is a TWT response message, the first device is a TWT request station, and the second device is a TWT response station. The response station sends the TWT response message to the request station after receiving the TWT request message, and the interaction is successful. Thus, a TWT protocol is established between the request station and the response station. When the TWT protocol is reached, the request station and the response station should keep active in the agreed time period so as to perform data transmission and reception. Step 904 is optional. In one possible implementation, if the first device does not receive a response frame indicating that the second device refuses the unavailable time window and the available time window requested by the first device within a preset time period after the first device sends the establishment frame to the second device, it is determined that the second device agrees with the unavailable time window and the available time window requested by the first device.

[0157] 905. In the unavailable time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the first device stops working on part or all of the sub-channels; and in the available time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the first device keeps active.

[0158] Correspondingly, the second device keeps active in the available time window of the first device so as to perform data transmission and reception with the first device; and does not perform data transmission and reception with the first device in the unavailable time window of the first device. When the Wi-Fi module of the first device is active, the first device can communicate with the second device through the Wi-Fi module or can not communicate with the second device. In one possible implementation, in the unavailable time window of the first device, the first device sleeps to save energy.

[0159] In the embodiments of the present application, in the unavailable time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the first device stops working on part or all of the sub-channels, so as to avoid interference between the Wi-Fi module and the non-Wi-Fi module working on the same channel.

[0160] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method flow shown in FIG. 10 is an example of another possible application of the method flow shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 10, the method includes:

[0161] 1001. The first device generates an establishment frame.

[0162] The setup frame comprises first information and first indication information. The first information is used for determination of the available time window of the first device. The first indication information is used for indicating the determination manner of the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device. The setup frame can be referred to the description of the setup frame in FIG. 8, which will not be repeated here. The setup frame can be a beacon frame, which carries information of one or more broadcast TWTs, each of which is represented by a broadcast TWT identifier and the MAC address of the AP (i.e. the second device). In one possible implementation, the setup frame indicates the unavailable time window and / or the available time window of the first device (e.g. the AP).

[0163] 1002. The first device sends a setup frame.

[0164] Correspondingly, one or more second devices receive the setup frame from the first device, which will be described below by taking one second device as an example. The first device can be an AP, and the second device can be a STA.

[0165] 1003. The second device determines the unavailable time window of the first device according to the first indication information and the first information.

[0166] The step 1003 can be referred to the step 903 in FIG. 9.

[0167] 1004. The second device sends a broadcast TWT setup request message to the first device.

[0168] Correspondingly, the first device receives the broadcast TWT setup request message from the second device. The second device sends the broadcast TWT setup request message to the first device when determining to join a specific broadcast TWT, which is used for requesting to join the specific broadcast TWT, and the broadcast TWT identifier in the broadcast TWT setup request message is used to identify the specific broadcast TWT. After the second device joins a broadcast TWT, the second device can wake up according to the service period (i.e. the available time window) indicated by the TWT parameter set, so as to communicate with the first device. It should be noted that if the second device supports the broadcast TWT but does not explicitly join a specific broadcast TWT, it is by default involved in the broadcast TWT with the broadcast TWT ID = 0.

[0169] 1005. In the unavailable time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the second device stops working on part or all of the sub-channels; in the available time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the second device remains active.

[0170] Correspondingly, the first device remains active in the available time window of the first device, so as to perform data transmission and reception with the second device; and the first device does not perform data transmission and reception with the second device in the unavailable time window of the first device.

[0171] In the embodiments of the present application, the Wi-Fi module of the first device stops working on some or all of the sub-channels in the unavailable time window of the first device, so as to avoid interference when the Wi-Fi module and the non-Wi-Fi module work on the same channel.

[0172] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of another communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The difference between the method flow of FIG. 11 and the method flow of FIG. 8 is that the TWT element in the setup frame indicates the available time window according to the above case 1 (or case 0) by default, and the start time of the corresponding unavailable window is calculated according to the above case 1 (or case 0). Hereinafter, the case that the TWT element in the setup frame indicates the available time window according to the above case 1 (or case 0) by default is described. As shown in FIG. 11, the method includes:

[0173] 1101. The first device sends a setup frame.

[0174] Correspondingly, one or more second devices receive the setup frame from the first device, and hereinafter, the case that one second device receives the setup frame is described. The setup frame includes a target wake time, a TWT wake interval and a TWT wake duration. The setup frame carries one or more TWT elements, and each TWT element includes a target wake time, a TWT wake interval and a TWT wake duration. The format of the TWT element in the setup frame can be the same as the format of the TWT element shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6. In one possible implementation, the setup frame indicates the unavailable time window and / or the available time window of the first device (for example, an AP). In another possible implementation, the setup frame is used to request to set the unavailable time window (that is, the sleep time period) and the available time window (that is, the active time period) of the first device (for example, a STA).

[0175] In one possible implementation, the setup frame further includes at least one of third indication information and fourth indication information, the third indication information is used to indicate the sub-channels that are unavailable to the first device in the unavailable time window, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate the transceiving parameters of the first device. In this implementation, the setup frame can further indicate the sub-channels that are unavailable to the first device in the unavailable time window and / or the transceiving parameters of the first device, so that the signaling overhead can be saved.

[0176] 1102. The second device determines the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device according to the target wake time, the TWT wake interval and the TWT wake duration, and the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device = the target wake time + the TWT wake duration.

[0177] In the embodiments of this application, the second device calculates the start time of the unavailable window according to the above case 1; and the unavailable time window of the first device determined by the second device is the same as the unavailable time window of the first device indicated by the first device.

[0178] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of another communication method provided by the embodiments of this application. The method flowchart shown in FIG. 12 is an example of a possible application of the method flowchart shown in FIG. 11. As shown in FIG. 12, the method includes the following steps:

[0179] 1201. The first device sends a setup frame to the second device.

[0180] Correspondingly, the second device receives the setup frame from the first device. The setup frame includes the target wake time, the TWT wake interval, and the TWT wake duration. As an example, the first device is a STA, and the second device is an AP. As another example, the first device is a non-AP MLD, and the second device is an AP MLD. As another example, the first device is an AP, and the second device is a STA. As another example, the first device and the second device are both APs. As another example, the first device and the second device are both STAs.

[0181] 1202. The second device determines the unavailable time window of the first device according to the target wake time, the TWT wake interval, and the TWT wake duration.

[0182] As an example, the second device determines the available time window of the first device according to the target wake time, the TWT wake interval, and the TWT wake duration, such as the available time window shown in FIG. 7; determines the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device according to the target wake time, the TWT wake interval, and the TWT wake duration, the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device = the target wake time + the TWT wake duration, refer to the start time of the unavailable time window shown in case 1 in FIG. 7; and determines the unavailable time window of the first device according to the available time window of the first device and the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device, refer to the unavailable time window shown in case 1 in FIG. 7.

[0183] 1203. The second device sends a response frame to the first device.

[0184] Correspondingly, the first device receives the response frame from the second device. Step 1203 can refer to step 904 in FIG. 9.

[0185] 1204. In the unavailable time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the first device stops working on some or all of the sub-channels; and in the available time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the first device remains in an active state.

[0186] Correspondingly, the second device keeps active in the available time window of the first device to perform data transmission and reception with the first device, and keeps inactive in the unavailable time window of the first device to perform data transmission and reception with the first device. Step 1204 can refer to step 905 in FIG. 9.

[0187] In the embodiments of the present application, in the unavailable time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the first device stops working on part or all of the sub-channels to avoid interference when the Wi-Fi module and the non-Wi-Fi module work on the same channel.

[0188] FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of another communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The method flow shown in FIG. 13 is an example of another possible application of the method flow shown in FIG. 11. As shown in FIG. 13, the method includes:

[0189] 1301. The first device sends a setup frame.

[0190] Correspondingly, one or more second devices receive the setup frame from the first device, and the following is described by taking one second device as an example. The setup frame includes a target wake time, a TWT wake interval, and a TWT wake duration. The first device can be an AP, and the second device can be a STA. The setup frame can be a beacon frame, and the setup frame carries information of one or more broadcast TWTs. Each broadcast TWT is represented by a broadcast TWT identifier and a MAC address of the AP (i.e., the second device). In one possible implementation, the setup frame indicates the unavailable time window and / or the available time window of the first device (e.g., the AP).

[0191] 1302. The second device determines the unavailable time window of the first device according to the target wake time, the TWT wake interval, and the TWT wake duration.

[0192] Step 1302 can refer to step 1202 in FIG. 12.

[0193] 1303. The second device sends a broadcast TWT setup request message to the first device.

[0194] Correspondingly, the first device receives a broadcast TWT setup request message from the second device. The broadcast TWT setup request message is used to request to join a certain broadcast TWT, and a broadcast TWT identifier in the broadcast TWT setup request message is used to identify the certain broadcast TWT. After the second device joins a certain broadcast TWT, the second device can wake up according to a service period (i.e., an available time window) indicated by a TWT parameter set, so as to communicate with the first device. It should be noted that if the second device supports a broadcast TWT but does not explicitly join a certain broadcast TWT, the second device participates in a broadcast TWT with a broadcast TWT ID = 0 by default.

[0195] 1304、In the unavailable time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the second device stops working on part or all of the sub-channels; and in the available time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the second device remains active.

[0196] Correspondingly, the first device remains active in the available time window of the first device, so as to perform data transmission and reception with the second device; and does not perform data transmission and reception with the second device in the unavailable time window of the first device.

[0197] In the embodiments of the present application, in the unavailable time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the first device stops working on part or all of the sub-channels, so as to avoid interference when the Wi-Fi module and the non-Wi-Fi module work on the same channel.

[0198] FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of another communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The method flow of FIG. 14 is different from the method flow of FIG. 8 in that the wake-up window parameter in the TWT element in the setup frame is the parameter corresponding to the available time window. As shown in FIG. 14, the method includes:

[0199] 1401、The first device generates a setup frame.

[0200] The setup frame includes second information and fifth indication information. The second information is used for determination of the periodic unavailable time window of the first device. The fifth indication information is used to indicate that the first information corresponds to the unavailable time window of the first device. In one possible implementation, the setup frame indicates the unavailable time window of the first device (e.g., an AP). In another possible implementation, the setup frame is used to request to set the unavailable time window and the available time window of the first device (e.g., a STA).

[0201] In a possible implementation, the one or more TWT elements are carried in a setup frame, and the second information and the fifth indication information are included in the same TWT element. The format of the TWT element in the setup frame can be the same as that of the TWT element shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6. The second information can be a wake-up window parameter (for example, including a target wake-up time, a TWT wake-up interval, and a TWT wake-up duration) in the TWT element, which is a parameter corresponding to the unavailable time window; the target wake-up time is the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device, the TWT wake-up duration is the duration of an unavailable time window, and the TWT wake-up interval is the interval between the start times of the two unavailable time windows that are closest in time. In a possible implementation, when the value of the bit included in the fifth indication information is a first value, the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the first information corresponds to the unavailable time window of the first device, for example, the first value is 1; and when the value of the bit included in the fifth indication information is a second value, the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the first information corresponds to the available time window of the first device, for example, the first value is 0.

[0202] In a possible implementation, the bit included in the fifth indication information is an NDP paging indication / unavailable mode field, which is included in a control field in the TWT element, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. In this implementation, the first device supports one or more of the 802.11n standard, the 802.11ac standard, the 802.11ax standard, the 802.11be standard, or the 802.11bn protocol, or the first device works in a frequency band higher than 1 GHz, for example, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. As an example, the first device is a station that works in 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. The first device is not a station that works in a frequency band lower than 1 GHz. In the existing standard, if the station that sends the TWT element is a station that works in a frequency band lower than 1 GHz (namely, an S1G STA), the NDP paging indication / unavailable mode field is set to 1 to indicate that an NDP paging field exists; otherwise, the field is set to 0. In other words, the NDP paging indication / unavailable mode field is currently only used by the S1G STA, and the HT / VHT / HE / EHT / UHR STA is not allowed to use it. In this implementation, the NDP paging indication / unavailable mode field is allowed to be used by the HT / VHT / HE / EHT / UHR STA, and the field is used to indicate that the TWT element carries the unavailable window parameter, namely, the wake-up window parameter in the TWT element is a parameter corresponding to the unavailable time window; no modification is needed to other fields in the TWT element, which can better be compatible with the logic of the previous standard and can save bit overhead.

[0203] 1402. The first device sends a setup frame.

[0204] Correspondingly, one or more second devices receive the setup frame from the first device. The application describes, by way of example, a second device receiving the setup frame from the first device.

[0205] 1403. The second device determines, according to the second information, the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device.

[0206] In the embodiments of the application, the second device determines, according to the second information, the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device, so that the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device can be accurately determined.

[0207] FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of another communication method provided by the embodiments of the application. The method flow shown in FIG. 15 is an example of a possible application of the method flow shown in FIG. 14. As shown in FIG. 15, the method includes:

[0208] 1501. The first device generates a setup frame.

[0209] The setup frame includes second information and fifth indication information. The second information is used for determining the periodic unavailable time window of the first device. The fifth indication information is used for indicating that the first information corresponds to the unavailable time window of the first device. For the setup frame, refer to the description of the setup frame in FIG. 14, which will not be described here. The setup frame is used to request to set (or set up) the unavailable time window (i.e., the sleep time period) and the available time window (i.e., the active time period) of the first device (e.g., a STA).

[0210] 1502. The first device sends the setup frame to a second device.

[0211] Correspondingly, the second device receives the setup frame from the first device. As an example, the first device is a STA, and the second device is an AP. As another example, the first device is a non-AP MLD, and the second device is an AP MLD. As another example, the first device is an AP, and the second device is a STA. As another example, the first device and the second device are both APs. As another example, the first device and the second device are both STAs.

[0212] 1503. The second device determines, according to the second information, the unavailable time window of the first device.

[0213] As an example, the first information comprises a target wake-up time, a TWT wake-up interval, and a TWT wake-up duration; and the second device determines the unavailable time window of the first device according to the target wake-up time, the TWT wake-up interval, and the TWT wake-up duration; wherein a start time of the unavailable time window of the first device is the target wake-up time, a duration of one unavailable time window is the TWT wake-up duration, and an interval between start times of two unavailable time windows with the shortest interval in time is equal to the TWT wake-up interval.

[0214] 1504. The second device sends a response frame to the first device.

[0215] Correspondingly, the first device receives the response frame from the second device. The response frame indicates that the second device agrees with the requested unavailable time window (i.e., the sleep time period) and the available time window (i.e., the active time period) of the first device. As an example, the establishment frame is a TWT request message, the response frame is a TWT response message, the first device is a TWT request station, and the second device is a TWT response station. The response station sends the TWT response message to the request station after receiving the TWT request message, and after the interaction is successful, a TWT protocol is established between the request station and the response station. When the TWT protocol is reached, the request station and the response station should keep active at the agreed time period in order to perform data transmission and reception. Step 1504 is optional. In one possible implementation, if the first device does not receive a response frame indicating that the second device rejects the requested unavailable time window and the available time window of the first device within a preset time period after the first device sends the establishment frame to the second device, it is determined that the second device agrees with the requested unavailable time window and the available time window of the first device.

[0216] 1505. In the unavailable time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the first device stops working on part or all of the sub-channels; and in the available time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the first device keeps active.

[0217] Correspondingly, the second device keeps active in the available time window of the first device in order to perform data transmission and reception with the first device; and does not perform data transmission and reception with the first device in the unavailable time window of the first device. When the Wi-Fi module of the first device is in the active state, the first device can communicate with the second device through the Wi-Fi module, or can not communicate with the second device. In one possible implementation, in the unavailable time window of the first device, the first device sleeps to achieve the purpose of energy saving.

[0218] In the embodiments of the present application, in the unavailable time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the first device stops working on part or all of the sub-channels, so as to avoid interference when the Wi-Fi module and the non-Wi-Fi module work on the same channel.

[0219] FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating another method of communication, according to an embodiment of the present application. The method of FIG. 16 is an example of another possible application of the method of FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 16, the method includes the following steps:

[0220] 1601. The first device generates a setup frame.

[0221] The setup frame includes second information and fifth indication information. The second information is used for determining the periodic unavailable time window of the first device. The fifth indication information is used for indicating that the first information corresponds to the unavailable time window of the first device. For the setup frame, refer to the description of the setup frame in FIG. 14, which will not be repeated here. The setup frame can be a beacon frame, which carries the information of one or more broadcast TWTs, each of which is represented by a broadcast TWT identifier and the MAC address of the AP (i.e., the second device). In one possible implementation, the setup frame indicates the unavailable time window of the first device (e.g., the AP).

[0222] 1602. The first device transmits the setup frame.

[0223] Correspondingly, one or more second devices receive the setup frame from the first device, which will be described below by taking one second device as an example. The first device can be an AP, and the second device can be a STA.

[0224] 1603. The second device determines the unavailable time window of the first device according to the second information.

[0225] Step 1603 can refer to step 1503 in FIG. 15.

[0226] 1604. The second device transmits a broadcast TWT setup request message to the first device.

[0227] Correspondingly, the first device receives the broadcast TWT setup request message from the second device. The broadcast TWT setup request message is used to request to join a specific broadcast TWT, and the broadcast TWT identifier in the broadcast TWT setup request message is used to identify the specific broadcast TWT. After the second device joins a broadcast TWT, the second device can wake up according to the service period (i.e., the available time window) indicated by the TWT parameter set, so as to communicate with the first device. It should be noted that if the second device supports broadcast TWT but does not explicitly join a broadcast TWT, the second device will participate in the broadcast TWT with broadcast TWT ID = 0 by default.

[0228] 1605. During the unavailable time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the second device stops working on some or all of the subchannels; during the available time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the second device remains active.

[0229] Correspondingly, the first device keeps active in the available time window of the first device to perform data transceiving with the second device; and keeps inactive in the unavailable time window of the first device to perform data transceiving with the second device.

[0230] In the embodiments of the present application, in the unavailable time window of the first device, the Wi-Fi module of the first device stops working on part or all of the sub-channels to avoid interference when the Wi-Fi module and the non-Wi-Fi module work on the same channel.

[0231] It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other if there is no special description and logical conflict, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0232] It should also be understood that in some embodiments, the devices in the existing network architecture are mainly exemplarily described, and it should be understood that the specific form of the device is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, devices that can realize the same function in the future are also applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0233] It can be understood that in various method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by the device (such as the first device and the second device) can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used for the device.

[0234] It can also be understood that some optional features in various embodiments of the present application can not depend on other features in some scenarios, or can be combined with other features in some scenarios, and are not limited.

[0235] Those skilled in the art should realize that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is realized in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to realize the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0236] In the following, the communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail in combination with FIGS. 17 to 19. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments, and therefore, the content not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments described above, and some content will not be described again for the sake of brevity.

[0237] The embodiments of the present application can divide the function modules of the first device or the second device according to the method examples. For example, each function module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated in one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function module. It should be noted that the division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division manner can be used. The following will be described by taking the example of dividing each function module according to each function.

[0238] FIG. 17 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device 1700 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1700 can correspond to the functions or steps implemented by the first device in each of the above method embodiments, or can correspond to the functions or steps implemented by the second device in each of the above method embodiments. The communication device can include a processing module 1710 and a transceiver module 1720. Optionally, a storage unit can also be included, which can be used to store instructions (codes or programs) and / or data. The processing module 1710 and the transceiver module 1720 can be coupled with the storage unit. For example, the processing module 1710 can read the instructions (codes or programs) and / or data in the storage unit to implement the corresponding method. Each of the above modules can be independently arranged, or can be partially or entirely integrated. For example, the transceiver module 1720 can include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module can be a transmitter, and the receiving module can be a receiver. The corresponding entity of the transceiver module 1720 can be a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0239] In some possible implementation manners, the communication device 1700 can correspond to the behaviors and functions of the first device in the above method embodiments. For example, the communication device 1700 can be the first device, or can be a component (for example, a chip or a circuit) applied to the first device. The transceiver module 1720 can be used to perform all receiving or sending operations performed by the first device in the embodiments of FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 15, or FIG. 16, and / or other processes for supporting the technologies described herein. The processing module 1710 is configured to perform all operations performed by the first device in the embodiments of FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 15, or FIG. 16, except for the transceiver operations.

[0240] In some possible implementation, the communication apparatus 1700 can correspond to implement behaviors and functions of the second device in the above-mentioned method embodiments. For example, the communication apparatus 1700 can be the second device, or a component (for example, a chip or a circuit) applied to the second device. The transceiver module 1720 can be used to perform all receiving or sending operations performed by the second device in the embodiments of FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 15, or FIG. 16, and / or other processes for supporting the technologies described herein. The processing module 1710 is configured to perform all operations performed by the second device in the embodiments of FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 15, or FIG. 16, except for the transceiver operations.

[0241] FIG. 18 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication apparatus 180 provided by embodiments of the present application. The communication apparatus in FIG. 18 can be the first device or the second device.

[0242] As shown in FIG. 18, the communication apparatus 180 includes at least one processor 1810 and a transceiver 1820.

[0243] In some embodiments of the present application, the processor 1810 and the transceiver 1820 can be used to perform functions or operations performed by the first device, etc. The transceiver 1820 performs, for example, all receiving or sending operations performed by the first device in the embodiments of FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 15, or FIG. 16. The processor 1810 is configured to perform all operations performed by the first device in the embodiments of FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 15, or FIG. 16, except for the transceiver operations.

[0244] In some embodiments of the present application, the processor 1810 and the transceiver 1820 can be used to perform functions or operations performed by the second device, etc. The transceiver 1820 performs, for example, all receiving or sending operations performed by the second device in the embodiments of FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 15, or FIG. 16. The processor 1810 is configured to perform all operations performed by the second device in the embodiments of FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 15, or FIG. 16, except for the transceiver operations.

[0245] The transceiver 1820 is configured to communicate with other devices / apparatuses via a transmission medium. The processor 1810 transmits and / or receives data and / or signaling with the transceiver 1820, and is configured to implement the methods in the above-mentioned method embodiments. The processor 1810 can implement the functions of the processing module 1710, and the transceiver 1820 can implement the functions of the transceiver module 1720.

[0246] Optionally, the transceiver 1820 can include a radio frequency circuit and an antenna, the radio frequency circuit is mainly used for conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and processing of the radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used for receiving and transmitting radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. The input and output devices, such as touch screens, display screens, keyboards and the like, are mainly used for receiving user input data and outputting data to users.

[0247] Optionally, the communication device 180 can further include at least one memory 1830 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 1830 is coupled with the processor 1810. The coupling in the embodiments 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 1810 can operate in cooperation with the memory 1830. The processor 1810 can execute program instructions stored in the memory 1830. At least one of the at least one memory can be included in the processor.

[0248] When the communication device 180 is powered on, the processor 1810 can read the software program in the memory 1830, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 1810 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted, and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal, and transmits the radio frequency signal in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is transmitted to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1810. The processor 1810 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0249] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna described above can be arranged independently of the processor performing baseband processing, for example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna can be arranged remotely from the communication device.

[0250] The specific connection medium between the transceiver 1820, the processor 1810 and the memory 1830 in the embodiments of the present application is not limited. In FIG. 18, the memory 1830, the processor 1810 and the transceiver 1820 are connected through a bus 1840, which is represented by a thick line in FIG. 18. The connection mode between other components is only schematically illustrated and is not limited. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus and the like. For convenience of representation, only one thick line is used in FIG. 18, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0251] In this application, the processor system, application processor, baseband processor, processor circuit or processor core can be collectively referred to as a processor. In the embodiments of the present application, the processor can be a general-purpose 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, which can implement or execute the methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose 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 execution completed by a hardware processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0252] In the embodiments of the present application, the memory can include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), a random access memory (RAM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), a read-only memory (ROM) or a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc. The memory can be any storage medium capable of carrying or storing program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and capable of being read and / or written by a computer (such as the communication device shown in the present application, etc.), but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiments of the present application can also be a circuit or any other device capable of realizing a storage function, used for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0253] FIG. 19 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication device 190 provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 19, the communication device shown in FIG. 19 includes a logic circuit 1901 and an interface 1902. The processing module 1710 in FIG. 17 can be implemented by the logic circuit 1901, and the transceiver module 1720 in FIG. 17 can be implemented by the interface 1902. The logic circuit 1901 can be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit or a system on chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface 1902 can be a communication interface, an input / output interface, etc. In the embodiments of the present application, the logic circuit and the interface can also be coupled to each other. The specific connection mode of the logic circuit and the interface is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0254] In some embodiments of the present application, the logic circuit and the interface can be used to perform the functions or operations performed by the first device described above, etc.

[0255] In some embodiments of the present application, the logic circuit and the interface can be used to perform the functions or operations performed by the second device described above, etc.

[0256] The present application also provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method of the above embodiments.

[0257] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes instructions or a computer program, and when the instructions or the computer program are run on a computer, the method in the above embodiments is performed.

[0258] The present application also provides a communication system, which includes the above-mentioned second device and the above-mentioned first device.

[0259] The explanations and beneficial effects of the related contents in any of the above-mentioned devices can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0260] 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, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0261] The present application is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the method, device (system), and computer program product according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, as well as a combination of flows and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus produce a device that implements the functions specified in one or more flows in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0262] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to work in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer readable storage medium produce a manufactured product including instruction devices that implement the functions specified in one or more flows in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0263] These computer program instructions can also be loaded into a computer or other programmable data processing devices, so that a series of operational steps are performed on the computer or other programmable devices to generate computer-implemented processes, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable devices provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flows in the flowchart and / or one or more blocks in the block diagram.

[0264] Obviously, various modifications and changes can be made to the present application by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, it is intended that the present application embrace all such modifications and changes and, accordingly, the application is not to be limited by the above-described one or more embodiments.

Claims

1. A method of indicating a time window in which a device is not available, characterized by, The method comprises: generating a setup frame, the setup frame comprising first information and first indication information, the first information being used for determination of an available time window of the first device, the first indication information being used for indicating a determination manner of a start time of an unavailable time window of the first device; sending the setup frame.

2. A method of indicating a time window in which a device is not available, characterized by, The method comprises: receiving a setup frame, the setup frame comprising first information and first indication information, the first information being used for determination of an available time window of the first device, the first indication information being used for indicating a determination manner of a start time of an unavailable time window of the first device; determining the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device according to the first indication information and the first information.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first information and the first indication information are contained in a target wake time, TWT, element, and the first indication information contains bits of a null data packet, NDP, paging indication / unavailable mode field.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The first information comprises a target wake time, a TWT wake up interval, and a TWT wake up duration. When the bits contained in the first indication information take a first value, the first indication information is used for indicating that the determination manner of the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device is: the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device = the target wake time - (the TWT wake up interval - the TWT wake up duration). When the bits contained in the first indication information take a second value, the first indication information is used for indicating that the determination manner of the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device is: the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device = the target wake time + the TWT wake up duration.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The setup frame further comprises second indication information, the second indication information being used for indicating that the setup frame contains a first field, the first field containing the first indication information, and at least one of third indication information and fourth indication information, the third indication information being used for indicating sub-channels that the first device cannot use in the unavailable time window, and the fourth indication information being used for indicating a transceiving parameter of the first device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first indication information is contained in a second field in the setup frame, the second field further containing at least one of third indication information and fourth indication information, the third indication information being used for indicating sub-channels that the first device cannot use in the unavailable time window, and the fourth indication information being used for indicating a transceiving parameter of the first device.

7. A method of indicating a time window in which a device is not available, characterized by, The method comprises: receiving a setup frame, the setup frame comprising a target wake time, a TWT wake up interval, and a TWT wake up duration; determining a start time of an unavailable time window of the first device according to the target wake time, the TWT wake up interval, and the TWT wake up duration, the start time of the unavailable time window of the first device = the target wake time + the TWT wake up duration.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The establishing frame further comprises at least one of third indication information and fourth indication information, the third indication information is used for indicating subchannels unavailable to the first device in the unavailable time window, and the fourth indication information is used for indicating a transceiving parameter of the first device.

9. A method of indicating a time window in which a device is not available, characterized by, Comprising: generating an establishing frame, the establishing frame comprising second information and fifth indication information, the second information being used for determination of an unavailable time window of a first device, and the fifth indication information being used for indicating that the first information corresponds to the unavailable time window of the first device; sending the establishing frame.

10. A method of indicating a time window in which a device is not available, characterized by, Comprising: receiving an establishing frame, the establishing frame comprising second information and fifth indication information, the second information being used for determination of an unavailable time window of a first device, and the fifth indication information being used for indicating that the first information is used for determining the unavailable time window; determining a start time of the unavailable time window of the first device according to the second information.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The second information and the fifth indication information are contained in a target wake time (TWT) element, and the fifth indication information contains bits of a null data packet (NDP) paging indication / unavailable mode field.

12. A communications device, characterized by A module for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 11 is included.

13. A communications device, characterized by One or more processors are included, the one or more processors are coupled with one or more memories, the one or more memories are used for storing computer programs or instructions, and the one or more processors are used for executing the computer programs or instructions in the one or more memories, so that the communication device executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores computer programs or instructions, and the computer programs or instructions are executed to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11.

15. A computer program product, characterised in that, When the computer program product runs on the computer, the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 is executed.

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