Communication method, station device, access point device, and communication system

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, a station (STA) device, an access point (AP) device, and a communication system. The communication method comprises: a target STA device receives, on a secondary channel, a multi-user request-to-send (MU-RTS) Trigger frame sent by a first AP device; and on the basis of whether an overlapping basic service set physical layer protocol data unit (OBSS PPDU) is detected before switching to the secondary channel, determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame. The MU-RTS Trigger frame comprises: first duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel; one or more first identification fields, each first identification field being used for identifying whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel; and a second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, the second identification field being used for identifying a channel on which the target STA sends a clear-to-send (CTS) frame used for responding to the MU-RTS Trigger frame. The embodiments of the present application further improve an access mechanism between a primary channel and a secondary channel to meet the transmission requirements of UHR.

Description

Communication method, station device, access point device and communication system TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communication, and in particular to a communication method, a station device, an access point device and a communication system. BACKGROUND

[0002] Currently, the contents researched by Wi-Fi technology, such as Ultra High Reliability (UHR), have the vision of improving the reliability of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) connection, reducing delay, improving manageability, increasing throughput at different Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) levels and reducing device-level power consumption, etc.

[0003] In UHR, in order to reduce access latency, a method of sub-channel access is proposed. Therefore, it is necessary to further improve the access mechanism between the primary channel and the sub-channel to meet the transmission requirements of UHR.

[0004] SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a station device, an access point device and a communication system to further improve the access mechanism between the primary channel and the sub-channel.

[0006] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0007] receiving, by a target station device STA, a multi-user request to send trigger frame (MU-RTS Trigger frame) sent by a first access point device AP on a sub-channel;

[0008] determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether an overlapping basic service set physical layer protocol data unit (OBSS PPDU) is listened to before switching to the sub-channel;

[0009] wherein the MU-RTS Trigger frame comprises:

[0010] first duration information of the sub-channel occupied by the first AP;

[0011] one or more first identification fields, the first identification field being used to identify whether the sub-channel is a temporary channel;

[0012] a second identification field corresponding to each of the first identification fields, the second identification field being used to identify a channel on which a clear to send (CTS) frame sent by a target STA to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame is sent.

[0013] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication method, which comprises:

[0014] Switching, by a first access point device AP, to a secondary channel, and determining a MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0015] Transmitting, in the secondary channel, the MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0016] The MU-RTS Trigger frame comprises:

[0017] First duration information of occupation of the secondary channel by the first AP;

[0018] One or more first identification fields, which are used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0019] A second identification field corresponding to each of the first identification fields, which is used to identify a channel on which a target station device STA transmits a clear to send CTS frame for responding to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0020] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a station device, which is a target station device STA, and the target STA comprises:

[0021] A receiving module, configured to receive, in a secondary channel, a multi-user request to send trigger MU-RTS Trigger frame transmitted by a first access point device AP;

[0022] A first determining module, configured to determine whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether an overlapping basic service set physical layer protocol data unit OBSS PPDU is listened to before switching to the secondary channel;

[0023] The MU-RTS Trigger frame comprises:

[0024] First duration information of occupation of the secondary channel by the first AP;

[0025] One or more first identification fields, which are used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0026] A second identification field corresponding to each of the first identification fields, which is used to identify a channel on which the target STA transmits a clear to send CTS frame for responding to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0027] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide an access point device, which is a first access point device AP, and the first AP comprises:

[0028] a second determining module configured to switch to a secondary channel and determine a MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0029] a sending module configured to send the MU-RTS Trigger frame on the secondary channel;

[0030] The MU-RTS Trigger frame comprises:

[0031] first duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0032] one or more first identification fields, the first identification field being used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0033] a second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, the second identification field being used to identify a channel on which a target station device STA sends a CTS frame for responding to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0034] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a station device, which is a target station device STA, and the STA comprises:

[0035] one or more processors;

[0036] The target STA is configured to perform the communication method described in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide an access point device, which is a first access point device AP, and the first AP comprises:

[0038] one or more processors;

[0039] The first AP is configured to perform the communication method described in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0040] The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication system comprising a station device and an access point device, wherein the station device is a target station device STA, and the access point device is a first access point device AP;

[0041] The first access point device AP switches to a secondary channel and determines a MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0042] The MU-RTS Trigger frame is sent to a target STA on the secondary channel;

[0043] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0044] first time length information of the secondary channel occupied by the first AP;

[0045] one or more first identification fields, the first identification field being used for identifying whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0046] a second identification field corresponding to each of the first identification fields, the second identification field being used for identifying a channel on which the target STA sends a CTS frame for responding to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0047] The disclosure also provides a storage medium storing instructions, when the instructions are run on a communication device, the communication device executes the communication method as described in the disclosure.

[0048] In the disclosure, the target STA determines a time of returning to the primary channel according to whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame and a time of sending the CTS frame, etc., so as to return to the primary channel in time, avoid data loss and transmission delay of the primary channel, and effectively improve system spectral efficiency and throughput. Meanwhile, on the basis of returning to the primary channel in advance, a reasonable returning time is determined to avoid interference to transmission of the OBSS PPDU. Specifically, the first AP and the target STA switch to the secondary channel and perform frame exchange on the secondary channel; and if there are some STAs that do not listen to the OBSS Traffic and the legacy STA does not have secondary channel access capability, the legacy STA still remains in the primary channel. If the first AP and the target STA do not return to the primary channel in time after switching to the secondary channel, the first AP and the target STA cannot communicate with the above-mentioned STAs, resulting in unnecessary data loss and transmission delay.

[0049] Additional aspects and advantages of the disclosure will be described in part in the description that follows, and will become apparent from the description, or can be learned by practice of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0050] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the disclosure, the following introduces the drawings required for the embodiment description. The following drawings only constitute some embodiments of the disclosure, and do not specifically limit the protection scope of the disclosure.

[0051] FIG. 1 is one exemplary schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

[0052] FIG. 2 is one exemplary interactive schematic diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

[0053] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating one of the communication methods provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0054] Figure 4 is a second schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0055] Figure 5 is a third schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0056] Figure 6 is a fourth schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0057] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the target STA proposed in the embodiment of this disclosure;

[0058] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first AP proposed in the embodiment of this disclosure;

[0059] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the terminal proposed in the embodiment of this disclosure;

[0060] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the chip structure proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0061] This disclosure presents a communication method, a site device, an access point device, and a communication system.

[0062] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method, the method comprising:

[0063] The target site device STA receives a multi-user request sent by the first access point device AP on the secondary channel, triggering a MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0064] Whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame depends on whether an Overlapping Basic Service Set Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (OBSS PPDU) was detected before switching to the secondary channel.

[0065] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0066] The first AP occupies the first duration information of the secondary channel;

[0067] One or more first identifier fields, wherein the first identifier fields are used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0068] A second identifier field corresponding to each of the first identifier fields, the second identifier field being used to identify: the channel through which the target STA transmits a clear transmission CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0069] In the above embodiments, the target STA determines the time of returning to the primary channel according to whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame, the time of sending the CTS frame, and the like, so as to return to the primary channel in time, avoid data loss and transmission delay of the primary channel, and effectively improve the system spectral efficiency and throughput. Meanwhile, on the basis of returning to the primary channel in advance, a reasonable return time is determined to avoid interference to the transmission of the OBSS PPDU. Specifically, the first AP and the target STA switch to the secondary channel and successfully access the frame exchange on the secondary channel; and if there are some STAs that do not listen to the OBSS Traffic, and the legacy STA does not have the secondary channel access capability and still remains in the primary channel. If the first AP and the target STA do not return to the primary channel in time after switching to the secondary channel, they will not be able to communicate with the above STAs, resulting in unnecessary data loss and transmission delay.

[0070] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, which comprises:

[0071] Switching, by a first access point device AP, to a secondary channel, and determining a MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0072] Sending, on the secondary channel, the MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0073] The MU-RTS Trigger frame comprises:

[0074] First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0075] One or more first identification fields, the first identification field being used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0076] A second identification field corresponding to each first identification field, the second identification field being used to identify a channel on which a target station device STA sends a CTS frame for responding to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0077] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a station device, an access point device, and a communication system. In some embodiments, the communication method, the signal sending method, the wireless frame sending method, and the like can be replaced with each other, and the information processing system, the communication system, and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0078] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive, but only illustrate some embodiments, and are not specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure. In the case of no contradiction, each step in an embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be combined arbitrarily, for example, the scheme after removing part of the steps in an embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in an embodiment can be exchanged arbitrarily, in addition, the optional implementation manners in an embodiment can be combined arbitrarily; in addition, the embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, for example, part or all of the steps of different embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, an embodiment can be combined with the optional implementation manners of other embodiments.

[0079] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent if there is no special description and logical conflict, and can be referred to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0080] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and not as a limitation on the present disclosure.

[0081] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0082] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one of", "one or more", "a plurality of", "multiple", and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0083] In some embodiments, the writing manner of "at least one of A, B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another case", "responding to a case A, responding to another case B", and the like can include the following technical solutions according to the case: in some embodiments, A (A is executed regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed regardless of A); in some embodiments, A and B are selected to be executed (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, A and B (A and B are executed). When there are more branches such as A, B, C, and the like, it is similar to the above.

[0084] In some embodiments, the writing manner of "A or B" and the like can include the following technical solutions according to the case: in some embodiments, A (A is executed regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed regardless of A); in some embodiments, A and B are selected to be executed (A and B are selectively executed). When there are more branches such as A, B, C, and the like, it is similar to the above.

[0085] The prefix words of "first", "second" and the like in the embodiments of the present disclosure are merely used to distinguish different description objects, and do not constitute limitation on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. The description objects are described in the claims or embodiments in the context of the description, and should not be construed as redundant limitation because of the use of the prefix words. For example, the description object is "field", and the ordinal words before "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not limit the position or order between "fields", and "first" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" modified by them are in the same message or not, nor limit the order of "first field" and "second field". For another example, the description object is "level", and the ordinal words before "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not limit the priority between "levels". For another example, the quantity of the description object is not limited by the ordinal words, and can be one or more. For example, "first device", wherein the quantity of "device" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefix words can be the same or different, for example, the description object is "device", and "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different; for another example, the description object is "information", and "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their contents can be the same or different.

[0086] In some embodiments, "including A", "containing A", "for indicating A", "carrying A" can be interpreted as directly carrying A, or indirectly indicating A.

[0087] In some embodiments, the terms of "in response to", "in response to determining", "in the case of", "when", "when", "if", "if" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0088] In some embodiments, the terms of "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not lower than", "above" and the like can be replaced with each other, and the terms of "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", "below" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0089] In some embodiments, the apparatuses and devices can be interpreted as entities, and can also be interpreted as virtual, whose names are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and in some cases can also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject", and the like.

[0090] In some embodiments, the data, information, and the like can be obtained in compliance with the laws and regulations of the country where the data, information, and the like are obtained.

[0091] In some embodiments, the data, information, and the like can be obtained after obtaining the consent of the user.

[0092] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any element, any row, and any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0093] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 100 includes a target station device (Station, STA) 101 and a first access point device (Access Point, AP) 102.

[0095] In some embodiments, the target station device 101 includes, for example, a wireless communication chip supporting WiFi communication function, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal. Optionally, the wireless communication terminal is at least one of, for example, a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device supporting WiFi communication function, a car with WiFi communication function, a smart car, a Pad, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in smart city, and a wireless terminal device in smart home, but is not limited thereto.

[0096] Specifically, the target station device 101 can be a terminal device or a network device with a wireless fidelity (WiFi) chip. Optionally, the target station device 101 can support multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11bf, 802.11bn, and the next generation 802.11 protocol, but is not limited thereto.

[0097] In some embodiments, the first access point device 102 can be an access point for a mobile terminal to enter a wired network. The AP serves as a bridge connecting the wired network and the wireless network, and its main function is to connect various wireless network clients together and then access the Ethernet network through the wireless network. Specifically, the AP can be a terminal device or a network device with a wireless fidelity chip. Optionally, the AP can support multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11bf, 802.11bn, and the next generation 802.11 protocol, but is not limited thereto.

[0098] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the AP and the STA can be devices supporting multi-link, for example, can be respectively denoted as an access point multi-link device (AP MLD) and a non-access point multi-link device (Non-AP MLD); the AP MLD can represent an access point supporting multi-link communication function, and the non-AP MLD can represent a station supporting multi-link communication function.

[0099] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiments of the present disclosure is for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. It can be known by those skilled in the art that, with the evolution of system architecture and the appearance of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0100] The following embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1 or part of the subject, but are not limited thereto. The subjects shown in FIG. 1 are examples, and the communication system can include all or part of the subjects in FIG. 1, or other subjects other than those in FIG. 1. The number and form of each subject is arbitrary, each subject can be physical or virtual, the connection relationship between each subject is an example, and each subject can be connected or not connected. The connection can be in any way, can be direct or indirect, can be wired or wireless.

[0101] Each embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as a local area network using an 802.11 series protocol. In a WLAN, a basic service set (BSS) is a basic component of a WLAN. A BSS network is composed of station devices having some association within a certain coverage area. One situation of association is that stations directly communicate with each other in an ad hoc network, which is called an independent BSS (IBSS). Another more common situation is that in a BSS network, there is only one central station with a full-time management BSS called an access point device, and other STAs in the network are associated with it. Other stations in the BSS network that are not central stations are called terminals, also called non-AP STAs. Terminals and non-AP STAs are collectively referred to as STAs. When describing STAs, it is not necessary to distinguish between APs and non-AP STAs. In the same BSS network, due to distance, transmission power, etc., one STA cannot detect other STAs far away from it, and the two are each other's hidden nodes.

[0102] FIG. 2 is an interaction diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the above method includes:

[0103] Step 201, a first access point device AP switches to a secondary channel and determines a multi-user request to send trigger (MU-RTS Trigger) frame; wherein the MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0104] First AP occupation information of the first duration of the secondary channel;

[0105] One or more first identification fields, the first identification field is used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0106] a second identification field corresponding to each of the first identification fields, the second identification field being used to identify a channel on which a target station device STA transmits a CTS frame for responding to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0107] In a wireless local area network (WLAN), a channel is usually divided into a primary channel and a secondary channel (or non-primary channel, also known as auxiliary channel, non-main channel); wherein the secondary channel can contain one or more sub-channels. For example, if 20MHz is taken as the basic bandwidth unit for division, when the channel bandwidth is 20MHz, there is only one primary channel with a bandwidth of 20MHz; when the channel bandwidth is greater than 20MHz, one of the 20MHz channels is taken as the primary channel, and the remaining one or more 20MHz channels are auxiliary channels. The primary 20MHz channel is the common channel of operation for stations that are members of the basic service set, and stations in the BSS can compete for channel resources on the primary 20MHz channel.

[0108] In order to reduce the access delay, a non-primary channel access (NPCA) mechanism is proposed, that is, when the transmitting and receiving parties perceive that the primary channel has a device from an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) or a device from another BSS is transmitting a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), a network allocation vector timer (NAV timer) is set and maintained in the primary channel. During the timing of the NAV timer, the device will not attempt to access the channel, thereby avoiding data transmission conflicts.

[0109] Specifically, the NAV timer is a kind of virtual carrier sensing mode. In a WLAN, it is usually determined whether a channel is busy or idle through both physical carrier sensing and virtual carrier sensing, and the current channel is considered idle only when both the physical carrier sensing and the virtual carrier sensing show that the channel is idle. The virtual carrier sensing, that is, the NAV timer maintained by a device, is used to determine whether the channel is idle. The NAV timer is used to define how long the current channel needs to be occupied. For example, when data communication is performed, the device occupying the channel can inform other devices of the time for which the channel is occupied through the Duration field in a data packet. A device that has not acquired channel resources maintains or updates the NAV count value by comparing the Duration field value in the data packet received from other devices. When the NAV count value is 0, the virtual carrier sensing considers that the current channel is idle.

[0110] Specifically, taking the transmission of an OBSS PPDU in the primary channel as an example, in the process of channel contention on the channel, if the primary channel is in an OBSS busy state (OBSS interference), for example, a wireless device monitors a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) sent by a device outside the BSS, the wireless device considers that the primary channel is in the OBSS busy state. If the primary channel is in the OBSS busy state, in order to fully utilize channel resources, the wireless device can switch to the secondary channel for communication, so as to improve the throughput of the communication system and maximize the utilization of channel resources.

[0111] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first AP switches to the secondary channel and determines a MU-RTS Trigger frame. For example, the first AP senses that the primary channel is in an OBSS busy (OBSS Traffic) state and switches to the secondary channel for communication. It can be understood that, in addition to the MU-RTS Trigger frame, it can also be another initial control frame (Initial Control Frame), such as a Buffer Status Report Poll (BSRP) frame or other frames, and the embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit this.

[0112] The first AP carries the following contents (1) to (3) in the MU-RTS Trigger frame:

[0113] Content (1), first duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0114] Content (2), one or more first identification fields, the first identification field being used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel (Temporary Channel), and being used for a STA to determine whether the first AP will switch back to the primary channel;

[0115] a second identification field corresponding to each of the first identification fields, the second identification field being used to identify a channel used by a target STA (a STA corresponding to an Association Identifier (AID) in the User Info field) to send a CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0116] For example, when the first identification field in the User Info field-1 is set to 1, the B0 in the corresponding second identification field is set to 0, and the B1 to B7 are set to 61, 62, 65, respectively, indicating that the channel used by the STA (target STA) corresponding to the AID in the User Info field-1 to send the CTS frame is the lowest 20MHz channel based on the temporary channel, the second lowest 20MHz channel based on the temporary channel, and the lowest 40MHz channel based on the temporary channel, respectively.

[0117] In some embodiments, the first identification field is carried in a User Info field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame; and / or

[0118] the second identification field is carried in a Resource Unit Allocation (RU Allocation) field of the User Info field.

[0119] At step 202, the MU-RTS Trigger frame is sent on the secondary channel.

[0120] At step 203, the target STA receives the MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by the first AP on the secondary channel.

[0121] The target STA that receives the MU-RTS Trigger frame, i.e., the STA matching the AID field in the User Info field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, performs a response operation in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0122] It can be understood that the non-target STA, i.e., the STA not matching the AID field in the User Info field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0123] In some embodiments, the first duration information is carried in a Duration field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0124] The first duration in the first duration information includes a sum of at least two of the following durations:

[0125] a time length for the first AP to send the pending frame;

[0126] a time length for the target STA to send at least one CTS frame;

[0127] a time length for the first AP to send the HE TB PPDU frame;

[0128] a time length for the target STA to acknowledge the HE TB PPDU frame;

[0129] at least one interframe space, which can be a short interframe space (SIFS), an arbitration inter-frame space (AIFS), or the like.

[0130] For example, the first time length is a sum of a time length for the first AP to send the pending frame, a time length for the first AP to send one CTS frame, a time length for the first AP to send the HE TB PPDU if needed, a time length for the first AP to send an acknowledgement of the HE TB PPDU if needed, and a time length for some interframe spaces if needed. The time length of the MU-RTS Trigger frame is ensured to be able to meet a time length for the target STA to send the CTS frame and a time length for the target STA and the first AP to exchange the HE TB PPDU frame.

[0131] In step 204, the target STA determines whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether the target STA listens to the OBSS PPDU before switching to the secondary channel.

[0132] If the target STA does not listen to the OBSS PPDU before switching to the secondary channel, the target STA can send a CTS frame to the first AP after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame, where the CTS frame is used to acknowledge that the target STA receives the MU-RTS Trigger frame, or the target STA can not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0133] If the target STA listens to the OBSS PPDU before switching to the secondary channel, it is determined whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether a channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU and a channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame are overlapped.

[0134] The target STA determines its return-to-main-channel time based on whether it responds to the MU-RTS Trigger frame and the time it sends the CTS frame. This ensures timely return to the main channel, avoiding data loss and transmission delay, and effectively improving system spectral efficiency and throughput. Simultaneously, based on the early return to the main channel, a reasonable return time is determined to avoid interference with OBSS PPDU transmission. Specifically, the first AP and the target STA switch to the secondary channel and perform frame exchange upon successful access. However, if some STAs fail to detect the OBSS PPDU, or if legacy STAs lack secondary channel access capabilities and remain on the main channel, the first AP and the target STA will be unable to communicate with these STAs after switching to the secondary channel if they do not return to the main channel promptly, resulting in unnecessary data loss and transmission delay. Therefore, the first AP and the target STA should return to the main channel before the main channel becomes busy due to the OBSS PPDU.

[0135] Referring to Figure 3, an optional implementation of this embodiment of the present disclosure, applied to a target STA, mainly includes the following steps:

[0136] Step 301: The target STA receives the MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by the first AP on the secondary channel.

[0137] The target STA executes steps 302 and 303 respectively, depending on whether it detected the OBSS PPDU before switching to the secondary channel.

[0138] Step 302: If no OBSS PPDU is detected before switching to the secondary channel, the target STA, after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame, sends a CTS frame to the first AP on the channel identified by the second identifier field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, or the target STA does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0139] If the target STA does not detect the OBSS PPDU before switching to the secondary channel, it can send a CTS frame to the first AP after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame. For example, after a short frame interval, it can send a CTS frame to the first AP in response to the channel indicated by the second identifier field in the User Info field corresponding to the AID. Alternatively, it can choose not to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0140] Step 303, before switching to the secondary channel, listening to the OBSS PPDU, according to whether the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0141] Wherein, step 303 further comprises step 304, step 305, step 306.

[0142] Step 304, the channel occupied by the OBSS Traffic does not overlap with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, then the target STA sends a CTS frame to the first AP after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame and after an interval of 1 short interframe interval; Wherein, the duration in the CTS frame is divided into the following case 1 and case 2:

[0143] Case 1, the first duration does not exceed the duration of the OBSS PPDU occupying the primary channel, and the duration field in the CTS frame is set to the second duration; The second duration is the first duration indicated by the first duration information, minus the sum of the following durations:

[0144] The duration of the target STA sending the CTS frame;

[0145] The duration of the target STA sending the acknowledgement frame;

[0146] The duration of the two interframe intervals;

[0147] If the first duration of the first AP occupying the secondary channel does not exceed the duration of the OBSS PPDU occupying the primary channel, i.e. the time of the OBSS PPDU occupying the primary channel is longer, the first AP and the target STA do not need to return to the primary channel in advance; The Duration field of the CTS frame is set to the second duration, i.e. the first duration of the first AP occupying the secondary channel, minus the duration of sending the CTS frame, the duration of the target STA sending the acknowledgement frame (ACK frame or BA frame) and the duration of the two interframe intervals; That is, within the first duration of the first AP occupying the secondary channel, except for the necessary frame interaction time, the remaining time of the target STA still remains in the secondary channel, without the need to return to the primary channel in advance, avoiding interference on the OBSS PPDU caused by returning in advance.

[0148] Case 2, the first duration exceeds the duration of the OBSS PPDU occupying the primary channel, and the Duration field in the CTS frame is set to the third duration; The third duration is the duration of the OBSS PPDU occupying the primary channel, minus the sum of the following durations:

[0149] a duration of the time that the target STA transmits the CTS frame;

[0150] a duration of the time that the target STA transmits the acknowledgement frame;

[0151] a duration of the two interframe spaces.

[0152] If the first AP occupies the secondary channel for a longer time than the time that the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel, the first AP and the target STA can return to the primary channel in advance, for example, after the time that the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel ends, the first AP and the target STA return to the primary channel in advance. The target STA sets the Duration field of the CTS frame to a third duration, that is, to the time that the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel, minus the time that the CTS frame is transmitted, the time that the target STA transmits the acknowledgement frame (an ACK frame or a BA frame), and the duration of the two interframe spaces; that is, within the time that the first AP occupies the secondary channel, except for the time that the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel and the necessary frame interaction time, the target STA can return to the primary channel in advance in the remaining time (the time that the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel has ended) to avoid data loss and transmission delay of the primary channel, and on the basis of returning to the primary channel in advance, a reasonable return time is determined to avoid interference with the transmission of the OBSS PPDU.

[0153] In step 305, if the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU does not overlap the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, the target STA does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0154] If the channel indicated by the second identification field in the AID corresponding User Info field does not overlap the channel occupied by the OBSS Traffic, the target STA does not respond.

[0155] In step 306, the target STA switches to the secondary channel and listens to the OBSS PPDU before switching, and the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, so the target STA does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0156] If the channel indicated by the second identification field in the AID corresponding User Info field overlaps the channel occupied by the OBSS Traffic, the target STA does not respond to avoid interference with the transmission of the OBSS PPDU when the CTS frame is transmitted on the channel indicated by the second identification field.

[0157] In some embodiments, after the target STA receives the MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by the first AP on the secondary channel, the method further comprises:

[0158] switching to the primary channel before the first time length arrives;

[0159] switching to the primary channel before the third time length arrives;

[0160] switching to the primary channel after receiving the CF-end frame.

[0161] Wherein, the target STA can switch back to the primary channel at the moment before the first time length arrives, before the third time length arrives, or after receiving the CF-end frame; or, at the moment of the first occurrence among the three, switch back to the primary channel.

[0162] Referring to FIG. 4, an optional implementation of the embodiment of the present disclosure is applied to the first AP, mainly comprising the following steps:

[0163] Step 401, the first access point device AP switches to the secondary channel and determines a multi-user request to send trigger (Multi User-Request To Send Trigger, MU-RTS Trigger) frame; wherein, the MU-RTS Trigger frame comprises:

[0164] first time length information of the secondary channel occupied by the first AP;

[0165] one or more first identification fields, the first identification field being used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0166] a second identification field corresponding to each of the first identification fields, the second identification field being used to identify a channel on which a target station device STA sends a CTS frame for responding to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0167] Step 402, sending the MU-RTS Trigger frame on the secondary channel.

[0168] In some embodiments, after step 402, the first AP can perform at least one of the following steps 403 to 405:

[0169] Step 403, if no physical layer start receiving indication information is received within the CTS timeout, it is determined that the MU-RTS Trigger frame is sent unsuccessfully; wherein the physical layer start receiving indication information can be PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication or PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive, if no above information is received within the CTS timeout, the first AP can determine that the MU-RTS Trigger frame is sent unsuccessfully.

[0170] Step 404, if the physical layer start receiving indication information is received within the CTS timeout, and no CTS frame is received before the physical layer receiving completion indication information is received, it is determined that the MU-RTS Trigger frame is sent unsuccessfully; if the physical layer start receiving indication information is received within the CTS timeout, but no CTS frame is received before the physical layer receiving completion indication information (e.g. PHY-RXEND.indication primitive) is received, the first AP can determine that the MU-RTS Trigger frame is sent unsuccessfully.

[0171] Step 405, if the physical layer start receiving indication information is received within the CTS timeout, and a CTS frame is received before the physical layer receiving completion indication information is received, it is determined that the MU-RTS Trigger frame is sent successfully; if the physical layer start receiving indication information is received within the CTS timeout, and a CTS frame is received before the physical layer receiving completion indication information (e.g. PHY-RXEND.indication primitive) is received, the first AP can determine that the MU-RTS Trigger frame is sent successfully.

[0172] In some embodiments, after step 405, the first AP can perform at least one of the following steps 406 to 409:

[0173] Step 406, frame exchange is performed with the STA sending the CTS frame, e.g. transmission of PPDU.

[0174] Step 407, if the received CTS frame includes the CTS frame with the Duration field set to the second time length and the CTS frame with the Duration field set to the third time length, the first AP sends a CF-end frame before the third time length arrives, ends the contention-free period, and switches to the primary channel after sending the CF-end frame; if the CTS frame includes the frame with the second time length and the frame with the third time length, the first AP sends a CF-end frame before the third time length arrives, ends the contention-free period, and switches to the primary channel after sending the CF-end frame; for example, the third time length is shorter than the second time length, the third time length is taken as the time reference to return to the primary channel, so as to avoid data loss and transmission delay of the primary channel.

[0175] Step 408, if the received CTS frame does not include the CTS frame with the Duration field set to the second time length, the first AP switches to the primary channel before the third time length arrives.

[0176] If the CTS frame does not include the frame with the second time length, for example, only the frame with the third time length, the first AP occupies the secondary channel for a longer time than the time length during which the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel; the first AP sends a CF-end frame before the third time length arrives, ends the contention-free period, and switches to the primary channel after sending the CF-end frame; that is, within the time length during which the first AP occupies the secondary channel, except for the time length during which the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel and the necessary frame interaction time, the remaining time (after the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel) the target STA can return to the primary channel in advance, so as to avoid data loss and transmission delay of the primary channel.

[0177] Step 409, if the received CTS frame does not include the CTS frame with the Duration field set to the third time length, the first AP switches to the primary channel before the first time length arrives.

[0178] If the CTS frame does not include the frame with the third time length, for example, only the frame with the second time length, the first AP occupies the secondary channel for a longer time than the time length during which the OBSS PPDU occupies the primary channel; the first AP switches to the primary channel before the first time length arrives; that is, within the first time length during which the first AP occupies the secondary channel, except for the necessary frame interaction time, the remaining time the target STA still remains in the secondary channel, without the need to return to the primary channel in advance, so as to avoid interference on the OBSS PPDU caused by early return.

[0179] In some embodiments, the names of information and the like are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and the terms "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "field", "symbol", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", "chip", and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0180] In some embodiments, the terms "time", "time point", "time instant", and the like can be replaced with each other, and the terms "time length", "time period", "time window", "window", and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0181] In some embodiments, the terms "wireless access scheme", "waveform", and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0182] In some embodiments, the terms "certain", "preset", "pre-set", "set", "indicated", "a certain", "any", "first", and the like can be replaced with each other, and "certain A", "preset A", "pre-set A", "set A", "indicated A", "a certain A", "any A", and "first A" can be interpreted as A specified in advance in a protocol and the like, A obtained by setting, configuration, or indication, and the like, A that is certain, a certain, any, or first, and the like, but are not limited thereto.

[0183] In some embodiments, determination or judgment can be performed by a value (0 or 1) represented by 1 bit, by a true or false value (Boolean value) represented by true or false, by comparison of numerical values (for example, comparison with a predetermined value), and the like, but is not limited thereto.

[0184] In some embodiments, "not expecting to receive" can be interpreted as not receiving in a time domain resource and / or a frequency domain resource, and can be interpreted as, after receiving data and the like, not performing subsequent processing on the data and the like; and "not expecting to send" can be interpreted as not sending, and can be interpreted as sending but not expecting a response to the content of the sending from a receiving side.

[0185] The communication method related to the embodiments of the present disclosure can include the foregoing steps and at least one of the embodiments. For example, step 201 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 202 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 203 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 204 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 301 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 302 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 303 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 304 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 305 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 401 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 402 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 403 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 404 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 405 can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of step 201 and step 202 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 202 and step 203 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 203 and step 204 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 301 and step 302 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 301 and step 303 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 304 and step 303 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 305 and step 303 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 305 and step 303 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 401 and step 402 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 402 and step 403 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 402 and step 404 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 402 and step 405 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 405 and step 406 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 405 and step 407 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 405 and step 408 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step 405 and step 409 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but not limited thereto.

[0186] In some embodiments, other optional implementations described before or after the corresponding description of FIGS. 2 to 4 can be referred to.

[0187] FIG. 5 is one of flow diagrams of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0188] As shown in FIG. 5, the above method can be applied to the target STA 101, and the above method includes:

[0189] In step 501, the target station STA receives a multi-user request to send trigger MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by the first access point AP on the secondary channel.

[0190] determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether an OBSS PPDU is monitored before switching to the secondary channel;

[0191] The MU-RTS Trigger frame comprises:

[0192] first duration information of the secondary channel occupied by the first AP;

[0193] one or more first identification fields, the first identification field being used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0194] a second identification field corresponding to each of the first identification fields, the second identification field being used to identify a channel on which a target STA sends a CTS frame for responding to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0195] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether an OBSS PPDU is monitored before switching to the secondary channel comprises:

[0196] if no OBSS PPDU is monitored before switching to the secondary channel, the target STA sends a CTS frame to the first AP on the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame, or the target STA does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0197] if the OBSS PPDU is monitored before switching to the secondary channel, it is determined whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0198] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame comprises:

[0199] if the channel occupied by the OBSS Traffic does not overlap with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, the target STA sends a CTS frame to the first AP after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame and after a short interframe space;

[0200] The first time length is less than a time length of the OBSS PPDU occupying the primary channel, and a Duration field in the CTS frame is set as a second time length.

[0201] The first time length is greater than a time length of the OBSS PPDU occupying the primary channel, and the Duration field in the CTS frame is set as a third time length.

[0202] The channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU is not overlapped with a channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, and the target STA does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0203] The target STA switches to the secondary channel before listening to the OBSS PPDU, and the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU is overlapped with the channel identified by the second identification field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, and the target STA does not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0204] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second time length is the first time length indicated by the first time length information, minus a sum of the following time lengths, and the difference is:

[0205] A time length of sending the CTS frame by the target STA;

[0206] A time length of sending the acknowledgement frame by the target STA;

[0207] A time length of two short interframe spaces;

[0208] The third time length is a time length of the OBSS PPDU occupying the primary channel, minus a sum of the following time lengths, and the difference is:

[0209] A time length of sending the CTS frame by the target STA;

[0210] A time length of sending the acknowledgement frame by the target STA;

[0211] A time length of two short interframe spaces.

[0212] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by the first AP on the secondary channel, the method further comprises:

[0213] Switching to the primary channel before the first time length arrives;

[0214] Switching to the primary channel before the third time length arrives;

[0215] Switching to the primary channel after receiving the CF-end frame.

[0216] Optionally, in embodiments of the present disclosure, the first duration information is carried in a Duration field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0217] The first duration in the first duration information includes a sum of at least two of the following durations:

[0218] A duration for the first AP to send a pending frame;

[0219] A duration for the target STA to send a CTS frame;

[0220] A duration for the first AP to send a HE TB PPDU frame;

[0221] A duration for the target STA to acknowledge the HE TB PPDU frame;

[0222] A duration of at least one interframe space.

[0223] The communication method related to embodiments of the present disclosure can include the foregoing steps and at least one of the embodiments. For example, step 501 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 502 can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of step 501 and step 502 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0224] In some embodiments, other optional implementations described before or after the corresponding description of FIG. 5 can be referred to.

[0225] FIG. 6 is a second flowchart of a communication method according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0226] As shown in FIG. 6, the method includes:

[0227] Step 601, a first access point device (AP) switches to a secondary channel and determines a MU-RTS Trigger frame;

[0228] Step 602, the MU-RTS Trigger frame is sent on the secondary channel;

[0229] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0230] First duration information of the first AP occupying the secondary channel;

[0231] One or more first identification fields, the first identification field being used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0232] A second identification field corresponding to each of the first identification fields, the second identification field being used to identify a channel for a target station device (STA) to send a CTS frame for responding to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0233] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first time length information is carried in a Duration field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0234] The first time length in the first time length information includes a sum of at least two time lengths of:

[0235] A time length for the first AP to send a pending frame;

[0236] A time length for the target STA to send at least one CTS frame;

[0237] A time length for the first AP to send a HE TB PPDU frame;

[0238] A time length for the target STA to confirm the HE TB PPDU frame;

[0239] A time length of at least one interframe interval.

[0240] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first identification field is carried in a User Info field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0241] And / or

[0242] The second identification field is carried in a Resource Unit Allocation (RU Allocation) field of the User Info field.

[0243] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, after the MU-RTS Trigger frame is sent, the method further includes at least one of:

[0244] If no physical layer start receiving indication information is received within a CTS timeout time, it is determined that the MU-RTS Trigger frame fails to be sent;

[0245] If the physical layer start receiving indication information is received within the CTS timeout time, and no CTS frame is received before the physical layer receiving completion indication information is received, it is determined that the MU-RTS Trigger frame fails to be sent;

[0246] If the physical layer start receiving indication information is received within the CTS timeout time, and the CTS frame is received before the physical layer receiving completion indication information is received, it is determined that the MU-RTS Trigger frame is successfully sent.

[0247] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when it is determined that the MU-RTS Trigger frame is successfully sent, the method includes at least one of:

[0248] exchanging frames with the STA sending the CTS frame;

[0249] If the received CTS frames include a CTS frame with the Duration field set to the second time length and a CTS frame with the Duration field set to the third time length, the first AP sends a CF-end frame before the third time length arrives and switches to the primary channel after sending the CF-end frame;

[0250] If the received CTS frames do not include a CTS frame with the Duration field set to the second time length, the first AP switches to the primary channel before the third time length arrives;

[0251] If the received CTS frames do not include a CTS frame with the Duration field set to the third time length, the first AP switches to the primary channel before the first time length arrives.

[0252] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the second time length is the first time length indicated by the first time length information minus the sum of the following time lengths:

[0253] a time length for the target STA to send a CTS frame;

[0254] a time length for the target STA to send an acknowledgement frame;

[0255] a time length of two short interframe spaces;

[0256] the third time length is a time length for an OBSS PPDU to occupy the primary channel minus the sum of the following time lengths:

[0257] a time length for the target STA to send a CTS frame;

[0258] a time length for the target STA to send an acknowledgement frame;

[0259] a time length of two short interframe spaces.

[0260] The communication method related to the embodiments of the present disclosure can include the foregoing steps and at least one of the embodiments. For example, step 601 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 602 can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of step 601 and step 602 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0261] In some embodiments, other optional implementations described before or after the corresponding description of FIG. 6 can be referred to.

[0262] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a device for implementing any of the above methods, for example, a device comprising units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another device is further provided, comprising units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the network device (such as an access network device, a core network function node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0263] It should be understood that the division of each unit or module in the above device is only a logical function division, and all or part of the units or modules can be integrated into one physical entity or physically separated in actual implementation. In addition, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of processor invoking software: for example, the device comprises a processor connected with a memory, the memory stores instructions, and the processor invokes the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of each unit or module of the device, wherein the processor is a general processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory in the device or a memory outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuit, and the functions of part or all of the units or modules can be implemented by the design of the hardware circuit, and the hardware circuit can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the functions of part or all of the units or modules are implemented by the design of the logical relationship between the elements in the circuit; for another example, in another implementation, the hardware circuit is a programmable logic device (PLD), and taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by a configuration file, so as to implement the functions of part or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above device can be implemented in the form of processor invoking software, or all units or modules can be implemented in the form of hardware circuit, or part of the units or modules are implemented in the form of processor invoking software, and the remaining part is implemented in the form of hardware circuit.

[0264] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capability. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and running capability, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), a digital signal processor (DSP), or the like. In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through a logical relationship of a hardware circuit, and the logical relationship of the hardware circuit is fixed or can be reconfigured. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In the reconfigurable hardware circuit, the processor loads a configuration document to implement the configuration of the hardware circuit. It can be understood that the processor loads instructions to implement the functions of the above part or all units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), and the like.

[0265] FIG. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a station device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, the station device is a target station device STA, and the target STA 700 can include at least one of a receiving module 701, a first determining module 702, and the like.

[0266] In some embodiments, the receiving module 701 is configured to receive a multi-user request to send trigger (MU-RTS Trigger) frame sent by a first access point device (AP) on a secondary channel; and the first determining module 702 is configured to determine whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame according to whether an overlapping basic service set physical layer protocol data unit (OBSS PPDU) is listened to before switching to the secondary channel.

[0267] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0268] first duration information of the secondary channel occupied by the first AP;

[0269] one or more first identification fields, the first identification fields being used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0270] a second identification field corresponding to each of the first identification fields, the second identification field being used to identify a channel on which a target STA transmits a clear to send, CTS, frame for responding to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0271] Optionally, the receiving module 701 is configured to perform at least one of the communication steps (for example, steps 203, 301, 501, but not limited thereto) performed by the target STA 101 in any of the above methods. Details are not described herein again.

[0272] FIG. 8 is a structural schematic diagram of a first AP according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8, the first AP 800 can include at least one of a second determining module 801 and a sending module 802.

[0273] In some embodiments, the second determining module 801 is configured to switch to a secondary channel, and determine a MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0274] The sending module 802 is configured to send the MU-RTS Trigger frame on the secondary channel.

[0275] The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes:

[0276] first duration information of the secondary channel occupied by the first AP;

[0277] one or more first identification fields, the first identification fields being used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel;

[0278] a second identification field corresponding to each of the first identification fields, the second identification field being used to identify a channel on which a target STA transmits a clear to send, CTS, frame for responding to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

[0279] Optionally, the first receiving module 801 is configured to perform at least one of the communication steps (for example, steps 201, 401, 601, but not limited thereto) performed by the first AP 102 in any of the above methods. Details are not described herein again. The sending module 802 is configured to perform at least one of the communication steps (for example, steps 202, 402, 602, but not limited thereto). Details are not described herein again.

[0280] FIG. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a terminal 900 (e.g., a user equipment, etc.) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The terminal 900 can be a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc. supporting a network device to implement any of the above methods, and can also be a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc. supporting a terminal to implement any of the above methods. The terminal 900 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments, and specific implementation can be referred to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0281] As shown in FIG. 9, the terminal 900 includes one or more processors 901. The processor 901 can be a general purpose processor or a special purpose processor, etc., for example, can be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control a communication device (e.g., a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute a program, and process data of the program. The terminal 900 is used to implement any of the above methods.

[0282] In some embodiments, the terminal 900 further includes one or more memories 902 for storing instructions. Alternatively, all or part of the memory 902 can also be outside the terminal 900.

[0283] In some embodiments, the terminal 900 further includes one or more transceivers 904. When the terminal 900 includes one or more transceivers 904, the transceiver 904 performs at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps 201, 202, 203, 301, 304, 402, 401, 402, 406, 501, 602, but not limited to) in the above methods, such as transmitting and / or receiving, and the processor 901 performs at least one of the other steps (e.g., steps 204, 302, 303, 305, 306, 401, 403, 404, 405, 407, 408, 409, 502, 601, but not limited to).

[0284] In some embodiments, the transceiver can include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which can be separate or integrated together. Alternatively, the terms of transceiver, transceiving unit, transceiver, transceiving circuit, etc. can be replaced by each other, the terms of transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, transmitting circuit, etc. can be replaced by each other, and the terms of receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, etc. can be replaced by each other.

[0285] In some embodiments, the terminal 900 can include one or more interface circuits 903. Optionally, the interface circuits 903 are connected with the memory 902, and the interface circuits 903 can be used to receive signals from the memory 902 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory 902 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 903 can read instructions stored in the memory 902 and send the instructions to the processor 901.

[0286] The terminal 900 described in the above embodiments can be a communication device such as a user equipment, but the scope of the terminal 900 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the terminal 900 can not be limited by FIG. 9. The communication device can be a stand-alone device or can be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device can be: (1) a stand-alone integrated circuit (IC), or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a set of one or more ICs, which can optionally also include storage components for storing data, programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, a smart terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handset, a mobile unit, a vehicle-mounted device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, and the like; (6) other devices, and the like.

[0287] FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of a chip 1000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the case where the terminal 900 is a chip or a chip system, the structural schematic diagram of the chip 1000 shown in FIG. 10 can be referred to, but is not limited thereto.

[0288] The chip 1000 includes one or more processors 1001, and the chip 1000 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0289] In some embodiments, the chip 1000 further includes one or more interface circuits 1003. Optionally, the interface circuits 1003 are connected with the memory 1002, and the interface circuits 1003 can be used to receive signals from the memory 1002 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory 1002 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 1003 can read instructions stored in the memory 1002 and send the instructions to the processor 1001.

[0290] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 1003 performs at least one of the communication steps (for example, steps 201, 202, 203, 301, 304, 402, 401, 402, 406, 501, 602, but not limited to) of the above methods, and the processor 1001 performs at least one of the other steps (for example, steps 204, 302, 303, 305, 306, 401, 403, 404, 405, 407, 408, 409, 502, 601, but not limited to).

[0291] In some embodiments, the interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, transceiver, and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0292] In some embodiments, the chip 1000 further includes one or more memories 1002 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memory 1002 can be outside the chip 1000.

[0293] The disclosure also proposes a storage medium, and the above storage medium stores instructions, which, when running on the terminal 900, causes the terminal 900 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the above storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the above storage medium is a computer readable storage medium, but not limited to this, it can also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the above storage medium can be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited to this, it can also be a transitory storage medium.

[0294] The disclosure also proposes a program product, which, when executed by the terminal 900, causes the terminal 900 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the above program product is a computer program product.

[0295] The disclosure also proposes a computer program, which, when running on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The target site device STA receives a multi-user request sent by the first access point device AP on the secondary channel, triggering a MU-RTS Trigger frame. Whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame depends on whether an Overlapping Basic Service Set Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (OBSS PPDU) was detected before switching to the secondary channel. The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes: The first AP occupies the first duration information of the secondary channel; One or more first identifier fields, wherein the first identifier fields are used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel; A second identifier field corresponding to each of the first identifier fields, the second identifier field being used to identify: the channel through which the target STA transmits a clear transmission CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame based on whether an OBSS PPDU was detected before switching to the secondary channel includes: If no OBSS PPDU is detected before switching to the secondary channel, the target STA will send a CTS frame to the first AP on the channel identified by the second identifier field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame, or the target STA will not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame. Before switching to the secondary channel, if the OBSS PPDU is detected, determine whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame based on whether the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps with the channel identified by the second identifier field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

3. The communication method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of determining whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame based on whether the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps with the channel identified by the second identifier field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame includes: If the channel occupied by the OBSS Traffic does not overlap with the channel identified by the second identifier field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, then after receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame, the target STA will send a CTS frame to the first AP in response after a short frame interval of 1. Wherein, the first duration does not exceed the duration for which the OBSS PPDU occupies the main channel, and the Duration field in the CTS frame is set to the second duration; If the first duration exceeds the duration during which the OBSS PPDU occupies the main channel, the Duration field in the CTS frame is set to a third duration; If the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU does not overlap with the channel identified by the second identifier field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, then the target STA will not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame. If the target STA detects the OBSS PPDU before switching to the secondary channel, and the channel occupied by the OBSS PPDU overlaps with the channel identified by the second identifier field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame, then the target STA will not respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

4. The communication method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second duration is the first duration indicated by the first duration information, minus the sum of the following durations, and the resulting difference: The duration for which the target STA sends CTS frames; The duration for the target STA to send the acknowledgment frame; The duration of the interval between two short frames; The third duration is the duration during which the OBSS PPDU occupies the main channel, minus the sum of the following durations, and the resulting difference: The duration for which the target STA sends CTS frames; The duration for the target STA to send the acknowledgment frame; The duration of the interval between two short frames.

5. The communication method according to any one of claims 3 or 4, characterized in that, After receiving the MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by the first AP on the secondary channel, the method further includes: Switch to the main channel before the first duration expires; Before the third duration arrives, switch to the main channel; After receiving the CF-end frame, switch to the main channel.

6. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first duration information is carried in the Duration field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame; The first duration in the first duration information includes the sum of at least two of the following durations: The duration for which the first AP sends a pending frame; The duration for which the target STA sends CTS frames; The duration for the first AP to send HE TB PPDU frames; The target STA confirms the duration of the HE TB PPDU frame; The duration of at least one short frame interval.

7. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The first access point device (AP) switches to the secondary channel and determines the MU-RTS Trigger frame. The MU-RTS Trigger frame is transmitted on the secondary channel; The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes: The first AP occupies the first duration information of the secondary channel; One or more first identifier fields, wherein the first identifier fields are used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel; A second identifier field corresponding to each of the first identifier fields, the second identifier field being used to identify: the channel through which the target site device STA transmits a CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

8. The communication method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first duration information is carried in the Duration field of the MU-RTS Trigger frame; The first duration in the first duration information includes the sum of at least two of the following durations: The duration for which the first AP sends a pending frame; The duration for the target STA to send at least one CTS frame; The duration for the first AP to send HE TB PPDU frames; The target STA confirms the duration of the HE TB PPDU frame; The duration of at least one inter-frame interval.

9. The communication method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, After sending the MU-RTS Trigger frame, the method further includes at least one of the following: If no physical layer start receiving indication is received within the CTS timeout period, it is determined that the MU-RTS Trigger frame transmission has failed. If a physical layer start receiving indication is received within the CTS timeout period, and no CTS frame is received before the physical layer finish receiving indication, it is determined that the MU-RTS Trigger frame transmission has failed. If a physical layer starts receiving indication information within the CTS timeout period is received, and a CTS frame is received before the physical layer finishes receiving indication information, it is determined that the MU-RTS Trigger frame was successfully transmitted.

10. The communication method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method for determining that the MU-RTS Trigger frame has been successfully transmitted includes at least one of the following: Perform frame exchange with the STA that sent the CTS frame; If the received CTS frames include CTS frames with the Duration field set to the second duration and the Duration field set to the third duration, then the first AP sends a CF-end frame before the third duration arrives, and switches to the main channel after sending the CF-end frame; If the received CTS frames do not include CTS frames with the Duration field set to the second duration, then the first AP switches to the primary channel before the third duration arrives; If the received CTS frames do not include CTS frames with the Duration field set to the third duration, then the first AP switches to the primary channel before the first duration arrives.

11. The communication method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The second duration is the first duration indicated by the first duration information, minus the sum of the following durations, and the resulting difference: The duration for the target STA to send CTS frames; The duration for the target STA to send the acknowledgment frame; The duration of the interval between two short frames; The third duration is the duration during which the OBSS PPDU occupies the main channel, minus the sum of the following durations, and the resulting difference: The duration for which the target STA sends CTS frames; The duration for the target STA to send the acknowledgment frame; The duration of the interval between two short frames.

12. A site device, wherein the site device is a target site device (STA), characterized in that, Target STAs include: The receiving module is used to receive the MU-RTS Trigger frame sent by the first access point device (AP) on the secondary channel; The first determining module is used to determine whether to respond to the MU-RTS Trigger frame based on whether an Overlapping Basic Service Set Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (OBSS PPDU) was detected before switching to the secondary channel. The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes: The first AP occupies the first duration information of the secondary channel; One or more first identifier fields, wherein the first identifier fields are used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel; A second identifier field corresponding to each of the first identifier fields, the second identifier field being used to identify: the channel through which the target STA transmits a clear transmission CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

13. An access point device, wherein the access point device is a first access point device (AP), characterized in that, The first AP includes: The second determining module is used to switch to the secondary channel and determine the MU-RTS Trigger frame; The transmitting module is used to transmit the MU-RTS Trigger frame on the secondary channel; The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes: The first AP occupies the first duration information of the secondary channel; One or more first identifier fields, wherein the first identifier fields are used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel; A second identifier field corresponding to each of the first identifier fields, the second identifier field being used to identify: the channel through which the target site device STA transmits a CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

14. A site device, wherein the site device is a target site device (STA), characterized in that, include: One or more processors; The target STA is used to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

15. An access point device, wherein the access point device is a first access point device (AP), characterized in that, include: One or more processors; The first AP is used to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 7 to 11.

16. A communication system, characterized in that, It includes site equipment and access point equipment; wherein, the site equipment is a target site equipment (STA), and the access point equipment is a first access point equipment (AP); The first access point device (AP) switches to the secondary channel and determines the MU-RTS Trigger frame. On the secondary channel, the MU-RTS Trigger frame is sent to the target STA; The MU-RTS Trigger frame includes: The first AP occupies the first duration information of the secondary channel; One or more first identifier fields, wherein the first identifier fields are used to identify whether the secondary channel is a temporary channel; A second identifier field corresponding to each of the first identifier fields, the second identifier field being used to identify: the channel through which the target STA transmits a CTS frame in response to the MU-RTS Trigger frame.

17. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction is executed on the communication device, the communication device performs the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or performs the communication method as described in any one of claims 7 to 11.

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