Wireless communication method, first AP, and first sta

Abstract

The present application belongs to the field of communications, and discloses a wireless communication method, a first AP, and a first STA. The wireless communication method of the embodiments of the present application comprises: a first AP determines a first coordination set and a first coordination parameter by means of a mode in which negotiation is performed with an STA associated with the first AP. The first coordination set comprises a first STA participating in coordinated transmission among STAs associated with the first AP, and the first coordination parameter comprises a coordination method of the first STA and a coordination parameter of the first STA. In the present application, the first STA coordination method and the coordination parameter of the first STA are determined by means of negotiation while the first coordination set is determined, thereby preventing repeated signaling caused by repeatedly executing a coordination method when negotiating a corresponding coordination parameter according to the procedure of each coordination method. Thus, not only can protocol redundancy be reduced, but also the scalability of a solution can be improved.

Description

Wireless communication method, first AP and first STA

[0001] Cross Reference to Related Applications

[0002] The present application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202410873700.5 and titled "Wireless communication method, first AP and first STA" filed on July 01, 2024 with the China Patent Office, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application belongs to the technical field of communication, specifically to the technical field of local area network and the technical field of network optimization, and more specifically relates to a wireless communication method, a first AP and a first STA. BACKGROUND

[0004] Coordinated Multi-AP (CMAP) technology refers to a technology of coordinating transmission between multiple APs. The CMAP technology can achieve deterministic sharing of the medium and avoid collision between hidden nodes. In addition, the CMAP technology is used to solve the Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) problem in a multi-AP network, that is, to achieve higher spectrum efficiency and better link quality through Media Access Control (MAC) coordination.

[0005] In the related art, the CMAP technology includes various coordination methods such as Coordinated Spatial Reuse (C-SR), Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access (C-TDMA), Coordinated Orthogonal Frequency-Division Access (C-OFDMA), and Coordinated Restricted Target Wake Time (C-RTWT), and the various coordination methods are implemented through corresponding coordination processes.

[0006] However, different coordination methods define some same operations or signaling, for example, both define signaling related to establishing a coordination set, and the definition of the same operations or signaling by different coordination methods causes protocol redundancy and lack of easy scalability for similar functions in the future. SUMMARY

[0007] The embodiment of the present application provides a wireless communication method, a first AP and a first STA, which can not only reduce protocol redundancy, but also improve the expansibility of the scheme.

[0008] In a first aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a wireless communication method, comprising:

[0009] The first AP determines a first cooperation set and a first cooperation parameter by negotiating with a station STA associated with the first AP.

[0010] The first cooperation set comprises a first STA participating in cooperation transmission among STAs associated with the first AP, and the first cooperation parameter comprises a cooperation method of the first STA and a cooperation parameter of the first STA.

[0011] In a second aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a wireless communication method, comprising:

[0012] The first STA determines a first cooperation set and a first cooperation parameter by negotiating with a first access point AP.

[0013] The first cooperation set comprises the first STA, and the first cooperation parameter comprises a cooperation method of the first STA and a cooperation parameter of the first STA.

[0014] In a third aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a first AP, comprising:

[0015] The processing module is configured to determine a first cooperation set and a first cooperation parameter by negotiating with a station STA associated with the first AP.

[0016] The first cooperation set comprises a first STA participating in cooperation transmission among STAs associated with the first AP, and the first cooperation parameter comprises a cooperation method of the first STA and a cooperation parameter of the first STA.

[0017] In a fourth aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a first STA, comprising:

[0018] The processing module is configured to determine a first cooperation set and a first cooperation parameter by negotiating with a first access point AP.

[0019] The first cooperation set comprises the first STA, and the first cooperation parameter comprises a cooperation method of the first STA and a cooperation parameter of the first STA.

[0020] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a first AP, configured to perform the method in the first aspect or various implementation manners thereof.

[0021] In an implementation manner, the first AP can comprise a processing module, configured to perform functions related to information processing. For example, the processing module can be a processor.

[0022] In an implementation manner, the first AP can comprise a sending module and / or a receiving module. The sending module is configured to perform functions related to sending, and the receiving module is configured to perform functions related to receiving. For example, the sending module can be a transmitter or a transmitter, and the receiving module can be a receiver or a receiver. For another example, the first AP is a communication chip, the sending module can be an input circuit or an interface of the communication chip, and the receiving module can be an output circuit or an interface of the communication chip.

[0023] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a first STA, configured to perform the method in the second aspect or various implementation manners thereof. Specifically, the first STA comprises a functional module configured to perform the method in the second aspect or various implementation manners thereof.

[0024] In an implementation manner, the first STA can comprise a processing module, configured to perform functions related to information processing. For example, the processing module can be a processor.

[0025] In an implementation manner, the first STA can comprise a sending module and / or a receiving module. The sending module is configured to perform functions related to sending, and the receiving module is configured to perform functions related to receiving. For example, the sending module can be a transmitter or a transmitter, and the receiving module can be a receiver or a receiver. For another example, the first STA is a communication chip, the sending module can be an input circuit or an interface of the communication chip, and the receiving module can be an output circuit or an interface of the communication chip.

[0026] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a first AP, comprising a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to invoke and run the computer program stored in the memory, so as to perform the method in the first aspect or various implementation manners thereof.

[0027] In an implementation manner, the processor is one or more, and the memory is one or more.

[0028] In an implementation manner, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory and the processor can be separately arranged.

[0029] In an implementation form, the first AP further comprises a transmitter and a receiver.

[0030] In an implementation form, the first STA further comprises a transmitter and a receiver.

[0031] In an implementation form, the processor is one or more and the memory is one or more.

[0032] In an implementation form, the memory can be integrated with the processor or the memory is separate from the processor.

[0033] In an implementation form, the first STA further comprises a transmitter and a receiver.

[0034] In an implementation form, the chip is configured to cause a device in which the chip is installed to perform the method of any one of the first aspect to the second aspect or any implementation form thereof.

[0035] In an implementation form, the computer-readable storage medium stores computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of the first aspect to the second aspect or any implementation form thereof.

[0036] In an implementation form, the computer program product comprises computer program instructions, which cause a computer to perform the method of any one of the first aspect to the second aspect or any implementation form thereof.

[0037] In an implementation form, the computer program, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of the first aspect to the second aspect or any implementation form thereof.

[0038] Based on the above technical solution, the first AP determines the first cooperation set and the first cooperation parameter through negotiation with the station STA associated with the first AP; wherein the first cooperation set includes the first STA participating in cooperation transmission among the STAs associated with the first AP, and the first cooperation parameter includes the cooperation method of the first STA and the cooperation parameter of the first STA. That is, the first AP can determine the cooperation method of the first STA and the cooperation parameter of the first STA at the same time of determining the first cooperation set through negotiation with the station STA associated with the first AP, that is, the cooperation method of the first STA and the corresponding cooperation parameter can be directly negotiated in multiple cooperation methods at one time, avoiding repeated signaling of repeated cooperation methods when negotiating the corresponding cooperation parameter according to the flow of each cooperation method, thereby not only reducing protocol redundancy, but also improving the scalability of the scheme. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0039] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0040] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a non-dense WLAN network according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0041] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a dense WLAN network according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0042] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a dense WLAN cooperation network according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0043] FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a general flow of CMAP transmission according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0045] FIG. 7 is an example of a dense network of a distributed architecture according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0046] FIG. 8 is an example of a dense network of a cooperation architecture according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0047] FIG. 9 is another example of a dense network of a cooperation architecture according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0048] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a maintenance flow of multi-AP scheduling according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0049] FIG. 11 is another schematic flowchart of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0050] FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a first AP according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0051] FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of a first STA according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0052] FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0053] FIG. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all of them. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0055] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising", "containing" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device that includes a list of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or further includes elements inherent in such a process, method, article or device. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" and the like referred to herein are only used to distinguish different objects, and are not used to describe a specific order. In the embodiments of the present application, "one / term" means one / term or multiple / term, "multiple / term" means two / term or more, and "at least two / term" means two / term or more. "At least one / term" or the like can refer to any combination of these terms. For example, at least one / term of a, b or c can mean "a", "b", "c", "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c". In the embodiments of the present application, "and / or" means that the connected objects can have three relationships, for example, "A and / or B" can mean that there are three schemes of only A, only B and A and B at the same time. The character " / " generally means that the front and rear associated objects have an "or" relationship. In the embodiments of the present application, "indication" can be direct indication or indirect indication. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; or it can mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C, for example, B and C have an associated relationship.

[0056] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, such as a WiFi protocol. The WiFi protocol may, for example, include but is not limited to 802.11 series protocols, such as 802.11a, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11b, 802.11be, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11bn, or a next-generation protocol.

[0057] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 100 can include an access point (AP) 110 and a station (STA) 120.

[0059] The AP 110 can support communication or sensing based on a WiFi protocol, for example, support communication or sensing based on 802.11a, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11b, 802.11be, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11bn, or a next-generation protocol.

[0060] The STA 120 can support communication or sensing based on a WiFi protocol, for example, support communication or sensing based on 802.11a, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11b, 802.11be, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11bn, or a next-generation protocol. The STA 120 can also be referred to as a non-AP station (non-AP STA), an access point or an access point station (AP STA), in other words, in some sense, the AP 110 is also a kind of station.

[0061] As an example, the AP 110 and the STA 120 can be devices in a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network, Internet of Things (IoT) nodes, sensors, etc. in an Internet of Things (IoT) network, smart cameras, smart remote controls, smart water meters, smart electricity meters, etc. in a smart home, and sensors, etc. in a smart city.

[0062] As another example, the AP 110 can be a terminal device (such as a mobile phone or the like) or a network device (such as a router or the like) with a WiFi chip. The STA 120 can be a mobile phone, a tablet, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless device in industrial control, a set-top box, a wireless device in self-driving, a vehicle-mounted communication device, a wireless device in remote medical, a wireless device in smart grid, a wireless device in transportation safety, a wireless device in smart city, a wireless device in smart home, a vehicle-mounted communication device, a wireless communication chip / application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) / system on chip (SOC), a wearable device, and the like, which support WLAN / WiFi technology. The wearable device can also be referred to as a wearable smart device, which is a general term for devices that are designed and developed by applying wearable technology to daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes.

[0063] It should be noted that the communication in the communication system 100 can include communication between the AP 110 and the STA 120, communication between the STA 120 and the STA 120, and communication between the AP 110 and other access points. The AP 110 serves as a bridge connecting a wired network and a wireless network, and mainly functions to connect various wireless network clients together and then access the wireless network to the Ethernet.

[0064] The AP 110 and the STA 120 can support multi-band communication, for example, simultaneously communicating on 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, and 60 GHz bands, or simultaneously communicating on different channels of the same band (or different bands), to improve the communication throughput and / or reliability between devices. In this case, the AP 110 and the STA 120 are both referred to as multi-band devices or multi-link devices (MLD), and sometimes referred to as multi-link entities or multi-band entities. For example, the AP 110 is an AP multi-link device (AP MLD), and the STA 120 is a STA multi-link device (STA MLD).

[0065] For example, a device with multi-link simultaneous transmission can be referred to as a multi-link device (MLD), and similarly, an AP with multi-link functionality can be referred to as an AP MLD, and a STA with multi-link functionality can be referred to as a STA MLD.

[0066] For example, an AP MLD can include one or more AP logical entities, and a STA MLD can include one or more STA logical entities (for example, multiple non-AP STA logical entities). Alternatively, an MLD including one or more AP logical entities can be referred to as an AP MLD, and an MLD including one or more STA logical entities can be referred to as a STA MLD. Multiple links can be formed between the AP logical entities in the AP MLD and the STA logical entities in the STA MLD, and data communication can be performed between the AP logical entities in the AP MLD and the corresponding STA logical entities in the STA MLD through the corresponding links.

[0067] It should be understood that FIG. 1 is only an example of the present application and should not be construed as limiting the present application. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates one access point and two stations, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the communication system 100 can include multiple access points, or other numbers of stations. For another example, the communication system 100 can further include other devices, such as a network controller, a gateway, and other network entities.

[0068] To facilitate understanding of the schemes provided in the present application, the related technologies and terms are described below.

[0069] (1) Various cooperation methods.

[0070] Coordinated Spatial Reuse (C-SR), Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access (C-TDMA), Coordinated Orthogonal Frequency-Division Access (C-OFDMA), Coordinated Restricted Target Wake Time (C-RTWT).

[0071] C-SR mainly includes C-SR Preparation, C-SR Setup, C-SR Trigger, C-SR Data & ACK. C-SR Preparation mainly includes Capability Announce, Measurement Announce, Measurement Result Request and Response. Capability Announce is essentially the ability to establish a coordination set. APs can discover each other by receiving beacon frames or management frames sent by neighboring APs. Before C-SR transmission, the STA participating in C-SR needs to go through the measurement stage to understand the path loss from the OBSS AP. The AP requests its STA to report the RSSI measured from the neighboring AP and the associated AP. In the C-SR setup stage, the AP that will obtain the transmission opportunity (TXOP) to send data can be the master AP. The master AP (Sharing AP) finally selects the slave AP (Shared AP). In the C-SR trigger stage, the master AP triggers the slave AP and informs the information including the available transmission time, resource allocation, the start time of the ACK frame, etc. In the C-SR transmission stage, the slave AP determines the maximum transmission power to meet the interference control condition, and the master AP and the slave AP can respectively send data to the associated STA.

[0072] C-TDMA mainly includes CMAP Setup and Coordination Scheme Based Transmission. CMAP Setup stage includes Multi-AP Set Configuration and Multi-AP Selection. Multi-AP Set Configuration means that APs discover each other by receiving beacon frames or management frames and negotiate to configure a Multi-AP Set, which is the capability declaration of C-SR procedure. Multi-AP Selection means that the Master AP selects Slave APs from the configured Multi-AP Set, which is the setup stage of C-SR procedure. Coordination Scheme Based Transmission includes TXOP Sharing and Data Transmission. TXOP Sharing means that the Master AP allocates part of TXOP to Slave APs. Data Transmission means that Slave APs can transmit one or more PPDU in the allocated time period.

[0073] C-OFDMA is similar to C-TDMA procedure. C-OFDMA procedure mainly includes Indication & Request, Schedule Allocation, Data Transmission. Indication means that neighboring APs learn TXOP owner's acquired TXOP. Request means that TXOP owner learns neighboring APs' intention to participate in CMAP. Indication & Request stage is similar to C-TDMA's Multi-AP Set Configuration. In Schedule Allocation stage, TXOP owner tells participating APs their allocated sub-channels, allocated TXOP duration and transmission start time. Participating APs can tell their STAs the allocated sub-channels, allocated TXOP duration and transmission start time. In Data Transmission stage, participating APs start transmission from the transmission start time and use their allocated sub-channels for transmission within the allocated TXOP duration.

[0074] C-RTWT mainly includes C-RTWT coordination among APs, announcement of each AP to associated STAs, and C-RTWT schedule execution. During the C-RTWT coordination among APs, APs exchange RTWT scheduling information for coordination. As a result of C-RTWT coordination, APs obtain the coordinated RTWT schedule. C-RTWT scheduling among APs is performed through frames containing TWT parameter sets for coordination request and / or coordination response. After completing the R-TWT coordination with each other, the AP and the OBSS AP announce the agreed / negotiated C-RTWT schedule or timetable to the respective associated STAs through the beacon frame in the announcement of each AP to associated STAs scheduling stage. According to the announcement, the STA supporting RTWT will request to join the C-RTWT announced by the associated AP. In the C-RTWT schedule execution stage, the STA should end its TXOP before the start time of the C-RTWT schedule of the associated AP. If the STA supporting RTWT joins the C-RTWT schedule, it can transmit / receive delay-sensitive traffic during the C-RTWT schedule of the associated AP.

[0075] Through analysis, the following differences exist among various coordination methods:

[0076] 1. Different understanding of channel state information. For example, C-SR needs to measure path loss.

[0077] 2. Different shared or negotiated information. For example, Tx / Rx time scheduling (C-TDMA), Tx power (C-SR), Tx / Rx RU allocation (C-OFDMA), etc.

[0078] 3. Different requirements for time synchronization. For example, C-OFDMA requires synchronization.

[0079] 4. Different requirements for data sharing. For example, considering future joint transmission (JT), it is possible to share data between transmission APs.

[0080] The following commonalities exist among various coordination methods:

[0081] 1. Establishing a coordination set, which requires identifying a group of APs before multi-AP operation, for example, two APs can be sufficient for C-TDMA, but for other multi-AP operations (such as C-RTWT, C-SR), the AP group can be larger.

[0082] 2. Negotiating coordination parameters, which requires sharing coordination information between APs, such as Tx / Rx time scheduling, Tx power, Tx / Rx RU allocation.

[0083] 3. Data transmission after negotiation.

[0084] Since each collaboration method has differences, one route is that each collaboration method is developed independently. The defect is that different collaboration methods will repeatedly define the signaling of the same operation, resulting in protocol redundancy, and lack of easy scalability for similar future functions. In addition to this, each collaboration method is developed independently, and when there are multiple collaboration methods in a service period (SP), each collaboration method is generally enabled in series one by one, which will result in a large negotiation delay.

[0085] Since each collaboration method has commonalities, another route is to unify each collaboration method, that is, to define a general framework, to reduce repeated signaling and reduce protocol redundancy by using the commonalities between collaboration methods, and to consider the easy scalability of similar future functions, such as collaborative multi-link operation. The unified collaboration method mainly includes multi-AP probing, multi-AP selection, multi-AP transmission and the like. Among them, multi-AP probing and multi-AP selection both belong to establishing a collaboration set. In the multi-AP transmission stage, a trigger frame (TF) is introduced, and the master AP sends the TF to start multi-AP transmission. The functions of the TF include synchronization and resource allocation: synchronize all APs to ensure that the transmission of all APs starts and ends at the same time; allocate resources for slave APs. The scheme provided in the present application perfects the general framework of the collaboration method, so that the general framework can be compatible with each collaboration method. Moreover, in order to consider the universality and easy scalability of the scheme provided in the present application, an interface can also be reserved in advance for future collaboration methods, further enhancing the universality and easy scalability.

[0086] (2) Multi-AP technology.

[0087] The framework involved in the multi-AP technology includes a non-dense WLAN network, a dense WLAN network, and a dense WLAN collaboration network.

[0088] For a non-dense WLAN network, the access networks (BSSs) corresponding to each AP run independently. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the BSS formed by AP 1 and STA 11 runs independently, the BSS formed by AP 2 and STA 21 runs independently, and the BSS formed by AP 3 and STA 31 runs independently, and the solid line represents the connection of data and management channels. The specific description is as follows: the spatial distance between each AP network is far or near; when the spatial distance between the AP networks is far, independent running has no interference; when the spatial distance between the AP networks is near, independent running has interference.

[0089] For a dense WLAN network, both the management and data channels are distributed networks. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the BSS formed by AP 1 and STA 11 operates independently, the BSS formed by AP 2 and STA 21 operates independently, and the BSS formed by AP 3 and STA 31 operates independently. The solid lines represent data and management channel connections, and the dashed lines represent possible interference. In detail, each AP corresponds to an independent access network; the spatial distance between each AP network is close (dense); and each AP data and signaling is independent of each other, which leads to OBSS between each AP network and serious edge interference. The edge interference greatly reduces the overall network throughput or efficiency.

[0090] For a dense WLAN cooperative network, the management channel is a tree network (close to a centralized network), and the data channel is a distributed network. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, AP 1 is a master AP, and AP 2 and AP 3 are slave APs. The master AP controls the operation of the slave APs. The solid lines represent data channel connections, and the dotted lines represent management channel connections. In detail, each AP corresponds to a non-independent or controlled management channel. The spatial distance between each AP network is close (dense). The controlled network controls the interference at the edge of the AP network to improve the overall network throughput or efficiency. The controlled network controls the spatial, temporal, and frequency resources at the edge of the network to form an orthogonal or approximately orthogonal resource set, thereby eliminating or reducing interference. It should be understood that the purpose of cooperation is for each BSS (including an AP and corresponding STAs) to cooperate or coordinate to utilize the spatial, temporal, and frequency domain resources at the edge of the network to form an orthogonal or approximately orthogonal transmission resource set, thereby eliminating or reducing edge interference. The essence is interference coordination. Further, joint transmission: the APs of each BSS form a distributed Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) one end (data joint processing), and the STAs of each BSS form a distributed MIMO (Multiple users-multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO), which cannot be jointly processed in the downlink) the other end. The essence is that distributed MIMO utilizes interference.

[0091] However, most cooperative methods are only applicable to centralized architectures, which cannot meet the application requirements of simultaneously supporting centralized architectures (such as enterprise management architectures) and distributed architectures (such as non-enterprise management architectures). The distributed architecture can be as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, and the centralized architecture can be as shown in FIG. 4. The wireless communication method provided in the present application can meet the application requirements of supporting centralized architectures and distributed architectures.

[0092] FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart of a wireless communication method 200 provided by embodiments of the present application, which can be performed by a first AP. The first AP can be the AP 110 shown in FIG. 1. It should be understood that the wireless communication method provided by the present application can be a general method of multi-AP cooperation or a method of multi-AP cooperation.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 5, the method 200 can include the following parts or all of them:

[0094] S210, the first AP determines a first cooperation set and a first cooperation parameter by negotiating with a station STA associated with the first AP; wherein the first cooperation set includes a first STA participating in cooperative transmission among the STAs associated with the first AP, and the first cooperation parameter includes a cooperation method of the first STA and a cooperation parameter of the first STA.

[0095] Exemplarily, the first AP can be a master AP or a slave AP, the master AP is also called a sharing AP (Sharing AP), and the slave AP can also be called a shared AP (Shared AP).

[0096] Exemplarily, the first STA is also called a cooperating STA.

[0097] Exemplarily, the cooperation method of the first STA includes but is not limited to C-SR, C-TDMA, C-OFDMA, C-RTWT, C-MLO and JT.

[0098] Exemplarily, the cooperation parameter of the first STA includes a transmission resource, for example, the transmission resource includes at least one of the following: a link, a time domain resource, a frequency domain resource or a space domain resource. Alternatively, the cooperation parameter of the first STA includes a parameter used by the cooperation method of the first STA. For example, when the cooperation method of the first STA is C-TDMA, the cooperation parameter of the first STA includes Tx / Rx time scheduling, when the cooperation method of the first STA is C-SR, the cooperation parameter of the first STA includes Tx power, and when the cooperation method of the first STA is C-OFDMA, the cooperation parameter of the first STA includes Tx / Rx RU allocation.

[0099] In the embodiment, the first AP can determine the first STA cooperation method and the cooperation parameter of the first STA while determining the first cooperation set through negotiation with a station STA associated with the first AP, i.e., the first STA cooperation method and the corresponding cooperation parameter can be directly negotiated in multiple cooperation methods at one time, avoiding repeated signaling of repeated cooperation methods when negotiating the corresponding cooperation parameter according to the flow of each cooperation method, and further reducing protocol redundancy and improving the scalability of the scheme.

[0100] In some embodiments, when the first STA agrees to join the first cooperation set, the first cooperation set includes the first STA.

[0101] In the embodiment, the cooperation willingness of the first STA is taken into account in the negotiation of the first cooperation set, which can ensure the effectiveness of the first cooperation set and further improve the cooperation transmission performance.

[0102] In some embodiments, the first cooperation parameter is determined according to the service characteristics of the first STA.

[0103] For example, the cooperation method of the first STA is a cooperation method matched with the service characteristics of the first STA, and / or the cooperation parameter of the first STA is a cooperation parameter matched with the service characteristics of the first STA. Optionally, the cooperation method of the first STA is a cooperation method matched with the service characteristics of the first STA, including that the cooperation method of the first STA is a cooperation method corresponding to the service characteristics of the first STA among multiple candidate cooperation methods. Optionally, the cooperation parameter of the first STA is a cooperation parameter matched with the service characteristics of the first STA, including that the cooperation parameter of the first STA is a cooperation parameter corresponding to the service characteristics of the first STA among multiple candidate cooperation parameters.

[0104] In the embodiment, the service characteristics of the first STA are taken into account in the negotiation of the cooperation parameter of the first STA, which can ensure the data transmission performance of the service of the first STA.

[0105] In some embodiments, the method 200 further includes:

[0106] The first AP determines the data transmission priority of the first STA through negotiation with the first STA.

[0107] In the embodiment, the first AP determines the data transmission priority of the first STA by negotiation with the first STA, which means that data transmission can be performed according to the data transmission priority of each STA, and helps to improve the transmission performance of high-priority data.

[0108] In some embodiments, the data transmission priority of the first STA is determined according to at least one of the following:

[0109] The service characteristic of the first STA and the priority of the cooperation method of the first STA.

[0110] For example, the data transmission priority of the first STA is a priority corresponding to the service characteristic of the first STA among a plurality of candidate priorities.

[0111] For example, the data transmission priority of the first STA is a priority corresponding to the priority of the cooperation method of the first STA among a plurality of candidate priorities.

[0112] For example, the service characteristic of the first STA includes a service QoS level, and the priority of the cooperation method of the first STA includes, for example, the priority of C-SR and C-TDMA, etc.

[0113] In the embodiment, the service characteristic of the first STA and / or the priority of the cooperation method of the first STA are taken into account in the negotiation of the data transmission priority of the first STA, which can ensure the data transmission performance of the service of the first STA.

[0114] In some embodiments, before the S210, the method 200 further includes:

[0115] The first AP determines a second cooperation set and a second cooperation parameter by negotiation with other APs, wherein the second cooperation set includes a second AP participating in cooperative transmission among the other APs, and the second cooperation parameter includes a cooperation method of the second AP and a cooperation parameter of the second AP.

[0116] For example, the second AP is also referred to as a cooperation AP.

[0117] For example, the cooperation method of the second AP includes but is not limited to C-SR, C-TDMA, C-OFDMA, C-RTWT, C-MLO and JT.

[0118] Exemplarily, the cooperation parameter of the second AP comprises a transmission resource, for example, the transmission resource comprises at least one of the following: a link, a time domain resource, a frequency domain resource, or a space domain resource. Alternatively, the cooperation parameter of the second AP comprises a parameter used by the cooperation method of the second AP. For example, when the cooperation method of the second AP is C-TDMA, the cooperation parameter of the second AP comprises Tx / Rx time scheduling, when the cooperation method of the second AP is C-SR, the cooperation parameter of the second AP comprises Tx power, and when the cooperation method of the second AP is C-OFDMA, the cooperation parameter of the second AP comprises Tx / Rx RU allocation.

[0119] In this embodiment, the first AP determines the second cooperation parameter by negotiation with other APs while determining the second cooperation set, that is, determines the cooperation method of the second AP and the cooperation parameter of the second AP, that is, can directly negotiate the cooperation method of the second AP and the corresponding cooperation parameter in multiple cooperation methods at one time, avoids repeated signaling of repeated execution of the cooperation method when negotiating the corresponding cooperation parameter according to the flow of each cooperation method, and further not only can reduce protocol redundancy, but also can improve the easy scalability of the scheme.

[0120] In some embodiments, before the first AP determines the second cooperation set and the second cooperation parameter by negotiation with other APs, the method 200 further comprises:

[0121] The first AP puts the STA associated with the first AP to sleep through a Request to Send (RTS)-Clear to Send (CTS) mechanism or a CTS-to-Self mechanism.

[0122] RTS and CTS are two control frames used in wireless communication, used to manage access to a wireless channel and reduce collision and conflict. Specifically, before the first AP participates in negotiation, an RTS is sent to inquire whether the channel can be used, and the RTS contains information about how long the channel will be occupied. If the STA associated with the first AP receives the RTS, a CTS frame is returned to indicate that the channel has been cleared, and the first AP can start negotiation. The CTS also contains time information to inform other devices of the time during which the channel will be occupied. CTS-to-Self is a special mechanism, that is, the first AP sends CTS by itself without sending RTS.

[0123] In the embodiment, before the first AP participates in the negotiation, the STA associated with the first AP is put to sleep by using RTS and CTS or CTS-to-Self, which can avoid the interference of the signal sent by the STA associated with the first AP on the negotiation of the first AP, and thus the negotiation performance can be improved.

[0124] In some embodiments, the first AP is a master AP, wherein the master AP is an AP that has acquired a transmission opportunity TXOP and a utilization rate of a basic service set SSB to which the master AP belongs to the TXOP is less than or equal to a preset threshold, or the master AP is determined according to a distribution of a plurality of APs participating in cooperative transmission.

[0125] For example, the master AP is an initial master AP, and the initial master AP is an AP that has acquired a transmission opportunity TXOP and a utilization rate of a basic service set SSB to which the initial master AP belongs to the TXOP is less than or equal to a preset threshold.

[0126] For example, the preset threshold can be a value agreed by a protocol or a value set in advance.

[0127] In the embodiment, the master AP is an AP that has acquired a transmission opportunity TXOP and a utilization rate of a basic service set SSB to which the master AP belongs to the TXOP is less than or equal to a preset threshold, which avoids selecting an AP with a high utilization rate of the TXOP as the master AP, can include that the master AP has sufficient processing capability, and thus can reduce the delay of the cooperative decision of the master AP and improve the performance of the entire network.

[0128] For example, the master AP is determined according to a distribution of a plurality of APs participating in cooperative transmission, including that the master AP is determined according to a position of each of the plurality of APs, or the master AP is determined according to a number of communicable APs of each of the plurality of APs. For example, the master AP can be an AP closest to a central position of the plurality of APs. For another example, the master AP can be an AP with the largest number of communicable APs in the plurality of APs. The communicable AP can be an AP that can receive a signal or an AP that can hear a signal.

[0129] In the embodiment, the master AP is determined according to a distribution of a plurality of APs participating in cooperative transmission, which is equivalent to that the master AP can be determined from the perspective of the architecture of the cooperative network, that is, helps to optimize the network structure of the cooperative network, and thus helps to reduce the delay or manage the channel overhead.

[0130] In some embodiments, the first AP is a master AP, and the method 200 further includes:

[0131] The master AP controls the coordinated transmission of the slave APs or adjusts the schedule table based on at least one of a status of the schedule table of the master AP and a coordinated transmission status of the master AP.

[0132] The schedule table of the master AP is used to manage and coordinate data transmission of the slave APs participating in the coordinated transmission, for example. The schedule table can include scheduling information of the slave APs, for example. The schedule table includes transmission resources allocated to the slave APs, for example. The status of the schedule table includes that the schedule table is empty or the schedule table is not empty.

[0133] The master AP controls the coordinated transmission of the slave APs or adjusts the schedule table based on at least one of a status of the schedule table of the master AP and a coordinated transmission status of the master AP. Or the master AP controls the coordinated transmission of the slave APs or adjusts the schedule table based on at least one of a status of the schedule table of the master AP and a coordinated transmission status of the slave APs. Or the master AP controls the coordinated transmission of the second slave AP or adjusts the schedule table based on at least one of a status of the schedule table of the master AP and a coordinated transmission status of the first slave AP.

[0134] The coordinated transmission status includes at least one of the following, for example:

[0135] 1. Normal transmission state, which can be referred to as normal state for short.

[0136] 2. Coordinated transmission suspension state, which can be referred to as suspension state for short. For example, pre-preemption of low-delay business of a STA can cause suspension of coordinated transmission of an AP (such as a master AP or a slave AP).

[0137] 3. Coordinated transmission change state, which can be referred to as change state for short. In the change state, the master AP is allowed to change the coordinated transmission of the AP (such as the master AP or the slave AP) according to the latest state of the channel or other conditions, and the change of the coordinated transmission of the AP will cause change of the schedule table of the master AP. The suspension state of a certain AP (such as the master AP or the slave AP) can cause change of the coordinated transmission of other APs. For example, if the low-delay pre-preemption business of a STA uses more TXOP, it can cause the business in the schedule table of the master AP to be not scheduled in time within the SP, that is, it can cause change of the coordinated transmission of other APs.

[0138] 4. Coordinated transmission unexpected termination state, which can be referred to as termination state for short. When a serious error occurs, the coordinated transmission of a certain AP is stopped in advance.

[0139] The cooperation transmission state of an AP is the suspend state, the change state or the terminate state, which means that the MAP cooperation of the AP has an unexpected situation, i.e., the suspend state, the change state or the terminate state is the cooperation transmission state corresponding to the MAP cooperation unexpected situation, or the suspend state, the change state or the terminate state is the state when the MAP cooperation has an unexpected situation. The normal state is the state when the MAP cooperation is normal.

[0140] In some embodiments, the master AP controls the cooperation transmission of the slave AP or adjusts the schedule table based on at least one of the state of the schedule table of the master AP and the cooperation transmission state, including:

[0141] When the schedule table is not empty and the cooperation transmission state is the normal state, the master AP triggers the slave AP to start the cooperation transmission; or when the schedule table is not empty and the cooperation transmission state is the change state, the master AP changes the schedule table; or when the schedule table is not empty and the cooperation transmission state is the suspend state, the master AP triggers the slave AP to stop the cooperation transmission; or when the schedule table is empty or the cooperation transmission state is the terminate state, the master AP triggers the slave AP to terminate the cooperation transmission or the master AP clears the schedule table.

[0142] In this embodiment, in particular, by changing the schedule table, the master AP can switch different cooperation methods with low overhead in one SP period, and reduce the switching overhead of different cooperation methods.

[0143] FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart of a general process of CMAP transmission according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0144] As shown in FIG. 6, the general procedure of CMAP transmission can include three parts: establishing a feasible AP-AP coordination set (changing the distributed network as shown in FIG. 3 into the tree network as shown in FIG. 4), establishing a feasible AP-STA coordination set (considering the STA's willingness to establish the minimum coordination set), and maintaining multi-AP scheduling. Establishing a feasible coordination set includes two parts: determining a coordination set (i.e., determining the second coordination set referred to above) and determining a coordination parameter (i.e., determining the second coordination parameter referred to above). The feasible AP-AP coordination set refers to the determination of the master AP + slave AP + coordination parameter. The feasible AP-STA coordination set includes two parts: determining a coordination set (i.e., determining the first coordination set referred to above) and determining a coordination parameter (i.e., determining the first coordination parameter referred to above). The feasible AP-STA coordination set refers to the determination of the coordination AP + coordination STA + coordination parameter. Through the establishment of the feasible AP-AP coordination set and the feasible AP-STA coordination set, the establishment of the master AP + slave AP + coordination STA + coordination parameter is finally completed. The centralized network architecture does not need to establish a feasible AP-AP coordination set, but still needs to establish a feasible AP-STA coordination set, and the distributed network architecture needs all the steps involved in the figure. The establishment of the coordination set is a long-term operation, and the negotiated coordination parameter can be used for a long time or updated. In the maintenance of multi-AP scheduling, data transmission is a short-term operation, and other procedures are medium- and long-term operations.

[0145] The process of establishing a feasible AP-AP coordination set mainly includes:

[0146] Step 1: Announcement of the coordination parameter of the AP.

[0147] The announcement of the coordination parameter of the AP is multi-AP discovery, which belongs to a passive discovery mode. It should be noted that the announcement of the coordination parameter of the AP includes the announcement of the coordination method of the AP, and the announcement of the coordination method of the AP can be the announcement of multiple CMAP methods, so as to reduce the multi-AP discovery delay and further reduce the establishment delay of the feasible AP-AP coordination set. The announcement of the coordination method of the AP can be the announcement of at least one of the following methods: C-SR, C-TDMA, C-OFDMA, C-RTWT, C-MLO, and JT.

[0148] Step 2: Determination of the initial master AP.

[0149] The determination of the initial master AP needs to consider the TXOP acquisition situation and the resource usage rate of the AP obtaining the TXOP in the BSS. For example, the AP obtaining the TXOP further estimates the self-resource usage corresponding to the TXOP, and determines the initial master AP. If the resource usage rate is high, for example, the self-resource usage rate of the TXOP is as high as 95%, the AP obtaining the TXOP first cannot be the initial master AP.

[0150] Step 3: Probe of the cooperation parameters of the AP.

[0151] The probe of the cooperation parameters of the AP is multi-AP discovery, which belongs to the active discovery mode. It should be noted that the probe of the cooperation parameters of the AP includes the probe of the cooperation method of the AP, and the probe of the cooperation method of the AP can be the probe of multiple CMAP methods, so as to reduce the multi-AP discovery delay and further reduce the establishment delay of the feasible AP-AP cooperation set. The announcement of the cooperation method of the AP can be the probe of at least one of the following methods: C-SR, C-TDMA, C-OFDMA, C-RTWT, C-MLO and JT.

[0152] Step 4: Determination of the master AP.

[0153] The determination of the master AP is the final master AP determination, which can avoid the problem of increasing the number of management channels or the management channel overhead of the AP caused by improper selection of the master AP.

[0154] As shown in FIG. 7, the dense network features of the distributed architecture: 3 secondary management channels (AP to STA), 3 tertiary data channels (data center-AP-STA). As can be seen, the traditional distributed network has a lower management channel delay. For the distributed network architecture shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the distance between AP 1 and AP 3 is large, and AP 1 and AP 3 cannot hear each other, AP 1 and AP 2 can hear each other, and AP 2 and AP 3 can hear each other.

[0155] If AP 1 is taken as the final master AP, the corresponding cooperation architecture is shown in FIG. 8: including 1 quaternary management channel (AP1-AP2-AP3-STA21), 1 tertiary management channel (AP1-AP2-STA21), 1 secondary management channel (AP1-STA11), 3 tertiary data channels (data center-AP-STA).

[0156] If AP 2 is taken as the final master AP, the corresponding cooperation architecture is shown in FIG. 9: including 2 tertiary management channels (AP2-AP1-STA11, AP2-AP3-STA31), 1 secondary management channel (AP2-STA21), 3 tertiary data channels (data center-AP-STA).

[0157] From the comparison between Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, it can be seen that for the dense network of the cooperative network architecture, under the condition of the same number of cooperative APs, the correct selection of the final master AP can reduce the number of management channel levels, and the four-level management channel becomes a three-level management channel, which can reduce the delay or the AP management channel overhead. That is to say, in order to reduce the cooperation delay of the dense network of the cooperative architecture, the initial master AP is not necessarily the final master AP. The initial master AP needs to transfer the management right of the cooperative network to other APs, and the other APs as the final master AP can reduce the cooperation overhead.

[0158] In addition, from the comparison between the cooperative network based on the final master AP (Fig. 9) and the distributed network (Fig. 7), it can be seen that the advantage of the cooperative network is interference coordination, and the cost is cooperation overhead, and the number of management channel levels is increased by at least one level, that is, the cooperation delay corresponding to the management channel is increased.

[0159] It should be noted that in general, the default master AP is used as the arbitration / coordination entity. Almost all cooperation methods are to take the AP that first obtains the TXOP as the master AP. In this embodiment, the AP that first obtains the TXOP is the initial master AP, which is not necessarily the final master AP.

[0160] Step 5: negotiation of the cooperative AP and the cooperation parameters of the cooperative AP.

[0161] The negotiation of the cooperative AP and the cooperation parameters of the cooperative AP can include the negotiation of the cooperative AP and the negotiation of the cooperation parameters of the cooperative AP. The negotiation of the cooperation parameters of the cooperative AP can include the negotiation of the cooperation parameters of the cooperation method, such as the negotiation of the cooperation parameters of the C-MLO and the negotiation of the cooperation parameters of the JT, etc. The cooperative AP can be a master AP or a slave AP. The negotiation of the cooperation parameters of the cooperative AP can also include the negotiation of other parameters, such as the negotiation of the power parameter. Before the cooperative AP participates in the negotiation, the STAs of each BSS are put to sleep by using the RTS and CTS or CTS-to-Self, so as to avoid the interference of the STA transmission power on the negotiation of the cooperative AP.

[0162] The process of establishing a feasible AP-STA cooperation set mainly includes:

[0163] Step 6: announcement of the cooperation parameters of the STA within the BSS.

[0164] The announcement of the cooperation parameters of the STA within the BSS includes the announcement of the cooperation method of the STA within the BSS, which can include the advertisement of multiple cooperation methods.

[0165] Step 7: negotiation of the cooperative STA within the BSS and the cooperation parameters of the cooperative STA.

[0166] The negotiation of the cooperation parameters of the in-BSS cooperating STAs and the cooperating STAs can include the negotiation of the cooperating STAs and the negotiation of the cooperation parameters of the cooperating STAs. The negotiation of the cooperation parameters of the cooperating STAs can include the negotiation of the cooperation parameters of the cooperation methods. The negotiation of the cooperation parameters of the cooperating STAs can also include the negotiation of other parameters, such as the negotiation of the power parameters. The in-BSS cooperating STAs can take the cooperation willingness of the STAs into account, for example, the STAs agree to cooperate as the cooperating STAs. The negotiation of the cooperation parameters of the cooperating STAs can take the service characteristics (such as low-latency services, high-level QoS services) into account, and the cooperating STAs can feed back the cooperation parameters. The negotiation of the cooperation parameters of the cooperating STAs can be the negotiation of the cooperation parameters of multiple cooperation methods.

[0167] In the embodiment, the service characteristics are taken into account in the negotiation of the cooperation parameters of the cooperating STAs, which can reduce the latency of the specific requirement services, and the cooperation willingness is taken into account, which can establish effective cooperating STAs, that is, establish effective AP-STA cooperation sets (that is, master AP + slave AP + cooperating STAs + cooperation parameters).

[0168] Step 8: The negotiation of the data transmission priority of the in-BSS cooperating STAs.

[0169] The negotiation of the data transmission priority of the in-BSS cooperating STAs can take the service characteristics and the cooperation methods into account. The service priority is, for example, the QoS level of the service. The cooperation method priority is, for example, the execution priority of the C-SR and the C-TDMA, and the like, to ensure the data transmission performance of the specific services.

[0170] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a maintenance process of multi-AP scheduling provided by the embodiment of the application.

[0171] As shown in FIG. 10, when the MAP cooperation is normal, no unexpected situation occurs (for example, no unexpected situation occurs in the AP participating in the cooperation), the cooperation transmission state is a normal state, in the case that the schedule table of the master AP is empty, the master AP triggers the slave AP to start the cooperation transmission, the slave AP starts the transmission in the BSS based on the trigger, and notifies the master AP of the completion of the transmission after the transmission is completed. After receiving the notification of the completion of the transmission, the master AP continues to schedule the cooperation transmission of the next slave AP by querying the schedule table.

[0172] When the MAP coordination exception occurs, if the MAP coordination exception is MAP coordination transmission suspension, the master AP triggers the slave AP to stop the coordinated transmission; for example, by sending a stop trigger frame to the slave AP, the slave AP is triggered to stop the coordinated transmission. If the MAP coordination exception is MAP coordination transmission change, the master AP changes the schedule table. If the MAP coordination exception is MAP coordination transmission termination, the master AP triggers the slave AP to terminate the coordinated transmission; for example, by sending a termination trigger frame to the slave AP, the slave AP is triggered to terminate the coordinated transmission. Of course, when the MAP coordination exception is MAP coordination transmission suspension, it can also be a case of MAP coordination transmission change.

[0173] In addition, even if no MAP coordination exception occurs, in the case that the schedule table is empty, the master AP can trigger the slave AP to terminate the coordinated transmission.

[0174] In the embodiment, in the case that the schedule table is not empty and the MAP coordination is normal, the master AP triggers the slave AP to start the coordinated transmission, and in the case that the schedule table is empty or the MAP coordination exception occurs, the master AP stops and clears its own schedule table and exits the schedule coordination, so that the MAP coordination can be maintained, and the coordinated performance of the MAP coordination can be ensured.

[0175] In some embodiments, the first AP is a slave AP, and the method 200 further includes:

[0176] The slave AP starts, stops or terminates the coordinated transmission through the trigger of the master AP; or

[0177] In the case that the slave AP does not receive the information triggering the slave AP to start the coordinated transmission, the slave AP terminates the coordinated transmission after the service period (SP) ends.

[0178] The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail above with reference to the drawings, but the present application is not limited to the specific details involved in the above embodiments. Within the technical concept of the present application, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of the present application, and these simple modifications all belong to the protection scope of the present application. For example, in the above embodiments, various specific technical features described in the specific embodiments can be combined in any appropriate manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, various possible combination manners are not described again in the present application. For example, various different embodiments of the present application can also be combined in any manner, as long as it does not deviate from the idea of the present application, it should also be considered as disclosed in the present application.

[0179] It should also be understood that the size of the serial number of each process involved above does not mean the order of execution in various method embodiments of the present application. 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.

[0180] The wireless communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail from the perspective of the first AP above in combination with FIG. 2 to FIG. 10. The wireless communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described from the perspective of the first STA below in combination with FIG. 11.

[0181] FIG. 11 is a schematic flow chart of a wireless communication method 300 provided by the embodiments of the present application. For example, the method 300 can be executed by a first STA, which can be the STA 120 as shown in FIG. 1.

[0182] As shown in FIG. 11, the method 300 can include:

[0183] S310, the first station STA determines a first cooperation set and a first cooperation parameter by negotiating with a first access point AP;

[0184] The first cooperation set includes the first STA, and the first cooperation parameter includes a cooperation method of the first STA and a cooperation parameter of the first STA.

[0185] In some embodiments, the first cooperation set includes the first STA in the case that the first STA agrees to join the first cooperation set.

[0186] In some embodiments, the first cooperation parameter is determined according to a traffic characteristic of the first STA.

[0187] In some embodiments, the method 300 further includes:

[0188] The first STA determines a data transmission priority of the first STA by negotiating with the first AP.

[0189] In some embodiments, the data transmission priority of the first STA is determined according to at least one of the following:

[0190] The traffic characteristic of the first STA, and a priority of the cooperation method of the first STA.

[0191] In some embodiments, the method 300 further includes:

[0192] The first STA sleeps the first STA by requesting a request to send (RTS) -clear to send (CTS) mechanism or a CTS-to-Self mechanism.

[0193] In some embodiments, the first AP is a master AP, wherein the master AP is an AP that has acquired a transmission opportunity (TXOP) and a utilization of the TXOP by a service set (SSB) to which the master AP belongs is less than or equal to a preset threshold, or the master AP is determined according to a distribution of a plurality of APs participating in cooperative transmission.

[0194] It should be understood that the steps in the wireless communication method 300 can refer to the corresponding steps in the wireless communication method 200, which will not be described herein for brevity.

[0195] The method embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in combination with FIGS. 1-11, and the device embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in combination with FIGS. 12-15.

[0196] FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram of a first AP 400 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0197] As shown in FIG. 12, the first AP 400 can include:

[0198] a processing module 410 configured to determine a first cooperative set and a first cooperative parameter by negotiating with a station (STA) associated with the first AP;

[0199] The first cooperative set includes first STAs participating in cooperative transmission among the STAs associated with the first AP, and the first cooperative parameter includes a cooperative method of the first STAs and a cooperative parameter of the first STAs.

[0200] In some embodiments, the first cooperative set includes the first STAs in a case where the first STAs agree to join the first cooperative set.

[0201] In some embodiments, the first cooperative parameter is determined according to a traffic characteristic of the first STAs.

[0202] In some embodiments, the processing module 410 is further configured to:

[0203] determine a data transmission priority of the first STAs by negotiating with the first STAs.

[0204] In some embodiments, the data transmission priority of the first STAs is determined according to at least one of:

[0205] a traffic characteristic of the first STAs, and a priority of a cooperative method of the first STAs.

[0206] In some embodiments, before the processing module 410 determines the first cooperative set and the first cooperative parameter by negotiating with the STAs associated with the first AP, the processing module 410 is further configured to:

[0207] determine the second cooperation set and the second cooperation parameter by negotiation with other APs;

[0208] The second cooperation set includes second APs in the other APs participating in cooperation transmission, and the second cooperation parameter includes a cooperation method of the second APs and a cooperation parameter of the second APs.

[0209] In some embodiments, the first AP 400 further includes a first communication module, and before the first communication module is used to determine the second cooperation set and the second cooperation parameter by negotiation with other APs, the first communication module is used to:

[0210] Put the STA associated with the first AP to sleep through a request to send clear to send (RTS-CTS) mechanism or a clear to send to self (CTS-to-Self) mechanism.

[0211] In some embodiments, the first AP is a master AP, wherein the master AP is an AP that has acquired a transmission opportunity (TXOP) and a utilization rate of a basic service set (SSB) to which the master AP belongs to the TXOP is less than or equal to a preset threshold, or the master AP is determined according to a distribution of a plurality of APs participating in cooperation transmission.

[0212] In some embodiments, the first AP is a master AP, and the processing module 410 is further used to:

[0213] Control cooperation transmission of the slave AP or adjust the schedule table based on at least one of a state of the schedule table of the master AP and a cooperation transmission state.

[0214] In some embodiments, the control of the cooperation transmission of the slave AP or the adjustment of the schedule table based on at least one of the state of the schedule table of the master AP and the cooperation transmission state includes:

[0215] In a case where the schedule table is non-empty and the cooperation transmission state is a normal state, trigger the slave AP to start cooperation transmission; or

[0216] In a case where the schedule table is non-empty and the cooperation transmission state is a change state, change the schedule table; or

[0217] In a case where the schedule table is non-empty and the cooperation transmission state is a suspension state, trigger the slave AP to stop cooperation transmission; or

[0218] In a case where the schedule table is empty or the cooperation transmission state is a termination state, trigger the slave AP to terminate cooperation transmission or clear the schedule table.

[0219] In some embodiments, the first AP is a slave AP, and the processing module 410 is further configured to:

[0220] starting, stopping or terminating the cooperative transmission by triggering of the master AP; or

[0221] terminating the cooperative transmission after a service period (SP) ends, in a case that the slave AP does not receive information triggering the slave AP to start the cooperative transmission.

[0222] It should be understood that the apparatus embodiments and the method embodiments can correspond to each other, and similar descriptions can be referred to the method embodiments. Specifically, the first AP 400 shown in FIG. 12 can correspond to a subject performing the corresponding method 200 of the embodiments of the present application, and the foregoing and other operations and / or functions of the various modules in the first AP 400 are respectively corresponding to the respective processes in the various methods provided by the embodiments of the present application, and for brevity, will not be repeated here.

[0223] FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of a first STA 500 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0224] As shown in FIG. 13, the first STA 500 can include:

[0225] a processing module 510 configured to determine a first cooperative set and a first cooperative parameter by negotiating with a first access point (AP);

[0226] The first cooperative set includes the first STA, and the first cooperative parameter includes a cooperative method of the first STA and a cooperative parameter of the first STA.

[0227] In some embodiments, the first cooperative parameter is determined according to at least one of:

[0228] whether the first STA agrees to join the first cooperative set, and a traffic characteristic of the first STA.

[0229] In some embodiments, the processing module 510 is further configured to:

[0230] determine a data transmission priority of the first STA by negotiating with the first AP.

[0231] In some embodiments, the data transmission priority of the first STA is determined according to at least one of:

[0232] a traffic characteristic of the first STA, and a priority of the cooperative method of the first STA.

[0233] In some embodiments, the first STA 500 can further include a first communication module configured to:

[0234] The first STA is put to sleep by requesting a request to send clear to send (RTS-CTS) mechanism or a clear to send to self (CTS-to-Self) mechanism.

[0235] In some embodiments, the first AP is a master AP, wherein the master AP is an AP that has acquired a transmission opportunity (TXOP) and a utilization of the TXOP by a service set basic (SSB) to which the master AP belongs is less than or equal to a preset threshold, or the master AP is determined according to a distribution of a plurality of APs participating in cooperative transmission.

[0236] It should be understood that the apparatus embodiments and the method embodiments can correspond to each other, and similar descriptions can be referred to the method embodiments. Specifically, the first STA 500 shown in FIG. 13 can correspond to a subject performing the corresponding method 300 of the embodiments of the present application, and the foregoing and other operations and / or functions of the various modules in the first STA 500 are respectively to implement the corresponding processes in the various methods provided by the embodiments of the present application, and for brevity, will not be repeated here.

[0237] The communication device of the embodiments of the present application is described above from the perspective of functional modules in combination with the drawings. It should be understood that the functional modules can be implemented in the form of hardware, or in the form of instructions of software, or in the form of a combination of hardware and software modules. Specifically, the steps of the method embodiments in the embodiments of the present application can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of hardware and / or software instructions in the processor, and the steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware code processing for execution, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the code processing processor. Alternatively, the software module can be located in a mature storage medium in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and combines the hardware to complete the steps in the method embodiments described above.

[0238] For example, the processing module and the communication module described above can be implemented by the processor and the transceiver, respectively.

[0239] FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 600 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0240] As shown in FIG. 14, the communication device 600 can include a processor 610.

[0241] The processor 610 can call and run a computer program from the memory to implement the method in the embodiments of the present application.

[0242] As shown in FIG. 14, the communication device 600 can further include a memory 620.

[0243] The memory 620 can be used to store information, and can also be used to store codes, instructions, etc. executed by the processor 610. The processor 610 can call and run a computer program from the memory 620 to implement the method in the embodiments of the present application. The memory 620 can be a separate device independent of the processor 610, or can be integrated in the processor 610.

[0244] As shown in FIG. 14, the communication device 600 can further include a transceiver 630.

[0245] The processor 610 can control the transceiver 630 to communicate with other devices, specifically, can send information or data to other devices, or receive information or data sent by other devices. The transceiver 630 can include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 630 can further include an antenna, and the number of antennas can be one or more.

[0246] It should be understood that the various components in the communication device 600 are connected through a bus system, where the bus system includes a data bus, a power bus, a control bus, and a state signal bus in addition to a data bus.

[0247] It should be understood that the communication device 600 can be a first AP in the embodiments of the present application, and the communication device 600 can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first AP in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application, that is, the communication device 600 in the embodiments of the present application can correspond to the first AP 400 in the embodiments of the present application, and can correspond to the subject performing the corresponding processes in the method 200 according to the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not repeated here. Similarly, the communication device 600 can be a first STA in the embodiments of the present application, and the communication device 600 can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first STA in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. That is, the communication device 600 in the embodiments of the present application can correspond to the first STA 500 in the embodiments of the present application, and can correspond to the subject performing the corresponding processes in the method 300 according to the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not repeated here.

[0248] In addition, a chip is also provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0249] For example, the chip can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capability, and can implement or execute the disclosed methods, steps and logic block diagrams in the embodiments of the present application. The chip can also be referred to as a system chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system on chip chip, etc. Alternatively, the chip can be applied to various communication devices, so that the communication device installed with the chip can execute the disclosed methods, steps and logic block diagrams in the embodiments of the present application.

[0250] FIG. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 700 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0251] As shown in FIG. 17, the chip 700 includes a processor 710.

[0252] The processor 710 can call and run a computer program from the memory to implement the method in the embodiments of the present application.

[0253] As shown in FIG. 17, the chip 700 can also include a memory 720.

[0254] The processor 710 can call and run a computer program from the memory 720 to implement the method in the embodiments of the present application. The memory 720 can be used to store indication information, and can also be used to store codes, instructions and the like executed by the processor 710. The memory 720 can be a separate device independent of the processor 710, or can be integrated in the processor 710.

[0255] As shown in FIG. 17, the chip 700 can also include an input interface 730.

[0256] The processor 710 can control the input interface 730 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, can obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0257] As shown in FIG. 17, the chip 700 can also include an output interface 740.

[0258] The processor 710 can control the output interface 740 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, can output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0259] It should be understood that the chip 700 can be applied to the first STA in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first STA in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application, and can also implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first AP in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not repeated here.

[0260] It should also be understood that the various components in the chip 700 are connected through a bus system, wherein the bus system includes a data bus, a power supply bus, a control bus and a state signal bus in addition to the data bus.

[0261] The processor mentioned above can include but is not limited to:

[0262] General processor, Digital Signal Processor (DSP), Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete element gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, etc.

[0263] The processor can be configured to implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logical blocks disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hard coded processor execution, or be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium such as random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, or other mature storage mediums in the art. The storage medium is located in the storage, and the processor reads information in the storage medium and combines it with the hardware to complete the steps of the methods described above.

[0264] The storage medium described above includes, but is not limited to:

[0265] volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically EPROM (EEPROM) or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of RAM can be used, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synch link DRAM (SLDRAM) and direct Rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0266] It should be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0267] The computer readable storage medium in the embodiments of the present application is further provided for storing a computer program. The computer readable storage medium stores one or more programs, and the one or more programs include instructions, which, when executed by the portable electronic device including a plurality of application programs, enable the portable electronic device to perform the wireless communication method provided by the present application. Optionally, the computer readable storage medium can be applied to the first STA in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to perform the corresponding procedures implemented by the first STA in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not described herein. Alternatively, the computer readable storage medium can be applied to the first AP in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to perform the corresponding procedures implemented by the first AP in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not described herein.

[0268] The computer program product in the embodiments of the present application is further provided for including a computer program. Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the first STA in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to perform the corresponding procedures implemented by the first STA in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not described herein. Alternatively, the computer program product can be applied to the first AP in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to perform the corresponding procedures implemented by the first AP in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not described herein.

[0269] The computer program in the embodiments of the present application is further provided. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can perform the wireless communication method provided by the present application. Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the first STA in the embodiments of the present application, and when the computer program runs on the computer, the computer program enables the computer to perform the corresponding procedures implemented by the first STA in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not described herein. Alternatively, the computer program can be applied to the first AP in the embodiments of the present application, and when the computer program runs on the computer, the computer program enables the computer to perform the corresponding procedures implemented by the first AP in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not described herein.

[0270] The present application further provides a communication system, which can include the first AP and the first STA described above to form the communication system 100 as shown in FIG. 1. For the sake of brevity, details are not described herein. It should be noted that the term "system" and the like in the present application can also be referred to as "network management architecture" or "network system" and the like.

[0271] It should also be understood that the terms used in the present application and the appended claims are merely used to describe particular embodiments and do not intend to limit the present application. For example, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" used in the present application and the appended claims are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0272] Those skilled in the art can understand that the modules and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are realized in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art 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. If realized in the form of software functional modules and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disk or optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0273] Those skilled in the art can also understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and modules described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here. In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the division of units or modules or components in the above-described device embodiments is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or modules or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some units or modules or components can be ignored or not executed. For another example, the units / modules / components described above as separate / displayed components can be or can not be physically separated, i.e., they can be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units / modules / components can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present application. Finally, it should be noted that the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units / modules / components shown or discussed above can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0274] The above merely provides a specific implementation of the embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto, any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed by the embodiments of the present application, which should be covered in the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: determining, by a first access point (AP), a first cooperation set and a first cooperation parameter through negotiation with stations (STAs) associated with the first AP, wherein the first cooperation set comprises first STAs associated with the first AP that participate in cooperative transmission, and the first cooperation parameter comprises a cooperation method of the first STAs and a cooperation parameter of the first STAs. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the first cooperation set comprises the first STAs when the first STAs agree to join the first cooperation set. 3.The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first cooperation parameter is determined according to traffic characteristics of the first STAs. 4.The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: determining, by the first AP, a data transmission priority of the first STAs through negotiation with the first STAs. 5.The method of claim 4, wherein the data transmission priority of the first STAs is determined according to at least one of the following: traffic characteristics of the first STAs, and a priority of the cooperation method of the first STAs. 6.The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein before determining, by the first AP, the first cooperation set and the first cooperation parameter through negotiation with the STAs associated with the first AP, the method further comprises: determining, by the first AP, a second cooperation set and a second cooperation parameter through negotiation with other APs, wherein the second cooperation set comprises second APs associated with the other APs that participate in cooperative transmission, and the second cooperation parameter comprises a cooperation method of the second APs and a cooperation parameter of the second APs. 7.The method of claim 6, wherein before determining, by the first AP, the second cooperation set and the second cooperation parameter through negotiation with the other APs, the method further comprises: putting to sleep, by the first AP, the STAs associated with the first AP through a request to send (RTS) -clear to send (CTS) mechanism or a CTS-to-Self mechanism. 8.The method of claim 6, wherein the master AP is determined according to at least one of the following: a basic service set (BSS) to which the master AP belongs has acquired a transmission opportunity (TXOP) and a utilization rate of the TXOP is less than or equal to a preset threshold, or a distribution of APs that participate in cooperative transmission. 9.The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first AP is a master AP, and the method further comprises: controlling, by the master AP, cooperative transmission of slave APs or adjusting a schedule table of the master AP based on at least one of a state of the schedule table and a cooperative transmission state. 10.The method of claim 9, wherein controlling, by the master AP, cooperative transmission of slave APs or adjusting a schedule table of the master AP based on at least one of a state of the schedule table and a cooperative transmission state comprises: triggering, by the master AP, the slave APs to start cooperative transmission when the schedule table is not empty and the cooperative transmission state is normal; or ​ ​ ​ ​ 8. The method of any one of claims 1-7, the first AP being a master AP, wherein, ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ In a case that the schedule table is not empty and the cooperative transmission state is a change state, the master AP changes the schedule table; or In a case that the schedule table is not empty and the cooperative transmission state is a suspension state, the master AP triggers the slave AP to stop the cooperative transmission; or In a case that the schedule table is empty or the cooperative transmission state is a termination state, the master AP triggers the slave AP to terminate the cooperative transmission or the master AP clears the schedule table.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, the first AP being a slave AP, the method further comprising: the slave AP starting, stopping or terminating the cooperative transmission by a trigger of the master AP; or in a case that the slave AP does not receive information triggering the slave AP to start the cooperative transmission, the slave AP terminates the cooperative transmission after a service period (SP) ends.

12. A method of wireless communication, comprising: a first station (STA) determining a first cooperative set and a first cooperative parameter by negotiating with a first access point (AP); wherein the first cooperative set comprises the first STA, and the first cooperative parameter comprises a cooperative method of the first STA and a cooperative parameter of the first STA.

13. The method of claim 12, the first cooperative set comprising the first STA in a case that the first STA agrees to join the first cooperative set.

14. The method of claim 12 or 13, the first cooperative parameter being determined according to a traffic characteristic of the first STA.

15. The method of any one of claims 12 to 14, the method further comprising: the first STA determining a data transmission priority of the first STA by negotiating with the first AP.

16. The method of claim 15, the data transmission priority of the first STA being determined according to at least one of: a traffic characteristic of the first STA, and a priority of the cooperative method of the first STA.

17. The method of any one of claims 12 to 16, the method further comprising: the first STA putting the first STA to sleep by requesting a request to send (RTS)-clear to send (CTS) mechanism or a clear to send to self (CTS-to-Self) mechanism.

18. The method of any one of claims 12-17, the first AP being a master AP, wherein, the master AP being an AP that has acquired a transmission opportunity (TXOP) and a utilization rate of the TXOP by a basic service set (BSS) to which the master AP belongs is less than or equal to a preset threshold, or the master AP is determined according to a distribution of a plurality of APs participating in the cooperative transmission.

19. A first access point (AP), comprising: a processing module configured to determine a first cooperative set and a first cooperative parameter by negotiating with a station (STA) associated with the first AP; wherein the first cooperative set comprises a first STA participating in the cooperative transmission among STAs associated with the first AP, and the first cooperative parameter comprises a cooperative method of the first STA and a cooperative parameter of the first STA.

20. A first station (STA), comprising: a processing module configured to determine a first cooperative set and a first cooperative parameter by negotiating with a first access point (AP); The first cooperation set includes the first STA, and the first cooperation parameter includes a cooperation method of the first STA and a cooperation parameter of the first STA. 21.A communication device, comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing programs or instructions executable on the processor, the programs or instructions, when executed by the processor, implement the wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or implement the wireless communication method according to any one of claims 12 to 18. 22.A readable storage medium, the readable storage medium storing programs or instructions, the programs or instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or implement the wireless communication method according to any one of claims 12 to 18.

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