Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which relate to the technical field of communications. The method comprises: a non-access point station in a BSS determining a DSO candidate location of the non-access point station, wherein the DSO candidate location does not overlap an anchor channel used by an NPCA function of a station in the BSS; and disabling an NPCA function of the non-access point station.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410957004.2, filed on July 16, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0004] In a wireless LAN, when a station fails to secure a transmission opportunity (TXOP) on the primary channel, it can perform non-primary channel access (NPCA), which involves preamble detection and channel access on a non-primary channel to improve resource utilization. When a station secures a TXOP on the primary channel, it can perform dynamic sub-band operation (DSO), which involves switching from the primary channel to another channel within the TXOP to improve channel utilization.

[0005] A site can enable both DSO and NPCA simultaneously, and the DSO and NPCA can share hardware (e.g., related circuitry for RF carrier generation). When the DSO and NPCA share hardware, their configurations can interfere with each other, potentially leading to transmission failures. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus to solve the problem caused by the mutual interference between DSO configuration and NPCA configuration.

[0007] Some embodiments of this application provide communication methods that, based on the coupling characteristics of DSO and NPCA configurations, allow NPCA configurations to be adjusted accordingly when DSO configurations change; other embodiments allow DSO configurations to be adjusted accordingly when NPCA configurations change. These embodiments enable DSO and NPCA to share hardware and ensure that stations can complete channel switching in a short time, avoiding hardware resource shortages.

[0008] This application's embodiments can be applied to site devices within a basic service set (BSS). The site device can be a non-AP STA, a module (such as a chip) within a non-AP STA, or software (such as a control subsystem) containing non-AP STA functionality. The site device can also be an AP, a module (such as a chip) within an AP, or software (such as a control subsystem) containing AP functionality.

[0009] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided for use with a non-AP STA within a BSS, the method comprising: determining a DSO candidate location for the non-AP STA, the DSO candidate location not overlapping with the anchoring channel used by the NPCA function of a site within the BSS; and disabling the NPCA function of the non-AP STA.

[0010] In the above implementation, when the DSO candidate positions initially configured for the site, or when the DSO candidate positions change, causing all DSO candidate positions of the site to no longer overlap with the anchor channel of the NPCA, the NPCA function of the site is automatically disabled, thereby solving the transmission failure problem caused by the mutual influence between DSO configuration and NPCA configuration.

[0011] In one possible implementation, determining the DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA includes: determining initial configuration information of the DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA; or, determining to update the first DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA to a second DSO candidate location.

[0012] In one possible implementation, determining the DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA includes: receiving first information from the AP within the BSS; and determining the DSO candidate location based on the first information.

[0013] One possible implementation further includes sending a second message to the AP within the BSS, the second message indicating the DSO candidate location configured by the non-AP STA.

[0014] Optionally, the second information is sent before the DSO candidate position takes effect, or during a first time period after the DSO candidate position takes effect.

[0015] One possible implementation further includes sending a third message to the AP within the BSS, the third message being used to notify the non-AP STA that the NPCA function is disabled.

[0016] Optionally, the third information is sent before the DSO candidate position takes effect, or during a first time period after the DSO candidate position takes effect, or after the NPCA function is turned off.

[0017] In one possible implementation, disabling the NPCA function of the non-AP STA includes: receiving an instruction from an AP within the BSS; and disabling the NPCA function of the non-AP STA according to the instruction. Optionally, the instruction may be sent before or after the first or second message.

[0018] In one possible implementation, disabling the NPCA function of the non-AP STA includes: disabling the NPCA function of the non-AP STA after the DSO candidate position takes effect, or at the same time as the DSO candidate position takes effect, or during a second time period after the DSO candidate position takes effect.

[0019] One possible implementation further includes: sending an indication message to the AP, the indication message indicating that the NPCA function of the non-AP STA and the DSO share hardware, or indicating that the NPCA function and the DSO are used simultaneously.

[0020] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided for use with an AP within a BSS, the method comprising: determining a DSO candidate location for a non-AP STA within the BSS, the DSO candidate location not overlapping with the anchor channel used by the NPCA function of a site within the BSS; sending an instruction to the non-AP STA, the instruction being used to instruct the non-AP STA to disable its NPCA function, or determining that the non-AP STA will disable its NPCA function.

[0021] Optionally, the AP may determine that the non-AP disables the NPCA function after the DSO candidate position takes effect, or at the same time as the DSO candidate position takes effect, or during a second time period after the DSO candidate position takes effect.

[0022] In one possible implementation, determining the DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA includes: determining initial configuration information of the DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA; or, determining to update the first DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA to a second DSO candidate location.

[0023] One possible implementation further includes sending first information to the non-AP STA, the first information indicating the DSO candidate location.

[0024] In one possible implementation, determining the DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA includes: receiving second information from the non-AP STA; and determining the DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA based on the second information.

[0025] One possible implementation further includes: receiving third information from the non-AP STA, the third information being used to notify the non-AP STA that its NPCA function is disabled.

[0026] One possible implementation further includes: receiving indication information from the non-AP STA, the indication information indicating that the NPCA function and DSO function of the non-AP STA share hardware, or indicating that the NPCA function and DSO function are used simultaneously.

[0027] Thirdly, a communication method is provided for a non-AP STA within a BSS, the method comprising: receiving first indication information from an AP within the BSS, the first indication information indicating an anchor channel used by an NPCA function, the anchor channel not overlapping with a DSO candidate location; updating a DSO candidate location or disabling the NPCA function, wherein the updated DSO candidate location overlaps with the anchor channel.

[0028] In the above implementation methods, when the anchor channel used by the initial configuration of the NPCA function at the site changes, causing all DSO candidate positions of the site to not overlap with the anchor channel of the NPCA, one implementation method is to automatically disable the NPCA function of the site, thereby solving the transmission failure problem caused by the mutual influence between the DSO configuration and the NPCA configuration. Another implementation method is to update the DSO candidate positions of the site so that the updated DSO candidate positions overlap with the anchor channel, thereby allowing the NPCA function and DSO to share hardware and ensuring that both NPCA operation and DSO operation can meet the latency requirements.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is used to indicate the anchor channel used by the non-AP STA to update the NPCA function.

[0030] One possible implementation further includes: receiving second indication information from the AP, the second indication information indicating the updated DSO candidate position; the updating of the DSO candidate position includes: updating the DSO candidate position according to the second indication information.

[0031] Optionally, the second indication information may be sent by the AP after determining that the anchor channel does not overlap with the DSO candidate location. Optionally, the second indication information may be sent before the first indication information, or it may be sent during a third time period after the anchor channel takes effect.

[0032] One possible implementation further includes sending a third indication message to the AP, the third indication message indicating the updated DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA.

[0033] Optionally, the third indication information may be sent immediately after the DSO candidate location is updated, or it may be sent during a third time period after the anchoring channel becomes effective.

[0034] One possible implementation further includes: sending a fourth indication message to the AP, the fourth indication message indicating that the NPCA function of the non-AP STA and the DSO share hardware, or indicating that the NPCA function and the DSO are used simultaneously.

[0035] In one possible implementation, disabling the NPCA function includes: receiving an instruction sent by the AP and disabling the NPCA function according to the instruction.

[0036] Fourthly, a communication method is provided for use with an access point (AP) within a BSS. The method includes: sending a first indication message to a non-AP STA within the BSS, the first indication message indicating the anchor channel used by the NPCA function, the anchor channel not overlapping with a DSO candidate location; updating the DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA stored by the access point, the updated DSO candidate location overlapping with the anchor channel, or determining that the non-AP STA will disable the NPCA function.

[0037] One possible implementation further includes: sending a second indication message to the non-AP STA, the second indication message indicating an updated DSO candidate location, the updated DSO candidate location overlapping with the anchor channel.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is used to indicate the anchor channel used by the non-AP STA to update the NPCA function.

[0039] One possible implementation further includes: receiving a fourth indication message from the AP, the fourth indication message indicating that the NPCA function of the non-AP STA and the DSO share hardware, or indicating that the NPCA function and the DSO are used simultaneously.

[0040] One possible implementation further includes sending an instruction to the non-AP STA, the instruction being used to instruct the non-AP STA to disable the NPCA function.

[0041] Fifthly, a communication method is provided for a non-AP STA within a BSS, the method comprising: sending indication information to an AP within the BSS, the indication information indicating that the NPCA function of the non-AP STA shares hardware with the DSO, or indicating that the NPCA function and the DSO are used simultaneously.

[0042] The AP can configure a DSO candidate location and / or an anchor channel used for the NPCA function for the non-AP STA based on the indication information. Specifically, the DSO candidate location configured for the non-AP STA overlaps with the anchor channel used by the site within the BSS for non-primary channel access to the NPCA function.

[0043] In the above implementation, the non-AP STA reports to the AP whether its NPCA function and DSO share hardware or whether the NPCA function and DSO are used simultaneously. This allows the AP to ensure that the DSO candidate location and NPCA anchor channel overlap when configuring the non-AP STA for the DSO candidate location or NPCA anchor channel. This ensures that both NPCA and DSO operations meet the latency requirements, and allows the AP and the non-AP STA to reach a consensus on whether subsequent DSO and NPCA operations will interfere with each other.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the indication information is sent from the non-AP STA to the AP during the negotiation of DSO candidate locations between the AP and the non-AP STA. Optionally, the indication information may be carried in an action frame sent to the AP.

[0045] A sixth aspect provides a communication method applied to an AP within a BSS, the method comprising: receiving indication information from a non-AP STA within the BSS, the indication information indicating that the non-AP STA's NPCA function and DSO share hardware, or indicating that the NPCA function and DSO are used simultaneously; and configuring an anchor channel for the non-AP STA to use a DSO candidate location and / or NPCA function according to the indication information.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the indication information is sent from the non-AP STA to the AP during the negotiation of DSO candidate locations between the AP and the non-AP STA. Optionally, the indication information may be carried in an action frame sent to the AP.

[0047] A seventh aspect provides a communication device comprising: one or more processors configured to perform the method as described in any one of the first to sixth aspects.

[0048] Eighthly, a readable storage medium is provided, the readable storage medium storing a program or instructions that, when executed on a device, cause the device to perform the method described in any one of the first to sixth aspects.

[0049] A ninth aspect provides a chip system including a processor for supporting a computer device in implementing the method described in any one of the first to sixth aspects.

[0050] A tenth aspect provides a program product comprising a program; when the program is run on a computer, the computer performs the method described in any one of the first to sixth aspects. Attached Figure Description

[0051] Figure 1 shows a logical example of three Infrastructure BSSs accessing the DS in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of transmission within the TXOP in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of channel division for a 160MHz wide bandwidth channel in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of main channel access in an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of non-primary channel access (NPCA) in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of channel usage under the Dynamic Subband Operation (DSO) mechanism in the embodiments of this application;

[0057] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the theoretically possible destination location and the actual possible destination location of the DSO in the embodiments of this application;

[0058] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the radio frequency carrier generation module in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figures 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d are schematic diagrams of an example based on the process shown in Figure 9.

[0061] Figure 11a is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 11b is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the changes in NPCA anchoring channel and DSO candidate position in the embodiments of this application;

[0064] Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a DSO Parameter element field in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the format of a channel information field in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the DSO candidate location negotiation process initiated by a non-AP STA according to an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the DSO candidate location negotiation process initiated by the AP according to an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0071] The embodiments of this application can be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) systems that support the next-generation Wi-Fi protocol of IEEE 802.11ax (such as 802.11be, Wi-Fi 7, or EHT), or to WLAN systems that support the next-generation Wi-Fi protocol of IEEE 802.11be (such as Wi-Fi 8, UHR), or to WLAN systems that support Wi-Fi AI (artificial intelligence), or to WLAN systems that support millimeter wave (mmWave), or to WLAN systems that support ultra-wideband (UWB), or to WLAN systems that support sensing, or to future wireless communication systems.

[0072] This application supports IEEE protocols, such as IEEE 802.11be / Wi-Fi 7 / EHT, IEEE 802.11bn / UHR / Wi-Fi 8, IEEE Integrated mmWave / IMMW, IEEE 802.15 / UWB, or IEEE 802.11bf / sensing; this application may also support Spark Link / NearLink standard protocols.

[0073] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the relevant technologies and technical terms involved in this application will be explained below.

[0074] (1) Basic Service Set (BSS)

[0075] A Base Station Controller (BSS) is a fundamental module of the IEEE 802.11 local area network (LAN), consisting of several stations (STAs). Different types of BSSs will have different topologies formed by their member STAs. Based on differences in topology, function, etc., BSSs can be classified into Infrastructure BSSs (IBSSs), Independent BSSs (IBSSs), etc.

[0076] Figure 1 illustrates a scenario of an Infrastructure BSS. As shown in Figure 1, BSS1, BSS2, and BSS3 are three Infrastructure BSSs in an access distribution system (DS). From a site topology perspective, one special site within an Infrastructure BSS acts as the access point to the DS; this site is called the access point (AP), and the other sites are called non-AP STAs. All non-AP STAs access the DS through the AP, and non-AP STAs cannot communicate directly with each other by default.

[0077] It should be understood that when referring to "sites in BSS" or similar expressions in this application, the site referred to can be either an AP or a non-AP STA.

[0078] Overlapping Basic BSS (OBSS) refers to BSSs whose coverage areas overlap and use the same channel. To reduce signal coverage dead zones, APs may be deployed with overlapping coverage areas; due to limited spectrum, the same channel may be reused by multiple BSSs. Thus, it's possible for BSSs with overlapping coverage areas to use the same channel. As shown in Figure 1, AP1 and AP2 are each other's OBSS (or, AP1 is AP2's OBSS, and AP2 is AP1's OBSS). BSSs that are each other's OBSSs can communicate with each other, but mutual interference may occur.

[0079] (2) Carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA)

[0080] Multiple stations may have communication needs within the same space. If these stations transmit simultaneously, the receiving end may experience signal superposition, resulting in no signal being received. To address the characteristics of the 802.11 wireless medium, the 802.11 protocol specifies the use of the CSMA / CA mechanism to resolve interference caused by multiple stations using the medium simultaneously.

[0081] Specifically, the CSMA / CA mechanism requires stations to perform media monitoring before transmitting. If a packet (e.g., a physical-layer protocol data unit, PPDU) is detected being transmitted on the current medium, the station must wait for the current packet to complete its transmission before performing the appropriate backoff action, and then transmit. Transmission can only proceed after the station detects that the air interface (wireless medium) has been idle for a specified duration. When a station monitors the channel (or listens to the channel) for packets, it monitors all packets on the channel, not just those belonging to its own BSS.

[0082] (3) Transmission opportunity (TXOP)

[0083] In the IEEE 802.11 protocol, information is transmitted in units of PPDUs. Typically, a device needs to transmit multiple PPDUs to complete a single service interaction. If backoff is required before each PPDU transmission, transmission efficiency is low. Therefore, the protocol introduces TXOP to allow stations that have completed backoff to efficiently transmit multiple PPDUs.

[0084] Specifically, after backoff, a station gains a period of time, known as TXOP, during which the time interval between adjacent PPDUs (referring to the PPDU received and sent by the station, or the PPDU sent by the station and the PPDU sent by the station) is only a short interframe space (SIFS), without requiring backoff. The station declares the length of this TXOP period at the beginning, and other stations will parse this length and avoid competing for the channel during this period.

[0085] The station that acquires a TXOP by avoiding contention is called the TXOP holder (or TXOP holder, i.e., the station that sends the first frame within the TXOP); the station that communicates with the TXOP holder within the TXOP is called the TXOP responder (or TXOP responder, i.e., the station other than the TXOP holder that participates in the transmission within the TXOP). For example, as shown in Figure 2, STA1 and STA2 transmit within the TXOP. STA1 first sends PPDU 1, then STA2 sends PPDU 2, then STA1 sends PPDU 3 and PPDU 4, and finally STA2 sends PPDU 5. Adjacent PPDUs are spaced 15 seconds apart. Within this TXOP, STA3 and STA4 do not participate in the transmission; that is, STA3 and STA4 cannot send PPDUs within this TXOP to avoid interfering with the transmission within the TXOP.

[0086] Generally, the length of a TXOP ranges from 0.5 milliseconds to 5 milliseconds.

[0087] (4) Network allocation vector (NAV)

[0088] In Infrastructure BSS, the site needs to parse the duration of the TXOP in the air interface. The process is roughly as follows: After the site captures the PPDU, it first parses the physical layer header (PHY header), and then parses the media access control layer header (MAC header, where MAC is an abbreviation for medium access control). The PHY header contains a TXOP field, and the MAC header contains a Duration field. Both fields can carry information about the remaining duration of the TXOP after the PPDU ends.

[0089] After resolving the TXOP information from the PHY header and / or MAC header, the station can set a NAV timer to protect the current air interface TXOP. Specifically, the station sets the initial value of the NAV timer based on the remaining length of the resolved TXOP and begins counting down when the current PPDU ends. The station will not compete for the channel until the NAV timer is cleared to 0.

[0090] (5) Main channel access

[0091] Large bandwidth channels (e.g., 20MHz and above) are divided into multiple 20MHz sub-channels. For example, an 80MHz channel can be divided into four 20MHz sub-channels, and a 160MHz channel can be divided into eight 20MHz sub-channels. Among these 20MHz sub-channels, one is the primary 20MHz channel, and the remaining 20MHz sub-channels are non-primary 20MHz channels. For example, Figure 3 shows a 160MHz channel divided into eight 20MHz sub-channels, including one primary 20MHz channel and seven non-primary 20MHz channels.

[0092] The main channel plays a crucial role in 802.11 protocol communication. In the CSMA / CA mechanism, a station's determination of whether the medium is idle largely depends on the state of the main channel. Specifically, the station performs energy detection (ED) on each sub-channel and preamble detection (PD) on the main channel. If the energy of each sub-channel is greater than or equal to a threshold, or if a preamble is detected on the main channel, a Wi-Fi signal can be considered present. ED has lower hardware requirements but lower accuracy, while PD provides higher accuracy but has higher hardware requirements. Considering the complexity of PD implementation, the protocol does not require stations to perform PD on channels other than the main channel or outside the operating bandwidth.

[0093] It should be understood that, for a site, its operating bandwidth refers to the frequency range of the site's current hardware configuration.

[0094] It should also be understood that "PD on the main channel" as used in this application can also be understood as "main channel access".

[0095] Figure 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of primary channel access. As shown in Figure 4, if the PD result of the primary 20MHz channel is "air interface busy," backoff occurs until a TXOP is obtained after backoff. Transmission can then be performed on the primary 20MHz channel within this TXOP. Within this TXOP, the station can also transmit on non-primary 20MHz channels. If a non-primary 20MHz channel is "air interface busy," but the primary 20MHz channel is idle, transmission can also be performed on the primary 20MHz channel and other non-primary 20MHz channels.

[0096] (6) Non-primary channel access (NPCA)

[0097] The mechanism based on primary channel access is logically clean and simple to operate. However, as device deployment becomes denser and device bandwidth increases, the spectrum utilization efficiency caused by primary channel access is decreasing. Taking a site with 160MHz bandwidth as an example, if only the primary channel is detected as busy, while all other non-primary channels are detected as idle, then according to the primary channel access mechanism, this site cannot use any channel and must back off. But in reality, the other non-primary channels are idle, and theoretically, they can be used for transmission. Therefore, the Wi-Fi 8 protocol is discussing non-primary channel access, that is, when the primary channel is busy, backoff is not performed, but transmission is carried out through idle non-primary channels. In this case, the site performs PD and channel access on the non-primary channel, as shown in Figure 5. In short, NPCA is a mechanism for AP or non-AP STA to use non-primary channels for transmission after the TXOP on the primary channel is preempted by OBSS.

[0098] In this embodiment, the non-primary 20MHz channel used for PD is referred to as the anchor channel. Currently, the consensus reached in the Wi-Fi 8 protocol discussion is that there is only one anchor channel within a BSS, and all stations within that BSS (stations with NPCA enabled) use this anchor channel for NPCA.

[0099] (7) Dynamic sub-band operation (DSO)

[0100] When the bandwidth of the access point (AP) is greater than that of the non-AP STAs, there is a problem of not being able to fully utilize the AP's larger bandwidth capability. For example, if the AP's bandwidth is 160MHz and the non-AP STA's bandwidth is 80MHz, then even if the AP has a 160MHz capability, the non-AP STA can only send and receive PPDUs with a maximum bandwidth of 80MHz. Given existing protocol specifications that require the primary channel for transmission and reception, in this example, the AP's secondary 80MHz bandwidth cannot be used. Even worse, if the bandwidth of all non-AP STAs associated with the AP is less than or equal to 80MHz, then the AP's secondary 80MHz bandwidth will not be used at all.

[0101] To improve channel utilization of high-bandwidth access points (APs), the Wi-Fi 8 protocol discusses the concept of Distributed Sub-channel Optimization (DSO). Specifically, at the start of a TXOP (Turn-Off Period), the AP removes non-AP STAs from their operating channels. During the TXOP, the AP and non-AP STAs communicate using the AP's secondary channels, and the non-AP STAs switch back to their operating channels at the end of the TXOP. An example of DSO channel usage is shown in Figure 6, where the AP's bandwidth is 320MHz and the non-AP STA's bandwidth is 80MHz. The shaded areas in the figure represent the AP's sub-channels used by the non-AP STAs at different times. That is, at the start of the TXOP, the non-AP STA switches from the AP's primary 80MHz channel to the lower 80MHz channel of the AP's secondary 160MHz channel for transmission with the AP; when the TXOP ends, it switches back to the AP's primary 80MHz channel for transmission.

[0102] Different non-AP STAs can be assigned to different sub-channels of the AP. Therefore, the AP can utilize DSO to distribute non-AP STAs across its entire bandwidth, thus fully utilizing the AP's large bandwidth characteristics. In DSO, "dynamic" means that the effective range of the assigned sub-channel is only one TXOP. Under the DSO mechanism, the TXOP for a non-AP STA communicating with the AP on a channel other than its operating channel is referred to as a DSO TXOP in this embodiment.

[0103] It should be understood that DSO is an operation performed by the AP to improve channel utilization after obtaining TXOP on the main channel.

[0104] As shown in Figure 7, taking an AP bandwidth of 320MHz and a non-AP STA bandwidth of 80MHz as an example, theoretically, a non-AP STA can hop to three AP sub-channels (referred to as DSO candidate channels or DSO candidate positions in this embodiment) within the DSO TXOP: the second 80MHz (DSO candidate position 1), the second lower 80MHz (DSO candidate position 2), and the second upper 80MHz (DSO candidate position 3). Due to hardware cost limitations, the amount of hardware that a non-AP STA can add is limited. For example, if a non-AP STA is configured with two sets of additional hardware, it can only be configured with two DSO candidate positions. If the AP assigns the non-AP STA to a DSO candidate position configured with its additional hardware, the non-AP STA will experience a shorter delay during channel hopping. If the AP assigns the non-AP STA to a position outside the channel configured with additional hardware, the non-AP STA will experience a larger delay during channel hopping.

[0105] The AP specifies the candidate DSO location, or the AP and non-AP STAs negotiate and determine the candidate DSO location, and the non-AP STAs perform the corresponding configuration. Subsequently, within the DSO TXOP, the AP can only assign the non-AP STA to that candidate DSO location, and will not assign it to other locations.

[0106] As mentioned earlier, performing NPCA when the site fails to acquire the TXOP can improve channel utilization, while performing DSO when the AP acquires the TXOP can improve channel utilization. In principle, a site can enable both NPCA and DSO simultaneously. If the anchor channel to be switched during NPCA is outside the non-AP STA's operating channel but within the AP's operating channel, the switching logic and operation of NPCA and DSO are completely identical, differing only in the switching trigger conditions. Therefore, in the implementation of a non-AP STA, the DSO and NPCA functions can share hardware (e.g., the RF carrier generation circuit). Figure 8 shows a simplified schematic of the RF carrier generation circuit, where the crystal oscillator frequency cannot be modified. The analog feedback circuit in the figure outputs the RF carrier. The entire circuit requires a certain stabilization delay to stabilize the output frequency around the desired center frequency; this stabilization delay is generally quite long.

[0107] When DSO and NPCA functions share hardware, their configurations are interdependent. For example, as shown in Figure 7, if both DSO and NPCA functions are enabled, and the hardware configuration sets the DSO candidate position to the next 80MHz (DSO candidate position 1) and the next lower 80MHz (i.e., the lower 80MHz of the next 160MHz, referred to as DSO candidate position 2), and the BSS uses a 20MHz sub-channel within the next lower 80MHz, then the non-AP STA can meet latency requirements for both NPCA and DSO operations. However, if the hardware configuration sets the DSO candidate position to the next 80MHz (DSO candidate position 1) and the next lower 80MHz (DSO candidate position 2), but the BSS uses a 20MHz sub-channel within the next upper 80MHz (i.e., the higher 80MHz of the next 160MHz), then the non-AP STA cannot complete the NPCA operation within the "expected" latency, potentially leading to transmission failure.

[0108] To address the aforementioned problems encountered when DSO and NPCA functions share hardware, this application provides a communication method and related apparatus for implementing the method. This application can be applied to sites capable of simultaneously supporting DSO and NPCA.

[0109] The method flow provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to Figures 9, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b, and 12 to 17.

[0110] Referring to Figure 9, a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. This method can be applied to a station (or station device) in the system architecture shown in Figure 1. In embodiments of this application, the station's functions can also be executed by modules (such as chips) within the station, or by a control subsystem containing station functions.

[0111] One scenario for which this process is applied is when a non-AP STA shares hardware for both NPCA and DSO functions, and both functions are enabled. This implementation specifies the handling behavior for the NPCA function at a given site when the initial DSO candidate locations are configured, or when changes to the DSO candidate locations cause the anchor channel for the NPCA to no longer be supported by the hardware shared by the NPCA and DSO functions. Specifically, when initially configuring or updating DSO candidate locations, if none of the configured DSO candidate locations overlap with the anchor channel used by the NPCA, the NPCA function of the non-AP STA is disabled.

[0112] As shown in Figure 9, the method flow may include the following steps:

[0113] Step 901: The non-AP STA determines the DSO candidate location for the non-AP STA.

[0114] DSO candidate locations refer to the channels that an AP will switch from for transmission with a non-AP STA to other channels within the AP's bandwidth but outside the non-AP STA's operating channels after obtaining a TXOP on the primary channel. These other channels may include one or more channels in different frequency ranges with the same bandwidth as the non-AP STA or the same DSO bandwidth as the non-AP STA. These one or more channels that may be switched to are called DSO candidate locations or DSO candidate channels. The number of DSO candidate locations is usually one or more. For example, as shown in Figure 7, within the AP's 360MHz bandwidth, the following DSO candidate locations are included: the second 80MHz channel (first DSO candidate location), the second lower 80MHz channel (second DSO candidate location), and the second upper 80MHz channel (third DSO candidate location).

[0115] DSO candidate locations may or may not overlap with the anchor channel used by the NPCA function specified by the BSS. For ease of description, the "anchor channel used by the NPCA function specified by the BSS" will be referred to as the "NPCA anchor channel" below. A DSO candidate location not overlapping with the NPCA anchor channel means that the NPCA anchor channel is not included in the channel corresponding to any DSO candidate location selected by the non-AP STA. Taking Figure 7 as an example, if the NPCA anchor channel is a 20MHz sub-channel within the second 80MHz channel, and the second 80MHz channel is a DSO candidate location configured by the non-AP STA, then the NPCA anchor channel overlaps with that DSO candidate location; if the NPCA anchor channel is not within any DSO candidate location, then the NPCA anchor channel does not overlap with any DSO candidate location.

[0116] This process can be applied to the initial configuration scenario of DSO candidate locations. For example, in step 901, the initial configuration information of the DSO candidate locations is determined. This initial configuration information may include, for example, the channel frequency range or center frequency. In one possible implementation, during the initial configuration of DSO candidate locations, a non-AP STA can initiate a negotiation process to negotiate with the AP, thereby determining each DSO candidate location. An example of a DSO configuration negotiation process initiated by a non-AP STA can be found in Figure 16, which will be further explained below. In another possible implementation, during the initial configuration of DSO candidate locations, the AP can initiate a negotiation process to negotiate with the AP, thereby determining each DSO candidate location. An example of this process can be found in Figure 17, which will be further explained below. In yet another possible implementation, during the initial configuration of DSO candidate locations, the AP can specify a DSO candidate location for a non-AP STA. In yet another possible implementation, a non-AP STA can independently determine a DSO candidate location and report the information of that DSO candidate location to the AP.

[0117] This process can also be applied to scenarios involving updating DSO candidate locations. For example, in step 901, it is determined that the first DSO candidate location will be updated to the second DSO candidate location. In one possible implementation, a non-AP STA can initiate a negotiation process. Through negotiation between the non-AP STA and the AP, one or more updated DSO candidate locations can be determined. An example of this process can be found in Figure 16, which will be further explained below. In another possible implementation, the AP can initiate a negotiation process. Through negotiation between the non-AP STA and the AP, one or more updated DSO candidate locations can be determined. An example of this process can be found in Figure 17, which will be further explained below. In yet another possible implementation, the AP can specify one or more updated DSO candidate locations for the non-AP STA. In yet another possible implementation, the non-AP STA can independently determine one or more updated DSO candidate locations and report the updated DSO candidate location information to the AP.

[0118] In one possible implementation of the initial configuration scenario or the DSO candidate location update scenario described above, the non-AP STA can determine the DSO candidate location based on first information from the AP. For example, in the initial configuration scenario, the first information may include all DSO candidate locations configured for the non-AP STA; in the DSO update scenario, the first information may include only the updated DSO candidate locations, or it may include all DSO candidate locations recommended for the non-AP STA (including the updated DSO candidate locations). An example of this implementation can be shown in Figure 10a or Figure 10b, which will be further explained below.

[0119] In one possible implementation of the initial configuration or update scenario of the DSO candidate location described above, the non-AP STA can also notify the AP of its configured DSO candidate location. Specifically, the non-AP STA sends a second message to the AP, indicating the DSO candidate location configured by the non-AP STA. Optionally, the second message can be sent before the DSO candidate location takes effect, or it can be sent within a first time period after the DSO candidate location takes effect. Optionally, the first time period can be set to a relatively short period so that the AP can obtain the DSO candidate location configured by the non-AP STA in a timely manner, allowing the AP to perform DSO operations based on the configured DSO candidate location. After receiving the second message, the AP can determine the DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA based on the second message. If the DSO candidate location does not overlap with the NPCA anchoring channel, the AP can send an instruction to the non-AP STA to instruct the non-AP STA to disable the NPCA function. An example of this implementation can be shown in Figure 10b or Figure 10c.

[0120] After determining the DSO candidate location, the non-AP STA can perform configuration operations on the DSO candidate location. For example, the non-AP STA can configure its circuitry for RF carrier generation so that the center frequency of its output is the center frequency of the DSO candidate location. This application embodiment does not limit the specific configuration operations for the DSO candidate location.

[0121] Step 902: If the DSO candidate location does not overlap with the anchor channel (NPCA anchor channel) used by the NPCA function of the site within the BSS where the non-AP STA is located, the non-AP STA disables the NPCA function of the non-AP STA.

[0122] Disabling the NPCA function can also be understood as disabling the NPCA function. After disabling the NPCA function, non-AP STAs will not perform preamble detection on non-primary channels, nor will they access non-primary channels.

[0123] If the DSO candidate location does not overlap with the NPCA anchor channel, the hardware of the non-AP STA (e.g., the circuitry for RF carrier generation) can guarantee that the DSO operation will be performed within the "expected" delay, but it may not guarantee that the NPCA operation will be completed within the "expected" delay, which could lead to NPCA-based transmission failure. In this case, if the NPCA function is enabled, disabling the NPCA function can prevent transmission failures caused by the above reasons.

[0124] If the DSO candidate location overlaps with the NPCA anchor channel, the hardware of the non-AP STA (e.g., circuitry for RF carrier generation) can guarantee that both the DSO and NPCA operations will be performed within the "expected" delay. In this case, both DSO and NPCA functions can be enabled simultaneously. Specifically, if the NPCA function is enabled, it can remain enabled; if the NPCA function is disabled, it can be enabled.

[0125] In one possible implementation, the non-AP STA can disable its NPCA function when the DSO candidate location begins configuration, or simultaneously with the DSO candidate location taking effect, or during a second time period after the DSO candidate location takes effect. The effective time is defined as the period of stabilization after the DSO candidate location begins configuration. The effective time of the DSO candidate configuration can be specified by the AP or be a default setting; this application does not impose any restrictions on this. Optionally, the second time period can be set to a shorter period.

[0126] In one possible implementation, the non-AP STA can disable the NPCA function based on an instruction sent by the AP. Specifically, after receiving the instruction from the AP, the non-AP STA disables its NPCA function according to the instruction. An example of this implementation can be shown in Figure 10b or Figure 10c.

[0127] In one possible implementation, the non-AP STA can also notify the AP that the non-AP STA has disabled the NPCA function. Specifically, the non-AP STA sends a third message to the AP, which notifies the AP that the non-AP STA's NPCA function has been disabled. Optionally, the third message can be sent before the DSO candidate position takes effect, or it can be sent within the first time period after the DSO candidate position takes effect, or it can be sent after the NPCA function is disabled. An example of this implementation can be shown in Figures 10a, 10b, 10c, or 10d.

[0128] The above-mentioned Figures 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d are some possible examples based on the process shown in Figure 9. These examples are explained below.

[0129] As shown in Figure 10a, after receiving the first information sent by the AP, the non-AP STA configures its DSO candidate position according to the DSO candidate position indicated by the first information. If the non-AP STA determines that the NPCA anchor channel does not overlap with any of the DSO candidate positions configured by the non-AP STA, then the NPCA function is turned off.

[0130] Optionally, the AP can determine whether the NPCA anchor channel overlaps with the DSO candidate location configured for the non-AP STA based on the DSO candidate location configured for the non-AP STA. If they do not overlap, the AP can determine that the non-AP STA will disable the NPCA function and can update the NPCA configuration information of the non-AP STA stored on the AP side (for example, record the NPCA configuration information of the non-AP STA as disabled or prohibited), thereby ensuring that the behavior of the AP and the non-AP STA is consistent.

[0131] Optionally, a non-AP STA can also send a third message to the AP to notify the AP that the NPCA function of the non-AP STA has been turned off.

[0132] Optionally, the first information may be sent by the AP to the non-AP STA during the negotiation process initiated by the AP, for example, the first information may be carried in a request frame sent by the AP to the non-AP STA.

[0133] Optionally, the first information can also be sent during the process of the AP specifying the DSO candidate location. For example, the first information can be carried in the action frame or instruction sent by the AP to the non-AP STA.

[0134] As shown in Figure 10b, after receiving the first information sent by the AP, the non-AP STA configures its DSO candidate position according to the DSO candidate position indicated by the first information. If the AP determines that the NPCA anchor channel does not overlap with any of the non-AP STA's DSO candidate positions, it sends an instruction to the non-AP STA to instruct it to disable the NPCA function. The non-AP STA disables the NPCA function according to the instruction.

[0135] Optionally, a non-AP STA can also send a third message to the AP to notify the AP that the NPCA function of the non-AP STA has been turned off.

[0136] It should be understood that although the instruction for indicating the closure of the NPCA function in Figure 10b is sent after the first information (i.e., the instruction information for DSO candidate location update), in some other embodiments, the instruction for indicating the closure of the NPCA function may also be sent before the first information, and this application does not limit this.

[0137] An alternative to Figure 10b is that the AP first sends an instruction to the non-AP STA to disable the NPCA function, and then sends the first information to the non-AP STA. For example, in the scenario of DSO candidate location update, after the AP allocates a new DSO candidate location to the non-AP STA, it can determine whether the DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA overlaps with the NPCA anchor channel after the non-AP STA updates its DSO configuration. If there is no overlap, the AP can instruct the non-AP STA to disable the NPCA function and then send the first information to the non-AP STA.

[0138] As shown in Figure 10c, the second information sent by the non-AP STA to the AP indicates the DSO candidate position of the non-AP STA. The AP can determine whether the NPCA anchor channel overlaps with the DSO candidate position of the non-AP STA based on the second information. If they do not overlap, the AP sends an instruction to the non-AP STA to instruct the non-AP STA to disable the NPCA function. The non-AP STA can disable the NPCA function based on this instruction.

[0139] Optionally, a non-AP STA can also send a third message to the AP to notify the AP that the NPCA function of the non-AP STA has been disabled. Optionally, the third message can be sent after or before the second message is sent.

[0140] Optionally, the second information can be sent from the non-AP STA to the AP during a negotiation process initiated by the AP or non-AP STA. For example, the second information can be carried in a query frame or response frame sent by the non-AP STA.

[0141] Optionally, the second piece of information can also be reported to the AP by the non-AP STA after it has independently configured the DSO candidate location.

[0142] Optionally, a non-AP STA can also send a third message to the AP, notifying the non-AP STA that its NPCA function has been disabled. Correspondingly, the AP can record the disabled NPCA function of the non-AP STA based on the third message.

[0143] It should be understood that although the instruction for indicating the closure of the NPCA function in Figure 10c is sent after the second information (i.e., the instruction information for DSO candidate location update), in some other embodiments, the instruction for indicating the closure of the NPCA function may also be sent before the second information, and this application does not limit this.

[0144] As shown in Figure 10d, the second information sent by the non-AP STA to the AP indicates the DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA; if the non-AP STA determines that the NPCA anchor channel does not overlap with the DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA, then the NPCA function is turned off.

[0145] Optionally, the AP can determine whether the NPCA anchor channel overlaps with the DSO candidate location configured for the non-AP STA based on the DSO candidate location configured for the non-AP STA. If they do not overlap, the AP can determine that the non-AP STA will disable the NPCA function and can update the NPCA configuration information of the non-AP STA maintained by the AP, thereby ensuring that the behavior of the AP and the non-AP STA is consistent.

[0146] Optionally, a non-AP STA can also send a third message to the AP to notify the AP that the NPCA function of the non-AP STA has been disabled. Optionally, the third message can be sent after or before the second message is sent.

[0147] In one possible implementation, the non-AP STA can also send an instruction message to the AP, which indicates that the NPCA function and DSO function of the non-AP STA share hardware, or indicates that the NPCA function and DSO function are used simultaneously (or that the NPCA function and DSO function are enabled at the same time).

[0148] For example, if the NPCA and DSO functions of a non-AP STA share hardware, or if the NPCA and DSO functions are used simultaneously by default, the non-AP STA may send this instruction information to the AP; otherwise, the non-AP STA may not send this instruction information.

[0149] For example, the aforementioned instruction information sent by a non-AP STA to the AP is used to indicate whether the NPCA function and DSO function of the non-AP STA share hardware, or to indicate whether the NPCA function and DSO function are used simultaneously when they share hardware by default.

[0150] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned indication information can occupy 1 bit to save signaling overhead. Taking the aforementioned information as 1 bit as an example, when the value of the indication information is 0, it indicates that the NPCA function and DSO function of the non-AP STA share hardware, or that the NPCA function and DSO function are used simultaneously when they share hardware by default; when the value of the indication information is 1, it indicates that the NPCA function and DSO function of the non-AP STA do not share hardware, or that the NPCA function and DSO function are not used simultaneously. Of course, "1" can also be used to indicate that the NPCA function and DSO function of the non-AP STA share hardware, or that the NPCA function and DSO function are used simultaneously when they share hardware by default; and "0" can be used to indicate that the NPCA function and DSO function of the non-AP STA do not share hardware, or that the NPCA function and DSO function are not used simultaneously.

[0151] Optionally, the non-AP STA can send the aforementioned indication information to the AP during the negotiation of DSO candidate locations. For example, the indication information can be carried in the action frame sent by the non-AP STA to the AP.

[0152] Based on the processes shown in Figures 9, 10a, 10b, 10c, or 10d, when the initial DSO candidate positions of a site, or changes in the DSO candidate positions, cause all DSO candidate positions of the site to no longer overlap with the anchor channel of the NPCA, the NPCA function of the site is automatically disabled. This solves the transmission failure problem caused by the mutual interference between DSO configuration and NPCA configuration. The process logic is clear and the implementation is simple.

[0153] It should be understood that the sequence of steps in the process shown in Figures 10a, 10b, 10c or 10d is only one possible example and is not limited thereto.

[0154] In the processes shown in Figures 10a, 10b, 10c, or 10b above, the information exchanged between the non-AP STA and the AP can be carried in the action frame. For example, the action frame carrying the second or third information may include all DSO candidate locations of the non-AP STA, including the updated new DSO candidate locations.

[0155] Referring to Figure 11a, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, this method can be applied to a station (or station device) in the system architecture shown in Figure 1. In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the station can also be executed by modules (such as chips) within the station, or by a control subsystem containing station functions.

[0156] One scenario for which this process is applied is when a non-AP STA shares hardware for both NPCA and DSO functions, and both are enabled. This implementation specifies the handling behavior for the DSO configuration or NPCA function of a site when the initially configured NPCA anchor channel, or when changes to the NPCA anchor channel cause it to no longer be supported by the hardware shared by the NPCA and DSO functions. Specifically, when initially configuring or updating the NPCA anchor channel, if the configured anchor channel does not overlap with a DSO candidate location, the DSO candidate location for the non-AP STA is updated.

[0157] Referring to Figure 11a, the process may include the following steps:

[0158] Step 1101: The AP sends a first indication message to the non-AP STA. The first indication message indicates the NPCA anchor channel, which does not overlap with the DSO candidate location (hereinafter referred to as DSO candidate location) configured by the non-AP STA.

[0159] This process can be applied to scenarios where an NPCA anchor channel is initially configured. Accordingly, the anchor channel indicated by the first indication information is the NPCA anchor channel initially configured for a non-AP STA.

[0160] This process can also be applied to scenarios where the NPCA anchor channel is updated. Accordingly, the anchor channel indicated by the first indication information is the updated NPCA anchor channel.

[0161] Step 1104: The non-AP STA updates the DSO candidate location, and the updated DSO candidate location overlaps with the NPCA anchored channel indicated by the first information.

[0162] In the scenario of updating the NPCA anchor channel, when the AP specifies a new NPCA anchor channel through the first indication information, and this new anchor channel does not overlap with any DSO candidate positions currently configured by the non-AP STA, the DSO candidate positions that overlap with the old NPCA anchor channel will change to the DSO candidate positions where the new NPCA anchor channel is located as the new NPCA anchor channel changes. For example, as shown in Figure 12, the two DSO candidate positions currently configured by the non-AP STA are the first DSO candidate position and the second DSO candidate position. The NPCA anchor channel before the update is located in the next lower 80MHz channel range, which overlaps with the second DSO candidate position. The AP instructs the non-AP STA to update the NPCA anchor channel to the next upper 80MHz channel range. The non-AP STA can update the NPCA anchor channel and DSO candidate positions according to this instruction. The updated DSO candidate positions include the first DSO candidate position and the third DSO candidate position, and the updated NPCA anchor channel overlaps with the third DSO candidate position.

[0163] In one possible implementation, after receiving the first indication information, the non-AP STA can determine whether the NPCA anchor channel and the currently configured DSO candidate position overlap, based on the NPCA anchor channel indicated by the first indication information and the currently configured DSO candidate position of the non-AP STA. If there is no overlap, the NPCA anchor channel is configured according to the first indication information, and the DSO candidate position is updated; if there is overlap, the NPCA anchor channel is configured according to the first indication information, and the currently configured DSO candidate position remains unchanged. The AP can perform the same actions as the non-AP (such as automatically updating the DSO position or automatically disabling NPCA) without frame interaction. The emphasis is on the concept of "automatic," as no frame interaction is required. This "automatic" scheme is easier to implement.

[0164] In one possible implementation, the process shown in Figure 11a may further include step 1102: If the AP determines that the NPCA anchor channel configured by the non-AP STA does not overlap with the currently configured DSO candidate position of the non-AP STA, the AP updates the updated DSO candidate position of the non-AP STA recorded on the AP side. The updated DSO candidate position overlaps with the NPCA anchor channel. In this step, the AP can use the same method as the non-AP STA to determine the updated DSO candidate position, ensuring that the updated DSO candidate positions determined by the AP and the non-AP STA are the same, thereby guaranteeing consistency between the behavior of the AP and the non-AP STA.

[0165] In another possible implementation, the process shown in Figure 11a may further include step 1103: If the AP determines that the NPCA anchor channel configured by the AP for the non-AP STA does not overlap with the DSO candidate position currently configured by the non-AP STA, the AP may send a second indication message to the non-AP STA. This second indication message indicates an updated DSO candidate position that overlaps with the NPCA anchor channel. Upon receiving the second indication message, the non-AP STA can update its DSO candidate position accordingly, ensuring that the updated DSO candidate position overlaps with the NPCA anchor channel configured by the AP. Compared to the implementation where the non-AP STA updates the DSO candidate position itself, the method of having the AP specify a new DSO candidate position saves processing overhead for the non-AP STA and improves system flexibility.

[0166] Optionally, the second indication information can be sent before the first indication information, or it can be sent during a third time period after the NPCA anchor channel takes effect, or the first and second indication information can be sent using the same action frame or the same message. Optionally, the third time period can be set to a shorter period so that non-AP STAs can update the DSO candidate location in a timely manner before the NPCA anchor channel takes effect.

[0167] In one possible implementation, the process shown in Figure 11a may further include the following step 1105: The non-AP STA sends third indication information to the AP to indicate the updated DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA, so that the AP can know the updated DSO configuration of the non-AP STA. Optionally, the third indication information may be sent immediately after the non-AP STA updates the DSO candidate location, or it may be sent within a third time period after the NPCA anchor channel takes effect.

[0168] Based on the process shown in Figure 11a above, in one possible implementation, the non-AP STA can also send a fifth indication message to the AP. This fifth indication message indicates that the NPCA and DSO functions of the non-AP STA share hardware, or indicates that the NPCA function and DSO are used simultaneously. The fifth indication message has the same function as the indication message used in the previous embodiments to indicate that the NPCA and DSO functions share hardware or that the NPCA function and DSO are used simultaneously; refer to the relevant descriptions of this indication message in the previous embodiments. Based on the fifth indication message from the non-AP STA, the AP can determine whether the NPCA and DSO functions of the non-AP STA share hardware or that the NPCA function and DSO are used simultaneously. Therefore, the AP can determine a new DSO candidate location for the non-AP STA. This new DSO candidate location overlaps with the NPCA anchor channel configured by the AP for the non-AP STA, and the AP can indicate this new DSO candidate location to the non-AP STA through a second indication message.

[0169] It is understood that the sequence of steps in the process shown in Figure 11a is only one possible example, and this application does not limit it.

[0170] Referring to Figure 11b, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, this method can be applied to a station (or station device) in the system architecture shown in Figure 1. In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the station can also be executed by modules (such as chips) within the station, or by a control subsystem containing station functions.

[0171] One scenario for which this process is applied is when a non-AP STA shares hardware for both NPCA and DSO functions, and both are enabled. This implementation specifies the handling behavior for the DSO configuration or NPCA function of a site when the initially configured NPCA anchor channel, or when changes to the NPCA anchor channel cause it to no longer be supported by the hardware shared by the NPCA and DSO functions. Specifically, when initially configuring or updating the NPCA anchor channel, if the configured NPCA anchor channel does not overlap with a DSO candidate location, the NPCA function of the non-AP STA is disabled.

[0172] Referring to Figure 11b, the process may include the following steps:

[0173] Step 1111: The AP sends a first indication message to the non-AP STA, which indicates the NPCA anchor channel, which does not overlap with the DSO candidate location.

[0174] For details on how this step is implemented, please refer to step 1101 in Figure 11a.

[0175] Step 1112a: If a non-AP STA determines that the NPCA anchor channel does not overlap with the currently configured DSO candidate location, it refuses to configure NPCA according to the first indication information and disables the NPCA function.

[0176] In one possible implementation, the process shown in Figure 11b may further include the following steps 1112b: If the AP determines that the NPCA anchor channel configured by the non-AP STA does not overlap with the DSO candidate location currently configured by the non-AP STA, the AP may determine that the non-AP STA will disable the NPCA function and update the NPCA configuration information of the non-AP STA stored on the AP side, thereby ensuring that the behavior of the AP and the non-AP STA is consistent.

[0177] In one possible implementation, the process shown in Figure 11b may further include the following step 1113: the non-AP STA sends a fourth indication message to the AP to indicate that the NPCA function of the non-AP STA is turned off.

[0178] Based on the process shown in Figure 11b above, in one possible implementation, the non-AP STA can also send a fifth instruction message to the AP, which indicates that the NPCA function and DSO function of the non-AP STA share hardware, or indicates that the NPCA function and DSO function are used simultaneously.

[0179] It is understood that the sequence of steps in the process shown in Figure 11b is only one possible example, and this application does not limit it.

[0180] In one alternative scheme of Figure 11b, the AP sends a first indication message to the non-AP STA, indicating the NPCA anchor channel, which does not overlap with the DSO candidate location; the AP also sends an instruction to the non-AP STA to instruct it to disable the NPCA function. Optionally, this instruction can be sent after or before the first indication message (i.e., the NPCA anchor channel update indication). Optionally, the non-AP STA can also send a fourth indication message to the AP to indicate that its NPCA function is disabled.

[0181] Based on the processes shown in Figures 11a and 11b, when a site initially configures an NPCA anchor channel, or when the NPCA anchor channel changes, causing all DSO candidate positions for that site to no longer overlap with the NPCA anchor channel, one approach is to automatically disable the NPCA function of that site. This resolves the transmission failure problem caused by the mutual interference between DSO and NPCA configurations. Another approach is to update the DSO candidate positions of the site so that the updated DSO candidate positions overlap with the NPCA anchor channel. This allows the NPCA and DSO functions to share hardware and ensures that both NPCA and DSO operations meet latency requirements. This process has clear logic and is simple to implement.

[0182] Referring to Figure 13, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, this method can be applied to a station (or station device) in the system architecture shown in Figure 1. In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the station can also be executed by modules (such as chips) within the station, or by a control subsystem containing station functions.

[0183] One scenario in which this process is applied is when a non-AP STA shares hardware for its NPCA and DSO functions, and both NPCA and DSO functions are enabled. In this implementation, the non-AP STA can report indication information to the AP, indicating whether its NPCA and DSO functions share hardware or whether NPCA and DSO are used simultaneously. This allows the AP to consider the mutual influence between NPCA and DSO configurations when configuring DSO candidate locations or NPCA anchor channels for the non-AP STA.

[0184] Referring to Figure 13, the process may include the following steps:

[0185] Step 1301: The non-AP STA sends an instruction message to the AP, the instruction message indicating that the NPCA function and DSO function of the non-access point site share hardware, or indicating that the NPCA function and DSO function are used simultaneously.

[0186] The relevant explanation of this instruction information can be found in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0187] In one possible implementation, the indication information can be in a message sent by the non-AP STA to the AP during the process of negotiating the DSO candidate location with the AP, for example, carried in an action frame sent by the non-AP STA to the AP.

[0188] Step 1302: The AP configures the DSO candidate location and / or NPCA anchor channel for the non-AP STA according to the instruction information.

[0189] If the indication information indicates that the NPCA and DSO functions of the non-AP STA share hardware, or indicates that the NPCA function and DSO are used simultaneously, then when the AP configures the DSO candidate location for the non-AP STA (including initial configuration or update configuration), the DSO candidate location specified by the AP overlaps with the NPCA anchored channel of the non-AP STA. If the indication information indicates that the NPCA and DSO functions of the non-AP STA do not share hardware, or indicates that the NPCA function and DSO are not used simultaneously, then the DSO candidate location specified by the AP for the non-AP STA is not subject to the above constraints.

[0190] For example, a non-AP STA reports to the AP that it can support two DSO candidate locations outside the operational channel; these two DSO candidate locations are referred to as the first DSO candidate location and the second DSO candidate location. The non-AP STA also reports to the AP that its NPCA function shares hardware with its DSO function using the aforementioned indication information. When the AP configures a DSO candidate location for the non-AP STA, one of the two DSO candidate locations allocated by the AP overlaps with the NPCA anchoring channel, while the other DSO candidate location can be freely allocated.

[0191] Similarly, if the indication message indicates that the NPCA and DSO functions of the non-AP STA share hardware, or indicates that the NPCA function and DSO are used simultaneously, then the NPCA function of the non-AP STA is enabled only if the NPCA anchor channel used by the BSS overlaps with the DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA; otherwise, the NPCA function of the non-AP STA is disabled. If the indication message indicates that the NPCA and DSO functions of the non-AP STA do not share hardware, or indicates that the NPCA function and DSO are not used simultaneously, then the enabling or disabling of the NPCA function of the non-AP STA is not affected by the DSO candidate location.

[0192] Based on the process shown in Figure 13 above, the non-AP STA reports to the AP whether its NPCA and DSO functions share hardware or whether the NPCA and DSO functions are used simultaneously. This allows the AP to ensure that the DSO candidate location and NPCA anchor channel overlap when configuring the non-AP STA for the DSO candidate location or NPCA anchor channel. This ensures that both NPCA and DSO operations meet the latency requirements, allowing the AP and the non-AP STA to reach a consensus on whether subsequent DSO and NPCA operations will interfere with each other.

[0193] In some embodiments of this application, the non-AP STA and AP can exchange action frames to achieve the initial configuration or update of the DSO candidate location.

[0194] The action frames involved in this application embodiment may include: query frames, request frames, and response frames. These action frames have a uniform frame format. For example, Table 1 shows the fields that may be included in these action frames.

[0195] Table 1: Frame structure of the action frame

[0196] Category field: This field can use an unused non-zero value to indicate the major category of the action frame as related to UHR DSO.

[0197] DSO Parameter Action field: This field indicates whether the action frame is a query, request, or response frame. For example, you can use a field value of "1" to indicate that the frame is a query frame, a field value of "2" to indicate that the frame is a request frame, and a field value of "3" to indicate that the frame is a response frame.

[0198] Dialog Token field: This field carries a session identifier, which indicates the session in which the current frame belongs. The value of this field is the same in query, request, and response frames within the same session.

[0199] The DSO Parameter element field: This field can be used to carry DSO configuration parameters, which may include, for example, the number of channels corresponding to the DSO candidate locations (or the number of DSO candidate locations), and related information about the channels corresponding to the DSO candidate locations. For example, Figure 14 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a DSO Parameter element field. As shown in Figure 14, the DSO Parameter element field may include the following fields: element identifier field, length field, element identifier extension field, control field, and channel list field. The control field may include an item number field, a channel list occurrence field, and a NPCA consideration field, etc. It should be understood that the above field names are merely possible examples, and this application does not limit the field names.

[0200] The values ​​of the element identifier field and the element identifier extension field can be newly defined to distinguish them from the values ​​used in the current standard. These two fields can be used together to indicate that the element is a DSO parameter element.

[0201] The length field indicates the length of the element excluding the element identifier field and the length field, in bytes.

[0202] The Item Number field conditionally indicates the number of items carried by the channel list (i.e., the number of channel information fields contained in the channel list field) or the number of DSO candidate locations other than the operational channel supported by a non-AP STA. Its usage will be described in detail later.

[0203] The channel list appearance field is used to indicate whether the element carries a channel list field, and its usage will be introduced in detail later.

[0204] The NPCA field carries information indicating whether the DSO and NPCA functions of a site share hardware or whether the DSO and NPCA functions of a site are used simultaneously. This information is used to indicate whether the DSO operation should take into account the sharing of the underlying hardware by the NPCA.

[0205] The channel list field can optionally be carried in the DSO parameter element. When the channel list field appears, it carries one or more channel information fields. For example, the format of the channel information field can be as shown in Figure 15. The channel information field may include a channel record identifier field, a temporary primary channel field, a handover delay field, an action / status code field, etc.

[0206] The channel record identifier field is an identifier that uniquely identifies a non-AP STA and an AP for a specific additional hardware configuration of the non-AP STA.

[0207] The Temporary Master Channel field is a zero-based value indicating which 20MHz subchannel within the AP bandwidth, ordered from lowest to highest frequency, is the temporary master channel for the DSO candidate location. It's important to note that once the location of the temporary master channel for the DSO candidate location is determined, the DSO candidate location is also determined by combining the channel allocation and the bandwidth of the non-AP STA or the DSO operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA.

[0208] The handover delay field indicates the delay required for the AP within the DSO TXOP to assign a non-AP STA to the corresponding DSO candidate position and complete the channel handover, or the minimum length of the Padding field to be added to the initial control frame sent by the AP to the non-AP STA for DSO operation. For example, the value of this field can reuse the delay values ​​and meanings of enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR). Table 2 provides an example of the EMLSR handover delay field values ​​and corresponding delays in EHT Draft 6.0.

[0209] Table 2

[0210] The action / status code field indicates the operation required by the corresponding additional hardware or the implementation status of the corresponding operation. Two possible values ​​are provided: the first possible value and the second possible value. The first possible value is shown in Table 3, and the second possible value is shown in Table 4.

[0211] Table 3: Possible values ​​for the first option

[0212] In the first possible value, the action / status code field is 2 bits long (or longer). This approach allows for more detailed status codes to help the other end quickly understand the reason for the configuration failure.

[0213] Table 4: Possible second values

[0214] In the second possible value, the action / status code field is 1 bit long. This method is simpler and easier to implement.

[0215] The specific usage of the action / status code field will be explained in detail below.

[0216] Based on the structure of the action frame described above, Figures 16 and 17 below illustrate the negotiation process between the AP and non-AP STA and the process by which the AP specifies the DSO candidate configuration.

[0217] Referring to Figure 16, this illustrates a DSO candidate location negotiation process initiated by a non-AP STA, as provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown, the process may include the following steps:

[0218] Step 1601: The non-AP STA sends a query frame to the AP to initiate DSO negotiation.

[0219] In this query frame, the Item Count field is set to the number of sets of additional hardware (excluding the operating channels) that the non-AP STA has prepared for the DSO. The Channel List field optionally appears; when present, it contains the same number of items as indicated by the Item Count field. The Action / Status Code field within each Channel Information field is an Action field and is set to "Add" (multi-bit Action field) or "Add / Change" (single-bit Action field). Each channel information item in the query frame represents only a suggestion, not a valid configuration.

[0220] Step 1602: The AP sends a request frame to the non-AP STA.

[0221] The item count field value in the request frame is the same as the item count field value in the corresponding query frame. The request frame includes a channel list, and the number of items in this channel list is the same as the number of items indicated by the item count field. The action / status code field in each channel information field is an action field and is set to "Add" (multi-bit action field) or "Add / Change" (single-bit action field). Each channel information in the request frame represents only a suggestion, not a valid configuration.

[0222] Step 1603: The non-AP STA sends a response frame.

[0223] The number of items field in the response frame has the same value as the number of items field in the corresponding request frame. The response frame includes a channel list, and the number of items in this channel list is the same as the number of items indicated by the number of items field. The action / status code field in each channel information field is a status code field. Channel information with a status code of SUCCESS in the response frame is a valid configuration.

[0224] A possible alternative to the negotiation process shown in Figure 16 above is that, after the non-AP STA sends a query frame, if the AP agrees to all the configurations of the non-AP STA, it can directly send a response frame to indicate its agreement.

[0225] Another possible alternative to the negotiation process shown in Figure 16 above is that the negotiation result is not refined to each proposed channel, that is, instead of having a corresponding status code for each channel, a status code is set for all channels to indicate that the (re)configuration result is either all successful or all failed.

[0226] Similarly, the AP can initiate the DSO negotiation process, and the specific implementation method can be referred to the process shown in Figure 16.

[0227] Referring to Figure 17, this illustrates the process of DSO candidate location update negotiation initiated by the AP according to an embodiment of this application. As shown, the process may include the following steps:

[0228] Step 1701: The AP sends a request frame to the non-AP STA.

[0229] The number of items indicated by the Item Count field in the request frame is the same as the number of items in the Channel List field. The Action / Status Code field in each Channel Information field is an Action field. Each channel information item in the request frame represents only a suggestion, not a valid configuration.

[0230] Step 1702: The non-AP STA sends a response frame to the AP.

[0231] The number of items field in the response frame has the same value as the number of items field in the corresponding request frame. The response frame includes a channel list, and the number of items it contains is the same as the number of items indicated by the number of items field. The action / status code field in each channel information field is a status code field. Channel information with a status code of SUCCESS in the response frame is a valid configuration.

[0232] A possible alternative to the process shown in Figure 17 above is that the response frame is not refined to each channel, that is, instead of having a corresponding status code for each channel, a status code is set for all channels to indicate that the (re)configuration result is either all successful or all failed.

[0233] Similarly, the non-AP STA can determine the DSO configuration itself and then send the suggested DSO candidate locations to the AP via a request frame. The specific implementation method can be found in the process shown in Figure 17.

[0234] It is understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the node devices in the BSS include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0235] Figures 18 and 19 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the node devices in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be one of the non-AP STA1-5 shown in Figure 1, or one of the AP1-3 shown in Figure 1, or it can be a module (such as a chip) applied to the above-mentioned node.

[0236] As shown in Figure 18, the communication device 1800 includes a processing unit 1810 and a transceiver unit 1820. The communication device 1800 is used to implement the functions of the node devices within the BSS in the above method embodiments.

[0237] When the communication device 1800 is used to implement the non-AP STA function in the method embodiments shown in FIG9, FIG10a, FIG10b, FIG10c or FIG10d: the processing unit 1810 is used to determine the DSO candidate location of the non-AP STA, the DSO candidate location not overlapping with the anchor channel used by the NPCA function; the processing unit 1810 disables the NPCA function of the non-AP STA.

[0238] When the communication device 1800 is used to implement the AP function in the method embodiments shown in FIG9, FIG10a, FIG10b, FIG10c or FIG10d: the processing unit 1810 is used to determine the DSO candidate position of the non-AP STA, the DSO candidate position not overlapping with the anchor channel used by the NPCA function; the processing unit 1810 sends an instruction to the non-AP STA through the transceiver unit 1820, the instruction being used to instruct the non-AP STA to disable the NPCA function, or to determine that the non-AP STA will disable the NPCA function.

[0239] When the communication device 1800 is used to implement the non-AP STA function in the method embodiment shown in FIG11a or FIG11b: the transceiver unit 1820 is used to receive first indication information from the AP, the first indication information indicating the anchor channel used by the NPCA function, the anchor channel not overlapping with the DSO candidate position; the processing unit 1810 is used to update the DSO candidate position or disable the NPCA function, wherein the updated DSO candidate position overlaps with the anchor channel.

[0240] When the communication device 1800 is used to implement the function of the AP in the method embodiment shown in FIG11a or FIG11b: the processing unit 1810 is used to send a first indication information to the non-AP STA through the transceiver unit 1820, the first indication information indicating the anchor channel used by the NPCA function, the anchor channel not overlapping with the DSO candidate position; the processing unit 1810 updates the DSO candidate position of the non-AP STA stored by the AP point, the updated DSO candidate position overlapping with the anchor channel, or determines that the non-AP STA will turn off the NPCA function.

[0241] When the communication device 1800 is used to implement the functions of the non-AP STA in the method embodiment shown in FIG13: the processing unit 1810 is used to send indication information to the AP through the transceiver unit 1820, the indication information indicating that the NPCA function and DSO function of the non-AP STA share hardware, or indicating that the NPCA function and DSO are used simultaneously.

[0242] When the communication device 1800 is used to implement the functions of the AP in the method embodiment shown in FIG13: the transceiver unit 1820 is used to receive indication information from the non-AP STA, the indication information indicating that the NPCA function and DSO function of the non-AP STA share hardware, or indicating that the NPCA function and DSO are used simultaneously; the processing unit 1810 is used to configure the DSO candidate location and / or the anchor channel used by the NPCA function for the non-AP STA according to the indication information.

[0243] A more detailed description of the processing unit 1810 and the transceiver unit 1820 can be obtained directly from the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0244] As shown in Figure 19, the communication device 1900 includes a processor 1910 and an interface circuit 1920. The processor 1910 and the interface circuit 1920 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1920 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1900 may also include a memory 1930 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1910, or storing input data required by the processor 1910 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1910 executes instructions.

[0245] When the communication device 1900 is used to implement the method provided in the above method embodiment, the processor 1910 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 1810, and the interface circuit 1920 is used to implement the function of the transceiver unit 1820.

[0246] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a non-AP STA, the chip implements the functions of a non-AP STA in the above method embodiments. The chip receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the non-AP STA, which is sent by the AP to the non-AP STA; or, the chip sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the device, which is sent by the non-AP STA to the AP.

[0247] When the aforementioned communication device is a module applied to an AP, the AP module implements the functions of the AP in the above method embodiments. The AP module receives information from other modules in the AP (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), which is sent to the AP by a non-AP STA; or, the AP module sends information to other modules in the AP (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), which is sent to a non-AP STA by the AP. Here, the AP module can be the AP's baseband chip, a DU, or other modules. The DU can be a DU under an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0248] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0249] This application provides another example of a communication device, which includes at least one processor and at least one memory coupled together. The at least one processor and the at least one memory are used to store instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the communication device performs the methods described in the above embodiments. Taking a communication device including a processor and a memory as an example, as shown in FIG19, communication device 1900 includes a processor 1910 and a memory 1930. The processor 1910 and the memory 1930 are coupled together. The memory 1930 stores instructions. When the instructions stored in the memory 1930 are executed by the processor 1910, the communication device 1900 performs the methods performed by the terminal device or network device described in the above embodiments.

[0250] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a network device or terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a network device or terminal.

[0251] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0252] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0253] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates a "division" relationship between the preceding and following related objects. "Including at least one of A, B, and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B, and C.

[0254] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method applied to a non-access point station in a basic service set (BSS) comprises: determining a dynamic sub-band operation (DSO) candidate position of the non-access point station, the DSO candidate position not overlapping with an anchor channel used by a non-primary channel access (NPCA) function of a station in the BSS; turning off the NPCA function of the non-access point station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The determining of the DSO candidate position of the non-access point station comprises: determining initial configuration information of the DSO candidate position of the non-access point station; or determining that a first DSO candidate position of the non-access point station is updated to a second DSO candidate position.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein, The determining of the DSO candidate position of the non-access point station comprises: receiving first information from an access point in the BSS; determining the DSO candidate position according to the first information.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending second information to the access point in the BSS, the second information indicating the DSO candidate position configured by the non-access point station.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The method further comprises: sending third information to the access point in the BSS, the third information being used to inform that the NPCA function of the non-access point station is turned off.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The turning off of the NPCA function of the non-access point station comprises: receiving an instruction from the access point in the BSS; turning off the NPCA function of the non-access point station according to the instruction.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein The turning off of the NPCA function of the non-access point station comprises: turning off the NPCA function of the non-access point station after the DSO candidate position takes effect, or at the same time as the DSO candidate position takes effect, or within a second time period after the DSO candidate position takes effect.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein The method further comprises: sending indication information to the access point, the indication information indicating that the NPCA function and the DSO function of the non-access point station share hardware, or indicating that the NPCA function is used simultaneously with the DSO.

9. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method applied to an access point in a basic service set (BSS) comprises: determining a dynamic sub-band operation (DSO) candidate position of a non-access point station in the BSS, the DSO candidate position not overlapping with an anchor channel used by a non-primary channel access (NPCA) function of a station in the BSS; sending an instruction to the non-access point station, the instruction being used to instruct to turn off the NPCA function of the non-access point station; or determining that the non-access point station will turn off the NPCA function.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The determining of the DSO candidate position of the non-access point station comprises: determining initial configuration information of the DSO candidate position of the non-access point station; or determining that a first DSO candidate position of the non-access point station is updated to a second DSO candidate position.

11. The method according to any one of claims 9-10, wherein, The method further comprises: sending first information to the non-access point station, the first information indicating the DSO candidate position.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that, The determining of the DSO candidate position of the non-access point station comprises: receiving second information from the non-access point station; determining the DSO candidate position of the non-access point station according to the second information.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving third information from the non-access point station, the third information being used to inform that the NPCA function of the non-access point station is turned off.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein, Also comprising: receiving indication information from the non-access point station, the indication information indicating that the non-access point station shares hardware for the NPCA function and the DSO function, or indicating that the NPCA function is used simultaneously with the DSO.

15. A method of communication, comprising: The method applied to a non-access point station within a basic service set (BSS) comprises: receiving first indication information from an access point within the BSS, the first indication information indicating an anchor channel used by a non-primary channel access (NPCA) function, the anchor channel not overlapping with a dynamic sub-band operation (DSO) candidate location; updating the DSO candidate location or turning off the NPCA function, wherein the updated DSO candidate location overlaps with the anchor channel.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The first indication information is used to instruct the non-access point station to update the anchor channel used by the NPCA function.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein, Also comprising: receiving second indication information from the access point, the second indication information indicating the updated DSO candidate location; The updated DSO candidate location comprises: updating the DSO candidate location according to the second indication information.

18. The method of any one of claims 15-17, wherein, Also comprising: sending third indication information to the access point, the third indication information indicating the updated DSO candidate location of the non-access point station.

19. The method of any one of claims 15-18, wherein, Also comprising: sending fourth indication information to the access point, the fourth indication information indicating that the non-access point station shares hardware for the NPCA function and the DSO function, or indicating that the NPCA function is used simultaneously with the DSO.

20. A method of communication, comprising: The method applied to an access point within a basic service set (BSS) comprises: sending first indication information to a non-access point station within the BSS, the first indication information indicating an anchor channel used by a non-primary channel access (NPCA) function, the anchor channel not overlapping with a dynamic sub-band operation (DSO) candidate location; updating a DSO candidate location of the non-access point station saved by the access point, the updated DSO candidate location overlapping with the anchor channel, or determining that the non-access point station will turn off the NPCA function.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein, Also comprising: sending second indication information to the non-access point station, the second indication information indicating the updated DSO candidate location, the updated DSO candidate location overlapping with the anchor channel.

22. The method of any one of claims 20-21, wherein, The first indication information is used to instruct the non-access point station to update the anchor channel used by the NPCA function.

23. The method of any one of claims 20-22, wherein, Also comprising: receiving fourth indication information from the access point, the fourth indication information indicating that the non-access point station shares hardware for the NPCA function and the DSO function, or indicating that the NPCA function is used simultaneously with the DSO.

24. A method of communication, comprising: The method applied to a non-access point station within a basic service set (BSS) comprises sending indication information to an access point within the BSS, the indication information indicating that the non-access point station shares hardware for the NPCA function and the DSO function, or indicating that the NPCA function is used simultaneously with the DSO.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein, The indication information is sent by the non-access point station to the access point in a process of negotiating a DSO candidate location between the access point and the non-access point station.

26. A method of communication, comprising: The method applied to an access point within a basic service set (BSS) comprises: receiving indication information from a non-access point station within the BSS, the indication information indicating that the non-access point station shares hardware for the NPCA function and the DSO function, or indicating that the NPCA function is used simultaneously with the DSO; configuring the non-access point station with a DSO candidate position and / or an anchor channel for use by the NPCA function according to the indication information.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein, The indication information is sent by the non-access point station to the access point in a process of negotiating a DSO candidate position by the access point and the non-access point station.

28. A communications device, characterized by comprising: one or more processors configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-8, or perform the method of any one of claims 9-14, or perform the method of any one of claims 15-19, or perform the method of any one of claims 20-23, or perform the method of any one of claims 24-25, or perform the method of any one of claims 26-27.

29. A readable storage medium, characterized by, The readable storage medium stores a program or instructions which, when running on the apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-8, or perform the method of any one of claims 9-14, or perform the method of any one of claims 15-19, or perform the method of any one of claims 20-23, or perform the method of any one of claims 24-25, or perform the method of any one of claims 26-27.

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