Communication method and apparatus, storage medium, and program product

Abstract

Disclosed are a communication method and apparatus, a storage medium, and a program product, which relate to the technical field of communications. The communication method is applied to a communication device comprising a plurality of links. One type of communication signal, for example, a data frame carrying valid data, is transmitted on a first frequency band within a UWB frequency band and by means of a first link; and another type of communication signal, for example, a management frame and / or a control frame, is transmitted on a second frequency band within a non-UWB frequency band and by means of a second link, such that the operating frequency band of the communication device can be extended to the UWB frequency band, without causing problems such as reduced channel utilization and / or reduced signal quality and coverage.

Description

Communication method, apparatus, storage medium and program product

[0001] The present application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202411025288.8 filed on July 26, 2024, and entitled "Communication method, apparatus, storage medium and program product", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, storage medium and program product. BACKGROUND

[0003] Ultra-wide band (UWB) technology uses a frequency range of 7163-8812MHz, which can also be referred to as an 8GHz UWB frequency band. The relevant regulations have certain requirements for the transmission signal bandwidth, equivalent isotropically radiated power spectral density limit value and out-of-band emission power limit value when communicating in the 8GHz UWB frequency band. For example, the transmission signal bandwidth is not less than 500MHz, and the equivalent isotropically radiated power spectral density limit value is not greater than -41dBm / MHz. At present, by expanding the signal bandwidth, the current wireless communication device is effectively utilized to send signals that meet the above UWB technology and meet the requirements of the relevant regulations. In this way, the channel utilization rate is low. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a communication method, apparatus, storage medium and program product, thereby improving the channel utilization rate.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a first device, the first device comprising a plurality of links, the plurality of links comprising a first link and a second link; the method comprising: transmitting, with the first link, a first type of communication signal with a second device on a first frequency band, and transmitting, with the second link, a second type of communication signal with the second device on a second frequency band; wherein the first link is used to transmit a signal containing at least one complete Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) signal, the first frequency band is within the UWB frequency band, and the second frequency band is within the non-UWB frequency band.

[0006] In one possible implementation, the second link is used to assist the first link to achieve at least one of the following goals: transmitting a Beacon frame, device onboarding, transmitting a low-speed communication frame, time synchronization, interference detection and notification, roaming.

[0007] In the present application, the second link assisting the first link to achieve a goal can refer to an action of achieving a certain goal or solving a problem by obtaining, processing, using, passing or sending information.

[0008] Understandably, the signal transmitted with the second device on the first frequency band by the first link is transmitted with the second device on the second frequency band by the second link, that is, the second link assists the first link to transmit the signal with the second device on the first frequency band. Therefore, the communication frame transmitted on the first link is reduced, so that the first link can transmit more other communication frames, such as high-rate communication frames, and the channel utilization of the first link is improved.

[0009] In another possible implementation, the non-UWB frequency band includes a 2.4 GHz frequency band, a 5 GHz frequency band, or a 6 GHz frequency band.

[0010] In another possible implementation, the first type of communication signal includes a data frame, and the second type of communication signal includes at least one of a management frame, a control frame, or a non-time-sensitive data frame.

[0011] The communication method provided in the present application transmits a type of communication signal, such as a data frame carrying effective data, on a first frequency band within a UWB frequency band by using a first link, and transmits another type of communication signal, such as a management frame or / and a control frame, on a second frequency band within a non-UWB frequency band by using a second link, so that the working frequency band of the communication device can be expanded to the UWB frequency band without causing the problems of reduced channel utilization and reduced signal quality and coverage, and the working frequency band of the Wi-Fi device can be expanded to the UWB frequency band without causing the problems of reduced channel utilization and reduced signal quality and coverage.

[0012] In another possible implementation, the bandwidth of the first type of communication signal is greater than the bandwidth of the second type of communication signal.

[0013] In another possible implementation, the coverage of the first type of communication signal is less than the coverage of the second type of communication signal.

[0014] In another possible implementation, the transmission rate of the first type of communication signal is greater than the transmission rate of the second type of communication signal.

[0015] The coverage of the signal transmitted by the second link is greater than the coverage of the signal transmitted by the first link, and the power spectral density of the signal transmitted by the second link is greater than the power spectral density of the signal transmitted by the first link, so that the signal transmitted by the second link can be transmitted farther, and the device can communicate with a device at a long distance.

[0016] In another possible implementation, the first type of communication signal is transmitted with the first link on the first frequency band to the second device, and the second type of communication signal is transmitted with the second link on the second frequency band to the second device, including: receiving a Beacon frame from the second device with the second link, the Beacon frame including Basic Service Set (BSS) information of the first link; establishing a connection with the second device on the second link based on the BSS information.

[0017] Since the coverage of the signal transmitted with the second link is larger than the coverage of the signal transmitted with the first link, the device can scan into the network as soon as possible by scanning into the network with the second link, thereby effectively improving the success rate of scanning into the network of the device and reducing the power consumption of the device, compared with the case of scanning into the network with the first link, which causes a low success rate of scanning into the network.

[0018] In another possible implementation, the first type of communication signal is transmitted with the first link on the first frequency band to the second device, and the second type of communication signal is transmitted with the second link on the second frequency band to the second device, including: receiving a communication frame from the second device with the second link, the communication frame including transmission time slot information of the first link; performing initial time synchronization with the second device based on the transmission time slot information; receiving a synchronization frame from the second device with the first link; and performing accurate time synchronization with the second device based on the synchronization frame.

[0019] Therefore, the device transmits coarse time synchronization information with the second link, reduces the transmission of low-rate communication frames on the first link, and improves the channel utilization rate of the first link. In addition, the coverage of the signal transmitted with the second link is larger than the coverage of the signal transmitted with the first link, and the power spectral density of the signal transmitted with the second link is larger than the power spectral density of the signal transmitted with the first link, so that the signal transmitted with the second link can be transmitted farther and communicated with a device far away. The device can receive time synchronization information to improve the accuracy of time synchronization. In addition, fine time synchronization information is transmitted on the first link to achieve accurate time synchronization of multiple devices.

[0020] In another possible implementation, the first type of communication signal is transmitted with the first link on the first frequency band to the second device, including: receiving a delay-sensitive data frame from the second device with the first link, the data frame involving at least one complete Wi-Fi signal.

[0021] In another possible implementation, the second type of communication signal is transmitted with the second link on the second frequency band to the second device, including: receiving a non-delay-sensitive data frame from the second device with the second link.

[0022] In order to make full use of the first link transmission advantage and reduce the device power consumption, the device determines the transmission link of the service according to the delay requirement of the service, the distance between the communication devices and the like. For example, the first link is used to transmit the short-distance and delay-sensitive service, and the second link is used to transmit the long-distance and non-delay-sensitive service. Thus, the device power consumption is reduced, and the data transmission delay is improved.

[0023] In another possible implementation, the second link is used to transmit the second type of communication signal with the second device on the second frequency band, including: sending an acknowledgement frame to the second device by using the second link.

[0024] The first device receives a data frame, sends an acknowledgement frame corresponding to the data frame, makes the second device know the sending success or sending failure of the data frame as soon as possible, and can retransmit in time if the data frame sending fails, thereby ensuring the data transmission success.

[0025] In another possible implementation, the second link is used to send an acknowledgement frame to the second device, including: after receiving more than two data frames from the second device, the second link is used to send an acknowledgement frame to the second device.

[0026] The first device receives more than two data frames and sends at least one acknowledgement frame, thereby reducing the signaling transmission and improving the channel utilization rate of the first link.

[0027] In another possible implementation, the first link is used to transmit the first type of communication signal with the second device on the first frequency band, and the second link is used to transmit the second type of communication signal with the second device on the second frequency band, including: receiving a communication frame from one or more third devices by using the second link; determining interference information of at least one third device to the first device according to the signal strength of the communication frame of the one or more third devices and a predetermined threshold; and sending the interference information to the second device by using the second link.

[0028] In another possible implementation, the second link is used to transmit the second type of communication signal with the second device on the second frequency band, including: receiving interference information of at least one third device to the first device from the second device by using the second link.

[0029] The coverage of the signal transmitted by using the second link is greater than the coverage of the signal transmitted by using the first link, and the power spectral density of the signal transmitted by using the second link is greater than the power spectral density of the signal transmitted by using the first link. Therefore, the second link is used to scan the information of other devices to determine the interference information, so that the device can communicate with the long-distance device. The low-rate communication frame is transmitted on the first link, so that more high-rate communication frames are transmitted on the first link, thereby improving the channel utilization rate of the first link and reducing the device power consumption.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the first type of communication signal is transmitted with the first link on a first frequency band and the second type of communication signal is transmitted with the second link on a second frequency band, comprising: obtaining information of one or more neighbor devices of the first device with the second link; determining a target neighbor device from the one or more neighbor devices according to the information of the one or more neighbor devices; and scanning, with the first link, a communication frame from the target neighbor device on a transmission time slot of the target neighbor device.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the information of the one or more neighbor devices of the first device is obtained with the second link, comprising: scanning, with the second link, the information of the one or more neighbor devices of the first device.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the information of the one or more neighbor devices of the first device is obtained with the second link, comprising: receiving, with the second link, the information of the one or more neighbor devices of the first device from the second device.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the information of the one or more neighbor devices comprises whether the one or more neighbor devices support the first frequency band, and / or a distance between the first device and the one or more neighbor devices.

[0034] Since the coverage of the signal transmitted with the second link is larger than the coverage of the signal transmitted with the first link, the information of the neighbor device is scanned with the second link, so that the device can obtain the information of the neighbor device as soon as possible, thereby, compared with scanning the information of the neighbor device with the first link, the scanning of the information of the neighbor device with the second link effectively improves the success rate of device roaming and reduces the power consumption of the device.

[0035] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a second device, the second device comprising a plurality of links, the plurality of links comprising a first link and a second link; the method comprising: transmitting, with the first link, a first type of communication signal on a first frequency band with a first device, and transmitting, with the second link, a second type of communication signal on a second frequency band with the first device; wherein the first link is used to transmit a signal containing at least one complete wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) signal, the first frequency band is within a UWB frequency band, and the second frequency band is within a non-UWB frequency band.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the non-UWB frequency band comprises a 2.4 GHz frequency band, a 5 GHz frequency band, or a 6 GHz frequency band.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the first type of communication signal comprises a data frame, and the second type of communication signal comprises at least one of a management frame or a control frame.

[0038] In another possible implementation, the bandwidth of the first type of communication signal is greater than the bandwidth of the second type of communication signal.

[0039] In another possible implementation, the coverage range of the first type of communication signal is less than the coverage range of the second type of communication signal.

[0040] In another possible implementation, the transmission rate of the first type of communication signal is greater than the transmission rate of the second type of communication signal.

[0041] In another possible implementation, the first type of communication signal is transmitted with the first device on the first frequency band by using the first link, and the second type of communication signal is transmitted with the first device on the second frequency band by using the second link, including: sending a Beacon frame to the first device by using the second link, the Beacon frame including BSS information of the first link; establishing a connection with the first device on the second link based on the BSS information.

[0042] In another possible implementation, the first type of communication signal is transmitted with the first device on the first frequency band by using the first link, and the second type of communication signal is transmitted with the first device on the second frequency band by using the second link, including: sending a communication frame to the first device by using the second link, the communication frame including transmission time slot information of the first link; sending a synchronization frame to the first device by using the first link.

[0043] In another possible implementation, the first type of communication signal is transmitted with the first device on the first frequency band by using the first link, including: sending a delay-sensitive data frame to the first device by using the first link, the data frame involving at least one complete Wi-Fi signal.

[0044] In another possible implementation, the second type of communication signal is transmitted with the first device on the second frequency band by using the second link, including: sending a non-delay-sensitive data frame to the first device by using the second link.

[0045] In another possible implementation, the second type of communication signal is transmitted with the first device on the second frequency band by using the second link, including: receiving an acknowledgement frame from the first device by using the second link.

[0046] In another possible implementation, the acknowledgement frame from the first device is received by using the second link, including: after sending more than two data frames to the second device, receiving the acknowledgement frame sent from the first device by using the second link.

[0047] In another possible implementation, the second type of communication signal is transmitted with the first device on the second frequency band by using the second link, including: receiving interference information of at least one third device to the first device sent from the first device by using the second link; sending the interference information by using the second link.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the transmitting the second type of communication signals with the first device on the second frequency band using the second link comprises: receiving, using the second link, communication frames from one or more third devices; determining, according to a signal strength of the communication frames of the one or more third devices and a predetermined threshold, interference information of at least one third device to the first device; and transmitting, using the second link, the interference information to the first device.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the transmitting the second type of communication signals with the first device on the second frequency band using the second link comprises: scanning, using the second link, information of one or more neighbor devices; and transmitting, using the second link, the information of the one or more neighbor devices to the first device.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the information of the one or more neighbor devices comprises: whether the one or more neighbor devices support the first frequency band, and / or a distance between the first device and the one or more neighbor devices.

[0051] In a third aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be a chip applied to the first device or the second device, and can implement the functions performed by the first device or the second device in the above method. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software comprises one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0052] In a possible implementation, the apparatus comprises a processing module and a communication module; the processing unit is configured to support the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions in the above method; and the communication module is configured to support the apparatus to communicate with the second device.

[0053] In a possible implementation, the apparatus comprises a processor and a transceiver; the processor is configured to support the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions in the above method; and the transceiver is configured to support the apparatus to communicate with the second device. Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a memory configured to be coupled to the processor, and to store necessary program instructions and data of the apparatus.

[0054] In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be a chip applied to the first device or the second device, and can implement the functions performed by the first device or the second device in the above method. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software comprises one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0055] In a possible implementation, the apparatus comprises a processing module and a communication module; the processing unit is configured to support the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions in the above method; and the communication module is configured to support the apparatus to communicate with the first device.

[0056] In another possible implementation, the apparatus includes a processor and a transceiver; the processor is configured to support the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions in the above method; and the transceiver is configured to support the apparatus to communicate with the first device. Optionally, the apparatus further includes a memory configured to be coupled with the processor, which stores the necessary program instructions and data for the apparatus.

[0057] In a fifth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes: a processing circuit and a transmitter, which are configured to support the chip to perform the method provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect; or the chip includes: a processing circuit and a receiver, which are configured to support the chip to perform the method provided in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0058] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a first device and a second device; the first device includes the apparatus provided in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, and is configured to perform the method provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect; the second device includes the apparatus provided in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect, and is configured to perform the method provided in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0059] In a seventh aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instructions, when the computer program or instructions are run, implement the method provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0060] In an eighth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instructions, when the computer program or instructions are run, implement the method provided in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0061] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also can be referred to as code or instructions), when the computer program is run, causes a computer to perform the method provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0062] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also can be referred to as code or instructions), when the computer program is run, causes a computer to perform the method provided in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0063] The technical effects brought by any one of the designs in the second aspect to the tenth aspect can refer to the technical effects brought by the first aspect or the different designs in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0064] On the basis of the implementation manners of the above aspects provided by the application, further combinations can be made to provide more implementation manners. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0065] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a non-AP multi-link device and an AP multi-link device provided by the application;

[0066] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a dual-frequency dual-transmit device provided by the application;

[0067] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided by the application;

[0068] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication apparatus provided by the application;

[0069] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the flow of a communication method provided by the application;

[0070] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the flow of a communication method in a network access scenario provided by the application;

[0071] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the transmission of a beacon frame in a network access scenario provided by the application;

[0072] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of network access provided by the application;

[0073] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the flow of a communication method in a time synchronization scenario provided by the application;

[0074] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of time synchronization provided by the application;

[0075] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the flow of a communication method in a data transmission scenario provided by the application;

[0076] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of data transmission provided by the application;

[0077] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the flow of a communication method in an interference detection scenario provided by the application;

[0078] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of the flow of a communication method in a roaming scenario provided by the application;

[0079] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication apparatus provided by the application;

[0080] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication apparatus provided by the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0081] For ease of understanding, the main terms involved in the present application are first explained.

[0082] Ultra-wide band (UWB) technology is a wireless carrier communication technology that can transmit data using nanosecond-level non-sine wave narrow pulses, so the frequency spectrum range occupied is very wide. UWB technology has the characteristics of low system complexity, low transmit signal power spectrum density, insensitivity to channel fading, low interception ability, and high positioning accuracy, and can be applied to short-distance high-speed wireless data communication, positioning, ranging, sensing, and other fields.

[0083] In order to meet the low latency and large connection transmission requirements of terminal devices, it is expected that the working frequency band of a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) device can be expanded to an ultra-wide band (UWB) frequency band, so as to avoid the influence of other devices in the unlicensed frequency band (such as 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz) on Wi-Fi signal transmission. The frequency range used by UWB technology is 7163-8812 MHz, which can also be referred to as an 8 GHz UWB frequency band. At present, relevant regulations have certain requirements for the transmit signal bandwidth, equivalent isotropically radiated power spectrum density limit value, and out-of-band transmit power limit value when communicating in the 8 GHz UWB frequency band. For example, the power spectrum density is required to drop by -10 dB, the corresponding transmit signal bandwidth is not less than 500 MHz, the equivalent isotropically radiated power spectrum density limit value is not greater than -41 dBm / MHz, and the transmit power limit value of different frequency ranges out of the band is shown in Table 1. The following Table 1 takes the root mean square (RMS) detection as an example for description.

[0084] Table 1

[0085] However, in order to enable a Wi-Fi device to work in the above-mentioned UWB frequency band, it is necessary to comply with the radio management regulations of the UWB frequency band. For example, the transmit signal bandwidth should be not less than 500 MHz, which makes it necessary to insert redundant data to expand the Wi-Fi signal bandwidth when transmitting Wi-Fi communication frames (such as control frames, management frames, data frames, etc.), especially when transmitting low-speed Wi-Fi communication frames, a larger amount of redundant data needs to be inserted, which in turn causes the channel utilization rate to be greatly reduced. For another example, the in-band power spectrum density of the transmit signal should be not greater than -41 dBm / MHz, which in turn causes the signal quality and coverage range of the Wi-Fi device to be greatly reduced, thereby causing low time synchronization accuracy of devices in the domain, difficulty of terminal devices to access the network, difficulty of interference detection between devices, and aggravation of the hidden node problem.

[0086] To this end, the present application provides a communication method applied to a communication device comprising multiple links, which transmits a type of communication signal, such as a data frame carrying valid data, on a first frequency band within a UWB frequency band by using a first link, and transmits another type of communication signal, such as a management frame or / and a control frame, on a second frequency band within a non-UWB frequency band by using a second link, so as to enable the working frequency band of the communication device to be extended to the UWB frequency band without causing problems such as reduction of channel utilization and / or reduction of signal quality and coverage, thereby enabling the working frequency band of the Wi-Fi device to be extended to the UWB frequency band without causing problems such as reduction of channel utilization and / or reduction of signal quality and coverage. In the present application, transmission can refer to sending or receiving.

[0087] The multiple links comprised by the communication device can refer to multiple access circuits, each of which can serve as a link. The multiple links can be used to send signals of different bandwidths. The access circuit can also be referred to as a radio frequency circuit or a radio frequency module or a radio frequency link, etc.

[0088] For example, the communication device described in the present application can be a multi-link device (MLD) or a dual-band dual-concurrent (DBDC) device.

[0089] Multi-link device: refers to a device with multiple radio frequency modules, each of which works on a different frequency band or channel. If the channels (or frequency bands) on which the two radio frequency modules in the multi-link device work are far enough apart, the two radio frequency modules can not interfere with each other and operate independently, for example, the two radio frequency modules can independently receive or send signals. The multiple radio frequency modules comprised by the MLD can establish multiple channels with other devices (such as MLDs), and perform data transmission based on the multiple channels to improve the rate of data transmission.

[0090] If the two channels of the multi-link device support one channel to send signals and the other channel to receive signals, it is called that the two channels support simultaneous transmit / receive (STR) capability, otherwise it is called that the two channels are non-STR.

[0091] The multi-link device can include multiple stations (STAs). In the case of the MLD as an access point (AP), the MLD can be an AP MLD. At this time, the stations included in the AP MLD can be referred to as APs. In the case of the MLD as a non-access point (non-AP), the MLD can be a non-AP MLD. The non-AP MLD can also be referred to as a STA MLD. At this time, the stations included in the non-AP MLD can be referred to as STAs. That is, the APs included in the AP MLD and the STAs included in the non-AP MLD can be collectively referred to as stations.

[0092] For example, the multiple radio frequency modules included in the MLD can act as stations, the multiple radio frequency modules included in the AP MLD can act as APs, and the multiple radio frequency modules included in the non-AP MLD can act as STAs. The AP MLD includes multiple APs, and the non-AP MLD includes multiple STAs.

[0093] The non-AP MLD can perform a multi-link association request / response frame exchange on a link and carry information of multiple links to achieve association of the multiple links between the non-AP MLD and the AP MLD. The link on which the multi-link association request / response frame exchange is performed is referred to as a transmitted link, and the other links are referred to as non-transmitted links.

[0094] The multi-link device can include one or more affiliated stations, and the affiliated station is a logical station. The affiliated station can be an AP or a STA. For the convenience of description, the multi-link device including the affiliated AP station is referred to as a multi-link AP or a multi-link AP device or an AP MLD in the embodiments of the present application, and the multi-link device including the affiliated STA station is referred to as a multi-link STA or a multi-link STA device or a STA MLD or a non-AP MLD. For the convenience of description and uniformity, "the multi-link device includes the affiliated STA" is briefly described as "the multi-link device includes the STA" in the embodiments of the present application, "the multi-link device includes the affiliated AP" is briefly described as "the multi-link device includes the AP" in the embodiments of the present application, the multi-link device including the affiliated AP station is uniformly referred to as the AP MLD in the embodiments of the present application, and the multi-link device including the affiliated STA station is uniformly referred to as the non-AP MLD in the embodiments of the present application. The multi-link device can include multiple logical stations, and each logical station works on a link.

[0095] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a non-AP multi-link device and an AP multi-link device according to the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the non-AP multi-link device includes two STAs, and the AP multi-link device includes two APs. The non-AP multi-link device can send an association request frame on channel 1, which carries information of the STA side of channel 1 and information of the STA side of channel 2. Channel 1 is referred to as a transmission link, and channel 2 is referred to as a non-transmission link. The AP multi-link device receives the association request frame and sends an association response frame to the non-AP multi-link device on channel 1, which carries information of the AP side of channel 1 and information of the AP side of channel 2. Thus, the STA 1 of the non-AP multi-link device and the AP 1 of the AP multi-link device establish an association, and the STA 2 of the non-AP multi-link device and the AP 2 of the AP multi-link device establish an association.

[0096] The information of the STA side of channel 2 can be located in a Basic Multi-link element field in the association request frame. The information of the AP side of channel 2 can be located in a Basic Multi-link element field in the association response frame.

[0097] The medium access control (MAC) layer of a multi-link device includes a multi-link device lower (medium access control, MAC) sublayer and a multi-link device upper MAC sublayer. The multi-link device lower MAC sublayer can be referred to as a MLD low MAC sublayer. The multi-link device upper MAC sublayer can be referred to as a MLD high MAC sublayer.

[0098] The multi-link device can include a plurality of multi-link device lower MAC sublayers. Understandably, the functions of the plurality of multi-link device lower MAC sublayers included in the multi-link device are implemented by a plurality of APs or a plurality of STAs. For example, each AP in an AP MLD includes a multi-link device lower MAC sublayer. Each STA in a non-AP MLD includes a multi-link device lower MAC sublayer.

[0099] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 1, the AP MLD includes an MLD high MAC sublayer, an MLD low MAC sublayer 1 and an MLD low MAC sublayer 2. The MLD low MAC sublayer 1 serves as the MAC layer of the AP1, that is, the AP1 implements the function of the MLD low MAC sublayer 1, and the MLD low MAC sublayer 2 serves as the MAC layer of the AP2, that is, the AP2 implements the function of the MLD low MAC sublayer 2. The AP1 and the AP2 share the MLD high MAC sublayer.

[0100] The non-AP MLD includes an MLD high MAC sublayer, an MLD low MAC sublayer 1 and an MLD low MAC sublayer 2. The MLD low MAC sublayer 1 serves as the MAC layer of the STA1, that is, the STA1 implements the function of the MLD low MAC sublayer 1, and the MLD low MAC sublayer 2 serves as the MAC layer of the STA2, that is, the STA2 implements the function of the MLD low MAC sublayer 2. The STA1 and the STA2 share the MLD high MAC sublayer.

[0101] In addition to the MAC address of the device (MLD MAC address), each link of the multi-link device has a respective MAC address (link address). For example, the address of the MLD low MAC sublayer 1 is link address1, the address of the MLD low MAC sublayer 2 is link address2, and the address of the MLD high MAC sublayer is MLD MAC address.

[0102] Dual-frequency dual-transmit device: refers to a device with multiple independent radio frequency modules, and different radio frequency modules support different frequencies for data transmission. The difference between the dual-frequency dual-transmit device and the multi-link device is that, as shown in FIG. 2, different radio frequency modules include MAC layers respectively, and multiple radio frequency modules do not share a high MAC sublayer.

[0103] In order to implement the above-mentioned method of assisting the first link to transmit information through the second link, the embodiments of the present application provide related communication methods, devices and communication systems, and the implementation of the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0104] The wireless communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable can be a wireless local area network (WLAN) or a cellular network, and the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by a communication device in the wireless communication system or a chip or processor in the communication device. The communication device can be a wireless communication device supporting parallel transmission of multiple links, for example, a multi-link device. Compared with a device supporting only single-link transmission, the device supporting multiple-link transmission has higher transmission efficiency and higher throughput.

[0105] The present application supports Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) protocols, such as IEEE 802.11be / Wi-Fi 7 / EHT protocol, IEEE 802.11bn / UHR / Wi-Fi 8 protocol, Integrated mmWave / IMMW protocol, IEEE 802.15 / UWB protocol, or IEEE 802.11bf / sensing protocol.

[0106] The communication device can implement wireless communication with other devices according to an 802.11 series protocol, for example, an extremely high throughput (EHT) station, or a station that complies with or supports 802.11be based on 802.11be, to implement communication with other devices, and of course the other devices can be devices that support multiple link transmission or can not be devices that support multiple link transmission.

[0107] Exemplarily, the communication device in the embodiments of the present application can be a single antenna device or a multi-antenna device. For example, it can be a device with two or more antennas. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of antennas included in the communication device. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can allow services of the same access type to be transmitted on different links, or even allow the same data packet to be transmitted on different links; or can not allow services of the same access type to be transmitted on different links, but allow services of different access types to be transmitted on different links.

[0108] Exemplarily, the communication device is a device with wireless communication function, which can be a whole machine device, or a chip or processing system installed in a whole machine device, and the device installed with the chip or processing system can implement the method and function of the embodiments of the present application under the control of the chip or processing system.

[0109] For example, the non-AP MLD in the embodiment of the present application has a wireless transceiving function, can support the 802.11 series protocol, and can communicate with the AP MLD. For example, the non-AP MLD is any user communication device that allows a user to communicate with an AP and then communicate with a WLAN. For example, the non-AP MLD can be a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a handheld computer, a netbook, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, and the like, which can be networked, or an Internet of Things node in the Internet of Things, or a vehicle communication device in the Internet of Vehicles, and the like. The non-AP MLD can also be a chip and a processing system in the above terminals.

[0110] The AP MLD in the embodiment of the present application is a device that provides services for the non-AP MLD, and can support the 802.11 series protocol. For example, the AP MLD can be a communication server, a router, a switch, a bridge, and the like, or the AP MLD can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, and the like. Of course, the AP MLD can also be a chip and a processing system in the above various forms of devices, thereby implementing the method and function of the embodiment of the present application.

[0111] It can be understood that the communication device in the embodiment of the present application can support high-rate low-latency transmission. With the continuous evolution of wireless local area network application scenarios, the communication device can also be applied to more scenarios, such as sensor nodes in smart cities (such as smart water meters, smart electricity meters, and smart air detection nodes), smart devices in smart homes (such as smart cameras, projectors, display screens, televisions, sound systems, refrigerators, washing machines, and the like), nodes in the Internet of Things, entertainment terminals (such as AR, VR, and the like wearable devices), smart devices in smart offices (such as printers, projectors, and the like), Internet of Vehicles devices in the Internet of Vehicles, and some infrastructure in daily life scenarios (such as vending machines, self-service navigation stations in supermarkets, self-service checkout devices, and self-service ordering machines). The specific form of the communication device in the embodiment of the present application is not specially limited, and is only exemplarily described herein. The 802.11 protocol can be a protocol that supports 802.11be or is compatible with 802.11be.

[0112] In the embodiment of the present application, the frequency band in which the communication device works can include one or more of sub 1GHz, 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz, and high frequency 60GHz, such as 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz. The embodiment of the present application does not make a specific limitation.

[0113] Although the embodiments of the present application are mainly described by taking the deployment of the network of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 as an example, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that various aspects of the present application can be extended to other networks using various standards or protocols, for example, Bluetooth, Starlink, High Performance Radio LAN (HIPER LAN) (a wireless standard similar to the IEEE 802.11 standard, mainly used in Europe), and wide area network (WAN), WLAN, personal area network (PAN) or other now known or later developed networks. Therefore, regardless of the coverage range and wireless access protocol used, various aspects provided by the present application can be applied to any suitable wireless network.

[0114] In the embodiments of the present application, Bluetooth (BT) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) can refer to each other. Starlink and Starlink Low Energy (SLE), Starlink Basic (SLB), or Starlink Position (SLP) can also refer to each other.

[0115] The wireless communication system and application scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. It is known to those skilled in the art that, as the communication system evolves and new application scenarios appear, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0116] It should be understood that in the wireless communication system, devices can be divided into devices providing wireless network services and devices using wireless network services. The device providing wireless network services can also be referred to as network equipment or network unit, for example, the network equipment includes a wireless access device. The device using wireless network services is usually located at the edge of the network and can be referred to as a terminal device or simply a terminal. The terminal device can establish a connection with the network device and provide wireless communication services for users based on the services of the network device. In the following, the structure of the wireless communication system is described by taking the wireless communication system including a wireless access device and a terminal device as an example.

[0117] FIG. 3 illustrates a communication system 300 in which embodiments of the present application can be applied, taking a wireless local area network as an example. The communication system 300 includes a plurality of wireless access points 310 and a plurality of stations 320.

[0118] A wireless access point (AP) refers to an access point of a wireless network, and is a routing device in a wireless local area network, having functions of multi-user access, data encryption, data decryption, multi-rate transmission, etc. The wireless access point is mainly used in broadband homes, buildings, campuses, parks, warehouses, factories, and other places where wireless networks are needed. The wireless access point can access a distribution system (DS).

[0119] A station (STA) refers to a device connected to a wireless local area network, and these devices are connected to a wireless access point. The station can communicate with other stations in the wireless local area network, the wireless access point, or devices outside the wireless network.

[0120] Each STA within the coverage of an AP can communicate with each other, and each STA can also communicate with the AP.

[0121] A basic service set (BSS) includes a plurality of stations connected to the same AP. The BSS can or can not include an AP. A basic service set identifier (BSSID) is a unique identifier of the basic service set. The format of the BSSID is the same as that of a MAC address, and is generally the MAC address of the AP, used to identify the AP to manage the BSS.

[0122] An extended service set (ESS) refers to a service set formed by two or more BSSs in a wireless local area network through their access point devices and a backbone network, which is usually a wired local area network. The extended service set includes a plurality of BSSs, thereby extending the coverage of the wireless network. In some embodiments, the ESS includes a plurality of wireless access points, and the coverage areas of the wireless access points partially overlap to achieve seamless roaming between stations. An overlapping BSS (OBSS) represents other BSSs that overlap with the current BSS channel or frequency band, and the OBSS can be on the same channel or on different channels.

[0123] In some embodiments, the wireless access point can be an AP multi-link device. The station can be a STA multi-link device. The AP multi-link device and the STA multi-link device can establish multiple channels for data transmission. For example, the process of establishing a multi-link between a non-AP multi-link device and an AP multi-link device as described in FIG. 1.

[0124] It should be noted that the scenario diagram shown in the embodiments of the present application takes the example of the AP MLD including two APs and the non-AP MLD including two STAs for illustration, of course, a larger number of APs can be included in the AP MLD, and a larger number of STAs can be included in the non-AP MLD, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0125] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, AP1 can also be referred to as a first AP, AP2 can also be referred to as a second AP, STA1 can also be referred to as a first STA, STA2 can also be referred to as a second STA, channel 1 can also be referred to as a first channel, and channel 2 can also be referred to as a second channel, which are uniformly described here, and will not be repeated below.

[0126] Optionally, the communication system can also include a relay device, and the AP multi-link device and the STA multi-link device communicate through the relay device, which will not be repeated here in the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can understand that the structure of the wireless communication device shown in the figure does not constitute a limitation on the wireless communication device, and can include more or fewer components than the figure, or combine certain components, or different component arrangements.

[0127] In specific implementation, the AP multi-link device and the STA multi-link device shown in FIG. 3 can adopt the component structure shown in FIG. 4, or include the components shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a component diagram of a communication device provided by the present application. The communication device 400 can be an access point device or a chip or system on chip in the access point device; or a station device or a chip or system on chip in the station device. As shown in FIG. 4, the communication device 400 includes a processor 401, a communication interface 402, and a communication line 403.

[0128] Further, the communication device 400 can also include a memory 404. The processor 401, the memory 404, and the communication interface 402 can be connected through the communication line 403.

[0129] The processor 401 is a central processing unit (CPU), a general processor network processor (NP), a digital signal processing (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. The processor 401 can also be other devices with processing functions, such as a circuit, a device, or a software module, which are not limited.

[0130] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor 401 is configured to process data. For example, the processor 401 is configured to perform network access, time synchronization, roaming, anti-interference, and the like.

[0131] The communication interface 402 is configured to communicate with other devices or other communication networks. The other communication networks can be an Ethernet, a radio access network (RAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), and the like. The communication interface 402 can be a module, a circuit, a transceiver, or any device capable of communication.

[0132] For example, the communication interface 402 includes a module supporting a UWB frequency band and a module supporting a non-UWB frequency band. The module supporting the UWB frequency band is configured to transmit or receive a signal containing at least one complete Wi-Fi signal. The module supporting the non-UWB frequency band is configured to transmit or receive at least one signal of BLE, SLE, Wi-Fi, and the like.

[0133] The communication line 403 is configured to transmit information between components included in the communication device 400.

[0134] The memory 404 is configured to store instructions. The instructions can be a computer program. The memory 404 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or another type of static storage device that can store static information and / or instructions, or can be a random access memory (RAM) or another type of dynamic storage device that can store information and / or instructions, or can be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or another optical disk storage, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic disk storage medium, or another magnetic storage device, and the like, without limitation.

[0135] It should be noted that the memory 404 can exist independently of the processor 401, or can be integrated with the processor 401. The memory 404 can be configured to store instructions or program codes or some data, and the like. The memory 404 can be located in the communication device 400, or can be located outside the communication device 400, without limitation. The processor 401 is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory 404, so as to implement the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0136] In one example, the processor 401 can be a multi-CPU processor. For example, CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG. 4.

[0137] As an optional implementation, the communication apparatus 400 includes multiple processors, for example, in addition to the processor 401 in FIG. 4, the processor 407 can also be included.

[0138] As an optional implementation, the communication apparatus 400 further includes an output device 405 and an input device 406. For example, the input device 406 is a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a joystick, or the like, and the output device 405 is a display screen, a speaker, or the like.

[0139] It should be noted that the communication apparatus 400 can be a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a network server, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal, an embedded device, a chip system, or a device having a similar structure to that in FIG. 4. In addition, the constituent structures shown in FIG. 4 do not constitute a limitation on the communication apparatus, and the communication apparatus can include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have a different arrangement of components.

[0140] In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0141] In addition, the actions, terms, and the like involved in the embodiments of the present application can be mutually referred to and are not limited. The message name transmitted between the devices in the embodiments of the present application or the parameter name in the message is only an example, and other names can also be used in the specific implementation, which is not limited. In the present application, the second link assisting the first link to achieve a target can refer to the behavior of achieving a certain target or solving a problem by acquiring, processing, using, transferring, or sending information.

[0142] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0143] It should be noted that the message name between the network elements, the name of each parameter, or the name of each information in the following embodiments of the present application is only an example, and can be other names in other embodiments, and the communication method provided by the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0144] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, each network element can perform part or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application, and these steps or operations are only examples, and the embodiments of the present application can also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, each step can be executed in a different order presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all the operations in the embodiments of the present application are executed.

[0145] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of communication provided by the present disclosure. The method can be applied in a wireless communication system including a first device and a second device, which can also be referred to as wireless communication devices. For example, the first device and the second device can be the devices shown in FIG. 3. For example, the first device can be a wireless access point and the second device can be a station, or the first device can be a station and the second device can be a wireless access point. That is, the first device can be one of a wireless access point or a station, and the second device can be the other of a wireless access point or a station. The first device includes a plurality of links, including a first link and a second link. The first link is configured to transmit signals including at least one full Wi-Fi signal, and the second link is configured to transmit at least one signal of BLE, SLE, Wi-Fi, etc. The second device includes one or more links. Understandably, the second device can be a device including a single link or a device including multiple links. The method includes the following steps.

[0146] At step 510, the first device transmits a first type of communication signal with the second device on a first frequency band using the first link.

[0147] At step 520, the first device transmits a second type of communication signal with the second device on a second frequency band using the second link.

[0148] The first frequency band is within a UWB frequency band. The second frequency band is within a non-UWB frequency band. For example, the non-UWB frequency band includes a 2.4 GHz frequency band, a 5 GHz frequency band, or a 6 GHz frequency band.

[0149] The second link is configured to assist the first link to achieve at least one of the following goals: transmitting a Beacon frame, device onboarding, transmitting a low-speed communication frame, time synchronization, interference detection and notification, roaming. Understandably, the signal transmitted with the second device on the first frequency band using the first link is transmitted with the second device on the second frequency band using the second link, i.e., the second link assists the first link to transmit the signal with the second device on the first frequency band. Thus, the transmission of communication frames on the first link is reduced, allowing the first link to transmit more other communication frames, such as high-speed communication frames, and improving the channel utilization of the first link.

[0150] In some embodiments, the first type of communication signal has a transmission rate greater than the transmission rate of the second type of communication signal. That is, the second type of communication signal can be a low-speed communication frame, and the first device transmits the low-speed communication frame with the second device on the second frequency band using the second link. The first type of communication signal can be a high-speed communication frame, and the first device transmits the high-speed communication frame with the second device on the first frequency band using the first link.

[0151] For example, the first type of communication signals include time delay sensitive data frames and simplified beacon frames. The second type of communication signals include at least one of management frames, control frames, or non-time delay sensitive data frames.

[0152] The management frames include beacon frames, probe request, response frames, authentication frames, deauthentication frames, association request, and diassociation frames.

[0153] The control frames include ACK frames, RTS frames, CTS frames, PS-Poll frames, and block acknowledgement frames.

[0154] The time delay sensitive data frames include data frames of high definition video services.

[0155] By using the first link to transmit high rate communication frames with the second device on the first frequency band, and using the second link to transmit low rate communication frames with the second device on the second frequency band, the bandwidth utilization of the first link can be effectively improved, so that the first link can operate on the UWB frequency band. In addition, by using the second link to transmit non-time delay sensitive services to assist the first link, the power consumption of the device can be reduced, and the service transmission delay can be improved.

[0156] In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the first type of communication signals is greater than the bandwidth of the second type of communication signals. That is, the bandwidth of the signals transmitted on the first frequency band using the first link is greater than the bandwidth of the signals transmitted on the second frequency band using the second link.

[0157] The coverage range of the first type of communication signals is smaller than the coverage range of the second type of communication signals. This can be achieved, for example, by using the second link to communicate with a device at a long distance, and using the first link to communicate with a device at a short distance. The distance of the device can be determined, for example, according to the strength of the signal monitored from the device.

[0158] Thus, by using the first link to transmit high-rate communication signals, such as data frames carrying valid data, on the first frequency band within the UWB frequency band, and by using the second link to transmit low-rate communication signals, such as management frames or / and control frames, on the second frequency band within the non-UWB frequency band, the operating frequency band of the communication device can be extended to the UWB frequency band, and the second link can assist the first link to transmit low-rate communication frames, reducing the transmission of low-rate communication frames on the first link, increasing the transmission of high-rate communication frames on the first link, and improving the channel utilization of the first link. In addition, the coverage of the signals transmitted by the second link is larger than that of the signals transmitted by the first link, and the power spectral density of the signals transmitted by the second link is larger than that of the signals transmitted by the first link, so that the signals transmitted by the second link can be transmitted farther and communicate with devices far away. Thus, the operating frequency band of the communication device can be extended to the UWB frequency band without reducing the channel utilization and the signal quality and coverage.

[0159] The communication method shown in FIG. 5 will be described below in connection with the scenarios of network access, time synchronization, interference detection, and roaming.

[0160] In the first possible implementation, it is assumed that the first device is a station and the second device is a wireless access point. The second device transmits a beacon frame or a probe frame based on the second link to enable the first device to access the network, i.e., the first device establishes a connection with the second device.

[0161] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a communication method of a network access scenario provided by the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, the method includes the following steps.

[0162] In step 610, the second device transmits a beacon frame to the first device based on the second link. Correspondingly, the first device receives the beacon frame from the second device based on the second link.

[0163] The beacon frame is used to notify the existence of a network and provide information about the network. The beacon frame is usually broadcasted by a wireless access point. The beacon frame contains BSS information, the capability of the wireless access point, and the like. In this way, a station can receive the beacon frame to access the network, i.e., the station establishes a connection with the wireless access point. The beacon frame includes a frame header, a timestamp, a signal strength, a frequency offset, and a data part.

[0164] The frame header is a start flag of the beacon frame. The timestamp is used to indicate the transmission time of the beacon frame, and is used by a station to perform time synchronization. The signal strength is used by a station to measure the strength of a received signal, and is used to evaluate and optimize the quality of a channel. The frequency offset is used by a station to calibrate a local clock to maintain frequency synchronization with a wireless access point. The data part is used to carry additional information or transmit application layer data.

[0165] In some embodiments, the second device can periodically broadcast the beacon frame. For example, the second device periodically sends the beacon frame using the second link. Accordingly, the first device receives the beacon frame from the second device using the second link.

[0166] Optionally, the second device sends a simplified beacon frame on the first link, i.e., the simplified beacon frame can carry a small amount of device information or network information, greatly reducing the time overhead of transmitting the beacon frame using the first link.

[0167] Since the time information of different devices can be unsynchronized, the simplified beacon frame can carry time slot allocation information of the operating frequency band of the first link, accurate time synchronization information, for calibrating the time synchronization deviation between different devices on the first link, interference information between devices on the operating frequency band of the first link, etc.

[0168] For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the AP sends the beacon frame using the second link, and the AP sends the simplified beacon frame using the first link.

[0169] Optionally, when there is no data transmission on the first link and the second link, the device can switch to a sleep state to reduce power consumption. The device wakes up before the transmission of the beacon frame and switches back to the sleep state after the transmission of the beacon frame. This scheme is particularly suitable for reducing the power consumption of the first link. The device usually works in a centralized scheduling manner on the first link, i.e., different devices work in different transmission time slots. Therefore, the first link of any device can be switched to the sleep state during the non-transmission time slot of the device and the non-beacon frame transmission time, thereby achieving device energy saving.

[0170] In step 620, the first device and the second device establish a connection based on the BSS information.

[0171] After the first device receives the beacon frame from the second device using the second link, the first device and the second device establish a connection based on the BSS information.

[0172] In some embodiments, the first device transmits a probe request, an authentication frame, and an association frame with the second device using the second link to complete network access. The probe request, the authentication frame, and the association frame include information related to the establishment of the first link by the first device and the second device.

[0173] For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the AP transmits a beacon frame by using the second link, and correspondingly, the STA receives the beacon frame by using the second link. The STA transmits a probe request frame by using the second link, and correspondingly, the AP receives the probe request frame by using the second link. The AP transmits a probe response frame by using the second link, and correspondingly, the STA receives the probe response frame by using the second link. The STA transmits an authentication request frame by using the second link, and correspondingly, the AP receives the authentication request frame by using the second link. The AP transmits an authentication response frame by using the second link, and correspondingly, the STA receives the authentication response frame by using the second link. The STA transmits an association request frame by using the second link, and correspondingly, the AP receives the association request frame by using the second link. The AP transmits an association response frame by using the second link, and correspondingly, the STA receives the association response frame by using the second link. Thus, the STA and the AP establish a connection to facilitate transmission of a data frame.

[0174] Since the coverage range of the signal transmitted by using the second link is larger than the coverage range of the signal transmitted by using the first link, the transmission distance of the signal transmitted by using the second link is farther, and the device can scan the beacon frame as soon as possible by using the second link to scan the network, thereby effectively improving the success rate of the device scanning the network and reducing the power consumption of the device, as compared with the case of scanning the network by using the first link, which causes a low success rate of scanning the network.

[0175] In a second possible implementation, it is assumed that the first device is a station and the second device is a wireless access point. After the first device accesses the network based on the second link for transmission of a beacon frame or a probe frame between the second device and the first device, the second device and the first device perform time synchronization based on the second link.

[0176] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a communication method of a time synchronization scenario provided in the present application. As shown in FIG. 9, the method includes the following steps.

[0177] In step 910, the second device transmits a communication frame to the first device by using the second link. Correspondingly, the first device receives the communication frame from the second device by using the second link.

[0178] The communication frame includes first transmission slot information of the first link. For example, in the case where the second link is a Wi-Fi link, the communication frame can be a beacon frame. For another example, the communication frame can also be a wireless frame of BLE or a wireless frame of SLE.

[0179] In step 920, the first device performs initial time synchronization with the second device based on the transmission slot information.

[0180] The first device performs coarse time synchronization with the second device based on the first transmission slot information. For example, the first transmission slot information indicates time information at a minute level.

[0181] Optionally, due to the low time precision when the devices perform the initial time synchronization, the devices can still have different time, and the devices can perform the precise time synchronization using the first link. Optionally, the embodiments of the present application further include steps 930 and 940.

[0182] In step 930, the second device sends a synchronization frame to the first device using the first link. Correspondingly, the first device receives the synchronization frame from the second device using the first link.

[0183] In step 940, the second device performs the precise time synchronization with the second device based on the synchronization frame.

[0184] The synchronization frame can be a random sequence, and the synchronization frame can not need to satisfy the Wi-Fi protocol frame format.

[0185] Optionally, the second device sends a simplified beacon frame to the first device using the first link. Correspondingly, the first device receives the simplified beacon frame from the second device using the first link. The simplified beacon frame includes the second transmission time slot information of the first link, for example, the first transmission time slot information indicates the time information at the second.

[0186] For example, as shown in FIG. 10, STA1 and STA2 have time deviation with the AP. The AP sends a communication frame using the second link, and the communication frame carries the time slot information of the coarse time synchronization. Correspondingly, STA1 receives the communication frame using the second link, and STA2 receives the communication frame using the second link. The AP sends a synchronization frame using the first link, and correspondingly, STA1 receives the synchronization frame using the second link, and STA2 receives the synchronization frame using the second link. The synchronization frame carries the time slot information of the fine time synchronization. STA1 and STA2 perform the time synchronization with the AP based on the time slot information of the coarse time synchronization and the time slot information of the fine time synchronization. The AP sends a data frame using the first link, and STA1 and STA2 can accurately receive the data frame.

[0187] Therefore, the devices transmit the coarse time synchronization information using the second link, reduce the low-rate communication frame transmission on the first link, and improve the channel utilization rate of the first link. In addition, the coverage range of the signal transmitted using the second link is greater than the coverage range of the signal transmitted using the first link, and the power spectral density of the signal transmitted using the second link is greater than the power spectral density of the signal transmitted using the first link. Using the second link to transmit the signal can make the signal transmission farther and communicate with the devices far away. The devices can receive the time synchronization information, improve the precision of the time synchronization, and transmit the fine time synchronization information on the first link to implement the precise time synchronization of multiple devices.

[0188] The device acquires the transmission time slot information of the first link through the first link or / and the second link, transmits a data frame on the first link, and the data frame at least involves the one complete Wi-Fi signal.

[0189] In a third possible implementation, it is assumed that the first device can be a station and the second device can be a wireless access point. After the second device establishes a connection with the first device and performs time synchronization with the first device based on the second link, the second device and the first device can perform data frame transmission.

[0190] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a communication method of a data transmission scenario provided by the present application. As shown in FIG. 11, the method includes the following steps.

[0191] In step 1110, the second device transmits a non-time-sensitive data frame to the first device using the second link. Correspondingly, the first device receives the non-time-sensitive data frame from the second device using the second link.

[0192] In step 1120, the second device transmits a time-sensitive data frame to the first device using the first link. Correspondingly, the first device receives the time-sensitive data frame from the second device using the first link.

[0193] The time-sensitive data frame includes a data frame of a high-definition video service and a data frame of a live scene. The non-time-sensitive data frame includes an instant message and an email.

[0194] Optionally, steps 1110 and 1120 are examples, and the direction of data transmission between devices is not limited in the present application. In some embodiments, the first device transmits a non-time-sensitive data frame to the second device using the second link. Correspondingly, the second device receives the non-time-sensitive data frame from the first device using the second link. The first device transmits a time-sensitive data frame to the second device using the first link. Correspondingly, the second device receives the time-sensitive data frame from the first device using the first link.

[0195] In step 1130, the first device transmits an acknowledgement frame to the first device using the second link. Correspondingly, the second device receives the acknowledgement frame from the first device using the second link.

[0196] After the first device receives the non-time-sensitive data frame or the time-sensitive data frame from the second device using the second link, the first device transmits an acknowledgement frame to the first device using the second link.

[0197] In some embodiments, the first device sends an acknowledgement frame to the second device using the second link after receiving one data frame from the second device. Alternatively, the first device sends at least one acknowledgement frame to the second device using the second link after receiving more than one data frame from the second device. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the STA sends an acknowledgement frame to the AP using the second link after receiving three data frames from the AP using the first link. The STA sends an acknowledgement frame to the AP using the second link after receiving one data frame from the AP using the first link.

[0198] Since the operating frequency of the first link is higher than that of the second link, and the device needs to insert redundant data when transmitting a Wi-Fi signal on the first link to meet the regulatory requirements of the bandwidth of the transmitted signal, the power consumption of the first link is higher than that of the second link when the device transmits the same amount of traffic on the two links using the same modulation parameters.

[0199] The advantage of transmitting traffic using the first link is that the channel of the first link is cleaner than that of the second link, i.e., the interference received by the Wi-Fi signal transmitted on the first link is less than that on the second link. In addition, when the device works on the first link, it usually uses centralized scheduling, avoiding the competition for the channel on the second link, which is beneficial to improve the transmission quality of deterministic delay traffic.

[0200] In order to fully utilize the transmission advantage of the first link and reduce the power consumption of the device, the device determines the transmission link of the traffic according to the delay requirement of the traffic, the distance between the communication devices, etc. Specifically, the first link is used to transmit close-range, delay-sensitive traffic, and the second link is used to transmit long-range, non-delay-sensitive traffic. Thus, the power consumption of the device is reduced, and the data transmission delay is improved.

[0201] In a fourth possible implementation, the device detects inter-device same-system / other-system interference using the first link. Since the coverage range of the signal of the second link is larger than that of the first link, the inter-device interference information of the first link can be informed using the second link, so that the inter-device interference information on the first link can be obtained by devices in a larger range. The same-system interference refers to Wi-Fi signal interference, and the other-system interference refers to UWB, radar, etc. When the second link is used to transmit a Wi-Fi signal, the second link can also be used to detect interference from other Wi-Fi devices.

[0202] FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a communication method for interference detection according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 13, the method includes the following steps.

[0203] In step 1310, the first device receives a communication frame from one or more third devices using the second link.

[0204] Step 1320, the first device determines the interference information of the at least one third device to the first device according to the signal strength of the communication frame of the one or more third devices and the threshold value.

[0205] For example, in the case that the signal strength of the communication frame is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the first device determines that the third device has interference to the first device. In the case that the signal strength of the communication frame is less than the threshold value, the first device determines that the third device has no interference to the first device.

[0206] Step 1330, the first device sends the interference information to the second device by using the second link. Correspondingly, the second device receives the interference information of the at least one third device to the first device from the first device by using the second link. The second device broadcasts the interference information to the stations in the domain by using the second link.

[0207] In the case that the first device is a station and the second device is a wireless access point, the first device sends the interference information to the second device by using the second link. The second device receives the interference information of the one or more third devices to the first device from the first device by using the second link; the second device sends the interference information by using the second link. For example, the station reports the detected interference information to the station-associated AP, and the station-associated AP collects the interference information reported by different stations, and then broadcasts the interference information to the stations in the domain by using the second link.

[0208] Optionally, in the case that the first device is a station and the second device is a wireless access point, the second device transmits a communication frame carrying the interference information between devices by using the second link. The first device receives the interference information of the one or more third devices to the first device from the second device by using the second link. For example, the AP receives other communication frames from the one or more third devices by using the second link, determines the interference information of the at least one third device to the station according to the signal strength of the communication frame of the one or more third devices and the threshold value, and sends a beacon frame to broadcast the interference information to the stations in the domain.

[0209] After the device obtains the interference information, the device can evade the interference between devices on the first link in a time-division, space-division, code-division or other manner.

[0210] In a possible implementation, the device negotiates the transmission time slots of different devices on the first link by using the second link, so as to ensure that the transmission time slots of different devices on the first link do not overlap, thereby avoiding the interference between devices.

[0211] In a possible implementation, different devices negotiate to cooperatively transmit communication frames on the first link in a space-division manner by using the second link, that is, different devices simultaneously transmit communication frames on the first link by using different transmission powers or beams with different directions.

[0212] In a possible implementation, different devices negotiate to use different code division sequences on the first link by using the second link, for example, different code division sequences are used to spread the frequency domain data before subcarrier mapping, so as to reduce the interference between devices.

[0213] In a fifth possible implementation, the first device can be a station and the second device can be a wireless access point. The device obtains information about whether there are other candidate devices supporting the first link in a neighbor area, the capability of the candidate device, and the distance between the device and the candidate device by using the second link, and realizes roaming.

[0214] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a communication method of a roaming scenario provided by the present application. As shown in FIG. 14, the method includes the following steps.

[0215] In step 1410, the first device obtains information about one or more neighbor devices of the first device by using the second link.

[0216] For example, the first device scans information about one or more neighbor devices of the first device by using the second link.

[0217] For another example, the second device scans information about one or more neighbor devices of the first device by using the second link, and sends the information about the one or more neighbor devices to the first device by using the second link. Correspondingly, the first device receives the information about the one or more neighbor devices from the second device by using the second link. The information about the one or more neighbor devices includes whether the one or more neighbor devices support the first frequency band, and / or the distance between the first device and the one or more neighbor devices.

[0218] In step 1420, the first device determines a target neighbor device from the one or more neighbor devices according to the information about the one or more neighbor devices.

[0219] In step 1430, the first device scans a communication frame of the target neighbor device on a transmission time slot of the target neighbor device by using the first link.

[0220] Since the coverage of the signal transmitted by using the second link is larger than the coverage of the signal transmitted by using the first link, the information about the neighbor device is scanned by using the second link, so that the device can obtain the information about the neighbor device as soon as possible, thereby, compared with scanning the information about the neighbor device by using the first link, which causes a low success rate of roaming, scanning the information about the neighbor device by using the second link effectively improves the success rate of device roaming and reduces the power consumption of the device.

[0221] The above describes the scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of interaction between the first device and the second device. It can be understood that the first device and the second device include the hardware structure and / or software module for performing the respective functions in order to implement the above functions. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is implemented in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0222] The embodiments of the present application can divide the function modules of the first device and the second device according to the above method examples. For example, each function module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated in one module. The integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or software function module. It should be noted that the division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division method can be used. The following takes the division of each function module according to each function as an example for description.

[0223] In the case of using integrated units, FIG. 15 shows a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus involved in the above embodiments. The communication apparatus 1500 can be the first device or a chip applied to the first device, and the apparatus includes a processing module 1510 and a communication module 1520. The processing module 1510 can be used to support the apparatus to perform the steps 920 and 940 in the above method embodiments; and the communication module 1520 is used to support the apparatus to perform the steps 520 and 510 in the above method embodiments. All related contents of the steps in the above method embodiments can be referred to the function description of the corresponding function module, which will not be described herein again.

[0224] On the basis of hardware implementation, the processing module 1510 in the embodiments of the present application can be a processor of the apparatus, and the communication module 1520 can be a transceiver of the apparatus. The transceiver usually includes a transmitter and a receiver, and the specific transceiver can also be referred to as a communication interface or an interface circuit.

[0225] The apparatus can also be a second device or a chip applied to a second device. The processing module 1510 can be configured to support the apparatus to perform step 1320 in the above method embodiments. The communication module 1520 can be configured to support the apparatus to perform step 610, step 910, step 930 and step 1330 in the above method embodiments. All related contents of the steps in the above method embodiments can be incorporated into the description of the corresponding functional modules, and will not be repeated here.

[0226] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1500 can further include a storage module 1530, which is configured to store time slot information and interference information, so as to facilitate the apparatus to perform time synchronization according to the time slot information.

[0227] As shown in FIG. 16, FIG. 16 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application, which can be a first device or a chip applied to a first device, or the apparatus can be a second device or a chip applied to a second device. The apparatus includes a processor 1611, and can further include a memory 1612, a communication interface 1613 and a bus 1614. The processor 1611, the memory 1612 and the communication interface 1613 are connected through the bus 1614.

[0228] The processor 1611 is configured to control and manage the actions of the apparatus. In a possible embodiment, the processor 1611 can be configured to support the apparatus to receive step 920 and step 940 in the above method embodiments, and / or other technical processes described herein. The communication interface 1613 is configured to support the apparatus to communicate, such as supporting the apparatus to communicate with a second device. In a possible embodiment, the processor 1611 can be configured to support the apparatus to receive step 1310 and step 1320 in the above method embodiments, and / or other technical processes described herein. The communication interface 1613 is configured to support the apparatus to communicate, such as supporting the apparatus to communicate with a first device.

[0229] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor 1611 can be a central processing unit, a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute various exemplary logical blocks, modules and circuits described in combination with the disclosure. The processor can also be a combination of computing functions, such as one or more microprocessor combinations, digital signal processor and microprocessor combinations, etc. The above bus 1614 can include address bus, data bus, control bus, etc.

[0230] In another embodiment of the present application, a communication system is provided, which includes a first device and a second device; wherein the first device can be or include the apparatus provided in the above described FIG. 15 or FIG. 16, configured to perform the steps of the first device in the above described method embodiments; and the second device can be or include the apparatus provided in the above described FIG. 15 or FIG. 16, configured to perform the steps of the second device in the above described method embodiments.

[0231] It can be understood that all the related contents of the steps involved in the above described method embodiments can be cited into the embodiments of the first signal transmission apparatus and the second signal transmission apparatus, and the embodiments of the communication system, which will not be repeated here.

[0232] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method can be implemented by other means. For example, the above described apparatus embodiments are only illustrative, for example, the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another apparatus, or some features can be ignored or not executed.

[0233] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units can be one physical unit or a plurality of physical units, that is, can be located in one place, or can be distributed to a plurality of different places. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiments.

[0234] The integrated unit, if implemented in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, can be stored in a readable storage medium, which can include: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory, a random access memory, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various storage program codes. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product, essentially or say the part of the prior art that contributes to the technical solutions or the whole or part of the technical solutions.

[0235] In another embodiment of the present application, a readable storage medium is also provided, which stores computer execution instructions, when a device (which can be a single chip microcomputer, a chip, etc.) or a processor executes the steps of the first device or the second device in the above described method embodiments.

[0236] In yet another embodiment of the present application, a computer program product is also provided, which includes computer instructions stored in a readable storage medium; at least one processor of a device can read the computer instructions from the readable storage medium, and the at least one processor executes the computer instructions to make the device perform the steps of the first device or the second device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0237] Finally, it should be noted that the above-mentioned is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, any change or replacement within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be covered in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The application is applied to a first device, and the first device comprises a plurality of links, and the plurality of links comprise a first link and a second link; The method comprises: transmitting a first type of communication signal with a second device on a first frequency band by using the first link, and transmitting a second type of communication signal with the second device on a second frequency band by using the second link; The first link is used for transmitting a signal comprising at least one complete wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) signal, the first frequency band is within an ultra-wideband (UWB) frequency band, and the second frequency band is within a non-UWB frequency band.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The coverage range of the first type of communication signal is smaller than that of the second type of communication signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The transmission rate of the first type of communication signal is greater than that of the second type of communication signal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The first type of communication signal comprises a data frame, and the second type of communication signal comprises at least one of a management frame, a control frame, or a non-latency-sensitive data frame.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The non-UWB frequency band comprises a 2.4 GHz frequency band, a 5 GHz frequency band, or a 6 GHz frequency band.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method comprises: receiving a communication frame from the second device by using the second link, wherein the communication frame comprises transmission time slot information of the first link; performing initial time synchronization with the second device based on the transmission time slot information; receiving a synchronization frame from the second device by using the first link; performing accurate time synchronization with the second device based on the synchronization frame.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method comprises: receiving a beacon (Beacon) frame from the second device by using the second link, wherein the Beacon frame comprises basic service set (BSS) information of the first link; establishing a connection with the second device on the second link based on the BSS information.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The method comprises: receiving a latency-sensitive data frame from the second device by using the first link, wherein the data frame is related to at least one complete Wi-Fi signal.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6-8, characterized in that, The method comprises: receiving a non-latency-sensitive data frame from the second device by using the second link.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, The method comprises: sending an acknowledgement (ACK) frame to the second device by using the second link.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The method comprises: sending an ACK frame to the second device by using the second link after receiving more than two data frames from the second device.

12. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The method comprises: receiving, using the second link, communication frames from one or more third devices; determining, according to signal strengths of the communication frames of the one or more third devices and a predetermined threshold, interference information of at least one third device to the first device; sending, using the second link, the interference information to the second device.

13. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein, transmitting, using the second link, a second type of communication signal with the second device on a second frequency band, comprising: receiving, using the second link, interference information of at least one third device to the first device from the second device.

14. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein, transmitting, using the first link, a first type of communication signal with a second device on a first frequency band, and transmitting, using the second link, a second type of communication signal with the second device on a second frequency band, comprising: obtaining, using the second link, information of one or more neighbor devices of the first device; determining, according to the information of the one or more neighbor devices, a target neighbor device from the one or more neighbor devices; scanning, using the first link, communication frames of the target neighbor device on a transmission time slot of the target neighbor device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, obtaining, using the second link, information of one or more neighbor devices of the first device, comprising: scanning, using the second link, information of one or more neighbor devices of the first device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein, obtaining, using the second link, information of one or more neighbor devices of the first device, comprising: receiving, using the second link, the information of the one or more neighbor devices from the second device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14-16, characterized by, The information of the one or more neighbor devices comprises whether the one or more neighbor devices support the first frequency band, and / or a distance between the first device and the one or more neighbor devices.

18. A method of communication, comprising: applied to a second device, the second device comprising a plurality of links, the plurality of links comprising a first link and a second link; the method comprising: transmitting, using the first link, a first type of communication signal with a first device on a first frequency band, and transmitting, using the second link, a second type of communication signal with the first device on a second frequency band; wherein the first link is used to transmit a signal containing at least one complete wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) signal, and the first frequency band is within an ultra-wideband (UWB) frequency band, and the second frequency band is within a non-UWB frequency band.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, transmitting, using the first link, a first type of communication signal with a first device on a first frequency band, and transmitting, using the second link, a second type of communication signal with the first device on a second frequency band, comprising: sending, using the second link, a communication frame to the first device, the communication frame comprising transmission time slot information of the first link; sending, using the first link, a synchronization frame to the first device.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein, transmitting, using the first link, a first type of communication signal with a first device on a first frequency band, and transmitting, using the second link, a second type of communication signal with the first device on a second frequency band, comprising: sending, using the second link, a beacon (Beacon) frame to the first device, the Beacon frame comprising basic service set (BSS) information of the first link; establishing a connection with the first device on the second link based on the BSS information.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that, transmitting, with the first link, a first type of communication signal with a first device on a first frequency band, comprising: sending, with the first link, a latency sensitive data frame to the first device, the data frame relating to at least the one complete Wi-Fi signal.

22. The method of any one of claims 19-21, wherein, transmitting, with the second link, a second type of communication signal with the first device on a second frequency band, comprising: sending, with the second link, a non-latency sensitive data frame to the first device.

23. The method of claim 21 or 22, wherein, transmitting, with the second link, a second type of communication signal with the first device on a second frequency band, comprising: receiving, with the second link, an acknowledgement frame from the first device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein, receiving, with the second link, an acknowledgement frame from the first device, comprising: receiving, with the second link, an acknowledgement frame from the first device after sending more than two data frames to the second device.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein, transmitting, with the second link, a second type of communication signal with the first device on a second frequency band, comprising: receiving, with the second link, interference information of at least one third device to the first device from the first device; sending, with the second link, the interference information.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein, transmitting, with the second link, a second type of communication signal with the first device on a second frequency band, comprising: receiving, with the second link, a communication frame from one or more third devices; determining, according to a signal strength of the communication frame of the one or more third devices and a predetermined threshold, interference information of at least one third device to the first device; sending, with the second link, the interference information to the first device.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein, transmitting, with the second link, a second type of communication signal with the first device on a second frequency band, comprising: scanning, with the second link, information of one or more neighbor devices; sending, with the second link, the information of the one or more neighbor devices to the first device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein, The information of the one or more neighbor devices comprises whether the one or more neighbor devices support the first frequency band, and / or a distance between the first device and the one or more neighbor devices.

29. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises a processor and a transceiver, the processor and the transceiver configured to support the apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 1-28.

30. A readable storage medium, characterized by, The readable storage medium has stored therein instructions which, when executed on a device, cause the device to perform the method of any of claims 1-28.

31. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises a computer program which, when executed on a device, cause the device to perform the method of any of claims 1-28.

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