Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application supports IEEE protocols, such as IEEE 802.11be / Wi-Fi 7 / EHT protocol, IEEE 802.11bn / UHR / Wi-Fi 8 protocol, Integrated mmWave / integrated millimeter wave / IMMW protocol, IEEE 802.15 / UWB protocol, or IEEE 802.11bf / sensing protocol. Provided in the present application are a communication method and a communication apparatus. The communication method includes: an AP receiving a first frame from a first STA, wherein the first frame comprises first cluster identification information; and the AP sending a second frame, wherein the second frame is used for scheduling at least one second STA to feed back a first service. In the technical solution, the time delay of a service can be reduced, and the jitter of the service can be stabilized.

Description

Communication method and communication apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411053577.9, filed on July 31, 2024, entitled "Communication method and communication apparatus", the priority of which is hereby claimed; the Chinese patent application No. 202411759530.4, filed on November 29, 2024, entitled "Communication method and communication apparatus", the priority of which is hereby claimed; the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication, and more particularly, to a communication method and a communication apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] The current service has a cluster behavior, that is, when a certain terminal device initiates a specific service or transmits traffic of a specific service, other terminal devices in the same cluster will also initiate the same specific service or transmit traffic of the same specific service in the same time period. In the face of the foregoing service with cluster behavior, multiple terminal devices in the same cluster will compete for the air interface in a specific time period to report for the service. The service cluster behavior is commonly seen in scenarios such as multi-device alarm / sensing / monitoring or multi-device control information transmission and interaction. The characteristics of the foregoing service with cluster behavior include but are not limited to: trigger type service or irregular type service, but requiring stable jitter (i.e., the time delay of the service has an upper limit); the service data can have a length limit (mainly small data packets).

[0004] For the traditional carrier sense multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) air interface competition mode, when a terminal device competes for the air interface through backoff, other terminal devices in the same cluster need to wait for the current terminal device to end its transmission opportunity (TXOP), and then re-competes for the air interface through backoff. The cycle is repeated until no terminal device initiates air interface competition. However, multiple terminal devices compete for the air interface through multiple backoff to report the service one by one, which increases the time delay of the service reporting process and increases the jitter of the service. SUMMARY

[0005] The application provides a communication method and a communication device, which can reduce the delay of service reporting and stabilize the jitter of services.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the application provides a communication method, which can be executed by an access point (AP) or an AP in an access point multi-link device (AP MLD), or by a module such as a chip system or a circuit in the AP, or by a logic node, a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the AP. The application does not limit this. The following is described by taking the execution by the AP as an example.

[0007] The method comprises: receiving, by the AP, a first frame from a first station (STA), wherein the first frame comprises first cluster identification information, and the first cluster identification information is used to indicate a first service supported by the first STA; and sending, by the AP, a second frame, wherein the second frame is used to schedule at least one second STA to feed back the first service, and the first STA and the at least one second STA both support the first service.

[0008] In the presence of STAs containing cluster services, multiple STAs compete for the air interface for the same type of service in a specific period of time (event-triggered), which results in a long total time for the AP to collect all the specific service traffic, and further increases the delay of the feature service reporting and the jitter. In the technical solution of the application, the traffic of the first service is collected in a centralized manner through a specific cluster scheduling process. Specifically, the AP schedules the service traffic reporting process of the STA. In this way, the number of air interface competitions of multiple STAs during the reporting of the first service can be reduced, the delay of the service reporting can be reduced, and the jitter of the service can be stabilized.

[0009] Optionally, the first frame can be a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU). For example, the first STA can be an STA that first occupies a transmission opportunity (TXOP), and the first frame is a PPDU sent by the first STA to the AP and comprising service data of the first service. For another example, a service cluster to which the first STA belongs needs to report a first service with a high priority, and at this time, the first STA can interrupt the downlink transmission process of the AP, and the first frame is a PPDU sent by the first STA to the AP and comprising service data of the first service after the interruption.

[0010] Optionally, when the first frame is a PPDU, the PPDU includes a medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (MPDU), and the MPDU includes the first cluster identification information.

[0011] Optionally, the second frame can be a trigger frame, an action frame, or other frames that can be used for time-frequency resource scheduling. Optionally, the second frame can schedule the at least one second STA to feed back the first service by using orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) or time division multiple access (TDMA).

[0012] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second frame is further used to schedule the first STA to feed back the first service.

[0013] In the technical solution of the present application, when the AP sends a PPDU including downlink data to the first STA, the first frame can be a block acknowledgement (BA) frame sent by the first STA to the AP in response to the downlink PPDU. At this time, the second frame is also used to schedule the first STA to feed back the first service. Furthermore, the first cluster identification information can be multiplexed in the existing frame, thereby reducing the overhead.

[0014] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first frame further includes transmission opportunity (TXOP) grant information, the TXOP grant information is used to authorize the AP to send and / or receive data in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the first STA, and the AP sends the second frame includes: the AP sends the second frame in the time period corresponding to the TXOP of the first STA.

[0015] In the technical solution of the present application, by authorizing the AP to use the TXOP of the STA, the number of air interface competitions can be reduced, thereby reducing the delay of the service reporting process.

[0016] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before the AP receives the first frame, the method further includes: the AP receives a preemption message from the first STA in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the AP, and the preemption message is used to indicate that the first STA has a transmission demand. Optionally, the preemption message is also used to interrupt the data transmission of the AP.

[0017] In the technical solution of the present application, when a high-priority service needs to be reported, the STA in the cluster can report the service through a preemption message, for example, the STA can interrupt the data transmission of the AP through the preemption message without waiting for the downlink transmission process of the AP to end, thereby reducing the time delay of the service reporting process.

[0018] Optionally, the preemption message can be a null data packet feedback report (NDP feedback report, NFR) for a null data packet feedback report poll (NFRP) frame, or can be a buffer status report (BSR) for a buffer status report poll (BSRP) frame, or can be a preemption traffic indication (PRI) frame.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first frame is a preemption message, and the preemption message is used to indicate that the first STA has a transmission requirement.

[0020] As an example, in this implementation, the AP receives the first frame from the first station STA, including: during the time period corresponding to the TXOP of the AP, the AP receives the preemption message from the first STA.

[0021] Exemplarily, in this implementation, before the AP receives the preemption message, the method further includes: the AP sends first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the data transmission of the AP is allowed to be interrupted.

[0022] As another example, the AP receives the first frame from the first STA, including: during the time period corresponding to the TXOP of the third STA, the AP receives the preemption message from the first STA.

[0023] Optionally, the third STA does not support the first service.

[0024] Optionally, before the AP receives the preemption message, the method further includes: the AP receives second indication information from the third STA, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the data transmission of the third STA is allowed to be interrupted.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the preemption message is a PRI frame.

[0026] In the technical solution of the present application, the first cluster identification information is carried by the preemption message, so that the AP can simultaneously schedule the first STA and at least one second STA to feed back the first service, thereby simplifying the communication process and reducing the communication delay.

[0027] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before the AP receives the first frame, the method further includes: the AP sending a third frame, the third frame being used to request feedback of cluster capability, the cluster capability being used to indicate the service supported by the STA; the AP receiving the cluster capability fed back by the plurality of STAs in response to the third frame, the plurality of STAs including the first STA and the at least one second STA; and the AP establishing one or more cluster groups according to the cluster capability of the plurality of STAs, each cluster group of the one or more cluster groups including at least one STA of the plurality of STAs and each cluster group including the STAs with the same cluster capability.

[0028] In the technical solution of the present application, the AP can efficiently cluster group the STAs according to the cluster capability of the STAs.

[0029] Optionally, the third frame can be a trigger frame or an action frame.

[0030] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the first service does not belong to the plurality of preset services, the first frame further includes first information, the first information being used to indicate that the first service does not belong to the plurality of preset services, and the first cluster identification information being self-defined identification information.

[0031] In the technical solution of the present application, when the first service does not belong to the existing or preset service in the service identification information field, the first frame can further include other fields used to carry the first cluster identification information, and the first cluster identification information can be self-defined identification information. In this way, the scenario of a possible private service can be met.

[0032] Optionally, the first information can include a service identification information field with a specific numerical combination or a limit field with a value indicating that the first service does not belong to the preset service. Optionally, the first cluster identification information can be carried in a vendor specific field in the first frame.

[0033] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a first receiving end device, such as a first station (STA) or a first STA in a non-access point multi-link device (non-AP MLD), or a module such as a chip system or circuit in the first STA, or a logic node, logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first STA. The present application does not make any limitation in this regard. The following is described by taking the execution of the first STA as an example.

[0034] The method comprises: generating, by the first STA, a first frame, the first frame comprising first cluster identification information, the first cluster identification information being used to indicate a first service supported by the first STA; and sending, by the first STA, the first frame to an AP.

[0035] In the technical solution of the present application, the first STA sends the first cluster identification information to the AP, so that the AP can identify the first service and the cluster corresponding to the first service according to the first cluster identification information. The AP can collect the traffic of the first service in a centralized manner through a specific cluster scheduling process. In turn, the delay when reporting the service can be reduced, and the jitter of the service can be stabilized.

[0036] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further comprises: receiving, by the first STA, a second frame from the AP, the second frame being used to schedule at least one second STA and the first STA to feed back the first service, the first STA and the at least one second STA both supporting the first service.

[0037] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first frame further comprises transmission opportunity (TXOP) authorization information, the TXOP authorization information being used to authorize the AP to send and / or receive data in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the first STA.

[0038] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, before the first STA sends the first frame to the AP, the method further comprises: sending, by the first STA to the AP, a preemption message in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the AP, the preemption message being used to indicate that the first STA has a transmission demand. Optionally, the preemption message can also be used to interrupt the transmission of data by the AP.

[0039] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first frame is a preemption message, the preemption message being used to indicate that the first STA has a transmission demand.

[0040] As an example, in this implementation, the first STA sends the first frame to the AP, including: the first STA sends the preemption message to the AP in a time period corresponding to the TXOP of the AP.

[0041] Exemplarily, in this implementation, before the first STA sends the preemption message, the method further includes: the first STA receives first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the AP allows the data transmission of the AP to be interrupted.

[0042] As another example, in this implementation, the first STA sends the first frame to the AP, including: the first STA sends the preemption message to the AP in a time period corresponding to the TXOP of the third STA.

[0043] Optionally, the third STA does not support the first service.

[0044] Exemplarily, in this implementation, before the first STA sends the preemption message, the method further includes: the first STA receives second indication information from the third STA, the second indication information being used to indicate that the third STA allows the data transmission of the third STA to be interrupted.

[0045] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the preemption message is a PRI frame.

[0046] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, before the first STA sends the first frame, the method further includes: the first STA receives a third frame from the AP, the third frame being used to request feedback of cluster capability, the cluster capability being used to indicate a service supported by the STA; and the first STA sends, to the AP, the cluster capability fed back in response to the third frame.

[0047] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, when the first service does not belong to the preset plurality of services, the first frame further includes first information, the first information being used to indicate that the first service does not belong to the preset plurality of services.

[0048] The explanations and beneficial effects of the communication method provided in the second aspect can refer to those of the communication method provided in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0049] In the third aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication device. The communication device includes a transceiver unit, configured to: receive a first frame from a first station STA, the first frame including first cluster identification information, the first cluster identification information being used to indicate a first service supported by the first STA; and send a second frame, the second frame being used to schedule at least one second STA to feed back the first service, the first STA and the at least one second STA both supporting the first service.

[0050] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the second frame is further configured to schedule the first STA to feed back the first traffic.

[0051] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first frame further comprises transmission opportunity (TXOP) grant information, the TXOP grant information being configured to grant the AP to transmit and / or receive data in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the first STA, and the transceiver is specifically configured to transmit the second frame in the time period corresponding to the TXOP of the first STA.

[0052] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, before receiving the first frame, the transceiver is further configured to receive a preemption message from the first STA in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the AP, the preemption message being configured to indicate that the first STA has a transmission demand. Optionally, the preemption message is further configured to interrupt the AP from transmitting data.

[0053] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first frame is a preemption message, the preemption message being configured to indicate that the first STA has a transmission demand.

[0054] As an example, in this implementation, the transceiver is specifically configured to receive the preemption message from the first STA in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the AP.

[0055] Exemplarily, in this implementation, before receiving the preemption message, the transceiver is further configured to transmit first indication information, the first indication information being configured to indicate that the AP allows data transmission of the AP to be interrupted.

[0056] As another example, the transceiver is specifically configured to receive the preemption message from the first STA in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the third STA.

[0057] Optionally, the third STA does not support the first traffic.

[0058] Optionally, before the AP receives the preemption message, the transceiver is further configured to receive second indication information from the third STA, the second indication information being configured to indicate that the third STA allows data transmission of the third STA to be interrupted.

[0059] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the preemption message is a priority (PRI) frame.

[0060] In some implementations of the third aspect, before receiving the first frame, the transceiver is further configured to: transmit a third frame, the third frame being configured to request feedback of cluster capability, the cluster capability being configured to indicate a service supported by the STA; receive cluster capability feedback from a plurality of STAs in response to the third frame, the plurality of STAs including the first STA and the at least one second STA; and establish one or more cluster groups based on the cluster capability of the plurality of STAs, each cluster group of the one or more cluster groups including at least one STA of the plurality of STAs and each cluster group including STAs with the same cluster capability.

[0061] In some implementations of the third aspect, when the first service does not belong to a plurality of preset services, the first frame further includes first information, the first information being configured to indicate that the first service does not belong to the plurality of preset services, and the first cluster identifier information is a self-defined identifier information.

[0062] In an implementation, the communication apparatus is an AP or an AP MLD.

[0063] In another implementation, the communication apparatus is a chip, a chip system, or a circuit used in an AP or an AP MLD.

[0064] The explanations and advantages of the communication apparatus provided by the third aspect are the same as those of the communication method provided by the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0065] In the fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus includes a processing unit and a transceiver. The processing unit is configured to: generate a first frame, the first frame including first cluster identifier information, the first cluster identifier information being configured to indicate a first service supported by the first STA; and the transceiver is configured to: transmit the first frame to an AP.

[0066] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver is further configured to: receive a second frame from the AP, the second frame being configured to schedule at least one second STA and the first STA to feedback the first service, the first STA and the at least one second STA both supporting the first service.

[0067] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, the first frame further includes transmission opportunity (TXOP) grant information, the TXOP grant information being configured to authorize the AP to transmit and / or receive data in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the first STA.

[0068] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, before sending the first frame to the AP, the transceiver is further configured to: send, to the AP, a preemption message in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the AP, the preemption message being used to indicate that the first STA has a transmission demand. Optionally, the preemption message can also be used to interrupt the AP from transmitting data.

[0069] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, the first frame is a preemption message, the preemption message being used to indicate that the first STA has a transmission demand.

[0070] As an example, in this implementation, the transceiver is specifically configured to: send, by the first STA to the AP, the preemption message in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the AP.

[0071] Illustratively, in this implementation, before the first STA sends the preemption message, the transceiver is further configured to: receive, by the first STA, first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the AP allows the data transmission of the AP to be interrupted.

[0072] As another example, in this implementation, the transceiver is specifically configured to: send, by the first STA to the AP, the preemption message in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the third STA.

[0073] Optionally, the third STA does not support the first service.

[0074] Illustratively, in this implementation, before the first STA sends the preemption message, the transceiver is further configured to: receive, by the first STA, second indication information from the third STA, the second indication information being used to indicate that the third STA allows the data transmission of the third STA to be interrupted.

[0075] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, the preemption message is a PRI frame.

[0076] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, before sending the first frame, the transceiver is further configured to: receive a third frame from the AP, the third frame being used to request feedback of cluster capability, the cluster capability being used to indicate services supported by the STA; and send, to the AP, the cluster capability fed back in response to the third frame.

[0077] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, when the first service does not belong to the preset plurality of services, the first frame further includes first information, the first information being used to indicate that the first service does not belong to the preset plurality of services.

[0078] In an implementation, the communication apparatus is a STA or a non-AP MLD.

[0079] In another implementation, the communication apparatus is a chip, a chip system or a circuit for use in an STA or a non-AP MLD.

[0080] The explanation and advantages of the communication apparatus provided in the fourth aspect can refer to the communication method shown in the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0081] In the fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a memory for storing programs, and at least one processor for executing the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to perform the method provided in the first aspect or any of the implementation manners of the first aspect.

[0082] In an implementation, the communication apparatus is an AP or an AP MLD.

[0083] In another implementation, the apparatus is a chip, a chip system or a circuit for use in an AP or an AP MLD.

[0084] In the sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a memory for storing programs, and at least one processor for executing the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to perform the method provided in the second aspect or any of the implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0085] In an implementation, the communication apparatus is an STA or a non-AP MLD.

[0086] In another implementation, the apparatus is a chip, a chip system or a circuit for use in an STA or a non-AP MLD.

[0087] In the seventh aspect, a processor is provided for executing the method provided in the above aspects.

[0088] For the sending and obtaining / receiving operations of the processor, if there is no special description, or if it does not contradict the actual role or internal logic in the related description, it can be understood as the processor output and receive, input operations, and can also be understood as the sending and receiving operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and the antenna, which is not limited in the present application.

[0089] In the eighth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores program codes for execution by a device, and the program codes include instructions for executing the method provided in the first aspect or any of the implementation manners of the first aspect, or include instructions for executing the method provided in the second aspect or any of the implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0090] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product including instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the first aspect or any of the implementations of the first aspect, or cause the computer to perform the method of the second aspect or any of the implementations of the second aspect.

[0091] In a tenth aspect, a chip system is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions stored on a memory through the communication interface, and executes the method of the first aspect or any of the implementations of the first aspect, or executes the method of the second aspect or any of the implementations of the second aspect.

[0092] Optionally, as an implementation, the chip system further includes a memory, and the memory stores a computer program or instructions. The processor is configured to execute the computer program or instructions stored on the memory, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the processor is configured to execute the method of the first aspect or any of the implementations of the first aspect, or execute the method of the second aspect or any of the implementations of the second aspect.

[0093] In an eleventh aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes at least one communication device of the third aspect and at least one notification device of the fourth aspect.

[0094] The beneficial effects of the fifth aspect to the eleventh aspect can be referred to the description of the first aspect to the fourth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0095] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0096] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a traffic cluster according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0097] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a CSMA / CA mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0098] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a traffic cluster behavior based on the CSMA / CA mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0099] FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0100] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of first cluster identification information according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0101] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a second frame according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0102] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0103] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0104] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an authorization information according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0105] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0106] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0107] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0108] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0109] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0110] FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a cluster service interaction according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0111] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of a cluster capability informing process according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0112] FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of a cluster classification group building according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0113] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of another cluster classification group building process according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0114] FIG. 20 is a schematic structural block diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0115] FIG. 21 is a schematic structural block diagram of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0116] FIG. 22 is a schematic structural block diagram of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0117] FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of a chip system according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0118] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0119] First, the communication system and network architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application will be introduced with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0120] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a wireless local area network (WLAN) scenario, for example, support institute of electrical and electronics engineers (IEEE) 802.11 related standards, for example, 802.11a / b / g standards, 802.11n standards, 802.11ac standards, 802.11ax standards, IEEE 802.11ax next-generation Wi-Fi protocols, such as 802.11be, Wi-Fi 7, extremely high throughput (EHT), 802.11ad, 802.11ay or 802.11bf, for example, 802.11be next-generation, Wi-Fi 8, and the like, can also be applied to a wireless personal area network system based on ultra wide band (UWB), such as 802.15 series standards, can also be applied to a sensing system, such as 802.11bf series standards, can also be applied to an Integrated mmWave / Integrated millimeter wave / IMMW protocol. Among them, the 802.11n standard is called a high throughput (HT) standard, the 802.11ac standard is called a very high throughput (VHT) standard, the 802.11ax standard is called a high efficient (HE) standard, and the 802.11be standard is called an extremely high throughput (EHT) standard. Among them, 802.11bf includes two large categories of standards, low frequency (for example, sub7GHz) and high frequency (for example, 60GHz). The implementation of sub7GHz mainly relies on 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be and next-generation standards, and the implementation of 60GHz mainly relies on 802.11ad, 802.11ay and next-generation standards. Among them, 802.11ad can also be called a directional multi-gigabit (DMG) standard, and 802.11ay can also be called an enhanced directional multi-gigabit (EDMG) standard.

[0121] Although the embodiments of the present application are mainly described by taking the deployment of WLAN network, especially the network applying IEEE 802.11 system standard as an example, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that various aspects involved in the embodiments of the present application can be extended to other networks applying various standards or protocols, for example, high performance radio local area network (HIPERLAN), wireless wide area network (WWAN), wireless personal area network (WPAN) or other now known or later developed networks.

[0122] Alternatively, the technical solutions of the present application can be applied to an Internet of Things (IoT) network, can also be applied to a vehicle-to-X (V2X) network, can also be applied to other networks, etc., and the present application is not specifically limited. For example, the application scenarios of the present application can be an IoT network based on IEEE 802.11 family standards, or a vehicle-to-X network based on IEEE 802.11 family standards, or other networks based on IEEE 802.11 family standards. The IEEE 802.11 family standards can be IEEE 802.11ax, IEEE 802.11be, the next generation of IEEE 802.11 standards such as IEEE 802.11be, etc. The technical solutions of the present application can also be applied to other WLAN networks of future standard protocols. Therefore, regardless of the coverage range and wireless access protocol used, various aspects provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to any suitable wireless network.

[0123] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to various communication systems, for example: WLAN communication system, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile communication system (UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, etc. thThe communication system to which the present application is applied is not limited to the above-mentioned example, and the communication system to which the present application is applied is not limited to the above-mentioned example. Hereinafter, the communication system to which the present application is applied is uniformly described, and the following description is not repeated.

[0124] The above-mentioned communication system to which the present application is applied is only an example, and the communication system to which the present application is applied is not limited to this. Hereinafter, the communication system to which the present application is applied is uniformly described, and the following description is not repeated.

[0125] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication method provided by the present application is applicable to communication between an access point (AP) and a non-access point station (non-AP STA), which are respectively referred to as AP and non-AP station, and further, the non-AP station can also be referred to as station (STA). The AP can be connected to a communication network such as Internet, and can be associated with one or more non-AP stations, and the one or more non-AP stations can access the network through the AP.

[0126] Specifically, the scenario shown in FIG. 1 is applicable to data communication between the AP and one or more non-AP stations (for example, data communication between AP1 and non-AP STA1, non-AP STA2), and is also applicable to data communication between the AP and the AP (for example, data communication between AP1 and AP2), and data communication between the non-AP STA and the non-AP STA (for example, data communication between non-AP STA2 and non-AP STA3).

[0127] The access point AP can be a node for terminals (for example, mobile phones) to enter wired (or wireless) networks, and is mainly deployed in homes, buildings and parks, with a typical coverage radius of tens of meters to hundreds of meters. Of course, it can also be deployed outdoors. The access point is equivalent to a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, and mainly functions to connect various wireless network clients together and then access the wireless network to Ethernet.

[0128] Specifically, the access point AP can be a terminal or network device with a Wi-Fi chip, or can be a terminal or network device including a chip with access to a wired (wireless) network, which can be a server, a router, a switch, a bridge, a computer, a mobile phone, a relay station, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device in a 5G network, a network device in a future communication network, or a network device in a public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., without limitation. The access point can be a device supporting the Wi-Fi standard. For example, the access point can also support one or more standards of the IEEE 802.11 series, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11bn, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, etc.

[0129] The non-AP station can be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal, etc., and can also be referred to as a user, a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device. The non-AP station can be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, an Internet of Things device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, a terminal device in a future communication network, or a terminal device in a PLMN, etc., without limitation. The non-AP station can be a device supporting the WLAN standard. For example, the non-AP station can support one or more standards of the IEEE 802.11 series, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11bn, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, etc.

[0130] For example, the non-AP station can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a set-top box, a smart television, a smart wearable device, a vehicle-mounted communication device, a computer, an IoT node, a sensor, a smart home device such as a smart camera, a smart remote controller, a smart water meter, a smart electricity meter, and a sensor in a smart city, etc.

[0131] The AP or non-AP station can include a transmitter, a receiver, a memory, a processor, etc., wherein the transmitter and the receiver are respectively used for transmitting and receiving the packet structure, the memory is used for storing signaling information and storing preset values agreed in advance, etc., and the processor is used for analyzing the signaling information, processing related data, etc.

[0132] Optionally, the non-AP station shown in FIG. 1 can also be a non-AP multi-link device (non-AP MLD) supporting multi-link, and the AP in FIG. 1 can also be an AP MLD supporting multi-link.

[0133] Before introducing the embodiments, the terms involved in the present application are described in detail.

[0134] 1. Cluster:

[0135] The cluster can refer to a system composed of a group (several) of independent terminal devices using a communication network. Each cluster node in the same cluster (i.e., each terminal device in the cluster) has the same service requirement, can communicate with each other, and is managed in a single system mode. Based on a specific service requirement, terminal devices supporting the specific service can be added to the same cluster. That is, a cluster can correspond to a type of specific service, and the terminal devices in the cluster all support the specific service corresponding to the type of the cluster.

[0136] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a cluster grouping provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2, in the interaction process between the AP and the STA, the AP can add the STA to multiple cluster groupings according to the service supported by each STA. And there are some STAs belonging to multiple cluster groupings, such as the two STAs shown in FIG. 2 overlapping cluster 1 and cluster 2. Specifically, when some STAs support multiple types of services, the AP can group the STAs into multiple clusters corresponding to the multiple types of services. In addition, since the cluster grouping process is performed by the AP side, the STA side can or can not know the cluster it belongs to, which is not limited by the present application.

[0137] When a user initiates a specific service request through a terminal device in a cluster, the user actually requests all terminal devices in the cluster to initiate the specific service request. That is, when a terminal device initiates a specific service or transmits traffic of the specific service, the terminal devices in the same cluster also initiate the same specific service or transmit traffic of the same specific service at the same time period. For example, in the cluster scenario shown in FIG. 2, when a STA in cluster 1 initiates a specific service, the STAs in cluster 1 that support the specific service initiate the same specific service at the same time period. The specific service has characteristics including but not limited to: trigger type or aperiodic type service, but with stable jitter (that is, the time delay of the service has an upper limit); service data has a length limit (mainly small data packets), low power consumption, and massive connections.

[0138] It is worth noting that "cluster" is only a noun limitation of the grouping of STAs, and embodiments of the present application can also describe the grouping of STAs and the grouping of STAs by AP through other nouns. For ease of description, the specific service corresponding to the cluster can be referred to as "cluster service", and "service cluster behavior" (that is, cluster service reporting) is the behavior of multiple STAs in the cluster reporting services together.

[0139] The foregoing service cluster behavior is mainly used in multi-device alarm / sensing / monitoring or multi-device control information transmission and interaction, such as smart city, environmental monitoring, smart home, forest fire prevention, and other application scenarios targeting sensing and data collection.

[0140] For example, temperature, humidity, and light sensing are needed inside a smart agricultural greenhouse, and STAs in multiple greenhouses under the coverage of a central AP have functions of controlling and detecting temperature, humidity, and light. For the central AP and the STAs in the multiple greenhouses, the foregoing cluster scenario exists. For example, when the central AP needs to detect the temperature of the multiple greenhouses, the multiple STAs serving as temperature detection sensors all need to obtain temperature information and report the detected temperature information to the central AP through service cluster behavior.

[0141] For another example, in a smart industrial plant / warehouse application scenario, multiple internet of things sensors (IoT sensors) under the coverage of a central AP have a cluster scenario of wifi sensing application. For example, the central AP can instruct the multiple IoT sensors to simultaneously monitor or detect abnormalities of the industrial plant in the coverage, such as detecting intruding objects in dead angles, and then the multiple IoT sensors report the monitoring or abnormality detection results to the central AP through service cluster behavior.

[0142] 2. Transmission opportunity (TXOP):

[0143] TXOP is the basic unit of wireless channel access, which can refer to a time interval, consisting of an initial time and a maximum duration (such as TXOP limit). When a network device or terminal device obtains TXOP, it can no longer need to re-contend for the channel within the TXOP limit time, and can use the contended channel to transmit data frames.

[0144] TXOP can be obtained in two ways: through contention or hybrid coordinator (HC) allocation. The TXOP obtained through contention can be referred to as enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) TXOP. The TXOP obtained through HC allocation can be referred to as hybrid coordination function controlled channel access (HCCA) TXOP. The specific details of the TXOP acquisition method can refer to the prior art.

[0145] In embodiments of the present application, the transmission opportunity can also be referred to as a scheduling opportunity, a transmission opportunity, a transmission time interval, or other names. The physical meaning of the transmission opportunity can refer to a time slot, a transmission time interval (TTI), a frame, a subframe, or a corresponding protocol layer to transmit a fixed number of data units, which can be a service data unit (SDU), a protocol data unit (PDU), a data packet, a number of bits, or a number of bytes, etc.

[0146] 3. Carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) protocol:

[0147] In order to ensure that the link between the AP and the STA can access the channel and will not collide with each other, the CSMA / CA mechanism is proposed at the present stage, which can also be referred to as distributed coordination function (DCF). FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of accessing a channel based on the CSMA / CA mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0148] As shown in (a) of FIG. 3, when a source station such as an AP needs to transmit a data frame to a destination station such as a STA, the source station first performs a clear channel access (CCA) by sensing the channel, and if the channel is clear, the source station obtains a TXOP of the channel. Then, the source station sends the data frame to the destination station after waiting for a fixed time length, and the destination station sends an acknowledgement frame for the data frame to the source station. At this time, as shown in the figure, the channel state is changed from the idle state to the busy state, and if there is another station that has data to send, the other station needs to defer for a fixed time length after the acknowledgement channel is in the busy state. If the other station senses that the channel is continuously clear within the fixed time length of deferring, the other station selects a value from a contention window (CW) as a backoff counter, and performs a back off with the backoff counter, or in other words, counts down with the backoff counter. When the backoff counter is counted down to 0, the other station obtains the TXOP of the channel and transmits a data frame.

[0149] Optionally, the fixed time length shown in (a) of FIG. 3 can be a Distributed Coordination Function Inter-Frame Space (DIFS), can be a Point Coordination Function Inter-Frame Space (PIFS), or can be a Short Inter-Frame Space (SIFS).

[0150] An enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) mechanism is an enhancement of the DCF mechanism shown in (a) of FIG. 3. (b) of FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the EDCA mechanism. In the EDCA mechanism, four access categories (ACs) and EDCA parameters corresponding to each AC are defined. For example, the EDCA parameters include a minimum contention window (CWmin), a maximum contention window (CWmax), and a transmit opportunity limit (TXOP limit) corresponding to each AC.

[0151] In the EDCA-based access scheme, when the channel status is busy, the other station needs to contend for the channel according to the EDCA parameters corresponding to the AC of the station. For example, similar to the DCF mechanism, in the scenario of contending for the channel based on the EDCA mechanism, the other station first performs listening to the channel for a fixed time length to listen to whether the channel is idle in the fixed time length. Then, when the other station listens to that the channel is idle in the fixed time length, the other station determines a CW from [CWmin, CWmax], and then determines a random value from (0, CW] as a backoff count value for contending for the channel, and starts counting down of the backoff count value. The CWmin and CWmax are the CWmin and CWmax in the aforementioned EDCA parameters.

[0152] When the backoff count value is counted down to 0, the other station can obtain a TXOP of the channel for a time length. However, in the EDCA mechanism, as shown in (b) of FIG. 3, if the channel contended by the other station becomes busy again during the backoff of the backoff count value, the other station needs to freeze the remaining backoff count value, or stop counting down of the backoff count value and keep the remaining backoff count value. When the other station listens to that the channel is idle in a fixed time length again, the other station unfreezes the remaining backoff count value, or continues counting down of the remaining backoff count value. When the backoff count value is counted down to 0, the other station obtains the TXOP of the channel and transmits a data frame.

[0153] Optionally, the fixed time length shown in (b) of FIG. 3 can be an arbitration inter-frame space (AIFS), and the time length of the AIFS can be a sum of a SIFS, a slot time and an arbitration inter-frame space number (AIFSN), where the slot time can be 9 microseconds.

[0154] The concepts of the cluster and the CSMA / CA are introduced above in combination with FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, and the cluster behavior based on the CSMA / CA mechanism, that is, the cluster service reporting process, is introduced below in combination with FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, the EDCA mechanism is taken as an example.

[0155] Figure 4 shows a diagram of the service cluster behavior based on the CSMA / CA mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, the horizontal axis represents time, and STA1 to STA4 in the same cluster independently contend for the air interface for the same type of service data and report the respective service data. According to the CSMA / CA mechanism, when one STA contends for the air interface through backoff, other STAs need to wait until the current STA ends its TXOP and then contend for the air interface again. The process is repeated until no STA initiates air interface contention.

[0156] As shown in (a) of Figure 4, it is assumed that STA1 first contends for the air interface, i.e., STA1 is occupying the wireless channel to initiate a specific service or send an uplink data frame including service traffic. According to the aforementioned service cluster behavior, STA2 to STA4 also need to initiate the same type of service (indicated by the upward arrow in Figure 4) or send an uplink data frame including service data during the process of STA1 sending the data frame. Then, as shown in (b) of Figure 4, STA2 to STA4 perform carrier sensing and find that the channel is busy and need to backoff. Further, STA2 to STA4 respectively select a random backoff count value according to the aforementioned backoff algorithm (e.g., according to the CWmin and CWmax of the EDCA parameter) and continuously detect the channel. When a fixed time period such as DIFS elapses and the channel is detected to be idle, the backoff timers of STA2 to STA4 start to count down. Hereinafter, the backoff time of STA2 is taken as t1, the backoff time of STA3 is taken as t2, the backoff time of STA4 is taken as t3, and the fixed time period is taken as DIFS, where t2

[0157] As shown in (c) of FIG. 4, after STA1 finishes transmitting the data frame, STA2 to STA4 need to perform backoff countdown after DIFS. Since the value of t2 is the smallest, that is, the backoff time of STA3 is the shortest, STA3 competes for the air interface before STA2 and STA4, and immediately starts to transmit the uplink data frame including the service traffic, at which time the channel also changes from the idle state to the busy state. At this time, when STA2 and STA4 detect that the channel is in the busy state, the remaining backoff time of each is frozen, that is, STA2 freezes the remaining (t1-t2), and STA4 freezes the remaining (t3-t2). After STA3 finishes transmitting the data frame and DIFS, the backoff timers of STA2 and STA4 start to count down from the last frozen remaining backoff time, that is, the remaining backoff time is unfrozen. Since the remaining backoff time (t3-t2) of STA4 is shorter, the backoff timer of STA4 starts before that of STA2, and thus STA4 starts to transmit the uplink data frame including the service traffic. At this time, the channel changes from the idle state to the busy state, and the remaining backoff time of STA2 is frozen, that is, STA2 freezes the remaining (t1-t3). Finally, after STA4 finishes transmitting the data frame and DIFS, the backoff timer of STA2 starts to count down, and after a time length of (t1-t3), STA2 transmits the uplink data frame including the service traffic, thereby realizing the service reporting process of all STAs in the cluster.

[0158] According to the characteristics of the cluster service described above, the cluster service generally needs stable jitter, that is, there is an upper limit to the delay of the cluster service. However, in the cluster behavior of the service as shown in FIG. 4, multiple STAs need to perform backoff multiple times in a specific time period, that is, STA2 to STA4 all need to perform backoff, and backoff countdown in each TXOP corresponding time period. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the cluster service reporting process also includes multiple fixed time lengths for STA to listen to the channel state. Taking (c) of FIG. 4 as an example, assuming that the transmission time of each data frame is t0, the reporting of the cluster service needs to at least pass through a total time length of 4xt0+3 times of backoff. Further, the delay of the cluster service reporting process is long, which may exceed the upper limit of the delay of the cluster service, and may cause the jitter of the cluster service to increase.

[0159] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a communication method 500, which can reduce the delay of the cluster service reporting process and stabilize the jitter of the cluster service.

[0160] FIG. 5 shows a schematic flowchart of the communication method 500. As shown in (a) of FIG. 5, the communication method 500 can include steps S510 and S520.

[0161] S510: The first STA sends a first frame to the AP, where the first frame includes first cluster identification information.

[0162] Correspondingly, the AP receives the first frame from the first STA.

[0163] Specifically, the first cluster identification information is used to indicate a first service supported by the first STA. In other words, when there is a service cluster behavior, the cluster to which the first STA belongs corresponds to the first service. That is, the STAs in the cluster to which the first STA belongs all support the first service, and the first cluster identification information is used to indicate the first service. Exemplarily, FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of first cluster identification information provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0164] Optionally, as shown in (a) of FIG. 6, the first cluster identification information can include a service identification information field, and a value of the service identification information field can indicate that the cluster service supported by the cluster to which the first STA belongs is the first service. Table 1 shows an example of the value of the service identification information provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0165] Table 1

[0166] As shown in Table 1, the cluster service can be an adjustment of the multi-device monitor service, the multi-device sensing service, the multi-device alarm service and the multi-device control service in Table 1. Among them, the multi-device monitor service, the multi-device sensing service and the multi-device alarm service can refer to the description in the cluster terminology part. The multi-device control service can be that when a STA in a cluster group changes its posture (the position of the STA or the center direction, etc.), the rest of the STAs in the same cluster group in the region need to change their postures together.

[0167] For example, if the first service is the multi-device monitor service, the value of the service identification information in the first cluster identification information can be 0; if the first service is the adjustment of the multi-device control service, the value of the service identification information in the first cluster identification information can be 3.

[0168] It is worth noting that Table 1 is only an example of service identification information, and embodiments of the present application can also include more service types. In addition, the reserved bits in Table 1 can also be used to supplement the newly added service types. That is, when there is a newly added service type, the reserved bits of the service identification information in Table 1 can be used to define the new service type, and the number of reserved bits will decrease according to the increase of the service type. In some other embodiments of the present application, the service identification information field can also be referred to as a "service ID" field, etc.

[0169] Optionally, as shown in (a) of FIG. 6, the first cluster identification information can further include a cluster mode field, which is used to indicate whether the STA enables the cluster mode, and the value of the field is 1 when the cluster mode is enabled and 0 when the cluster mode is not enabled. For example, when some STAs in the cluster do not establish a trust relationship with the AP due to security considerations or the like, the value of the cluster mode field can be adjusted to 0, so that the STAs do not report traffic data to the AP in the traffic cluster behavior. For another example, when some STAs in the cluster do not want to accept the scheduling of the AP, the value of the cluster mode field can also be adjusted to 0. When the STA enables the cluster mode, the cluster traffic reporting process as shown in FIG. 4 or described below can be implemented.

[0170] However, there are cases where the first traffic does not belong to the existing or preset traffic in Table 1, for example, the first traffic can be a private cluster traffic. At this time, the traffic identification information field shown in (a) of FIG. 6 cannot indicate the first cluster identification information, that is, the value of the traffic identification information shown in Table 1 cannot indicate the first traffic, and other fields are needed to indicate the first cluster identification information. Specifically, the first frame can include first information for indicating that the first traffic does not belong to the existing or preset traffic, and other fields for indicating the first cluster identification information.

[0171] Exemplarily, as shown in (b) of FIG. 6, when the value of the traffic identification information field is a specific combination of numbers such as 111, it represents that the first traffic does not belong to the existing or preset traffic shown in Table 1. At this time, the aforementioned first information for indicating that the first traffic does not belong to the existing or preset traffic can be the traffic identification information field shown in (b) of FIG. 6. In an embodiment of the present application, the first cluster identification information can be indicated by other fields in the first frame. For example, the reserved bits in the vendor specific field in the first frame can be multiplexed to indicate the first cluster identification information customized by the vendor, that is, to indicate the traffic identification information of the first traffic customized by the vendor, to meet the scenario of possible private traffic.

[0172] For another example, as shown in (c) of FIG. 6, a restriction field can be added to indicate whether the first service belongs to the existing or preset service shown in Table 1. For example, when the value of the restriction field is 0, it represents that the first service does not belong to the existing service shown in Table 1. At this time, the first information can be the restriction field with the value of 0, and the embodiments of the present application can indicate the first cluster identification information defined by the first frame through other fields such as the vendor specific field. For another example, when the value of the restriction field is 1, it represents that the first service belongs to the existing service in the service identification information shown in Table 1, and at this time, the service identification information field can be used to indicate the first cluster identification information.

[0173] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present application, the first frame can be a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU). For example, taking the scenario shown in FIG. 3 as an example, the first STA can be STA1 which occupies the TXOP first, and thus the first frame is the PPDU including service data sent by STA1 to the AP. For another example, the service cluster to which the first STA belongs needs to report a service with a higher priority, and at this time, the first STA can interrupt the downlink transmission process of the AP, and the first frame is the PPDU including service data sent by the first STA to the AP after the interruption. Examples 1 and 2 below will introduce the process in detail, which will not be repeated herein.

[0174] Optionally, in some other embodiments of the present application, when the AP sends a PPDU including downlink data to the first STA, the first frame can be a block acknowledgement (BA) frame sent by the first STA to the AP in response to the PPDU. Example 3 below will introduce the process in detail, which will not be repeated herein.

[0175] Optionally, in some other embodiments of the present application, when the first STA has a transmission demand, the first frame can be a preemption message. Examples 4 and 5 below will introduce the process in detail, which will not be repeated herein.

[0176] S520: The AP sends a second frame, and the second frame is used to schedule the at least one second STA to feed back the first service.

[0177] Correspondingly, the at least one second STA receives the second frame from the AP. Wherein, the first STA and the at least one second STA both support the first service, or in other words, the first STA and the at least one second STA can belong to the same cluster.

[0178] It is worth noting that the second STA and the first STA are both STAs, and there is no difference in structure and function. In the embodiments of the present application, the difference between the first STA and the second STA is only in the difference in transceiving signaling.

[0179] Optionally, the second frame can schedule the at least one second STA to feed back the first service by orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) or time division multiple access (TDMA) or the like. That is, the second frame allocates specific time-frequency resources to the at least one second STA, so that the at least one second STA can feed back the service data of the first service on the allocated time-frequency resources respectively, without the need for air interface competition. Further, the time delay of service reporting caused by multiple air interface competitions between the at least one second STA can be reduced, and the jitter of the service is stabilized.

[0180] Optionally, the second frame can be a trigger frame, can be an action frame, or can be other frames that can be used for time-frequency resource scheduling. FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of the second frame provided by the embodiments of the present application, wherein (a) of FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of the second frame being an action frame, and (b) of FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of the second frame being a trigger frame.

[0181] Exemplarily, as shown in (a) of FIG. 7, the action frame can include a media access control (MAC) header, a category identifier, an action detail, and a frame check sequence part. Among them, the category identifier part includes a category field, in the embodiments of the present application, the reserved bits in the category field of the existing action frame can be used to define the action frame required by the embodiments of the present application, that is, the newly defined action frame is used to schedule the at least one second STA to feed back the service data. The action field in the action detail field can indicate the action of scheduling the at least one second STA to feed back the service data, and the element field in the action detail field can indicate the time-frequency resources of the AP scheduling the at least one second STA. Further, after receiving the second frame, the at least one second STA can determine to feed back the data of the first service to the AP according to the value of the category field, and feed back the PPDU including the service data to the AP on the time-frequency resources indicated by the element field.

[0182] Exemplarily, as shown in (b) of FIG. 7, the common information field in the trigger frame includes a trigger type, in embodiments of the present application, the trigger type field in the existing trigger frame can be used to define the kind of trigger frame required by embodiments of the present application, that is, the newly defined trigger frame is used to schedule the at least one second STA to feed back the service data. The user information list of the trigger frame can include the user information of the at least one second STA, and the user information of each second STA includes a resource unit allocation field, which can indicate the time-frequency resource allocated by the AP to each second STA. Further, after receiving the second frame, the at least one second STA can determine to feed back the first service data to the AP according to the value of the trigger type field, and feed back the PPDU including the service data to the AP on the time-frequency resource indicated by the resource unit allocation field.

[0183] When the first frame is the PPDU including the service data sent by the first STA to the AP, the method 500 can only include the step S510 and the step S520. That is, when the first cluster identification information is carried in the PPDU sent by the first STA, the first STA has already fed back the first service to the AP, and the AP only needs to schedule the at least one second STA in the cluster to feed back the first service.

[0184] Optionally, in some other embodiments of the present application, when the first cluster identification information is not carried in the data of the first service sent by the first STA, that is, the first frame is not the PPDU reported by the first STA to the AP, as shown in (b) of FIG. 5, the method 500 further includes a step S530: the AP sends a second frame, and the second frame is also used to schedule the first STA to feed back the first service. For example, as mentioned above, when the first frame is the BA frame sent by the first STA to the AP, the AP needs to schedule not only the at least one second STA to feed back the first service, but also the first STA to feed back the first service. For another example, as mentioned above, when the first frame is the preemption message, the AP needs to schedule not only the at least one second STA to feed back the first service, but also the first STA to feed back the first service.

[0185] Correspondingly, the first STA receives the second frame from the AP. The description of the second frame can refer to the above, which will not be repeated here.

[0186] Optionally, if multiple cluster services need to be reported at the same time, the AP can self-schedule in the order of received cluster identification information or the order of service priority, that is, send the second frame to the STAs in different cluster groups in turn. For example, when there are first and second services that need to be reported at the same time, the AP first receives the first cluster identification information indicating the first service, and then can first schedule the service data of the first service, and then schedule the service data of the second service. For another example, if the priority of the second service is higher than that of the first service, the AP can first schedule the service data of the second service even if it first receives the first cluster identification information indicating the first service.

[0187] Optionally, when the AP schedules the at least one second STA and / or the first STA to feed back the first service, there can be some STAs in the cluster to which the at least one second STA and the first STA belong that do not feed back the first service. That is, the AP schedules the STAs in the cluster to feed back the first service, and the STAs in the cluster can choose to feed back the first service or not.

[0188] For example, taking the first cluster identification information shown in FIG. 6 as an example, when the value of the cluster mode of some STAs is 0, the STAs do not participate in the cluster interaction process due to security considerations or to avoid possible external intrusion, that is, the STAs do not receive the scheduling of the AP to feed back the first service, and can only feed back the first service by actively competing for the air interface. For another example, due to low power consumption considerations, some STAs need to transmit over a long distance or need a large power when feeding back the first service, in order to reduce power consumption and prolong the running time, the STAs can choose not to feed back the first service. For another example, during the time period of the service cluster behavior, some STAs in the cluster can have no data of the first service to report, at this time, the STAs can also not feed back the first service after receiving the second frame.

[0189] In the CSMA / CA mechanism shown in FIG. 3, in the face of the STA containing the cluster service, multiple STAs compete for the same service type traffic in a specific period of time (event triggered) for the same service type traffic, resulting in a longer total time for the AP to collect all specific service traffic, and thus increasing the delay of the characteristic service and increasing the jitter. In the communication method 500 proposed in the embodiments of the present application, the traffic of the cluster service is collected in a centralized manner through a specific cluster scheduling process. Specifically, the AP schedules the service reporting process of the STA, which can reduce the number of air interface competitions in the first service reporting. For example, in the CSMA / CA mechanism shown in FIG. 3, at least (N-1) times of air interface competition are required between N STAs in the cluster, while in the communication method 500, at most 1 time of air interface competition is required for N STAs, and the service reporting process of the STA can be scheduled by the AP. Further, the delay of the service reporting can be reduced, and the jitter of the service can be stabilized.

[0190] The steps, first frame and second frame of the communication method 500 are described above in combination with FIGS. 5 to 7. The specific embodiments of the flow of the communication method 500 will be described below in combination with FIGS. 8 to 13. Among them, example 1 describes the specific flow of the communication method 500 when the first STA is the TXOP holder, example 2 describes a flow of the communication method 500 when the AP is the TXOP holder, example 3 describes another flow of the communication method 500 when the AP is the TXOP holder, example 4 describes another flow of the communication method 500 when the AP is the TXOP holder, and example 5 describes a flow of the communication method 500 when the third STA is the TXOP holder.

[0191] Example 1:

[0192] FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of a communication method 500 provided in example 1. According to the description of FIG. 3 above, when multiple STAs in a cluster need to report services, multiple STAs in the cluster will compete for the air interface in the same time period for the same characteristic service. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, STAs 1 to 3 in cluster #1 will first compete for the air interface in the same time period. Among them, STA 1 first competes for the air interface, that is, STA 1 transmits data as the TXOP holder in a certain time period.

[0193] Corresponding to step S510, as shown in FIG. 8, after STA1 becomes the TXOP holder, STA1 sends a PPDU carrying the first service to the AP, which is the first frame in S510. The PPDU includes first cluster identification information. The description of the first cluster identification information can refer to the description of FIG. 6, which is not repeated here. Alternatively, in some embodiments of the present application, the PPDU includes a plurality of medium access control protocol data units (MPDUs), and the first cluster identification information is included in the MPDUs.

[0194] As shown in FIG. 8, after the AP receives the PPDU from STA1, the AP sends a BA frame for the PPDU. The BA frame can be a broadcast frame. In some embodiments of the present application, the AP can use the reserved field in the BA frame for repetition enhancement. In other words, the STAs in cluster #1 other than STA1 can also receive the BA frame, and after receiving the BA frame, the STAs in cluster #1 other than STA1 can prepare the message corresponding to the first service in advance, so as to timely allocate the message to the feedback queue.

[0195] Corresponding to step S520, as shown in FIG. 8, after the AP identifies the first cluster identification information and identifies cluster #1 corresponding to the first service, the AP sends a second frame to schedule STA2 and STA3 in cluster #1 to feed back the first service. The description of the second frame can refer to the description of FIG. 7, which is not repeated here. As shown in FIG. 8, after receiving the second frame, STA2 and STA3 can respectively feed back a PPDU including service data of the first service to the AP on the time-frequency resource allocated by the AP. Further, in the process shown in FIG. 8, only one air interface competition is needed between STA1 and STA3, that is, the competition for the TXOP holder at the beginning, and then the service reporting process of the remaining STAs can be scheduled by the AP. Compared with the process shown in FIG. 3, the process shown in FIG. 8 has shorter delay.

[0196] However, as shown in FIG. 8, at this time, STA1 is the TXOP holder, the AP does not have the TXOP but needs to send the second frame, that is, the AP needs to become the TXOP holder to send the second frame. In order to solve the above problem, FIG. 9 shows two examples of the AP sending the second frame according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0197] Exemplarily, the AP can occupy the next TXOP immediately after the time period corresponding to the TXOP of STA1 ends. Here, the AP has an advantage over the STA in the competition for the air interface, or the AP has a stronger ability to preempt the air interface than the STA. Thus, the condition that the AP directly occupies the next TXOP is reasonable and easy to achieve. Further, as shown in (a) of FIG. 9, the AP can occupy the next transmission opportunity #2 after the time period corresponding to the transmission opportunity #1 occupied by STA1 ends, and send a second frame in the time period corresponding to the transmission opportunity #2 to schedule STA2 and STA3 to feed back the first service.

[0198] Exemplarily, STA1 can hand over its TXOP to the AP for takeover and scheduling, that is, STA1 can authorize the AP to use its TXOP. Alternatively, the AP is authorized to perform data transmission in the time period corresponding to the TXOP of STA1. Embodiments of the present application can also define an authorization information field in the first frame as an authorized information, and the value of the authorization information field can indicate whether the AP is authorized to use the TXOP.

[0199] FIG. 10 shows a schematic diagram of a TXOP takeover indication provided by an embodiment of the present application, where the authorization information field can be included in the first cluster identification information shown in (a) of FIG. 6. For example, when the value of the authorization information field is 1, the AP can fully use the TXOP of STA1; and when the value of the authorization information field is 0, the TXOP of STA1 can not be authorized to be used. Further, as shown in (b) of FIG. 9, when the AP receives the PPDU of STA1 and the PPDU includes the authorization information field with the value of 1, the AP can take over the transmission opportunity #1 of STA1, that is, STA1 authorizes the AP to be the holder of the transmission opportunity #1. Finally, the AP sends a second frame in the time period corresponding to the transmission opportunity #1 to schedule STA2 and STA3 to feed back the first service.

[0200] In summary, in Example 1, the plurality of STAs in the cluster need to compete for the air interface at the beginning to determine the TXOP holder. Through step S510, the STA as the TXOP holder sends a PPDU including the first cluster identification information to the AP, where the first cluster identification information is used to indicate the first service supported by the STA as the TXOP holder. Then, the AP can become the TXOP holder through air interface competition or by being authorized, and further implement the scheduling process of the first service through step S520, that is, implement the scheduling process of the first service through the second frame.

[0201] Example 2:

[0202] Different from example 1, in example 2, the AP can be the TXOP holder and the AP is conducting downlink transmission. At this time, if the first traffic has a higher priority or the first traffic is urgent, STA1 to STA3 in cluster #1 can interrupt the downlink transmission process of the AP, and report the first traffic with a higher priority.

[0203] FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 respectively show flow diagrams of the communication method 500 provided by example 2, wherein FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 respectively show two examples of interrupting the downlink transmission process of the AP by the STA. In order to facilitate the description of the process of interrupting the downlink transmission of the AP, the part of the PPDU sent by the AP before the interruption is referred to as PPDU_1, and the part of the PPDU sent by the AP after the traffic reporting process is completed is referred to as PPDU_2, that is, the long PPDU sent by the AP is broken into multiple smaller PPDU. ACK in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 represents acknowledgement, which has basically the same meaning as the BA frame.

[0204] The specific traffic reporting process can refer to the description in example 1 above, that is, after interrupting the downlink transmission process of the AP, the STA in cluster #1 sends a PPDU including the first cluster identification information and the traffic data of the first traffic to the AP, and then the AP schedules other STAs in cluster #1 to feedback the first traffic by sending a second frame. This will not be described here.

[0205] Exemplarily, FIG. 11 shows a schematic diagram of interrupting the downlink transmission process of the AP by a baseline mechanism. In FIG. 11, (a) and (b) show examples of interrupting the downlink transmission process of the AP by preemption messages, which can be a null data packet feedback report (NDP feedback report, NFR) for a null data packet feedback report poll (NFRP) frame, or can be a buffer status report (BSR) for a buffer status report poll (BSRP) frame. (c) of FIG. 11 shows an example of interrupting the downlink transmission process of the AP by an uplink OFDMA-based random access (UORA) mechanism.

[0206] For example, during the downlink transmission of the AP, the AP can send PPDU_1 and the NFRP frame to the STA. At this time, if there is high-priority service data in the cluster to which the STA belongs that needs to be reported, the STA can send the NFR for the NFRP frame to indicate interrupting the AP from sending the PPDU. As shown in (a) of FIG. 11, if the priority of the first service corresponding to cluster #1 is high at this time and the AP is sending PPDU_1 and the NFRP frame to STA1, STA1 can feed back the NFR for the NFRP to the AP to interrupt the downlink transmission of the AP. Subsequently, corresponding to step S510, the AP triggers to the low latency (LL) mode and receives the PPDU from STA1, which includes the first cluster identification information. Then, corresponding to step S520, the AP sends the second frame according to the first cluster identification information to schedule STA2 and STA3 in cluster #1 to feed back the first service. Finally, after the service reporting process ends, the AP resumes the downlink transmission process, that is, continues to send the remaining PPDU_2 to STA1.

[0207] For example, during the downlink transmission of the AP, the AP can send PPDU_1 and the NFRP frame to the STA. At this time, if there is high-priority service data in the cluster to which the STA belongs that needs to be reported, the STA can send the NFR for the NFRP frame to indicate interrupting the AP from sending the PPDU. As shown in (a) of FIG. 11, if the priority of the first service corresponding to cluster #1 is high at this time and the AP is sending PPDU_1 and the NFRP frame to STA1, STA1 can feed back the NFR for the NFRP to the AP to interrupt the downlink transmission of the AP. Subsequently, corresponding to step S510, the AP triggers to the low latency (LL) mode and receives the PPDU from STA1, which includes the first cluster identification information. Then, corresponding to step S520, the AP sends the second frame according to the first cluster identification information to schedule STA2 and STA3 in cluster #1 to feed back the first service. Finally, after the service reporting process ends, the AP resumes the downlink transmission process, that is, continues to send the remaining PPDU_2 to STA1.

[0208] For another example, in the downlink transmission process of the AP, the AP can send a PPDU_1 and a UORA trigger frame to the STA, and the UORA trigger frame can indicate a resource unit (RU) for random access (RA). At this time, corresponding to step S510, if there is higher-priority service data in the cluster to which the STA belongs that needs to be reported, the STA can directly send the higher-priority service data through the RU indicated by the UORA trigger frame. As shown in (c) of FIG. 11, if the priority of the first service corresponding to cluster #1 is higher at this time and the AP is sending a PPDU_1 and a UORA trigger frame to STA3, corresponding to step S510, STA3 can directly send a UORA frame (or also a PPDU) including service data of the first service through the RU indicated by the UORA trigger frame, and the UORA frame includes first cluster identification information. Then, corresponding to step S520, the AP sends a second frame according to the first cluster identification information to schedule STA1 and STA2 in cluster #1 to feed back the first service.

[0209] For example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 12, the AP can send a PPDU_1 and a preemption traffic enabled (PR enabled) indication to the STA (such as STA1 in the figure, or other STAs), and the PR enabled indication can be in the physical layer (PHY) header of the PPDU sent by the AP. In addition, the PR enabled indication can be learned by any STA in the basic service set (BSS) to which the AP belongs.

[0210] For example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 12, the AP can send a PPDU_1 and a preemption traffic enabled (PR enabled) indication to the STA (such as STA1 in the figure, or other STAs), and the PR enabled indication can be in the physical layer (PHY) header of the PPDU sent by the AP. In addition, the PR enabled indication can be learned by any STA in the basic service set (BSS) to which the AP belongs.

[0211] Afterwards, as shown in (a) of FIG. 12, STA2 sends a preemption traffic indication (PRI) frame to the AP to interrupt the downlink transmission process of the AP. For example, the PRI frame can be a clear to send (CTS) frame. Then, corresponding to step S510, STA2 reports a PPDU including service data of the first service to the AP, and corresponding to step S520, the AP sends a second frame to schedule STA1 and STA3 to feed back the first service. When the AP determines that no other STA sends a PRI frame and the time period corresponding to the TXOP of the AP has not been exhausted, the AP continues to send PPDU_2.

[0212] For another example, the AP can allocate a specific RU for the STA that can have a preemption behavior, so that the STA that has the preemption behavior can send a PRI frame while sending a BA frame. Specifically, as shown in (b) of FIG. 12, STA1 can send an acknowledgement frame and a PRI to the AP on the specific RU allocated by the AP to interrupt the downlink transmission process of the AP, and send a PPDU including first cluster identification information and service data of the first service.

[0213] Wherein, the PR enabled indication in (a) of FIG. 12 and the PR allowed indication in (b) of FIG. 12 can be replaced with each other, both of which refer to a preemption traffic indication, which can be regarded as an example of the first indication information, i.e., the AP can send the PR allowed indication to indicate that the AP allows its data transmission to be interrupted before the STA sends the PRI.

[0214] Optionally, in the process of interrupting the downlink transmission of the AP shown in example 2, there can be a case that multiple clusters of STAs or multiple service reports successively interrupt the downlink transmission process of the AP. For example, taking FIG. 12 as an example, after the STAs in cluster #1 interrupt the downlink transmission process of the AP and before the AP resumes to transmit PPDU_2, the STAs in cluster #2 can also send a PRI to the AP, and then the AP can schedule the service data of the STAs in cluster #2 through a second frame. For another example, when the AP is transmitting PPDU_2, the STAs in cluster #3 can send a PRI to the AP to interrupt the transmission of PPDU_2 by the AP, and then the AP also schedules the service data of the STAs in cluster #3 through a second frame. After the scheduling is completed, the AP resumes to transmit the remaining PPDU.

[0215] It is worth noting that the mechanism and process of interrupting the downlink transmission of the AP shown in example 2 are only examples, and specific details can refer to the description of the preemption mechanism at the present stage, which will not be described herein.

[0216] It should be understood that the data transmission of the AP is interrupted by the preemption message in Example 2, which is only one implementation, and in fact, the preemption message is mainly used to indicate that the first STA has a transmission requirement, and the application does not limit whether the data transmission of the AP is interrupted before and after the preemption message is sent. In another implementation, the data transmission of the AP can also not be interrupted before and after the preemption message is sent. For example, when the first STA sends the preemption message, the data transmission of the AP has ended, at this time, the preemption message does not need to interrupt the data transmission of the AP, that is, the PPDU_1 in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 can also be understood as a complete PPDU that is not interrupted, and the PPDU_2 can also be understood as another complete PPDU that is not interrupted.

[0217] Example 3:

[0218] In Example 3, the AP is the TXOP holder and the AP is performing downlink transmission, but unlike Example 2, the STA interacting with the AP can inform the AP to schedule the first service by sending a BA frame including the first cluster identification information to the AP. In this way, the overhead of the preemption message in Example 2 can also be reduced.

[0219] FIG. 13 shows a flow diagram of the communication method 500 provided in Example 3. Corresponding to step S510, as shown in FIG. 13, the AP performs downlink data transmission with STA1 in cluster #1, at this time, if the first service corresponding to cluster #1 needs data reporting or in other words, cluster #1 has a cluster service that needs timely uplink transmission, STA1 can use the BA frame as a carrier of the first cluster identification information to inform the AP to schedule the first service. At this time, the first frame in step S510 is the BA frame shown in FIG. 13, and the first cluster identification information can be carried in part of the reserved field in the existing BA. Further, corresponding to steps S520 and S530, the AP sends a second frame to schedule STA1 to STA3 to feed back the first service.

[0220] Example 4:

[0221] In Example 4, the AP is the TXOP holder and the AP is performing downlink transmission, but unlike Example 2, the downlink transmission of the AP has been completed and does not need to be interrupted, and the first STA can carry the first cluster identification information by sending a PRI to the AP, so that the AP can schedule the first STA and at least one second STA to feed back the first service at the same time, which can simplify the communication process.

[0222] FIG. 14 shows a flow diagram of the communication method 500 provided in Example 4. As shown in FIG. 14, the AP can send a PPDU 1 and a PR allowed indication to a STA (e.g., STA 1 in the figure, or other STAs) when performing downlink transmission. The PR allowed indication can be in the PHY header of the PPDU sent by the AP, and can be known by any STA in the BSS to which the AP belongs, e.g., STA 1, STA 2, STA 3, STA 4, STA 5, and STA 6 in FIG. 14, wherein STA 2, STA 3, and STA 4 belong to cluster #1, and STA 4, STA 5, and STA 6 belong to cluster #2.

[0223] Afterwards, corresponding to step S510, as shown in FIG. 14, if the cluster #1 corresponding service #1 needs to report data, STA 2 and STA 4 (both can be regarded as examples of the first STA) send a PRI frame to the AP to indicate that they have transmission requirements when the AP allows their data transmission to be interrupted (i.e., after the PPDU 1). The PRI frame can be a CTS frame, and the PRI frame can carry a cluster identifier #1 (an example of the first cluster identifier information), which is used to identify the cluster #1 or the service #1. In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, the cluster #2 corresponding service #2 also has data to report, and STA 6 (which can be regarded as another example of the first STA) sends a PRI frame to the AP to indicate that it has transmission requirements. Similarly, the PRI frame can carry a cluster identifier #2 (another example of the first cluster identifier information), which is used to identify the cluster #2 or the service #2. Corresponding to step S520, the AP sends a second frame (e.g., a trigger frame) to schedule STA 2 and STA 4 to feed back the service #1, and schedule STA 6 to feed back the service #2. Alternatively, the second frame can schedule STA 3 in the cluster #1 to feed back the service #1, and schedule STA 4 and STA 5 in the cluster #2 to feed back the service #2. Afterwards, as shown in FIG. 14, STA 2 and STA 4 send a PPDU including uplink data of the service #1, STA 6 sends a PPDU including uplink data of the service #2, and the AP feeds back a BA frame. After the scheduling is completed, the AP can send a next PPDU, e.g., PPDU 2 in FIG. 14, which can optionally include a PR allowed indication.

[0224] In Example 4, the first frame in step S510 is the PRI frame shown in FIG. 14, and the first cluster identification information can be carried in part of the reserved field in the existing PRI frame. Wherein, the PRI can be sent by STA2, STA4 or STA6 in the window of the contention opportunity, at this time, the PPDU 1 of the AP has been transmitted, and thus there is no need to interrupt the data transmission of the AP. In addition, the PR allowed indication in FIG. 14 indicates that the AP allows its data transmission to be interrupted, which can be regarded as an example of the first indication information.

[0225] Example 5:

[0226] In Example 5, the third STA is the TXOP holder and is performing uplink transmission, but the uplink transmission of the third STA has been completed and does not need to be interrupted, and the first STA can carry the first cluster identification information by sending a PRI to the AP, so that the AP can simultaneously schedule the first STA and at least one second STA to feed back the first service, so as to simplify the communication process.

[0227] FIG. 15 shows a flow diagram of the communication method 500 provided in Example 5. As shown in FIG. 15, STA1 (an example of the third STA) is performing uplink transmission, and STA1 can indicate whether STA1 allows data transmission to be interrupted (i.e., the second indication information) in the uplink PPDU, wherein the no PR allowed indication indicates that it is not allowed, and the PR allowed indication indicates that it is allowed. Exemplarily, the PR allowed indication and the no PR allowed indication can be in the PHY header of the PPDU sent by STA1, and the PR allowed indication can be known by the AP and any STA in the BSS to which the AP belongs, for example, the PPDU 1 carries the no PR allowed indication, the PPDU 2 carries the PR allowed indication, and the PPDU 3 carries the no PR allowed indication, and the AP and STA2, STA3 and STA4 can know the PR allowed indication and the no PR allowed indication, wherein STA2, STA3 and STA4 belong to cluster #1.

[0228] Afterwards, corresponding to step S510, if the service #1 corresponding to cluster #1 needs data reporting, when STA 1 allows its data transmission to be interrupted (i.e. after PPDU 2), STA 2 and STA 4 (both can be regarded as examples of the first STA) send a PRI frame to the AP to indicate that they have transmission requirements, for example, the PRI frame can be a CTS frame, and the first cluster identification information can be carried in the PRI frame, which is used to identify the service #1 or the cluster #1. Corresponding to step S520, the AP sends a second frame (such as a trigger frame) to schedule STA 1 and STA 2 to feed back the service #1, and optionally, the second frame can schedule STA 3 in cluster #1 to feed back the service #1. Afterwards, as shown in FIG. 15, STA 2 and STA 4 send a PPDU including the uplink data of the service #1, and the AP feeds back a BA frame. After the scheduling is completed, STA 1 can retransmit the next PPDU, i.e. PPDU 3 as shown in FIG. 15, and optionally, the PPDU 3 also includes the no PR allowed indication.

[0229] In example 5, the first frame in step S510 is the PRI frame shown in FIG. 15, and the first cluster identification information can be carried in the part of the reserved field in the existing PRI frame. Wherein, the PRI can be sent by STA 2 or STA 4 in the window of the contention opportunity, at this time, the PPDU 2 of STA 1 has been transmitted, so it is not necessary to interrupt the data transmission of STA 1.

[0230] Optionally, in example 5, the PRI frame can also include TXOP authorization information, indicating that STA 1 authorizes the AP to use its TXOP. At this time, the PRI can be sent by STA 2 or STA 4 in the TXOP of STA 1. Or, the PRI frame does not include TXOP authorization information, and after the time period corresponding to the TXOP of STA 1 ends, the AP can immediately occupy the next TXOP. Because the AP has an advantage over the STA in the contention air interface, it is easier to contend for the channel. Further, after the AP completes the scheduling, the TXOP is contended by STA 1, so that STA 1 sends PPDU 3.

[0231] Optionally, in example 5, the third STA (such as STA 1 in FIG. 15) does not support the first service, or in other words, does not belong to the cluster corresponding to the first service. Wherein, the first service can be a low-latency service, or a service that requires stable transmission.

[0232] It is worth noting that in example 1 and example 2, the first cluster identification information is carried in the PPDU including service data, so the second frame does not need to schedule the STA sending the first cluster identification information, that is, the communication method 500 can only include the step S510 and the step S520. But in example 3, example 4 and example 5, since the first cluster identification information is not carried in the PPDU including service data, the second frame also needs to schedule the STA sending the first cluster identification information, such as the STA1 shown in FIG. 13, that is, the communication method 500 also needs to include the step S530.

[0233] The above describes the cluster service interaction process in combination with example 1 to example 3. Before the cluster service interaction process, there is also a cluster capability informing and cluster group building process. FIG. 16 shows a complete flowchart of cluster interaction. As shown in FIG. 16, before the cluster service interaction, there is also a cluster capability informing stage (that is, the AP and the STA negotiate the cluster capability) and a cluster classification and group building stage (that is, the AP classifies a plurality of STAs into different clusters) in sequence. The cluster capability informing stage and the cluster classification and group building stage will be described in combination with FIG. 17 to FIG. 19.

[0234] In the cluster capability informing stage, the AP and the STA need to negotiate to determine that the AP and the STA both have the cluster capability and can both identify the cluster-related indication field such as the first cluster identification information.

[0235] Optionally, the STA can default that the AP has the cluster interaction capability, in which case the STA can directly associate with the AP. The AP defaults to have the cluster identification and scheduling capability, can identify the cluster-related indication field of the STA, and can provide corresponding process operations such as scheduling service data in the embodiments of the present application. The present application does not repeat the description of this case.

[0236] Optionally, the AP can inform the STA that it supports cluster interaction through the air interface, that is, the AP informs the STA that it supports cluster interaction by sending indication information supporting cluster capability to the STA. FIG. 17 shows a schematic diagram of cluster capability informing provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in (a) of FIG. 17, the indication information can include a cluster mode field, and the value of the cluster mode field can be used to indicate whether the AP enables the cluster mode, that is, whether the AP supports the cluster interaction capability. For example, when the value of the cluster mode field is 1, it represents that the AP enables the cluster mode, that is, the AP supports the cluster interaction process with the STA; when the value of the cluster mode field is 0, it represents that the AP does not enable the cluster mode, that is, the AP does not support the cluster interaction process with the STA.

[0237] Optionally, the indication information shown in (a) of FIG. 17 can be carried in a management frame. For example, the indication information shown in (a) of FIG. 17 can be carried in a beacon frame. For instance, there is a reserved bit in a Wi-Fi multimedia (WMM) field of the beacon frame, and the reserved bit in the WMM field can be used to carry the aforementioned indication information. For another example, other reserved bits in the beacon frame can be used to carry the aforementioned indication information. For another example, the indication information shown in (a) of FIG. 17 can be carried in a reserved bit or a signal (SIG) field of a probe frame or an associate frame or other management frames.

[0238] For example, (b) and (c) of FIG. 17 show a schematic diagram of the AP and the STAs negotiating the cluster capability.

[0239] For example, as shown in (b) of FIG. 17, the AP can send the aforementioned indication information to the STAs 1-3 through a first management frame to inform the AP supports the cluster interaction process with the STAs. When the STAs 1-3 need to perform the cluster interaction and learn from the first management frame that the AP has enabled the cluster mode, the STAs 1-3 can select to associate with the AP. In other words, the cluster capability informing stage can be located before the association process of the STAs and the AP to help the STAs "prefer" the AP to be associated with.

[0240] For another example, as shown in (c) of FIG. 17, the AP can send the aforementioned indication information to the STAs 1-3 through a second management frame to inform the AP supports the cluster interaction process with the STAs. Then, the STAs 1-3 can send a first response frame to the AP in reply to the second management frame to inform the STAs 1-3 will participate in the cluster interaction process. That is, the STAs 1-3 establish the association with the AP and prepare to participate in the cluster interaction process by sending the first response frame to the AP.

[0241] When the AP has the cluster interaction capability and establishes the association with the plurality of STAs, the next step is to establish the cluster groups by the AP. That is, the AP groups the plurality of STAs associated with into one or more clusters. As mentioned above, the grouping of the clusters is mainly based on the type of the service, and the STAs in the same cluster group support the same type of the characteristic service. Meanwhile, when there is a STA supporting multiple types of the characteristic services, the AP can group the STA into multiple clusters. The cluster classification and grouping stage will be introduced below in combination with FIG. 18 and FIG. 19.

[0242] FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 show schematic diagrams of the cluster classification group building provided by the embodiments of the present application, wherein FIG. 18 shows a schematic diagram of a first way of cluster classification group building, and FIG. 19 shows a schematic diagram of a second way of cluster classification group building.

[0243] Exemplarily, in the first way of cluster classification group building, the AP can use a specific frame to collect the cluster capability of the STA. In other words, the AP sends a specific frame to the STA to inform the STA to feed back the cluster capability it has or the cluster service it supports, and the STA sends a response frame to the AP according to its own cluster capability. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, the AP sends a third frame to STA1 to STA4 to inform STA1 to STA4 to feed back the cluster capability it has. STA1 to STA4 respectively send a second response frame to the AP to inform the AP of the cluster capability it has or the cluster service it supports. Further, the AP can group the STAs having the same cluster capability into the same cluster.

[0244] Optionally, in the present application, the cluster capability interaction process between the AP and the STA can be implemented in a bitmap-like way. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, it is assumed that the AP sets 8 kinds of capabilities in total, and uses 8 bits “00000000” to respectively indicate the 8 kinds of capabilities, and then the AP sends the 8 bytes to STA1 to STA4 through the third frame. STA1 to STA4 can set 1 on the corresponding bit according to the cluster capability it has, for example, STA1 only has the cluster capability corresponding to the first bit in “00000000”, and then STA1 can reply “10000000” to the AP through the second response frame. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 18, STA2 to STA4 can reply the corresponding values.

[0245] Then, the AP can group STA1 to STA4 into different clusters according to the cluster capability they have. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, STA1, STA2 and STA3 all have the cluster capability corresponding to the first bit in “00000000”, that is, they all support the service corresponding to the cluster capability, and then the AP can group STA1, STA2 and STA3 into cluster #1. For another example, STA3 and STA4 both have the cluster capability corresponding to the third bit in “00000000”, that is, they both support the service corresponding to the cluster capability, and then the AP can group STA3 and STA4 into cluster #2. At this time, STA3 belongs to both cluster #1 and cluster #2, that is, STA3 can support multiple types of feature services.

[0246] Optionally, the type of the third frame can be a trigger frame or an action frame, and the embodiments of the present application can define the third frame through a trigger type field in the trigger frame or a category field in the action frame. The description of the trigger frame and the action frame can refer to the description of the second frame above, and will not be repeated here.

[0247] For example, in the second way of cluster classification and grouping, the STA can provide the type of the reported characteristic service to the AP, so that the AP can add the STA to the corresponding cluster according to the collected service type reported by the STA. In other words, before being classified into different clusters, the STA can report the PPDU including the service data and the service identification information to the AP through the existing way. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, when reporting the service data including the first service, the STA1 to STA3 can further report the first cluster identification information corresponding to the first service. When reporting the service data including the second service, the STA3 and STA4 can further report the second cluster identification information corresponding to the second service.

[0248] Further, the AP can read the cluster identification information sent by the STA, and accumulate the cluster grouping according to the cluster identification information. For example, the AP first receives the PPDU from the STA1, and then adds the STA1 to the cluster #1. Then, the AP receives the PPDU of the STA2 and STA3, and reads the first cluster identification information from the STA2 and STA3, and then adds the STA2 and STA3 to the cluster #1. Similarly, the AP receives the PPDU of the STA3 and the PPDU includes the second cluster identification information, and then the AP adds the STA3 to the cluster #2. In this way, the AP adds the STA to the cluster one by one according to the received cluster identification information, and realizes the accumulation process of cluster classification.

[0249] Optionally, before the accumulation process of cluster classification, the AP can send an information collection frame to all STAs in the BSS to inform the STA to report the service data while also reporting the service type. The information collection frame can be the trigger frame or the action frame described above.

[0250] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present application, when the AP associates with a new STA or the AP receives a new type of cluster service, the accumulation process of cluster classification can be triggered. In other words, the AP performs cluster classification accumulation when a new associated STA or a new cluster service appears. When there is no new associated STA or new cluster service, the AP can suspend the cluster classification accumulation process.

[0251] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the cluster classification accumulation process can also be periodic, for example, the AP performs the cluster grouping accumulation process every T time. In other words, the AP performs cluster grouping accumulation based on the accumulated STAs in the previous T time, and in the next T time, the AP can suspend the cluster classification accumulation process, and the scheduling process of the AP can be based on the cluster grouping accumulation result in the previous T time. Until the end of the next T time, the AP performs the cluster classification accumulation process again.

[0252] Finally, the device embodiments of the embodiments of the present application are introduced.

[0253] In order to realize the functions in the method provided by the present application, the communication device such as the AP or the STA can include hardware structures and / or software modules to realize the above-mentioned functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or hardware structures plus software modules. Whether a certain function in the above-mentioned functions is executed in the form of hardware structure, software module, or hardware structure plus software module depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0254] FIG. 20 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1800 can be an AP or an AP MLD, or the communication device 1800 can be a first STA or a non-AP MLD. In addition, the communication device 1800 can also be a chip or a module in the AP or the first STA, etc. device, used to implement the method related by the above-mentioned embodiments. The communication device 1800 includes a transceiver unit 1810. The transceiver unit 1810 is exemplarily introduced as follows.

[0255] The transceiver unit 1810 can include a sending unit and a receiving unit. The sending unit is used to perform the sending action of the communication device, and the receiving unit is used to perform the receiving action of the communication device. For the convenience of description, the sending unit and the receiving unit are combined into one transceiver unit in the embodiments of the present application. Herein, the unified description is made, and the following will not be repeated.

[0256] In some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver unit 1810 can also be referred to as a transceiver or a transceiver, etc. which can include an antenna and a radio frequency circuit, wherein the radio frequency circuit can be used for conversion between a baseband signal and a radio frequency signal and processing of the radio frequency signal, and the antenna can be used for transceiving the radio frequency signal in the form of electromagnetic wave. The foregoing radio frequency circuit and the foregoing antenna can be arranged independently of the processor performing baseband processing, that is, as a separately arranged module, for example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna can be arranged in a radio frequency remote unit (RRU) independently of the communication device, in a remote manner.

[0257] In some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver 1810 can also be implemented as an input / output interface composed of only input / output circuits.

[0258] When the communication apparatus 1800 is an AP, the transceiver 1810 is configured to receive a first frame from a first STA, and transmit a second frame.

[0259] When the communication apparatus 1800 is a first STA, the transceiver 1810 is configured to transmit a first frame to an AP.

[0260] The above description is only exemplary. When the communication apparatus 1800 is an AP or a first STA, it will be responsible for performing the methods or steps related to the AP or the STA in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0261] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1800 further comprises a processing unit 1820, which can be configured to generate the foregoing first frame or second frame.

[0262] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1800 further comprises a storage unit (not shown in the figure), which is configured to store programs or codes for performing the foregoing methods.

[0263] FIG. 21 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 1900 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 1900 comprises a processor 1910 and a communication interface 1920, which can be connected to each other through a bus 1930. The communication apparatus 1900 can be an AP or a first STA, etc. performing the communication method 500.

[0264] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1900 can further comprise a memory 1940. The memory 1940 can be, but is not limited to, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), or a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM). The memory 1940 is configured to store relevant instructions and data.

[0265] The processor 1910 can be one or more central processing units (CPUs). In the case where the processor 1910 is a CPU, the CPU can be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

[0266] The communication interface 1920 can include the aforementioned antenna and the aforementioned radio frequency circuit, wherein the radio frequency circuit can be used for conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and processing of the radio frequency signals, and the antenna can be used for transceiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. The aforementioned radio frequency circuit and the aforementioned antenna can be arranged independently of the processor performing baseband processing, that is, as a separately arranged module, for example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna can be arranged in a remote radio unit (RRU) independently of the communication device.

[0267] When the communication device 1900 is an AP, the communication interface 1920 is used to receive a first frame from a first STA; and transmit a second frame.

[0268] When the communication device 1900 is a first STA, the communication interface 1920 is used to transmit a first frame to an AP.

[0269] The above description is only exemplary. When the communication device 1900 is an AP or a first STA, it will be responsible for performing the methods or steps related to the AP or the first STA in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0270] The above description is only exemplary. The specific content can refer to the content shown in the above method embodiments. The implementation of each operation of FIG. 21 can also correspond to the description of the corresponding method embodiments shown in FIG. 5.

[0271] The device embodiments shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 are used to implement the content described in FIG. 5. The specific execution steps of the devices shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 can refer to the content described in the above method embodiments.

[0272] FIG. 22 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 2000 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 2000 is used to implement the functions of an AP or a first STA. The communication device 2000 can be a chip in the AP or the first STA.

[0273] The communication device 2000 includes an input output interface 2020 and a processor 2010. The input output interface 2020 can be an input output circuit. The processor 2010 can be a signal processor, a chip, or other integrated circuits that can implement the methods of the present application. The input output interface 2020 is used for input or output of signals or data.

[0274] For example, when the communication device 2000 is an AP, the input output interface 2020 is used to receive a first frame from a first STA; and transmit a second frame.

[0275] For example, when the communication apparatus 2000 is the first STA, the input / output interface 2020 is configured to send the first frame to the AP.

[0276] In a possible implementation, the processor 2010 is configured to implement the functions of the AP or the first STA by executing instructions stored in the memory.

[0277] Optionally, the communication apparatus 2000 further includes a memory.

[0278] Optionally, the processor and the memory are integrated.

[0279] Optionally, the memory is outside the communication apparatus 2000.

[0280] In a possible implementation, the processor 2010 can be a logic circuit, and the processor 2010 inputs / outputs messages or signaling through the input / output interface 2020. The logic circuit can be a signal processor, a chip, or other integrated circuits that can implement the method of the embodiments of the present application.

[0281] The above description of the communication apparatus 2000 is only exemplary, and the communication apparatus 2000 can be configured to execute the method described in the foregoing embodiments. For details, refer to the description of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0282] Optionally, the memory is outside the communication apparatus 2000.

[0283] In a possible implementation, the apparatus 2000 can be a chip system 2100.

[0284] FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 2100 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 2100 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 2110 (i.e., a processor 2010) and an input / output interface 2120.

[0285] The logic circuit 2110 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 2100. The logic circuit 2110 can be coupled to a storage unit to invoke instructions in the storage unit, so that the chip system 2100 can implement the method and functions of the embodiments of the present application. The input / output interface 2120 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 2100, which outputs information processed by the chip system 2100 or inputs data or signaling information to be processed by the chip system 2100.

[0286] As an example, the chip system 2100 is configured to implement the operations performed by the AP or the first STA in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0287] For example, the input / output interface 2120 is configured to implement the sending and / or receiving related operations performed by the AP or the first STA in the above method embodiments.

[0288] The above description of the communication device is only exemplary, which can be used to execute the method described in the above embodiments, and the details can be referred to the description of the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0289] The application further provides a chip, comprising a processor, which is configured to call and run instructions stored in a memory, so that a communication device installed with the chip executes the method in each of the above examples.

[0290] The application further provides a chip, comprising an input interface, an output interface and a processor, which are connected through internal connection paths, and the processor is configured to execute codes in a memory, and when the codes are executed, the processor is configured to execute the method in each of the above examples. Optionally, the chip further comprises a memory, which is configured to store computer programs or codes.

[0291] The application further provides a processor, which is configured to be coupled with a memory, and is configured to execute the method and functions related to the AP or the first STA in any of the above embodiments.

[0292] The application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, when the computer program product is executed on a computer, the method of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0293] The application further provides a computer program, when the computer program is executed on a computer, the method of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0294] The application further provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, when the computer program is executed on a computer, the method of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0295] Those skilled in the art can realize that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized in electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are realized in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to realize the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the application.

[0296] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0297] In several embodiments provided in the present application, the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other manners. For example, the described device embodiments are only schematic; the division of units is only a logical function division, and other division manners can be adopted during actual implementation; for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0298] The units described as separated components can or can not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units can or can not be physical units, i.e., can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purposes of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0299] In addition, each functional unit in the embodiments of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically as a separate unit, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0300] If the functions are implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application essentially or partly, or parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods in the various embodiments of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, ROM, RAM, magnetic disk or optical disk, and various other media that can store program codes.

[0301] The above describes only specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application is not limited to this. Any changes or replacements easily thought of by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the embodiments of the present application should be covered in the protection scope of the embodiments 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 an access point (AP) and comprises: receiving a first frame from a first station (STA), wherein the first frame comprises first cluster identification information, and the first cluster identification information is used to indicate a first service supported by the first STA; sending a second frame, wherein the second frame is used to schedule at least one second STA to feed back the first service, and the first STA and the at least one second STA both support the first service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The second frame is also used to schedule the first STA to feed back the first service.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first frame further comprises transmission opportunity (TXOP) authorization information, wherein the TXOP authorization information is used to authorize the AP to send and / or receive data in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the first STA, and the sending of the second frame comprises: sending the second frame in the time period corresponding to the TXOP of the first STA.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Before the receiving of the first frame, the method further comprises: receiving a preemption message from the first STA in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the AP, wherein the preemption message is used to indicate that the first STA has a transmission demand.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first frame is a preemption message, wherein the preemption message is used to indicate that the first STA has a transmission demand.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, Before the receiving of the first frame, the method further comprises: sending first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the AP allows data transmission to be interrupted.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, Before the receiving of the first frame, the method further comprises: receiving second indication information from a third STA, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the third STA allows data transmission to be interrupted.

8. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that, The preemption message is a traffic indication frame.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, Before the receiving of the first frame, the method further comprises: sending a third frame, wherein the third frame is used to request feedback of cluster capability, and the cluster capability is used to indicate a service supported by a STA; receiving cluster capability fed back by a plurality of STAs in response to the third frame, wherein the plurality of STAs comprise the first STA and the at least one second STA; establishing one or more cluster groups according to the cluster capability of the plurality of STAs, wherein each cluster group of the one or more cluster groups comprises at least one STA of the plurality of STAs, and the cluster capability of the STAs comprised by each cluster group is identical.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, When the first service does not belong to a plurality of preset services, the first frame further comprises first information, wherein the first information is used to indicate that the first service does not belong to the plurality of preset services, and the first cluster identification information is self-defined identification information.

11. A communication method, comprising: The application is applied to a first STA and comprises: generating a first frame, wherein the first frame comprises first cluster identification information, and the first cluster identification information is used to indicate a first service supported by the first STA; sending the first frame to an AP.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving a second frame from the AP, wherein the second frame is used to schedule at least one second STA and the first STA to feed back the first service, and the first STA and the at least one second STA both support the first service.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The first frame further comprises transmission opportunity (TXOP) grant information, the TXOP grant information being used for authorizing the AP to send and / or receive data in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the first STA.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, Before sending the first frame to the AP, the method further comprises: sending a preemption message to the AP in a time period corresponding to a TXOP of the AP, the preemption message being used for indicating that the first STA has a transmission demand.

15. The method of any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein, The first frame is a preemption message, the preemption message being used for indicating that the first STA has a transmission demand.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that Before sending the first frame, the method further comprises: receiving first indication information from the AP, the first indication information being used for indicating that the AP allows data transmission to be interrupted.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein, Before sending the first frame, the method further comprises: receiving second indication information from a third STA, the second indication information being used for indicating that the third STA allows data transmission to be interrupted.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, The preemption message is a traffic interruption indication frame.

19. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that, Before sending the first frame, the method further comprises: receiving a third frame from the AP, the third frame being used for requesting feedback of cluster capability, the cluster capability being used for indicating services supported by a STA; sending, to the AP, the cluster capability fed back to the third frame.

20. The method of any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein, When the first service does not belong to a plurality of preset services, the first frame further comprises first information, the first information being used for indicating that the first service does not belong to the plurality of preset services, and the first cluster identifier information is self-defined identifier information.

21. A communications device, characterized by The communication apparatus comprises units for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

22. A communications device, characterized by The communication apparatus comprises units for implementing the method according to any one of claims 11 to 20.

23. A communications device, characterized by comprising: a processor configured to couple with a memory, read instructions and / or program codes in the memory, and execute the instructions and / or program codes to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

24. A communications device, characterized by comprising: a processor configured to couple with a memory, read instructions and / or program codes in the memory, and execute the instructions and / or program codes to perform the method according to any one of claims 11 to 20.

25. A communication system, characterized by comprising at least one communication apparatus according to claim 23 and at least one communication apparatus according to claim 24.

26. A chip system, characterized by comprising: a logic circuit configured to couple with an input / output interface, and transmit data through the input / output interface to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or perform the method according to any one of claims 11 to 20.

27. A computer readable medium characterized by The computer readable medium stores computer program codes which, when executed on a communication apparatus, cause the communication apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or perform the method according to any one of claims 11 to 20.

28. A computer program product, characterised in that, comprising computer program codes which, when executed, implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or implement the method according to any one of claims 11 to 20.

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