Data packet sending method, data packet receiving method, electronic device, and computer program product

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a data packet sending method, and a data packet receiving method, an electronic device, and a computer program product. A first MAC sends a first instruction notification to a first PHY, the first instruction notification being used for instructing the first PHY to send a PPDU by means of a non-primary channel access mode.

Description

Data packet sending and receiving methods, electronic devices and computer program products

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This disclosure is based on and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 2024111861544, filed on August 27, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a data message sending and receiving method, an electronic device, and a computer program product. Background Technology

[0004] According to the existing 802.11 protocol, when the primary 20MHz channel is busy, the device will not transmit on any non-primary channels within the operating bandwidth, even if these non-primary channels are idle. With the development of 802.11 technology, the operating bandwidth is becoming increasingly larger, and this method of only allowing channel access when the primary channel is idle results in very low bandwidth utilization. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure provides a data packet sending and receiving method, electronic device, and computer program product to at least solve the problem of low bandwidth utilization in related technologies.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a data packet transmission method is provided, including: a first media access control (MAC) sending a first indication notification to a first physical layer PHY, the first indication notification being used to instruct the first PHY to transmit physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) through a non-main channel access method.

[0007] According to another embodiment of this disclosure, a data packet transmission method is provided, including: a first physical layer PHY receiving a first indication notification from a first media access control MAC, the first indication notification being used to instruct the first PHY to transmit physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) via a non-master channel access method.

[0008] According to another embodiment of this disclosure, a data packet receiving method is also provided, comprising: a second physical layer PHY receiving non-primary channel access operating parameters configured from a second media access control MAC; the second PHY sending a second indication notification to the second MAC, the second indication notification being used to instruct the second MAC to receive data packets through a non-primary channel access method; the second PHY converting a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) into a media access control protocol unit (MDPU) or an aggregated media access control protocol unit (A-MDPU), and sending the MDPU / A-MDPU to the second MAC.

[0009] According to another embodiment of this disclosure, a data packet receiving method is also provided, including: a second media access control (MAC) configuring non-primary channel access operating parameters for a second physical layer PHY; the second MAC receiving a second indication notification from the second PHY, the second indication notification being used to instruct the second MAC to receive data packets through a non-primary channel access method; and the second MAC receiving a Media Access Control Protocol Unit (MDPU) / Aggregated Media Access Control Protocol Unit (A-MDPU) from the second PHY.

[0010] According to yet another embodiment of this disclosure, an electronic device is also provided, including a memory and a processor, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0011] According to yet another embodiment of this disclosure, a computer program product is also provided, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in any of the above method embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the principle of some sub-channel shielding technologies in related technologies;

[0013] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the OCVC capability notification principle in related technologies;

[0014] Figure 3 is an example diagram of OCI elements in related technologies;

[0015] Figure 4 is a hardware structure block diagram of a computer terminal for a data packet sending method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a data packet transmission method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 6 is another flowchart of a data packet sending method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 7 is a flowchart of a data packet receiving method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 8 is another flowchart of a data packet receiving method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 9 is a flowchart of message transmission and interface parameter passing in a non-master channel access embodiment of this disclosure;

[0021] Figure 10 is a flowchart of message reception and interface parameter transmission during non-master channel access in an embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0023] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and drawings of this disclosure are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0024] In related technologies, the Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) interfaces defined in the 802.11 protocol include the transmit vector TXVECTOR, the receive vector RXVECTOR, the configuration vector PHYCONFIG_VECTOR, and the trigger vector TRIGVECTOR. Their functions are described below:

[0025] (1) PHYCONFIG_VECTOR: The MAC uses PHYCONFIG_VECTOR to configure the PHY's operating parameters, such as the operating channel OPERATING_CHANNEL and the maximum operating bandwidth CHANNEL_WIDTH.

[0026] (2) TXVECTOR: The MAC uses TXVECTOR to provide the PHY with the transmission parameters of each Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU), such as length, rate and transmit power, as shown in Table 1.

[0027] Table 1. Example of TXVECTOR transmission parameters

[0028] (3) RXVECTOR: The PHY uses RXVECTOR to notify the MAC of the received PPDU parameters, such as length, received signal strength RSSI, rate, etc., as shown in Table 2.

[0029] Table 2 Example of RXVECTOR Receive Parameters

[0030] (4) TRIGVECTOR: The MAC of the Access Point (AP) uses TRIGVECTOR to notify the PHY of the parameters required to receive High-Efficiency Triggered-Based Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (HETBPPDU), such as receive bandwidth CH_BANDWIDTH and uplink data length UL_LENGTH.

[0031] Among the related technologies, Wi-Fi 6 introduced for the first time a partial sub-channel shielding technology (Preamble Puncturing) for the working channel. This technology is based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) transmission technology and can effectively optimize multi-channel bundled access.

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of partial sub-channel shielding technology in related technologies. As shown in Figure 1, if channel 56 is busy, the AP and nodes can shield channel 56 and communicate using channels 52+60+64. Although it still operates in 80MHz channel mode, during actual transmission, partial channel shielding can be implemented without interfering with nodes that are already transmitting on that channel. In Preamble Puncturing, the main channel cannot be shielded. To simplify protocol implementation, the protocol stipulates that sub-channel shielding technology can only be used in certain scenarios.

[0033] In related technologies, man-in-the-middle attacks (MitM) are a common form of security attack targeting wireless networks, allowing attackers to intercept and manipulate communication between two terminal devices. One advanced MitM attack is the multi-channel man-in-the-middle attack (MC-MitM), which can manipulate encrypted network traffic. The MC-MitM attack utilizes two different channels, enabling attackers to forward frames between the two channels, thereby manipulating (e.g., blocking, delaying, modifying, injecting, or replaying) encrypted frames between a client and access point in a WLAN.

[0034] In related technologies, the 802.11 Robust Security Network Association (RNSA) introduces an Operational Channel Validation (OCC) function to prevent MC-MitM attacks. Devices with OCC should include OCC information during key establishment. To prevent attackers from forwarding key handshake messages on different channels, both parties should verify that the other's primary channel is the same as their own and that the bandwidth is within acceptable limits. If these verifications fail, an MC-MitM attack may occur, and the key negotiation should be abandoned.

[0035] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the OCVC capability announcement principle in related technologies. As shown in Figure 2, a workstation (STA) with OCVC capability should announce its capability in a Robust Security Network Element (RSNE). Operation Channel Information (OCI) should be included in the protected message of key establishment.

[0036] The Authenticator and Supplicant each verify whether the OCI received from the other matches their own. Figure 3 is an example diagram of OCI elements in related technologies. As shown in Figure 3, the element ID is 255, which identifies the extended element; the length is the length of the element excluding the Element ID and Length fields; the element ID extension is 54, which indicates an OCI element; the operating class; the primary channel number is set to the currently used primary channel; the frequency segment 1 channel number is set to the currently used non-primary channel; the OCT Operating Class, OCT Primary Channel Number, and OCT Frequency Segment 1 have the same meaning as the above fields and are encapsulated in the frame during the on-channel tunneling (OCT) process.

[0037] In related technologies, since MC-MitM attacks primarily rely on forwarding key handshake messages across different channels, the OCI information is verified mainly in two aspects: verifying that the STA's primary channel is the same as the Primary Channel Number specified in the peer's OCI; and verifying that the maximum bandwidth for transmission or reception by the STA does not exceed the bandwidth specified in the Operating Class field of the peer's OCI. When the peer's OCI information does not match its own, the key handshake message will be discarded, and the handshake will fail, preventing subsequent attacks.

[0038] In related technologies, an operating class is an index to a set of values ​​for radio operations within a regulatory domain. Key parameters include: Operating class: an index of the set of radio operating values ​​within a national / regional regulatory domain; Global operating class: an index of a globally applicable set of radio operating values; Channel starting frequency: e.g., 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz; Channel spacing: e.g., 20 MHz or 40 MHz; Channel set: a set of usable channels, e.g., channels 36, 40, 44, or 48; Channel center frequency index: e.g., channels 42 or 58; and Behavior limits set: regulatory restrictions on behavior, such as the requirement for radar detection.

[0039] Among related technologies, Fiber To The Room (FTTR) technology connects wireless routers (APs) in different rooms or locations in homes or small and medium-sized enterprises using optical fiber, thereby providing high-bandwidth and high-reliability connections between multiple APs. It can utilize point-to-multipoint optical distribution networks to achieve connections between master control APs and slave APs.

[0040] The method embodiments provided in this disclosure can be executed in a mobile terminal, computer terminal, or similar computing device. Taking a computer terminal as an example, FIG4 is a hardware structure block diagram of a computer terminal for the data packet transmission method of this disclosure. As shown in FIG4, the computer terminal may include one or more (only one is shown in FIG4) processors 402 (processor 402 may include, but is not limited to, processing devices such as microprocessors MCU or programmable logic devices FPGA) and a memory 404 for storing data. The computer terminal may also include a transmission device 406 for communication functions and an input / output device 408. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the structure shown in FIG4 is only illustrative and does not limit the structure of the computer terminal. For example, the computer terminal may also include more or fewer components than shown in FIG4, or have a different configuration than shown in FIG4.

[0041] The memory 404 can be used to store computer programs, such as application software programs and modules, like the computer program corresponding to the data packet sending method in this embodiment. The processor 402 executes various functional applications and data processing by running the computer program stored in the memory 404, thus implementing the above-described method. The memory 404 may include high-speed random access memory and non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or other non-volatile solid-state memory. In some instances, the memory 404 may further include memory remotely located relative to the processor 402, and these remote memories can be connected to a computer terminal via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, corporate intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

[0042] Transmission device 406 is used to receive or send data via a network. Specific examples of the network described above may include a wireless network provided by a communication provider for the computer terminal. In one example, transmission device 406 includes a Network Interface Controller (NIC), which can connect to other network devices via a base station to communicate with the Internet. In another example, transmission device 406 may be a Radio Frequency (RF) module used for wireless communication with the Internet.

[0043] This disclosure provides a data packet sending method. Figure 5 is a flowchart of the data packet sending method according to this disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, the process includes the following steps:

[0044] In step S502, the first MAC sends a first indication notification to the first PHY, which instructs the first PHY to send PPDU via a non-main channel access method.

[0045] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the parameters such as the configuration vector PHYCONFIG_VECTOR, the transmission vector TXVECTOR, the reception vector RXVECTOR, and the inactive sub-channel INACTIVE_SUBCHANNELS in the interface technology are extended.

[0046] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the Non-Main Channel Access (NPCA) technology is used to access the system on a non-main channel when the main channel is busy, send or receive messages, and return to the main channel when certain conditions are met.

[0047] In this embodiment, the transmitting end first performs air interface listening to determine the status of each sub-channel within the bandwidth. If the channel status indicates that the main channel is idle, access is performed on the main channel according to the conventional processing procedure; if the channel status indicates that the main channel is busy, it continues to determine whether there are any non-main channels that are idle and meet the access conditions.

[0048] In an exemplary embodiment, before the first MAC sends the first indication notification to the first PHY, the method further includes: the first MAC configuring non-primary channel access (NPCA) operating parameters, i.e., non-primary channel access operating parameters, for the first PHY.

[0049] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the first MAC configures NPCA operating parameters for the first PHY, and the NPCA operating parameters can be non-primary channel access parameters. In one embodiment, the non-primary channel SECONDARY_CHANNEL field and the non-primary channel bandwidth SECONDARY_CHANNEL_BANDWIDTH field are added to PHYCONFIG_VECTOR to achieve the above configuration.

[0050] In an exemplary embodiment, the first MAC configures NPCA operating parameters for the first PHY, including: the first MAC configures NPCA operating parameters for the first PHY by sending a configuration vector PHYCONFIG_VECTOR to the first PHY, wherein PHYCONFIG_VECTOR carries a non-primary channel SECONDARY_CHANNEL field (non-primary channel bandwidth) and a SECONDARY_CHANNEL_BANDWIDTH field.

[0051] In this embodiment of the disclosure, a non-primary channel access interaction interface is proposed: before using non-primary channel access, the transmitting MAC can configure the PHY's NPCA operating parameters when performing non-primary channel access.

[0052] In one exemplary embodiment, the NPCA operating parameters include at least one of the following: non-primary channels available for access; a list of non-primary channels available for access; and the maximum bandwidth of the non-primary channels available for access.

[0053] In this embodiment of the disclosure, when the NPCA operating parameters are configured with a non-primary channel and bandwidth, only the use of a non-primary channel for access needs to be specified when sending the transmission and / or reception parameters; the non-primary channel number does not need to be carried. When the NPCA operating parameters are not configured with a non-primary channel, the non-primary channel and bandwidth are specified through the transmission and / or reception parameters.

[0054] In one exemplary embodiment, the method further includes: the first MAC sending a Medium Access Control Protocol Data Unit (MPDU) / Aggregate Medium Access Control Protocol Data Unit (A-MPDU) and a transmission vector TXVECTOR to the first PHY, wherein the TXVECTOR carries NPCA transmission parameters corresponding to the first PHY; wherein the TXVECTOR is a first indication notification.

[0055] In this embodiment of the disclosure, when transmitting PPDU, the SECONDARY_CHANNEL and SECONDARY_CHANNEL_BANDWIDTH fields are added to TXVECTOR to configure the non-primary channel list and PPDU transmission bandwidth.

[0056] In one exemplary embodiment, the NPCA transmission parameters include at least one of the following: whether the first PHY uses a non-primary channel to access and transmit PPDUs; the non-primary channel through which the first PHY transmits PPDUs; a list of non-primary channels through which the first PHY transmits PPDUs; and the transmission bandwidth of the first PHY to transmit PPDUs.

[0057] This disclosure provides a data packet sending method. Figure 6 is another flowchart of the data packet sending method according to this disclosure. As shown in Figure 6, the process includes the following steps:

[0058] In step S602, the first PHY receives a first indication notification from the first MAC, which instructs the first PHY to send PPDU via a non-main channel access method.

[0059] In one exemplary embodiment, before the first PHY receives a first indication notification from the first MAC, the method further includes: the first PHY receiving NPCA working parameters configured from the first MAC.

[0060] In this embodiment of the disclosure, a non-primary channel access interaction interface is proposed: before using non-primary channel access, the transmitting MAC can configure the PHY's NPCA operating parameters when performing non-primary channel access.

[0061] In one exemplary embodiment, the method further includes: a first PHY receiving an MPDU / A-MPDU and a transmission vector TXVECTOR from a first MAC, wherein the TXVECTOR carries NPCA transmission parameters corresponding to the first PHY; wherein the TXVECTOR is a first indication notification.

[0062] In an exemplary embodiment, after the first PHY receives the MPDU / A-MPDU and the transmission vector TXVECTOR from the first MAC, the method further includes: the first PHY encapsulating the MPDU / A-MPDU into a PPDU according to the NPCA transmission parameters carried in the TXVECTOR; and the first PHY transmitting the PPDU according to the non-primary channel and bandwidth corresponding to the NPCA transmission parameters.

[0063] This disclosure provides a data packet receiving method. Figure 7 is a flowchart of the data packet receiving method according to this disclosure. As shown in Figure 7, the process includes the following steps:

[0064] In step S702, the second PHY receives NPCA operating parameters from the second MAC configuration.

[0065] In step S704, the second PHY sends a second indication notification to the second MAC, which instructs the second MAC to receive data packets through a non-main channel access method.

[0066] In this embodiment of the disclosure, when the receiving end receives the PPDU, its PHY notifies the MAC to use the non-main channel access method to receive the PPDU's NPCA operating parameters, including but not limited to: which sub-channels the PPDU is received on and the PPDU receiving bandwidth.

[0067] In step S706, the second PHY converts the PPDU into an MDPU / A-MDPU and sends the MDPU / A-MDPU to the second MAC.

[0068] In one exemplary embodiment, before the second PHY converts the PPDU into an MDPU / A-MDPU, the method further includes: the second PHY receiving the PPDU from the first PHY.

[0069] In one exemplary embodiment, the method further includes: the second PHY sending the receive vector RXVECTOR to the second MAC, wherein the RXVECTOR carries NPCA receive parameters corresponding to the second PHY; wherein the RXVECTOR is a second indication notification.

[0070] In one exemplary embodiment, the NPCA receiving parameters include at least one of the following: whether the second PHY uses a non-primary channel to access and receive the PPDU; the non-primary channel through which the second PHY receives the PPDU; the list of non-primary channels through which the first PHY receives the PPDU; and the transmission bandwidth of the first PHY to receive the PPDU.

[0071] This disclosure provides a data packet receiving method. Figure 8 is another flowchart of the data packet receiving method according to this disclosure. As shown in Figure 8, the process includes the following steps:

[0072] Step S802: The second MAC configures the NPCA working parameters for the second PHY.

[0073] In one exemplary embodiment, the second MAC configures NPCA operating parameters for the second PHY, including: the second MAC configures non-primary channel access operating parameters for the second PHY by sending a configuration vector PHYCONFIG_VECTOR to the second PHY.

[0074] In step S804, the second MAC receives a second indication notification from the second PHY, which instructs the second MAC to receive data packets via a non-main channel access method.

[0075] Step S806: The second MAC receives the MDPU / A-MDPU from the second PHY.

[0076] In one exemplary embodiment, the method further includes: a second MAC receiving a receive vector RXVECTOR from a second PHY, wherein RXVECTOR carries NPCA receive parameters corresponding to the second PHY; wherein RXVECTOR is a second indication notification.

[0077] This disclosure provides a data packet transmission method by sending a first indication notification to a first PHY via a first MAC address. The first indication notification instructs the first PHY to transmit PPDUs via a non-primary channel access method. This solves the problem of low bandwidth utilization in related technologies where channel access is only possible when the primary channel is idle, thus improving bandwidth utilization.

[0078] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods according to the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this disclosure, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk), and includes several instructions to cause a terminal device (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0079] This embodiment also provides a data packet sending device and a data packet receiving device, which are used to implement the above embodiments and preferred embodiments, and will not be repeated as described thereon. As used below, the term "module" can be a combination of software and / or hardware that implements a predetermined function. Although the devices described in the following embodiments are preferably implemented in software, hardware implementation, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

[0080] The data packet sending device provided in this embodiment can be set at the sending end, including a first sending module, configured to send a first indication notification from the first MAC to the first PHY, the first indication notification being used to instruct the first PHY to send PPDU through a non-main channel access method.

[0081] The data packet sending device provided in this embodiment can be set at the sending end, including a first receiving module, configured to receive a first indication notification from a first MAC, the first indication notification being used to instruct the first PHY to send PPDU through a non-main channel access method.

[0082] The data packet receiving device provided in this embodiment can be located at a receiving end, including a second receiving module, a second transmitting module, and a first conversion module. The second receiving module is configured to receive NPCA operating parameters configured from a second MAC via a second PHY. The second transmitting module is configured to send a second indication notification to the second MAC via the second PHY, instructing the second MAC to receive data packets through a non-primary channel access method. The first conversion module is configured to convert a PPDU to an MDPU / A-MDPU via the second PHY and send the MDPU / A-MDPU to the second MAC.

[0083] The data packet receiving device provided in this embodiment can be located at a receiving end and includes a first configuration module, a third receiving module, and a fourth receiving module. The first configuration module is configured for the second MAC to configure NPCA operating parameters for the second PHY. The third receiving module is configured for the second MAC to receive a second indication notification from the second PHY, which instructs the second MAC to receive data packets via a non-primary channel access method. The fourth receiving module is configured for the second MAC to receive MDPU / A-MDPU from the second PHY.

[0084] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the data packet sending device and the data packet receiving device may further include different modules, and the naming and functional division of the modules may be selected in different ways according to the actual situation, without specific restrictions.

[0085] It should be noted that the above modules can be implemented by software or hardware. For the latter, they can be implemented in the following ways, but are not limited to: all the above modules are located in the same processor; or, the above modules are located in different processors in any combination.

[0086] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program configured to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments when executed.

[0087] In one exemplary embodiment, the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, various media capable of storing computer programs, such as a USB flash drive, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), portable hard disk, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0088] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide an electronic device including a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program and the processor being configured to run the computer program to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0089] In one exemplary embodiment, the electronic device may further include a transmission device and an input / output device, wherein the transmission device is connected to the processor and the input / output device is connected to the processor.

[0090] This disclosure also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0091] In one exemplary embodiment, the computer program product described above includes a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the methods described in various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0092] Specific examples in this embodiment can be found in the examples described in the above embodiments and exemplary implementations, and will not be repeated here.

[0093] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the modules or steps of this disclosure described above can be implemented using general-purpose computing devices. They can be centralized on a single computing device or distributed across a network of multiple computing devices. They can be implemented using computer-executable program code, and thus can be stored in a storage device for execution by a computing device. In some cases, the steps shown or described can be performed in a different order than those presented herein, or they can be fabricated as separate integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps can be fabricated as a single integrated circuit module. Thus, this disclosure is not limited to any particular combination of hardware and software.

[0094] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions disclosed herein, the following description is provided in conjunction with different embodiments.

[0095] Example 1

[0096] In this embodiment of the disclosure, an extension scheme for the interface technology between the MAC layer and the PHY layer is proposed, which extends the parameters such as the configuration vector PHYCONFIG_VECTOR, the transmission vector TXVECTOR, the reception vector RXVECTOR, and the inactive subchannel INACTIVE_SUBCHANNELS in the interface technology.

[0097] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the Non-Main Channel Access (NPCA) technology is used to access the system on a non-main channel when the main channel is busy, send or receive messages, and return to the main channel when certain conditions are met.

[0098] In this embodiment of the disclosure, a non-master channel access interaction interface is proposed:

[0099] Before using non-primary channel access, the transmitting MAC can configure the PHY's NPCA operating parameters during non-primary channel access. In this embodiment, the transmitting MAC is the first MAC in the above embodiments, and the transmitting PHY is the first PHY in the above embodiments.

[0100] In one embodiment, the above-mentioned NPCA operating parameters include one of the following: non-primary channels (or channel lists) available for access, maximum bandwidth for non-primary channel access, etc.

[0101] In one embodiment, it is also necessary to configure non-primary channel access parameters. For example, add the secondary channel fields SECONDARY_CHANNEL and SECONDARY_CHANNEL_BANDWIDTH to PHYCONFIG_VECTOR.

[0102] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the transmitting MAC notifies its PHY to transmit the PPDU transmission parameters using a non-main channel access method.

[0103] In one embodiment, the transmission parameters include, but are not limited to, a list of non-primary channels and PPDU transmission bandwidth when transmitting PPDUs. For example, when transmitting PPDUs, the non-primary channel SECONDARY_CHANNEL and non-primary channel bandwidth SECONDARY_CHANNEL_BANDWIDTH fields are added to TXVECTOR to configure the list of non-primary channels and PPDU transmission bandwidth.

[0104] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the above-described method of carrying transmission parameters via TXVECTOR is an example implementation and is not limited to this implementation.

[0105] In one embodiment, the Preamble Puncturing technique is used to configure the non-master channel list and PPDU transmission bandwidth, for example, by carrying multiple consecutive or discontinuous sub-channels that are blocked in the INACTIVE_SUBCHANNELS parameter of the TXVECTOR inactive sub-channels.

[0106] Figure 9 is a flowchart of message transmission and interface parameter passing during non-master channel access in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 9, it includes the following steps:

[0107] Step S901: The transmitting end performs air interface listening to determine the status of each sub-channel within the bandwidth.

[0108] Step S902: If the channel status shows that the main channel is idle, access is performed on the main channel according to the normal processing procedure; if the channel status shows that the main channel is busy, it is further determined whether there is a non-main channel that is idle and meets the access conditions.

[0109] Step S903: Select the corresponding non-primary channel for access. If the channel status changes during the access process and the conditions for continued access are not met, one operation is to return to step S901, and the other operation is to wait for access on the non-primary channel.

[0110] In step S904, if the non-primary channel access is successful, the transmitting end MAC prepares the MPDU and fills the non-primary channel parameters and other parameters required for transmission into TXVECTOR.

[0111] In step S905, the sending MAC transmits the MPDU and TXVECTOR to the PHY.

[0112] In step S906, the PHY uses the parameters in TXVECTOR to encapsulate the MPDU into a PPDU and transmits it on the specified non-primary channel and bandwidth.

[0113] In this embodiment of the disclosure, when the receiving end receives the PPDU, its PHY notifies the MAC to use the non-main channel access method to receive the PPDU's NPCA operating parameters, including but not limited to: which sub-channels the PPDU is received on and the PPDU receiving bandwidth.

[0114] In one embodiment, the RXVECTOR is used to indicate the receive parameters of the PPDU. For example, the receive channel list is added to the RXVECTOR.

[0115] In one embodiment, the INACTIVE_SUBCHANNELS parameter of RXVECTOR is used to indicate the dynamic parameters of the PPDU. For example, INACTIVE_SUBCHANNELS indicates the non-access channel for receiving the PPDU.

[0116] In this embodiment of the disclosure, RXVECTOR indicates the reception parameters of the PPDU, that is, the reception parameters are carried by RXVECTOR as one implementation method. Other methods can also be used to carry or transmit the corresponding reception parameters.

[0117] Figure 10 is a flowchart of message reception and interface parameter transmission during non-master channel access in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 10, it includes the following steps:

[0118] Step S1001: The receiving end performs air interface detection and receives PPDU on the sub-channel.

[0119] In step S1002, the receiving end PHY decodes the PPDU and converts it into an MPDU or A-MPDU, and fills the receiving channel and receiving bandwidth of the PPDU into RXVECTOR.

[0120] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the receiving PHY is the second PHY in the above embodiment, and the receiving MAC is the second MAC in the above embodiment.

[0121] In step S1003, the receiving PHY transmits the MPDU / A-MPDU and RXVECTOR to the MAC.

[0122] In step S1004, the receiving MAC receives and processes the MPDU / A-MPDU according to the parameters in RXVECTOR, and passes the received sub-channel and bandwidth parameters to the corresponding modules for processing.

[0123] Example 2

[0124] This disclosure also provides a method for verifying the operation channel of non-master channel access. When using the aforementioned non-master channel access technology, due to factors such as the asynchrony of air interface detection between the first device and the second device and the difference in channel switching delay, the two devices may not be in the same operation channel at a certain time, making them vulnerable to cross-channel man-in-the-middle attacks. Furthermore, non-master channel access may not change the master channel negotiated during association, and using the 802.11 baseline OCV verification method to confirm master channel consistency cannot eliminate the risk of cross-channel man-in-the-middle attacks.

[0125] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the first device and the second device may be a transmitting end and a receiving end.

[0126] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the sending end uses a protected frame (protected by encryption and / or integrity verification) to carry a Transmit Channel Indication (TCI) to indicate the actual transmission channel of the frame to the receiving end. The receiving end verifies the consistency between the TCI in the received frame and its actual received channel to determine whether there is a multi-channel man-in-the-middle attack and takes appropriate action.

[0127] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the channel verification process for non-master channel access operation includes the following:

[0128] (1) The first device sends a first protected frame and carries a first transmission channel indication (TCI) for sending the message in the first protected frame.

[0129] In one embodiment, the first transmit channel indication (TCI) may be encapsulated in an OCI element and indicated by extended OCVC capabilities.

[0130] In one embodiment, the first transmission channel indication (TCI) includes, but is not limited to, the primary channel, a non-primary channel, and transmission bandwidth.

[0131] In one embodiment, the first protected frame includes one of the following: an EAPOL frame, a (re)association request / response frame, an authentication request / response frame, and a reconfiguration frame.

[0132] (2) The second device receives the first protected frame and verifies whether the first transmit channel indication (TCI) carried in the first protected frame is consistent with the second receive channel of the second device. If they are inconsistent, the channel verification fails.

[0133] In one embodiment, the channel for transmitting and receiving the first protected frame uses only the primary channel, and both the first transmit channel indicator (TCI) and the second receive channel are primary channels.

[0134] In one embodiment, the channel for transmitting and receiving the first protected frame is not limited to the primary channel. The first transmit channel indicator (TCI) is the current access channel of the first device, and the second receive channel is the current access channel of the second device. For example, if the current access channel of the first device is a non-primary channel, then the first transmit channel indicator (TCI) is filled with the non-primary channel; if the current access channel of the first device is the primary channel, then the first transmit channel indicator (TCI) is filled with the primary channel.

[0135] In one embodiment, the first transmit channel indicator (TCI) includes both the primary channel and a non-primary channel. Verification is successful when the receiver's second receive channel matches one of them. For example, if the first device's current access channel is a non-primary channel, and the TCI carries both the primary and non-primary channels, the sender's MAC does not need to modify the TCI in the frame body to retransmit on the primary channel when the protected frame transmission fails. The receiver receiving the frame on the primary channel also satisfies the matching condition.

[0136] In one embodiment, when the second device fails channel authentication, it silently discards the received first protected frame and terminates frame interaction.

[0137] In one embodiment, when the second device fails channel verification, it sends an information frame to notify the first device of a mismatch error.

[0138] In this embodiment of the disclosure, during non-primary channel access operations, due to the asynchrony between air interface detection and handover, it is difficult for the AP and STA to simultaneously switch to the same channel. For example, at a certain moment, the AP is located on the primary channel (Primary 20M + Secondary 20M), and the STA is located on the non-primary channel (Secondary 40M), allowing an attacker to sniff on both the primary and non-primary channels simultaneously.

[0139] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the operational channel verification method protects against multi-channel man-in-the-middle attacks as follows:

[0140] (1) The AP sends a message to the STA on the main channel, carrying the TCI of the main channel. At this time, the STA is on a non-main channel and cannot receive the message.

[0141] (2) The attacker sniffs the message sent by the AP on the main channel and forwards it to the STA on a non-main channel without modification.

[0142] (3) The STA receives a message sent by the attacker, but the TCI carried in the message is the main channel, which does not match the channel received by the STA. Therefore, the STA detects a multi-channel attack.

[0143] (4) The process of STA sending messages to AP on a non-primary channel is similar to the above process, and multi-channel attacks can also be detected.

[0144] In summary, the data packet sending / receiving method provided in this disclosure extends the non-primary channel access interaction interface between the MAC and PHY on the basis of the 802.11 baseline, including configuration parameters, parameters for sending and receiving PPDUs, etc. This solves the problem of low bandwidth utilization in related technologies where channel access can only be performed when the primary channel is idle, thus achieving the effect of improving bandwidth utilization.

[0145] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this disclosure and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Various modifications and variations can be made to this disclosure by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the principles of this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for sending data packets, comprising: The first media access control (MAC) sends a first indication notification to the first physical layer PHY, which instructs the first PHY to send physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) via a non-master channel access method.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Before the first MAC sends the first indication notification to the first PHY, the method further includes: The first MAC configures the non-primary channel access operating parameters for the first PHY.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The first MAC configures non-primary channel access operating parameters for the first PHY, including: The first MAC configures the non-primary channel access operating parameters for the first PHY by sending the configuration vector PHYCONFIG_VECTOR to the first PHY.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The non-master channel access operating parameters include at least one of the following: Available non-primary channels for access; list of available non-primary channels for access; maximum bandwidth of available non-primary channels for access.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Also includes: The first MAC sends a Media Access Control Protocol Data Unit (MPDU) / Aggregated Media Access Control Protocol Unit (A-MPDU) and a Transmission Vector (TXVECTOR) to the first PHY, wherein the TXVECTOR carries non-primary channel access transmission parameters corresponding to the first PHY. Wherein, TXVECTOR is the first indication notification.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The non-master channel access transmission parameters include at least one of the following: Whether the first PHY uses a non-primary channel to access and transmit the PPDU; the non-primary channel through which the first PHY transmits the PPDU; the list of non-primary channels through which the first PHY transmits the PPDU; the transmission bandwidth through which the first PHY transmits the PPDU.

7. A method for sending data packets, comprising: The first physical layer PHY receives a first indication notification from the first media access control MAC, the first indication notification being used to instruct the first PHY to send physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) via a non-master channel access method.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, Before the first PHY receives a first indication notification from the first MAC, the method further includes: The first PHY receives non-primary channel access technology non-primary channel access operating parameters configured from the first MAC.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein, Also includes: The first PHY receives Media Access Control Protocol Data Unit (MPDU) / Aggregated Media Access Control Protocol Unit (A-MPDU) and Transmission Vector (TXVECTOR) from the first MAC, wherein the TXVECTOR carries non-primary channel access transmission parameters corresponding to the first PHY; Wherein, TXVECTOR is the first indication notification.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, After the first PHY receives the MPDU / A-MPDU and the TXVECTOR from the first MAC, the method further includes: The first PHY encapsulates the MPDU / A-MPDU into the PPDU according to the non-main channel access transmission parameters carried in the TXVECTOR; The first PHY sends the PPDU according to the non-primary channel and bandwidth corresponding to the non-primary channel access transmission parameters.

11. A method for receiving data packets, comprising: The second physical layer PHY receives non-primary channel access operating parameters configured from the second media access control MAC. The second PHY sends a second indication notification to the second MAC, the second indication notification being used to instruct the second MAC to receive data packets through a non-main channel access method; The second PHY converts the Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) into a Media Access Control Protocol Unit (MDPU) or an Aggregated Media Access Control Protocol Unit (A-MDPU), and sends the MDPU / A-MDPU to the second MAC.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, Before the second PHY converts the PPDU into a Media Access Control Protocol Unit (MDPU) / Aggregated Media Access Control Protocol Unit (A-MDPU), the method further includes: The second PHY receives the PPDU from the first PHY.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein, Also includes: The second PHY sends the receive vector RXVECTOR to the second MAC, wherein the RXVECTOR carries the non-main channel access receive parameters corresponding to the second PHY; Wherein, RXVECTOR is the second indication notification.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The non-master channel access reception parameters include at least one of the following: Whether the second PHY uses a non-primary channel to receive the PPDU; the non-primary channel of the second PHY to receive the PPDU; the list of non-primary channels of the PPDU received by the second PHY; the bandwidth of the PPDU received by the second PHY.

15. A method for receiving data packets, comprising: The second media access control MAC configures non-primary channel access operating parameters for the second physical layer PHY; The second MAC receives a second indication notification from the second PHY, the second indication notification being used to instruct the second MAC to receive data packets via a non-master channel access method; The second MAC receives Media Access Control Protocol Unit (MDPU) / Aggregated Media Access Control Protocol Unit (A-MDPU) from the second PHY.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The second media access control MAC configures non-primary channel access operating parameters for the second physical layer PHY, including: The second MAC configures the non-primary channel access operating parameters for the second PHY by sending the configuration vector PHYCONFIG_VECTOR to the second PHY.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein, Also includes: The second MAC receives the receive vector RXVECTOR from the second PHY, wherein the RXVECTOR carries the non-main channel access receive parameters corresponding to the second PHY; Wherein, RXVECTOR is the second indication notification.

18. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor, when executing the computer program, implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. A computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 17.

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