Establishment method and apparatus, processing method and apparatus, device, medium, and product

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications, and discloses an establishment method and apparatus, a processing method and apparatus, a device, a medium, and a product. The establishment method comprises: establishing a first stream, wherein there is an association relationship between the first stream and a second stream. The method provided in the present application supports an association relationship between a first stream and a second stream, and allows to establish a first stream having an association relationship with a second stream. In this way, an STA or an AP can support transmission in a special scenario (e.g., a scenario in which an association relationship between a first stream and a second stream is required), thereby increasing transmission scenarios supported by the STA and the AP, and improving the flexibility and scalability of transmission based on the first stream.

Description

Establishment method, processing method, device, equipment, medium and product TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication, in particular to an establishment method, a processing method, a device, equipment, a medium and a product. BACKGROUND

[0002] SCS is a technology that supports a STA and an AP to negotiate to establish a flow with specific QoS (Quality of Service) requirements. The flow establishment method based on the SCS technology in the related art is difficult to support some complex application scenarios.

[0003] SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide an establishment method, a processing method, a device, equipment, a medium and a product, and the technical solutions are as follows:

[0005] According to an aspect of the present application, a flow establishment method is provided, the method is performed by a STA, and the method comprises:

[0006] establishing a first flow, wherein the first flow has an association relationship with a second flow.

[0007] According to an aspect of the present application, a flow establishment method is provided, the method is performed by an AP, and the method comprises:

[0008] establishing a first flow, wherein the first flow has an association relationship with a second flow.

[0009] According to an aspect of the present application, an association relationship establishment method is provided, the method is performed by a STA, and the method comprises:

[0010] establishing an association relationship between a first flow and a second flow.

[0011] According to an aspect of the present application, an association relationship establishment method is provided, the method is performed by an AP, and the method comprises:

[0012] establishing an association relationship between a first flow and a second flow.

[0013] According to an aspect of the present application, a data unit processing method is provided, the method is performed by a STA, and the method comprises:

[0014] processing a first MAC layer data unit at the end of a first processing time, wherein the first MAC layer data unit belongs to a first flow, and the first processing time is used to indicate the residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at a MAC layer.

[0015] According to an aspect of the present application, a method for processing data units is provided, the method is performed by an AP, and the method comprises:

[0016] processing a first MAC layer data unit ends at a first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belongs to a first flow, and the first processing time is used for indicating a residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at a MAC layer.

[0017] According to an aspect of the present application, a flow establishing apparatus is provided, and the apparatus comprises:

[0018] a first establishing module, configured to establish a first flow, wherein the first flow has an association relationship with a second flow.

[0019] According to an aspect of the present application, a flow establishing apparatus is provided, and the apparatus comprises:

[0020] a second establishing module, configured to establish a first flow, wherein the first flow has an association relationship with a second flow.

[0021] According to an aspect of the present application, an association relationship establishing apparatus is provided, and the apparatus comprises:

[0022] a third establishing module, configured to establish an association relationship between a first flow and a second flow.

[0023] According to an aspect of the present application, an association relationship establishing apparatus is provided, and the apparatus comprises:

[0024] a fourth establishing module, configured to establish an association relationship between a first flow and a second flow.

[0025] According to an aspect of the present application, a data unit processing apparatus is provided, and the apparatus comprises:

[0026] a first processing module, configured to process a first MAC layer data unit at a first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belongs to a first flow, and the first processing time is used for indicating a residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at a MAC layer.

[0027] According to an aspect of the present application, a data unit processing apparatus is provided, and the apparatus comprises:

[0028] a second processing module, configured to process a first MAC layer data unit at a first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belongs to a first flow, and the first processing time is used for indicating a residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at a MAC layer.

[0029] According to an aspect of the present application, a STA is provided, comprising: a processor; a transceiver connected to the processor; a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to load and execute the executable instructions to implement a stream establishment method, and / or an association relationship establishment method, and / or a data unit processing method.

[0030] According to an aspect of the present application, an AP is provided, comprising: a processor; a transceiver connected to the processor; a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to load and execute the executable instructions to implement a stream establishment method, and / or an association relationship establishment method, and / or a data unit processing method.

[0031] According to an aspect of the present application, a computer readable storage medium is provided, wherein at least one program is stored in the computer readable storage medium, and the at least one program is loaded and executed by a processor to implement a stream establishment method, and / or an association relationship establishment method, and / or a data unit processing method.

[0032] According to an aspect of the present application, a chip is provided, comprising a programmable logic circuit and / or program instructions, when the chip is running on a terminal device or a network device, for implementing the above-mentioned stream establishment method, and / or the association relationship establishment method, and / or the data unit processing method.

[0033] According to an aspect of the present application, a computer program product is provided, comprising computer instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium, wherein a processor acquires the computer instructions from the computer readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer instructions to implement a stream establishment method, and / or an association relationship establishment method, and / or a data unit processing method.

[0034] The technical scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application at least has the following beneficial effects: supporting the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream, and being capable of establishing the first stream having the association relationship with the second stream. Making the STA or the AP capable of supporting the transmission in a special scenario (such as a scenario requiring the first stream and the second stream to have the association relationship), increasing the transmission scenarios supported by the STA and the AP, and improving the flexibility and scalability of the transmission based on the first stream. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0035] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative effort based on these drawings.

[0036] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Fig. 2 shows a flow chart of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Fig. 3 shows a flow chart of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Fig. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Fig. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Fig. 9 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Fig. 10 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Fig. 11 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Fig. 12 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Fig. 13 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Fig. 14 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Fig. 15 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG. 16 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG. 17 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG. 18 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG. 19 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG. 20 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG. 21 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG. 22 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG. 23 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG. 24 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG. 25 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG. 26 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG. 27 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG. 28 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG. 29 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG. 30 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG. 31 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG. 32 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG. 33 shows a diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG. 34 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIG. 35 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG. 36 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0072] FIG. 37 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG. 38 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG. 39 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG. 40 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG. 41 shows a schematic diagram of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG. 42 shows a flowchart of a method for establishing an association relationship according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG. 43 shows a flowchart of a method for establishing an association relationship according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG. 44 shows a flowchart of a method for processing a data unit according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0080] FIG. 45 shows a flowchart of a method for processing a data unit according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG. 46 shows a structural block diagram of a flow establishment apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0082] FIG. 47 shows a structural block diagram of a flow establishment apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0083] FIG. 48 shows a structural block diagram of an association relationship establishment apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0084] FIG. 49 shows a structural block diagram of an association relationship establishment apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0085] FIG. 50 shows a structural block diagram of a data unit processing apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0086] FIG. 51 shows a structural block diagram of a processing device of a data unit according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0087] FIG. 52 shows a structural diagram of a wireless device according to some example embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0088] For the purpose of the present application, the technical solutions and advantages will be more clearly apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The example embodiments will be described in detail in this description with reference to the drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise stated. The embodiments described in the following example embodiments are not meant to represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0089] The terminology used in the present application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present application. As used in the present application and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0090] It should be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used herein to describe various information, these terms are not intended to denote a particular order of the information. These terms are used only to distinguish one type of information from another. For example, a first information can be termed a second information, and similarly, a second information can be termed a first information, without departing from the scope of the present application. Depending on the context, the word "if' as used herein can be interpreted to mean "when" or "in response to determining" or "in response to a determination." In the present specification, when expressing the meaning of a Boolean value, it is expressed as '0' representing 'a first meaning', '1' representing 'a second meaning', without loss of generality, it is understood by those skilled in the art that the representative meaning can be reversed, i.e., '1' representing 'a first meaning', '0' representing 'a second meaning'.

[0091] SCS (Stream Classification Service): A technology that supports the negotiation between a STA and an AP to establish a stream with specific QoS (Quality of Service) requirements. The specific QoS requirements can be understood as meeting the QoS parameter requirements, or the QoS parameters are the QoS parameters negotiated between the STA and the AP. The establishment process of SCS includes two steps: SCS request and SCS response. Among them, SCS request refers to the STA sending a SCS request to the AP to request the establishment of a SCS stream with specific QoS characteristics. This request contains the parameters of the stream that the STA wants to establish, such as delay limit, bandwidth requirement, reliability, etc. SCS response refers to the AP receiving the SCS request, then evaluating network resources and QoS policy, and then sending a SCS response. If the AP can meet the QoS requirements of the STA, it will set the status field to "SUCCESS" in the response. If the AP cannot meet the request, it will set the corresponding field in the response to inform the STA that it cannot establish the requested SCS stream. This process ensures that the STA and the AP can negotiate and establish a QoS stream that meets the application requirements, thereby improving the service quality of the network and the user experience. For example, for interactive games, the interactive data between players must be transmitted in a timely manner. Therefore, in order to ensure smooth game progress and good experience quality with the shortest delay time, low delay is required. Game applications on mobile devices need to communicate with one or more Internet servers to synchronize the game progress of all players, and even if there is contention with other network traffic, there are specific QoS requirements for instant communication with these servers. Using SCS technology, game applications can prioritize their traffic on the network, thereby reducing delay and improving game experience.

[0092] Stream: Refers to a sequence of data units with common characteristics. Common characteristics may include source and destination MAC addresses, protocol types, port numbers, traffic categories, etc. The concept of stream is particularly important in the QoS management of Wi-Fi, as it allows the network to classify and handle traffic according to its priority and performance requirements. Stream can also be referred to as traffic stream, traffic, etc.

[0093] Data Unit: A unit used to encapsulate and transmit data in different network layers. For example, PPDU (PHY-layer Protocol Data Unit), MPDU (MAC-layer Protocol Data Unit), MSDU (MAC Service Data Unit), etc.

[0094] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an example embodiment of the present application. The communication system includes terminals and terminals, or terminals and network devices, or access points (APs) and stations (STAs), which are not limited in the present application. The present application takes the communication system including an AP 110 and a STA 120 as an example for illustration.

[0095] In some scenarios, the AP can also be referred to as an AP STA, that is, in a certain sense, the AP is also a kind of STA. In some scenarios, the STA can also be referred to as a non-AP STA (non-AP STA).

[0096] In some embodiments, the STA can include an AP STA and a non-AP STA. The communication in the communication system can be communication between the AP and the non-AP STA, or communication between the non-AP STAs, or communication between the STA and the peer STA, where the peer STA can refer to a device that communicates with the STA, for example, the peer STA can be an AP or a non-AP STA. Exemplarily, there are two communication scenarios between the STA and the AP: uplink communication scenario and downlink communication scenario. The uplink communication is that the STA sends a signal to the AP, and the downlink communication is that the AP sends a signal to the STA. The AP is equivalent to a bridge connecting the wired network and the wireless network, and mainly functions to connect various wireless network clients together and then access the wireless network to the Ethernet. The AP device can be a terminal device (such as a mobile phone) or a network device (such as a router) with a wireless fidelity (WiFi) chip.

[0097] In the embodiments of the present application, the STA in the embodiments of the present application can be a device with wireless transceiving function, such as a device supporting 802.11 series protocol and capable of communicating with the AP or other STAs. For example, the STA is any user communication device that allows a user to communicate with the AP and then communicate with the WLAN. The STA is, for example, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile terminal, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent or a user apparatus, etc.

[0098] The STA in the embodiments of the present application can also be a device providing voice / data / image connectivity to a user, for example, a handheld device, a vehicle-mounted device, a home device, a household appliance, a game device, etc. with wireless connection function or equipped with a wireless communication module. For example, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a drone or a flying photography device, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, 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, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., and can also be a television, a refrigerator, a washing machine, a kitchen appliance, a door lock, a fish tank, a sweeping robot, a game machine, a camera / camcorder, etc. with wireless connection function, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0099] By way of example and not limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the STA can also be a wearable device. The wearable device can also be referred to as a wearable smart device, which is a general term for devices that are designed and developed by applying wearable technology to daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. For example, a smart watch or smart glasses, etc., and only focus on a certain type of application function, need to be used with other devices such as smart phones, such as various types of smart wristbands, smart jewelry, etc.

[0100] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the STA can also be a terminal device in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. The IoT is an important part of future information technology development, and its main technical feature is to connect objects through communication technology and network, so as to realize the intelligent network of man-machine interconnection and object-object interconnection. In the embodiments of the present application, the IoT technology can achieve massive connection, deep coverage and terminal power saving through, for example, Narrow Band (NB) technology.

[0101] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the STA can be a vehicle-mounted communication device or a vehicle itself in a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) system. The communication mode in the V2X system is collectively referred to as V2X (X represents anything). For example, the V2X communication includes Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communication, Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) communication, Vehicle to Pedestrian (V2P) communication, or Vehicle to Network (V2N) communication, etc.

[0102] It should be understood that the role of the STA in the communication system is not absolute. For example, in some scenarios, when a mobile phone connects a router, the mobile phone is a non-AP STA, and when the mobile phone acts as a hotspot for other mobile phones, the mobile phone plays the role of an AP. The AP and the non-AP STA can be devices applied to the V2X system, IoT nodes, sensors, etc. in the IoT system, smart cameras, smart remote controllers, smart water meters, etc. in smart home, and sensors, etc. in smart city.

[0103] In some embodiments, the non-AP STA can support, but is not limited to, the 802.11be standard. The non-AP STA can also support multiple current and future 802.11 family Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards such as 802.11bn, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a. In some embodiments, the AP can be a device supporting the 802.11be standard. The AP can also be a device supporting multiple current and future 802.11 family WLAN standards such as 802.11bn, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a.

[0104] In the embodiments of the present application, the STA can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer, a virtual reality device, an augmented reality device, a communication device in industrial control, a set-top box, a communication device in unmanned driving, a vehicle-mounted communication device, a communication device in remote medical treatment, a communication device in smart power grids, a communication device in transportation safety, a communication device in smart cities, or a communication device in smart homes, a wireless communication chip, and the like supporting WLAN / Wi-Fi technology. The WLAN technology can support frequency bands including, but not limited to, low frequency bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz), and high frequency bands (60 GHz).

[0105] There is one or more links between the station and the access point, and in some embodiments, the station and the access point support multi-band communication, for example, simultaneously communicating on 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, and 60 GHz frequency bands, or simultaneously communicating on different channels of the same frequency band (or different frequency bands), to improve the communication throughput and / or reliability between devices. Such devices are commonly referred to as multi-band devices, and can also be referred to as multi-link devices (MLD), and sometimes as multi-link entities or multi-band entities. The multi-link device can be an access point device or a station device. If the multi-link device is an access point device, the multi-link device includes one or more APs; if the multi-link device is a station device, the multi-link device includes one or more non-AP STAs. The multi-link device including one or more APs can also be referred to as an AP, and the multi-link device including one or more non-AP STAs can also be referred to as a Non-AP, which can be referred to as a STA in the embodiments of the present application.

[0106] In the embodiments of the present application, the AP can include a plurality of APs, the Non-AP includes a plurality of STAs, and a plurality of links can be formed between the plurality of APs in the AP and the plurality of STAs in the Non-AP. The AP and the corresponding STA in the Non-AP can communicate data through the corresponding link.

[0107] The AP is a device deployed in a wireless local area network to provide wireless communication functions for the STA. The STA can include a user equipment, an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device. Optionally, the STA can also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol phone, a wireless local loop station, a personal digital assistant, a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and the like. The embodiments of the present application are not limited in this regard.

[0108] In the embodiments of the present application, the STA and the AP both support the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, but are not limited to the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0109] FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of a flow establishment method according to an example embodiment of the present application. The method is performed by a STA, which can be the STA shown in FIG. 1. The method comprises:

[0110] Step 210: Establish a first flow, the first flow having an association relationship with a second flow.

[0111] In some embodiments, the establishment of the first flow can be understood as the establishment of the first flow having the association relationship with the second flow, can also be understood as the establishment of the associated flow of the second flow, can also be understood as the establishment of the first flow and the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow, the establishment of the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow, the establishment of the first flow, the second flow and the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow, and other equivalent descriptions.

[0112] In some embodiments, the first flow is used for communication between the STA and the AP or other STAs. For example, the first flow includes one or more data units, and the establishment of the first flow refers to the determination of transmission parameters of the one or more data units belonging to the first flow, such as the sending end, the receiving end, and the QoS of the data units; or, the first flow is used to carry data units. For another example, the first flow includes data units between the STA and the AP; or, the first flow includes data units between the STA and other STAs; or, the first flow includes data units between the AP and other STAs. The other STAs refer to STAs that do not participate in the establishment process of the first flow. The second flow is the same, and will not be described here.

[0113] In some embodiments, the first flow has an association relationship with the second flow, which can also be understood as the association of the first flow with the second flow; can also be understood as the second flow being the associated flow of the first flow, or the first flow being the associated flow of the second flow, and the like.

[0114] In some embodiments, the association relationship (or association) is used to indicate the transmission mode of the first flow and the second flow of the STA or the AP; or, the association relationship is used to indicate how the STA or the AP transmits the first flow and the second flow; or, the association relationship is used to indicate the transmission of the first flow and the second flow; or, the association relationship is used to indicate that the transmission of the first flow is related to the transmission of the second flow. The transmission of the first flow represents the transmission of the data units belonging to the first flow, or can be understood as the transmission of at least one data unit belonging to the first flow. The transmission of the second flow is the same, and will not be described here.

[0115] In some embodiments, the STA establishes a first stream with the AP. For example, the STA sends a first stream request frame to the AP, and the first stream request frame carries a transmission parameter; after receiving the first stream request frame, the AP determines the transmission parameter, and sends a first stream response frame to the STA, and the first stream response frame carries the transmission parameter determined by the AP. The transmission parameter in the first stream response frame can be the same as or different from the transmission parameter in the first stream request frame. The frame exchange process of the first stream request frame and the first stream response frame can also be referred to as a first stream establishment process, or a first stream negotiation process, or a first stream procedure, or other equivalent names.

[0116] In some embodiments, the first stream and the second stream are different streams. For example, the QoS type of the first stream is different from the QoS type of the second stream; or, the priority of the first stream is different from the priority of the second stream; or, the QoS parameter of the first stream is different from the QoS parameter of the second stream.

[0117] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application supports the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream, and can establish the first stream having the association relationship with the second stream. The STA or the AP can support the transmission in a special scenario (such as a scenario requiring the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream), thereby increasing the transmission scenarios supported by the STA and the AP, and improving the flexibility and scalability of the transmission based on the first stream.

[0118] For games requiring multi-device synchronization control, the streams for different devices in the related art are separated, that is, there is no association relationship. However, the multi-device synchronization game often needs to realize the association of data interaction between devices.

[0119] In a typical application scenario, there is a mobile phone, a VR device, and a router in a communication system. The mobile phone and the VR device are associated with the router respectively. The user controls the mobile phone to send a control information to the router (such as by sending a data unit belonging to the second stream), and the router can determine to receive relevant data from the cloud or a server after receiving the control information, for example, rendering data used for the VR device to render a picture. The router needs to send the received rendering data to the VR device in a timely manner (such as by sending a data unit belonging to the first stream).

[0120] However, in the related art, the streams for receiving the control information and sending the rendering data by the AP are usually independent, and the AP does not know the association between the two streams when processing the first stream and the second stream, which can cause the corresponding stream to be unable to be processed in a timely manner (such as the second stream cannot be sent to the VR device in a timely manner), and cause a large delay when the user uses the device, resulting in a poor experience.

[0121] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a method for establishing a flow according to an example embodiment of the present application. The method is performed by an AP, which can be the AP shown in FIG. 1. The method comprises:

[0122] Step 310: establishing a first flow, the first flow being associated with a second flow.

[0123] In some embodiments, the establishing of the first flow can be understood as the establishing of the first flow associated with the second flow, the establishing of the associated flow of the second flow, the establishing of the first flow and the association between the first flow and the second flow, the establishing of the first flow and the second flow and the association between the first flow and the second flow, and other equivalent descriptions.

[0124] In some embodiments, the first flow is used for communication between the STA and the AP or other STAs. For example, the first flow comprises one or more data units, and the establishing of the first flow is to determine transmission parameters of the one or more data units belonging to the first flow, such as the sending end, the receiving end, and the QoS of the data units; or, the first flow is used to carry data units. For another example, the first flow comprises data units between the STA and the AP; or, the first flow comprises data units between the STA and other STAs; or, the first flow comprises data units between the AP and other STAs. The other STAs refer to STAs that do not participate in the establishing process of the first flow. The second flow is similar and will not be described here.

[0125] In some embodiments, the first flow is associated with the second flow, which can also be understood as the association between the first flow and the second flow; or, the second flow is the associated flow of the first flow, or the first flow is the associated flow of the second flow, and the like.

[0126] In some embodiments, the association is used to indicate the transmission mode of the first flow and the second flow of the STA or the AP; or, the association is used to indicate how the STA or the AP transmits the first flow and the second flow; or, the association is used to indicate the transmission of the first flow and the second flow; or, the association is used to indicate that the transmission of the first flow is related to the transmission of the second flow. The transmission of the first flow refers to the transmission of the data units belonging to the first flow, or the transmission of at least one data unit belonging to the first flow. The transmission of the second flow is similar and will not be described here.

[0127] In some embodiments, the STA establishes a first stream with the AP. For example, the STA sends a first stream request frame to the AP, the first stream request frame carrying a transmission parameter; the AP determines the transmission parameter after receiving the first stream request frame, and sends a first stream response frame to the STA, the first stream response frame carrying the transmission parameter determined by the AP. The transmission parameter in the first stream response frame can be the same as or different from the transmission parameter in the first stream request frame. The frame exchange process of the first stream request frame and the first stream response frame can also be referred to as a first stream establishment process, or a first stream negotiation process, or a first stream procedure, or other equivalent names.

[0128] In some embodiments, the first stream and the second stream are different streams. For example, the QoS type of the first stream is different from the QoS type of the second stream; or, the priority of the first stream is different from the priority of the second stream; or, the QoS parameter of the first stream is different from the QoS parameter of the second stream.

[0129] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application supports the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream, and can establish the first stream having the association relationship with the second stream. The STA or the AP can support the transmission in a special scenario (such as a scenario requiring the first stream to have the association relationship with the second stream), thereby increasing the transmission scenarios supported by the STA and the AP, and improving the flexibility and scalability of the transmission based on the first stream.

[0130] Next, the association relationship is introduced.

[0131] 1. Association relationship

[0132] In some embodiments, the association relationship includes at least one of the following: the reception of the first stream triggers the transmission of the second stream; the reception of the second stream triggers the transmission of the first stream; the transmission of the first stream triggers the transmission of the second stream; the transmission of the second stream triggers the reception of the first stream; the reception of the first stream triggers the reception of the second stream; the reception of the second stream triggers the reception of the first stream; the transmission of the first stream triggers the reception of the second stream; and the transmission of the second stream triggers the reception of the first stream.

[0133] That is, for the first stream and the second stream having the association relationship, the STA or the AP transmits the second stream after receiving the first stream; or transmits the first stream after receiving the second stream; or transmits the second stream after transmitting the first stream; or receives the first stream after transmitting the second stream; or receives the second stream after receiving the first stream; or receives the first stream after receiving the second stream; or receives the second stream after transmitting the first stream; or receives the first stream after transmitting the second stream.

[0134] For example, the reception of the first stream triggers the transmission of the second stream. As shown in FIG. 4, the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream is transmitted after the reception of the PPDU 10 belonging to the first stream. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream is transmitted after a predetermined time period 12 after the reception of the PPDU 10 belonging to the first stream. The reception of the second stream triggers the transmission of the first stream, which is similar to the above-mentioned reception of the first stream triggering the transmission of the second stream, and thus is not described herein.

[0135] It should be noted that the reception of the first stream can be the reception of the MPDU belonging to the first stream, or the reception of the MSDU belonging to the first stream, etc. That is, the reception of the first stream can be understood as the reception of the data unit belonging to the first stream. The transmission of the first stream, the transmission of the second stream, and the reception of the second stream are similar, and thus are not described herein.

[0136] Optionally, the predetermined time period 12 is agreed by the protocol, or is previously agreed, or is pre-configured. For example, the previously agreed scenario is that the transmission end of the second stream and the reception end of the second stream are previously agreed, or the transmission end of the first stream and the reception end of the first stream are previously agreed, or the transmission end of the second stream and the AP are previously agreed, or the transmission end of the first stream and the AP are previously agreed, or the STA establishing the first stream and the AP are previously agreed, etc. For example, the predetermined time period is one or more SIFS (Short Interframe Space), one or more PIFS (PCF Interframe Space, or Point Coordination Function Interframe Space), one or more DIFS (DCF Interframe Space, or Distributed Coordination Function Interframe Space), or one or more other IFS with a fixed time period, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0137] For example, the sending of the first stream triggers the sending of the second stream. As shown in FIG. 6, after sending the PPDU 10 belonging to the first stream, the STA or AP immediately sends the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, after sending the PPDU 10 belonging to the first stream, the STA or AP waits for a predetermined time period 12 before sending the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream. The sending of the second stream triggers the sending of the first stream, which is similar to the above-mentioned sending of the first stream triggering the sending of the second stream shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7, and thus will not be described herein.

[0138] Alternatively, the predetermined time period 12 is not a fixed time period, i.e., the STA or AP does not determine when the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream will be sent. That is, the above-mentioned embodiment shown in FIG. 7 can be understood as follows: after sending the PPDU 10 belonging to the first stream, the STA or AP continuously waits for the sending of the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream. That is, after sending the PPDU 10 belonging to the first stream, the STA or AP can only confirm that the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream will be sent, but cannot determine when the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream will be sent. For example, the STA or AP sends the PPDU 10 belonging to the first stream based on the first indication information of the application layer, and then waits for the second indication information of the application layer, and sends the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream based on the second indication information of the application layer.

[0139] In addition, the coordinate axes in the above-mentioned figures can be understood as time axes, the PPDUs above the time axes are PPDUs sent by the STA or AP, and the PPDUs below the time axes are PPDUs received by the STA or AP.

[0140] For example, the receiving of the first stream triggers the receiving of the second stream. As shown in FIG. 8, after receiving the PPDU 10 belonging to the first stream, the STA or AP immediately receives the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9, after receiving the PPDU 10 belonging to the first stream, the STA or AP waits for a predetermined time period 12 before receiving the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream. The receiving of the second stream triggers the receiving of the first stream, which is similar to the above-mentioned receiving of the first stream triggering the receiving of the second stream shown in FIG. 8 or FIG. 9, and thus will not be described herein.

[0141] Alternatively, the predetermined time period 12 is not a fixed time period, i.e., the STA or AP does not determine when the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream will be received. That is, the above-mentioned embodiment shown in FIG. 9 can be understood as follows: after receiving the PPDU 10 belonging to the first stream, the STA or AP continuously waits for the receiving of the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream. That is, after receiving the PPDU 10 belonging to the first stream, the STA or AP can only confirm that the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream will be received, but cannot determine when the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream will be received.

[0142] For example, the transmission of the first stream triggers the reception of the second stream, as shown in FIG. 10, after transmitting the PPDU 10 belonging to the first stream, the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream is immediately received. In addition, as shown in FIG. 11, the PPDU 11 belonging to the second stream can also be received after waiting for a preset time period after transmitting the PPDU 10 belonging to the first stream. The transmission of the second stream triggers the reception of the first stream, which is similar to the transmission of the first stream triggering the reception of the second stream as shown in FIG. 10 or FIG. 11, and will not be described here.

[0143] In some embodiments, based on the above association relationship, the association relationship can be classified. For example, the types of association relationship include a first type and a second type; in the case of the association relationship belonging to the first type, the first stream is used to trigger the second stream; in the case of the association relationship belonging to the second type, the second stream is used to trigger the first stream.

[0144] In some embodiments, the first stream is used to trigger the second stream, including at least one of the following scenarios: the transmission of the first stream triggers the transmission of the second stream; the transmission of the first stream triggers the reception of the second stream; the reception of the first stream triggers the transmission of the second stream; the reception of the first stream triggers the reception of the second stream. The second stream is used to trigger the first stream, including at least one of the following scenarios: the transmission of the second stream triggers the transmission of the first stream; the transmission of the second stream triggers the reception of the first stream; the reception of the second stream triggers the transmission of the first stream; the reception of the second stream triggers the reception of the first stream.

[0145] In some embodiments, the first type of association relationship is a following relationship, and the second stream is a following stream of the first stream; and / or, the second type of association relationship is a triggering relationship, and the second stream is a triggering stream of the first stream.

[0146] In some embodiments, the following stream refers to the second stream being transmitted or received after the first stream, i.e., the following stream is a stream triggered by the first stream for transmission. The triggering stream refers to the second stream triggering the transmission or reception of the first stream, i.e., the triggering stream is a stream triggering the transmission of the first stream.

[0147] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application shows what the association relationship is and how the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream is embodied. The association relationship refers to the mutual triggering between the first stream and the second stream, so that the STA or the AP can support the scenario of multiple streams triggering each other, and improve the flexibility and scalability of the transmission based on the first stream and the second stream.

[0148] In another aspect, the association relationship is classified into a first type and a second type, for the association relationship of the first type, the first stream is used to trigger the second stream; for the association relationship of the second type, the second stream is used to trigger the first stream. The type of the association relationship is further divided, that is, the transmission scenario of the STA or the AP based on the first stream and the second stream is further divided, and the subdivided transmission scenario can improve the normativity of the STA or the AP during transmission.

[0149] In some embodiments, the first stream is an SCS stream. The second stream is an SCS stream or a non-SCS stream or other stream. The first stream is an SCS stream, that is, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application supports SCS technology, that is, supports classifying traffic according to specific scenarios, facilitates the STA or the AP to select a traffic type with higher priority for processing and transmission, and can improve the service quality of transmission based on the first stream.

[0150] Next, taking the first stream as an SCS stream as an example, different operations performed by the STA and the AP for the association relationship of the first type and the association relationship of the second type are shown above.

[0151] 1.1 The association relationship of the first type.

[0152] In some embodiments, in the case of the association relationship belonging to the first type, the first stream is used to trigger the second stream. At this time, the STA or the AP performs at least one of the following: sends a first data unit, the first data unit belongs to the first stream, the first data unit is used to trigger the sending of a second data unit, the second data unit belongs to the second stream; in the case of receiving the first data unit, sends the second data unit.

[0153] Optionally, the first data unit and the second data unit are PPDU, MPDU, MSDU, A-MSDU (Aggregated MAC Service Data Unit), A-MPDU (Aggregated MAC Protocol Data Unit), etc. The embodiments of the present application will be exemplified by taking the first data unit as the first PPDU and the second data unit as the second PPDU, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. That is, it can be understood that the first PPDU is sent, the first PPDU belongs to the first stream, the first PPDU is used to trigger the sending of the second PPDU, and the second PPDU belongs to the second stream; in the case of receiving the first PPDU, the second PPDU is sent.

[0154] Among them, the first PPDU belongs to the first stream, which can be understood as: the first PPDU includes a field identifying the first stream. The second PPDU belongs to the second stream, which can be understood as: the second PPDU includes a field identifying the second stream.

[0155] In some embodiments, the STA or AP indicates the receiving end of the first PPDU to send the second PPDU by sending the first PPDU. The receiving end of the first PPDU is the STA or AP shown above to establish the first stream, or the receiving end of the first PPDU is another STA or AP, i.e., the STA or AP not participating in the establishment process of the first stream.

[0156] In some embodiments, the STA or AP sends the second PPDU upon receiving the first PPDU. Optionally, the receiving end of the second PPDU is the sending end of the first PPDU, or the receiving end of the second PPDU is another STA or AP, i.e., the receiving end of the second PPDU is not the sending end of the first PPDU. Optionally, the receiving end of the second PPDU is selected by the STA or AP; or the receiving end of the second PPDU is indicated in the first PPDU; or the receiving end of the second PPDU is determined when the first stream is established. Optionally, the sending end of the first PPDU is the STA or AP shown above to establish the first stream, or the sending end of the first PPDU is another STA or AP, i.e., the STA or AP not participating in the establishment process of the first stream.

[0157] For example, as shown in FIG. 12, STA1 and AP establish the first stream by negotiating through the uplink PPDU 13 including the SCS request frame and the downlink PPDU 14 including the SCS response frame. After the establishment of the first stream, STA1 sends the first PPDU 15 (uplink PPDU belonging to the first stream) to AP; AP sends the second PPDU 16 (downlink PPDU belonging to the second stream) to STA1 after receiving the first PPDU 15, at this time, the second stream is triggered by the first stream to send, and the second stream can be referred to as the following stream of the first stream.

[0158] For example, as shown in FIG. 13, STA1 and AP establish the first stream by negotiating through the uplink PPDU 13 including the SCS request frame and the downlink PPDU 14 including the SCS response frame. After the establishment of the first stream, AP sends the first PPDU 15 (downlink PPDU belonging to the first stream) to STA1; STA1 sends the second PPDU 16 (uplink PPDU belonging to the second stream) to AP after receiving the first PPDU 15, at this time, the second stream is triggered by the first stream to send, and the second stream can be referred to as the following stream of the first stream.

[0159] In addition, for the STA1 in FIG. 12, it can be understood that the sending of the first stream triggers the receiving of the second stream; for the AP in FIG. 12, it can be understood that the receiving of the first stream triggers the sending of the second stream. For the STA1 in FIG. 13, it can be understood that the receiving of the second stream triggers the sending of the second stream; for the AP in FIG. 13, it can be understood that the sending of the first stream triggers the receiving of the second stream. For the scenarios shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, it can be understood that the sending of the first stream is used to trigger the receiving end of the first stream to send the second stream.

[0160] In conclusion, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application shows the transmission process of the first stream and the second stream performed by the STA or the AP under the first type of association relationship. The second stream is triggered by the first stream, and a typical scenario is that the STA or the AP is indirectly instructed to send the second stream corresponding to the first stream (for example, the response data for the first stream is shown in the application layer) by sending the first stream, so that the STA or the AP can make preparations for the transmission of the second stream in advance, thereby improving the efficiency of the transmission of the second stream. In addition, the STA or the AP is instructed to send the second stream by the first stream, which indirectly controls the transmission of the STA or the AP, and facilitates the implementation of some scenarios that need indirect control.

[0161] 1.2 The second type of association relationship.

[0162] In some embodiments, in the case where the association relationship belongs to the second type, the second stream is used to trigger the first stream. At this time, the STA or the AP performs at least one of the following: sending a second data unit, the second data unit belonging to the second stream, the second data unit being used to trigger the sending of a first data unit, the first data unit belonging to the first stream; in the case where the second data unit is received, sending the first data unit.

[0163] Similarly, taking the first data unit and the second data unit as an example, the STA or the AP performs at least one of the following: sending a second PPDU, the second PPDU belonging to the second stream, the second PPDU being used to trigger the sending of a first PPDU, the first PPDU belonging to the first stream; in the case where the second PPDU is received, sending the first PPDU.

[0164] In some embodiments, the STA or the AP sends the second PPDU to trigger the receiving end of the second PPDU to send the first PPDU. The receiving end of the second PPDU is the STA or the AP shown above for establishing the first stream, or the receiving end of the second PPDU is another STA or AP, that is, a STA or AP that does not participate in the establishment process of the first stream.

[0165] In some embodiments, the STA or the AP sends the first PPDU in case that the second PPDU is received. Optionally, the receiving end of the first PPDU is the sending end of the second PPDU, or, the receiving end of the first PPDU is another STA or AP, i.e. the receiving end of the first PPDU is not the sending end of the second PPDU. Optionally, the receiving end of the first PPDU is selected by the STA or the AP; or, the receiving end of the first PPDU is indicated in the second PPDU; or, the receiving end of the first PPDU is determined at the time of establishing the first stream. Optionally, the sending end of the second PPDU is the STA or the AP shown in the above for establishing the first stream, or, the sending end of the second PPDU is another STA or AP, i.e. the STA or the AP not participating in the establishment of the first stream.

[0166] For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the STA1 and the AP establish the first stream through the uplink PPDU 13 including the SCS request frame and the downlink PPDU 14 including the SCS response frame. After the establishment of the first stream, the STA1 sends the second PPDU 16 (uplink PPDU belonging to the second stream) to the AP, at this time, the second stream is used to trigger the sending of the first stream, and the second stream can be referred to as the trigger stream of the first stream; after receiving the second PPDU 16, the AP sends the first PPDU 15 (downlink PPDU belonging to the first stream) to the STA1.

[0167] For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the STA1 and the AP establish the first stream through the uplink PPDU 13 including the SCS request frame and the downlink PPDU 14 including the SCS response frame. After the establishment of the first stream, the AP sends the second PPDU 16 (downlink PPDU belonging to the second stream) to the STA1, at this time, the second stream is used to trigger the sending of the first stream, and the second stream can be referred to as the trigger stream of the first stream; after receiving the second PPDU 16, the STA1 sends the first PPDU 15 (uplink PPDU belonging to the first stream) to the AP.

[0168] In addition, for the STA1 in the above FIG. 14, it can be understood that the sending of the second stream triggers the receiving of the first stream; for the AP in the above FIG. 14, it can be understood that the receiving of the second stream triggers the sending of the first stream. For the STA1 in the above FIG. 15, it can be understood that the receiving of the second stream triggers the sending of the first stream; for the AP in the above FIG. 15, it can be understood that the sending of the second stream triggers the receiving of the first stream. For the scenarios shown in the above FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, it can be understood that the sending of the second stream is used to trigger the receiving end of the second stream to send the first stream.

[0169] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application shows the transmission process of the first stream and the second stream performed by the STA or the AP under the second type of association relationship. The first stream is triggered by the second stream, and a typical scenario is that the STA or the AP is indirectly instructed to send the first stream corresponding to the second stream by sending the second stream, so that the STA or the AP can make preparations for the transmission of the first stream in advance, thereby improving the efficiency of the transmission of the first stream. In addition, the STA or the AP is indirectly controlled to transmit the first stream by the second stream, which facilitates the implementation of some scenarios that need indirect control.

[0170] It should be noted that the above "1.1 first type of association relationship" and "1.2 second type of association relationship" can be combined for implementation, that is, the STA or the AP performs different steps for different types of association relationships.

[0171] It should be noted that for the examples in FIGS. 12-15, whether it is the sending end or the receiving end of the first stream, or the sending end or the receiving end of the second stream, it is the STA or the AP participating in the establishment process of the first stream. However, in actual application scenarios, the sending end or the receiving end of the first stream and the sending end or the receiving end of the second stream can also be other STAs or APs.

[0172] For example, as shown in FIG. 16, STA1 and AP establish a first stream by negotiating through an uplink PPDU 13 including an SCS request frame and a downlink PPDU 14 including an SCS response frame. After the establishment of the first stream, STA2 sends a second PPDU 16 (an uplink PPDU belonging to a second stream) to the AP; and the AP sends a first PPDU 15 (a downlink PPDU belonging to the first stream) to STA1 after receiving the second PPDU 16. At this time, the second PPDU sent by STA2 triggers the AP to send the first PPDU to STA1. Similarly, it can also be that the second PPDU sent by STA2 triggers STA1 to send the first PPDU to the AP; or the second PPDU sent by STA2 triggers the AP to send the first PPDU to STA2; or the second PPDU sent by STA2 triggers STA1 to send the first PPDU to STA2; or the first PPDU sent by STA2 triggers the AP to send the second PPDU to STA1; or the first PPDU sent by STA2 triggers STA1 to send the first PPDU to the AP; or the first PPDU sent by STA2 triggers the AP to send the second PPDU to STA2; or the first PPDU sent by STA2 triggers STA1 to send the second PPDU to STA2, and so on.

[0173] In some embodiments, the first stream is a multicast stream or a broadcast stream, that is, the PPDU belonging to the first stream supports being sent to multiple STAs at the same time, or the PPDU belonging to the first stream supports being received by multiple STAs.

[0174] In some embodiments, the first data unit belonging to the first stream is transmitted by the AP to at least two STAs. For example, the first PPDU belonging to the first stream is transmitted by the AP to at least two STAs. Optionally, the at least two STAs include the STA that establishes the first stream with the AP.

[0175] For example, as shown in FIG. 17, STA1 and the AP establish the first stream through negotiation of the uplink PPDU 13 including the SCS request frame and the downlink PPDU 14 including the SCS response frame. After the establishment of the first stream, the AP transmits the first PPDU 15 (downlink PPDU belonging to the first stream) to STA1 and STA2 simultaneously. Alternatively, the receiving address (or destination address) included in the first PPDU 15 transmitted by the AP is the address of STA1 and STA2. Optionally, in the case where the first stream and the second stream have the first type of association relationship, after STA1 and STA2 receive the first PPDU 15, both of them transmit the second PPDU to the AP; or, after STA1 receives the first PPDU 15, it transmits the second PPDU to the AP, and after STA2 receives the first PPDU 15, it does not transmit the second PPDU to the AP; or, after STA1 receives the first PPDU 15, it does not transmit the second PPDU to the AP, and after STA2 receives the first PPDU 15, it transmits the second PPDU to the AP; or, after STA1 and STA2 receive the first PPDU 15, neither of them transmits the second PPDU to the AP.

[0176] For example, as shown in FIG. 18, STA1 and the AP establish the first stream through negotiation of the uplink PPDU 13 including the SCS request frame and the downlink PPDU 14 including the SCS response frame. After the establishment of the first stream, STA2 transmits the second PPDU 16 to the AP. In the case where the first stream and the second stream have the second type of association relationship, after the AP receives the second PPDU 16, it transmits the first PPDU 15 to STA1 and STA2 simultaneously.

[0177] In some embodiments, the second stream can also be a multicast stream or a broadcast stream. For example, in the case where the second stream is an SCS stream, the second stream also supports multicast or broadcast. That is, the SCS stream can be a multicast stream or a broadcast stream.

[0178] In some embodiments, the AP transmitting the first data unit can be implemented as: transmitting the first data unit to each of the at least two STAs. For example, the AP transmits the first PPDU to each of the at least two STAs. Optionally, the at least two STAs include the STA that establishes the first stream with the AP.

[0179] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application has the first stream being a multicast stream or a broadcast stream, so that the first stream supports more application scenarios and has higher scalability. In particular, for a multi-device scenario, such as an AP associating with multiple STAs, in the case of the first stream being a multicast stream, the AP can send the first stream to the multiple STAs while instructing the multiple STAs to send the second stream, thereby improving the efficiency of the AP in obtaining data and indirectly improving the transmission efficiency. Meanwhile, the method also supports the STA triggering the AP to send the first stream to the multiple STAs through the second stream, which can indirectly realize a scenario in which one STA communicates with multiple STAs at the same time, thereby improving the transmission efficiency between STAs.

[0180] In some embodiments, the transmission of the first PPDU and / or the second PPDU needs to be completed within a service period arranged by the AP. Next, the sending and / or receiving process of the data unit (such as the first PPDU or the second PPDU) belonging to the first stream or the second stream is shown.

[0181] It should be noted that the service period can be arranged by the AP, indicated by the AP, or negotiated by the STA and the AP. The determination of the service period depends on the scenario in which the first stream and the second stream are used, and different determination methods of the service period can be used for different scenarios, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, for a scenario using an R-TWT (Restricted Target Wake Time) mechanism, the STA and the AP can negotiate an R-TWT SP (Service Period), within which the STA can send or receive data without performing a regular CSMA / CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) process. In this way, the waiting time can be reduced and the communication efficiency can be improved. The R-TWT mechanism is a mechanism for reducing delay, especially for real-time application traffic or other delay-sensitive traffic. The embodiments of the present application will be illustrated by taking the service period arranged by the AP, but the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto.

[0182] 2. Transmission of the first stream / second stream.

[0183] In some embodiments, the transmission of the first stream and the second stream is completed within the same service period, or the transmission of the first stream and the second stream is completed within different service periods, or the transmission of the first stream is completed within a service period, or the transmission of the second stream is completed within a service period.

[0184] In some embodiments, for the transmission of the first stream and the second stream, a service start time difference can be agreed, the service start time difference being used to indicate a time difference between the first stream and the second stream, the first time being separated from the second time by the service start time difference, the service start time difference being an absolute value of a difference between the first time and the second time, that is, the service start time difference being equal to an interval between the first time and the second time.

[0185] In some embodiments, the service start time difference is a difference between the first time and the second time; or, the service start time difference is a difference between the second time and the first time.

[0186] In some embodiments, the first time is a time of transmission of the first stream, such as a start time of a first PPDU belonging to the first stream or an end time of a first PPDU belonging to the first stream; and the second time is a time of transmission of the second stream, such as a start time of a second PPDU belonging to the second stream or an end time of a second PPDU belonging to the second stream.

[0187] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application shows the definition of the service start time difference, sets the service start time difference for the transmission of the first stream and the second stream, so that the STA and the AP can more clearly determine the transmission of the first stream and the second stream, avoid data unit congestion caused by uncertain transmission time, and indirectly improve the transmission efficiency. In addition, the AP arranges a service period to realize the transmission of the first stream and the second stream, so that the STA can sleep in the non-service period to reduce energy consumption, while ensuring that the data unit is timely transmitted and received, and improving the efficiency of data unit transmission.

[0188] Next, the first time and the second time are introduced.

[0189] 2.1 The first time.

[0190] In some embodiments, the first time is any one of the following: an end time of a first service period, the first service period being used for the transmission of at least one data unit of the first stream, the first service period being arranged by the AP; an end time of the first stream; a start time of the first service period; a start time of the first stream.

[0191] In some embodiments, the first service period is a time period arranged by the AP for the transmission of at least one data unit of the first stream.

[0192] In some embodiments, the AP indicates the first service period to the STA in the case that the STA transmits the first stream. Optionally, the AP indicates at least two of the start time, the duration, and the end time of the first service period to the STA. For example, the AP indicates the start time and the end time of the first service period to the STA, or the AP indicates the start time and the duration of the first service period to the STA.

[0193] In some embodiments, the end time of the first stream refers to the end time of the last data unit among the at least one data unit belonging to the first stream.

[0194] 2.2 Second time.

[0195] In some embodiments, the second time is any one of the following: the start time of the second service period, the second service period being arranged by the AP for the transmission of the at least one data unit of the second stream; the end time of the second stream; the end time of the second service period; the start time of the second stream.

[0196] In some embodiments, the second service period is a time period arranged by the AP for the transmission of the at least one data unit of the second stream.

[0197] In some embodiments, the AP indicates the second service period to the STA in the case that the STA transmits the second stream. Optionally, the AP indicates at least two of the start time, the duration, and the end time of the second service period to the STA. For example, the AP indicates the start time and the end time of the second service period to the STA, or the AP indicates the start time and the duration of the second service period to the STA.

[0198] In some embodiments, the end time of the second stream refers to the end time of the last data unit among the at least one data unit belonging to the second stream.

[0199] It should be noted that the above "2.1 First time" and "2.2 Second time" can be combined for implementation, i.e., the service start time difference is determined for different first times and second times. Next, several scenarios of determining the service start time difference based on the first time and the second time are shown in combination with different values of the first time and the second time.

[0200] 2.3 Several scenarios of the service start time difference determined based on the first time and the second time.

[0201] • The first time T1 is the end time of the first service period, and the second time T2 is the start time of the second service period.

[0202] As shown in FIG. 19, the service start time difference 19 is used to indicate the time difference between the first service period 17 and the second service period 18, and the service start time difference 19 is the start time of the second service period 18 minus the end time of the first service period 17. The first service period 17 is used for the STA to transmit at least one data unit belonging to the first flow. The AP determines the start time of the second service period 18 based on the end time of the first service period 17 and the pre-agreed service start time difference 19, and transmits at least one data unit belonging to the second flow in the determined second service period 18.

[0203] In some embodiments, the service start time difference 19 is pre-agreed, such as pre-agreed in the establishment process of the first flow or the second flow; or, the service start time difference 19 is carried in at least one data unit belonging to the first flow, such as a PPDU belonging to the first flow including a field used to indicate the service start time difference 19. The embodiments of the present application will be exemplified by taking the service start time difference 19 as pre-agreed, but the determination manner of the service start time difference 19 is not limited.

[0204] • The first time T1 is the end time of the first flow, and the second time T2 is the start time of the second service period.

[0205] As shown in FIG. 20, the service start time difference 19 is used to indicate the time difference between the first flow and the second service period 18, and the service start time difference 19 is the start time of the second service period 18 minus the end time 20 of the first flow. The end time 20 of the first flow is the end time of the last data unit in at least one data unit belonging to the first flow. The AP determines the start time of the second service period 18 based on the end time 20 of the first flow and the pre-agreed service start time difference 19, and transmits at least one data unit belonging to the second flow in the determined second service period 18.

[0206] • The first time T1 is the end time of the first flow, and the second time T2 is the start time of the second flow.

[0207] For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the service start time difference 19 is used to indicate the time difference between the first stream and the second stream, and the service start time difference 19 is the start time of the second stream 21 minus the end time of the first stream 20. The end time of the first stream 20 is the end time of the last data unit in the at least one data unit belonging to the first stream; and the start time of the second stream 21 is the start time of the first data unit in the at least one data unit belonging to the second stream. The AP determines the start time of the second stream 21 based on the end time of the first stream 20 and the pre-agreed service start time difference 19, and starts the transmission of the second stream (i.e., starts the transmission of the at least one data unit belonging to the second stream) at the determined start time of the second stream 21.

[0208] • The first time T1 is the start time of the first service period, and the second time T2 is the end time of the second service period.

[0209] For example, as shown in FIG. 22, the service start time difference 19 is used to indicate the time difference between the second service period 18 and the first service period 17, and the service start time difference 19 is the start time of the first service period 17 minus the end time of the second service period 18. The second service period 18 is used for the STA to transmit the at least one data unit belonging to the second stream. And the AP determines the start time of the first service period based on the end time of the second service period 18 and the pre-agreed service start time difference 19, and transmits the at least one data unit belonging to the first stream in the determined first service period 17.

[0210] • The first time T1 is the start time of the first service period, and the second time T2 is the end time of the second stream.

[0211] For example, as shown in FIG. 23, the service start time difference 19 is used to indicate the time difference between the first service period 17 and the second stream, and the service start time difference 19 is the start time of the first service period 17 minus the end time of the second stream 22. The end time of the second stream 22 is the end time of the last data unit in the at least one data unit belonging to the second stream. And the AP determines the start time of the first service period 17 based on the end time of the second stream 22 and the pre-agreed service start time difference 19, and transmits the at least one data unit belonging to the first stream in the determined first service period 17.

[0212] • The first time T1 is the start time of the first stream, and the second time T2 is the end time of the second stream.

[0213] For example, as shown in FIG. 24, the service start time difference 19 is used to indicate the time difference between the second stream and the first stream, and the service start time difference 19 is the start time 23 of the first stream minus the end time 22 of the second stream. The start time 23 of the first stream is the start time of the first data unit in the at least one data unit belonging to the first stream; and the end time 22 of the second stream is the end time of the last data unit in the at least one data unit belonging to the second stream.

[0214] It should be noted that the above only shows some typical scenarios of determining the service start time difference based on the first time and the second time. For other scenarios of determining the service start time difference based on the first time and the second time shown above, such as scenarios of triggering the STA to send the second stream by the AP sending the first stream, triggering the STA to send the first stream by the AP sending the second stream, etc., the embodiments of the present application will not be enumerated one by one, but the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto.

[0215] In addition, for the problem of whether to set a service period for the transmission of the first stream or the second stream. At least one of the following methods can be used: determining whether to set the first service period based on the number of the at least one data unit belonging to the first stream; determining whether to set the first service period based on the length of the at least one data unit belonging to the first stream; determining whether to set the first service period based on the application scenario of the first stream; determining whether to set the second service period based on the number of the at least one data unit belonging to the second stream; determining whether to set the second service period based on the length of the at least one data unit belonging to the second stream; determining whether to set the second service period based on the application scenario of the second stream; determining whether to set the second service period based on the type of the second stream.

[0216] For example, if only one data unit belonging to the first flow needs to be transmitted, i.e., the number of at least one data unit belonging to the first flow is one, the first service period is not set, i.e., in determining the service start time difference, the start time of the first flow or the end time of the first flow is determined; if multiple data units belonging to the first flow need to be transmitted, the first service period is set, i.e., in determining the service start time difference, the start time of the first service period or the end time of the first service period is determined. Or, if the length of at least one data unit belonging to the first flow (or other equivalent terms such as the data amount of the data unit, the number of bits of the data unit, etc.) is less than a preset length, the first service period is not set; if the length of at least one data unit belonging to the first flow is greater than or equal to the preset length, the first service period is set. Or, if the application scenario of the first flow does not need to set the first service period, the first service period is not set; if the application scenario of the first flow needs to set the first service period, the first service period is set; wherein the application scenario of the first flow is the specific situation of the application layer when triggering the transmission of at least one data unit belonging to the first flow. Wherein, "determining whether to set the second service period based on the number of at least one data unit belonging to the second flow" is similar to "determining whether to set the first service period based on the number of at least one data unit belonging to the first flow", which will not be repeated here; "determining whether to set the second service period based on the length of at least one data unit belonging to the second flow" is similar to "determining whether to set the first service period based on the length of at least one data unit belonging to the first flow", which will not be repeated here; "determining whether to set the second service period based on the application scenario of the second flow" is similar to "determining whether to set the first service period based on the application scenario of the first flow", which will not be repeated here. In addition, if the second flow is an SCS flow, the second service period is set; if the second flow is not an SCS flow, the second service period is not set.

[0217] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application shows the determination method of the first time and the second time and how to determine the service start time difference based on the first time and the second time. Both the STA and the AP can know when to send or receive the data unit, avoiding data unit congestion caused by uncertain transmission opportunity, and indirectly improving the transmission efficiency. At the same time, the first time is determined based on the first flow or the first service period, and the second time is determined based on the second flow or the second service period. For the scenario that the number of data units belonging to the first flow is small, the service period can not be arranged, and the first flow can be directly transmitted. Since the collision or congestion occurs in time, the loss caused by the small amount of data itself will be small, so the cost of retransmitting the data unit belonging to the first flow is not high, and there is no need to arrange the service period. For the scenario that the number of data units belonging to the first flow is large, the service period can be arranged to avoid high cost caused by collision or congestion. The transmission efficiency of the data unit belonging to the first flow can be improved. The determination method of the second time is the same, and details are not repeated here.

[0218] In addition to the service start time difference related to the first time and the second time described above, there is a special scenario of service start time difference, as follows.

[0219] 2.4 Service start time difference not determined based on the first time and the second time.

[0220] In some embodiments, in the case that the first flow and the second flow are transmitted within one service period arranged by the AP, the service start time difference is 0. That is, in the case that at least one data unit belonging to the first flow and at least one data unit belonging to the second flow are transmitted within one service period arranged by the AP, the service start time difference is 0.

[0221] For example, as shown in FIG. 25, the uplink PPDU belonging to the first flow and the downlink PPDU belonging to the second flow are transmitted within one service period, and at this time, the service start time difference can be considered as 0. That is, when the service start time difference is 0, the STA or the AP transmits the first flow and the second flow within one service period, or the STA or the AP transmits at least one data unit belonging to the first flow and at least one service unit belonging to the second flow within one service period.

[0222] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application is for the scenario that the first flow and the second flow are transmitted within one service period, and the service start time difference is 0. That is, when the service start time difference is 0, the STA or the AP transmits the first flow or the second flow within the current service period. For the scenario that the number of data units belonging to the first flow is appropriate, there is no need to arrange two service periods separately, and the probability of data unit collision is reduced, and the transmission efficiency and reliability of the first flow and the second flow are improved.

[0223] In some embodiments, since the service period is arranged by the AP, the STA cannot determine the start time, duration, end time, etc. of a service period, and thus the AP can indicate the service period to the STA in the following manners.

[0224] 2.5 Arrangement of the service period.

[0225] In the optional embodiment based on FIG. 2, the method further comprises: receiving a first frame, the first frame being used to indicate a service period arranged by the AP, the service period being used for transmission of data units of the first flow and / or transmission of data units of the second flow.

[0226] In some embodiments, in the case where the service period is used for transmission of data units of the first flow, the service period is the first service period described above; in the case where the service period is used for transmission of data units of the second flow, the service period is the second service period described above.

[0227] In some embodiments, the first frame is used to indicate at least one of the start time, duration, end time of the service period. For example, the transmission time of the first frame is the start time of the service period; and / or the first frame carries the duration of the service period; and / or the first frame carries the end time of the service period.

[0228] In some embodiments, the first frame is a trigger frame or a management frame or a data frame or other frame.

[0229] In some embodiments, the STA starts transmission of the first flow or the second flow immediately after receiving the first frame; or the STA waits for an IFS after receiving the first frame and then starts transmission of the first flow or the second flow.

[0230] For example, as shown in FIG. 26, after the AP transmits at least one data unit belonging to the second flow to the STA in the second service period 18, since the second data flow is used to trigger the STA to transmit the first flow, the AP needs to arrange the first service period 17 and indicate the first service period 17 to the STA through a first frame. After the STA receives the first frame, it can confirm that the current time is in the first service period 17 arranged by the AP, and thus can start to transmit at least one data unit belonging to the first flow to the AP. Alternatively, after receiving the first frame, the STA needs to process the first frame, such as determining the duration or end time of the first service period from the first frame, and thus waits for an IFS (such as SIFS) before starting transmission of at least one data unit belonging to the first flow.

[0231] In an optional embodiment based on FIG. 3, the method further includes: sending a first frame, the first frame being used to indicate a service period arranged by the AP, the service period being used to implement the transmission of the data unit of the first flow and / or the transmission of the data unit of the second flow.

[0232] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application indicates a service period to the STA by means of the AP sending a first frame, so that the STA can implement the transmission of the first flow or the second flow within the service period, and the transmission efficiency and reliability of the first flow and the second flow are improved.

[0233] In some embodiments, when a data unit is lost or delayed in the transmission process, the receiving end has to wait for the data unit to be successfully retransmitted before continuing to process the subsequent data unit. This situation can cause the entire connection to be blocked, thereby affecting the transmission efficiency. This problem is referred to as the Head-of-Line Blocking (HOL blocking) problem. In order to solve the above problem, the embodiments of the present application design a first processing time.

[0234] 3. The first processing time.

[0235] In an optional embodiment based on FIG. 2, the method further includes: ending the processing of the first MAC layer data unit at the first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first flow, the first processing time being used to indicate the residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

[0236] The MAC layer data unit is one of the data units, and the MAC layer data unit is a form of the data unit at the MAC layer. For example, the MAC layer data unit is any one of MPDU, MSDU, A-MPDU, and A-MSDU. The embodiments of the present application take MSDU or A-MSDU (which can be referred to as aggregated MAC layer data unit) as an example for illustration, but the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto. That is, the above-mentioned "ending the processing of the first MAC layer data unit at the first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first flow, the first processing time being used to indicate the residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer" can be implemented as: ending the processing of the first MSDU at the first processing time, the first MSDU belonging to the first flow, the first processing time being used to indicate the residence time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer.

[0237] In some embodiments, the first processing time is pre-agreed, or the first processing time is pre-configured.

[0238] In some embodiments, the STA and the AP agree on a maximum value and / or a minimum value of the first processing time in advance, or the STA and the AP agree on a maximum receiving processing time and / or a minimum receiving processing time in advance. Alternatively, the AP configures a maximum value and / or a minimum value of the first processing time in advance, or the AP configures a maximum receiving processing time and / or a minimum receiving processing time in advance.

[0239] In some embodiments, the first processing time is used to indicate a residence time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer; or, the first processing time is used to indicate a processing time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer; or, the first processing time is a time for the STA or the AP to process the first MSDU at the MAC layer. The residence time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer can be understood as a residence time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer of the receiving end. It can also be understood as a processing time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer of the receiving end, and the like.

[0240] In some embodiments, the processing of the first MAC layer data unit ends at the first processing time. It can be understood that, if there is a maximum receiving processing time, the processing of the first MAC layer data unit ends at the first processing time, and the first processing time is less than or equal to the maximum receiving processing time, that is, the processing of the first MAC layer data unit ends within the maximum receiving processing time. If there is a minimum receiving processing time, the processing of the first MAC layer data unit ends at the first processing time, and the first processing time is greater than or equal to the minimum receiving processing time, that is, the processing of the first MAC layer data unit ends after the minimum receiving processing time. If there is a maximum receiving processing time and a minimum receiving processing time, the processing of the first MAC layer data unit ends at the first processing time, and the first processing time is greater than the minimum receiving processing time and less than the maximum receiving processing time, or the first processing time is equal to the minimum receiving processing time, or the first processing time is equal to the maximum receiving processing time; that is, the processing of the first MAC layer data unit ends within the range of the maximum receiving processing time and the minimum receiving processing time.

[0241] In some embodiments, if the processing of the first MSDU is not completed within the first processing time, the processing of the first MSDU is interrupted, and the processing of the next MSDU is started. Alternatively, if the processing of the first MSDU is not completed within the agreed maximum receiving processing time, the processing of the first MSDU is interrupted, and the processing of the next MSDU is started; if the processing of the first MSDU is completed within the agreed minimum receiving processing time, the processing of the first MSDU is continued until the first processing time is equal to the minimum receiving processing time, and then the processing of the first MSDU is ended.

[0242] In the optional embodiment based on FIG. 3, the method further comprises: ending the processing of the first MAC layer data unit at the first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first flow, and the first processing time being used to indicate the residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

[0243] Similarly, the above-mentioned "ending the processing of the first MAC layer data unit at the first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first flow, and the first processing time being used to indicate the residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer" can be implemented as: ending the processing of the first MSDU at the first processing time, the first MSDU belonging to the first flow, and the first processing time being used to indicate the residence time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer.

[0244] It should be noted that the above-mentioned first MSDU is an MSDU belonging to the first flow, which can be understood as the first MSDU being an MSDU belonging to the SCS flow; the at least one MSDU belonging to the first flow can be understood as the at least one MSDU belonging to the SCS flow, and the like, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0245] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application sets the first processing time to limit the residence time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer, which can avoid the line head blocking problem caused by the loss or delay of the first MSDU as much as possible, and improves the reliability in the transmission process. In addition, setting the first processing time (which can be understood as the maximum receiving processing time and / or the minimum receiving processing time) can make the transmission of the first MSDU (or the first flow) meet its demand for network jitter. For example, the value range of the first processing time (i.e. the maximum receiving processing time and / or the minimum receiving processing time) can be set to be less than or equal to the network jitter, thereby improving the transmission quality.

[0246] Next, the determination method of the first processing time is described.

[0247] In some embodiments, the first processing time is any one of: a time when the first MAC layer data unit arrives at the MAC layer to a time when the first MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; an end time of a third service period to a time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer, the third service period being a service period of a first flow to which the first MAC layer data unit corresponds; a start time of the third service period to the time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; an end time of a first delay boundary to the time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; a start time of the first delay boundary to the time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; an end time of a first life cycle to the time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; and a start time of the first life cycle to the time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer.

[0248] Similarly, it can be understood that the first processing time is any one of: a time when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer to a time when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer; an end time of a third service period to a time when the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer, the third service period being a service period of a first flow to which the first MSDU corresponds; a start time of the third service period to the time when the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer; an end time of a first delay boundary to the time when the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer; a start time of the first delay boundary to the time when the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer; an end time of a first life cycle to the time when the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer; and a start time of the first life cycle to the time when the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer.

[0249] In some embodiments, the at least one MSDU is transmitted within the third service period or the first delay boundary or the first life cycle, and the at least one MSDU includes the first MSDU.

[0250] In some embodiments, the time when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer is a time when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the receiving end, and the time when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer is a time when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer of the receiving end.

[0251] In some embodiments, the third service period is a service period of a first flow to which the first MSDU corresponds, or the third service period is used for transmission of at least one data unit belonging to the first flow. Optionally, the third service period has the same meaning as the first service period mentioned above.

[0252] The first delay bound is used to indicate the maximum time for transmitting the first flow corresponding to the first MSDU. The time for transmitting the first flow corresponding to the first MSDU is measured from the time when one MSDU reaches the MAC layer of the sending end to the time when it is successfully received by the receiving end. The sending end is the STA or AP that sends the first MSDU; the receiving end is the STA or AP that receives the first MSDU.

[0253] The first lifetime is used to indicate the time for which the first MSDU is a valid MSDU. The first MSDU needs to satisfy that the measured time is less than the first lifetime, where the measured time refers to the time from the time when one MSDU reaches the MAC layer of the sending end to the time when it is successfully received by the receiving end.

[0254] It should be noted that the above-mentioned sending end can also be referred to as a sending station, a transmitting end, a transmitting station, a transmitter, a sender, and the like. The above-mentioned receiving end can also be referred to as a receiving station, a receiver, and the like.

[0255] In some embodiments, at least one of the third service period, the first delay bound, and the first lifetime is indicated in the first flow, i.e., there is a field in the first flow (or at least one data unit belonging to the first flow) indicating at least one of the third service period, the first delay bound, and the first lifetime. Alternatively, there is a field in the first flow (or at least one data unit belonging to the first flow) indicating at least one of the end time of the third service period, the start time of the third service period, the duration of the third service period, the end time of the first delay bound, the start time of the first delay bound, the duration of the first delay bound, the start time of the first lifetime, the end time of the first lifetime, and the duration of the first lifetime.

[0256] In some embodiments, for a STA, the first processing time is used to indicate the residence time of the first MSDU in the MAC layer, i.e., the first processing time is used to indicate the residence time of the first MSDU in the MAC layer of the STA; for an AP, the same applies, i.e., the first processing time is used to indicate the residence time of the first MSDU in the MAC layer, i.e., the first processing time is used to indicate the residence time of the first MSDU in the MAC layer of the AP.

[0257] In some embodiments, the time when the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer can be determined according to the determination method shown in "3.1 Time when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer" below. That is, the time when the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer is any one of the following: the time when the first MSDU in the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC SAP of the MAC layer; the time when all MSDUs in the at least one MSDU leave the MAC SAP of the MAC layer; and the time when the last MSDU in the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC SAP of the MAC layer. The at least one MSDU is the MSDU belonging to the first flow, or all MSDUs belonging to the first flow, or all MSDUs belonging to the first flow, or all MSDUs belonging to the first flow that are continuously transmitted.

[0258] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application shows the determination method of the first processing time, and different determination methods of the first processing time can be used for different transmission scenarios, such as selecting different determination methods of the first processing time according to whether a service period is set, whether multiple MSDUs belonging to the first flow are included, and the like, so as to ensure the availability of the first processing time.

[0259] 3.1 Time when the first MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer.

[0260] In some embodiments, the time when the first MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer is any one of the following: the time when the first MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC SAP of the MAC layer; and the time when the first MAC layer data unit in the aggregated MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit being the first or last MAC layer data unit in the aggregated MAC layer data unit.

[0261] Similarly, it can be understood that the time when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer is any one of the following: the time when the first MSDU leaves the MAC SAP of the MAC layer; and the time when the first MSDU in the A-MSDU leaves the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the first MSDU being the first or last MSDU in the A-MSDU.

[0262] The SAP is an interface between layers in the OSI (Open System Interconnection) layered model.

[0263] In some embodiments, the time marking the departure of the MSDU at the local MAC sublayer from the local MAC SAP can be understood as the time marking the departure of the first MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, or the time marking the departure of the first MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC sublayer, or the time marking the departure of the first MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer of the receiving end, or the time marking the departure of the first MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC sublayer of the receiving end. Specifically, the time marking the departure of the first MSDU at the MAC layer can be determined based on at least one of the following: the time at which the receiving end generates the MA-UNITDATA.indication corresponding to the first MSDU; the time at which the first MSDU is sent from the MAC sublayer entity to the LLC sublayer entity; the time at which the first MSDU is sent from the MAC sublayer entity to the bridge port.

[0264] In some embodiments, in the case that the first stream is a multicast stream or a broadcast stream, the time at which the first MSDU is sent from the MAC sublayer entity to the LLC sublayer entity can be the time at which the first MSDU is sent from the MAC sublayer entity to a plurality of LLC sublayer entities, or the earliest time at which the first MSDU is sent from the MAC sublayer entity to a plurality of LLC sublayer entities; the time at which the first MSDU is sent from the MAC sublayer entity to the bridge port can be the time at which the first MSDU is sent from the MAC sublayer entity to a plurality of bridge ports, or the latest time at which the first MSDU is sent from the MAC sublayer entity to a plurality of bridge ports, or the earliest time at which the first MSDU is sent from the MAC sublayer entity to a plurality of bridge ports.

[0265] In some embodiments, the time marking the departure of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the local MAC sublayer from the local MAC SAP can be understood as the time marking the departure of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the MAC layer from the MAC SAP, the time marking the departure of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the MAC sublayer from the MAC SAP, the time marking the departure of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the MAC layer of the receiving end from the MAC SAP, or the time marking the departure of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the MAC sublayer of the receiving end from the MAC SAP. The first MSDU can be the first MSDU or the last MSDU in the A-MSDU.

[0266] In some embodiments, in the case that the MAC layer data unit is an A-MSDU, the time marking the departure of the first A-MSDU at the MAC layer from the MAC SAP can be understood as the time marking the departure of the first MSDU in the first A-MSDU at the MAC layer from the MAC SAP, or the time marking the departure of the last MSDU in the first A-MSDU at the MAC layer from the MAC SAP. The time marking the departure of the MSDU in the first A-MSDU at the MAC layer from the MAC SAP can be understood as the time marking the departure of the first A-MSDU at the MAC layer from the MAC SAP, or the time marking the departure of the MSDU at the MAC layer from the MAC SAP. That is, for an A-MSDU, each MSDU in the A-MSDU corresponds to the same time marking the departure of the A-MSDU at the MAC layer from the MAC SAP, or corresponds to different times marking the departure of the MSDU at the MAC layer from the MAC SAP.

[0267] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application shows the determination manner of the time marking the departure of the first MSDU at the MAC layer, and sets the determination manner of the time marking the departure of the first MSDU at the MAC layer for a single MSDU and an A-MSDU respectively, thereby ensuring the availability of the first processing time.

[0268] 3.2 The time marking the arrival of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

[0269] In some embodiments, the time marking the arrival of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer is any one of: the time marking the arrival of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer; the time marking the arrival of the first MAC layer data unit in the aggregated MAC layer data unit at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit being the first or the last MAC layer data unit in the aggregated MAC layer data unit; the time marking the sending of the response data unit corresponding to the first MAC layer data unit by the STA; the time marking the sending of the response data unit corresponding to the first MAC layer data unit by the AP.

[0270] Similarly, it can be understood that: the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU at the MAC layer is any one of: the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer; the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU in the A-MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the first MSDU being the first or the last MSDU in the A-MSDU; the time marking the sending of the response data unit corresponding to the first MSDU by the STA; the time marking the sending of the response data unit corresponding to the first MSDU by the AP.

[0271] In some embodiments, the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer can be understood as the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC sublayer, can also be understood as the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer of the receiving end, or the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC sublayer of the receiving end, i.e. the time marking the arrival of the MSDU at the local MAC sublayer from the local MAC SAP, can also be understood as the time marking the passing of the first MSDU from the PHY layer of the receiving end to the MAC layer, or the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU at the MAC layer from the leaving of the PHY SAP, can also be understood as the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU at the MAC SAP from the leaving of the PHY SAP.

[0272] In some embodiments, the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the local MAC sublayer from the local MAC SAP can be understood as the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the MAC sublayer of the MAC layer, the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the MAC layer of the MAC layer, the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the MAC layer of the MAC layer from the MAC layer, the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the MAC layer of the MAC layer from the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the MAC sublayer of the MAC layer from the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the MAC sublayer of the MAC layer from the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the MAC layer of the MAC layer from the PHY layer, the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the MAC layer of the MAC layer from the PHY SAP, the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, or the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU of the MSDUs constituting an A-MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer from the PHY SAP. The first MSDU can be the first MSDU or the last MSDU of the A-MSDU.

[0273] In some embodiments, the time marking the arrival of the first A-MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer can be understood as the time marking the arrival of the first MSDU of the first A-MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the time marking the arrival of the last MSDU of the first A-MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer. The time marking the arrival of the MSDU of the first A-MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer can be understood as the time marking the arrival of the first A-MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, or the time marking the arrival of the MSDU at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer. That is, for the A-MSDU, each MSDU of the A-MSDU corresponds to the same time marking the arrival at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, or corresponds to different times marking the arrival at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer.

[0274] In some embodiments, the response data unit is used to respond to the first MSDU, that is, the response data unit is used to indicate to the sending end of the first MSDU that the STA or the AP has successfully received the first MSDU. Optionally, the response data unit can be a data unit including a BA (Block ACK) frame, or a data unit including an ACK frame, or a BA frame, or an ACK frame.

[0275] In some embodiments, the response data unit is used for responding to the A-MSDU, and the first MSDU is included in the A-MSDU, i.e., the response data unit is used to indicate to the sending end of the A-MSDU that the STA or the AP has successfully received the A-MSDU.

[0276] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application shows the determination manner of the time when the first MSDU reaches the MAC layer, and sets the determination manner of the time when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer for a single MSDU and an A-MSDU respectively, thereby ensuring the availability of the first processing time.

[0277] For the above-mentioned first processing time, the time when the first MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer, and the time when the first MAC layer data unit reaches the MAC layer, the following will show several example scenarios of the first processing time in combination with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the MAC layer data unit is any one of MPDU, MSDU, A-MPDU, and A-MSDU. Here, the first MAC layer data unit is taken as the first MSDU or at least one MSDU (i.e., the first A-MSDU) for example, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited in this regard.

[0278] 3.3 Example scenarios of the first processing time.

[0279] It should be noted that the first processing time is the actual residence time of the first MSDU or at least one MSDU in the MAC layer; in general, the maximum value and the minimum value of the first processing time will be agreed, the maximum value of the first processing time can be referred to as the maximum receiving processing time, and the minimum value of the first processing time can be referred to as the minimum receiving processing time. The following will explain the determination method of the maximum receiving processing time and the minimum receiving processing time.

[0280] • The time when the first MSDU reaches the MAC layer to the time when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer.

[0281] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 27, during the transmission of the first MSDU, the maximum receiving processing time 33 is the maximum time for the receiving end of the first MSDU to process the first MSDU, i.e., the maximum time from the time 31 when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the receiving end to the time when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer of the receiving end, or the time from the time 31 when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the receiving end to the latest time 32 when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer of the receiving end. The time 31 when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the receiving end is the time when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, or the time when the first MSDU in the A-MSDU arrives at the MAC SAP of the MAC layer. The latest time 32 when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer of the receiving end is the latest time when the first MSDU leaves the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, or the latest time when the first MSDU in the A-MSDU leaves the MAC SAP of the MAC layer. The first MSDU is the first MSDU or the last MSDU in the A-MSDU. The receiving end (STA or AP) starts timing from the time when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the receiving end, until the first MSDU is processed, and ends timing when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer of the receiving end, i.e., the timing mode of the maximum receiving processing time, or the timing mode of the first processing time.

[0282] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 28, during the transmission of the first MSDU, the maximum receiving processing time 33 is the time from the time 31 when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the receiving end to the latest time 32 when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer of the receiving end. Compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. 27, the time 31 when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the receiving end is the time when the STA or AP sends the response data unit corresponding to the first MSDU.

[0283] The minimum receiving processing time is the same. Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 29, during the transmission of the first MSDU, the minimum receiving processing time 43 is the minimum time for the receiving end of the first MSDU to process the first MSDU, i.e., the minimum time from the time 41 when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the receiving end to the time when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer of the receiving end, or the time from the time 41 when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the receiving end to the earliest time 42 when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer of the receiving end.

[0284] For example, as shown in FIG. 30, during the transmission of the first MSDU, the minimum reception processing time 43 is the time from the time 41 at which the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the receiving end to the earliest time 42 at which the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer of the receiving end. Compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. 29, the time 41 at which the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the receiving end is the time at which the STA or the AP finishes transmitting the response data unit corresponding to the first MSDU.

[0285] • the time at which the third service period ends to the time at which the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer.

[0286] For example, as shown in FIG. 31, the AP arranges a third service period 34 for the transmission of the at least one MSDU belonging to the first flow, at this time, the maximum reception processing time 33 is the time from the end time 35 of the third service period 34 to the latest time 36 at which the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer, that is, the maximum reception processing time 33 is the maximum residence time of the at least one MSDU transmitted in the third service period at the MAC layer. In this way, all the at least one MSDU belonging to the first flow in the same service period has the same time at which it leaves the MAC layer of the receiving end.

[0287] The minimum reception processing time is the same. For example, as shown in FIG. 32, the AP arranges a third service period 44 for the transmission of the at least one MSDU belonging to the first flow, at this time, the minimum reception processing time 43 is the time from the end time 45 of the third service period 44 to the earliest time 46 at which the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer, that is, the minimum reception processing time 43 is the minimum residence time of the at least one MSDU transmitted in the third service period at the MAC layer.

[0288] • the time at which the third service period ends to the time at which the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer.

[0289] For example, as shown in FIG. 33, the AP arranges a third service period 34 for the transmission of the at least one MSDU belonging to the first flow, at this time, the maximum reception processing time 33 is the time from the start time 37 of the third service period 34 to the latest time 36 at which the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer, that is, the maximum reception processing time 33 is the maximum residence time of the at least one MSDU transmitted in the third service period at the MAC layer. In this way, all the at least one MSDU belonging to the first flow in the same service period has the same time at which it leaves the MAC layer of the receiving end.

[0290] The minimum reception processing time is the same. For example, as shown in FIG. 34, the AP schedules a third service period 44 for transmission of the at least one MSDU belonging to the first flow, at which time the minimum reception processing time 43 is the time from the start time 47 of the third service period 44 to the earliest time 46 at which the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer, i.e., the minimum reception processing time 43 is the minimum residence time of the at least one MSDU transmitted within the third service period at the MAC layer.

[0291] • the start time of the first delay boundary to the time at which the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer.

[0292] For example, as shown in FIG. 35, the first delay boundary is for transmission of the at least one MSDU belonging to the first flow, at which time the maximum reception processing time 33 is the time from the start time of the first delay boundary 38 to the latest time 36 at which the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer, i.e., the maximum reception processing time 33 is the maximum residence time of the at least one MSDU transmitted within the first delay boundary 38 at the MAC layer.

[0293] The minimum reception processing time is the same. For example, as shown in FIG. 36, the first delay boundary is for transmission of the at least one MSDU belonging to the first flow, at which time the minimum reception processing time 43 is the time from the start time 47 of the first delay boundary 48 to the earliest time 46 at which the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer, i.e., the minimum reception processing time 43 is the minimum residence time of the at least one MSDU transmitted within the first delay boundary 48 at the MAC layer.

[0294] It should be noted that the start time of the first delay boundary is the time at which the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the sending end. In some embodiments, the first MSDU or the at least one MSDU carries the start time of the first delay boundary, or the receiving end cannot obtain the start time of the first delay boundary. In the case that the receiving end cannot obtain the start time of the first delay boundary, the receiving end can take the start time 37 of the third service period as the start time of the first delay boundary, or determine the start time 37 of the third service period as the start time of the first delay boundary. At this time, the maximum reception processing time 33 can also be said to be the time from the start time 37 of the third service period to the latest time 36 at which the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer, and the minimum reception processing time 43 can also be said to be the time from the start time 47 of the third service period to the earliest time 46 at which the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer.

[0295] • the end time of the first delay boundary to the time at which the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer.

[0296] For example, as shown in FIG. 37, the first delay boundary is the transmission of the first MSDU for the first stream, and the maximum receiving processing time 33 is the time from the end time of the first delay boundary 38 to the latest time 32 when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer, i.e., the maximum receiving processing time 33 is the maximum residence time of the first MSDU transmitted within the first delay boundary 38 at the MAC layer.

[0297] The minimum receiving processing time is similar. For example, as shown in FIG. 38, the first delay boundary is the transmission of the first MSDU for the first stream, and the minimum receiving processing time 43 is the time from the end time of the first delay boundary 48 to the earliest time 42 when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer, i.e., the minimum receiving processing time 43 is the minimum residence time of the first MSDU transmitted within the first delay boundary 48 at the MAC layer.

[0298] In some embodiments, the time from the end time of the first life cycle to when the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer is similar to the time from the end time of the third service period to when the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer, and the time from the start time of the first life cycle to when the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer is similar to the time from the start time of the third service period to when the at least one MSDU leaves the MAC layer, which will not be described herein again.

[0299] It should be noted that the determination method of the first processing time shown above needs to satisfy that the STA or the AP explicitly at least one of the third service period, the first delay boundary, and the first life cycle. That is, the STA or the AP explicitly at least one of the start time, the end time, and the duration of the third service period, and / or the STA or the AP explicitly at least one of the start time, the end time, and the duration of the first delay boundary, and / or the STA or the AP explicitly at least one of the start time, the end time, and the duration of the first life cycle.

[0300] For example, the third service period is arranged by the AP, and the interval between multiple service periods is negotiated in advance through the minimum service interval field (min SI) and the maximum service interval field (max SI) during the establishment of the first flow. The determination method of the first processing time shown in the above needs to be executed on the basis that the min SI and the max SI are the same or the AP explicitly indicates the start time and / or the end time of each service period. For example, the AP arranges an R-TWT SP for transmitting the first flow. The specific method can be to set the TID corresponding to the first flow as the R-TWT TID of the R-TWT SP. Or, the min SI and the max SI of the first flow negotiated by the STA and the AP are the same. At this time, the duration (i.e. length) of a service period arranged by the AP is equal to the medium time × min SI, or the medium time × max SI.

[0301] As shown in FIG. 37 or FIG. 38, the first MSDU carries an arrival time 39 and / or an expiration time 40 of the first delay bound, or the MPDU corresponding to the first MSDU carries the arrival time and / or the expiration time of the first delay bound. The duration of the first delay bound is pre-negotiated by the STA or the AP during the establishment of the first stream. The arrival time of the first delay bound corresponds to the start time of the first delay bound, and the expiration time of the first delay bound corresponds to the end time of the first delay bound. The arrival time of the first delay bound is the time when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the sending end, and the expiration time of the first delay bound is the latest time when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC of the receiving end, i.e., the first MSDU should arrive at the MAC layer of the receiving end before the expiration time. At this time, the STA or the AP can determine how to count the first processing time based on at least one of the start time, the end time and the duration of the first delay bound. For example, the first processing time is counted from the start time of the first delay bound, or the first processing time is counted from the end time of the first delay bound, etc. In addition, the above-mentioned three parameters also have the following corresponding relationship: expiration time = arrival time + delay bound. That is, the end time = the start time + the duration. Optionally, the above-mentioned arrival time and / or expiration time can be carried in the HT control field of the MPDU. The expiration time can also be referred to as the expiration time. In some embodiments, the first delay bound is used to transmit at least one MSDU, and the arrival time of the first delay bound refers to the time when the first MSDU of the at least one MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the sending end, or the time when the last MSDU of the at least one MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the sending end; and the expiration time of the first delay bound refers to the time when the first MSDU of the at least one MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the receiving end, or the time when the last MSDU of the at least one MSDU arrives at the MAC layer of the receiving end.

[0302] It should be noted that the above-mentioned at least one MSDU can be replaced by the first MSDU, the first MSDU of the at least one MSDU, the last MSDU of the at least one MSDU, etc. in some scenarios, which will not be described here.

[0303] In some embodiments, the first stream corresponds to an independent replay counter.

[0304] In some embodiments, after the receiving end delivers the at least one MAC layer data unit in the receiving reorder buffer to the next MAC process, the receiving end also needs to perform replay detection on the at least one MAC layer data unit to ensure that the same MAC layer data unit will not be repeatedly delivered.

[0305] In some embodiments, replay detection is implemented by counting the Packet Number (PN) for at least one service data unit. The rules for replay detection include at least one of the following:

[0306] • The PN value is continuously counted for each MAC Protcol Data Unit (MPDU). MPDUs belonging to the same MSDU or A-MSDU shall have the same PN. Different MSDUs or A-MSDUs or M-MPDUs have different PNs.

[0307] • Each data sender device shall maintain a PN value for each Pairwise Transient Key Security Association (PTKSA), Group Temporal Key Security Association (GTKSA), and Station Key Security Association (STAkeySA).

[0308] • The PN sequence is a 48-bit monotonically increasing positive integer, which is initialized to 1 when the corresponding transient key is initialized or rekeyed.

[0309] • The data receiver device shall maintain a separate set of PN replay counters for each PTKSA, GTKSA, and STAkeySA. The data receiver device resets the replay counter to 0 when the transient key is reset. The replay counter is set to the PN value of the next receivable Cipher-Block Chaining Message Authentication Code (CBC-MAC) Protocol (CCMP) MPDU.

[0310] • The data receiver device maintains a separate replay counter for IEEE 802.11 MSDU priority for each PTKSA, GTKSA, and STAkeySA, and checks for replayed data frames from the received data frames by obtaining the PN value. IEEE 802.11 MSDU priority is not used at this time. The data sender does not reorder frames within the replay counter, but can reorder data frames outside the replay counter.

[0311] • If the PN values of multiple fragmented MSDUs corresponding to a complete MSDU are not consecutive, the complete MSDU will be discarded by the data receiver device. The data receiver device will also discard any MPDUs with a PN value less than or equal to the replay counter value.

[0312] In some embodiments, the first stream is a SCS stream, and the receiving end can set a replay counter for each SCS stream under the same TA (Transmission Address) and TID according to the SCSID of each MSDU or A-MSDU received. For example, as shown in FIG. 39, the MSDU with SN=X+1 corresponds to the replay counter of SCS1, and the MSDU with SN=X+2 corresponds to the replay counter of SCS2.

[0313] In some embodiments, the residence time of an MSDU in the receiving reordering buffer cannot exceed the maximum value of the first processing time. Before that, the MSDU must enter the next MAC processing procedure, such as replay detection.

[0314] That is, the residence time of an MSDU in the receiving reordering buffer of the receiving end cannot exceed the first processing time. Even if the MSDU in the receiving reordering buffer of the receiving end is not the first MSDU (i.e., the SN of the MSDU is not equal to WinStartB), the MSDU needs to be passed to the next MAC processing procedure (such as replay detection) within the processing time.

[0315] In some embodiments, the first stream corresponds to an independent replay counter, which can improve the security of the transmission of the first stream and avoid replay attacks on the first stream. Meanwhile, the independent replay counter allows accurate tracking of the first stream instead of relying on a global replay counter, which can more effectively manage resources and improve processing speed.

[0316] In some embodiments, the association between the first stream and the second stream is determined during the establishment of the first frame. Next, a method for determining the association between the first stream and the second stream is shown.

[0317] 4. Method for determining the association.

[0318] In some embodiments, the second stream is established during the establishment of the first stream. That is, in the optional embodiment based on FIG. 2, step 210 can be implemented as: establishing the first stream based on the at least one first field and / or the at least one second field. Optionally, the at least one second field is used to establish the second stream; and / or, the at least one second field is used to establish the association between the first stream and the second stream.

[0319] In some embodiments, the establishing the first stream based on the at least one first field and / or the at least one second field comprises: sending a first request frame, the first request frame being used to request to establish the first stream; and establishing the first stream based on the first request frame; wherein the first request frame comprises the at least one first field and / or the at least one second field. Specifically, the method further comprises: receiving a first response frame, the first response frame being used to respond to the first request frame. The first response frame is used to indicate whether the AP agrees to establish the first stream; and the STA establishes the first stream based on the first request frame sent by the STA only when the first response frame indicates that the AP agrees to establish the first stream.

[0320] In some embodiments, the AP determines whether the first stream requested in the first request frame is feasible based on current network resource and QoS policy.

[0321] For example, the first stream is an SCS stream, and the establishing the first stream comprises: the STA and the AP negotiating the first stream through an SCS request frame and an SCS response frame. The SCS request frame and / or the SCS response frame comprises the at least one first field and the at least one second field.

[0322] In some embodiments, it can be understood that the first stream is established based on the at least one first field, and the second stream is established based on the at least one second field.

[0323] In the optional embodiment based on FIG. 3, the step 310 can be implemented as: establishing the first stream based on the at least one first field and / or the at least one second field received. Optionally, the at least one second field is used to establish the second stream; and / or the at least one second field is used to establish an association between the first stream and the second stream.

[0324] In some embodiments, the establishing the first stream based on the at least one first field and / or the at least one second field comprises: receiving a first request frame, the first request frame being used to request to establish the first stream; and establishing the first stream based on the first request frame; wherein the first request frame comprises the at least one first field and / or the at least one second field. Specifically, the method further comprises: sending a first response frame, the first response frame being used to respond to the first request frame. The first response frame is used to indicate whether the AP agrees to establish the first stream. Optionally, the AP determines the first response frame based on at least one of network resource and QoS policy and the first request frame. When the first stream requested in the first request frame does not meet the establishment condition, the AP sends a response frame to the STA, the response frame indicating that the AP does not agree to establish the first stream; and when the first stream requested in the first request frame meets the establishment condition, the AP sends a response frame to the STA, the response frame indicating that the AP agrees to establish the first stream.

[0325] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can establish the second flow associated with the first flow in the process of establishing the first flow, i.e., one frame exchange process realizes the establishment of two flows, thereby improving the efficiency of flow establishment. In addition, the method supports the establishment of the second flow by the STA and the AP together to support the transmission of other STAs, i.e., one STA can establish the flow between other STAs and the AP, and can realize that the high-capability STA assists the low-capability STA to establish the second flow, thereby improving the efficiency of the establishment of the second flow. The high and low capabilities can be understood as the acquisition and processing capabilities of service data, the high and low permissions in the application layer, etc.

[0326] Next, at least one first field and / or at least one second field used for establishing the first flow and the second flow are shown.

[0327] 4.1 At least one first field and / or at least one second field for establishing the first flow and the second flow.

[0328] In some embodiments, the at least one first field is carried by a first element, and / or the at least one second field is carried by the first element. Optionally, the first element is a quality of service characteristics element (QOS CHARACTERISTICS ELEMENT). The at least one first field and the at least one second field can also be carried by different elements, such as the at least one first field is carried by a first element and the at least one second field is carried by a second element.

[0329] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 40, the at least one second field includes at least one of the following fields: first type information, the first type information being used to indicate that the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow belongs to a first type; and second type information, the second type information being used to indicate that the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow belongs to a second type.

[0330] In some embodiments, the lengths of the first type information and the second type information are 0 or variable byte lengths. If the first type information is 0 bytes, it means that no second flow associated with the first flow in the first type is established; if the second type information is 0 bytes, it means that no second flow associated with the first flow in the second type is established.

[0331] In some embodiments, the first type information can be referred to as a Follow-up Traffic field or other equivalent name; and the second type information can be referred to as a Triggering Traffic field or other equivalent name. That is, as shown in FIG. 40, the follow-up flow and the triggering flow.

[0332] In some embodiments, the first type of information and / or the second type of information is also used to indicate the second stream, i.e., the first type of information and / or the second type of information comprises the second stream parameter, i.e., the parameter related to the second stream.

[0333] In some embodiments, the first type of information is used to indicate that the transmission of the MSDU of the first stream represented by the current first element will trigger the transmission of the MSDU of the second stream. For example, when the AP schedules a service period for the transmission of the MSDU of the first stream represented by the current first element, another service period (or within the same service period) is needed for the transmission of the MSDU of the second stream indicated by the first type of information.

[0334] In some embodiments, the second type of information is used to indicate the second stream. When the MSDU of the second stream is transmitted, the transmission of the MSDU of the first stream represented by the first element will be triggered. For example, when the AP schedules a service period for the transmission of the MSDU of the second stream, another service period (or within the same service period) is needed for the transmission of the MSDU of the first stream represented by the first element.

[0335] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 41, the first type of information and / or the second type of information comprises the following field: service start time difference, which is used to indicate the time difference between the first stream and the second stream.

[0336] In some embodiments, the length of the service start time difference (Delta Service Start Time) is 2 bytes or other bytes.

[0337] In some embodiments, for the first type of information, the service start time difference indicates that when the transmission of the MSDU of the first stream is finished (or when the service period for the transmission of the MSDU of the first stream is finished), the transmission of the second stream indicated by the first type of information needs to be started after the interval of the service start time difference (or the second stream will reach the sending station after the interval of the service start time difference).

[0338] In some embodiments, for the second type of information, in the case that the second stream is not an SCS stream or the second stream parameter does not include the first element (e.g., in the case that the amount of MSDU data belonging to the second stream is small), the service start time difference indicates that after the transmission of the MSDU belonging to the second stream is completed, the transmitting end needs to start the transmission of the MSDU belonging to the first stream (or start a service period for the transmission of the MSDU belonging to the first stream) after an interval of the service start time difference. Or, in the case that the second stream is an SCS stream or the second stream parameter includes the first element, the service start time difference indicates that after the end of a service period for the transmission of the MSDU belonging to the second stream, the transmitting end needs to start the transmission of the MSDU belonging to the first stream (or start a service period for the transmission of the MSDU belonging to the first stream) after the service start time difference.

[0339] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 41, the first type of information and / or the second type of information further includes at least one of the following fields: a length, the length being used to indicate the length of the field of the first type of information or the second type of information; a presence bitmap, the presence bitmap being used to indicate the fields included in the first type of information or the second type of information; an SCS identifier, the SCS identifier being used to indicate whether the second stream indicated by the first type of information or the second type of information is an SCS stream; a direction, the direction being used to indicate the direction of the transmission of the second stream; a traffic identifier; a user priority; a MAC address of a STA, the STA address being used to indicate the address of the STA corresponding to the second stream; a link identifier, the link identifier being used to indicate the link used for the transmission corresponding to the second stream; a quality of service characteristic element, the quality of service characteristic element being used to indicate the parameters related to the quality of service; a TCLAS element, the traffic classification and control element being used to define the traffic classification rule and the processing strategy; and a TCLAS processing element, the TCLAS being used to indicate the processing manner of the plurality of TCLAS.

[0340] The length (Length) indicates the length (i.e., the number of bytes or bits) of the first type of information or the second type of information. The length field can be 1 bit or other bit length.

[0341] The presence bitmap (Presence Bitmap) is used to indicate the fields included in the first type of information or the second type of information. The presence bitmap field can be 10 bits or other bit length. Each bit corresponds to a field (e.g., the SCS identifier, the direction, the traffic identifier, the user priority, the MAC address of the STA, the link identifier, the quality of service characteristic element, etc.). When a bit is set to “1”, the corresponding field appears in the first type of information or the second type of information. When a bit is set to “0”, the corresponding field does not appear in the first type of information or the second type of information.

[0342] SCS ID (SCS ID) indicates the SCS ID of the second stream indicated by the first type information or the second type information. When the SCS ID field does not exist, the second stream is not an SCS stream. Optionally, the length of the SCS ID field is 8 bits.

[0343] Direction (Direction) indicates the direction of the second stream transmission. For example, UL or DL. Optionally, the direction can also be P2P. Optionally, the length of the direction field is 1 bit or 2 bits.

[0344] Traffic Identifier (TID) indicates the TID of the second stream. The length of the traffic identifier field can be 3 bits or 4 bits, that is, the value of the TID can be 0-7 or 0-15.

[0345] User Priority (User Priority) indicates the user priority of the second stream. The length of the user priority field can be 3 bits.

[0346] STA MAC Address (Non-AP STA MAC Address) indicates that the second stream is the flow between the Non-AP STA (or non-AP MLD) and the AP indicated by the MAC address of the STA. The STA MAC address can be set to the MAC address of the non-AP MLD or the STA MAC address of the non-AP MLD on the link ID field or the Non-AP STA MAC address (for non-MLD legacy STA). The length of the STA MAC address field is 6 bytes.

[0347] Link ID (Link ID) indicates that the second stream will be transmitted on the link indicated by the field. When the first type information or the second type information does not exist Link ID, the second stream will be transmitted on any link allowed by TID-to-Link Mapping. The length of the link ID field is 1 byte.

[0348] QoS Characteristics Element (QoS Characteristics Element) indicates the service quality characteristic element of the second stream. Optionally, the service quality characteristic element field can include at least one first field and / or at least one second field provided by the embodiments of the present application, that is, the field can be the first element provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0349] In some embodiments, the TCLAS element field can be one or more, and the length of the TCLAS element field is variable.

[0350] In some embodiments, the length of the TCLAS processing element field is 0 bytes or 3 bytes.

[0351] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 40, the at least one first field comprises at least one of: a minimum receive processing time, the minimum receive processing time is used to indicate a shortest staying time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit belongs to the first flow; a maximum receive processing time, the maximum receive processing time is used to indicate a longest staying time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

[0352] Similarly, it can be understood that: the at least one first field comprises at least one of: a minimum MSDU receive processing time, the minimum MSDU receive processing time is used to indicate a shortest staying time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer, the first MSDU belongs to the first flow; a maximum MSDU receive processing time, the maximum MSDU receive processing time is used to indicate a longest staying time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer.

[0353] In some embodiments, the length of the minimum MSDU receive processing time (Min MSDU Rx Processing Time) is 0 or X (X = 1, 2, 3, 4 or other numerical value) bytes; the length of the maximum MSDU receive processing time (Max MSDU Rx Processing Time) is 0 or X (X = 1, 2, 3, 4 or other numerical value) bytes.

[0354] In some embodiments, the minimum MSDU receive processing time is used to indicate a shortest staying time of the MSDU of the first flow at the MAC layer of the receiving end, and the unit can be ms or us. The minimum MSDU receive processing time is the minimum value of the first processing time, or the minimum receive processing time described above. The determination manner of the minimum MSDU receive processing time can also refer to the determination manner of the first processing time described above. The minimum MSDU receive processing time can be determined based on at least one of: the earliest time from the MSDU reaching the MAC layer of the receiving end to leaving the MAC layer of the receiving end; the end time of a service period for transmitting and receiving at least one MSDU belonging to the first flow to the earliest time of the at least one MSDU leaving the MAC layer of the receiving end; the start time of a service period for transmitting and receiving at least one MSDU belonging to the first flow to the earliest time of the at least one MSDU leaving the MAC layer of the receiving end.

[0355] In some embodiments, the maximum MSDU receiving processing time is used to represent the longest residence time of the MSDUs of the first stream at the MAC layer of the receiving end, which can be in ms or us. The maximum MSDU receiving processing time is the maximum value of the first processing time, or the maximum receiving processing time described above. The determination of the maximum MSDU receiving processing time can also refer to the determination of the first processing time described above. The maximum MSDU receiving processing time can be determined based on at least one of the following: the latest time from the MSDU reaching the MAC layer of the receiving end to leaving the MAC layer of the receiving end; the latest time from the end of a service period for receiving and transmitting at least one MSDU belonging to the first stream to the at least one MSDU leaving the MAC layer of the receiving end; and the latest time from the beginning of a service period for receiving and transmitting at least one MSDU belonging to the first stream to the at least one MSDU leaving the MAC layer of the receiving end.

[0356] In some embodiments, the Max MSDU Rx Processing Time described above can be represented by (instead of) the MSDU Lifetime, or represented by (instead of) the MSDU Lifetime - Delay Bound, or represented by (instead of) the Delay Bound.

[0357] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 40, the at least one first field includes the following field: independent replay counter request, which is used to indicate whether an independent replay counter is needed for the first stream.

[0358] In some embodiments, the length of the independent replay counter request (Independent Replay Counter Request) is 0 or 1 bit.

[0359] In some embodiments, when the independent replay counter request is set to “1”, it indicates that the receiving end needs a separate replay counter for the MSDUs of the first stream for replay detection. Conversely, the independent replay counter request is set to “0”. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the “0” and “1” values of the field or element or bit setting can be reversed.

[0360] In some embodiments, if a separate replay counter is always used for each stream or SCS stream, the field can be omitted.

[0361] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 40, the at least one first field includes the following field: group address, which is used to indicate the address of the group of multiple STAs receiving the first stream.

[0362] In some embodiments, the Group Address has a length of 0 or 6 bytes.

[0363] In some embodiments, if the Group Address has a length other than 0, it indicates that the first stream is a multicast stream or a broadcast stream. When sending an MSDU belonging to the first stream, it needs to be sent to all member stations indicated in the Group Address. When sending an MSDU belonging to the first stream, the Receiver Address of the corresponding MPDU needs to be set to the Group Address.

[0364] In some embodiments, the TCLAS element can also be used to indicate that the Address 1 of the corresponding MSDU (or MPDU) is a Group Address. For example, the corresponding TCLAS element can be set to have a Classifier Type of 6, and the Address 1 Match Specification subfield can be set to the Group Address. At this time, the Group Address field included in at least one of the first fields can be a 1-bit indication bit, which is only used to indicate whether the first stream is a multicast stream or a broadcast stream.

[0365] For example, the first element is a quality of service characteristics element modified based on the method shown in the embodiments of the present application, as shown in FIG. 40. The first element is modified based on the quality of service characteristics element in the related art. The first element includes at least one of the following fields: element identifier; length; element identifier extension; control information; minimum service interval; maximum service interval; minimum data rate; delay boundary; maximum MSDU size; service start time; service start time link identifier; average data rate; delay-bounded burst size; MSDU lifetime; media time; following stream; trigger stream; maximum MSDU reception processing time; minimum MSDU reception processing time; group address; independent repetition counter request. The following stream is equivalent to the first type of information described above, and the trigger stream is equivalent to the second type of information described above.

[0366] In some embodiments, the specific format of the following stream and / or trigger stream can refer to FIG. 41. The following stream and / or trigger stream includes: length; presence bitmap; SCS identifier; direction; traffic identifier; user priority; MAC address of STA; link identifier; quality of service characteristics element; TCLAS element; TCLAS processing element. The quality of service characteristics element included in the following stream and / or trigger stream can be the quality of service characteristics element in the related art, or the first element shown in the embodiments of the present application, i.e., the modified quality of service characteristics element.

[0367] To sum up, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application shows at least one first field and / or second field in the establishment process of the first flow and the second flow, establishes the second flow through the at least one second field, so that the second flow can implement the method shown by the embodiments of the present application, and the reliability of the second flow is improved. Meanwhile, the first flow is established through the at least one first field, so that the first flow can support the method shown by the embodiments of the present application, and the reliability of the first flow is improved.

[0368] It should be noted that the field format, element format, byte number, frame format and the like shown by the embodiments of the present application are optional examples, and the present application supports any adaptive modification of the frame format, field format and element format of the related frame, such as adding fields, reducing part of the fields, recombining part of the fields, changing the byte number, changing the field name and the like on the basis of the frame format, field format and element format shown by the embodiments of the present application (such as any frame format, field format and element format shown in the above “4.1 at least one field for establishing the second flow”).

[0369] Again, it should be emphasized that the frame format, element format and field format shown by each of the above embodiments are examples and not limitations. The present application supports changing the format of each frame, element and field on the basis of the format design described in the foregoing, such as changing the order of fields / elements, changing the byte number of fields / elements, changing the bit number of fields / elements, changing the name of fields / elements / frames, and the like. It also supports setting part of the fields / elements as reserved fields. And setting part of the fields / elements as discarded fields. Or setting check bits, presence bits and the like for part of the fields / elements.

[0370] It should be understood that the format, name and value of the frame / element / field involved in each embodiment of the present application are only examples and do not mean to limit the format, name and value of the frame / element / field. In different embodiments or different designs, one or more of the name of the foregoing element / field, the position in the frame, the arrangement order between other elements / fields, the occupied byte number and the occupied bit number can be changed. In different embodiments or different designs, one or more of the name of the foregoing frame, the contained element / field, the occupied byte number and the occupied bit number can be changed.

[0371] It should be noted that the above sections "1. Association relationship", "2. Transmission of the first stream / second stream", "3. First processing time" and "4. Determination method of the association relationship" can be implemented as independent embodiments or combined embodiments. And the sub-sections therebetween can also be implemented as independent embodiments or combined embodiments. For example, for the first stream and the second stream satisfying the association relationship in "1. Association relationship", the transmission manner shown in "2. Transmission of the first stream / second stream" can be used; for the first stream and the second stream satisfying the association relationship in "1. Association relationship", the MAC layer data units belonging to the first stream and / or the MAC layer data units belonging to the second stream can be processed based on the processing manner shown in "3. First processing time"; for the first stream and the second stream satisfying the association relationship in "1. Association relationship", the association relationship can be determined by using the manner shown in "4. Determination method of the association relationship"; for the first stream and / or the second stream transmitted by using the manner shown in "2. Transmission of the first stream / second stream", the MAC layer data units belonging to the first stream and / or the MAC layer data units belonging to the second stream can be processed based on the processing manner shown in "3. First processing time"; for the first stream and / or the second stream transmitted by using the manner shown in "2. Transmission of the first stream / second stream", the association relationship can be determined by using the manner shown in "4. Determination method of the association relationship"; for the first stream and / or the second stream processed based on the processing manner shown in "3. First processing time", the association relationship can be determined by using the manner shown in "4. Determination method of the association relationship"; for the first stream and the second stream satisfying the association relationship in "1. Association relationship", the transmission manner shown in "2. Transmission of the first stream / second stream" can be used, and the MAC layer data units belonging to the first stream and / or the MAC layer data units belonging to the second stream can be processed based on the processing manner shown in "3. First processing time"; for the first stream and the second stream satisfying the association relationship in "1. Association relationship", the transmission manner shown in "2. Transmission of the first stream / second stream" can be used, and the association relationship can be determined by using the manner shown in "4. Determination method of the association relationship"; for the first stream and / or the second stream transmitted by using the manner shown in "2. Transmission of the first stream / second stream", the MAC layer data units belonging to the first stream and / or the MAC layer data units belonging to the second stream can be processed based on the processing manner shown in "3. First processing time", and the association relationship can be determined by using the manner shown in "4. Determination method of the association relationship"; for the first stream and / or the second stream satisfying the association relationship in "1. Association relationship", the transmission manner shown in "2. Transmission of the first stream / second stream" can be used, the MAC layer data units belonging to the first stream and / or the MAC layer data units belonging to the second stream can be processed based on the processing manner shown in "3. First processing time", and the association relationship can be determined by using the manner shown in "4. Determination method of the association relationship".

[0372] FIG. 42 shows a flowchart of a method for establishing an association relationship according to an example embodiment of the present application. The method is performed by a STA, which can be the STA shown in FIG. 1. The method comprises the following steps:

[0373] Step 410: Establish an association relationship between the first stream and the second stream.

[0374] In some embodiments, the association relationship can refer to the "1. Association relationship" described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0375] In some embodiments, the step 410 can be implemented by establishing the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream based on the at least one second field sent. Optionally, the specific content of the at least one second field can refer to the "4. Method for determining the association relationship" described above.

[0376] In some embodiments, the first stream is an SCS stream.

[0377] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application supports establishing an association relationship between the first stream and the second stream, so that the STA or the AP can support the transmission in a special scenario (such as a scenario where the first stream and the second stream are required to have an association relationship), increases the transmission scenarios supported by the STA and the AP, and improves the flexibility and scalability of the transmission based on the first stream.

[0378] FIG. 43 shows a flowchart of a method for establishing an association relationship according to an example embodiment of the present application. The method is performed by an AP, which can be the AP shown in FIG. 1. The method comprises the following steps:

[0379] Step 510: Establish an association relationship between the first stream and the second stream.

[0380] In some embodiments, the association relationship can refer to the "1. Association relationship" described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0381] In some embodiments, the step 510 can be implemented by establishing the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream based on the at least one second field received. Optionally, the specific content of the at least one second field can refer to the "4. Method for determining the association relationship" described above.

[0382] In some embodiments, the first stream is an SCS stream.

[0383] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application supports establishing an association relationship between the first stream and the second stream, so that the STA or the AP can support the transmission in a special scenario (such as a scenario where the first stream and the second stream are required to have an association relationship), increases the transmission scenarios supported by the STA and the AP, and improves the flexibility and scalability of the transmission based on the first stream.

[0384] It should be noted that the method shown in step 410 or step 510 can replace step 210 or step 310, and be combined with the above sections "1. Association relationship", "2. Transmission of the first stream / second stream", "3. First processing time", and "4. Determination method of the association relationship", and the specific combination manner can refer to the combination manners of the above sections "1. Association relationship", "2. Transmission of the first stream / second stream", "3. First processing time", and "4. Determination method of the association relationship", which will not be repeated here.

[0385] FIG. 44 shows a flowchart of a method for processing a data unit according to an example embodiment of the present application. The method is performed by a STA, which can be the STA shown in FIG. 1. The method comprises:

[0386] Step 610: ending the processing of the first MAC layer data unit at the first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first stream, and the first processing time being used to indicate the residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

[0387] The specific content can refer to the above "3. First processing time" and its sub-sections.

[0388] In some embodiments, the value range of the first processing time is determined based on the first stream; and the first stream is established by at least one second field. For example, the first stream determines the maximum value and / or the minimum value of the first processing time.

[0389] In some embodiments, the at least one second field comprises at least one of the following fields: a minimum reception processing time, the minimum reception processing time being used to indicate the shortest residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first stream; and a maximum reception processing time, the maximum reception processing time being used to indicate the longest residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

[0390] In some embodiments, the at least one second field is carried by a first element. For example, the first element is a quality of service characteristics element (QOS CHARACTERISTICS ELEMENT).

[0391] In some embodiments, the first stream is an SCS stream. Alternatively, the first stream can also be a non-SCS stream or other stream.

[0392] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can limit the residence time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer by recording the first processing time, so as to avoid the head-of-line blocking problem caused by the loss or delay of the first MSDU as much as possible, and improve the reliability in the transmission process.

[0393] FIG. 45 shows a flow chart of a method for processing a data unit according to an example embodiment of the present application. The method is performed by an AP, which can be the AP shown in FIG. 1. The method comprises:

[0394] Step 710: ending the processing of the first MAC layer data unit at the first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first flow, the first processing time being used to indicate the residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

[0395] The details can refer to the above "3. First processing time" and its sub-sections.

[0396] In some embodiments, the value range of the first processing time is determined based on the first flow; the first flow is established by the at least one second field. For example, the first flow determines the maximum value and / or the minimum value of the first processing time.

[0397] In some embodiments, the at least one second field comprises at least one of the following fields: minimum reception processing time, the minimum reception processing time being used to indicate the shortest residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first flow; maximum reception processing time, the maximum reception processing time being used to indicate the longest residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

[0398] In some embodiments, the at least one second field is carried by a first element. For example, the first element is a quality of service characteristics element (QOS CHARACTERISTICS ELEMENT).

[0399] In some embodiments, the first flow is an SCS flow. Alternatively, the first flow can also be a non-SCS flow or other flow.

[0400] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can limit the residence time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer by recording the first processing time, which can avoid the head-of-line blocking problem caused by the loss or delay of the first MSDU as much as possible, and improve the reliability in the transmission process.

[0401] It should be noted that the method shown in steps 610 and / or 710 can be combined with the alternative "3. First processing time" and the above sections "1. Association relationship", "2. Transmission of the first flow / second flow", and "4. Determination method of the association relationship". The specific combination manner can refer to the combination manner of the above sections "1. Association relationship", "2. Transmission of the first flow / second flow", "3. First processing time", and "4. Determination method of the association relationship", which will not be repeated here.

[0402] Figure 46 shows a structural block diagram of a stream establishment apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present application. The apparatus can be implemented as a STA or a part of a STA by software or hardware or a combination of both. The apparatus 800 comprises a first establishment module 810.

[0403] The first establishment module 810 is configured to establish a first stream, the first stream being associated with a second stream.

[0404] In some embodiments, the establishment of the first stream can be understood as the establishment of the first stream associated with the second stream, the establishment of an associated stream of the second stream, the establishment of the first stream and the association between the first stream and the second stream, the establishment of the first stream and the association between the first stream and the second stream, the establishment of the first stream, the second stream and the association between the first stream and the second stream, and other equivalent descriptions.

[0405] In some embodiments, the first stream is used for communication between the STA and the AP or other STAs. For example, the first stream comprises one or more data units, and the establishment of the first stream is to determine transmission parameters of the one or more data units belonging to the first stream, such as the sending end, the receiving end and QoS of the data units; or, the first stream is used to carry data units. For another example, the first stream comprises data units between the STA and the AP; or, the first stream comprises data units between the STA and other STAs; or, the first stream comprises data units between the AP and other STAs. The other STAs refer to STAs that do not participate in the establishment process of the first stream. The second stream is similar and will not be described here.

[0406] In some embodiments, the first stream is associated with the second stream, which can also be understood as the first stream being associated with the second stream; or, the second stream being an associated stream of the first stream, or the first stream being an associated stream of the second stream, and the like.

[0407] In some embodiments, the association is used to indicate the transmission mode of the first stream and the second stream of the STA or the AP; or, the association is used to indicate how the STA or the AP transmits the first stream and the second stream; or, the association is used to indicate the transmission of the first stream and the second stream; or, the association is used to indicate that the transmission of the first stream is related to the transmission of the second stream. The transmission of the first stream refers to the transmission of data units belonging to the first stream, or the transmission of at least one data unit belonging to the first stream. The transmission of the second stream is similar and will not be described here.

[0408] In some embodiments, the STA establishes a first stream with the AP. For example, the STA sends a first stream request frame to the AP, the first stream request frame carrying a transmission parameter; the AP determines the transmission parameter after receiving the first stream request frame, and sends a first stream response frame to the STA, the first stream response frame carrying the transmission parameter determined by the AP. The transmission parameter in the first stream response frame can be the same as or different from the transmission parameter in the first stream request frame. The frame exchange process of the first stream request frame and the first stream response frame can also be referred to as a first stream establishment process, or a first stream negotiation process, or a first stream procedure, or other equivalent terms.

[0409] In some embodiments, the first stream and the second stream are different streams. For example, the QoS type of the first stream is different from the QoS type of the second stream; or, the priority of the first stream is different from the priority of the second stream; or, the QoS parameter of the first stream is different from the QoS parameter of the second stream.

[0410] In summary, the device provided by the embodiments of the present application supports the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream, and can establish the first stream having the association relationship with the second stream. The STA or the AP can support the transmission in a special scenario (for example, a scenario requiring the first stream to have the association relationship with the second stream), thereby increasing the transmission scenarios supported by the STA and the AP, and improving the flexibility and scalability of the transmission based on the first stream.

[0411] FIG. 47 shows a structural block diagram of a stream establishment device provided by an example embodiment of the present application. The device can be implemented as an AP or a part of an AP by software or hardware or a combination of both. The device 900 includes a second establishment module 910.

[0412] The second establishment module 910 is configured to establish a first stream, the first stream having an association relationship with a second stream.

[0413] In some embodiments, establishing the first stream can be understood as establishing the first stream having the association relationship with the second stream, or establishing the association stream of the second stream, or establishing the first stream and the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream, or establishing the first stream, the second stream and the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream, or other equivalent descriptions.

[0414] In some embodiments, the first stream is used for communication between the STA and the AP or other STAs. For example, the first stream includes one or more data units, and the establishing the first stream refers to determining transmission parameters of the one or more data units belonging to the first stream, such as a sending end, a receiving end, and QoS of the data units; or, the first stream is used to carry data units. For another example, the first stream includes data units between the STA and the AP; or, the first stream includes data units between the STA and other STAs; or, the first stream includes data units between the AP and other STAs. The other STAs refer to STAs that do not participate in the establishing process of the first stream. The second stream is similar, and will not be described herein.

[0415] In some embodiments, the first stream and the second stream have an association relationship, which can also be understood as the first stream being associated with the second stream; or, the second stream being an associated stream of the first stream, or the first stream being an associated stream of the second stream, and the like.

[0416] In some embodiments, the association relationship is used to indicate a transmission manner of the first stream and the second stream of the STA or the AP; or, the association relationship is used to indicate how the STA or the AP transmits the first stream and the second stream; or, the association relationship is used to indicate a transmission of the first stream and the second stream; or, the association relationship is used to indicate that the transmission of the first stream is related to the transmission of the second stream. The transmission of the first stream refers to a transmission of data units belonging to the first stream, or at least one data unit belonging to the first stream. The transmission of the second stream is similar, and will not be described herein.

[0417] In some embodiments, the STA establishes the first stream with the AP. For example, the STA sends a first stream request frame to the AP, and the first stream request frame carries transmission parameters; after receiving the first stream request frame, the AP determines the transmission parameters, and sends a first stream response frame to the STA, and the first stream response frame carries the transmission parameters determined by the AP. The transmission parameters in the first stream response frame can be the same as or different from the transmission parameters in the first stream request frame. The frame exchange process of the first stream request frame and the first stream response frame can also be referred to as a first stream establishing process, or a first stream negotiation process, or a first stream procedure, or other equivalent terms.

[0418] In some embodiments, the first stream and the second stream are different streams. For example, a QoS type of the first stream is different from a QoS type of the second stream; or, a priority of the first stream is different from a priority of the second stream; or, a QoS parameter of the first stream is different from a QoS parameter of the second stream.

[0419] In conclusion, the device provided by the embodiments of the present application supports the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow, and can establish the first flow having the association relationship with the second flow. Thus, the STA or the AP can support the transmission in a special scenario (for example, a scenario requiring the first flow to have the association relationship with the second flow), the transmission scenarios supported by the STA and the AP are increased, and the flexibility and scalability of the transmission based on the first flow are improved.

[0420] Next, the association relationship is introduced.

[0421] 1. Association relationship.

[0422] In some embodiments, the association relationship includes at least one of the following: the reception of the first flow triggers the transmission of the second flow; the reception of the second flow triggers the transmission of the first flow; the transmission of the first flow triggers the transmission of the second flow; the transmission of the second flow triggers the reception of the first flow; the reception of the first flow triggers the reception of the second flow; the reception of the second flow triggers the reception of the first flow; the transmission of the first flow triggers the reception of the second flow; and the transmission of the second flow triggers the reception of the first flow. For specific content, refer to the “1. Association relationship” in the method embodiments described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0423] In some embodiments, the first flow is an SCS flow. The second flow is an SCS flow or a non-SCS flow or other flow. The first flow is an SCS flow, that is, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application supports the SCS technology, that is, supports classifying traffic according to specific scenarios, facilitates the STA or the AP to select a traffic type with a higher priority for processing and transmission, and can improve the service quality of the transmission based on the first flow.

[0424] Next, taking the first flow as an SCS flow as an example, different operations performed by the STA and the AP for the first type of association relationship and the second type of association relationship are described.

[0425] 1.1 First type of association relationship.

[0426] In some embodiments, in the case where the association relationship belongs to the first type, the first flow is used to trigger the second flow. At this time, the device 800 includes a first sending module; the first sending module is configured to send a first data unit, the first data unit belongs to the first flow, the first data unit is used to trigger the sending of a second data unit, the second data unit belongs to the second flow; and in the case where the first data unit is received, the second data unit is sent.

[0427] In some embodiments, the first sending module is further configured to send a first PPDU, the first PPDU belongs to the first flow, the first PPDU is used to trigger the sending of a second PPDU, the second PPDU belongs to the second flow; and in the case where the first PPDU is received, the second PPDU is sent.

[0428] In some embodiments, in the case that the association relationship belongs to the first type, the first flow is used to trigger the second flow. At this time, the apparatus 900 comprises a second sending module; the second sending module is configured to send a first data unit, the first data unit belonging to the first flow, the first data unit being used to trigger sending of a second data unit, the second data unit belonging to the second flow; in the case that the first data unit is received, the second data unit is sent.

[0429] In some embodiments, the second sending module is further configured to send a first PPDU, the first PPDU belonging to the first flow, the first PPDU being used to trigger sending of a second PPDU, the second PPDU belonging to the second flow; in the case that the first PPDU is received, the second PPDU is sent.

[0430] For specific content, reference can be made to the "1.1 first type of association relationship" in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0431] 1.2 Second type of association relationship.

[0432] In some embodiments, in the case that the association relationship belongs to the second type, the second flow is used to trigger the first flow. At this time, the apparatus 800 comprises a first sending module; the first sending module is configured to send a second data unit, the second data unit belonging to the second flow, the second data unit being used to trigger sending of a first data unit, the first data unit belonging to the first flow; in the case that the second data unit is received, the first data unit is sent.

[0433] In some embodiments, the first sending module is further configured to send a second PPDU, the second PPDU belonging to the second flow, the second PPDU being used to trigger sending of a first PPDU, the first PPDU belonging to the first flow; in the case that the second PPDU is received, the first PPDU is sent.

[0434] In some embodiments, in the case that the association relationship belongs to the second type, the second flow is used to trigger the first flow. At this time, the apparatus 900 comprises a second sending module; the second sending module is configured to send a second data unit, the second data unit belonging to the second flow, the second data unit being used to trigger sending of a first data unit, the first data unit belonging to the first flow; in the case that the second data unit is received, the first data unit is sent.

[0435] In some embodiments, the second sending module is further configured to send a second PPDU, the second PPDU belonging to the second flow, the second PPDU being used to trigger sending of a first PPDU, the first PPDU belonging to the first flow; in the case that the second PPDU is received, the first PPDU is sent.

[0436] For specific content, reference can be made to the "1.2 second type of association relationship" in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0437] In some embodiments, the first stream is a multicast stream or a broadcast stream, i.e., the PPDU belonging to the first stream supports being sent to multiple STAs simultaneously, or the PPDU belonging to the first stream supports being received by multiple STAs. In some embodiments, the transmission of the first PPDU and the second PPDU needs to be completed within a service period arranged by the AP. Next, the sending and / or receiving process of the data unit (such as the first PPDU or the second PPDU) belonging to the first stream or the second stream is shown.

[0438] 2. Transmission of the first stream / second stream.

[0439] In some embodiments, for the transmission of the first stream and the second stream, a service start time difference can be agreed, the service start time difference is used to indicate the time difference between the first stream and the second stream, the first time and the second time are separated by a service start time difference, and the service start time difference is the absolute value of the difference between the first time and the second time. For details, please refer to the “2. Transmission of the first stream / second stream” in the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0440] Next, the first time and the second time are introduced.

[0441] 2.1 First time.

[0442] In some embodiments, the first time is any one of the following: the end time of the first service period, the first service period being used for the transmission of at least one data unit of the first stream, the first service period being arranged by the AP; the end time of the first stream; the start time of the first service period; and the start time of the first stream. For details, please refer to the “2.1 First time” in the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0443] 2.2 Second time.

[0444] In some embodiments, the second time is any one of the following: the start time of the second service period, the second service period being used for the transmission of at least one data unit of the second stream, the second service period being arranged by the AP; the end time of the second stream; the end time of the second service period; and the start time of the second stream. For details, please refer to the “2.2 Second time” in the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0445] Next, several scenarios of determining the service start time difference based on the first time and the second time are shown in combination with different values of the first time and the second time.

[0446] 2.3 Several scenarios of determining the service start time difference based on the first time and the second time.

[0447] The specific content can refer to the "2.3 several scenarios of service start time difference determined based on the first time and the second time" in the method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0448] In addition to the service start time difference related to the first time and the second time described above, there is a special scenario of service start time difference, as follows.

[0449] 2.4 Service start time difference not determined based on the first time and the second time.

[0450] In some embodiments, in the case that the first stream and the second stream are transmitted in one service period arranged by the AP, the service start time difference is 0. That is, in the case that at least one data unit belonging to the first stream and at least one data unit belonging to the second stream are transmitted in one service period arranged by the AP, the service start time difference is 0. The specific content can refer to the "2.4 service start time difference not determined based on the first time and the second time" in the method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0451] In some embodiments, since the service period is arranged by the AP, the STA cannot determine the start time, duration, end time, etc. of one service period, so the AP can indicate the service period to the STA in the following way.

[0452] 2.5 Arrangement of service period.

[0453] In some embodiments, the apparatus 800 further includes a first receiving module; the first receiving module is configured to receive a first frame, the first frame being used to indicate one service period arranged by the AP, the service period being used for transmission of data units of the first stream and / or transmission of data units of the second stream.

[0454] In some embodiments, the second sending module is configured to send a first frame, the first frame being used to indicate one service period arranged by the AP, the service period being used to implement transmission of data units of the first stream and / or transmission of data units of the second stream. The specific content can refer to the "2.5 arrangement of service period" in the method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0455] In some embodiments, when a data unit is lost or delayed during transmission, the receiving end must wait for the data unit to be successfully retransmitted before processing the subsequent data unit. This situation can cause the entire connection to be blocked, thereby affecting the transmission efficiency. This problem is called Head-of-Line Blocking (HOL blocking) problem. In order to solve the above problem, the present embodiment designs a first processing time.

[0456] 3. First processing time.

[0457] In some embodiments, the apparatus 800 further includes a first processing module; the first processing module is configured to end the processing of the first MAC layer data unit at the first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first flow, and the first processing time being used to indicate the residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

[0458] In some embodiments, the first processing module is further configured to end the processing of the first MSDU at the first processing time, the first MSDU belonging to the first flow, and the first processing time being used to indicate the residence time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer.

[0459] In some embodiments, the apparatus 900 further includes a second processing module; the second processing module is configured to end the processing of the first MAC layer data unit at the first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first flow, and the first processing time being used to indicate the residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

[0460] In some embodiments, the second processing module is further configured to end the processing of the first MSDU at the first processing time, the first MSDU belonging to the first flow, and the first processing time being used to indicate the residence time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer.

[0461] For details, refer to the "3. First processing time" in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0462] 3.1 The time when the first MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer.

[0463] For details, refer to the "3.1 The time when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer" in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0464] 3.2 The time when the first MAC layer data unit arrives at the MAC layer.

[0465] For details, refer to the "3.2 The time when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer" in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0466] For the above-mentioned first processing time, the time when the first MSDU leaves the MAC layer, and the time when the first MSDU arrives at the MAC layer, the following will show several example scenarios of the first processing time in combination with the drawings.

[0467] 3.3 Example scenarios of the first processing time.

[0468] For details, refer to the "3.3 Example scenarios of the first processing time" in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0469] In some embodiments, the first stream corresponds to an independent replay counter. In some embodiments, the association between the first stream and the second stream is determined during establishment of the first frame. The following illustrates a method for determining the association between the first stream and the second stream.

[0470] 4. The method for determining the association.

[0471] In some embodiments, the second stream is established during establishment of the first stream. That is, in some embodiments, the first establishing module 810 is further configured to establish the first stream based on the at least one first field and / or the at least one second field. Optionally, the at least one second field is used to establish the second stream; and / or, the at least one second field is used to establish the association between the first stream and the second stream.

[0472] In some embodiments, the first establishing module 810 is further configured to send a first request frame, the first request frame being used to request establishment of the first stream; establish the first stream based on the first request frame; wherein the first request frame comprises the at least one first field and / or the at least one second field. Specifically, the first establishing module 810 is further configured to receive a first response frame, the first response frame being used to respond to the first request frame. The first response frame is used to indicate whether the AP agrees to establish the first stream; and the STA establishes the first stream based on the first request frame sent by the STA only when the first response frame indicates that the AP agrees to establish the first stream.

[0473] In some embodiments, the second establishing module 910 is further configured to establish the first stream based on the at least one first field and / or the at least one second field. Optionally, the at least one second field is used to establish the second stream; and / or, the at least one second field is used to establish the association between the first stream and the second stream. For details, please refer to the method embodiment 4 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0474] In some embodiments, the second establishing module 910 is further configured to receive a first request frame, the first request frame being used to request establishment of the first stream; establish the first stream based on the first request frame; wherein the first request frame comprises the at least one first field and / or the at least one second field. Specifically, the second establishing module 910 is further configured to send a first response frame, the first response frame being used to respond to the first request frame. The first response frame is used to indicate whether the AP agrees to establish the first stream. Optionally, the second establishing module 910 is further configured to determine the first response frame based on at least one of network resources and QoS policy and the first request frame. When the first stream requested to be established by the first request frame does not satisfy the establishment condition, the AP sends a response frame to the STA, the response frame indicating that the AP does not agree to establish the first stream; and when the first stream requested to be established by the first request frame satisfies the establishment condition, the AP sends a response frame to the STA, the response frame indicating that the AP agrees to establish the first stream.

[0475] Next, at least one first field and / or at least one second field used for establishing the first stream and the second stream are shown.

[0476] 4.1 At least one first field and / or at least one second field for establishing the first stream and the second stream.

[0477] For details, refer to the "4.1 At least one first field and / or at least one second field for establishing the first stream and the second stream" in the method embodiments above, which will not be repeated here.

[0478] FIG. 48 shows a flowchart of a method for establishing an association relationship according to an example embodiment of the present application. The apparatus can be implemented as a STA or a part of a STA by software or hardware or a combination of both. The apparatus 1000 includes a third establishing module 1010.

[0479] The third establishing module 1010 is configured to establish an association relationship between the first stream and the second stream.

[0480] In some embodiments, the association relationship can refer to the "1. Association relationship" above, which will not be repeated here.

[0481] In some embodiments, the third establishing module 1010 is configured to establish the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream based on the transmitted at least one second field. Optionally, the details of the at least one second field can refer to the "4. Method for determining an association relationship" above. In some embodiments, the first stream is an SCS stream.

[0482] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application supports establishing an association relationship between the first stream and the second stream, so that the STA or the AP can support transmission in a special scenario (such as a scenario where the first stream and the second stream are required to have an association relationship), increasing the transmission scenarios supported by the STA and the AP, and improving the flexibility and scalability of the transmission based on the first stream.

[0483] FIG. 49 shows a flowchart of a method for establishing an association relationship according to an example embodiment of the present application. The apparatus can be implemented as an AP or a part of an AP by software or hardware or a combination of both. The apparatus 1100 includes a first establishing module 1110.

[0484] The first establishing module 1110 is configured to establish an association relationship between the first stream and the second stream.

[0485] In some embodiments, the association relationship can refer to the "1. Association relationship" above, which will not be repeated here.

[0486] In some embodiments, the first establishing module 1110 is configured to establish the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream based on the received at least one second field. Optionally, the specific content of the at least one second field can refer to the above-mentioned "4. Method for determining the association relationship". In some embodiments, the first stream is an SCS stream.

[0487] In summary, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application supports the establishment of the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream, so that the STA or the AP can support the transmission in a special scenario (such as a scenario requiring the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream), increases the transmission scenarios supported by the STA and the AP, and improves the flexibility and scalability of the transmission based on the first stream.

[0488] FIG. 50 shows a structural block diagram of a processing device of a data unit according to an example embodiment of the present application. The device can be implemented as a STA or a part of a STA by software or hardware or a combination of both. The device 1200 includes a first processing module 1210.

[0489] The first processing module 1210 is configured to end the processing of the first MAC layer data unit at the first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first stream, and the first processing time being used to indicate the residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

[0490] The specific content can refer to the above-mentioned "3. First processing time" and its subchapters.

[0491] In some embodiments, the value range of the first processing time is determined based on the first stream, and the first stream is established by at least one second field. For example, the first stream determines the maximum value and / or the minimum value of the first processing time. In some embodiments, the at least one second field includes at least one of the following fields: minimum reception processing time, the minimum reception processing time being used to indicate the shortest residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first stream; maximum reception processing time, the maximum reception processing time being used to indicate the longest residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer. In some embodiments, the at least one second field is carried by a first element. For example, the first element is a quality of service characteristics element (QOS CHARACTERISTICS ELEMENT). In some embodiments, the first stream is an SCS stream. Optionally, the first stream can also be a non-SCS stream or other stream.

[0492] In summary, the device provided by the embodiments of the present application limits the residence time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer by recording the first processing time, can avoid the head-of-line blocking problem as much as possible caused by the loss or delay of the first MSDU, and improves the reliability in the transmission process.

[0493] Figure 51 shows a structural block diagram of a processing device of a data unit according to an example embodiment of the present application. The device can be implemented as an AP or a part of an AP by software or hardware or a combination of both. The device 1300 comprises a second processing module 1310.

[0494] The second processing module 1310 is configured to end the processing of the first MAC layer data unit at the first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first flow, the first processing time being used to indicate the residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

[0495] The specific content can refer to the above "3. First processing time" and its subchapters.

[0496] In some embodiments, the value range of the first processing time is determined based on the first flow, the first flow being established by at least one second field. For example, the first flow determines the maximum value and / or the minimum value of the first processing time. In some embodiments, the at least one second field comprises at least one of the following fields: minimum reception processing time, the minimum reception processing time being used to indicate the shortest residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first flow; maximum reception processing time, the maximum reception processing time being used to indicate the longest residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer. In some embodiments, the at least one second field is carried by a first element. For example, the first element is a quality of service characteristics element (QOS CHARACTERISTICS ELEMENT). In some embodiments, the first flow is an SCS flow. Alternatively, the first flow can also be a non-SCS flow or other flow.

[0497] In summary, the device provided by the embodiments of the present application can limit the residence time of the first MSDU at the MAC layer by recording the first processing time, so as to avoid the head-of-line blocking problem caused by the loss or delay of the first MSDU as much as possible, and improve the reliability in the transmission process.

[0498] It should be noted that: the device provided by the above embodiments is only exemplified by the division of the above functional modules, and in actual application, the above functions can be completed by different functional modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0499] As for the device in the present embodiment, the specific manner in which each module performs operations has been described in detail in the embodiments relating to the method, and will not be described in detail here.

[0500] Figure 52 shows a structural schematic diagram of a wireless device (AP or STA) according to some example embodiments of the present application. The wireless device 1400 includes a processor 1401, a receiver 1402, a transmitter 1403, a memory 1404, and a bus 1405.

[0501] The processor 1401 includes one or more processing cores. The processor 1401 performs various functional applications and information processing by running software programs and modules.

[0502] The receiver 1402 and the transmitter 1403 can be implemented as a communication component, which can be a communication chip.

[0503] The memory 1404 is connected to the processor 1401 through the bus 1405. The memory 1404 can be used to store at least one instruction, and the processor 1401 is configured to execute the at least one instruction to implement the steps in the above method embodiments.

[0504] In addition, the memory 1404 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage devices or a combination thereof, including but not limited to a magnetic disk or a magnetic tape, an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), an Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), a Static Random-Access Memory (SRAM), a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a magnetic memory, a flash memory, and a Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM).

[0505] In some embodiments, the receiver 1402 independently receives signals / data, or the processor 1401 controls the receiver 1402 to receive signals / data, or the processor 1401 requests the receiver 1402 to receive signals / data, or the processor 1401 cooperates with the receiver 1402 to receive signals / data.

[0506] In some embodiments, the transmitter 1403 independently transmits signals / data, or the processor 1401 controls the transmitter 1403 to transmit signals / data, or the processor 1401 requests the transmitter 1403 to transmit signals / data, or the processor 1401 cooperates with the transmitter 1403 to transmit signals / data.

[0507] In an example embodiment of the present application, a computer readable storage medium is further provided, in which at least one program is stored, the at least one program is loaded and executed by a processor, and the computer readable storage medium is configured to implement the flow establishment method, the association relationship establishment method, and / or the data unit processing method provided in the above method embodiments. In an example embodiment of the present application, a chip is further provided, which includes a programmable logic circuit and / or program instructions, and when the chip is running on a communication device, the chip is configured to implement the flow establishment method, the association relationship establishment method, and / or the data unit processing method provided in the above method embodiments. In an example embodiment of the present application, a computer program product is further provided, which, when running on a processor of a wireless device, causes the wireless device to perform the flow establishment method, the association relationship establishment method, and / or the data unit processing method. In an example embodiment of the present application, a computer program is further provided, which includes computer instructions, and when a processor of a wireless device executes the computer instructions, the wireless device performs the flow establishment method, the association relationship establishment method, and / or the data unit processing method.

[0508] Those skilled in the art should understand that, in one or more of the examples described above, the functions described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, the functions can be stored in a computer readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium includes a computer storage medium and a communication medium, where the communication medium includes any medium that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general or special purpose computer.

[0509] It should be understood that the frame format and the element format shown in the embodiments of the present application are exemplary cases, and in different embodiments or different designs, at least one of the following can be changed: the position of each field in the frame / element, the arrangement order between the fields, the number of bytes occupied, and the number of bits occupied. The specific format of each frame and each element is not limited in the present application.

[0510] The above description is only optional embodiments of the present application, and does not limit the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method of flow establishment, characterized by, The method is performed by a station STA, and the method comprises: establishing a first flow, the first flow being associated with a second flow.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The type of the association relationship comprises a first type or a second type; in a case where the association relationship belongs to the first type, the first flow is used to trigger the second flow; in a case where the association relationship belongs to the second type, the second flow is used to trigger the first flow.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The association relationship comprises at least one of the following: reception of the first flow triggers transmission of the second flow; reception of the second flow triggers transmission of the first flow; transmission of the first flow triggers transmission of the second flow; transmission of the second flow triggers reception of the first flow; reception of the first flow triggers reception of the second flow; reception of the second flow triggers reception of the first flow; transmission of the first flow triggers reception of the second flow; and transmission of the second flow triggers reception of the first flow.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, The association relationship of the first type is a following relationship, and the second flow is a following flow of the first flow; and / or the association relationship of the second type is a triggering relationship, and the second flow is a triggering flow of the first flow.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first flow is a traffic classification service (SCS) flow.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, In a case where the association relationship belongs to the first type, the first flow is used to trigger the second flow, and the method further comprises at least one of the following: transmitting a first data unit, the first data unit belonging to the first flow, the first data unit being used to trigger transmission of a second data unit, the second data unit belonging to the second flow; in a case where the first data unit is received, transmitting the second data unit.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, In a case where the association relationship belongs to the second type, the second flow is used to trigger the first flow, and the method further comprises at least one of the following: transmitting a second data unit, the second data unit belonging to the second flow, the second data unit being used to trigger transmission of a first data unit, the first data unit belonging to the first flow; in a case where the second data unit is received, transmitting the first data unit.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving a first frame, the first frame being used to indicate a service period arranged by an access point (AP), the service period being used for transmission of a data unit of the first flow and / or transmission of a data unit of the second flow.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, A service opening time difference is arranged between a first time and a second time, the service opening time difference being used to indicate a time difference between the first flow and the second flow, the service opening time difference being an absolute value of a difference between the first time and the second time.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, In a case where the first flow and the second flow are transmitted within a service period arranged by the AP, the service opening time difference is 0.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein, The first time is any one of the following: an ending time of a first service period, the first service period being used for transmission of at least one data unit of the first flow, the first service period being arranged by the AP; an ending time of the first flow; a starting time of the first service period; and a starting time of the first flow.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein, The second time instant is any one of: a start time instant of a second service period for transmission of at least one data unit of the second flow, the second service period being scheduled by the AP; an end time instant of the second flow; an end time instant of the second service period; a start time instant of the second flow.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, The first flow is a multicast flow or a broadcast flow.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, A first data unit belonging to the first flow is sent by the AP to at least two STAs.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that, The method further comprises: processing of a first medium access control (MAC) layer data unit ends at a first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first flow, the first processing time being used to indicate a residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at a MAC layer.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The first processing time is any one of: a time instant when the first MAC layer data unit arrives at the MAC layer to a time instant when the first MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; an end time instant of a third service period to a time instant when at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer, the third service period being a service period for the first flow to which the first MAC layer data unit corresponds; a start time instant of the third service period to the time instant when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; an end time instant of a first delay boundary to the time instant when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; a start time instant of the first delay boundary to the time instant when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; an end time instant of a first lifetime to the time instant when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; a start time instant of the first lifetime to the time instant when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; wherein the at least one MAC layer data unit is transmitted within the third service period or the first delay boundary or the first lifetime, and the at least one MAC layer data unit includes the first MAC layer data unit.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, The time instant when the first MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer is any one of: a time instant when the first MAC layer data unit leaves a MAC service access point (SAP) of the MAC layer; a time instant when a first MAC layer data unit in aggregated MAC layer data units leaves a MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit being a first MAC layer data unit or a last MAC layer data unit in the aggregated MAC layer data units.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein, The time when the first MAC layer data unit reaches the MAC layer is any one of the following: the time when the first MAC layer data unit reaches the MAC SAP of the MAC layer; the time when the first MAC layer data unit in the aggregated MAC layer data unit reaches the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit being the first or last MAC layer data unit in the aggregated MAC layer data unit; the time when the STA finishes sending a response data unit corresponding to the first MAC layer data unit.

19. The method of any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein, The first flow corresponds to an independent replay counter.

20. The method of any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein, The first flow is established by: establishing the first flow based on at least one first field and / or at least one second field.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein, The at least one first field includes at least one of the following: a minimum reception processing time, the minimum reception processing time being used to indicate the shortest residence time of a first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first flow; a maximum reception processing time, the maximum reception processing time being used to indicate the longest residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

22. The method of claim 20 or 21, wherein, The at least one first field includes the following field: an independent replay counter request, the independent replay counter request being used to indicate whether an independent replay counter needs to be set for the first flow.

23. The method of any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein, The at least one first field includes the following field: a group address, the group address being used to indicate the address of a group of STAs receiving the first flow.

24. The method of any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein, The at least one second field includes at least one of the following: first type information, the first type information being used to indicate that the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow belongs to a first type; second type information, the second type information being used to indicate that the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow belongs to a second type.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein, The first type information and / or the second type information includes the following field: a service start time difference, the service start time difference being used to indicate the time difference between the first flow and the second flow.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein, The first type information and / or the second type information further includes at least one of the following: a length, the length being used to indicate the field length of the first type information or the second type information; a presence bitmap, the presence bitmap being used to indicate the fields included in the first type information or the second type information; an SCS identifier, the SCS identifier being used to indicate whether the second flow indicated by the first type information or the second type information is an SCS flow; a direction, the direction being used to indicate the direction of the transmission of the second flow; a traffic identifier; a user priority; a MAC address of the STA, the STA address being used to indicate the address of the STA corresponding to the second flow; a link identifier, the link identifier being used to indicate the link used for transmission corresponding to the second flow; a quality of service characteristic element, the quality of service characteristic element being used to indicate parameters related to quality of service; a traffic classification and control TCLAS element, the traffic classification and control element being used to define traffic classification rules and processing strategies; The TCLAS processing element is used to indicate a processing manner of a plurality of TCLASs.

27. The method of any one of claims 20 to 26, wherein, The at least one second field is used to establish the second flow.

28. The method of any one of claims 20 to 27, wherein, The at least one first field is carried by a first element; and / or, the at least one second field is carried by the first element.

29. The method of any one of claims 20 to 27, wherein, The first flow is established based on the at least one first field and / or the at least one second field sent by the station, including: sending a first request frame, the first request frame being used to request establishment of the first flow; establishing the first flow based on the first request frame; The first request frame includes the at least one first field and / or the at least one second field.

30. A method of establishing an association, comprising: The method is performed by a station STA, and the method includes: establishing an association relationship between a first flow and a second flow.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein, The type of the association relationship includes a first type or a second type; in a case where the association relationship belongs to the first type, the first flow is used to trigger the second flow; in a case where the association relationship belongs to the second type, the second flow is used to trigger the first flow.

32. The method of claim 30 or 31, wherein, The association relationship includes at least one of the following: reception of the first flow triggers transmission of the second flow; reception of the second flow triggers transmission of the first flow; transmission of the first flow triggers transmission of the second flow; transmission of the second flow triggers reception of the first flow; reception of the first flow triggers reception of the second flow; reception of the second flow triggers reception of the first flow; transmission of the first flow triggers reception of the second flow; and transmission of the second flow triggers reception of the first flow.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein, The association relationship of the first type is a following relationship, and the second flow is a following flow of the first flow; and / or, the association relationship of the second type is a triggering relationship, and the second flow is a triggering flow of the first flow.

34. The method of any one of claims 30 to 33, wherein, The establishment of the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow includes: establishing the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow based on at least one second field sent by the station.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein, The at least one second field includes at least one of the following fields: first type information used to indicate that the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow belongs to a first type; and second type information used to indicate that the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow belongs to a second type.

36. The method of any one of claims 30 to 35, wherein, The first flow is a traffic classification service (SCS) flow.

37. A method of processing a data unit, the method comprising: The method is performed by a station STA, and the method includes: ending processing of a first media access control (MAC) layer data unit at a first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to a first flow, and the first processing time being used to indicate a residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at a MAC layer.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein, The first processing time is any one of: a time when the first MAC layer data unit arrives at the MAC layer to a time when the first MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; an end time of a third service period to a time when at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer, the third service period being a service period for transmitting the first flow to which the first MAC layer data unit corresponds; a start time of the third service period to the time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; an end time of a first delay boundary to the time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; a start time of the first delay boundary to the time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; an end time of a first life cycle to the time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; a start time of the first life cycle to the time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; wherein the at least one MAC layer data unit is transmitted within the third service period or the first delay boundary or the first life cycle, and the at least one MAC layer data unit includes the first MAC layer data unit.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein, The time when the first MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer is any one of: a time when the first MAC layer data unit leaves a MAC service access point (SAP) of the MAC layer; a time when a first MAC layer data unit in an aggregated MAC layer data unit leaves a MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit being a first MAC layer data unit or a last MAC layer data unit in the aggregated MAC layer data unit.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein, The time when the first MAC layer data unit arrives at the MAC layer is any one of: a time when the first MAC layer data unit arrives at a MAC SAP of the MAC layer; a time when a first MAC layer data unit in an aggregated MAC layer data unit arrives at a MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit being a first MAC layer data unit or a last MAC layer data unit in the aggregated MAC layer data unit; a time when the STA finishes transmitting a response data unit corresponding to the first MAC layer data unit.

41. The method of any one of claims 37 to 40, wherein, A value range of the first processing time is determined based on the first flow; and the first flow is established by at least one first field.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein, The at least one first field includes at least one of: a minimum receiving processing time, the minimum receiving processing time being used to indicate a shortest staying time of a first MAC layer data unit at a MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first flow; and a maximum receiving processing time, the maximum receiving processing time being used to indicate a longest staying time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

43. The method of claim 41 or 42, wherein, The at least one first field is carried by a first element.

44. The method of any one of claims 37 to 43, wherein, The first flow is a traffic classification service (SCS) flow.

45. A method of stream establishment, the method comprising: The method is performed by an access point (AP), and the method includes: establish a first flow, the first flow being associated with a second flow.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein, a type of the association relationship comprises a first type or a second type; in a case where the association relationship belongs to the first type, the first flow is used to trigger the second flow; in a case where the association relationship belongs to the second type, the second flow is used to trigger the first flow.

47. The method of claim 45 or 46, wherein, the association relationship comprises at least one of the following: reception of the first flow triggers transmission of the second flow; reception of the second flow triggers transmission of the first flow; transmission of the first flow triggers transmission of the second flow; transmission of the second flow triggers reception of the first flow; reception of the first flow triggers reception of the second flow; reception of the second flow triggers reception of the first flow; transmission of the first flow triggers reception of the second flow; and transmission of the second flow triggers reception of the first flow.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein, the association relationship of the first type is a following relationship, and the second flow is a following flow of the first flow; and / or the association relationship of the second type is a triggering relationship, and the second flow is a triggering flow of the first flow.

49. The method of any one of claims 45 to 48, wherein, the first flow is a traffic classification service (SCS) flow.

50. The method of any one of claims 46 to 49, wherein, in a case where the association relationship belongs to the first type, the first flow is used to trigger the second flow, and the method further comprises at least one of the following: transmit a first data unit, the first data unit belonging to the first flow, and the first data unit being used to trigger transmission of a second data unit, the second data unit belonging to the second flow; in a case where the first data unit is received, transmit the second data unit.

51. The method of any one of claims 46 to 49, wherein, in a case where the association relationship belongs to the second type, the second flow is used to trigger the first flow, and the method further comprises at least one of the following: transmit a second data unit, the second data unit belonging to the second flow, and the second data unit being used to trigger transmission of a first data unit, the first data unit belonging to the first flow; in a case where the second data unit is received, transmit the first data unit.

52. The method of any one of claims 45 to 51, wherein, the method further comprises: transmit a first frame, the first frame being used to indicate a service period arranged by the AP, the service period being used to implement transmission of a data unit of the first flow and / or transmission of a data unit of the second flow.

53. The method of any one of claims 45 to 51, wherein, a service start time difference is arranged between a first time and a second time, the service start time difference being used to indicate a time difference between the first flow and the second flow, and the service start time difference being an absolute value of a difference between the first time and the second time.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein, in a case where the first flow and the second flow are transmitted within a service period arranged by the AP, the service start time difference is 0.

55. The method of claim 53, wherein, the first time is any one of the following: an end time of a first service period, the first service period being used for transmission of at least one data unit of the first flow and being arranged by the AP; an end time of the first flow; and a start time of the first service period.

56. The method of claim 53, wherein, The second time instant is any one of: a start time instant of a second service period for transmission of at least one data unit of the second flow, the second service period being scheduled by the AP; an end time instant of the second flow; an end time instant of the second service period.

57. The method of any one of claims 45 to 56, wherein, The first flow is a multicast flow or a broadcast flow.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein, The sending the first data unit comprises: sending the first data unit to each of at least two stations (STAs).

59. The method of any one of claims 45 to 58, wherein, The method further comprises: processing a first medium access control (MAC) layer data unit at a first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first flow, the first processing time being used to indicate a residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at a MAC layer.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein, The first processing time is any one of: a time instant when the first MAC layer data unit arrives at the MAC layer to a time instant when the first MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; an end time instant of a third service period to a time instant when at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer, the third service period being a service period for the first flow to which the first MAC layer data unit corresponds; a start time instant of the third service period to the time instant when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; an end time instant of a first delay boundary to the time instant when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; a start time instant of the first delay boundary to the time instant when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; an end time instant of a first lifetime to the time instant when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; a start time instant of the first lifetime to the time instant when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; wherein the at least one MAC layer data unit is transmitted within the third service period or the first delay boundary or the first lifetime, and the at least one MAC layer data unit includes the first MAC layer data unit.

61. The method of claim 59, wherein, The time instant when the first MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer is any one of: a time instant when the first MAC layer data unit leaves a MAC service access point (SAP) of the MAC layer; a time instant when a first MAC layer data unit in aggregated MAC layer data units leaves a MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit being a first MAC layer data unit or a last MAC layer data unit in the aggregated MAC layer data units.

62. The method of claim 59, wherein, The time when the first MAC layer data unit reaches the MAC layer is any one of the following: the time when the first MAC layer data unit reaches the MAC SAP of the MAC layer; the time when the first MAC layer data unit in the aggregated MAC layer data unit reaches the MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit being the first or last MAC layer data unit in the aggregated MAC layer data unit; and the time when the AP finishes sending a response data unit corresponding to the first MAC layer data unit.

63. The method of any one of claims 45 to 62, wherein, The first stream corresponds to an independent replay counter.

64. The method of any one of claims 45-63, wherein, The first stream is established by: establishing the first stream based on the received at least one first field and / or at least one second field.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein, The at least one first field includes at least one of the following: a minimum reception processing time, the minimum reception processing time being used to indicate the shortest residence time of a first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first stream; and a maximum reception processing time, the maximum reception processing time being used to indicate the longest residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

66. The method of claim 64 or 65, wherein, The at least one first field includes an independent replay counter request, the independent replay counter request being used to indicate whether an independent replay counter needs to be set for the first stream.

67. The method of any one of claims 64 to 66, wherein, The at least one first field includes a group address, the group address being used to indicate the address of a plurality of STAs receiving the first stream.

68. The method of any one of claims 64-67, wherein, The at least one second field includes at least one of the following: first type information, the first type information being used to indicate that the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream belongs to a first type; and second type information, the second type information being used to indicate that the association relationship between the first stream and the second stream belongs to a second type.

69. The method of claim 68, wherein, The first type information and / or the second type information includes a service start time difference, the service start time difference being used to indicate the time difference between the first stream and the second stream.

70. The method of claim 69, wherein, The first type information and / or the second type information further includes at least one of the following: a length, the length being used to indicate the field length of the first type information or the second type information; a presence bitmap, the presence bitmap being used to indicate the fields included in the first type information or the second type information; an SCS identifier, the SCS identifier being used to indicate whether the second stream indicated by the first type information or the second type information is an SCS stream; a direction, the direction being used to indicate the direction of transmission of the second stream; and a traffic identifier. User priority; The MAC address of the STA, the STA address being used to indicate the address of the STA corresponding to the second stream; a link identifier, the link identifier being used to indicate the link used for transmission corresponding to the second stream; a quality of service characteristic element, the quality of service characteristic element being used to indicate the parameters related to the quality of service; and a traffic classification and control TCLAS element, the traffic classification and control element being used to define the traffic classification rule and processing strategy. The TCLAS processing element is used to indicate a processing manner of a plurality of TCLASs.

71. The method of any one of claims 64 to 70, wherein, The at least one second field is used to establish the second flow.

72. The method of any one of claims 64 to 71, wherein, The at least one first field is carried by a first element; and / or, the at least one second field is carried by the first element.

73. The method of any one of claims 64 to 72, wherein, The establishing the first flow based on the received at least one first field and / or at least one second field comprises: receiving a first request frame, the first request frame being used to request to establish the first flow; establishing the first flow based on the first request frame; The first request frame comprises the at least one first field and / or the at least one second field.

74. A method of establishing an association, comprising: The method is performed by an access point (AP), and the method comprises: establishing an association relationship between a first flow and a second flow.

75. The method of claim 74, wherein, The association relationship comprises at least one of the following: reception of the first flow triggers transmission of the second flow; reception of the second flow triggers transmission of the first flow; transmission of the first flow triggers transmission of the second flow; transmission of the second flow triggers reception of the first flow; reception of the first flow triggers reception of the second flow; reception of the second flow triggers reception of the first flow; transmission of the first flow triggers reception of the second flow; and transmission of the second flow triggers reception of the first flow.

76. The method of claim 74 or 75, wherein, The first type of association relationship is a following relationship, and the second flow is a following flow of the first flow; and / or, the second type of association relationship is a triggering relationship, and the second flow is a triggering flow of the first flow.

77. The method of claim 75, wherein, The establishing the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow comprises:

78. The method of any one of claims 74 to 77, wherein, establishing the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow based on at least one received second field. The at least one second field comprises at least one of the following fields: first type information used to indicate that the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow belongs to a first type; and second type information used to indicate that the association relationship between the first flow and the second flow belongs to a second type.

79. The method of claim 78, wherein, The first flow is a service flow (SCS) flow.

80. The method of any one of claims 74 to 79, wherein, The method is performed by an access point (AP), and the method comprises:

81. A method of processing a data unit, the method comprising: ending processing of a first media access control (MAC) layer data unit at a first processing time, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to a first flow, and the first processing time being used to indicate a residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at a MAC layer. ​ 82. The method of claim 81, wherein, The first processing time is any one of: a time when the first MAC layer data unit arrives at the MAC layer to a time when the first MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; an end time of a third service period to a time when at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer, the third service period being a service period for transmitting the first flow to which the first MAC layer data unit corresponds; a start time of the third service period to the time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; an end time of a first delay boundary to the time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; a start time of the first delay boundary to the time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; an end time of a first life cycle to the time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; a start time of the first life cycle to the time when the at least one MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer; wherein the at least one MAC layer data unit is transmitted within the third service period or the first delay boundary or the first life cycle, and the at least one MAC layer data unit includes the first MAC layer data unit.

83. The method of claim 82, wherein, The time when the first MAC layer data unit leaves the MAC layer is any one of: a time when the first MAC layer data unit leaves a MAC service access point (SAP) of the MAC layer; a time when a first MAC layer data unit in an aggregated MAC layer data unit leaves a MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit being a first MAC layer data unit or a last MAC layer data unit in the aggregated MAC layer data unit.

84. The method of claim 82, wherein, The time when the first MAC layer data unit arrives at the MAC layer is any one of: a time when the first MAC layer data unit arrives at a MAC SAP of the MAC layer; a time when a first MAC layer data unit in an aggregated MAC layer data unit arrives at a MAC SAP of the MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit being a first MAC layer data unit or a last MAC layer data unit in the aggregated MAC layer data unit; a time when the STA finishes transmitting a response data unit corresponding to the first MAC layer data unit.

85. The method of any one of claims 81 to 84, wherein, A value range of the first processing time is determined based on the first flow, and the first flow is established by at least one first field.

86. The method of claim 85, wherein, The at least one first field includes at least one of: a minimum receiving processing time, the minimum receiving processing time being used to indicate a shortest staying time of a first MAC layer data unit at a MAC layer, the first MAC layer data unit belonging to the first flow; a maximum receiving processing time, the maximum receiving processing time being used to indicate a longest staying time of the first MAC layer data unit at the MAC layer.

87. The method of claim 85 or 86, wherein, The at least one first field is carried by a first element.

88. The method of any one of claims 81 to 87, wherein, The first flow is a traffic classification service (SCS) flow.

89. A stream establishment apparatus, comprising: The apparatus includes: The first establishing module is configured to establish a first flow, wherein the first flow has an association relationship with a second flow.

90. A flow setup apparatus, comprising: The device comprises: The second establishing module is configured to establish a first flow, wherein the first flow has an association relationship with a second flow.

91. An association establishing apparatus, comprising: The device comprises: The third establishing module is configured to establish an association relationship between a first flow and a second flow.

92. An association establishing apparatus, comprising: The device comprises: The fourth establishing module is configured to establish an association relationship between a first flow and a second flow.

93. An apparatus for processing a data unit, the apparatus comprising: The device comprises: The first processing module is configured to end processing of a first media access control (MAC) layer data unit at a first processing time, wherein the first MAC layer data unit belongs to a first flow, and the first processing time is used to indicate a residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at a MAC layer.

94. An apparatus for processing a data unit, the apparatus comprising: The device comprises: The second processing module is configured to end processing of a first media access control (MAC) layer data unit at a first processing time, wherein the first MAC layer data unit belongs to a first flow, and the first processing time is used to indicate a residence time of the first MAC layer data unit at a MAC layer.

95. A station (STA), comprising: The STA comprises: a processor; a transceiver connected to the processor; a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to load and execute the executable instructions to implement the flow establishing method according to any one of claims 1 to 29, and / or the association relationship establishing method according to any one of claims 30 to 36, and / or the data unit processing method according to any one of claims 37 to 44.

96. An access point (AP), comprising: The AP comprises: a processor; a transceiver connected to the processor; a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to load and execute the executable instructions to implement the flow establishing method according to any one of claims 45 to 73, and / or the association relationship establishing method according to any one of claims 74 to 80, and / or the data unit processing method according to any one of claims 81 to 88.

97. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores at least one program, wherein the at least one program is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the flow establishing method according to any one of claims 1 to 29, and / or the association relationship establishing method according to any one of claims 30 to 36, and / or the data unit processing method according to any one of claims 37 to 44, and / or the flow establishing method according to any one of claims 45 to 73, and / or the association relationship establishing method according to any one of claims 74 to 80, and / or the data unit processing method according to any one of claims 81 to 88.

98. A chip, characterized by The chip comprises programmable logic circuit and / or program instructions, when the chip is running on a terminal device or a network device, is used for realizing the flow establishment method in any one of claims 1 to 29, and / or the association relationship establishment method in any one of claims 30 to 36, and / or the data unit processing method in any one of claims 37 to 44, and / or the flow establishment method in any one of claims 45 to 73, and / or the association relationship establishment method in any one of claims 74 to 80, and / or the data unit processing method in any one of claims 81 to 88.

99. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product comprises computer instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium, and a processor acquires the computer instructions from the computer readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer instructions to realize the flow establishment method in any one of claims 1 to 29, and / or the association relationship establishment method in any one of claims 30 to 36, and / or the data unit processing method in any one of claims 37 to 44, and / or the flow establishment method in any one of claims 45 to 73, and / or the association relationship establishment method in any one of claims 74 to 80, and / or the data unit processing method in any one of claims 81 to 88.

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