Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application supports IEEE-related standards, for example, supports protocols such as IEEE 802.11be, IEEE 802.11bn, IEEE 802.11bf, IEEE 802.15, Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 8, EHT, UHR, IMMW, UWB, or sensing, and may also support a spark link / nearlink standard protocol. Provided are a communication method and a communication apparatus. The communication method comprises: a first multi-link device establishing a sensing measurement session with a second multi-link device affiliated with a first entity, wherein the sensing measurement session is executed on at least one link; and sensing a sensing target on the basis of a first link among the at least one link, and at a first moment, switching, on the basis of information of the first entity, to sensing the sensing target on the basis of a second link. Thus, fast switching of sensing links can be realized, and the performance of target sensing can be improved.

Description

Communication methods and communication devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411432982.1, filed on October 14, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Communication Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Technology

[0003] Wireless local area networks (WLANs) have evolved to the point where 802.11 is one of the mainstream wireless access standards, enjoying widespread commercial application over the past decade. 802.11bf, in particular, is a next-generation wireless standard focusing on WLAN sensing. WLAN sensing allows devices with WLAN sensing capabilities to determine the characteristics of a predetermined target (such as an object, animal, or person) based on received wireless signals in a given environment. These characteristics include the target's distance, orientation, speed, movement, and behavior.

[0004] Current WLAN sensing solutions can achieve wide-area sensing through multiple access points (APs) working together, or through sensing by proxy (SBP) technology. However, both of these sensing technologies may fail to detect moving targets when applied to scenarios involving moving target sensing. Therefore, achieving high-quality moving target sensing has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method aimed at improving the performance of target perception.

[0006] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first multi-link device. Unless otherwise specified, the "first multi-link device" in this application can refer to the first multi-link device itself (e.g., a non-access point MLD, an access point MLD, an AP MLD, etc.), a component of the first multi-link device (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first multi-link device. For ease of description, the following description uses the execution of the first multi-link device as an example.

[0007] The communication method includes: establishing a sensing measurement session with a second multi-link device attached to a first entity, the sensing measurement session being executed on at least one link, the at least one link including a first link, the first link being a link between the first multi-link device and the second multi-link device of the first entity; sensing a sensing target based on the first link, and switching to sensing the sensing target based on the second link at a first moment according to information of the first entity, the second link being a link between the first multi-link device and a third multi-link device attached to the first entity, wherein the information of the first entity is used to identify the first entity, and the first entity includes multiple multi-link devices attached to the first entity.

[0008] Based on the above technical solution, the first multi-link device establishes a sensing and measurement session involving a first entity. This first entity includes multiple auxiliary multi-link devices, such as multiple auxiliary AP MLDs. During the sensing of a target based on the first link included in the sensing and measurement session involving this first entity, if a link needs to be switched due to target movement or other reasons, the multiple auxiliary multi-link devices included in the first entity can be connected to each other via wired or wireless means, enabling rapid switching of sensing links and improving the performance of target sensing.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the sensing measurement session further includes the second link, and the method further includes: determining that a switching condition is met; initiating a sensing measurement for the sensing target on the second link, wherein the meeting of the switching condition instructs the switching link to sense the sensing target.

[0010] Based on the above technical solution, one method of link switching is as follows: during the establishment phase of the perception measurement session, the perception measurement session is executed on at least one link, which includes multiple links. Therefore, when the perception initiator detects that the conditions for link switching are met, it can directly initiate perception measurement on the target on other links to achieve rapid switching of perception links.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: upon determining that a switching condition is met, sending a first request message to the second multi-link device, the first request message being used to request the establishment of the second link, the first request message including information of the first entity; receiving a first response message from the second multi-link device in response to the first request message, the first response message including information of the first entity, wherein the met switching condition instructs the switching link to sense the sensing target.

[0012] Based on the above technical solution, one link switching method is as follows: During the perception measurement session establishment phase, the established perception measurement session can be executed on one or more links. These one or more links are associated with the second multi-link device in the first entity. When the perception initiator detects that the conditions for link switching are met, it can request the establishment of other links through the first request message. For example, it can request the establishment of one or more links with the third multi-link device in the first entity. Thus, the target can continue to be perceived through the newly established links. Moreover, the parameters and information between the multiple auxiliary multi-link devices included in the first entity can be shared through wired means, which can reduce the cooperation of the multiple auxiliary multi-link devices included in the first entity in air interface transmission and realize the rapid switching of perception links.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first request message further includes at least one of the following: information of the third multi-link device, link parameters of the second link, or the identifier of the sensing measurement session, wherein the information of the third multi-link device is used to identify the third multi-link device.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the switching condition includes at least one of the following: the sensing target moves out of the basic service set of the second multi-link device at a second time, the quality of the sensing measurement result corresponding to the first link is less than a first threshold, the parameter accuracy of the sensing target is less than a second threshold, the parameter resolution of the sensing target is less than a third threshold, or the signal strength received on the first link is less than a fourth threshold, wherein the first time is earlier than or equal to the second time.

[0015] Based on the above technical solution, there can be various conditions for link switching, such as target movement or measurement results not meeting requirements, which can support switching needs in different scenarios and improve the applicability of the solution.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before establishing the sensing measurement session, the method further includes: sending a second request message to the second multi-link device, the second request message being used to request the establishment of the sensing measurement session, the second request message including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the sensing measurement session is a sensing measurement session in which the first entity participates; and receiving a second response message from the second multi-link device in response to the second request message, the second response message including the first indication information.

[0017] Based on the above technical solution, the first multi-link device requests the establishment of a sensing measurement session to the second multi-link device through a second request message, and carries first indication information indicating the type of sensing measurement session in the second request message. The sensing measurement session is a sensing measurement session in which the first entity participates, which can greatly expand the sensing coverage based on the sensing measurement session, thereby enabling large-scale sensing.

[0018] The first entity is equivalent to a virtual multi-link device. The parameters and information of the multiple auxiliary multi-link devices included in the first entity can be shared, which can reduce the cooperation of the multiple auxiliary multi-link devices in air interface transmission, realize the rapid feedback of sensing and measurement results, and improve the performance of sensing and measurement.

[0019] For example, if the first multi-link device is associated with a certain subordinate multi-link device in the first entity, then the first multi-link device is associated with all subordinate multi-link devices included in the first entity, which can improve the initiator's confidence in the sensing measurement results.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second request message further includes information about the first entity, which is used to identify the first entity.

[0021] Based on the above technical solution, the second request message may also include information about the first entity to accurately indicate the first entity participating in the sensing and measurement session, thereby improving the accuracy of the solution. For example, the first multi-link device may establish sensing and measurement sessions with multiple different entities. To clearly identify the first entity participating in the establishment of this sensing and measurement session, the second request message may carry information about the first entity (e.g., the identifier of the first entity).

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second request message further includes second indication information, which is used to indicate information corresponding to the at least one link.

[0023] Based on the above technical solution, the second request message includes second indication information indicating the link parameter information of one or more links included in the sensing and measurement session. This second indication information is used to negotiate and execute the link parameter information of at least one link of the sensing and measurement session with the second multi-link device. Furthermore, in this technical solution, the sensing and measurement session can be executed on multiple links. For example, the first entity includes multiple auxiliary AP MLDs deployed in different locations, and each AP MLD can be configured with multiple links, which can multiply the number of links in the sensing and measurement session, further improving sensing performance.

[0024] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second indication information includes at least one of a first parameter, at least one second parameter, a third parameter, and a fourth parameter, wherein the first parameter indicates common information of the devices included in each of the multi-link devices attached to the first entity, the second parameter indicates information of the link established by the first multi-link device and the fourth multi-link device attached to the first entity, the third parameter indicates the conditions for successful establishment of the sensing measurement session, and the fourth parameter indicates the multi-link device transmitting the sensing report.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second parameter includes at least one of the information of the fourth multi-link device, common information, and link information, wherein the information of the fourth multi-link device is used to identify the fourth multi-link device, the common information indicates common information of the links on the fourth multi-link device, and the link information indicates the specific parameters of each link on the fourth multi-link device.

[0026] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second request message includes parameters of a first type, parameters of a second type, and parameters of a third type, wherein the first parameter and the third parameter belong to the first type of parameters, the information of the fourth multi-link device, the fourth parameter, and the public information belong to the second type of parameters, and the link information belongs to the third type of parameters.

[0027] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the third parameter indicates at least one of the following information: information on the multi-link devices among the plurality of multi-link devices attached to the first entity that satisfy the first condition, information on the multi-link devices among the plurality of multi-link devices attached to the first entity that satisfy the second condition, or link information that satisfies the third condition.

[0028] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second request message further includes control information indicating whether the third parameter is included in the second request message.

[0029] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second response message includes status information. If the status information indicates partial acceptance of the multiple links requested by the second request message, then the second response message includes information indicating the accepted multiple link devices and / or information of the links corresponding to the multiple link devices; or, if the status information indicates rejection of the parameters of the multiple links requested by the second request message, then the second response message includes third indication information, which indicates the parameters corresponding to each of the multiple links.

[0030] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first multi-link device is the sensing initiator and the second multi-link device is the sensing response end; or, the first multi-link device is the proxy sensing initiator and the second multi-link device is the proxy sensing response end.

[0031] In a second aspect, a communication apparatus is provided for performing the method provided in the first aspect. Specifically, the apparatus may include units and / or modules for performing the method provided in any of the above implementations of the first aspect, such as processing units and / or communication units.

[0032] For example, when the communication device is the first multi-link device in the first aspect described above, the communication unit is configured to send a first request message to the second multi-link device. The first request message is used to request the establishment of a sensing measurement session. The first request message includes first indication information, which indicates that the sensing measurement session is a sensing measurement session in which a first entity participates. The communication unit is further configured to receive a first response message from the second multi-link device in response to the first request message. The first response message includes the first indication information. The first entity includes multiple multi-link devices attached to the first entity, and either the first multi-link device is attached to the first entity or the second multi-link device is attached to the first entity.

[0033] In one implementation, the communication unit can be a transceiver or an input / output interface; the processing unit can be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0034] For example, when the communication device is the first multi-link device in the first aspect described above, the transceiver is configured to send a first request message to the second multi-link device. The first request message is used to request the establishment of a sensing measurement session. The first request message includes first indication information, which indicates that the sensing measurement session is a sensing measurement session in which a first entity participates. The transceiver is further configured to receive a first response message from the second multi-link device in response to the first request message. The first response message includes the first indication information. The first entity includes multiple multi-link devices attached to the first entity, and either the first multi-link device is attached to the first entity or the second multi-link device is attached to the first entity.

[0035] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a first multi-link device. When the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a terminal device, the communication unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip, chip system, or circuit; the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0036] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, the device comprising: a memory for storing a program; and at least one processor for executing the computer program or instructions stored in the memory to perform any of the implementations of the first aspect described above.

[0037] Fourthly, this application provides a processor for performing the methods provided in the above aspects.

[0038] Unless otherwise specified, or if it does not contradict its actual function or internal logic in the relevant description, the transmission and acquisition / reception operations involved in the processor can be understood as processor output and reception, input and other operations, or as transmission and reception operations performed by radio frequency circuits and antennas. This application does not limit them in this regard.

[0039] Fifthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores program code for execution by a device, the program code including a method for performing any of the implementations of the first aspect described above.

[0040] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method provided by any implementation of the first aspect described above.

[0041] In a seventh aspect, a chip is provided, the chip including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface and executes the method provided by any implementation of the first aspect.

[0042] Optionally, as one implementation, the chip also includes a memory storing computer programs or instructions, and a processor for executing the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided by any of the implementations of the first aspect described above.

[0043] Eighthly, a communication system is provided, including a first multi-link device as described in the first aspect above. Attached Figure Description

[0044] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario applicable to an embodiment of this application.

[0045] Figure 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a multi-link device.

[0046] Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary schematic diagram of a multi-link structure between multi-link devices.

[0047] Figure 4 illustrates a roaming diagram under an AP MLD architecture.

[0048] Figure 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of a non-co-located multi-link device.

[0049] Figure 6 illustrates a roaming diagram under a non-co-located AP MLD architecture.

[0050] Figure 7 illustrates a schematic diagram of the structure of a sensory element.

[0051] Figure 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of the structure of a perception measurement request frame.

[0052] Figure 9 illustrates the trigger-based perception measurement interaction flow.

[0053] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a proxy sensing measurement process.

[0054] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of an SBP request frame.

[0055] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of another application scenario to which the embodiments of this application are applicable.

[0056] Figure 13 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0057] Figure 14(a) and (b) are schematic diagrams of the second request message provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0058] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of another second request message provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0059] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of another second request message provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0060] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of a second response message provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0061] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of another second response message provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0062] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of a target movement sensing embodiment provided in this application.

[0063] Figure 20 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0064] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of a link switching provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0065] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of a first request message provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0066] Figure 23 is a schematic diagram of another first request message provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0067] Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of another first request message provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0068] Figure 25 is a schematic diagram of another first request message provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0069] Figure 26 is a schematic diagram of a first response message provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0070] Figure 27 is a schematic diagram of another first response message provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0071] Figure 28 is a schematic diagram of another link switching provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0072] Figure 29 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0073] Figure 30 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0074] Figure 31 is a schematic diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0075] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the following points will be explained first.

[0076] First, in this application, "for indicating" can include both direct and indirect indication. When describing an indication message as indicating A, it can include whether the indication message directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but does not necessarily mean that the indication message carries A.

[0077] The information indicated by the instruction is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be instructed. It can also indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent. At the same time, common parts of various pieces of information can be identified and indicated uniformly to reduce the instruction overhead caused by individually indicating the same information.

[0078] Second, in this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more (including two). Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, "first," "second," and various numerical designations (e.g., "#1," "#2," etc.) are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The sequence numbers of the processes below do not imply an order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application. It should be understood that the objects described in this way can be interchanged where appropriate to describe solutions other than those in the embodiments of this application. Moreover, in the embodiments of this application, terms such as "S1310" are merely identifiers for descriptive convenience and do not limit the order of execution steps.

[0079] Third, in the embodiments of this application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that they are examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design options. Specifically, the use of the words "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0080] Fourth, the term "storage" in the embodiments of this application can refer to storage in one or more memories. These memories can be separate installations or integrated into an encoder, decoder, processor, or communication device. Alternatively, some memories can be separately installed, while others can be integrated into the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, and this application does not limit this.

[0081] Fifth, in the implementation of this application, "protocol" may refer to standard protocols in the field of communications, such as the NR protocol and related protocols applied in future communication systems, and this application does not limit it.

[0082] Sixth, in the embodiments of this application, the terms "of", "corresponding (relevant)", "corresponding", and "associate" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when their differences are not emphasized, their intended meanings are consistent.

[0083] Seventh, in the embodiments of this application, "under the circumstances", "when", and "if" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the distinction is not emphasized, their intended meanings are consistent.

[0084] Eighth, the term "and / or" in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0085] Ninth, the terms "message", "information", or "information element (IE)" can be used interchangeably in this article. There are no restrictions on the names of messages, information, or frames, as long as they can achieve the corresponding functions.

[0086] Tenth, in this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, and "send information" can include direct transmission or indirect transmission through other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, and "receive information" can include direct reception from YY or indirect reception from YY through other units or modules. Besides air interface transmission or reception signals implemented at the whole-machine level such as network devices or terminal devices, "send" can also be understood as the "output" of a chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of a chip interface. For example, a modem or system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip transmits or receives signals. "Send" or "receive" can also be performed through device components, for example, by using buses, traces, or interfaces to transmit or receive signals through several parts, modules, or chips of a device.

[0087] Eleventh, in the accompanying drawings of the message structure in the embodiments of this application, some examples of field lengths in the message are given. It should be understood that the byte lengths shown in the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of this application are only examples, and in actual applications, the length of any byte may vary.

[0088] Twelfth, the accompanying drawings of the message structure in the embodiments of this application provide examples of field names in the message. It should be understood that the field names shown in the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of this application are merely examples, and in actual applications, the name of any field may change.

[0089] Thirteenth, in the accompanying drawings of the message structure in the embodiments of this application, some indicate that the length of a field in the message is 0 or variable, indicating that the field is optional, that is, when the message does not include the field, the field length is 0. If the length of the field is variable, it means that the length of the field is uncertain. In actual design, the specific length of the field can be indicated by other indication information, or the sender and receiver can negotiate the length of the field in advance, or the length of the field is predefined, or the receiver can determine the length of the field based on other auxiliary information when it receives the message carrying the field, and then parse the message. This application does not limit the specific method of determining the length of variable-length fields. You can refer to the description of the length of variable fields in the frame structure of the current related technology, which will not be repeated here. The following text will not repeat the description of the length of variable-length fields involved in the message.

[0090] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0091] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) scenarios. For example, they support IEEE 802.11 related standards, such as 802.11ax, 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7), also known as Extremely High Throughput (EHT), 802.11bn (Wi-Fi 8), or the next-generation Wi-Fi 8 standard. They also include 802.11ad, 802.11ay standards, or Integrated mmWave (IMMW) protocols or Spark Link / Near Link protocols. They can also be applied to wireless personal area network systems based on ultra-wideband (UWB), such as the 802.15 series standards, and to sensing systems, such as the 802.11bf series standards. The 802.11ax standard is known as the high-efficiency (HE) standard, and the 802.11be standard is known as the extremely high throughput (EHT) standard. 802.11bf includes two main categories: low-frequency (e.g., sub7GHz) and high-frequency (e.g., 60GHz) standards. Sub7GHz implementations primarily rely on 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, and next-generation standards, while 60GHz implementations primarily rely on 802.11ad, 802.11ay, and next-generation standards. 802.11ad can also be called the directional multi-gigabit (DMG) standard, and 802.11ay can also be called the enhanced directional multi-gigabit (EDMG) standard.

[0092] Although the embodiments of this application are primarily illustrated using the deployment of WLAN networks, particularly those employing the IEEE 802.11 system standard, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the various aspects involved in the embodiments of this application can be extended to other networks employing various standards or protocols, such as high-performance radio local area networks (HIPERLANs), wireless wide area networks (WWANs), wireless personal area networks (WPANs), or other networks now known or developed in the future. Therefore, regardless of the coverage area and wireless access protocol used, the various aspects provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to any suitable wireless network.

[0093] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can also be applied to various communication systems, such as: WLAN communication systems, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, 5th generation (5G) systems or new radio (NR), Internet of Things (IoT) networks or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networks, future communication systems, etc.

[0094] The communication systems described above that are applicable to this application are merely illustrative examples, and the communication systems applicable to this application are not limited to these. They will be uniformly described here and will not be repeated below.

[0095] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario applicable to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication method provided by this application is applicable to data communication between access points (APs) (AP1 and AP2 shown in Figure 1) and stations (STAs) (non-AP STA1, non-AP STA2, and non-AP STA3 shown in Figure 1). A station can be a non-access point station (non-AP STA), simply referred to as a non-AP station or STA, while an AP can be called an access station. Specifically, the solution of this application is applicable to data communication between an AP and one or more non-AP stations (e.g., data communication between AP1 and non-AP STA1, non-AP STA2), data communication between APs (e.g., data communication between AP1 and AP2), and data communication between non-AP STAs (e.g., data communication between non-AP STA2 and non-AP STA3).

[0096] Access points are nodes that allow terminals (e.g., mobile phones) to access wired (or wireless) networks. They are mainly deployed in homes, buildings, and campuses, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. Of course, they can also be deployed outdoors. An access point acts as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, its main function being to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet.

[0097] Specifically, the access point can be a terminal or network device with a Wi-Fi chip. This network device can be a server, router, switch, bridge, computer, mobile phone, relay station, vehicle-mounted equipment, wearable device, network device in a 5G network, network device in a 6G network, or network device in a public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., and this application embodiment is not limited to these. The access point can be a device that supports Wi-Fi standards. For example, the access point can also support one or more standards of the IEEE 802.11 series, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, or 802.11bn, or the IMW protocol or Star Flash protocol.

[0098] Non-AP sites can be wireless communication chips, wireless sensors, or wireless communication terminals, and may also be referred to as users, user equipment (UE), access terminals, user units, user stations, mobile stations, mobile stations, remote stations, remote terminals, mobile devices, user terminals, terminals, wireless communication equipment, user agents, or user devices. Non-AP sites can be cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle devices, IoT devices, wearable devices, terminal devices in 5G networks, terminal devices in 6G networks, or terminal devices in PLMNs, etc., and this application embodiment is not limited to these. Non-AP sites can be devices that support WLAN standards. For example, non-AP sites can support one or more standards or IMW protocols or Star Flash protocols from the IEEE 802.11 series, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, or 802.11bn.

[0099] For example, non-AP sites can be mobile phones, tablets, set-top boxes, smart TVs, smart wearable devices, vehicle communication devices, computers, Internet of Things (IoT) nodes, sensors, smart home devices such as smart cameras, smart remote controls, smart water and electricity meters, and sensors in smart cities.

[0100] The aforementioned AP or non-AP sites may include transmitters, receivers, memory, processors, etc., wherein the transmitter and receiver are used for transmitting and receiving packet structures, respectively, the memory is used for storing signaling information and pre-agreed preset values, etc., and the processor is used for parsing signaling information and processing related data, etc.

[0101] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, some terms or concepts that may be involved in the embodiments of this application will be briefly described first.

[0102] 1. Multi-link device (MLD): In this application embodiment, the next-generation IEEE 802.11 standard device that simultaneously supports multiple links is referred to as a multi-link device.

[0103] It should be understood that the specific definition of a multi-link device can be found in the descriptions of current or future communication protocols, and this application does not impose any limitations on it. For example, a multi-link device can also be understood as a device that supports multi-link simultaneous transmission; or, a multi-link device can also be understood as a logical device or entity composed of multiple devices.

[0104] For example, the multi-link device can be an access point multi-link device (AP MLD) or a non-access point multi-link device (non-AP MLD), such as a station multi-link device (STA MLD). It should be noted that the names of the multi-link devices mentioned above are merely examples and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. For example, an AP MLD can also be called a multi-link AP, or with the development of communication technology, an AP MLD can have other names, which will not be listed here.

[0105] In the IEEE 802.11be protocol, MLD supports multi-link operation technology. If different links can transmit and receive simultaneously (e.g., a multi-link device includes two links, where one link can transmit signals and the other can receive signals within the same time period), this mode is called simultaneous transmitting and receiving (STR) mode. If different links can only transmit or receive simultaneously (e.g., a multi-link device includes two links, where both links can only transmit signals or only receive signals within the same time period), this mode is called non-simultaneous transmitting and receiving (NSTR) mode. The solution provided in this application does not limit the operating mode of the multi-link device; it can be either STR mode or NSTR mode.

[0106] MLDs have multiple RF modules that can operate on different frequency bands. For example, an MLD can operate on all or part of the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz, and high-frequency 60GHz bands. An MLD can include an AP MLD and / or a non-access point (non-AP) MLD, such as a STA MLD.

[0107] For example, taking AP MLD as an example, AP MLD may include one or more affiliated sites, each with its own media access control (MAC) address. Figure 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-link device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the affiliated sites of AP MLD include AP1 and AP2. The lower MAC address of AP1 is link address 1, and the lower MAC address of AP2 is link address 2. In addition, AP MLD also has an upper MAC address, called the MLD MAC address.

[0108] AP MLD and non-AP MLD can establish multi-link connections through signaling interaction on any link. Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary schematic diagram of a multi-link structure between multi-link devices provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3, AP MLD includes AP1 and AP2. AP1 includes AP1 PHY, AP1 low-layer MAC, and high-layer MAC. AP2 includes AP2 PHY, AP2 low-layer MAC, and high-layer MAC. AP1 and AP2 share the high-layer MAC. Non-AP MLD includes STA1 and STA2. STA1 includes STA1 PHY, STA1 low-layer MAC, and high-layer MAC. STA2 includes STA2 PHY, STA2 low-layer MAC, and high-layer MAC. STA1 and STA2 share the high-layer MAC. AP1 and STA1 are connected via link 1, and AP2 and STA2 are connected via link 2.

[0109] In one possible implementation, during multi-link establishment, non-AP MLDs and AP MLDs can establish associations through an association process. For example, the association process may include: the non-AP MLD sending an association request frame on link 1, carrying STA-side information for link 1 and STA-side information for link 2. For instance, the association request frame may carry a multi-link element field, which carries information about the non-AP MLD and the stations within it. The AP MLD then sends an association response frame on link 1, carrying AP-side information for link 1 and AP-side information for link 2, thereby enabling STA1 and STA2 of the non-AP MLD to establish associations (or complete associations) with AP1 and AP2 of the AP MLD, respectively.

[0110] 2. AP MLD Roaming: The 802.11bn discussion group has proposed a roaming method that groups multiple APs into a single logical AP MLD. Switching from one AP to another can be achieved by adding new links through multi-link reconfiguration, avoiding data transmission interruptions. This is because adding a new link does not require renegotiation of the pairwise transient key (PTK); instead, it only requires negotiating the group temporal key (GTK), integrity group temporal key (IGTK), and beacon integrity group temporal key (BIGTK) for the new link.

[0111] To facilitate understanding, the roaming process is briefly introduced with reference to Figure 4, which is a roaming diagram under an AP MLD architecture.

[0112] As shown in Figure 4, the AP roaming process under the AP MLD architecture includes the following steps:

[0113] Step 1: Associate the non-AP MLD with the AP MLD, which includes AP 1 and AP 2. The current non-AP MLD is within the coverage area of ​​AP 1.

[0114] Step 2: When the non-AP MLD moves into the coverage area of ​​AP 2, the non-AP MLD can establish a new link with AP 2. AP 1 copies or forwards the data from the non-AP MLD to AP 2. AP 1 and AP 2 can transmit data with the non-AP MLD simultaneously.

[0115] Step 3: When the non-AP MLD is completely removed from the coverage area of ​​AP 1, the non-AP MLD deletes the link with AP 1.

[0116] 3. Non-collocated AP MLD: Also known as ultra-high reliability AP MLD (UHR AP MLD), roaming AP MLD, or ultra-fast transition AP MLD (UFT AP MLD), etc. For ease of description, it will be referred to as non-collocated AP MLD in the following text.

[0117] The IEEE 802.11bn protocol proposes a non-collocated AP MLD architecture, which consists of multiple affiliated AP MLDs, forming a distributed AP MLD. These affiliated AP MLDs can be connected to each other via wired backhaul or wirelessly. This application does not impose any restrictions on the connection methods between the multiple affiliated AP MLDs included in a non-collocated AP MLD. Essentially, the non-collocated AP MLD architecture expands coverage by extending the higher-layer and lower-layer MAC addresses of the AP MLD.

[0118] To facilitate understanding, a simplified description of the non-co-located AP MLD architecture is provided in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 5, the non-co-located AP MLD architecture includes two affiliated AP MLDs (affiliated AP MLD1 and affiliated AP MLD2 as shown in Figure 5). Each affiliated AP MLD includes two affiliated APs (AP1 and AP2 in affiliated AP MLD1, and AP1 and AP2 in affiliated AP MLD2 as shown in Figure 5). Furthermore, the connection between this non-co-located AP MLD and a non-AP MLD can be as shown in Figure 5, with the non-AP MLD establishing connections with each of the two affiliated AP MLDs.

[0119] 4. Roaming under a non-co-located AP MLD architecture: As shown in Figure 6, the roaming method based on a non-co-located AP MLD includes the following steps:

[0120] Step 1: The AP MLD sends a Beacon request to the Non-AP MLD. The AP MLD requests the Non-AP MLD to collect beacons from surrounding AP MLDs.

[0121] Step 2: The Non-AP MLD sends a beacon report to the AP MLD. This provides a list of APs that can receive beacons on a specific channel.

[0122] Step 3: The AP MLD sends a link reconfiguration notify to the Non-AP MLD. This is used to recommend links under the AP MLD to the Non-AP MLD.

[0123] Step 4: Non-AP MLD and current AP MLD interact with each other to probe request / response and collect information about AP MLDs under the same non-collocated AP MLD.

[0124] Step 5: Non-AP MLD and current AP MLD interact via a link reconfiguration request / response, initiating a connection between the non-AP MLD and the target AP MLD.

[0125] Step 6: After the connection is established, the Non-AP MLD can transmit data with the target AP MLD.

[0126] In the above process, the link reconfiguration request frame and link reconfiguration response frame between the Non-AP MLD and the current AP MLD are mainly used to add links, that is, to establish a link with the target AP MLD in advance. This process enables rapid link switching.

[0127] 5. Sensing Technology: Signals emitted by WiFi devices are typically reflected, diffracted, and scattered by various obstacles before being received by terminal devices. This phenomenon means that the actual received signal is often a superposition of multiple signals, meaning the channel environment can become complex. However, this also facilitates the sensing of the physical environment through which the wireless signal passes. By analyzing the wireless signal affected by various obstacles, such as channel state information (CSI), the surrounding environment can be inferred and sensed, thus giving rise to sensing technology.

[0128] The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11bf is a next-generation wireless standard for WLAN sensing. WLAN sensing is the ability of devices with WLAN sensing capabilities to use received wireless signals in a given environment to determine the characteristics of a predetermined target (such as an object, animal, or person). These characteristics include the target's distance, orientation, speed, movement, and behavior.

[0129] The current IEEE 802.11bf standard has four roles:

[0130] • Sensing initiator: The device that initiates sensing behavior.

[0131] • Sensing responder: A device that responds to sensing actions initiated by the sensing initiator and participates in the sensing actions.

[0132] • Sensing transmitter (TX): The device that transmits sensing PPDUs.

[0133] • Sensing receiver (RX): A device that receives sensing PPDUs.

[0134] For example, an AP can be a sensing initiator or a sensing responder; a station can be a sensing initiator or a sensing responder.

[0135] For example, an AP can be a sensing transmitter, a sensing receiver, or both. Similarly, a device can be a sensing transmitter, a sensing receiver, or both.

[0136] In addition, the current IEEE 802.11bf standard presents sensing measurements in the form of a session. The sensing measurement process includes sensing capability interaction, sensing measurement session, sensing measurement interaction, and sensing measurement shutdown, which will be explained in detail below.

[0137] 6. Sensing Capabilities Interaction: Before participating in sensing, the device can interact with the AP to exchange its features and capabilities. For example, device or AP capability information is carried in a sensing capabilities element, which can be carried in frames such as probe request frames, probe response frames, association request frames, or association response frames.

[0138] One possible implementation is that, for non-associated devices, the sensing capability element can also be carried in a sensing measurement query frame.

[0139] It should be understood that the above-mentioned frames that can carry sensing capability elements are merely examples and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. In this application, sensing capability elements can be carried in other frames besides the frames mentioned above, such as other frames transmitted between the AP and the device, which will not be listed here.

[0140] To facilitate understanding, the possible structures of the sensory ability elements are briefly introduced with reference to Figure 7.

[0141] As shown in Figure 7, the perception ability element includes the following fields:

[0142] Element ID, Length, Element ID Extension, and Sensing Field.

[0143] The perception domain fields specifically include those shown in Figure 7: Responder Needed, Bandwidth (BW), Maximum TX Space-Time Stream Bandwidth ≤ 80MHz (Max TX STS ≤ 80MHz), Maximum TX Space-Time Stream Bandwidth = 160MHz (Max TX STS = 160MHz), Maximum TX Space-Time Stream Bandwidth = 320MHz (Max TX STS = 320MHz), Maximum RX Space-Time Stream Bandwidth ≤ 80MHz (Max RX STS ≤ 80MHz), Maximum RX Space-Time Stream Bandwidth = 160MHz (Max RX STS = 160MHz), Maximum RX Space-Time Stream Bandwidth = 320MHz (Max RX STS = 320MHz), Maximum TX LTF Repetition, Maximum RX LTF Repetition, Maximum RX LTF Total, Maximum RX LTF Total, Device Class, Full-bandwidth Uplink Multi-User MIMO (Full Bandwidth (UL MU-MIMO), Max Number of Supported Sessions as Responder, Min Time Between Measurements, Poll Required, Threshold-based Reporting, N g =16. Supports SR2SR Support, Maximum Number of RX Antennas, and Reserved fields.

[0144] 7. Sensing Measurement Session Establishment: The sensing initiator establishes a sensing measurement session when it needs to initiate sensing measurements. The sensing initiator can establish a sensing measurement session with one or more sensing response devices. During this stage, the devices participating in the sensing select and negotiate relevant parameters according to different applications.

[0145] During the sensing measurement session establishment phase, the sensing initiator sends a Sensing Measurement Request Frame to the sensing response end to initiate the sensing measurement and request the roles and related parameters in the sensing measurement. Upon receiving the Sensing Measurement Request Frame, the device can send a Sensing Measurement Response Frame, following these rules:

[0146] 1) If the sensing response terminal accepts the sensing measurement parameters requested in the sensing measurement request frame, the status code in the sensing measurement response frame is set to SUCCESS.

[0147] 2) If the sensing response rejects the sensing measurement parameters requested in the sensing measurement request frame, but provides its preferred sensing measurement parameters in its sensing measurement response frame, the status code is set to REJECTED_WITH_SUGGESTED_SENSING_PARAMETERS.

[0148] 3) If the sensing response terminal rejects the sensing measurement parameters requested from the sensing measurement request frame and does not provide its preferred sensing measurement parameters, the status code is set to REQUEST_DECLINED.

[0149] To facilitate understanding, the possible structure of the perception measurement request frame is briefly introduced with reference to Figure 8.

[0150] As shown in Figure 8, the perception measurement request frame includes the following fields:

[0151] The system includes a Category, Public Action (or Protected Dual of Public Action), Dialog Token, Sensing Comeback Info, Measurement Session ID Indication, and Sensing Measurement Parameters element. The Sensing Measurement Parameters element is optional.

[0152] It should be understood that the public function field (i.e., the field with a length of one octet after the category in the action field of the frame) involved in different frame structures in this application can be a public action field, a protected dual public action field, or a public action / protected dual public action field. If it is a protected dual public action frame field, it is used to indicate that the frame is a protected frame structure, and will not be described again in subsequent frame structures.

[0153] The class field in this application embodiment can be used to represent the type of message. The public function field in this application embodiment can be used to represent the function of the message. The dialogue token in this application embodiment can be used to identify a dialogue; for example, a pair of corresponding requests and responses can have the same dialogue token.

[0154] Furthermore, as can be seen from Figure 8, the sensing measurement parameter element field specifically includes the following fields:

[0155] The system includes element ID, length, element ID extension, sensing measurement parameters, and sensing subelements. Sensing subelements are optional.

[0156] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the sensing measurement parameter field specifically includes the following fields:

[0157] Sensing Transmitter, Sensing Receiver, Sensing Measurement Report Requested, Measurement Session Expiry Exponent, Bandwidth (BW), TX LTF Repetition, RX LTF Repetition, Transmitter Spatiotemporal Stream (TX STS), Receiver Spatiotemporal Stream (RX STS), Number of RX Antennas, Report Timestamp, Subcarrier Packet (I Ng The field contains the Basic Service Set (BSS) color information and the reserved field. The Sensing Measurement Report Request field, set to 1, indicates that the sensing response end needs to send a sensing measurement report frame during the sensing measurement interaction of the sensing measurement session; if the Sensing Measurement Report Request field is set to 0, it indicates that the sensing response end does not need to send a sensing measurement report frame during the sensing measurement interaction of the sensing measurement session. For example, in this case, the sensing measurement report can be fed back via a data payload.

[0158] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the sensing sub-element specifically includes the following fields: TB Sensing Specific subelement, Non-TB Sensing Specific subelement, and SBP Sensing Specific subelement. The TB Sensing Specific subelement fields include Subelement ID, Length, Associated / Unassociated Identifier (AID / USID), Poll Assigned, CSI Variation Threshold, SR2SR (Response to Response), Reserved, and Availability Window. The Non-TB Sensing Specific subelement fields include Subelement ID, Length, Min Measurement Interval, and Reserved.

[0159] 8. Sensing Measurement Exchange: After the sensing measurement session is established, the sensing initiator will initiate one or more sensing measurement exchanges with one or more devices. A sensing measurement exchange can be divided into two forms: trigger-based (TB) sensing measurement exchange and non-trigger-based (Non-TB) sensing measurement exchange.

[0160] Among them, TB perception measurement interaction is initiated by AP as the perception initiator, while Non-TB perception measurement interaction is initiated by non-AP STA as the perception initiator.

[0161] Specifically, the TB-sensing measurement interaction includes at least one of the following stages:

[0162] The process consists of four phases: polling, NDPA sounding, TF sounding, and reporting. For example, the trigger-based perception measurement interaction includes several phases as shown in Figure 9.

[0163] It should be noted that all TB sensing measurement exchanges should take place within the sensing availability window. The access point (AP) competes for transmission opportunities (TXOP) within the sensing availability window, and sensing measurement exchanges occur within the TXOP. A TXOP can contain one TB sensing measurement exchange or multiple TB sensing measurement exchanges.

[0164] 9. Sensing by Proxy (SBP): This application mainly involves sensing by proxy technology. In scenarios where the AP establishes sensing relationships with at least two non-AP STAs, sensing measurements can be performed through the SBP process. For example, in the schematic diagram shown in Figure 1, non-AP STA1 and AP1, and non-AP STA2 and AP1, can perform sensing processes separately or simultaneously. Non-AP STA1 can send a proxy sensing request to AP1, requesting AP to act as a proxy for non-AP STA1 to obtain the sensing results obtained by AP1 and non-AP STA2 during the sensing process (or, request AP1 to obtain the sensing results of non-AP STA2).

[0165] It should be understood that non-AP STA1 is a requesting STA, or a sensing by proxy requesting STA (SBP requesting STA), which obtains the sensing results of other sites by requesting AP1 as its proxy.

[0166] When the AP acts as an agent for non-AP STA1, non-AP STA1 can obtain the sensing results of other sensing stations through the AP, for example, it can obtain the sensing results of non-AP STA2 and / or non-AP STA3 through the AP.

[0167] The agent-based sensing technology comprises six roles and three steps. The six roles are: Agent Sensing Initiator (SBP initiator), Agent Sensing Responder (SBP responder), Sensing Initiator (sensing initiator), Sensing Responder (sensing responder), Sensing Transmitter (sensing transmitter), and Sensing Receiver (sensing receiver). The three steps are: SBP setup exchange, SBP reporting, and SBP termination. It should be understood that each of the above six roles can be implemented by either an STA or an AP, as long as it fulfills the corresponding function. This application does not impose any limitations on this; for example, the SBP initiator mentioned above can be either an AP or a STA.

[0168] For example, a sensing initiator refers to a station that initiates a sensing process; a sensing response station refers to a station that participates in the sensing process initiated by the sensing initiator; a sensing transmitter refers to a station that sends physical protocol data units (PPDUs) for sensing measurements during the sensing process; and a sensing receiver refers to a station that receives the PPDUs sent by the sensing transmitter and performs sensing measurements during the sensing process. A proxy sensing initiator refers to a station that requests a proxy sensing response station to initiate sensing actions on its behalf; a proxy sensing response station refers to a station that initiates sensing actions on behalf of the aforementioned proxy sensing initiator (e.g., AP1 mentioned above), and the proxy sensing response station is also a sensing initiator.

[0169] For example, the agent sensing process includes: SBP establishment exchange, sensing measurement session establishment, sensing measurement interaction, SBP reporting, and SBP closure.

[0170] Specifically, the SBP initiator sends an SBP measurement request to the AP and negotiates the parameters with the AP. Then, based on the parameters negotiated with the SBP initiator, the AP establishes a perception measurement session and perception measurement interaction with one or more perception response stations (STAs). During the SBP reporting phase, the AP sends a report back to the SBP initiator based on the report from the perception response station. After the perception measurement interaction is completed, or if the perception measurement session cannot be established / closed, the AP sends an SBP perception measurement termination frame to the SBP initiator to close the SBP.

[0171] Figure 10 illustrates a proxy sensing measurement process, where the sensing measurement phase is the WLAN sensing process. This phase includes sensing measurement session establishment and sensing measurement exchange. The sensing measurement session establishment and SBP establishment exchange are relatively independent and have no time constraints. For example, before the proxy sensing initiator sends an SBP establishment request to the proxy sensing responder, the proxy sensing responder has already established sensing measurement with at least one sensing responder, so that the proxy sensing responder can promptly provide the corresponding sensing measurement results to the proxy sensing initiator after receiving the SBP establishment request. Alternatively, the proxy sensing responder establishes sensing measurement with at least one sensing responder only after the proxy sensing initiator sends an SBP establishment request to the proxy sensing responder. Furthermore, the proxy sensing responder can simultaneously establish SBP with the proxy sensing initiator and establish sensing measurement with at least one sensing responder.

[0172] 10. SBP Establishment of Switching: The SBP establishment of switching as defined in the current protocol includes:

[0173] 1) The SBP initiator sends an SBP request frame to the SBP responder. The SBP request frame contains SBP parameter elements, which indicate the number and type of sensing responders. These SBP parameter elements are optional. The SBP request frame may also contain sensing measurement parameter elements and an availability window element for the initiating station (ISTA).

[0174] To facilitate understanding, the SBP request frame is described in detail with reference to Figure 11. Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of an SBP request frame. As can be seen from Figure 11, the SBP request frame includes the following fields:

[0175] The system includes a Category, Public Action (or Protected Dual of Public Action), Dialog Token, SBP Parameter Elements, Perception Measurement Parameter Elements, and ISTA Availability Window Elements. The SBP Parameter Elements, Perception Measurement Parameter Elements, and ISTA Availability Window Elements are optional.

[0176] It should be understood that the public function field (i.e., the field with a length of one octet after the category in the action field of the frame) involved in different frame structures in this application can be a public action field, a protected dual public action field, or a public action / protected dual public action field. If it is a protected dual public action frame field, it is used to indicate that the frame is a protected frame structure, and will not be described again in subsequent frame structures.

[0177] The class field in this application embodiment can be used to represent the message type. The common function field in this application embodiment can be used to represent the function of the message. The dialogue token in this application embodiment can be used to identify a dialogue; for example, a pair of corresponding requests and responses can have the same dialogue token. The ISTA availability window element is used to indicate when the SBP initiator can perform sensing measurements or receive measurement reports.

[0178] SBP parameter elements may include the following fields:

[0179] The elements include element ID, length, element ID extension, SBP parameter control, sensing responder addresses, sensing responder IDs, or sensing responder role bitmap. Here, bitmap can also be called a bitmap image; in this application, bitmap can be understood as an identifier bitmap (ID bitmap), meaning the identifier is represented by a bitmap. For example, the sensing responder role bitmap can be understood as the identifier of the sensing responder role.

[0180] In addition, the identifier in this application can also be represented in other ways, such as an ID list, address information (e.g., MAC Address), etc., which can identify the corresponding object. This application does not limit the specific form of the identifier.

[0181] The SBP parameter control field includes the following fields:

[0182] SBP Request, SBP Procedure Expiry Exponent, Sensing Responder, Number of Sensing Responders, Mandatory Number of Responders, Preferred Responder List, Number of Preferred Responders, Mandatory Preferred Responder, Preferred Responder Role Bitmap Present, Reserved.

[0183] The value carried by the sensing response end in the SBP parameter field can indicate whether the device requesting the sensing proxy will participate in the subsequent sensing process as a sensing response end, and perform sensing transmission and reception.

[0184] 2) After receiving the SBP request frame, the SBP responder sends an SBP response frame based on the parameters requested by the SBP initiator and its own known information, indicating whether to accept the requested parameters.

[0185] After the SBP is established, the SBP responder establishes a perception measurement session and conducts subsequent perception measurement interactions with the perception responder based on the parameter configuration in the SBP request frame.

[0186] 11. Multi-AP Corporation: Enables large-scale sensing and consists of one initiating AP and one or more responding APs. The initiating AP (AP1) coordinates with other APs (AP2 and AP3) to perform sensing at a predetermined time, frequency band, and STA. After the measurement is completed, the cooperating APs send the sensing results back to the initiating AP.

[0187] For example, multi-AP collaboration includes two implementation methods:

[0188] 1) Establish multi-AP sessions in advance

[0189] In the perception establishment interaction process, if the master AP learns that the perception target is far away from the device's perception range, it initiates an AP trigger to enable the collaborating AP and STA to perform perception. The collaborating AP then generates a report and sends the perception report to the initiating AP.

[0190] 2) Initiate a multi-AP session when needed.

[0191] If the sensing device of the master AP is about to move away from the coverage area of ​​the master AP, a multi-AP session is initiated. Establishing a multi-AP session in this way also takes time, and is therefore more time-consuming.

[0192] The preceding text, with reference to Figure 1, briefly introduced the application scenarios of the communication method provided in this application embodiment, and also introduced the basic concepts that may be involved in this application embodiment. Among the basic concepts, the SBP process, multi-AP cooperation, and roaming process were introduced. Among them, multi-AP cooperation can realize the perception and tracking of targets over a large area, but it has the following problems:

[0193] 1) Insufficient trust between the initiating AP and STA. Since a STA can only be associated with one AP, it is considered an unassociated STA by other APs. For example, if a STA is associated with AP2, then AP1, which wants to detect it, will perceive the STA as an unassociated device and therefore consider it uncontrolled, resulting in insufficient trust.

[0194] 2) The sensing range remains limited. The initiating AP can only cooperate with APs within its coverage area. Therefore, the sensing range is limited to the initiating AP and the sensing range of its nearby APs.

[0195] 3) Low perception establishment efficiency. Each AP has its own business. If AP1 wants to coordinate AP2 and AP3 for long-term periodic perception, it needs to negotiate parameters with each AP, so the overhead of perception establishment is relatively large. AP2 and AP3 may not agree on their own business, so the efficiency of perception establishment is relatively low.

[0196] 4) Establishing a multi-AP session takes too long, which may cause the collected information to become outdated and thus unusable as input for the next state estimation, resulting in the failure of the perception target.

[0197] In addition, the SBP process can also be applied to perception. For example, the SBP initiator can delegate the AP as the SBP responder to initiate the perception measurement interaction process on its behalf to achieve large-scale perception and target tracking. However, the following problems exist:

[0198] 1) Can only be initiated by STA.

[0199] 2) The sensing range is still limited. The SBP initiator can only delegate the sensing measurement interaction process to the APs within its coverage area.

[0200] 3) When the target being sensed is outside the range of the AP sensing measurement, the SBP scheme cannot continue to sense and measure the target.

[0201] 4) When the accuracy of sensing measurements decreases and the AP does not support SBP, the STA can only rescan other surrounding sensing nodes. This can cause problems such as excessively long sensing switching time and loss of sensing measurement targets.

[0202] Roaming in a non-co-located AP MLD architecture and / or roaming schemes in an AP MLD architecture have the following problems:

[0203] 1) It is designed for data exchange roaming and does not consider target tracking in perception scenarios.

[0204] 2) The signaling design and process are based on the roaming scenario, where the STA moves, so the STA triggers the link handover. However, the perception scenario is different. Perception is about sensing targets in the indoor environment. The STA does not move, so either the STA or the AP can trigger the link handover.

[0205] 3) It does not support AP MLD as the initiator for link switching.

[0206] For home networks, fiber-to-the-room (FTTR) networking is becoming increasingly common, meaning each room of a residential user has an access point (AP). Because the target being sensed is highly mobile, constantly moving between rooms and floors, the quality of the sensed signal inevitably deteriorates during this movement.

[0207] In a tracking scenario, to achieve real-time tracking of a specific target, two pieces of information are needed: 1) the target's current state; and 2) the target's state at the previous moment. Based on these two pieces of information, tracking of a specific target can be determined. When the receiver tracks multiple targets, it determines whether the currently acquired information is relevant to the specific target being tracked, ensuring that the estimated target parameters correspond to the actual target. For example, if an AP is tracking the routes of two targets A and B, the AP needs to distinguish which is A and which is B based on the signals it collects.

[0208] In summary, to achieve effective perception or tracking of moving targets, the sensing device needs to be able to quickly switch links and reduce switching time, as well as provide rapid feedback of sensing results. As can be seen from the above, the aforementioned sensing methods cannot meet these requirements. To address the problems existing in the above target sensing solutions, this application provides a communication method for realizing the perception of moving targets.

[0209] The technical solution provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of this application can be applied to multiple different scenarios, including the scenario shown in Figure 1, but are not limited to this scenario. For example, it can be applied to the scenarios shown in Figure 12(a) and (b), where AP MLD 1, AP MLD2, and AP MLD3 belong to the same non-collocated AP MLD, enabling all-weather, wide-range target perception in a large indoor environment (home or office). In the scenarios shown in Figure 12(a) and (b), the perception initiating end (AP MLD and Non-AP MLD) can obtain the current target perception status in real time. As the perceived target moves, it is necessary to quickly switch the link used for perception and provide rapid feedback of perception results to prevent target perception errors.

[0210] It should be understood that the embodiments shown below do not particularly limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of this application. As long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided in the embodiments of this application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiments of this application, for example, the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of this application can be a receiving end device or a sending end device, or a functional module in the receiving end device or the sending end device that can call and execute the program.

[0211] Without loss of generality, the communication method provided in this application embodiment will be described in detail using the interaction between the sensing initiator and the sensing response as an example. The sensing initiator involved in this application embodiment can be a non-AP MLD, an AP MLD, a non-collocated AP MLD attached to an AP MLD, or a chip system. The sensing response can be an AP MLD, a non-collocated AP MLD attached to an AP MLD, or a non-AP MLD or a chip system.

[0212] Figure 13 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, including the following steps:

[0213] S1310, the first multi-link device sends a second request message to the second multi-link device, and correspondingly, the second multi-link device receives the second request message from the first multi-link device.

[0214] The second request message is used to request the establishment of a sensing measurement session, which is used to implement sensing measurements. It should be understood that the current IEEE 802.11bf standard presents sensing measurements in the form of sessions. This application does not impose excessive limitations on the definition of a sensing measurement session; however, reference can be made to the current protocol's definition of a sensing measurement session or to future protocols' definition of sensing measurement formats.

[0215] As an example and not a limitation, the initiator of the perception measurement session establishment in this application includes, but is not limited to, the following two possible implementations:

[0216] As one possible implementation, in this embodiment, the first multi-link device is a sensing initiator, which can be a non-AP MLD, an AP MLD, or a non-collocated AP MLD attached to an AP MLD. The second multi-link device is a sensing response end, which can be an AP MLD, a non-AP MLD, or a non-collocated AP MLD attached to an AP MLD.

[0217] In this implementation, the application scenario can be as shown in Figure 12(a). The first multi-link device is the non-AP MLD shown in Figure 10(a), and the second multi-link device is AP MLD1, AP MLD2, or AP MLD3 attached to the non-collocated AP MLD shown in Figure 12(a).

[0218] As another possible implementation, in this embodiment, the first multi-link device is a proxy sensing initiator, which can be a non-AP MLD, an AP MLD, or a non-collocated AP MLD attached to an AP MLD. The second multi-link device is a proxy sensing response end, which can be an AP MLD, a non-AP MLD, or a non-collocated AP MLD attached to an AP MLD.

[0219] In this implementation, when the proxy sensing initiator is a non-AP MLD, if the non-AP MLD wants to obtain a sensing result for a specific area of ​​the environment, but the non-AP MLD may be unable to participate in sensing measurements due to business reasons or insufficient coverage, then the non-AP MLD can initiate an SBP request to the AP MLD to request the AP MLD to initiate sensing on its behalf, thereby obtaining a result for that specific environment. Alternatively, the non-AP MLD can request a non-collocated AP MLD attached to the AP MLD to initiate sensing on its behalf, thereby obtaining a result for a wider area.

[0220] In this implementation, the application scenario can be as shown in Figure 12(b). The first multi-link device is Non-AP MLD1 shown in Figure 10(b), and the second multi-link device is AP MLD1 shown in Figure 12(b). Non-AP MLD1 sends a second request message to AP MLD1, requesting AP MLD2 and AP MLD3 under the Non-collocated AP MLD attached to AP MLD1 to perform sensing and measurement interaction with Non-AP MLD2.

[0221] It should be understood that the specific forms of the first multi-link device and the second multi-link device are not limited in the embodiments of this application. One of the first multi-link devices and the second multi-link device is attached to a non-collocated AP MLD. For example, the first multi-link device is a non-AP MLD, and the second multi-link device is an AP MLD attached to a non-collocated AP MLD; another example is that the first multi-link device is an AP MLD attached to a non-collocated AP MLD, and the second multi-link device is an AP MLD; yet another example is that the first multi-link device is an AP MLD, and the second multi-link device is an AP MLD attached to a non-collocated AP MLD, etc., and so on. These will not be listed in detail here.

[0222] It should be noted that when the first multi-link device is a non-AP MLD and the second multi-link device is a non-AP MLD attached to a non-collocated non-AP MLD, the non-AP MLD can obtain information about the non-collocated AP MLD and other AP MLDs in that non-collocated AP MLD through broadcast information.

[0223] For example, in this embodiment, the first multi-link device sends a second request message to the second multi-link device, which can be done through a device or link attached to the first multi-link device. For instance, if a non-AP MLD is the first multi-link device, and the non-AP MLD includes non-AP#1 and non-AP#2, then the non-AP MLD can send the second request message through either non-AP#1 or non-AP#2.

[0224] Specifically, the second request message is used to request the establishment of a sensing measurement session, which is executed on at least one link. For example, if the first multi-link device is a non-AP MLD and the second multi-link device is AP MLD#1 attached to the non-collocated AP MLD, then the second request message can be used to request the establishment of a sensing measurement session, where the at least one link includes one or more links between the non-AP MLD and AP MLD#1 attached to the non-collocated AP MLD; or, the at least one link includes one or more links between the non-AP MLD and AP MLD#1 and AP MLD#2 attached to the non-collocated AP MLD.

[0225] Optionally, the second request message may be referred to as a non-collocated sensing measurement request frame, an ultra-reliable sensing measurement request frame (UHR sensing measurement request frame), a sensing measurement request frame, an SBP request frame, or a non-collocated SBP request frame, etc. In this application, no limitation is made on the name of the second request message.

[0226] Specifically, the second request message includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the perception measurement session requested by the second request message is a perception measurement session in which the first entity participates. The first entity includes multiple multi-link devices attached to the first entity, and either the first multi-link device is attached to the first entity or the second multi-link device is attached to the first entity.

[0227] Optionally, the first entity can be the non-co-located AP MLD described above. The first entity includes multiple multi-link devices attached to the first entity. The multiple multi-link devices attached to the first entity can be connected to each other via wired or wireless means. For example, the first entity is a non-co-located AP MLD, which includes AP MLD#1 and AP MLD#2. AP MLD#1 and AP MLD#2 are connected to each other via a backhaul wired means.

[0228] This application does not impose any restrictions on the specific form and / or name of the first entity, which may include multiple multi-link devices. For example, the first entity may be called an ultra-reliable AP MLD, a roaming AP MLD, or an ultra-fast switching AP MLD, etc.

[0229] For example, the first indication information is used to indicate that the perception measurement session is a perception measurement session in which the first entity participates. This can be understood as: the first indication information indicates that the type of the perception measurement session is "perception measurement session in which the first entity participates"; or, the first indication information indicates that the perception measurement session is a perception measurement session at the first entity level; or, the first indication information indicates that the perception measurement session is a perception measurement session under the first entity architecture; or, the first indication information indicates that a perception measurement session is established with the first entity; or, the first indication information indicates that the perception measurement session is associated with the first entity.

[0230] Optionally, if the second request message does not carry the first indication information, or if the second request message carries indication information #1, which indicates that the type of the sensing measurement session is not "sensing measurement session in which the first entity participates", the second request message requests the establishment of a connection between the second multi-link device.

[0231] In summary, if the second request message carries the first indication information, it indicates that the sensing and measurement session requested by the second request message is a session based on a non-collocated AP MLD architecture, such as a session established between the first multi-link device and the first entity. If the second request message does not carry the first indication information, it indicates that the sensing and measurement session requested by the second request message is a session established between the first multi-link device and the second multi-link device.

[0232] For example, the first multi-link device mentioned above is a non-AP MLD, and the second multi-link device is AP MLD#1 attached to the non-collocated AP MLD. If the second request message carries the first indication information, it instructs the non-AP MLD and the non-collocated AP MLD attached to AP MLD#1 to establish a sensing measurement session. If the second request message does not carry the first indication information, it instructs the non-AP MLD and AP MLD#1 to establish a sensing measurement session.

[0233] For example, if the first multi-link device mentioned above is a non-AP MLD, and the second multi-link device is AP MLD#1 attached to the non-collocated AP MLD, then if the second request message carries the first indication information, it instructs the non-collocated AP MLD attached to AP MLD#1 to initiate sensing on its behalf. If the second request message does not carry the first indication information, it requests AP MLD#1 to initiate sensing on its behalf.

[0234] For example, the second request message also includes information about the first entity. In this embodiment, the information about the first entity can be any information that can be used to identify the first entity. For example, the information about the first entity includes the identifier (ID) of the first entity and / or the address information of the first entity (e.g., virtual MAC address).

[0235] Optionally, the first indication information and the information of the first entity are the same. For example, if the second request message carries the information of the first entity, it indicates that the type of the perception measurement session requested by the second request message is "perception measurement session in which the first entity participates," that is, the information of the first entity carried in the second request message can realize the indication function of the first indication information; or...

[0236] The first indication information may be different from the information of the first entity. For example, there are first entities #1 and first entities #2 in the communication system. The second request message carries the first indication information and the information of the first entity #1. The type of perception measurement session requested by the second request message is "perception measurement session in which the first entity #1 participates".

[0237] For ease of description, the following explanation uses the information of the first entity to implement the function of the first indication information as an example, that is, the second request message includes information of the first entity. For example, the second request message includes a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address, which is the virtual MAC address of the first entity, used to identify the first entity and indicate that the sensing measurement session is a sensing measurement session under the non-collocated AP MLD architecture. The virtual MAC address of the first entity can also be called the non-collocated AP MLD common MAC.

[0238] It should be understood that this application does not limit the specific form and name of the Non-collocated AP MLD MAC address, and any information that can be used to identify the Non-collocated AP MLD can be called the Non-collocated AP MLD MAC address.

[0239] To facilitate understanding, the possible forms of the second request message will be briefly introduced with reference to Figures 14(a) and (b).

[0240] As shown in Figure 14(a), the first multi-link device is the sensing initiator, and the second multi-link device is the sensing response end. The second request message can be a sensing measurement request frame, such as a non-collocated sensing measurement request frame. This sensing measurement request frame includes a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address, which indicates that the sensing measurement session requested by the sensing measurement request frame is a sensing measurement session under a non-collocated AP MLD architecture. That is, the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address implements the functions of the first indication information and the information of the first entity mentioned above.

[0241] Optionally, the second request message shown in Figure 14(a) can be implemented by enhancing the perception measurement request frame shown in Figure 8 above, for example, by adding a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field to the perception measurement request frame shown in Figure 8.

[0242] For example, a new frame can be designed to implement the function of the second request message described above. For instance, a non-collocated sensing measurement request frame can be designed. This non-collocated sensing measurement request frame can be created by adding a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field at any position in a traditional sensing measurement request frame, and indicating the name of the newly designed frame in the common function field of the traditional sensing measurement request frame to distinguish different frames, so that the sensing response end can correctly parse the newly designed frame.

[0243] For example, the frame structure of a non-collocated sensing measurement request frame can be as follows: add a frame indication value to the Public Action / Protected Dual of Public Action field of the sensing measurement request frame. For example, set the value of this public action field to a preset value (such as 64) to indicate that this sensing measurement request frame is a non-collocated sensing measurement request frame. In this case, the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address can be carried anywhere in the sensing measurement request frame.

[0244] For example, a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field can be added to the end of the action field in a traditional sensing measurement request frame, such as by adding a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field to the end of the frame body of the traditional sensing measurement request frame. If the sensing response end is a traditional sensing response end, then during the parsing of the enhanced sensing measurement request frame, fields at the end of the action field that cannot be parsed will be discarded or not parsed. If the sensing response end is a non-traditional sensing response end, then the enhanced sensing measurement request frame can be parsed correctly. Here, a traditional sensing response end can be understood as a sensing response end that can parse a traditional sensing measurement request frame but cannot parse an enhanced sensing measurement request frame with added first indication information.

[0245] For example, a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field can be added to the end of the action field in a traditional sensing measurement request frame. For instance, a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field can be added to the end of the frame body of a traditional sensing measurement request frame. Furthermore, a 1-bit control field can be added to the sensing measurement parameters element, such as a 1-bit non-collocated AP MLD MAC address present field, indicating whether the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field exists. For example, if the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address present field is set to 1, it indicates that the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field exists; if the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address present field is set to 0, it indicates that the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field does not exist.

[0246] As shown in Figure 14(b), the first multi-link device is the proxy sensing initiator, and the second multi-link device is the proxy sensing responder. The second request message can be an SBP request frame, such as a non-collocated SBP request frame. This SBP request frame includes a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address, which indicates that the sensing measurement session requested by the sensing measurement request frame is a sensing measurement session under a non-collocated AP MLD architecture.

[0247] Optionally, the second request message shown in Figure 14(b) can be implemented by enhancing the SBP request frame shown in Figure 11 above, for example by adding a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field to the SBP request frame shown in Figure 11.

[0248] For example, a new frame can be designed to implement the functionality of the second request message described above. For instance, a non-collocated SBP request frame can be designed. The non-collocated SBP request frame can be created by adding a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field at any position in a traditional SBP request frame, and by indicating the name of the newly designed frame in the common function field of the traditional SBP request frame to distinguish it from other frames, so that the agent-aware response end can correctly parse the newly designed frame.

[0249] For example, the frame structure of a non-collocated SBP request frame can be as follows: add a frame indication value to the Public Action / Protected Dual of Public Action field of the SBP request frame. For example, set the value of this Public Action field to a preset value (such as y) to indicate that this SBP request frame is a non-collocated SBP request frame. In this case, the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address can be carried anywhere in the SBP request frame.

[0250] For example, a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field can be added to the end of the action field in a traditional SBP request frame, such as by adding a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field to the end of the frame body of a traditional SBP request frame. If the sensing response end is a traditional proxy sensing response end, then during the parsing of the SBP request frame, fields at the end of the action field that cannot be parsed will be discarded or not parsed. If the proxy sensing response end is a non-traditional proxy sensing response end, then it can correctly parse the request frame during the parsing of the enhanced SBP request frame. Here, a traditional proxy sensing response end can be understood as a proxy sensing response end that can parse traditional SBP request frames but cannot parse enhanced SBP request frames with added first indication information.

[0251] For example, a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field can be added to the end of the action field in a traditional SBP request frame. This could be done by adding a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field to the end of the frame body of the traditional SBP request frame, and adding a 1-bit control field to the SBP parameter element. Alternatively, a 1-bit control field can be added to the SBP parameter control field of the SBP parameter element, such as adding a 1-bit non-collocated AP MLD MAC address present field to indicate whether the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field exists. For instance, if the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address present field is set to 1, it indicates that the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field exists; if the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address present field is set to 0, it indicates that the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field does not exist.

[0252] It should be understood that Figures 14(a) and (b) merely illustrate possible frame structures for the second request message and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. For example, the second request message can be a new request message in addition to the aforementioned sensing measurement request frame and SBP request frame. For instance, the sensing request end sends the aforementioned second request message to the sensing response end before, after, or simultaneously with sending the sensing measurement request frame. That is, the second request message is used to clarify that the sensing measurement session requested by the current sensing measurement request frame is a sensing measurement session in which the first entity participates, etc. Examples will not be given here.

[0253] For example, the second request message also includes second indication information, which indicates the link parameter information of one or more links executing the sensing measurement session. For instance, the second indication information could be called a non-collocated sensing measurement parameter element. Here, "the sensing measurement session is executed on at least one link" can be understood as: the sensing measurement is presented in the form of a session, and the sensing measurement is implemented through one or more links; or, the sensing measurement is executed on one or more links; or, the sensing measurement session is established on one or more links.

[0254] Optionally, the second indication information is the non-collocated sensing measurement parameter element included in the frame structure shown in Figures 14(a) and (b). For example, for the sensing measurement request frame shown in Figure 14(a), it can be understood as a redesign of the sensing measurement parameter element in the sensing measurement request frame shown in Figure 8, and the redesigned sensing measurement parameter element is renamed as a non-collocated sensing measurement parameter element; and for example, for the SBP request frame shown in Figure 14(b), it can be understood as a redesign of the sensing measurement parameter element in the SBP request frame structure shown in Figure 11, and the redesigned sensing measurement parameter element is renamed as a non-collocated sensing measurement parameter element.

[0255] For example, the second indication information includes at least one of a first parameter, at least one second parameter, a third parameter, and a fourth parameter, wherein the first parameter indicates common information of the devices included in each multi-link device attached to the first entity, the second parameter indicates information of the link established by the first multi-link device and the fourth multi-link device attached to the first entity, the third parameter indicates the conditions for successful establishment of the sensing measurement session, and the fourth parameter indicates the multi-link device that transmits the sensing report.

[0256] Optionally, the first parameter may be referred to as non-collocated sensing measurement parameters common info, which indicates the parameters common to all subordinate APs on all subordinate AP MLDs of the first entity. For example, the first entity includes AP MLD#1 and AP MLD#2, AP MLD#1 includes AP#1 and AP#2, and AP MLD#2 includes AP#3 and AP#4. The non-collocated sensing measurement parameters common info indicates the parameters common to AP#1, AP#2, AP#3, and AP#4.

[0257] It should be understood that the aforementioned first parameter is optional information. For example, without considering the signaling resource overhead, the parameters common to all subordinate APs on all subordinate APs MLD of the first entity can be indicated separately, without being uniformly indicated through the common information of non-co-located sensing measurement parameters.

[0258] Optionally, each of the above-mentioned at least one second parameter is used to indicate the parameters of a link established by a certain auxiliary multi-link device in the first entity and the first multi-link device. The second parameter may be called a multi-link sensing measurement parameter element.

[0259] For example, the first multi-link device is a Non-AP MLD, which is AP MLD#1 in the first entity. The multi-link devices participating in the establishment of the sensing measurement session in the first entity include AP MLD#1 and AP MLD#2. That is, the second request message includes a second parameter #1 and a second parameter #2. The second parameter #1 indicates the parameters of the link established by AP MLD#1 and the first multi-link device, and the second parameter #2 indicates the parameters of the link established by AP MLD#2 and the first multi-link device.

[0260] For example, the first multi-link device is AP MLD#1 in the first entity, and the second multi-link device is Non-AP MLD. The multi-link devices participating in the establishment of the sensing measurement session in the first entity include AP MLD#1 and AP MLD#2. That is, the first request message includes a second parameter #1 and a second parameter #2. The second parameter #1 indicates the parameters of the link established by AP MLD#1 and the second multi-link device, and the second parameter #2 indicates the parameters of the link established by AP MLD#2 and the second multi-link device.

[0261] It should be understood that the above-mentioned at least one second parameter is optional information. For example, if at least one second parameter is not carried in the second indication information, the perception measurement session requested by the second request message can be executed on all links between the first multi-link device and the multiple affiliated multi-link devices included in the first entity.

[0262] Optionally, the third parameter mentioned above can be called the non-collocated MLD session setup condition, which indicates the conditions under which the perception measurement session requested by the second request message is successfully established.

[0263] It should be understood that the third parameter is optional information. For example, the perception measurement session can be established successfully without following other conditions, based solely on the first entity parameter.

[0264] Optionally, the fourth parameter mentioned above can be called "Report needed," indicating whether a report is transmitted by a specific AP MLD within the first entity. For example, due to inconsistent channel conditions and transmission rates across different links, report transmission times vary. To achieve stable sensing over a wide area, a fixed AP MLD link can be designated for report transmission, thereby obtaining stable periodic reports.

[0265] It should be understood that the fourth parameter is optional information to carry; for example, it may not indicate the AP MLD that transmits the sensing measurement report.

[0266] For example, the second parameter includes at least one of information of the fourth multi-link device, common information, and link information, wherein the common information indicates common information of the links on the fourth multi-link device, and the link information indicates the specific parameters of each link on the fourth multi-link device.

[0267] Optionally, link information can also be identified through device information. For example, the first multi-link device is a non-AP MLD, including non-AP#1 and non-AP#2. At least one link performing the sensing measurement session includes link #1 between non-AP#1 and the first entity, and link #2 between non-AP#2 and the first entity. That is, the information of link #1 can be represented by the information of non-AP#1. This can be understood as a non-AP establishing a link with an AP; that is, a non-AP can represent a link.

[0268] Optionally, the information about the multi-link device included in each second parameter may be the AP MLD MAC address or AP MLD ID, indicating the AP MLD used to establish the sensing measurement session. For example, if a second parameter corresponds to a fourth multi-link device, then the second parameter includes information about the fourth multi-link device, which may be the identifier and / or MAC address of the fourth multi-link device.

[0269] It should be understood that the information about the multi-link device in the second parameter is optional information; for example, the second parameter may directly indicate the link parameter information of the link.

[0270] For example, the third parameter indicates at least one of the following information: information about a multi-link device among a plurality of multi-link devices attached to the first entity that meets a first condition, information about a multi-link device among a plurality of multi-link devices attached to the first entity that meets a second condition, or link information that meets a third condition.

[0271] The multi-link devices that meet the first condition can be multi-link devices that are required to establish a sensing and measurement session in certain scenarios. For example, the multi-link devices that meet the first condition are mandatory multi-link devices, and the information of the mandatory multi-link devices is used to indicate that the sensing session has successfully established the mandatory multi-link devices. The multi-link devices that meet the second condition can be multi-link devices that are optional to establish a sensing and measurement session in certain scenarios. For example, the multi-link devices that meet the first condition are optional multi-link devices, and the information of the optional multi-link devices is used to indicate that the sensing session has successfully established the optional multi-link devices. The links that meet the third condition can be links that are required to be included in a sensing and measurement session in certain scenarios. For example, the links that meet the third condition are mandatory links, and the information of the mandatory links is used to indicate that the sensing session has successfully established the mandatory links.

[0272] Alternatively, the second request message may also include control information indicating whether a third parameter is included in the second request message.

[0273] To facilitate understanding, the possible forms in which the second request message includes the second instruction information will be briefly described with reference to Figures 15 and 16.

[0274] As shown in Figure 15, the first multi-link device is the sensing initiator, and the second multi-link device is the sensing response end. The second request message can be a sensing measurement request frame, such as a non-collocated sensing measurement request frame. This sensing measurement request frame includes a non-collocated sensing measurement parameters element, which includes common information of non-collocated sensing measurement parameters and one or more multi-link sensing measurement parameters elements (such as multi-link sensing measurement parameters element 1, multi-link sensing measurement parameters element 2, ..., multi-link sensing measurement parameters element n shown in Figure 15).

[0275] In addition, as shown in Figure 15, the multi-link sensing measurement parameter element fields specifically include the following fields:

[0276] The system includes element ID, length, element ID extension, multi-link sensing measurement parameters, and sensing subelements. The multi-link sensing measurement parameters and sensing subelements are optional.

[0277] In addition, as shown in Figure 15, the multi-link sensing measurement parameter fields specifically include the following fields:

[0278] There are common info and link info. Link info carries parameters for multiple links; it can be understood that a frame is sent on one link, and the frame carries information for multiple links. It should be understood that, for ease of description, Figure 15 only shows the parameters of one link in the link info; the link info can include parameters for multiple links. For example, the link info includes multiple STA profiles x / y (as shown in Figure 15, each STA profile x can be a profile of STAx, and each STA profile y can be a profile of STAy), and each per-STA profile includes parameters for one link.

[0279] Optionally, the AP MLD MAC address can be located in the multi-link sensing measurement parameter element field, for example, the AP MLD MAC address is located before the multi-link sensing measurement parameters (as shown in the AP MLD MAC address field in the dotted box in the multi-link sensing measurement parameter element field in Figure 15).

[0280] Alternatively, the AP MLD MAC address can also be located in the multi-link sensing measurement parameter field, such as in the shared information (the AP MLD MAC address field in the dotted box in the shared information in Figure 15).

[0281] For example, the common information of the non-co-located sensing measurement parameter elements shown in FIG15 is a first parameter, which is used to indicate the parameter common to all affiliated APs on all affiliated APs MLDs included in the first entity.

[0282] The multi-link sensing measurement parameter element is the second parameter, used to indicate the parameters of the links established by each affiliated AP MLD and non-AP MLD. The AP MLD MAC address included in the multi-link sensing measurement parameter indicates the AP MLD participating in the sensing measurement session establishment in the first entity; this AP MLD MAC address can also be the AP MLD ID.

[0283] Furthermore, each multi-link sensing measurement parameter element also includes multi-link sensing measurement parameters, which include common info and link info to indicate parameters shared across all links on an AP MLD or parameters unique to a single link.

[0284] As shown in Figure 16, the first multi-link device is the agent sensing initiator, and the second multi-link device is the agent sensing response end. The second request message can be an SBP request frame, such as a non-collocated SBP request frame. This SBP request frame includes a non-collocated sensing measurement parameters element. For a description of the non-collocated sensing measurement parameters element, please refer to the description of the non-collocated sensing measurement parameters element in Figure 15, which will not be repeated here.

[0285] As shown in Figure 16, the non-collocated SBP request frame can carry a Preferred AP MLD ID to indicate the AP MLD that should be detected. Furthermore, the non-collocated SBP request frame can carry a Preferred Link ID to indicate the specific Link ID on each AP MLD. The Preferred AP MLD ID can be replaced with the Preferred AP MLD MAC address. The Preferred AP MLD ID can be understood as information about multi-link devices that meet the first condition, and the Preferred Link ID can be understood as link information that meets the third condition.

[0286] The SBP parameters control field adds a 1-bit preferred AP MLD list and / or preferred link list. The preferred AP MLD list indicates whether a preferred AP MLD exists, and the preferred link list indicates whether a preferred link ID exists. Optionally, the SBP parameters control field may also carry a 1-bit mandatory preferred link list, indicating whether a preferred link ID is mandatory. Optionally, the SBP parameters control field may also carry a 1-bit mandatory preferred AP MLD ID list, indicating whether a preferred AP MLD ID is mandatory. The preferred AP MLD list and preferred link list can be understood as control information included in the second request message.

[0287] It should be noted that the frame format of the second request message shown in Figures 15 and 16 is only an example and does not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. The second indication information carried in the second request message, which indicates the link parameter information of at least one link in the sensing measurement session, may include the number of parameters, names, field sizes, and positions of parameters in the frame structure in other possible ways, which will not be illustrated here.

[0288] As an example and not a limitation, the sensing measurement parameters carried in the second request message described above can be classified based on the nature of the parameters. For example, the second request message includes parameters of type 1, type 2, and type 3. The first and third parameters belong to type 1, the information of the fourth multi-link device, the fourth parameter, and common information belong to type 2, and the link information belongs to type 3. Specifically, type 1 parameters can be called non-collocated AP MLD level parameters, type 2 parameters can be called AP MLD level parameters, and type 3 parameters can be called link level parameters. In particular, different types of parameters play different roles in the sensing measurement session. For example, type 3 parameters have different effects on each link; type 2 parameters are set based on the entire multi-link device; and type 1 parameters are set based on the first entity. Classifying parameters based on their nature can reduce signaling overhead. For example, without classification, when carrying information from other links during the sensing measurement establishment process, all parameters used by other links need to be carried, resulting in high signaling overhead.

[0289] Optionally, the parameter classification carried in the second request message is shown in Table 1 below:

[0290] Table 1

[0291] The meanings of the parameters in Table 1 are explained below. It should be understood that the non-co-located MLD session establishment conditions, AP MLD MAC address or AP MLD ID and reporting requirements in Table 1 can be understood as parameters added in the embodiments of this application. The relevant descriptions of other parameters can be referred to the descriptions in the current related technologies. This application only provides a simple description and does not make any limitations.

[0292] For example, the parameters in the sensing measurement parameters field are categorized as follows.

[0293] Non-co-located AP MLD level parameters include at least one of the following:

[0294] It provides Sensing measurement report request, Measurement session Expiry Exponent, Sensing transmitter and Sensing receiver, as well as non-collocated MLD session setup condition.

[0295] Among them, the requirement to provide a perception measurement report is used to indicate that the report transmission is session-based; the measurement session expiration index is used for the expiration timer, which is also session-based; the perception sender and perception receiver are control variables to ensure stable results throughout the perception measurement process.

[0296] The non-co-located MLD session establishment condition field can be implemented in different ways. For example, it can indicate a mandatory AP MLD ID or an optional AP MLD ID. For instance, the non-co-located MLD session establishment condition can exist in the form of a bitmap, which is n bytes in size (one AP MLD ID occupies one byte). The non-co-located MLD session establishment condition can include a mandatory AP MLD ID bitmap and / or a preferred AP MLD ID bitmap.

[0297] AP MLD level parameters include at least one of the following:

[0298] AP MLD information (e.g., AP MLD MAC address or AP MLD ID) and reporting requirements.

[0299] Among them, the AP MLD information indicates the AP MLD that established the session; the report request indicates whether the AP MLD transmits the report.

[0300] The parameters at the Link level are set separately for each established Link as shown in Table 1.

[0301] The type of sub-element carried in the sensing subelement in Table 1 depends on whether the sensing measurement type is TB, non-TB, or SBP. For the parameters in each sub-element, the methods of carrying parameters in the sensing subelement in this application include, but are not limited to, the following possible implementations:

[0302] As one possible implementation, the parameters contained in the sensing subelement can be placed into the corresponding non-collocated sensing measurement common info, multi-link sensing measurement parameters common info, and link info, respectively.

[0303] In this implementation, the link info in the sensing subelement includes a link ID to indicate the corresponding link.

[0304] As another possible implementation, the sensing subelement can exist independently. The parameters of the non-collocated AP MLD level included in the sensing subelement are set to the same value for all AP MLDs, and the parameters of the AP MLD level are set to the same value for all links on an MLD.

[0305] As another possible implementation, the sensing subelement can exist independently. The parameters of the non-collocated AP MLD level included in the sensing subelement are set to the same value for all AP MLDs. The parameters of the AP MLD level are carried by the common info in the sensing subelement, and the parameters of the link level are placed in the link info.

[0306] The availability window can be a link-level parameter, an AP MLD-level parameter, or a non-collocated AP MLD-level parameter. The type of availability window parameter depends on the measurement method. For example, if the measurement method is simultaneous measurement, the availability window can be a non-collocated AP MLD-level parameter; if the measurement method is time-division measurement, the availability window can be a link-level parameter or an AP MLD-level parameter.

[0307] Furthermore, after receiving the second request message, the second multi-link device responds to the second request message with a second response message. Therefore, the method flow shown in Figure 13 further includes:

[0308] S1320, the second multi-link device sends a second response message to the first multi-link device, and correspondingly, the first multi-link device receives the second response message from the second multi-link device.

[0309] Specifically, the second response message includes the aforementioned first indication information, indicating that the second response message is a response to the non-co-located sensing measurement request frame sent by the first multi-link device.

[0310] Optionally, the second response message may be referred to as a non-collocated sensing measurement response frame, an ultra-reliable sensing measurement response frame (UHR sensing measurement response frame), a sensing measurement response frame, a non-collocated SBP response frame, or a non-collocated SBP response frame, etc. In this application, no limitation is made on the name of the second response message.

[0311] For example, a new frame can be designed to implement the functionality of the second response message described above. For instance, a non-collocated sensing measurement response frame can be designed. This non-collocated sensing measurement response frame can be created by adding a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field at any position in a traditional sensing measurement response frame, and by indicating the name of the newly designed frame in the common function field of the traditional sensing measurement response frame to distinguish it from other frames, so that the sensing initiator can correctly parse the enhanced sensing measurement response frame.

[0312] For example, the frame structure of a non-collocated sensing measurement response frame can be as follows: add a frame indication value to the Public Action / Protected Dual of Public Action field of the sensing measurement response frame. For example, set the value of this public action field to a preset value (such as x) to indicate that this sensing measurement response frame is a non-collocated sensing measurement response frame. In this case, the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address can be carried anywhere in the sensing measurement response frame.

[0313] For example, a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field can be added to the end of the action field in a traditional sensing measurement response frame, such as by adding a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field to the end of the frame body of a traditional sensing measurement response frame. If the sensing initiator is a traditional sensing initiator, then during the parsing of the enhanced sensing measurement response frame, fields at the end of the action field that cannot be parsed will be discarded or not parsed. If the sensing initiator is a non-traditional sensing initiator, then the enhanced sensing measurement response frame can be parsed correctly. Here, a traditional sensing initiator can be understood as a sensing initiator that can parse traditional sensing measurement response frames but cannot parse enhanced sensing measurement response frames with added first indication information.

[0314] For example, a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field can be added to the end of the action field in the traditional sensing measurement response frame. For instance, a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field can be added to the end of the frame body of the traditional sensing measurement response frame. Furthermore, a 1-bit control field can be added to the traditional sensing measurement response frame, such as a 1-bit non-collocated AP MLD MAC address present field, indicating whether the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field exists. For example, if the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address present field is set to 1, it indicates that the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field exists; if the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address present field is set to 0, it indicates that the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field does not exist.

[0315] For example, a new frame can be designed to implement the function of the second response message described above, such as designing a non-collocated SBP response frame. A non-collocated SBP response frame can be created by adding a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field at any position in a traditional SBP response frame, and indicating the name of the newly designed frame in the common function field of the traditional SBP response frame to distinguish it from other frames, so that the agent-aware initiator can correctly parse the enhanced SBP response frame.

[0316] For example, a new frame indication value can be added to the Public Action / Protected Dual of Public Action field of the SBP response frame. For instance, the value of this public action field can be set to a preset value (such as p) to indicate that the SBP response frame is a non-collocated SBP response frame. In this case, the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address can be carried anywhere in the SBP response frame.

[0317] For example, a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field can be added to the end of the action field in a traditional SBP response frame, such as by adding a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field to the end of the frame body of a traditional SBP response frame. If the sensing initiator is a traditional proxy sensing response initiator, then during the parsing of the SBP response frame, fields at the end of the action field that cannot be parsed will be discarded or not parsed. If the proxy sensing initiator is a non-traditional proxy sensing initiator, then during the parsing of the enhanced SBP response frame, the request frame can be correctly parsed. Here, a traditional proxy sensing initiator can be understood as a proxy sensing initiator that can parse traditional SBP response frames but cannot parse enhanced SBP response frames with added first indication information.

[0318] For example, a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field can be added to the end of the action field in a traditional SBP response frame. This could be done by adding a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field to the end of the frame body of the traditional SBP response frame. Additionally, a 1-bit control field can be added to the SBP response frame. Optionally, this 1-bit control field can be added to the SBP parameter element, or to the SBP parameter control field within the SBP parameter element. For example, a 1-bit non-collocated AP MLD MAC address present field can be added to indicate whether the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field exists. For instance, if the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address present field is set to 1, it indicates that the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field exists; if it is set to 0, it indicates that the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address field does not exist.

[0319] For example, the second response message includes status information. If the status information indicates that the multiple links requested by the second request message are partially accepted, then the second response message includes information indicating the accepted multiple link devices and / or the link information corresponding to the multiple link devices; or, if the status information indicates that the parameters of the multiple links requested by the second request message are rejected, then the second response message includes third indication information, which indicates the parameters corresponding to each of the multiple links.

[0320] To facilitate understanding, the possible forms of the second response message are briefly introduced below with reference to Figures 17 and 18.

[0321] As shown in Figure 17, the first multi-link device is the sensing initiator, and the second multi-link device is the sensing response end. The second response message is a sensing measurement response frame, which includes a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address. This non-collocated AP MLD MAC address indicates that the sensing measurement session responded to by the sensing measurement response frame is a sensing measurement session under a non-collocated AP MLD architecture. That is, the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address implements the function of the first indication information mentioned above.

[0322] As shown in Figure 17, the sensing measurement response frame includes the following fields:

[0323] The parameters include: Category, Public Action (or Protected Dual of Public Action), Dialog Token, Status Code, Measurement Session ID Indication, Non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address, Non-collocated AP MLD Sensing Measurement Parameter Element, Accepted Link ID Bitmap, and Accepted AP MLD ID Bitmap. The Non-collocated AP MLD Sensing Measurement Parameter Element and the Accepted AP MLD ID Bitmap are optional.

[0324] The status codes in the sensing measurement response frame are set according to the following rules:

[0325] 1) If the second multi-link device accepts the non-co-located sensing measurement parameters requested in the second request message, the status code in the sensing measurement response frame is set to success (SUCCESS), and the sensing measurement response frame may not carry the aforementioned non-co-located AP MLD sensing measurement parameter elements.

[0326] 2) If the sensing measurement session is successfully established as indicated by the third parameter (e.g., non-collocated MLD session setup condition) in the second request message above, for example, the third parameter indicates the required (e.g., AP MLD#1 and AP MLD#2) and required links (e.g., link#1, link#2, link#3 and link#4) for successful establishment of the sensing session.

[0327] If the sensing response end accepts some conditions, such as accepting some links (e.g., accepting link#1 and link#2) and / or some AP MLDs (e.g., accepting AP MLD#1), the sensing measurement session can be successfully established. Then the status code can be set to partial acceptance (PARTIALLY_ACCEPTED), and the field in the second response message can be set to indicate the accepted AP MLD ID and the corresponding link ID.

[0328] For example, the Accepted link ID bitmap field can be set in the second response message to indicate one or more accepted links;

[0329] For example, the accepted link ID field can be set in the second response message to indicate an accepted link. It can also be set to indicate the AP MLD corresponding to the accepted link. The accepted link ID bitmap and the accepted AP MLD ID bitmap mentioned above correspond one-to-one.

[0330] 3) If the sensing response terminal rejects the sensing measurement parameters requested in the second request message and does not provide its preferred sensing measurement parameters, the status code is set to cancel request (REQUEST_DECLINED).

[0331] 4) If the sensing response terminal rejects the non-co-located sensing measurement parameters requested in the second request message and provides the sensing measurement parameters preferred by the sensing response terminal, the status code is set to reject the use of the suggested sensing parameters (REJECTED_WITH_SUGGESTED_SENSING_PARAMETERS). In this case, the second response message includes non-co-located AP MLD sensing measurement parameter elements. The description of these non-co-located AP MLD sensing measurement parameter elements can be found in the description of the second indication information above, and will not be repeated here.

[0332] As shown in Figure 18, the first multi-link device is the proxy sensing initiator, and the second multi-link device is the proxy sensing response end. The second response message is an SBP response frame, which includes a non-collocated AP MLD MAC address. This non-collocated AP MLD MAC address is used to indicate that the sensing measurement session responded to by the sensing measurement response frame is a sensing measurement session under a non-collocated AP MLD architecture. That is, the non-collocated AP MLD MAC address implements the function of the first indication information mentioned above.

[0333] As shown in Figure 18, the SBP response frame includes the following fields:

[0334] The parameters include: Category, Public Action, Dialog Token, Status Code, Measurement Session Indication, Non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address, SBP Initiator AID / USID, Decline Duration Indication, Non-collocated SBP parameters element, RSTA availability window element, and Non-collocated AP MLD sensing measurement parameters element. Among these, the SBP parameters element, sensing measurement parameters, and response station (RSTA) availability window element in the response frame are optional.

[0335] The non-co-located SBP parameter elements may include an accepted link ID bitmap and an accepted AP MLD ID bitmap.

[0336] The status codes in the SBP response frame are set according to the following rules:

[0337] 1) If the status code in the SBP response frame is set to SUCCESS or REJECTED_WITH_SUGGESTED_SENSING_PARAMETERS, the SBP parameter element exists; otherwise, the SBP parameter element does not exist.

[0338] 2) If the status code in the SBP response frame is set to REJECTED_WITH_SUGGESTED_SENSING_PARAMETERS, the non-co-located AP MLD sensing measurement parameter element exists; otherwise, the non-co-located AP MLD sensing measurement parameter element does not exist.

[0339] 3) If the status code in the SBP response frame is set to SUCCESS, the RSTA Availability Window element exists. If the status code in the SBP response frame is set to REJECTED_WITH_SUGGESTED_SENSING_PARAMETERS, the RSTA Availability Window may exist; otherwise, the RSTA Availability Window does not exist.

[0340] For example, after establishing a perception measurement session through the second request message and the second response message described above, the perception initiator and the perception responder can perform perception measurement interactions on links controlled by different AP MLDs. Perception measurement methods include, but are not limited to, the following possible methods:

[0341] 1) Time-division measurement: The non-collocated AP MLD controls the auxiliary AP MLD and STA to perform time-division measurements, which can be NDPA sounding or TF sounding. It can periodically sense different areas.

[0342] 2) Simultaneous measurement and multiple receivers: The AP MLD sends an SR2SI trigger frame to control the non-AP MLD to send NDP. Several AP MLDs receive the NDP sent by the non-AP MLDs. Function: It can simultaneously sense and monitor various rooms.

[0343] 3) Simultaneous measurement and independent transmission / reception: Non-AP MLDs perform measurements on different links and with different affiliated AP MLDs. Activities on different links can be performed independently, so NDPs can transmit simultaneously on multiple links, obtaining diversity gain on different links, preventing interference, and expanding the measurement range.

[0344] In the communication method shown in Figure 13, the first multi-link device requests the establishment of a sensing measurement session from the second multi-link device via a second request message. The second request message carries first indication information indicating the type of sensing measurement session. This sensing measurement session involves a first entity, which includes multiple auxiliary multi-link devices, such as multiple auxiliary AP MLDs. By requesting the establishment of a sensing measurement session involving the first entity via the second request message, and by connecting these multiple auxiliary multi-link devices to each other via wired or wireless means, the sensing coverage achieved based on this sensing measurement session can be greatly expanded, thus enabling wide-area sensing.

[0345] In addition, the first entity is equivalent to a virtual multi-link device. The parameters and information of the multiple auxiliary multi-link devices included in the first entity can be shared, which can reduce the cooperation of the multiple auxiliary multi-link devices in the air interface transmission, realize the rapid feedback of sensing and measurement results, and improve the performance of sensing and measurement.

[0346] For example, if the first multi-link device is associated with a certain subordinate multi-link device in the first entity, then the first multi-link device is associated with all subordinate multi-link devices included in the first entity, which can improve the initiator's confidence in the sensing measurement results.

[0347] Furthermore, after establishing a perception and measurement session under the architecture of a non-collocated AP MLD using the communication method shown in Figure 13, target perception can be achieved based on the established perception and measurement session, such as locating, tracking, or sensing the perceived target. In addition, link switching can be performed during target perception. As shown in the scenario in Figure 19, link switching can be performed as the perceived target moves, achieving high-quality perception of moving targets.

[0348] To facilitate understanding, the link switching method will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 20.

[0349] Figure 20 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, including the following steps:

[0350] S2010, the first multi-link device senses the target based on the first link.

[0351] For example, a first multi-link device establishes a sensing measurement session with a second multi-link device attached to a first entity. The sensing measurement session is executed on at least one link, which includes a first link, which is a link between the first multi-link device and the second multi-link device of the first entity.

[0352] S2020, the first multi-link device is determined to meet the handover conditions.

[0353] Specifically, the first multi-link device determining that the switching conditions are met can be understood as: the first multi-link device determining to switch to another link to sense the target. For example, switching from the first link to the second link to sense the target. Exemplarily, the first multi-link device switches to sensing the target based on the second link at a first moment based on the information of the first entity. In this embodiment, the information of the first entity can be any information that can be used to identify the first entity, for example, the information of the first entity includes the identifier (ID) of the first entity and / or the address information of the first entity (e.g., a virtual MAC address). Exemplarily, the switching conditions include at least one of the following:

[0354] The sensing target moves out of the basic service set of the second multi-link device at a second time, the quality of the sensing measurement result corresponding to the first link is less than a first threshold, the parameter accuracy of the sensing target is less than a second threshold, the parameter resolution of the sensing target is less than a third threshold, or the signal strength received on the first link is less than a fourth threshold, wherein the first time is earlier than or equal to the second time.

[0355] For example, if the first multi-link device detects that the target to be sensed will move out of the basic service set of the second multi-link device at a second time, the first multi-link device can determine to switch to the second link at a first time to sense the target.

[0356] For example, if the first multi-link device detects that the quality of the sensing measurement result based on the first link to sense the target is less than a first threshold, such as the sensing measurement result quality not meeting the measurement requirements, the first multi-link device can determine to switch from sensing the target based on the first link to sensing the target based on the second link.

[0357] For example, if the first multi-link device detects that the accuracy of the target's parameters is lower than a second threshold during the sensing process based on the first link, the first multi-link device can determine to switch from sensing the target based on the first link to sensing the target based on the second link.

[0358] It should be understood that the above switching conditions are merely examples and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. This application does not limit the reasons for link switching.

[0359] S2030, the first multi-link device performs link switching.

[0360] As an example and not a limitation, the implementation of link switching in this application includes, but is not limited to, the following two possible methods:

[0361] Method 1: The first multi-link device executes the sensing measurement session requested by the second request message mentioned above on multiple links, and the multiple links are established by multiple multi-link devices included in the first entity.

[0362] For example, in the case shown in Method 1, the sensing measurement session is performed on at least one link, which includes multiple links. The different links can be links between a first multi-link device and different multi-link devices in a first entity, such as link1, link2 and link3 shown in FIG19. Link1 is the link between non-AP MLD1 and AP MLD1 in non-collocated AP MLD, link2 is the link between non-AP MLD1 and AP MLD2 in non-collocated AP MLD, and link3 is the link between non-AP MLD1 and AP MLD3 in non-collocated AP MLD.

[0363] In the scenario described in Method 1, after the first multi-link device determines that the handover conditions are met, it can directly initiate target sensing measurement on the link of another AP MLD in the sensing measurement session. For example, if non-AP MLD1 determines that the handover conditions are met while performing sensing measurement on the target on link 1, it can switch to performing sensing measurement on the target on link 2.

[0364] To facilitate understanding, the following is a brief introduction to the link switching process in the case shown in Method 1, with reference to Figure 21.

[0365] As shown in Figure 21, the sensing measurement session is executed on at least one link. This link includes link #1 between STA1 of non-AP MLD1 and the AP of affiliated AP MLD1 in the non-collocated AP MLD; link #2 between STA2 of non-AP MLD1 and the AP of affiliated AP MLD2 in the non-collocated AP MLD; and link #3 between STA3 of non-AP MLD1 and the AP of affiliated AP MLD3 in the non-collocated AP MLD. Within the BSS range of affiliated AP MLD1, non-AP MLD1 can send NDP based on link #1 by sending an SR2SI trigger frame through the AP of AP MLD1, thus achieving sensing of the target. When the target moves out of or is about to move out of the BSS of AP MLD1, the session can switch to link #2 to sense the target. Based on link #2, non-AP MLD1 can send NDP based on sending an SR2SI trigger frame through the AP of AP MLD2, thus achieving sensing of the target. The BSS of MLD2 can switch to link #3 to sense the target. Based on link #3, the AP of AP MLD3 sends an SR2SI trigger frame to control the non-AP MLD1 to send an NDP, thereby realizing the sense of the target.

[0366] It should be understood that Figure 21 is merely an illustrative example illustrating the link handover process using the TF sounding method in the first scenario, and does not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. Link handover can also be performed based on the NDPA sounding method, or a combination of NDPA sounding and TF sounding. Further examples will not be provided here.

[0367] Additionally, it should be noted that Figure 21 is merely an illustrative example of a link handover initiated when the switching condition is that the sensed target has moved out of or is about to move out of the BSS of the current AP. This does not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. Other switching conditions may also trigger the link handover, such as the aforementioned decrease in sensed quality.

[0368] Method 2: The sensing measurement session requested by the first multi-link device through the second request message mentioned above is executed on one or more links, and the one or more links are established by a multi-link device in the first entity.

[0369] For example, in the communication method shown in Figure 13, the established sensing measurement session is established on one link of one AP MLD of the first entity, which can be understood as a link-level sensing measurement session; or, the sensing measurement session is established on one or more links of one AP MLD of the first entity, which can be understood as a multi-link device-level (MLD) sensing measurement session.

[0370] In the case shown in Method 2, after the first multi-link device determines that the switching conditions are met, it can initiate a reconfiguration process to configure the second link between the first multi-link device and the third multi-link device in order to continuously sense the target. The third multi-link device can be understood as the multi-link device to which the sensing measurement session needs to switch, and can be called the target multi-link device (target AP MLD).

[0371] For example, configuring a second link between the first multi-link device and the third multi-link device includes the following steps:

[0372] S2031, the first multi-link device sends a first request message to the second multi-link device, and correspondingly, the second multi-link device receives the first request message from the first multi-link device.

[0373] The first request message is used to request the establishment of a second link, or in other words, to request the transfer (or switching) of the sensing measurement session to the second link. Specifically, the first request message includes information about a first entity, which may be the non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address shown above, used to indicate the non-collocated AP MLD attached to the third multi-link device corresponding to the second link to which the first multi-link device requests to switch.

[0374] For example, the first multi-link device can send a first request message to the second multi-link device through the first link.

[0375] Optionally, the first request message may also include at least one of the following: information about the third multi-link device, link parameters of the second link, or an identifier for the sensing measurement session. The information about the third multi-link device may be an AP MLD MAC address or an AP MLD ID, used to indicate the third multi-link device corresponding to the second link to which the first multi-link device requests a switch. The link parameters of the second link may be information about the second link to be established, such as a link ID. The sensing measurement session identifier may reuse the measurement session ID indication from the sensing measurement session establishment phase, or it may be set to the same value, or the sensing measurement session identifier may be replaced with a new non-collocated measurement session ID indication indicating that the first link before the switch and the second link after the switch belong to the same sensing measurement session.

[0376] For example, the first request message may be called a reconfiguration sensing measurement request frame.

[0377] Optionally, the first request message can instruct the link-level sensing measurement session to be reconfigured, which can be understood as transferring the sensing measurement session to one link of the target AP MLD and the non-AP MLD. The frame structure of this reconfiguration sensing measurement request frame is shown in Figure 22. As can be seen from Figure 22, the reconfiguration sensing measurement request frame specifically includes the following fields:

[0378] The data includes: Category, Public Action, Dialog Token, Sensing Comeback Info, Measurement Session ID Indication, Non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address, and Sensing Measurement Parameters element. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 22, the Sensing Measurement Parameters element specifically includes the following fields:

[0379] Element ID, Length, Element ID Extension, AP MLD MAC address, Sensing measurement parameters, and Sensing subelements.

[0380] Optionally, considering compatibility with traditional devices, the non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address field can be carried in the last field of the frame body in the frame structure shown in Figure 22, and the AP MLD MAC Address / AP MLD ID field can be placed at the end of the sensing measurement parameter element (e.g., after the sensing sub-element).

[0381] It should be understood that the frame structure shown in Figure 22 is merely an example and does not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. For example, the aforementioned non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address field and AP MLD MAC Address / AP MLD ID field can be carried in other locations within the frame, which will not be illustrated here. Other indication methods can be used to enable the receiving end to correctly parse the received frame. For example, an indication value can be added to the frame to indicate the name of the frame; or other indication information can be used to indicate the frame parsing method, etc., which will not be illustrated here.

[0382] Optionally, the first request message can instruct the MLD level sensing measurement session to be reconfigured, which can be understood as transferring the sensing measurement session to one or more links of the target AP MLD and the non-AP MLD. The frame structure of this reconfiguration sensing measurement request frame can be shown in Figure 23. As can be seen from Figure 23, the reconfiguration sensing measurement request frame specifically includes the following fields:

[0383] Category, Public Action, Dialog Token, Sensing Comeback Info, Measurement Session ID Indication, Non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address, Multi-link Sensing Measurement Parameter Element, and Sensing Subelements.

[0384] In addition, as shown in Figure 23, the multi-link sensing measurement parameter element field specifically includes the following fields:

[0385] Element ID, Length, Element ID Extension, AP MLD MAC address, Sensing measurement parameters, and Sensing subelements.

[0386] In addition, as can be seen from Figure 23, the sensing measurement parameter field specifically includes the following fields:

[0387] Common information and link information. Common information includes, but is not limited to: AP MLD MAC address or AP MLD ID, and report needed. Link information includes, but is not limited to: bandwidth (BW), TX LTF repetition count, RX LTF repetition count, TX space-time stream bandwidth (TX STS), RX space-time stream bandwidth (RX STS), number of Rx chains, report timestamp, BSS color information, subcarrier packets (I_Ng), and link ID.

[0388] Optionally, considering compatibility with traditional devices, the non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address field can be carried in the last field of the frame body in the frame structure shown in Figure 23, and the AP MLD MAC Address / AP MLD ID field can be placed at the end of the sensing measurement parameter element (e.g., after the sensing sub-element).

[0389] It should be understood that the frame structure shown in Figure 23 is merely an example and does not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. For example, the aforementioned non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address field and AP MLD MAC Address / AP MLD ID field can be carried in other locations within the frame, which will not be illustrated here. Other indication methods can be used to enable the receiving end to correctly parse the received frame. For example, an indication value can be added to the frame to indicate the name of the frame; or, for example, other indication information can be used to indicate the parsing method of the frame; or, for example, the sensing measurement parameter field in the aforementioned frame can not classify common information and link information, but instead add a 4-bit link ID field to the traditional sensing measurement parameters field, and the sensing sub-elements can also have their respective link ID fields added, etc., which will not be illustrated here.

[0390] Another implementation method is...

[0391] As one possible implementation, the first request message can reuse the link reconfiguration notify frame defined in the current protocol. In the reconfiguration multi-link element of the link reconfiguration notify frame, a non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address field is added to the Common Info field to indicate a request to establish a second link.

[0392] To facilitate understanding, Figure 24 will be used to briefly introduce the possible forms of the first request message under this implementation method.

[0393] As shown in Figure 24, the link reconfiguration notification frame specifically includes the following fields:

[0394] Category, Public Action, Dialog Token, Reconfiguration Multi-link element.

[0395] Additionally, as shown in Figure 24, the Common Info field in the reconfigured multi-link element field includes a non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address field. This Common Info field may also include a Non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address Present field, used to indicate the presence of a non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address.

[0396] As another possible implementation, the first request message can be a newly designed frame; for example, the first request message can be called a link reconfiguration recommendation frame.

[0397] To facilitate understanding, Figure 25 will be used to briefly introduce the possible forms of the first request message under this implementation method.

[0398] As shown in Figure 25, the recommended frame for link reconfiguration includes the following fields:

[0399] The parameters include: Category, Protected EHT Action, Dialog Token, Reconfiguration Multi-link Element, Non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address, Recommended AP MLD ID, and Recommended Link ID. The Recommended AP MLD ID can be understood as information about the third multi-link device carried in the first request message, and the Recommended Link ID can be understood as the link parameters of the second link carried in the first request message.

[0400] Optionally, considering compatibility with traditional devices, the non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address field can be carried in the last field of the frame body in the frame structure shown in Figure 25.

[0401] It should be understood that the frame structure shown in Figure 25 is merely an example and does not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. For example, the aforementioned non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address field can be carried in other locations within the frame, which will not be illustrated here. Other indication methods can be used to enable the receiving end to correctly parse the received frame. For example, an indication value can be added to the frame to indicate the name of the frame; or other indication information can be used to indicate the frame parsing method, etc., which will not be illustrated here.

[0402] After receiving the first request message, the second multi-link device can respond to the first request message with a first response message to establish the second link. Therefore, the method shown in Figure 20 can further include:

[0403] S2032, the second multi-link device sends a first response message to the first multi-link device, and correspondingly, the first multi-link device receives the first response message from the second multi-link device.

[0404] The first response message is used to respond to the first request message mentioned above, and the first response message includes information about the first entity.

[0405] For example, the first response message may be called a reconfiguration sensing measurement response frame.

[0406] Optionally, the reconfigured sensing measurement response frame can reuse the sensing measurement response frame, as shown in Figure 26. As can be seen from Figure 26, the reconfigured sensing measurement response frame specifically includes the following fields:

[0407] Category, Public Action, Dialog Token, Status Code, Measurement Session ID Indication, Non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address, Sensing Measurement Parameters Element.

[0408] Optionally, considering compatibility with traditional devices, the non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address field can be carried in the last field of the frame body in the frame structure shown in Figure 26.

[0409] It should be understood that the frame structure shown in Figure 26 is merely an example and does not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. For example, the aforementioned non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address field can be carried in other locations within the frame, which will not be illustrated here. Other indication methods can be used to enable the receiving end to correctly parse the received frame. For example, an indication value can be added to the frame to indicate the name of the frame; or other indication information can be used to indicate the frame parsing method, etc., which will not be illustrated here.

[0410] Optionally, the reconfigured sensing measurement response frame can reuse the multi-link sensing measurement response frame, as shown in Figure 27. As can be seen from Figure 27, the reconfigured sensing measurement response frame specifically includes the following fields:

[0411] Category, Public Action, Dialog Token, Status Code, Measurement Session ID Indication, Non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address, Multi-link Sensing Measurement Parameter Element, and Accepted Link ID Bitmap.

[0412] Optionally, considering compatibility with traditional devices, the non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address field can be carried in the last field of the frame body in the frame structure shown in Figure 27.

[0413] It should be understood that the frame structure shown in Figure 27 is merely an example and does not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. For example, the aforementioned non-collocated AP MLD MAC Address field can be carried in other locations within the frame, which will not be illustrated here. Other indication methods can be used to enable the receiving end to correctly parse the received frame. For example, an indication value can be added to the frame to indicate the name of the frame; or other indication information can be used to indicate the frame parsing method, etc., which will not be illustrated here.

[0414] To facilitate understanding, the following is a brief introduction to the link switching process in the case shown in Method 2, with reference to Figure 28.

[0415] As shown in Figure 28, the sensing measurement session is executed on at least one link, which includes link #1 between STA1 of non-AP MLD1 and AP of affiliated AP MLD1 in non-collocated AP MLD. Within the BSS of affiliated AP MLD1, non-AP MLD1 can send NDP based on link #1 by sending an SR2SI trigger frame through AP MLD1, thereby achieving sensing of the target. When the target is about to move out of the BSS of AP MLD1, link #2 can be established between STA2 of non-AP MLD1 and affiliated AP MLD2 in non-collocated AP MLD through a first request message and a first response message. Within the BSS of affiliated AP MLD2, non-AP MLD1 can send NDP based on link #2 by sending an SR2SI trigger frame through AP MLD2, thereby achieving sensing of the target. When the target is about to move out of the BSS of AP MLD2, non-AP MLD1 can send NDP based on link #2 by sending an SR2SI trigger frame through AP MLD2, thereby achieving sensing of the target. When the target is about to move out of the BSS of AP MLD2, non-AP MLD1 can send NDP based on link #2 by sending an SR2SI trigger frame through AP MLD2, thereby achieving sensing of the target. Link #3 between MLD3, within the BSS range of the affiliated AP MLD3, can control non-AP MLD1 to send NDP via AP MLD3's AP-to-SR2SI trigger frame, thereby achieving the perception of the target.

[0416] Additionally, it should be noted that Figure 28 is merely an illustrative example of a link handover initiated when the switching condition is that the sensed target has moved out of or is about to move out of the BSS of the current AP. This does not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. Other switching conditions may also trigger the link handover, such as the aforementioned decrease in sense quality.

[0417] In the communication method shown in Figure 20, a first multi-link device establishes a sensing and measurement session involving a first entity. This first entity includes multiple auxiliary multi-link devices, such as multiple auxiliary AP MLDs. During the process of sensing a target based on the first link included in the sensing and measurement session involving the first entity, if a link needs to be switched due to the movement of the target or other reasons, the multiple auxiliary multi-link devices included in the first entity can be connected to each other via wired or wireless means, enabling rapid switching of sensing links and improving the performance of target sensing.

[0418] It should be understood that the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0419] It should also be understood that, in the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0420] It should also be understood that in some of the above embodiments, the examples are mainly based on devices in existing network architectures (such as a first multi-link device or a second multi-link device, etc.). It should be understood that the specific form of the device is not limited in the embodiments of this application. For example, any device that can achieve the same function in the future is applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0421] It is understood that, in the above-described method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by a device (such as a first multi-link device or a second multi-link device) can also be implemented by components of the device (such as chips or circuits).

[0422] The communication method provided by the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above with reference to Figures 13 and 20. The above communication method is mainly described from the perspective of the interaction between the first multi-link device and the second multi-link device. It can be understood that, in order to realize the above functions, the first multi-link device or the second multi-link device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function.

[0423] Those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0424] The communication device provided in this application is described in detail below with reference to Figures 29 to 31. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, for details not described in detail, please refer to the method embodiments above; for brevity, some details will not be repeated.

[0425] This application embodiment can divide the transmitting or receiving device into functional modules according to the above method examples. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. The following description uses the division of functional modules according to each function as an example.

[0426] Figure 29 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 10 provided in an embodiment of this application. The device 10 includes a transceiver module 11 and a processing module 12. The transceiver module 11 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 12 is used for data processing. In other words, the transceiver module 11 is used to perform operations related to receiving and sending, while the processing module 12 is used to perform other operations besides receiving and sending. The transceiver module 11 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0427] In one possible implementation, the device 10 may further include a storage module 13, which can be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 12 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module to enable the device to perform the actions of the device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0428] In one design, the device 10 may correspond to the first multi-link device in the above method embodiments, or to a component (such as a chip) of the first multi-link device.

[0429] The device 10 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the first multi-link device in the above method embodiment. The transceiver module 11 can be used to perform transceiver-related operations of the first multi-link device in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 12 can be used to perform processing-related operations of the first multi-link device in the above method embodiment.

[0430] In one possible implementation, transceiver module 11 is configured to establish a sensing measurement session with a second multi-link device attached to a first entity. This sensing measurement session is executed on at least one link, including a first link, which is a link between the first multi-link device and the second multi-link device of the first entity. Processing module 12 is configured to sense a target based on the first link and, at a first moment, switch to sensing the target based on the second link according to information from the first entity. The second link is a link between the first multi-link device and a third multi-link device attached to the first entity. The first entity includes multiple multi-link devices attached to the first entity.

[0431] When the device 10 is used to execute the method in FIG13, the transceiver module 13 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S1310 and S1320; the processing module 12 can be used to execute the processing steps in the method.

[0432] When the device 10 is used to execute the method in FIG20, the transceiver module 13 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S2031 and S2032; the processing module 12 can be used to execute the processing steps in the method, such as steps S2010, S2020 and S2030.

[0433] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit performing the above-mentioned corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0434] In another design, the device 10 may correspond to the second multi-link device in the above method embodiments, or to a component (such as a chip) of the second multi-link device.

[0435] The device 10 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the second multi-link device in the above method embodiments. The transceiver module 11 can be used to perform transceiver-related operations of the second multi-link device in the above method embodiments, and the processing module 12 can be used to perform processing-related operations of the second multi-link device in the above method embodiments.

[0436] When the device 10 is used to execute the method in FIG13, the transceiver module 13 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S1310 and S1320; the processing module 12 can be used to execute the processing steps in the method.

[0437] When the device 10 is used to execute the method in FIG20, the transceiver module 13 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S2031 and S2032; the processing module 12 can be used to execute the processing steps in the method.

[0438] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit performing the above-mentioned corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0439] It should also be understood that the device 10 here is embodied in the form of a functional module. The term "module" here can refer to application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), electronic circuits, processors (e.g., shared processors, proprietary processors, or group processors, etc.) and memories for executing one or more software or firmware programs, combined logic circuits, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. In an alternative example, those skilled in the art will understand that device 10 may specifically be the SBP initiator in the above embodiments, used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the SBP initiator in the above method embodiments; or, device 10 may specifically be the SBP responder in the above embodiments, used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the SBP responder in the above method embodiments; or, device 10 may specifically be the sensing responder in the above embodiments, used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the sensing responder in the above method embodiments. To avoid repetition, further details are omitted here.

[0440] The apparatus 10 of each of the above-described schemes has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the devices (such as the SBP response end, SBP initiator, and sensing response end) in the above-described methods. This function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the transceiver module can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the transmitting unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as processing modules, can be replaced by processors, which respectively execute the transceiver operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0441] In addition, the transceiver module 11 can also be a transceiver circuit (for example, it may include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing module can be a processing circuit.

[0442] Figure 30 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 20 provided in an embodiment of this application. The device 20 includes a processor 21, which is used to execute computer programs or instructions stored in a memory 22, or to read data / signaling stored in the memory 22, to perform the methods in the above-described method embodiments. In one possible implementation, the processor 21 may be one or more.

[0443] As shown in Figure 30, one possible implementation of the device 20 includes a memory 22 for storing computer programs or instructions and / or data. The memory 22 may be integrated with the processor 21 or it may be separate. In another possible implementation, there may be one or more memories 22.

[0444] As shown in Figure 30, one possible implementation of the device 20 includes a transceiver 23 for receiving and / or transmitting signals. For example, a processor 21 controls the transceiver 23 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0445] As one option, the device 20 is used to implement the operations performed by the first multilink device or the second multilink device in the various method embodiments described above.

[0446] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0447] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0448] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0449] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0450] Figure 31 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 30 provided in an embodiment of this application. The chip system 30 (or may also be called a processing system) includes logic circuitry 31 and an input / output interface 32.

[0451] The logic circuit 31 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 30. The logic circuit 31 can be coupled to a memory unit, calling instructions from the memory unit, enabling the chip system 30 to implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application. The input / output interface 32 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 30, outputting processed information from the chip system 30, or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 30 for processing.

[0452] As one option, the chip system 30 is used to implement the operations performed by the first multi-link device or the second multi-link device in the various method embodiments described above.

[0453] For example, logic circuit 31 is used to implement processing-related operations performed by the first multi-link device or the second multi-link device in the above method embodiments; input / output interface 32 is used to implement sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0454] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by the device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0455] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, it enables the computer to implement the methods performed by the first multi-link device or the second multi-link device in the various embodiments of the above methods.

[0456] This application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by the first multi-link device or the second multi-link device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0457] This application also provides a communication system, including the aforementioned first multi-link device and second multi-link device.

[0458] The explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant contents in any of the devices provided above can be found in the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0459] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0460] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0461] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0462] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0463] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0464] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0465] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: Applied to a first multi-link device, the method includes: A sensing and measurement session is established with a second multi-link device attached to a first entity. The sensing and measurement session is executed on at least one link, including a first link, which is a link between the first multi-link device and the second multi-link device of the first entity. The target is sensed based on the first link, and at a first moment, the system switches to sense the target based on the second link according to the information of the first entity. The second link is the link between the first multi-link device and a third multi-link device attached to the first entity. The information of the first entity is used to identify the first entity, and the first entity includes multiple multi-link devices attached to the first entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The sensing measurement session also includes the second link, and the method further includes: Determine that the switching conditions are met; Initiate a sensing measurement for the sensing target on the second link. The condition of satisfying the switching condition indicates that the switching link should perceive the target.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: If the handover conditions are met, a first request message is sent to the second multi-link device. The first request message is used to request the establishment of the second link and includes information about the first entity. The system receives a first response message from the second multi-link device in response to the first request message. The first response message includes information about the first entity. The condition of satisfying the switching condition indicates that the switching link should perceive the target.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The first request message also includes at least one of the following: Information about the third multi-link device, the link parameters of the second link, and the identifier of the sensing measurement session. The information of the third multi-link device is used to identify the third multi-link device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, The switching conditions include at least one of the following: The sensing target moves out of the basic service set of the second multi-link device at a second time, the quality of the sensing measurement result corresponding to the first link is less than a first threshold, the parameter accuracy of the sensing target is less than a second threshold, the parameter resolution of the sensing target is less than a third threshold, or the signal strength received on the first link is less than a fourth threshold. Wherein, the first moment is earlier than or equal to the second moment.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The establishment of a sensing and measurement session with the second multi-link device includes: Send a second request message to the second multi-link device. The second request message is used to request the establishment of the sensing measurement session. The second request message includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the sensing measurement session is a sensing measurement session in which the first entity participates. The system receives a second response message from the second multi-link device in response to the second request message, the second response message including the first indication information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The second request message also includes information about the first entity, which is used to identify the first entity.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The second request message also includes second indication information, which is used to indicate the link parameter information corresponding to the at least one link.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The second indication information includes at least one of a first parameter, at least one second parameter, a third parameter, and a fourth parameter. Wherein, the first parameter indicates the common information of the devices included in each multi-link device attached to the first entity, the second parameter indicates the information of the link established by the first multi-link device and the fourth multi-link device attached to the first entity, the third parameter indicates the conditions for the successful establishment of the sensing measurement session, and the fourth parameter indicates the multi-link device that transmits the sensing report.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The second parameter includes at least one of the information of the fourth multi-link device, common information, and link information. The information of the fourth multi-link device is used to identify the fourth multi-link device, the common information indicates the common information of the links on the fourth multi-link device, and the link information indicates the special parameters of each link on the fourth multi-link device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The second request message includes parameters of type 1, type 2, and type 3. Wherein, the first parameter and the third parameter belong to the first type of parameter, the information of the fourth multi-link device, the fourth parameter and the common information belong to the second type of parameter, and the link information belongs to the third type of parameter.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that, The third parameter indicates at least one of the following information: Information on the multi-link devices that meet the first condition among the multiple multi-link devices attached to the first entity, information on the multi-link devices that meet the second condition among the multiple multi-link devices attached to the first entity, or link information that meets the third condition.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The second request message also includes control information indicating whether the third parameter is included in the second request message.

14. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 13, characterized in that, The second response message includes status information. If the status information indication part accepts the multiple links requested by the second request message, then the second response message includes information indicating the multiple link devices accepted and / or information of the links corresponding to the multiple link devices; or, If the status information indicates that the parameters of the multiple links requested by the second request message are rejected, then the second response message includes third indication information, which indicates the parameters corresponding to each of the multiple links.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that, The first multi-link device is the sensing initiator, and the second multi-link device is the sensing response end; or, the first multi-link device is the proxy sensing initiator, and the second multi-link device is the proxy sensing response end.

16. A communication apparatus, the communication apparatus being a first multi-link device or applied to a first multi-link device, characterized in that, The device includes at least one processor coupled to a memory for storing computer programs or instructions, the at least one processor for executing the computer programs or instructions in the memory, causing the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. A communication system, characterized by The communication system includes a first multi-link device and a second multi-link device; wherein the first multi-link device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

19. A chip system, characterized by include: At least one processor is configured to retrieve and run a computer program from memory, causing a communication device equipped with the chip system to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 15.

20. A computer program product, characterised in that, When the computer program product is run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

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