Cooperative communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a multi-access point (MAP) cooperation method and apparatus, which are applied to the field of wireless communications. Embodiments of the present application provide a simple and effective sharing mechanism. Shared AP candidates each notify a sharing AP of a future returnable transmission resource (e.g., a TXOP resource), and the sharing AP can select a shared AP candidate that has the most returnable transmission resources or an optimal returnable transmission resource as a shared AP to perform sharing of the transmission resource. The sharing AP uses the gain of the sharing AP as a measurement index for sharing the transmission resource, reducing the complexity of information acquired by the sharing AP and the complexity of a decision-making algorithm, and improving the efficiency of multi-AP cooperation. The present application supports IEEE protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11be / Wi-Fi 7 / EHT protocol, the IEEE 802.11bn / UHR / Wi-Fi 8 protocol, the IEEE integrated mmWave / integrated millimeter wave / IMMW protocols, the IEEE 802.15 / UWB protocols, or the IEEE 802.11bf / sensing / sensing protocol. The present application can also support the StarFlash / SparkLink / NearLink standard protocol.

Description

A collaborative communication method and apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411606314.6, filed on November 10, 2024, entitled "A Collaborative Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of wireless technology, and in particular to a cooperative communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] With the rapid development of wireless local area networks (WLANs), access point (AP) devices are becoming increasingly dense, leading to severe interference between multiple APs. Therefore, next-generation Wi-Fi technology considers enabling collaboration among multiple APs. A sharing AP can share its acquired transmission resources with other APs; this AP, known as the shared AP, can quickly acquire additional transmission resources and transmit data with low latency, thus improving the efficiency of resource utilization.

[0004] In multi-access-point (MAP) collaboration scenarios, there is typically one sharing AP and multiple candidate sharing APs. The sharing AP needs to determine whether to share transmission resources, and which candidate AP should receive those resources, based on information provided by the candidate APs. Determining what information the candidate APs should provide to enable the sharing AP to make a fair and rapid decision is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a multi-access-point (MAP) collaboration method and apparatus, which can reduce the complexity and overhead of selecting a shared access point (AP) and improve MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a MAP (Mapping Access Point) collaboration method, which can be applied to a shared access point (AP), or a chip or functional module within the shared AP. The shared AP can also be referred to as a first AP. The method includes:

[0007] A status report frame is generated, the status report frame including first information, the first information being used to indicate a first TXOP (transmission opportunity) resource, the first TXOP resource being the TXOP resource returned by the first AP to the second AP; the status report frame is then sent to the second AP. The second AP may also be referred to as a shared AP.

[0008] In this embodiment, the first AP indicates to the second AP the TXOP resources that can be shared in the future, i.e., the first TXOP resources, which can also be called returned TXOP resources, thereby obtaining the TXOP resources currently shared by the second AP. These shared TXOP resources can also be called the second TXOP resources. This provides a simple and effective method for the second AP, i.e., the sharing AP, to select the AP to be shared, reducing MAP collaboration overhead.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the first information includes at least one of the following: return duration information, return resource size information, and first TXOP resource information; the return duration information is used to indicate the duration of the first TXOP resource returned by the first AP; the return resource size information is used to indicate the size of the first TXOP resource returned by the first AP; and the first TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the first TXOP resource returned by the first AP.

[0010] In this embodiment, the first AP can indicate to the second AP the duration of the TXOP resources to be returned in the future, or the size of the TXOP resources to be returned, or the parameters of the TXOP resources to be returned, providing the second AP with a simple and effective indicator to select the AP to be shared, thereby improving the communication efficiency of MAP collaboration.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the first TXOP resource information includes at least one of the following: duration information, bandwidth information, channel number information, and link number information; the duration information is used to indicate the duration of the first TXOP resource; the bandwidth information is used to indicate the bandwidth of the first TXOP resource; the channel number information is used to indicate the channel of the first TXOP resource; and the link number information is used to indicate the link of the first TXOP resource.

[0012] In this embodiment, the first AP can indicate the specific parameters of the TXOP resources to be returned in the future to the second AP, providing a simple and effective basis for the second AP to select the shared AP and improving the MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving an inquiry frame from the second AP, the inquiry frame being used to instruct the first AP to return the status report frame.

[0014] In this embodiment, the first AP can promptly send back a status report frame based on the received query frame, thereby obtaining the TXOP resources shared by the second AP and improving MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the query frame includes shared AP candidate information, which is used to indicate one or more shared AP candidates; the one or more shared AP candidates include the first AP.

[0016] In this embodiment, the first AP can determine whether it is a candidate for shared AP based on the candidate AP information carried in the query frame, thereby promptly feeding back a status report frame, obtaining the TXOP resources shared by the second AP, and improving MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the query frame includes second information indicating a second TXOP resource, which is a TXOP resource shared by the second AP.

[0018] In this embodiment of the application, the first AP can determine whether it needs to send back a status report frame based on the TXOP resource indicated by the second information, i.e. the second TXOP resource, and obtain the TXOP resource shared by the second AP to improve the MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the second information includes at least one of the following: sharing duration information, shared resource size information, and second TXOP resource information; the sharing duration information is used to indicate the duration of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP; the shared resource size information is used to indicate the size of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP; and the second TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP.

[0020] In this embodiment, the first AP can determine whether it needs the shared TXOP resource based on the duration of the shared second TXOP resource, the size of the second TXOP resource, or the parameters of the second TXOP resource, so as to promptly send out a status report frame and obtain the second TXOP resource, thereby improving the MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the query frame includes third information indicating one or more third TXOP resources, each of the one or more third TXOP resources corresponding to a shared AP candidate, and each third TXOP resource being a TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate.

[0022] In this embodiment of the application, the query frame specifies the shared TXOP resource, i.e. the third TXOP resource, for each shared AP candidate. The first AP can determine whether to send back a status report frame in a timely manner based on its own corresponding third TXOP resource so as to obtain the resources shared by the second AP, thereby improving the MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the third information includes one or more third sub-information, the third sub-information including at least one of the following: candidate sharing duration information, candidate sharing resource size information, and third TXOP resource information; the candidate sharing duration information is used to indicate the duration of the third TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate; the candidate sharing resource size information is used to indicate the size of the third TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate; and the third TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the third TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate.

[0024] In this embodiment, the first AP can more easily and effectively determine whether it needs the third TXOP resource based on the duration of the shared third TXOP resource, the size of the third TXOP resource, or the parameters of the third TXOP resource, and send back a status report frame to obtain the resource shared by the second AP, thereby improving the MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: determining whether to send a status report frame based on the query frame.

[0026] In this embodiment, the first AP can more accurately and timely determine whether to send back a status report frame based on the information indicated in the query frame, such as the second or third information mentioned above, thereby improving the MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a shared startup frame from the second AP, the shared startup frame being used to instruct the second AP to share the remaining TXOP resources with the first AP.

[0028] In this embodiment, the first AP can know that it can use the TXOP resources shared by the second AP based on the shared startup frame, thereby enabling timely data transmission and improving the efficiency of TXOP resource utilization.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a shared response frame to the second AP according to the shared startup frame, the shared response frame being used to instruct the first AP to use the TXOP resources shared by the second AP.

[0030] In this embodiment of the application, the first AP can send a feedback shared response frame, so that the second AP knows that the first AP has started using the shared TXOP resources, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of TXOP resources.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the shared response frame includes fourth information indicating the duration for which the first AP uses the TXOP resources shared by the second AP.

[0032] In this embodiment, the first AP can use the fourth information carried in the shared response frame to enable the second AP to know the duration of the first AP's use of the shared TXOP resources, and promptly reclaim the shared TXOP resources so that they can be provided to other shared APs, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of TXOP resources.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the method further includes sending a shared termination frame to the second AP, the shared termination frame being used to instruct the first AP to terminate its use of the TXOP resources shared by the second AP.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first AP can use a shared termination frame to inform the second AP that the first AP has stopped using the shared TXOP resources, and promptly reclaim the shared TXOP resources so that they can be provided to other shared APs, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of TXOP resources.

[0035] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a MAP collaboration method, which can be applied to a shared access point (AP), or chips or functional modules within a shared AP. The shared AP can also be referred to as a second AP. The method includes:

[0036] Receive one or more status report frames, each status report frame including first information, the first information being used to indicate a first TXOP (transmission opportunity) resource, the first TXOP resource being a TXOP resource returned by the shared AP candidate to the second AP;

[0037] Based on the one or more status report frames, the shared AP is determined, and the shared AP is the object on which the second AP shares TXOP resources.

[0038] In this embodiment, the second AP learns from the status report frame the TXOP resources that the candidate AP can return to it in the future, i.e., the first TXOP resources, thereby determining the AP to be shared and allocating the currently shared TXOP resources to that AP. This provides a simple and effective method for the second AP, i.e., the sharing AP, to select a AP to be shared, reducing MAP collaboration overhead.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the first information includes at least one of the following: return duration information, return resource size information, and first TXOP resource information; the return duration information is used to indicate the duration of the first TXOP resource returned by the shared AP candidate; the return resource size information is used to indicate the size of the first TXOP resource returned by the shared AP candidate; and the first TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the first TXOP resource returned by the shared AP candidate.

[0040] In this embodiment, the second AP can select the shared AP based on the duration of the TXOP resources to be returned by the candidate AP in the future, or the size of the returned TXOP resources, or the parameters of the returned TXOP resources. This provides a simple and effective indicator for the second AP and improves the communication efficiency of MAP collaboration.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the first TXOP resource information includes at least one of the following: duration information, bandwidth information, channel number information, and link number information; the duration information is used to indicate the duration of the first TXOP resource; the bandwidth information is used to indicate the bandwidth of the first TXOP resource; the channel number information is used to indicate the channel of the first TXOP resource; and the link number information is used to indicate the link of the first TXOP resource.

[0042] In this embodiment, the second AP can select the shared AP based on the specific parameters of the TXOP resources to be returned in the future as indicated by the first AP, providing a simple and effective basis for improving MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0043] In one possible implementation, determining the shared AP based on the one or more status report frames includes: selecting the candidate shared AP corresponding to the optimal resource as the shared AP based on the return duration information, the return resource size information, or the first TXOP resource information.

[0044] In this embodiment, the second AP can select the AP candidate corresponding to the optimal resource as the sharing AP. The optimal resource can be the one with the longest returned TXOP resource duration, the largest returned TXOP resource, or the largest returned TXOP resource bandwidth, etc., thereby providing a simple and effective indicator for the second AP to select the sharing AP and improving the MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the method further includes sending an inquiry frame to one or more shared AP candidates, the inquiry frame being used to instruct the corresponding shared AP candidate to respond with the status report frame.

[0046] In this embodiment of the application, the second AP can obtain feedback status report frames in a timely manner by sending query frames, thereby promptly identifying the shared AP and improving MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the query frame includes shared AP candidate information, which is used to indicate one or more shared AP candidates; the one or more shared AP candidates include the first AP.

[0048] In this embodiment, the second AP can specify the shared AP candidate based on the shared AP candidate information carried in the query frame, thereby timely and accurately determining the shared AP and improving MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the query frame includes second information indicating a second TXOP resource, which is a TXOP resource shared by the second AP.

[0050] In this embodiment of the application, the second AP can use the indicated second TXOP resource to enable the shared AP candidate to determine whether it should send back a status report frame, obtain the TXOP resource shared by the second AP, and improve MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the second information includes at least one of the following: sharing duration information, shared resource size information, and second TXOP resource information; the sharing duration information is used to indicate the duration of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP; the shared resource size information is used to indicate the size of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP; and the second TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP.

[0052] In this embodiment, the second AP informs the shared AP candidate of the duration, size, or parameters of the shared second TXOP resource, so that the shared AP candidate can determine whether it needs the shared TXOP resource and promptly send a status report frame to obtain the second TXOP resource, thereby improving the MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the query frame includes third information indicating one or more third TXOP resources, each of the one or more third TXOP resources corresponding to a shared AP candidate, and each third TXOP resource being a TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate.

[0054] In this embodiment, the query frame specifies a shared TXOP resource, i.e., a third TXOP resource, for each shared AP candidate. This allows the shared AP candidate to determine in a timely manner whether to send a status report frame based on its corresponding third TXOP resource, so as to obtain the resources shared by the second AP and improve the MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0055] In one possible implementation, the third information includes one or more third sub-information, the third sub-information including at least one of the following: candidate sharing duration information, candidate sharing resource size information, and third TXOP resource information; the candidate sharing duration information is used to indicate the duration of the third TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate; the candidate sharing resource size information is used to indicate the size of the third TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate; and the third TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the third TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate.

[0056] In this embodiment, the second AP can more easily and effectively help the shared AP candidate determine whether it needs the third TXOP resource by indicating the duration, size, or parameters of the shared third TXOP resource, and then send a status report frame to obtain the resource shared by the second AP, thereby improving the MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0057] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: determining whether to send a status report frame based on the query frame.

[0058] In this embodiment, the second AP can use the information indicated in the query frame, such as the second or third information mentioned above, to help the shared AP candidate more accurately and timely determine whether to send back a status report frame, thereby improving MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0059] In one possible implementation, the method further includes sending a shared startup frame to the shared AP, the shared startup frame being used to instruct the second AP to share its remaining TXOP resources with the shared AP.

[0060] In this embodiment of the application, the second AP can send a shared startup frame, enabling the shared AP to use the shared TXOP resources of the second AP in a timely manner for data transmission, thereby improving the efficiency of TXOP resource utilization.

[0061] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a shared start frame from the shared AP, and sending a shared response frame to the second AP, the shared response frame being used to instruct the shared AP to use the TXOP resources shared by the second AP.

[0062] In this embodiment of the application, the second AP can learn that the shared AP has started using the shared TXOP resources by feeding back the shared response frame, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of TXOP resources.

[0063] In one possible implementation, the shared response frame includes fourth information indicating the duration for which the shared AP uses the TXOP resources shared by the second AP.

[0064] In this embodiment, the second AP can learn the duration of the shared TXOP resources used by the shared AP through the fourth information carried in the shared response frame, so that the second AP can reclaim the shared TXOP resources in a timely manner and supply them to other shared APs, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of TXOP resources.

[0065] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a sharing termination frame from the shared AP, the sharing termination frame being used to instruct the shared AP to terminate the use of the TXOP resources shared by the second AP.

[0066] In this embodiment, the second AP can learn from the shared AP that it has stopped using the shared TXOP resources through the shared termination frame, so that the second AP can reclaim the shared TXOP resources in a timely manner and make them available to other shared APs, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of TXOP resources.

[0067] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a multi-access point (MAP) cooperation method, which can be applied to a shared access point (AP), or a chip or functional module within a shared AP. The shared AP can also be referred to as a second AP. The method further includes: sending an inquiry frame to one or more candidate shared APs, the inquiry frame being used to instruct the corresponding candidate shared AP to respond with the status report frame.

[0068] In this embodiment of the application, the second AP can obtain feedback status report frames in a timely manner by sending query frames, thereby promptly identifying the shared AP and improving MAP collaboration efficiency.

[0069] In one possible implementation, the query frame includes shared AP candidate information, which is used to indicate the one or more shared AP candidates.

[0070] In one possible implementation, the query frame includes second information indicating a second TXOP resource, which is a TXOP resource shared by the second AP.

[0071] In one possible implementation, the second information includes at least one of the following: sharing duration information, shared resource size information, and second TXOP resource information; the sharing duration information is used to indicate the duration of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP; the shared resource size information is used to indicate the size of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP; and the second TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP.

[0072] In one possible implementation, the query frame includes third information indicating one or more third TXOP resources, each of the one or more third TXOP resources corresponding to a shared AP candidate, and each third TXOP resource being a TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate.

[0073] In one possible implementation, the third information includes one or more third sub-information, the third sub-information including at least one of the following: candidate sharing duration information, candidate sharing resource size information, and third TXOP resource information; the candidate sharing duration information is used to indicate the duration of the third TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate; the candidate sharing resource size information is used to indicate the size of the third TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate; and the third TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the third TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate.

[0074] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a multi-access point (MAP) collaborative device, including a transceiver module and a processing module. The transceiver module is used to receive and / or send information, and the processing module is used to execute any possible implementation of the first aspect described above.

[0075] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a multi-access point (MAP) collaborative device, including a transceiver module and a processing module. The transceiver module is used to receive and / or send information, and the processing module is used to execute the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0076] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a chip, the chip including at least one processor and an interface, the processor being configured to read and execute instructions stored in a memory, and when the processor executes the instructions, causing the chip to perform any possible implementation of the first to fifth aspects described above.

[0077] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform any possible implementation of the first to fifth aspects described above.

[0078] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product, which, when executed, causes the methods shown in any possible implementation of the first to fifth aspects to be executed. Attached Figure Description

[0079] Figure 1a is a schematic diagram of multi-access point MAP collaboration;

[0080] Figure 1b is a schematic diagram of another type of multi-access point MAP collaboration;

[0081] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a multi-access point (MAP) cooperative communication system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0082] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a multi-access point MAP collaboration process provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a multi-access point (MAP) cooperative communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0084] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a multi-access point MAP cooperative device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0085] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a multi-access point MAP collaboration chip provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0086] To facilitate understanding of the technical solution of this application, the application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0087] The terms "first" and "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used only to distinguish different objects and not to describe a specific order. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or apparatuses.

[0088] The term "embodiment" as used herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0089] In this application, "at least one (item)" refers to one or more, "more than one" refers to two or more, "at least two (items)" refers to two or three or more, and "and / or" is used to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and both A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be singular or plural. "Or" indicates that there can be two relationships, such as only A exists and only B exists; when A and B are not mutually exclusive, it can also mean that there are three relationships, such as only A exists, only B exists, and both A and B exist simultaneously. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one (item) of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c".

[0090] In this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. When describing a certain instruction information for the purpose of instructing A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, directly instructs A, or indirectly instructs A.

[0091] In this application, the information indicated by the instruction information is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementations, 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 indirectly indicate the information to be instructed 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 instructed, 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. Furthermore, the information to be instructed can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information pieces, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information pieces can be the same or different.

[0092] 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, which can include direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission via the air interface from other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which can include direct reception from YY via the air interface or indirect reception from YY via the air interface from other units or modules. "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. In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via buses, traces, or interfaces.

[0093] 1. The following describes the fields involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0094] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) systems, such as Wi-Fi. For example, the technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to the IEEE 802.11 series of protocols (or standards), such as the 802.11be protocol, the 802.11bn protocol (or Wi-Fi 8, also known as ultra-high reliability (UHR) or ultra-high reliability and throughput (UHRT)), or next-generation protocols of the 802.11bn protocol, or protocols supporting ambient power (AMP), etc., and will not be listed exhaustively. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to wireless personal area networks (WPANs) based on millimeter wave (MMW) and ultra-wideband (UWB) technologies. The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to the IEEE 802.15 series protocols, such as the 802.15.4a, 802.15.4z, or 802.15.4ab protocols, or future UWB WPAN protocols, etc., and will not be listed one by one. The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to the Spark Link or NearLink standard protocol. The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to the following communication systems, such as Internet of Things (IoT) systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X, where X can represent anything), device-to-device (D2D), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, 5th generation (5G) communication systems, and new communication systems that will emerge in the future development of communication, etc. For example, V2X can include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P), or vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication.

[0095] WLAN systems can provide high-speed, low-latency transmission. As WLAN application scenarios continue to evolve, WLAN systems will be applied to more scenarios or industries, such as the Internet of Things industry, the Internet of Vehicles industry, the banking industry, enterprise offices, stadiums and exhibition halls, concert halls, hotel rooms, dormitories, hospital wards, classrooms, shopping malls, squares, streets, production workshops and warehouses, etc. Of course, devices that support WLAN communication or sensing (such as access points or sites) can be sensor nodes in smart cities (such as smart water meters, smart electricity meters, and smart air monitoring nodes), smart devices in smart homes (such as smart cameras, projectors, displays, televisions, speakers, refrigerators, and washing machines), nodes in the Internet of Things (IoT), entertainment terminals (such as wearable devices for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), smart devices in smart offices (such as printers, projectors, loudspeakers, and speakers), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) devices, infrastructure in daily life scenarios (such as vending machines, self-service navigation kiosks in supermarkets, self-service checkout machines, and self-service ordering machines), and equipment in large sports and music venues.

[0096] Although the embodiments of this application primarily use WLAN as an example, especially networks applied to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, the various aspects involved in the embodiments of this application can be extended to other networks employing various standards or protocols. For example, Bluetooth, high-performance radio LAN (HIPERLAN) (a wireless standard similar to the IEEE 802.11 standard), and wide area networks (WANs) or other networks now known or to be developed in the future.

[0097] In one possible implementation, the method provided in this application embodiment can be implemented by a communication device in a communication system. For example, the device can be an access point (AP).

[0098] An Access Point (AP) is a device with wireless communication capabilities that supports communication, sensing, or power transmission using WLAN protocols. It has the function of communicating or sensing with other devices in a WLAN network (such as non-access point stations (non-AP STAs) or other access points), and can also have the function of communicating, sensing, or transmitting power with other devices. Alternatively, an access point acts as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, primarily connecting various wireless network clients together and then connecting the wireless network to an Ethernet network. In a WLAN system, an access point can be called an Access Point Station (AP STA). This wireless communication device can be a complete device or a chip, processing system, or functional module installed within a complete device. Devices with these chips, processing systems, or functional modules can implement the methods and functions of the embodiments in this application under the control of the chips, processing systems, or functional modules. The AP in the embodiments of this application is a device that provides services to non-AP STAs and can support 802.11 series protocols or subsequent protocols. For example, an access point can be an access point for a terminal (such as a mobile phone) to enter a wired (or wireless) network, mainly deployed in homes, buildings, and parks, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. Of course, it can also be deployed outdoors. Another example is that an AP can be a communication entity such as a communication server, router, switch, or bridge; APs can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, and repeater stations. Of course, an AP can also be a chip, processing system, or module within the above-mentioned devices, thereby implementing the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application.

[0099] For example, the communication system to which the method provided in this application can be applied may include multiple access points (APs). For instance, this application can be applied to scenarios where APs communicate or sense each other in a WLAN, and this application does not limit this. Optionally, an AP can communicate or sense with a single AP, or an AP can communicate or sense with multiple APs simultaneously. The APs can support WLAN communication protocols, which may include protocols from the IEEE 802.11 series, such as 802.11bn, and also protocols after 802.11bn.

[0100] Figures 1a and 1b are schematic diagrams of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication system may include one or more access points (APs). Figure 1a shows two access points, such as AP1 and AP2, where AP1 can act as a shared AP, and AP2 can act as a candidate shared AP or a shared AP. As an example, the method provided in this embodiment can be applied to communication or sensing between APs, such as the communication or sensing between AP1 and AP2 as shown in Figure 1a. Figure 1b shows three access points, such as AP1, AP2, and AP3, where AP1 can act as a shared AP, and AP2 and AP3 can act as candidates shared APs or shared APs. As an example, the method provided in this embodiment can be applied to data communication or sensing between one AP and one or more APs, such as the communication or sensing between AP1 and AP2, and between AP1 and AP3 as shown in Figure 1b.

[0101] The number of APs shown in Figures 1a and 1b is only an example. In a specific implementation, the number of APs can be more, and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0102] It is worth noting that the device types shown in Figures 1a and 1b are merely examples and do not represent a limitation on the device types in the embodiments of this application. The devices in the embodiments of this application may also be non-APSTA (station).

[0103] 2. The following describes the terms or nouns used in the embodiments of this application.

[0104] 1) TXOP (transmission opportunity) is a channel obtained by channel access methods used in unlicensed spectrum, such as CSMA, DCA, EDCA, or competitive or scheduled channel access methods defined by the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0105] 2) Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) refers to multiple devices using the same frequency and taking turns occupying the channel for data transmission. In this application, multiple APs can cooperate in transmission based on TDMA. For example, after AP1 obtains a transmission opportunity (TXOP), if it does not use up the TXOP, it can share the remaining TXOP resources with other APs. AP1 sharing the TXOP resources can be called the sharing AP, and the other APs using the shared TXOP resources can be called the shared APs.

[0106] 3. The following describes the communication system involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0107] The communication system described in this application includes a shared access point (AP) and one or more shared AP candidates. The shared AP can communicate with the shared AP candidates and select a shared AP from them. The shared AP can use the TXOP resources shared by the first AP. The shared AP can determine the shared AP based on information provided by the shared AP candidates to achieve cooperation among multiple APs, i.e., multi-access-point (MAP) cooperation, thereby improving channel utilization efficiency.

[0108] As one possible implementation, as shown in Figure 2, a shared AP communicates with three candidate shared APs. The communication link between the shared AP and the shared APs can also be called a data link. This communication link can be a WLAN link, supporting multiple frequency bands, such as sub-1GHz, 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz, and 60GHz. This application embodiment does not limit this. The Wi-Fi protocol supported by this communication link can be 802.11b / g / n / ac / ax / be / bn, etc., and this application embodiment does not limit this as well.

[0109] For example, an AP is a device with wireless communication capabilities that supports communication or sensing using the WLAN protocol. It has the ability to communicate or sense other devices in the WLAN network (such as non-access point stations (non-AP STA)). Of course, it can also have the ability to communicate or sense other devices.

[0110] 4. The following describes the process involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0111] To acquire shared resources, candidate APs provide various types of information for the sharing AP to make a decision. For example, candidate APs can provide information such as the traffic type, traffic identifier, traffic priority, or access category of the data to be transmitted, allowing the sharing AP to determine whether to share transmission resources and to which candidate AP. Candidate APs can also provide low-latency requirements for the data to be transmitted, for the sharing AP to decide. Furthermore, the sharing AP can also determine the candidate AP based on fairness. With the growth and diversification of services, the overhead of this information increases, leading to a need for a complex decision-making algorithm to determine the candidate AP, thus reducing the efficiency of multi-AP collaboration.

[0112] Therefore, this application provides a simple and effective sharing mechanism. The candidate AP to be shared informs the sharing AP of its future returnable transmission resources (such as TXOP resources). The sharing AP can select the candidate AP with the most or best returnable transmission resources as the shared AP for resource sharing. The sharing AP uses its own benefit as a metric for sharing transmission resources, reducing the complexity of information acquisition and decision-making algorithms, and improving the efficiency of multi-AP collaboration. It is worth noting that the transmission resources returned by the candidate AP are those that the candidate AP will share (or allocate) to the sharing AP in the future; among the future shared transmission resources, the current shared AP can be called the sharing AP, and the current sharing AP can be called the AP being shared.

[0113] This application provides a method for multi-AP collaboration. The sharing AP can actively send query frames to instruct one or more shared AP candidates to provide status report frames. The status report frames indicate the TXOP resources that the corresponding shared AP candidate can return. The sharing AP can determine the shared APs based on the received one or more status report frames and share the TXOP resources.

[0114] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a multi-AP collaboration process provided in an embodiment of this application, which can be divided into four stages: the shared AP inquiry stage, the shared AP candidate feedback stage, the shared AP sharing stage, and the shared AP usage stage. It should be understood that these four stages can be implemented independently or in different combinations.

[0115] 1) Shared AP Inquiry Phase

[0116] As shown in Figure 3, a shared AP shares TXOP resources with three shared AP candidates, namely shared AP candidate 1, shared AP candidate 2, and shared AP candidate 3.

[0117] For example, during the shared AP query phase, the shared AP sends a query frame to three shared AP candidates. The query frame is used to instruct the three shared AP candidates to return a status report frame. The status report frame includes first information, which is used to indicate a first TXOP resource. The first TXOP resource is the TXOP resource returned by the corresponding shared AP candidate to the shared AP.

[0118] As one possible implementation, the shared AP can send query frames via broadcast to query each candidate shared AP.

[0119] As one possible implementation, the shared AP can also send query frames via unicast, with each query frame corresponding to a candidate shared AP.

[0120] As one possible implementation, the query frame can also be implemented using, but is not limited to, initial control frames, status report query frames, or buffer status report poll (BSRP) frames in the IEEE 802.11 protocol. The BSRP frame can be a variant of the trigger frame, supporting triggering one or more users to send replies. When multiple users reply, the uplink reply can be sent using OFDMA.

[0121] As one possible implementation, the query frame includes shared AP candidate information, which is used to indicate the one or more shared AP candidates.

[0122] As an example, the shared AP candidate information is a list of shared AP candidates, which includes one or more shared AP candidate IDs. These IDs can be the shared AP candidate device identifier, MAC address, or association identifier (AID) used to indicate the identity information of the shared AP candidate.

[0123] As one possible implementation, the query frame includes second information indicating a second TXOP resource, which is a TXOP resource shared by the shared AP.

[0124] As one possible implementation, the second information includes at least one of the following: sharing duration information, shared resource size information, and second TXOP resource information. The sharing duration information indicates the duration of the shared second TXOP resource; the shared resource size information indicates the size of the shared second TXOP resource; and the second TXOP resource information indicates the parameters of the shared second TXOP resource.

[0125] As an example, the sharing duration information may include a duration field to indicate the duration of the TXOP resource shared by the shared AP, such as 1000µs; the sharing duration information may also include a sharing time offset field to indicate the time difference between the end of the query frame and the start of the TXOP resource shared by the shared AP; the sharing duration information may also include a sharing start time field to indicate the start time of the TXOP resource shared by the shared AP. The specific representation of this application is not limited.

[0126] As an example, the shared resource size information may include a resource size field, which indicates the size of the shared TXOP resource of the shared AP, and is the product of the duration and bandwidth of the shared TXOP resource; the shared resource size information may also include a resource duration field and a resource bandwidth field, which respectively indicate the duration and bandwidth of the shared TXOP resource. The specific representation of this application is not limited in the embodiments.

[0127] As one possible implementation, the second TXOP resource information may include at least one of the following: duration information, bandwidth information, channel number information, and link number information; wherein, the duration information is used to indicate the duration of the second TXOP resource, the bandwidth information is used to indicate the bandwidth of the second TXOP resource, the channel number information is used to indicate the channel of the second TXOP resource, which may include a master channel or a slave channel, and the link number information is used to indicate the link of the second TXOP resource.

[0128] As one possible implementation, the query frame includes third information, which is used to indicate one or more third TXOP resources, each of which corresponds to a shared AP candidate, and each third TXOP resource is a TXOP resource shared by the shared AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate.

[0129] As one possible implementation, the third information includes one or more third sub-information, wherein the third sub-information includes at least one of the following: candidate sharing duration information, candidate shared resource size information, and third TXOP resource information. The candidate sharing duration information indicates the duration for which the sharing AP shares the third TXOP resource with the corresponding shared AP candidate; the candidate shared resource size information indicates the size of the third TXOP resource shared by the sharing AP with the corresponding shared AP candidate; and the third TXOP resource information indicates the parameters of the third TXOP resource shared by the sharing AP with the corresponding shared AP candidate.

[0130] As an example, the specific representation of the third information can refer to the representation of the second information described above, and the specific representation of the third TXOP resource information can refer to the identification form of the second TXOP resource information described above.

[0131] As an example, the third TXOP can be part or all of the second TXOP resources.

[0132] 2) Feedback phase from shared AP candidates

[0133] For example, the shared AP can generate a status report frame, which includes first information indicating a first TXOP resource, which is a TXOP resource that the shared AP candidate can return to the sharing AP; the shared AP candidate sends the status report frame to the sharing AP, and the sharing AP receives the status report frame accordingly.

[0134] As one possible implementation, the status report frame may take the form of, but is not limited to, the Buffer Status Report (BSR) frame, Block-ack (BA) frame, Multi-STA-BA frame, or Multi-TID BA frame, as specified in the IEEE 802.11 protocol.

[0135] As one possible implementation, the shared AP candidate receives an inquiry frame from the shared AP and determines whether to send a status report frame based on the inquiry frame.

[0136] As an example, a candidate AP to be shared can obtain second information from the query frame, which includes sharing duration information, shared resource size information, or second TXOP resource information. The candidate AP to be shared can determine whether to send a status report frame based on the sharing duration information. For example, if the second TXOP resource duration indicated by the sharing duration information cannot meet the candidate AP's data transmission needs, a status report frame will not be sent; if the second TXOP resource duration indicated by the sharing duration information can meet the candidate AP's data transmission needs, a status report frame will be sent. Similarly, the candidate AP to be shared can determine whether to send a status report frame based on the shared resource size information, or based on the second TXOP resource information. Furthermore, the candidate AP to be shared can also determine whether to send a status report frame based on two or all of the above three pieces of information. This application embodiment does not limit how the candidate AP to be shared determines whether to send a status report frame.

[0137] As an example, a candidate AP to be shared can obtain third information from the query frame. This third information includes a third TXOP resource corresponding to the candidate AP, which is a TXOP resource shared by the sharing AP for the candidate AP. The candidate AP to be shared can determine whether to send a status report frame based on the third information. For specific methods, please refer to the second information embodiment described above.

[0138] As one possible implementation, the shared AP candidate can also proactively send status report frames to obtain the TXOP resources shared by the shared AP.

[0139] As one possible implementation, the first information may include at least one of the following: return duration information, return resource size information, and first TXOP resource information. Specifically, the return duration information indicates the duration for which the shared AP candidate returns the first TXOP resource; the return resource size information indicates the size of the first TXOP resource returned by the shared AP candidate; and the first TXOP resource information indicates the parameters of the first TXOP resource returned by the shared AP candidate.

[0140] As an example, the return duration information may include a return-or-return field, used to indicate whether the shared AP candidate will return the TXOP resources. For example, the return-or-return field can be represented by 1 bit, with a value of "0" indicating no return of TXOP resources and a value of "1" indicating return of TXOP resources. The return duration information may also include a return duration indicator field, used to indicate whether the TXOP resources returned by the shared AP candidate are longer than the TXOP resources shared by the sharing AP. For example, the return duration indicator field can be represented by 1 bit, with a value of "0" indicating that the returned TXOP resources are shorter than the TXOP resources shared by the sharing AP. A value of "1" indicates that the returned TXOP resources are no less than the duration of the shared TXOP resources of the shared AP. The return duration information may also include a return ratio field, indicating the proportion of the returned TXOP resources from the shared AP candidate to the duration of the shared TXOP resources. For example, if the return ratio field is 1.2 and the duration of the shared TXOP resources is 1000µs, then the duration of the returned TXOP resources from the shared AP candidate is 1200µs. The return duration information may also include a return duration field, indicating the duration of the returned TXOP resources from the shared AP candidate, such as 1000µs. The return duration information may also include a return time offset field, indicating the time difference between the end of the status report frame and the start of the returned TXOP resources from the shared AP candidate. The return duration information may also include a return start time field, indicating the start time of the returned TXOP resources from the shared AP candidate. The specific representation of this application is not limited in the embodiments.

[0141] As an example, the returned resource size information may include a "whether to return" field, indicating whether the shared AP candidate will return TXOP resources. For example, the "whether to return" field can be represented by 1 bit, with a value of "0" indicating no TXOP resource return and a value of "1" indicating TXOP resource return. The returned resource size information may also include a "return ratio" field, indicating the ratio of the returned TXOP resources by the shared AP candidate to the total TXOP resources shared by the shared AP. For example, a return ratio field value of 1.2 indicates that the shared AP's total TXOP resource size is 20MH. If z*1000us, then the TXOP resource size returned by the shared AP candidate is 20MHz*1200us. The returned resource size information may also include a returned resource indication field, used to indicate whether the TXOP resource returned by the shared AP candidate is larger than the TXOP resource shared by the shared AP. For example, the returned duration indication field can be represented by 1 bit, with a value of "0" indicating that the returned TXOP resource size is smaller than the TXOP resource size shared by the shared AP, and a value of "1" indicating that the returned TXOP resource size is not less than the TXOP resource size shared by the shared AP. The returned resource size information may include a resource size field, used to indicate the size of the TXOP resource returned by the shared AP candidate, which is the product of the bandwidth and duration of the returned TXOP resource, such as 20MHz*1000us. The returned resource size information may also include a resource duration field and a resource bandwidth field, indicating the duration and bandwidth of the returned TXOP resource, respectively. The specific representation of this application embodiment is not limited.

[0142] As one possible implementation, the first TXOP resource information may include at least one of the following: duration information, bandwidth information, channel number information, and link number information; wherein, the duration information is used to indicate the duration of the first TXOP resource, the bandwidth information is used to indicate the bandwidth of the first TXOP resource, the channel number information is used to indicate the channel of the first TXOP resource, which may include a master channel or a slave channel, and the link number information is used to indicate the link of the first TXOP resource. The specific representation of the first TXOP resource information can refer to the identification form of the second TXOP resource information described above.

[0143] As one possible implementation, the status report frame may also include service information of the shared AP candidate, such as service type, service ID, service priority or access type, etc. The status report may also include the low latency requirements or deadlines for the data that the shared AP candidate is about to transmit.

[0144] As one possible implementation, the shared AP candidate can determine the first TXOP resource based on the return period, which is used to indicate the time when the shared AP candidate returns the first TXOP resource. This period may include the time period for returning the first TXOP resource or the deadline for returning the first TXOP resource. The return period may be specified by the sharing AP, the shared AP candidate, or determined through negotiation between the sharing AP and the shared AP candidate, or it may be pre-specified (such as specified by the protocol or pre-configured by the system).

[0145] 3) Shared AP sharing phase

[0146] For example, the sharing AP can determine the shared AP based on one or more received status report frames, wherein the shared AP is the object to which the second AP shares TXOP resources.

[0147] As one possible implementation, the shared AP selects the candidate shared AP corresponding to the optimal resource as the shared AP based on the first information carried in the status report frame.

[0148] As an example, a shared AP can select the candidate AP with the longest return duration as the shared AP based on the return duration information. For instance, as shown in Figure 3, candidate AP 1 returns TXOP resources for 2500µs, candidate AP 2 returns TXOP resources for 2100µs, and candidate AP 3 returns TXOP resources for 2000µs. Since candidate AP 1 returns the longest TXOP resources, the shared AP selects candidate AP 1 as the shared AP. Similarly, the shared AP can select the candidate AP with the largest return duration ratio as the shared AP, or the shared AP can select the candidate AP with the optimal TXOP resources based on its own business needs. This embodiment does not limit the specific method for selecting the optimal resources.

[0149] As an example, the shared AP can determine the shared AP based on the returned resource size information, and the method for selecting the optimal resource can be found in the description of the returned duration information above.

[0150] As an example, the method for selecting the optimal resource by determining the shared AP based on the first TXOP resource information can be found in the description of the return duration information above.

[0151] As an example, the shared AP is determined based on business information or the data transmission requirements.

[0152] As an example, a shared AP can be determined based on its reputation score. This reputation score indicates the credibility of a candidate shared AP in returning TXOP resources. This reputation score can be determined based on the actual duration of returned TXOP resources, the size of the returned TXOP resources, the actual number of returns, or the actual percentage of returns.

[0153] As an example, the shared AP can make a comprehensive judgment based on the various information carried in the aforementioned status report frame to determine the shared AP.

[0154] 4) Shared AP usage phase

[0155] For example, after the sharing AP determines the AP to be shared, it sends a sharing start frame to the AP to instruct the sharing AP to share the remaining TXOP resources with the AP to be shared; accordingly, the AP to be shared receives the sharing start frame and begins to use the TXOP resources shared by the sharing AP.

[0156] As one possible implementation, after the shared AP has used up its TXOP resources, it shares the remaining TXOP resources with the AP being shared.

[0157] As one possible implementation, the shared startup frame may also include shared duration information, shared resource size information, or second TXOP resource information, so that the shared AP can accurately use the shared TXOP resource. The shared duration information, shared resource size information, or second TXOP resource information can be found in the descriptions above.

[0158] For example, after receiving the shared startup frame, the shared AP can send a shared response frame to the sharing AP to instruct the shared AP to use the TXOP resources shared by the sharing AP.

[0159] As one possible implementation, the shared response frame includes a fourth message indicating the duration for which the shared AP uses the shared TXOP resources, so that the sharing AP can promptly reclaim the TXOP resources and share them with other shared APs.

[0160] As an example, the fourth information may include a usage duration field, indicating the duration of the second TXOP resource used by the shared AP, such as 1000µs; the fourth information may also include a usage termination field, indicating the end time of the second TXOP resource used by the shared AP, with a specific address, and the value of the usage termination field is the time difference between the end time of the shared response frame and the end time of the shared AP's use of the second TXOP resource. This application does not limit the specific representation of the fourth information.

[0161] For example, after the shared AP has finished using the second TXOP resource, it sends a sharing termination frame to the sharing AP to instruct the shared AP to terminate its use of the shared TXOP resource. Accordingly, the sharing AP receives the sharing termination frame and can reclaim the shared TXOP resource and share it with other shared APs.

[0162] The following will describe the multi-access point (MAP) collaboration device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0163] This application divides the multi-access point MAP (MAP) collaboration device into functional modules according to the above-described method embodiments. 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 modules can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules. It should be noted that the module division in this application is illustrative and represents only one logical functional division; in actual implementation, other division methods may be used. The multi-access point MAP collaboration device of this application embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 4 to 6.

[0164] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a multi-access point (MAP) collaborative device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the device includes a processing module 401 and a transceiver module 402. The transceiver module 402 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 401 is used to implement corresponding processing functions. The transceiver module 402 can also be referred to as an interface, communication interface, or communication module, etc.

[0165] In some embodiments of this application, the device can be used to perform actions performed by the first AP, the shared AP candidate, or the shared AP in the above method embodiments. In this case, the device can be the WLAN device itself or a chip or functional module configurable in the device. The transceiver module 402 is used to perform transceiver-related operations of the shared AP candidate in the above method embodiments, and the processing module 401 is used to perform processing-related operations of the shared AP candidate in the above method embodiments.

[0166] For example, processing module 401 can be used to generate status report frames;

[0167] For example, transceiver module 402 can be used to send status report frames;

[0168] For example, transceiver module 402 can also be used to receive query frames;

[0169] For example, the processing module 401 can also be used to determine whether to send a status report frame based on the query frame;

[0170] For example, transceiver module 402 can also be used to receive a shared start frame;

[0171] For example, transceiver module 402 can also be used to send shared response frames;

[0172] For example, transceiver module 402 can also be used to send a shared termination frame.

[0173] For example, the processing module 401 may include a generation module or a parsing module. For instance, the generation module can be used to generate the various pieces of information shown above, and the parsing module can be used to parse the various pieces of information received by the SBP initiator. For example, the transceiver module 402 may include a radio frequency module, an antenna module, etc. For example, the transceiver module 402 may include a pin module, etc.

[0174] Reusing Figure 4, in some other embodiments of this application, the multi-access point (MAP) cooperation device can be used to perform the actions performed by the second AP or the shared AP in the above method embodiments. In this case, the device can be the WLAN device itself or a chip or functional module configurable in the device. The transceiver module 402 is used to perform the transceiver-related operations of the shared AP in the above method embodiments, and the processing module 401 is used to perform the processing-related operations of the shared AP in the above method embodiments.

[0175] For example, transceiver module 402 can be used to receive status report frames;

[0176] For example, processing module 401 can be used to determine the shared AP based on the status report frame;

[0177] For example, transceiver module 402 can also be used to send a shared start frame;

[0178] For example, transceiver module 402 can also be used to receive shared response frames;

[0179] For example, transceiver module 402 can also be used to receive shared termination frames.

[0180] For example, the processing module 401 may include a generation module and a parsing module. The generation module can be used to generate the various pieces of information shown above, and the parsing module can be used to parse the various pieces of information received by the SBP response end. For example, the transceiver module 402 may include a radio frequency module, an antenna module, etc. For example, the transceiver module 402 may include a pin module, etc.

[0181] Optionally, in the above embodiments, the multi-access point MAP (MAP) collaboration device may further include a storage module, which can be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 401 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module to enable the multi-access point MAP collaboration device to implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0182] For details regarding the terms or steps of query frames, status report frames, shared start frames, shared response frames, shared termination frames, shared APs, shared AP candidates, shared APs, first TXOP resources, second TXOP resources, third TXOP resources, and sharing in the above embodiments, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments. They will not be detailed here.

[0183] The specific descriptions of the transceiver module and processing module shown in the above embodiments are merely examples. For the specific functions or execution steps of the transceiver module and processing module, please refer to the above method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0184] The above describes the multi-access point MAP (Multi-Access Point Mapping) collaboration device according to embodiments of this application. The following describes possible product forms of the multi-access point MAP collaboration device. Any product possessing the functions of the multi-access point MAP collaboration device described in Figure 4 above falls within the protection scope of this application. The following description is merely illustrative and does not limit the product form of the multi-access point MAP collaboration device according to embodiments of this application to these examples.

[0185] In one possible implementation, in the multi-access point (MAP) cooperative device shown in Figure 4, the processing module 401 can be one or more processors, and the transceiver module 402 can be a transceiver. Alternatively, the transceiver module 402 can also be a transmitting module and a receiving module, where the transmitting module can be a transmitter and the receiving module can be a receiver. These transmitting and receiving modules are integrated into a single device, such as a transceiver. In this embodiment, the processor and transceiver can be coupled, and the connection method between the processor and transceiver is not limited. During the execution of the above method, the process of transmitting information can be a process where the processor outputs the information. When outputting the information, the processor outputs the information to the transceiver for transmission. After being output by the processor, the information may require further processing before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, the process of receiving information in the above method can be a process where the processor receives the input information. When the processor receives the input information, the transceiver receives the information and inputs it to the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the aforementioned information, the information may need to undergo further processing before being input into the processor.

[0186] As shown in Figure 5, the device 50 includes one or more processors 520 and transceivers 510.

[0187] In some embodiments of this application, the multi-access point (MAP) cooperation device can be used to execute the steps, methods, or functions performed by the shared AP candidate described above. For example, the processor 520 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 401 shown in FIG. 4, and the transceiver 510 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 402 shown in FIG. 4. Detailed descriptions of the processor 520 and transceiver 510 can be found in FIG. 4 or the method embodiments shown above, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0188] In other embodiments of this application, the multi-access point (MAP) cooperation device is used to execute the steps, methods, or functions performed by the shared AP described above. For example, the processor 520 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 401 shown in FIG. 4, and the transceiver 510 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 402 shown in FIG. 4. Detailed descriptions of the processor 520 and transceiver 510 can be found in FIG. 4 or the method embodiments shown above, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0189] In various implementations of the multi-access point (MAP) cooperative apparatus shown in Figure 5, the transceiver may include a receiver for performing a receiving function (or operation) and a transmitter for performing a transmitting function (or operation). The transceiver is also used to communicate with other devices / appliances via a transmission medium.

[0190] Optionally, the multi-access point MAP (Multi-Access Point Mapping) cooperative device 50 may further include one or more memories 530 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 530 is coupled to the processor 520. The coupling in this embodiment is an indirect coupling or communication connection between multi-access point MAP cooperative devices, units, or modules, and can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, used for information exchange between multi-access point MAP cooperative devices, units, or modules. The processor 520 may operate in conjunction with the memory 530. The processor 520 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 530. Optionally, at least one of the above-mentioned one or more memories may be included in the processor.

[0191] This embodiment does not limit the specific connection medium between the transceiver 510, processor 520, and memory 530. In Figure 5, the memory 530, processor 520, and transceiver 510 are connected via a bus 540, indicated by a thick line. The connection methods between other components are merely illustrative and not intended to be limiting. The bus can be categorized as an address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 5, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0192] In the embodiments of this application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc., and can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware processor, or being executed by a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor.

[0193] In this application embodiment, the memory may include, but is not limited to, non-volatile memory such as hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), read-only memory (ROM), or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc. Memory is any storage medium capable of carrying or storing program code in the form of instructions or data structures, and capable of being read and / or written by a computer (such as the multi-access point MAP cooperative device shown in this application), but is not limited to this. The memory in this application embodiment may also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing storage functions, used to store program instructions and / or data.

[0194] The processor 520 is primarily used for processing communication protocols and data, controlling the entire multi-access point (MAP) cooperative device, executing software programs, and processing software program data. The memory 530 is primarily used for storing software programs and data. The transceiver 510 may include control circuitry and an antenna. The control circuitry is primarily used for converting baseband signals to radio frequency (RF) signals and processing RF signals. The antenna is primarily used for transmitting and receiving RF signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are primarily used for receiving user input data and outputting data to the user.

[0195] When the multi-access point (MAP) collaborative device is powered on, the processor 520 can read the software program in the memory 530, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 520 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit performs RF processing on the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the MAP collaborative device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 520. The processor 520 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0196] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be set up independently of the processor that performs baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be arranged in a remote manner, independent of the multi-access point (MAP) cooperative device.

[0197] The multi-access point (MAP) cooperative device shown in this application embodiment may also have more components than those in Figure 5, and this application embodiment does not limit this. The methods executed by the processor and transceiver shown above are only examples, and the specific steps executed by the processor and transceiver can be referred to the methods described above.

[0198] In another possible implementation, in the multi-access point MAP (MAP) collaboration device shown in Figure 4, the processing module 401 can be one or more logic circuits, and the transceiver module 402 can be an input / output interface, or a communication interface, or an interface circuit, or an interface, etc. Alternatively, the transceiver module 402 can also be a transmitting module and a receiving module. The transmitting module can be an output interface, and the receiving module can be an input interface. The transmitting module and the receiving module are integrated into one module, such as an input / output interface. As shown in Figure 6, the multi-access point MAP collaboration device shown in Figure 6 includes a logic circuit 601 and an interface 602. That is, the processing module 401 can be implemented using the logic circuit 601, and the transceiver module 402 can be implemented using the interface 602. The logic circuit 601 can be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface 602 can be a communication interface, an input / output interface, pins, etc. For example, Figure 6 uses the multi-access point MAP collaboration device as an example with a chip, which includes a logic circuit 601 and an interface 602.

[0199] In this embodiment, the logic circuit and the interface can also be coupled to each other. The specific connection method of the logic circuit and the interface is not limited in this embodiment. For example, the logic circuit 601 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 401 shown in FIG. 4, and the interface 602 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 402 shown in FIG. 4. For a detailed description of the logic circuit 601 and the interface 602, please refer to FIG. 4 or the method embodiment shown above, which will not be detailed here.

[0200] The multi-access point (MAP) collaboration device shown in this application embodiment can implement the method provided in this application embodiment in hardware form or in software form, etc., and this application embodiment does not limit it in this way.

[0201] This application also provides a communication system including a shared AP and a shared AP candidate, which can be used to perform the methods in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0202] In addition, this application also provides a computer program for implementing the operations and / or processes performed by various multi-access point (MAP) cooperative devices in the method provided in this application.

[0203] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer code that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the operations and / or processes performed by the various multi-access point (MAP) cooperative devices in the method provided in this application.

[0204] This application also provides a computer program product comprising computer code or a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the operations and / or processes performed by various entities in the method provided in this application to be executed.

[0205] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, multi-access point (MAP) cooperation device, and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the multi-access point MAP cooperation device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, communication devices, or modules, or it may be an electrical, mechanical, or other form of connection.

[0206] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the technical effects of the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0207] Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing module, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0208] If the integrated module is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it 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 all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a readable 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 readable 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.

[0209] 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 method for multi-access point (MAP) collaboration, applied to a first access point (AP), characterized in that, The method includes: A status report frame is generated, the status report frame includes first information, the first information is used to indicate a first TXOP resource, the first TXOP resource is the TXOP resource returned by the first AP to the second AP; The status report frame is sent to the second AP.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one of the following: Return duration information, returned resource size information, and first TXOP resource information; The return duration information is used to indicate the duration for which the first AP returns the first TXOP resource; The returned resource size information is used to indicate the size of the first TXOP resource returned by the first AP; The first TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the first TXOP resource returned by the first AP.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first TXOP resource information includes at least one of the following: Duration information, bandwidth information, channel number information, link number information; The duration information is used to indicate the duration of the first TXOP resource; The bandwidth information is used to indicate the bandwidth size of the first TXOP resource; The channel number information is used to indicate the channel of the first TXOP resource; The link number information is used to indicate the link of the first TXOP resource.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive an inquiry frame from the second AP, the inquiry frame being used to instruct the first AP to respond with the status report frame.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The query frame includes information about the shared AP candidates. The shared AP candidate information is used to indicate one or more shared AP candidates; The one or more shared AP candidates include the first AP.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The query frame includes second information. The second information is used to indicate the second TXOP resource, which is the TXOP resource shared by the second AP.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second information includes at least one of the following: Information on sharing duration, size of shared resources, and second TXOP resource information; The shared duration information is used to indicate the duration of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP; The shared resource size information is used to indicate the size of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP; The second TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP.

8. The method according to any one of claims 4-7, characterized in that, The query frame includes third information. The third information is used to indicate one or more third TXOP resources, each of the one or more third TXOP resources corresponding to one of the shared AP candidates, and each third TXOP resource is a TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The third information includes one or more third sub-information. The third sub-information includes at least one of the following: Candidate sharing duration information, candidate sharing resource size information, and third-party TXOP resource information; The candidate sharing duration information is used to indicate the duration for which the second AP shares the third TXOP resource with the corresponding shared AP candidate; The candidate shared resource size information is used to indicate the size of the third TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate; The third TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the third TXOP resource that the second AP shares with the corresponding shared AP candidate.

10. The method according to any one of claims 4-9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the query frame, determine whether to send a status report frame.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a shared startup frame from the second AP, the shared startup frame being used to instruct the second AP to share the remaining TXOP resources with the first AP.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the shared startup frame, a shared response frame is sent to the second AP, the shared response frame being used to instruct the first AP to use the TXOP resources shared by the second AP.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The shared response frame includes fourth information. The fourth piece of information is used to indicate the duration for which the first AP uses the TXOP resources shared by the second AP.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11-13, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a sharing termination frame to the second AP, the sharing termination frame being used to instruct the first AP to terminate the use of the TXOP resources shared by the second AP.

15. A method for multi-access point (MAP) cooperation, applied to a second access point (AP), characterized in that, The method includes: Receive one or more status report frames, each status report frame including first information, the first information being used to indicate a first TXOP resource, the first TXOP resource being a TXOP resource returned by the shared AP candidate to the second AP; Based on the one or more status report frames, the shared AP is determined, and the shared AP is the object on which the second AP shares TXOP resources.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one of the following: Return duration information, returned resource size information, and first TXOP resource information; The return duration information is used to indicate the duration for which the shared AP candidate returns the first TXOP resource; The returned resource size information is used to indicate the size of the first TXOP resource returned by the shared AP candidate; The first TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the first TXOP resource returned by the shared AP candidate.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The first TXOP resource information includes at least one of the following: Duration information, bandwidth information, channel number information, link number information; The duration information is used to indicate the duration of the first TXOP resource; The bandwidth information is used to indicate the bandwidth size of the first TXOP resource; The channel number information is used to indicate the channel of the first TXOP resource; The link number information is used to indicate the link of the first TXOP resource.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15-17, characterized in that, The step of determining the shared AP based on the one or more status report frames includes: Based on the first information, the candidate AP corresponding to the optimal resource is selected as the shared AP.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15-18, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send an inquiry frame to one or more shared AP candidates, the inquiry frame being used to instruct the corresponding shared AP candidate to respond with the status report frame.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The query frame includes information about the shared AP candidates. The shared AP candidate information is used to indicate the one or more shared AP candidates.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that, The query frame includes second information. The second information is used to indicate the second TXOP resource, which is the TXOP resource shared by the second AP.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The second information includes at least one of the following: Information on sharing duration, size of shared resources, and second TXOP resource information; The shared duration information is used to indicate the duration of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP; The shared resource size information is used to indicate the size of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP; The second TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19-22, characterized in that, The query frame includes third information. The third information is used to indicate one or more third TXOP resources, each of the one or more third TXOP resources corresponding to one of the shared AP candidates, and each third TXOP resource is a TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The third information includes one or more third sub-information. The third sub-information includes at least one of the following: Candidate sharing duration information, candidate sharing resource size information, and third-party TXOP resource information; The candidate sharing duration information is used to indicate the duration for which the second AP shares the third TXOP resource with the corresponding shared AP candidate; The candidate shared resource size information is used to indicate the size of the third TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate; The third TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the third TXOP resource that the second AP shares with the corresponding shared AP candidate.

25. The method according to any one of claims 15-24, characterized in that, The method further includes: A shared startup frame is sent to the shared AP, the shared startup frame being used to instruct the second AP to share the remaining TXOP resources with the shared AP.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a sharing response frame from the shared AP, the sharing response frame being used to instruct the shared AP to use the TXOP resources shared by the second AP.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that, The shared response frame includes fourth information. The fourth piece of information is used to indicate the duration for which the shared AP uses the TXOP resources shared by the second AP.

28. The method according to any one of claims 25-27, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a sharing termination frame from the shared AP, the sharing termination frame being used to instruct the shared AP to terminate the use of the TXOP resources shared by the second AP.

29. A method for multi-access point (MAP) cooperation, applied to a second access point (AP), characterized in that, The method includes: Generate one or more query frames, which are used to instruct one or more shared AP candidates to provide a status report frame; Send query frames to one or more of the shared AP candidates.

30. The method according to claim 29, characterized in that, The query frame includes information about the shared AP candidates. The shared AP candidate information is used to indicate the one or more shared AP candidates.

31. The method according to claim 29 or 30, characterized in that, The query frame includes second information. The second information is used to indicate the second TXOP resource, which is the TXOP resource shared by the second AP.

32. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that, The second information includes at least one of the following: Information on sharing duration, size of shared resources, and second TXOP resource information; The shared duration information is used to indicate the duration of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP; The shared resource size information is used to indicate the size of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP; The second TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the second TXOP resource shared by the second AP.

33. The method according to any one of claims 29-32, characterized in that, The query frame includes third information. The third information is used to indicate one or more third TXOP resources, each of the one or more third TXOP resources corresponding to one of the shared AP candidates, and each third TXOP resource is a TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate.

34. The method according to claim 33, characterized in that, The third information includes one or more third sub-information. The third sub-information includes at least one of the following: Candidate sharing duration information, candidate sharing resource size information, and third-party TXOP resource information; The candidate sharing duration information is used to indicate the duration for which the second AP shares the third TXOP resource with the corresponding shared AP candidate; The candidate shared resource size information is used to indicate the size of the third TXOP resource shared by the second AP to the corresponding shared AP candidate; The third TXOP resource information is used to indicate the parameters of the third TXOP resource that the second AP shares with the corresponding shared AP candidate.

35. A multi-access point (MAP) cooperative device, characterized in that, The MAP collaboration device includes a transceiver module and a processing module. The transceiver module is used to receive and / or send information, and the processing module is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-14.

36. A multi-access point (MAP) cooperative device, characterized in that, The MAP collaboration device includes a transceiver module and a processing module. The transceiver module is used to receive and / or send information, and the processing module is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 15-28, or to perform the method as described in any one of claims 29-34.

37. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes at least one processor and an interface, the processor being configured to read and execute instructions stored in a memory, and when the processor executes the instructions, causing the chip to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-34.

38. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-34.

39. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer program product is executed, the method described in any one of claims 1-34 is performed.

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