Communication methods, communication apparatus and readable storage medium

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of wireless communication and, in particular, to communication methods, a communication apparatus and a readable storage medium. A method comprises: an AP generates and transmits a first frame, the first frame comprising first indication information used for indicating whether an NPCA operation is allowed in a CTDMA process. The present application can improve the channel utilization rate in a CTDMA process, reduce the network delay, and improve the throughput. The present application can support IEEE protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11be protocol, the IEEE 802.11bn protocol, the IEEE integrated millimeter-wave protocol, IEEE 802.15 protocols, or the IEEE 802.11bf / sensing protocol, and can also be applied to NearLink systems and support the NearLink standard protocol.

Description

Communication methods, devices and readable storage media

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411803588.4, filed on December 9, 2024, entitled "Communication Method, Apparatus and Readable Storage Medium", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] Wireless local area networks (WLANs) have evolved through several generations of standards, including 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, and 802.11bn. Among these, 802.11n is known as high throughput (HT), 802.11ac as very high throughput (VHT), 802.11ax as high efficient (HE), 802.11be as extremely high throughput (EHT), and 802.11bn as ultra-high reliability (UHR).

[0004] Currently, there is a technology called Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access (CTDMA). CTDMA can reduce network latency, increase throughput, and enhance fairness among nodes. CTDMA is described as follows: In scenarios where multiple access points (APs) cooperate, the access point that preempts a channel (called a sharing AP) can allocate transmission opportunities (TXOPs) to other access points (called shared APs). Other access points (shared APs) can then transmit data within their allocated TXOPs. Simultaneously, the standard also supports non-primary channel access (NPCA) mechanisms.

[0005] Therefore, how to further improve channel utilization in CTDMA is a problem that those skilled in the art are studying. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and readable storage medium that can improve channel utilization during CTDMA, reduce network latency, and increase throughput.

[0007] The communication method provided in this application can be applied to multi-AP collaborative scenarios. The first access point and the second access point in this application belong to different basic service sets (BSS), and the BSS to which the first access point belongs overlaps with the BSS to which the second access point belongs; that is, the BSS to which the first access point belongs and the BSS to which the second access point belongs are overlapping basic service sets (OBSS). Furthermore, the first access point and the second access point in this application share the same main channel. For example, the bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz.

[0008] Firstly, this application provides a communication method applied to an access point (AP), which can be a sharing AP in CTDMA. The AP can include a WLAN device (including Wi-Fi devices or devices involved in the StarFlash Alliance, etc.), or a chip, functional module, processing system, or communication component disposed within the WLAN device. The method includes: a first access point generating and sending a first frame. The first frame includes first indication information, which is used to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed during the CTDMA process. Alternatively, the first indication information is used to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed during the CTDMA process.

[0009] For example, the first frame can be a control frame or a data frame.

[0010] This application uses the first indication information in the first frame during the CTDMA process to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed during the CTDMA process. This can support NPCA operation in CTDMA, thereby improving channel utilization during the CTDMA process, reducing network latency, and increasing throughput.

[0011] Secondly, this application provides a communication method applied to an access point (AP) or station (STA). The AP or STA may include a WLAN device (including Wi-Fi devices or devices involved in the StarFlash Alliance, etc.), or a chip, functional module, processing system, or communication component disposed within the WLAN device. The method includes: a second access point or a STA associated with the second access point receiving a first frame and parsing the first frame. The first frame includes first indication information, which is used to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA. Alternatively, the first indication information is used to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA.

[0012] For example, the first frame can be a control frame or a data frame.

[0013] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, when the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is permitted during the CTDMA process, the aforementioned first frame includes second indication information, which is used to indicate the time period during which NPCA operation is permitted.

[0014] Accordingly, after the second access point or the STA associated with the second access point detects the first frame on the main channel, if there is a transmission requirement, it can perform NPCA operation according to the time period indicated by the second indication information.

[0015] For example, the first indication information and the second indication information can be the same or different indication information. It is understood that when the first and second indication information are the same, the first / second indication information can indicate both that NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA and the time period during which NPCA operation is allowed. Alternatively, when the first and second indication information are the same, the first indication information can be used to indicate the time period during which NPCA operation is allowed, thus implicitly indicating that NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA. When the first and second indication information are different, and the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA, the first frame also includes the second indication information to indicate the time period during which NPCA operation is allowed.

[0016] When allowing NPCA operation during CTDMA, this application also indicates the time period during which NPCA operation is allowed through a second indication information, which can improve NPCA operation in CTDMA, increase channel utilization during CTDMA, reduce network latency, and increase throughput.

[0017] In conjunction with either the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned first frame may be a buffer status report poll (BSRP) frame. If the aforementioned first indication information and second indication information are different indication information, the first indication information may be carried in the common information field of the BSRP frame.

[0018] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first frame mentioned above may be a BSRP frame. The second indication information mentioned above may specifically be used to indicate the time period within the TXOP of the primary channel occupied by the first access point for transmitting data. For example, this second indication information may be carried in a special user information field of the BSRP frame. The value of the association identifier (AID) field in this special user information field is greater than 2007.

[0019] Correspondingly, after the second access point or its associated STA detects and parses the BSRP frame on the main channel, if there is a transmission requirement, it can perform NPCA operation within the time period indicated by the second indication information when the first access point transmits data. In this way, regardless of whether the STA associated with the second access point is aware of whether the second access point is participating in CTDMA or not, NPCA operation can be performed when a transmission requirement arises, thereby improving channel utilization and throughput during the CTDMA process, and allowing the STA associated with the second access point and the second access point to maintain synchronization.

[0020] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first frame mentioned above can be a BSRP frame. The second indication information mentioned above can specifically be used to indicate the total duration of the TXOP (Turn-On-Demand) occupied by the first access point on the main channel. The total duration of the TXOP occupied by the first access point on the main channel can be understood as: the duration of the TXOP obtained by the first access point after preempting the main channel. For example, this second indication information can be carried in a special user information field of the BSRP frame.

[0021] Correspondingly, when the second access point is a polled AP or an unpolled AP that does not wish to participate in CTDMA, after the second access point or the STA associated with the second access point detects and parses the BSRP frame on the main channel, if there is a transmission requirement, it can perform NPCA operation within the total TXOP duration of the main channel occupied by the first access point as indicated by the second indication information. In this way, for polled APs or unpolled APs that do not wish to participate in CTDMA, time-frequency domain resources can be used more effectively to transmit data, reducing network latency.

[0022] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned second indication information is further specifically used to indicate the planned shared TXOP duration. This planned shared TXOP duration is equal to the difference between the total TXOP duration occupied by the first access point on the main channel and the duration used for data transmission by the first access point. For example, the aforementioned first frame may be a BSRP frame, and the second indication information may be carried in the special user information field of the BSRP frame. Alternatively, the aforementioned first frame may be a multi-user request to send (MU-RTS) frame, and the second indication information may be carried in the common information field of the MU-RTS frame. It is understood that when the second indication information is carried in the MU-RTS frame, the second indication information can also be described as: indicating the (actual) shared TXOP duration. This shared TXOP duration is also equal to the difference between the total TXOP duration occupied by the first access point on the main channel and the duration used for data transmission by the first access point.

[0023] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned first frame may be a BSRP frame. The BSRP frame includes a user information list field, which includes a special user information field and one or more user information fields. A user information field may include second indication information, which may specifically indicate the maximum idle time period of the second access point corresponding to that user information field during the CTDMA process. The second access point is not allocated a shared TXOP during this maximum idle time period. For example, the maximum idle time period may be the time period during which the first access point allocates shared TXOPs to other access points.

[0024] Correspondingly, when the second access point is a polled AP that wishes to participate in CTDMA, and the STA associated with the second access point is aware of the second access point's participation in CTDMA, after the second access point or the STA associated with it detects and parses the BSRP frame on the main channel, if there is a transmission requirement, it can perform NPCA operation within the maximum idle time period indicated by the second indication information. In this way, for the polled AP participating in CTDMA and the STA associated with it, without missing the shared TXOP allocated by the sharing AP, channel utilization can be further improved, throughput increased, and network latency reduced.

[0025] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned first frame may be a BSRP frame. The BSRP frame includes a user information list field, which includes a specific user information field and one or more user information fields. A user information field may include second indication information, which may specifically indicate the time period for a shared TXOP planned to be allocated to the second access point corresponding to that user information field.

[0026] Correspondingly, when the second access point is a polled AP that wants to participate in CTDMA, and the STA associated with the second access point can know that the second access point is participating in CTDMA, after the second access point or the STA associated with the second access point detects and parses the BSRP frame on the main channel, if there is a transmission requirement, it can perform NPCA operation during the time period excluding the shared TXOP planned to be allocated to the second access point in the total TXOP of the main channel occupied by the first access point.

[0027] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned first frame may be a MU-RTS frame. If the aforementioned first indication information and second indication information are different indication information, the first indication information may be carried in the common information field of the MU-RTS frame.

[0028] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first frame mentioned above may be a MU-RTS frame. The MU-RTS frame includes a user information field. The second indication information mentioned above may be carried in the user information field of the MU-RTS frame. This second indication information may specifically be used to indicate the time period of the shared TXOP allocated to the second access point corresponding to the user information field. The second access point corresponding to the user information field may be the access point represented by the AP ID in the user information field.

[0029] Correspondingly, when the second access point is a polled AP that wants to participate in CTDMA, and the STA associated with the second access point can know that the second access point is participating in CTDMA, after the second access point or the STA associated with the second access point detects and parses the BSRP frame on the main channel, if there is a transmission requirement, it can perform NPCA operation during the time period excluding the shared TXOP allocated to the second access point in the total TXOP of the main channel occupied by the first access point.

[0030] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first frame may be a data frame. The second indication information may specifically be used to indicate the remaining TXOP duration and / or the duration from the current time to the start of TXOP sharing. For example, this second indication information may be carried in the medium access control (MAC) header of the data frame. For example, if the first and second indication information are different, the first indication information may also be carried in the MAC header of the data frame.

[0031] Accordingly, when the second access point is a polled AP that wishes to participate in CTDMA, and the STA associated with the second access point is aware of the second access point's participation in CTDMA, the second access point or the STA associated with it can perform NPCA operation within the duration from the current time to the start of TXOP sharing if there is a transmission requirement after detecting and parsing the BSRP frame on the main channel. When the second access point is a polled AP that does not wish to participate in CTDMA or is an unpolled AP, the second access point or the STA associated with it can perform NPCA operation within the remaining TXOP duration if there is a transmission requirement after detecting and parsing the BSRP frame on the main channel.

[0032] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: a first access point transmitting a second frame, wherein when the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is permitted during the CTDMA process, the second frame includes second indication information, which can be used to indicate the time period during which NPCA operation is permitted. Accordingly, the second access point or a STA associated with the second access point receives the second frame.

[0033] For example, the first frame can be a BSRP frame, and the second frame can be a MU-RTS frame. In this case, the first indication information can be carried in the common information field of the BSRP frame, and the second indication information can be carried in the common information field or the user information field of the MU-RTS frame. When the second indication information is carried in the common information field of the MU-RTS frame, it is specifically used to indicate the (actual) shared TXOP duration. The (actual) shared TXOP duration is equal to the difference between the total TXOP duration occupied by the first access point on the main channel and the duration used for data transmission by the first access point. When the second indication information is carried in the user information field of the MU-RTS frame, it is specifically used to indicate the time period of the shared TXOP allocated to the second access point corresponding to the user information field.

[0034] For example, the first frame mentioned above can be a BSRP frame, and the second frame can be a data frame. In this case, the first indication information can be carried in the common information field of the BSRP frame, and the second indication information can be carried in the MAC header of the data frame. The second indication information can specifically be used to indicate the remaining TXOP duration and / or the duration from the current time to the start of TXOP sharing.

[0035] This application embodiment improves NPCA operation in CTDMA by designing the MAC header of the data frame, increases channel utilization in the CTDMA process, reduces network latency, and increases throughput.

[0036] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device for performing the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof. The communication device includes modules for performing the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0037] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device for performing the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof. The communication device includes modules for performing the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0038] In the third or fourth aspect, the aforementioned communication device may include a transceiver module and a processing module. Further details regarding the transceiver module and processing module can be found in the device embodiments shown below. The beneficial effects of the third and fourth aspects described above can be referenced in the relevant descriptions of the first and second aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0039] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device including a processor for executing the method shown in any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any of the above aspects. Alternatively, the processor is configured to execute a program stored in a memory, wherein when the program is executed, the method shown in any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any of the above aspects is executed.

[0040] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in one possible implementation, the memory is located outside the aforementioned communication device.

[0041] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in one possible implementation, the memory is located within the aforementioned communication device.

[0042] In this application, the processor and memory can also be integrated into a single device; that is, the processor and memory can be integrated together. For example, the communication device can be a chip.

[0043] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a transceiver for sending or receiving the first frame.

[0044] Sixthly, this application provides a communication device that may include logic circuitry and an interface coupled together. The interface is used for exchanging (or sending / receiving or inputting / outputting) information or data, and the logic circuitry is used for executing program instructions to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation thereof. The interface may be a communication interface or a transceiver. The transceiver may be a radio frequency module in the communication device, or a combination of a radio frequency module and an antenna, or an input / output interface of a chip or circuit.

[0045] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a readable storage medium storing program instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect, or the second aspect, or any possible implementation thereof.

[0046] Eighthly, this application provides a computer program product containing program instructions that, when run, causes the method described in any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the second aspect, or any of the aspects to be executed.

[0047] Ninthly, this application provides a wireless communication system including a first access point and a second access point; optionally, it also includes a station associated with the second access point. The first access point can be used to perform the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof. The second access point and the station associated with the second access point can be used to perform the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0048] The technical effects achieved in the above aspects can be referred to each other or to the beneficial effects in the method embodiments shown below, which will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0049] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the NPCA mechanism provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the cooperative time division multiple access technology provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a frame structure of a BSRP frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a frame structure for a special user information field in a BSRP frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the first type of NPCA mechanism introduced in CTDMA according to an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 8 is a second schematic diagram of introducing the NPCA mechanism in CTDMA according to an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 9 is a third schematic diagram of introducing the NPCA mechanism in CTDMA according to an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 10a is a schematic diagram of a frame structure for the user information field in a BSRP frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 10b is a schematic diagram of another frame structure of the user information field in the BSRP frame provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 11 is a fourth schematic diagram of introducing the NPCA mechanism in CTDMA according to an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 12 is a fifth schematic diagram of the introduction of the NPCA mechanism in CTDMA provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0062] Figure 13 is a sixth schematic diagram of the introduction of the NPCA mechanism in CTDMA provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0063] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a frame structure of a MU-RTS frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 15a is a schematic diagram of a frame structure for a common information field in a MU-RTS frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 15b is a schematic diagram of another frame structure for the common information field in the MU-RTS frame provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 16 is a seventh schematic diagram of introducing the NPCA mechanism in CTDMA according to an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of a frame structure for the user information field in a MU-RTS frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 18 is an eighth schematic diagram of the introduction of the NPCA mechanism in CTDMA provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0069] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of a frame structure of a data frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 20a is a schematic diagram of a frame structure of the A-control field in a data frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 20b is a schematic diagram of another frame structure of the A-control field in the data frame provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 20c is a schematic diagram of another frame structure of the A-control field in the data frame provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 21 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 22 is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0075] Figure 23 is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0076] To facilitate understanding of the technical solution of this application, the application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0077] 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.

[0078] 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.

[0079] In this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, "more than" means two or more, and "at least two (items)" means two or three or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent three cases: 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 two relationships can exist, such as only A or only B exists; when A and B are not mutually exclusive, it can also represent three relationships, such as only A, only B, or 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 of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c".

[0080] In this application, transmission includes sending and receiving. Transmission can also mean communication.

[0081] 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.

[0082] The following describes the communication system involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0083] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) systems, such as those supporting IEEE 802.11 standards, including 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11bn, or next-generation standards; and also, for example, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, or next-generation standards, which will not be listed here. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to ultra-wideband (UWB) based wireless personal area network (WPAN) systems, such as the 802.15 series standards, and to sensing systems, such as the 802.11bf series standards. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to millimeter wave (MMW) technology, including integrated millimeter wave (IMMW). Standards prior to 802.11n, such as 802.11a / b / g, can be collectively referred to as Non-High Throughput (Non-HT). 802.11bf includes two main categories: low-frequency (e.g., sub7GHz) and high-frequency (e.g., 60GHz) standards. Sub-7GHz implementations primarily rely on standards such as 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, and next-generation standards, while 60GHz implementations primarily rely on standards such as 802.11ad, 802.11ay, and next-generation standards. 802.11ad can also be called a directional multi-gigabit (DMG) standard, and 802.11ay can also be called an enhanced directional multi-gigabit (EDMG) standard.

[0084] 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.

[0085] 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, personal area networks (PANs), Bluetooth, high-performance radio LANs (HIPERLANs) (a wireless standard similar to the IEEE 802.11 standard, mainly used in Europe), and wide area networks (WANs) or other networks now known or developed in the future. Therefore, regardless of the coverage area and wireless access protocol used, the various aspects provided in this application can be applied to any suitable wireless network.

[0086] In one possible implementation, the method provided in this application embodiment can be implemented by a station in a communication system. For example, the station can be an access point (AP) or a non-access point station (non-AP STA). For ease of description, a non-AP STA can also be simply referred to as STA.

[0087] An access point can be a device with wireless communication capabilities, supporting communication using the WLAN protocol and having the ability to communicate with other devices in the WLAN network (such as non-AP STAs or other access points). This wireless communication device can be a complete device, or a chip or processing system installed within a complete device. Devices with these chips or processing systems can implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application under the control of the chip or processing system. Access points can be deployed in homes, buildings, and parks, with a coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters; they can also be deployed outdoors. An access point can be understood as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, its main function being to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. For example, an access point can be a terminal device (such as a mobile phone) or a network device (such as a communication server, router, switch, bridge, etc.) with a wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) chip. An access point can also be a chip, processing system, or module within a terminal device or network device, thereby implementing the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application. Of course, APs can also include APs belonging to multi-link devices (MLDs) or co-located APs, etc.

[0088] The access point in this embodiment can be a site providing services to non-AP STAs, and it can be a device supporting the 802.11bn standard. Of course, the access point can also support various WLAN standards of the 802.11 family, such as 802.11be, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, and 802.11a. In one possible implementation, the access point can also support the IEEE Integrated mmWave / IMMW protocol, or the IEEE 802.11bf / sensing protocol, or the UWB protocol, or the Spark Link / NearLink standard protocol, etc.

[0089] A non-AP STA can be a device with wireless communication capabilities, supporting communication using the WLAN protocol and having the ability to communicate with other non-AP STAs or access points in a WLAN network. This wireless communication device can be a complete device, or a chip or processing system installed within a complete device. Devices with these chips or processing systems can implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application under the control of the chip or processing system. A non-AP STA can also be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal, and can also be referred to as a user. For example, a non-AP STA can be a mobile phone supporting Wi-Fi communication, a tablet computer supporting Wi-Fi communication, a set-top box supporting Wi-Fi communication, a smart TV supporting Wi-Fi communication, a smart wearable device supporting Wi-Fi communication, an in-vehicle communication device supporting Wi-Fi communication, or a computer supporting Wi-Fi communication, etc. Of course, a non-AP STA can also include non-AP STAs belonging to an MLD or co-located STAs, etc.

[0090] The non-AP STA in this embodiment can also be a device supporting the 802.11bn standard. Of course, the non-AP STA can also support various WLAN standards of the 802.11 family, such as 802.11be, 802.11bf, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, and 802.11a. In one possible implementation, the non-AP STA can also support the IEEE Integrated mmWave / IMMW protocol, or the IEEE 802.11bf / sensing protocol, or the UWB protocol, or the Spark Link / NearLink standard protocol.

[0091] Referring to Figure 1, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system may include multiple APs (AP1, AP2, and AP3 in Figure 1), and optionally one or more non-AP STAs (non-AP STA1 to non-AP STA5 in Figure 1). An AP can be associated with one or more non-AP STAs and can communicate with these one or more non-AP STAs; multiple APs can also communicate with each other. It is understood that Figure 1 illustrates an example of a communication system including 3 APs and 5 non-AP STAs. In specific implementations, the number of APs and STAs included in the communication system may be more or fewer; this application does not limit the number of APs and non-AP STAs in the communication system.

[0092] A basic service set (BSS) can include one access point (AP) and one or more non-AP STAs. Therefore, the communication system shown in Figure 1 can also include multiple BSSs. Figure 1 exemplarily shows three BSSs: BSS1, BSS2, and BSS3. Within a BSS, an AP can communicate with one or more non-AP STAs. As shown in Figure 1, BSS1 includes AP1, non-AP STA1, and non-AP STA2; BSS2 includes AP2, non-AP STA1, and non-AP STA5; and BSS3 includes AP3, non-AP STA3, and non-AP STA4. It is understood that Figure 1 illustrates a three-BSS example; in specific implementations, the communication system can have more or fewer BSSs, which are not listed here.

[0093] Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS): This refers to BSSs whose coverage areas overlap and use the same channel. To extend coverage, the coverage areas of APs can partially or completely overlap during network deployment. Due to limited spectrum, multiple BSSs can reuse the same channel. Any two BSSs in BSS1, BSS2, and BSS3 in Figure 1 constitute an overlapping basic service set (OBSS). BSSs that are OBSSs can communicate with each other, but they may interfere with each other.

[0094] The following describes the terminology used in the embodiments of this application.

[0095] I. Operating Channel, Main Channel and Non-Main Channel

[0096] The channel through which a station can receive radio frames is called the operational channel. Alternatively, the channel through which a station can transmit radio frames is called the operational channel. In other words, the operational channel is the channel through which a station can transmit radio frames.

[0097] Main channel: The common channel for all stations that members of the BSS operate on. For example, the bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz.

[0098] Channels other than the primary channel are called non-primary channels. For example, for 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, 80+80MHz, or 320MHz, channels other than the primary channel are called non-primary channels. For instance, the bandwidth of a non-primary channel is 20MHz.

[0099] II. Carrier-Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA)

[0100] The CSMA / CA mechanism can resolve interference issues caused by multiple stations simultaneously using a channel. The CSMA / CA mechanism works as follows: A station with transmission needs listens to the channel. If the channel is busy, the station cannot transmit. If the channel is idle, the station performs a random backoff (i.e., waits for a random period of time). During the backoff period, if the station detects that the channel is busy again, the station pauses the backoff (i.e., still does not transmit) and resumes backoff once the channel becomes idle. Only after the backoff is complete can the station transmit.

[0101] In this embodiment, the channel can also be referred to as the medium. The listening channel can also be referred to as carrier sensing (CS).

[0102] The aforementioned listening channels include physical carrier sensing (PCS) and virtual carrier sensing (VCS).

[0103] Physical carrier sensing can be achieved through energy detection (ED). For example, if a station detects energy on the channel below energy threshold 1, the physical carrier sensing result is that the channel is idle. If a station detects energy on the channel above energy threshold 2, the physical carrier sensing result is that the channel is busy. Energy threshold 1 and energy threshold 2 can be the same or different; this embodiment does not limit this.

[0104] Virtual carrier sensing can be achieved through preamble detection (PD) (or preamble code detection). When a station detects a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) on a partial channel (such as the main channel), if the receiving address of that PPDU is not that of the station, the station can set or update the duration corresponding to the network allocation vector (NAV) based on the duration information in the PPDU. The station can determine whether the channel is busy or idle using the NAV. The NAV is essentially a countdown timer that gradually decreases over time. When the countdown reaches 0, the channel is considered idle. In other words, when the duration corresponding to the NAV (or the NAV value) is not 0, the virtual carrier sensing result is that the channel is busy; when the duration corresponding to the NAV is 0 or the NAV is invalid, the virtual carrier sensing result is that the channel is idle. During the period when the duration corresponding to the NAV is not 0, transmissions on the channel are not initiated by the station maintaining that NAV.

[0105] The duration information in the PPDU can be indicated by the duration field. Alternatively, the duration information in the PPDU can be indicated by the TXOP field. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the duration information in the PPDU.

[0106] III. TXOP

[0107] After a site completes its backoff, the period during which data can be transmitted without interference is called the TXOP (Transmission Window). Within the TXOP, adjacent PPDUs (PPDUs received and transmitted by a site, or PPDUs transmitted by a site) can be spaced apart for a certain duration without requiring backoff. This interval between adjacent PPDUs can include, but is not limited to, the short inter-frame space (SIFS). A site can declare the length of the TXOP at its start so that other sites can resolve this length and avoid competing for the channel during that period. The site that obtains the TXOP is called the TXOP holder. Within the TXOP, sites communicating with the TXOP holder are called TXOP responders (i.e., sites other than the TXOP holder that participate in transmissions within the TXOP).

[0108] IV. NPCA

[0109] Before the introduction of Non-Primary Channel Access (NPCA) mechanisms, sites could only back off if the primary channel was busy. However, as site deployments become denser and site bandwidths increase, the spectrum utilization efficiency caused by primary channel access is decreasing. For example, with a bandwidth of 160MHz, if a site detects that the primary 20MHz channel is busy, even if the other 20MHz channels are detected as idle, the site cannot use any channels within that 160MHz bandwidth and must back off until the primary 20MHz channel becomes idle.

[0110] To improve channel utilization, stations can use non-primary channels for access. In other words, when the primary channel is busy, the station can switch to a non-primary channel for communication. For example, when the primary channel is busy, the station can communicate through an idle non-primary channel during the period when the primary channel is unavailable. Before communicating on a non-primary channel, the station can perform a virtual CS (Customer Service) on that non-primary channel. The station performs a physical CS on the operational channels (including the primary channel and the aforementioned non-primary channels). If both the virtual CS and physical CS results indicate that the channel is idle, the station connects to the non-primary channel for communication.

[0111] Referring to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of the NPCA mechanism provided in this application embodiment, there is one main channel and seven non-main channels (e.g., non-main channels 1-7). As shown in Figure 2, when a station has a transmission requirement, because the main channel is busy (e.g., an OBSS PPDU is being transmitted on the main channel), the station can switch to non-main channel 6 for backoff. The station performs a virtual CS on non-main channel 6 and a physical CS on channels including both non-main channel 6 and the main channel. When both the virtual CS and physical CS results in the channel being idle, the station considers the channel to be idle and, after successful backoff on non-main channel 6, performs communication on non-main channel 6 (e.g., transmitting the PPDU of this BSS). As shown in Figure 2, the station can switch back to the main channel before the TXOP of the main channel ends.

[0112] Therefore, non-primary channel access must consider the site's maximum handover delay, which is the sum of the delay from the primary channel to the non-primary channel and the delay from the non-primary channel to the primary channel. When the site's maximum handover delay is greater than or equal to the TXOP duration of the OBSS PPDU, the site does not need non-primary channel access. Non-primary channel access is only meaningful when the site's maximum handover delay is less than the TXOP duration of the OBSS PPDU.

[0113] In this embodiment, when a station switches from channel A to channel B, it can be understood that the function performed by the station on channel A can also be performed on channel B. The bandwidths of channel A and channel B can be the same or different, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0114] V. CTDMA

[0115] Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (CTDMA) technology can reduce network latency, increase throughput, and enhance fairness among nodes. CTDMA technology is described as follows: In scenarios where multiple APs cooperate, the sharing AP that preempts a channel can allocate a TXOP (Transmission Optimization Point) to other shared APs, and the shared APs can transmit data within the allocated TXOP.

[0116] Referring to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of the Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (CTDMA) technology provided in this application embodiment, AP1 is a sharing AP, AP2 is a polled AP that does not wish to participate in CTDMA, or an unpolled AP, and AP3 is a polled AP, i.e., a shared AP. As shown in Figure 3, AP1 (i.e., the sharing AP) can preempt the channel by polling and announcing using the initial control frame (ICF), and simultaneously announce to APs that may subsequently allocate TXOPs, such as AP2 and AP3. Since AP2 does not wish to participate in CTDMA, AP2 will not reply with an initial control response (ICR). After AP3 replies with an ICR, AP1 can first use part of the TXOP for itself, such as AP1 transmitting PPDUs with its associated STA. Then, AP1 can allocate the remaining TXOP to AP3 via a multi-user request to send (MU-RTS) frame. AP3 replies with a clear to send (CTS) frame and transmits PPDUs within the allocated TXOP. After AP3 has used up the allocated TXOP, it can send a signaling message (e.g., TXOP return) to return the TXOP to AP1.

[0117] It is understandable that after a sharing AP preempts a channel, it can obtain a TXOP (Turn-Only Request) duration, which cannot exceed the TXOP limit. Within the duration of this TXOP, the sharing AP can share / allocate a portion of the time to the shared AP; this shared / allocated time can be called the shared TXOP.

[0118] In the prior art, NPCA and CTDMA are independent technologies. Analysis of CTDMA technology reveals its low channel utilization. For example, in Figure 3 above, AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 cannot transmit within the TXOP allocated to AP1. To improve channel utilization in CTDMA, this application considers introducing an NPCA mechanism. However, introducing an NPCA mechanism into CTDMA leads to additional overhead (such as energy and resource waste caused by frequent NPCA) and technical problems (such as unreasonable access to non-primary channels by some APs, resulting in the inability to obtain the TXOP allocated to them by the sharing AP). Furthermore, in some scenarios, CTDMA may not support the NPCA mechanism.

[0119] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, apparatus, and readable storage medium, which can improve NPCA operation in CTDMA, increase channel utilization in the CTDMA process, reduce network latency, and increase throughput.

[0120] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between various embodiments or implementations can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and in the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment can be combined according to their inherent logical relationships to form new embodiments, implementation methods, methods, or implementation approaches. The embodiments described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0121] The methods provided in the embodiments of this application are described in detail below.

[0122] Referring to Figure 4, which is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this embodiment, this method can be applied to multi-AP collaborative scenarios. The first access point and the second access point in this method belong to different BSSs, and there is overlap between the BSSs of the first and second access points; that is, the BSSs of the first and second access points are each other's OBSSs, such as BSS1 and BSS2, or BSS1 and BSS3, or BSS2 and BSS3 in Figure 1. Furthermore, the first and second access points share the same main channel. For example, the bandwidth of the main channel is 20MHz. This embodiment does not limit the bandwidth of the main channel. The descriptions of access points and sites in this method can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0123] As shown in Figure 4, the communication method includes:

[0124] S101, the first access point generates a first frame, which includes first indication information, which is used to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA.

[0125] S102, the first access point transmits the first frame. However, the first access point's transmission of the first frame is not necessarily directed to the second access point. Because the BSS to which the first and second access points belong overlap, and because the primary channels of the first and second access points are the same, the second access point can detect the first frame on some channels (such as the primary channel). Furthermore, the STA associated with the second access point can also detect the first frame on the primary channel.

[0126] S103, the second access point or a station associated with the second access point parses the first frame. For example, the second access point and the station associated with the second access point can perform NPCA operations based on the first frame.

[0127] For example, the first frame mentioned above could be a buffer status report poll (BSRP) frame, a MU-RTS frame, or a data frame, etc.

[0128] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first indication information can be used to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed / supported during CTDMA, or to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed / supported during CTDMA. For example, when the first frame is a BSRP frame, the Information Type field in the special user information field of the BSRP frame indicates the CTDMA mode. In this case, the first indication information in the first frame can indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed / supported during CTDMA. The embodiments of this application primarily focus on the case where NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA.

[0129] In one possible implementation, when NPCA operation is permitted during CTDMA, the second indication information in the first frame can be used to indicate the time period during which NPCA operation is permitted. The first and second indication information can be the same or different indication information. When the first and second indication information are the same, the first indication information can be used to indicate that NPCA operation is permitted during CTDMA and the time period during which NPCA operation is permitted. Alternatively, when the first and second indication information are the same, the first indication information can be used to indicate the time period during which NPCA operation is permitted, thus implicitly indicating that NPCA operation is permitted during CTDMA. In other words, when the second access point or a station associated with the second access point receives information indicating the time period during which NPCA operation is permitted during CTDMA, it means that NPCA operation is permitted during CTDMA.

[0130] When the first indication information and the second indication information are different, if the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during the CTDMA process, the first frame also includes the second indication information to indicate the time period during which NPCA operation is allowed. The time period in this embodiment can be determined by at least two of the following: the start time of the time period, the duration of the time period (or length of time), or the end time of the time period.

[0131] For ease of description, the second instruction information will be used below to indicate the time period during which NPCA is allowed to operate, but this does not mean that the second instruction information is necessarily different from the first instruction information. The second instruction information can also be the first instruction information.

[0132] Depending on the first frame, embodiments of this application provide various implementations of the first instruction information and / or the second instruction information.

[0133] Implementation method 1: The first frame is a BSRP frame.

[0134] Referring to Figure 5, which is a schematic diagram of a BSRP frame structure provided in an embodiment of this application, the BSRP frame includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following fields: Frame Control, Duration, Receiver Address (RA), Transmission Address (TA), Common Info, User Info List, Padding, and Frame Check Sequence (FCS). The User Info List field includes a special user information field and one or more user information fields. The association identifier (AID) field in the special user information field has a value greater than 2007. This special user information field can be used to indicate common information for all APs. A user information field can be used to indicate information about an AP, such as the AP's identifier (ID) or resource unit (RU) allocation information.

[0135] Implementation method 1.1

[0136] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned second indication information can be carried in the Special User Info field of the BSRP frame. This second indication information can specifically be used to indicate the time period within the TXOP (Transmission Window) occupied by the first access point on the main channel for data transmission by the first access point. The time period for data transmission by the first access point can be understood as: the time period used by the first access point within the duration of the TXOP after it has preempted the main channel, such as the time period for the first access point to transmit data with its associated STA. For example, the second indication information can also be used to indicate the planned shared TXOP duration. This planned shared TXOP duration is equal to the difference between the total duration of the TXOP occupied by the first access point on the main channel and the duration used for data transmission by the first access point.

[0137] Alternatively, the second indication information can be specifically used to indicate the total duration of the TXOP (Turn-Only Period) occupied by the first access point on the main channel. In other words, the second indication information is used to indicate the duration of the TXOP obtained by the first access point after it has preempted the main channel. For example, the second indication information can also be used to indicate the time period within the TXOP occupied by the first access point on the main channel used for the first access point to transmit data, or the second indication information can also be used to indicate the duration of the planned shared TXOP.

[0138] For example, referring to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of a frame structure for a special user information field in a BSRP frame provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6(a), the special user information field of the BSRP frame may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following fields: Special AID, Information Type, and Intended self-use TXOP duration. For example, the special user information field may also include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following fields: Whole TXOP duration, or Intended shared TXOP duration. As shown in Figure 6(b), the special user information field may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following fields: Special AID, Information Type, and Whole TXOP duration. As shown in Figure 6(c), the special user information field may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following fields: Special AID, Information Type, Whole TXOP duration, and Intended shared TXOP duration.

[0139] The Special AID field has a value greater than 2007. The Information Type field can be used to indicate the CTDMA mode. The Intended self-use TXOP duration field can be used to indicate the duration of the TXOP occupied by the first access point for transmitting data on the primary channel; the start time of this duration can be the end time of the BSRP frame transmission. The Whole TXOP duration field can be used to indicate the total duration of the TXOP occupied by the first access point on the primary channel; the start time of this total duration can be the start time of the BSRP frame transmission. The Intended shared TXOP duration field can be used to indicate the duration of the planned shared TXOP. For example, the Special AID field is 12 bits long, the Information Type field is 4 bits long, and the Intended self-use TXOP duration, Whole TXOP duration, and Intended shared TXOP duration fields are all 7 bits long. As another example, this special user information field may also contain reserved bits. The special user information field can be 5 bytes long, for a total of 40 bits.

[0140] It is understood that the names, order, and lengths of the fields shown in Figure 6 are merely examples. This application does not limit the names, order, and lengths of the fields in the special user information field of the BSRP frame.

[0141] In one possible implementation, if the second indication information is different from the first indication information, the first indication information can be carried in the Common Info field of the BSRP frame. For example, the reserved bit or trigger-dependent common info in the Common Info field of the BSRP frame can be used to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA. For example, the first indication information can be 1 bit; when this 1 bit is 1, it indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA; when this 1 bit is 0, it indicates that NPCA operation is not allowed during CTDMA. In this implementation 1.1, the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA.

[0142] In one possible implementation, the second access point can be a polled AP that does not wish to participate in CTDMA. In other words, the user information list in the BSRP frame includes the user information field of the second access point, but the second access point does not respond with an ICR after receiving the BSRP frame. Alternatively, the second access point can be an unpolled AP; in other words, the user information list in the BSRP frame does not include the user information field of the second access point. In both cases, if the second access point has a transmission requirement, or if the STAs associated with the second access point have a transmission requirement, the second access point and the STAs associated with it can use the second indication information in the BSRP frame to perform NPCA operations.

[0143] For example, referring to Figure 7, which is a first schematic diagram of introducing an NPCA mechanism in CTDMA according to an embodiment of this application. The first access point is AP1, i.e., the sharing AP; the second access point is AP2, which does not participate in CTDMA; and AP3 participates in CTDMA, i.e., the shared AP. As shown in Figure 7, after AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 detect and parse the BSRP frame on the main channel, if AP2 or the STA associated with AP2 has a transmission requirement, AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 can perform NPCA operation within the time period used by AP1 (t1 to t2 in Figure 7). The time period used by AP1 can be the time period during which AP1 transmits data with its associated STA, which can be indicated by the Intended self-use TXOP duration field in Figure 6. In this mode, the STA associated with AP2 does not need to know whether AP2 participates in CTDMA; it can perform NPCA operation when a transmission requirement arises.

[0144] For another example, refer to Figure 8, which is a second schematic diagram of introducing the NPCA mechanism in CTDMA provided by an embodiment of this application. The first access point is AP1, i.e., the sharing AP; the second access point is AP2, which does not participate in CTDMA; and AP3 participates in CTDMA, i.e., the shared AP. Assume that the STA associated with AP2 knows that AP2 does not participate in CTDMA. For example, the STA associated with AP2 knows AP2's AP ID, and based on this AP ID, knows that the BSRP frame does not include AP2's user information field, or that the BSRP frame includes AP2's user information field but AP2 has not responded with an ICR. As shown in Figure 8, after AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 detect and parse the BSRP frame on the main channel, if AP2 or the STA associated with AP2 has a transmission requirement, AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 can perform NPCA operation within the remaining TXOP duration (as shown by t1 to t2 in Figure 8). This is because the STA associated with AP2 knows that AP2 is not polled or is polled but does not participate in CTDMA. The remaining TXOP duration can be the total TXOP duration minus the BSRP frame duration. The total TXOP duration can be the total duration of the TXOP occupied by AP1 on the main channel, which can be indicated by the Whole TXOP duration in Figure 6 above. The remaining TXOP duration can be the sum of the time periods indicated by the Intended self-use TXOP duration field and the Intended shared TXOP duration field in Figure 6 above. Of course, if the STA associated with AP2 can know whether AP2 is participating in CTDMA, and if AP2 or the STA associated with AP2 has a transmission requirement, AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 can also perform NPCA operations within the time period used by AP1, as shown in Figure 7 above, which will not be elaborated here.

[0145] In another possible implementation, the second access point can also be a polled AP that wishes to participate in CTDMA. In other words, the user information list in the BSRP frame includes the user information field of the second access point, and the second access point replies with an ICR after receiving the BSRP frame. In this case, the second access point and the STAs associated with it can perform NPCA operations during the time period when the first access point transmits data.

[0146] For example, referring to Figure 9, which is a third schematic diagram of the NPCA mechanism introduced in CTDMA according to an embodiment of this application. The first access point is AP1, also known as the sharing AP; there are two shared APs, AP2 and AP3, with AP2 as the second access point. Assume that the STA associated with AP2 cannot know whether AP2 is participating in CTDMA, for example, the STA associated with AP2 cannot know AP2's AP ID. As shown in Figure 9, after AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 detect and parse the BSRP frame on the main channel, if AP2 or the STA associated with AP2 has a transmission requirement, AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 can perform NPCA operation within the time period used by AP1 (t1 to t2 in Figure 9). The explanation of the time period used by AP1 is provided above and will not be repeated here. This can further improve channel utilization, increase throughput, and reduce network latency without missing the TXOPs allocated by AP1.

[0147] This application embodiment improves NPCA operation in CTDMA by designing a special user information field in the BSRP frame, thereby increasing channel utilization, reducing network latency, and improving throughput.

[0148] Implementation method 1.2

[0149] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned second indication information can be carried in the User Info field of the BSRP frame. This second indication information can specifically indicate the time period for which a shared TXOP is planned to be allocated to the second access point corresponding to the User Info field. Alternatively, the second indication information can specifically indicate the maximum idle time period for the second access point corresponding to the User Info field during the CTDMA process. The second access point is not allocated a shared TXOP during this maximum idle time period.

[0150] The second access point corresponding to the user information field can be the access point represented by the AP ID in the user information field.

[0151] For example, the planned shared TXOP time period allocated to the second access point can be determined by at least two of the following: the planned start time of the shared TXOP allocated to the second access point, the planned duration of the shared TXOP allocated to the second access point, or the planned end time of the shared TXOP allocated to the second access point. Similarly, the maximum idle time period can also be determined by at least two of the following: the start time of the maximum idle time period, the duration of the maximum idle time period, and the end time of the maximum idle time period. The following explanation uses the start time and duration of the time period as an example.

[0152] For example, referring to Figure 10a, which is a schematic diagram of a frame structure for the user information field in a BSRP frame provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 10a, the user information field of the BSRP frame may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following fields: AP ID, RU Allocation, Intended TXOP Allocation Start time, and Intended TXOP Allocation Duration. Exemplarily, the user information field may also include: Information type pertaining to CTDMA. The AP ID field can be used to indicate which AP the user information field belongs to. The RU Allocation field can be used to indicate the resource element transmitting ICR. The Intended TXOP Allocation Start time field can be used to indicate the start time of the shared TXOP planned to be allocated to the AP identified by the AP ID. The Intended TXOP Allocation Duration field can be used to indicate the duration of the shared TXOP planned to be allocated to the AP identified by the AP ID. For example, the AP ID field is 12 bits long, the RU Allocation field is 8 bits long, the Intended TXOP Allocation Start time field and the Intended TXOP allocation duration field are both 7 bits long, and the CTDMA-related information type field is 4 bits long. As another example, this user information field may also include reserved bits. The length of this user information field can be 5 bytes, for a total of 40 bits.

[0153] For another example, referring to Figure 10b, which is a schematic diagram of another frame structure for the user information field in a BSRP frame provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 10b, the user information field of the BSRP frame may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following fields: AP ID, RU Allocation, Free Duration Start time, and Free Duration. For example, the user information field may also include: Information type pertaining to CTDMA. The Free Duration Start time field can be used to indicate the start time of the maximum free period of the AP identified by the AP ID during the CTDMA process. The Free Duration field can be used to indicate the maximum free duration of the AP identified by the AP ID during the CTDMA process. For explanations of other fields in Figure 10b, please refer to the description in Figure 10a above, which will not be repeated here.

[0154] It is understood that the names, order, and lengths of the fields shown in Figures 10a and 10b are merely examples. This application does not limit the names, order, or lengths of the fields in the user information field of the BSRP frame.

[0155] In one possible implementation, if the second indication information is different from the first indication information, the first indication information can be carried in the Common Info field of the BSRP frame. For example, the reserved bits or trigger-related common information in the Common Info field of the BSRP frame can be used to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA. In this implementation 1.2, the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA.

[0156] In one possible implementation, the second access point can be a polled AP that wishes to participate in CTDMA. In other words, the user information list in the BSRP frame includes the user information field of the second access point, and the second access point replies with an ICR after receiving the BSRP frame. It is understood that the ICR replied by the AP has two formats: trigger-based PPDU (TB PPDU) and non-high-throughput PPDU (non-HT PPDU). TB PPDUs are transmitted on the RU indicated by the RU Allocation field. Non-HT PPDUs do not require RU indication and can be transmitted across the full bandwidth. Therefore, for a non-HT PPDU format ICR, the STA can determine whether its associated AP is participating in CTDMA. Thus, for an ICR in TB PPDU format, if the STA can determine whether its associated AP is participating in CTDMA (e.g., the STA can determine the AP ID of its associated AP), or for an ICR in non-HT PPDU format, both the STA and the AP can perform NPCA operations based on the second indication information in the user information field of the BSRP frame.

[0157] For example, referring to Figures 11 to 13, which are three schematic diagrams illustrating the introduction of the NPCA mechanism in CTDMA according to embodiments of this application. The first access point is AP1, also known as the sharing AP; there are two shared APs, AP2 and AP3. Taking AP2 as the second access point as an example, it is assumed that the STA associated with AP2 can determine whether AP2 participates in CTDMA. For instance, the STA associated with AP2 can obtain AP2's AP ID, and based on this AP ID, it can determine whether AP2 participates in CTDMA.

[0158] As shown in Figure 11, after AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 detect and parse the BSRP frame on the main channel, if AP2 or the STA associated with AP2 has a transmission requirement, AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 can perform NPCA operation within AP2's maximum idle time period (t1 to t2 in Figure 11). For example, AP2's maximum idle time period can be the shared TXOP time period allocated by AP1 for other APs (such as AP3). AP2's maximum idle time period can be determined by AP1, and it can be indicated by the Free Duration Start time field and the Free Duration field in Figure 10b above.

[0159] As shown in Figures 12 and 13, after AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 detect and parse the BSRP frame on the main channel, if AP2 or the STA associated with AP2 has a transmission requirement, AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 can perform NPCA operations during the entire TXOP duration, excluding the shared TXOP planned to be allocated to AP2 (as shown by t1 to t2 in Figure 12 or 13). The entire TXOP duration can be the total duration of the TXOP occupied by AP1 on the main channel. The shared TXOP planned to be allocated to AP2 can be indicated by the Intended TXOP Allocation Start time field and the Intended TXOP allocation duration field in Figure 10a above.

[0160] This application embodiment improves NPCA operation in CTDMA by designing the user information field of the BSRP frame. Furthermore, for the polled AP participating in CTDMA and the STA associated with that AP, channel utilization can be further improved, throughput increased, and network latency reduced without missing the shared TXOP allocated to it by the sharing AP.

[0161] In this application embodiment, implementation methods 1.1 and 1.2 can be implemented individually or in combination. In other words, this application embodiment can design one or more of the public information fields, special user information fields, or user information fields of the BSRP frame. For example, the special user information fields of the BSRP frame are shown in Figure 6(a), (b), or (c) above, and the user information fields of the BSRP frame are shown in Figure 10a or Figure 10b above.

[0162] It is understood that when the aforementioned first indication information is carried in the Common Info field of a BSRP frame, or in a special user information field of a BSRP frame (if the first and second indication information are the same indication information), the content indicated by the first indication information applies to all APs / STAs that can receive and parse the BSRP frame. When the aforementioned first indication information is carried in the user information field of a BSRP frame (if the first and second indication information are the same indication information), the content indicated by the first indication information applies to the AP corresponding to that user information field and the STA associated with that AP.

[0163] Implementation method 2: The first frame is a MU-RTS frame.

[0164] Referring to Figure 14, which is a schematic diagram of a frame structure for a MU-RTS frame provided in an embodiment of this application, the MU-RTS frame includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following fields: Frame Control, Duration, RA, TA, common information, user information list, Padding, and FCS. The user information list field of the MU-RTS frame includes one or more user information fields. A user information field can be used to indicate information about an AP, such as the AP's identifier, RU allocation information, etc. The common information field can be used to indicate common information for all APs, such as uplink bandwidth.

[0165] Implementation method 2.1

[0166] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned second indication information can be carried in the Common Info field of the MU-RTS frame. For example, the second indication information can be carried using reserved bits or trigger-related common information in the Common Info field of the MU-RTS frame, or bits in the Common Info field of the MU-RTS frame that are not used for CTDMA TXOP sharing. Specifically, the second indication information can be used to indicate the duration of the shared TXOP, which is equal to the difference between the total duration of the TXOP occupied by the first access point on the main channel and the duration used for data transmission by the first access point. The duration used for data transmission by the first access point can be understood as: the duration used by the first access point within the TXOP after it has preempted the main channel, such as the duration of data transmission between the first access point and its associated STA.

[0167] For example, referring to Figure 15a, Figure 15a is a schematic diagram of a frame structure for the common information field in a MU-RTS frame provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 15a, the common information field of the MU-RTS frame may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following fields: Trigger Type, More Trigger Frames (TF), Carrier Sensing (CS) Required, Uplink Bandwidth (UL BW), and Partial TXOP Duration. The Partial TXOP Duration field can be used to indicate the shared TXOP duration. For example, the start time of the shared TXOP duration can be the transmission start time or transmission end time of the MU-RTS frame. For example, the length of the Partial TXOP Duration field is 7 bits. For explanations of other fields in Figure 15a, please refer to existing technologies, such as the 802.11 protocol, which will not be detailed here.

[0168] In one possible implementation, if the second indication information is different from the first indication information, the first indication information can be carried in the common information field of the MU-RTS frame. For example, the reserved bit or trigger-related common information in the common information field of the MU-RTS frame can be used to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA. For example, the first indication information can be 1 bit. When the value of this 1 bit is 1, it indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA; when the value of this 1 bit is 0, it indicates that NPCA operation is not allowed during CTDMA. In this implementation 2.1, the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA. For example, referring to Figure 15b, Figure 15b is another frame structure diagram of the common information field in the MU-RTS frame provided in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 15b, the common information field of the MU-RTS frame may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following fields: Trigger Type, more TF, CS Required, UL BW, NPCA indicator, and Partial TXOP duration. The NPCA indicator field can be used to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA. For example, when the NPCA indicator field is 1, it means that NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA; when the NPCA indicator field is 0, it means that NPCA operation is not allowed during CTDMA. For example, the length of the NPCA indicator field is 1 bit. When the NPCA indicator field indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA, the Partial TXOP duration field indicates the shared TXOP duration; when the NPCA indicator field indicates that NPCA operation is not allowed during CTDMA, the Partial TXOP duration field indicates reservation. For explanations of other fields in Figure 15b, please refer to existing technologies, such as the 802.11 protocol, which will not be detailed here.

[0169] It is understood that the names, order, and lengths of the fields shown in Figures 15a and 15b are merely examples. This application does not limit the names, order, and lengths of the fields in the public information field of the MU-RTS frame.

[0170] In one possible implementation, the second access point is either a polled AP or an unpolled AP that does not wish to participate in CTDMA. If the second access point has a transmission requirement, or if the STAs associated with the second access point have a transmission requirement, the second access point and the STAs associated with the second access point can use the second indication information in the common information field of the MU-RTS frame to perform NPCA operation.

[0171] For example, referring to Figure 16, which is a seventh schematic diagram of introducing the NPCA mechanism in CTDMA provided by an embodiment of this application. The first access point is AP1, i.e., the sharing AP; the second access point is AP2, which does not participate in CTDMA; and AP3 also participates in CTDMA. It is assumed that the STA associated with AP2 can know whether AP2 participates in CTDMA. For example, the STA associated with AP2 can know the AP ID of AP2, or the STA associated with AP2 can know whether AP2 participates in CTDMA from cross-link signaling, or the STA associated with AP2 can know from AP2 whether it intends to participate in CTDMA before the CTDMA begins. As shown in Figure 16, after AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 detect and parse the MU-RTS frame on the main channel, if AP2 or the STA associated with AP2 has a transmission requirement, AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 can perform NPCA operation within the TXOP duration shared by AP1 (t1 to t2 in Figure 16). The TXOP duration shared by AP1 can be the duration indicated by the Partial TXOP duration field in Figure 15a or Figure 15b above. For example, the start time of the TXOP duration shared by AP1 can be the transmission (start / end) time of the MU-RTS frame.

[0172] This application embodiment improves NPCA operation in CTDMA by designing the common information field of the MU-RTS frame, thereby increasing channel utilization, reducing network latency, and improving throughput.

[0173] Implementation method 2.2

[0174] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned second indication information can be carried in the User Info field of the MU-RTS frame. This second indication information can specifically indicate the time period of the shared TXOP allocated to the second access point corresponding to the User Info field. The second access point corresponding to the User Info field can be the access point represented by the AP ID in the User Info field. For example, the time period of the shared TXOP allocated to the second access point can be determined by at least two of the following: the start time of the shared TXOP allocated to the second access point, the duration of the shared TXOP allocated to the second access point, or the end time of the shared TXOP allocated to the second access point. The following explanation uses the start time and duration of the time period as examples.

[0175] For example, referring to Figure 17, which is a schematic diagram of a frame structure for the user information field in a MU-RTS frame provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 17, the user information field of the MU-RTS frame may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following fields: AP ID, RU Allocation, Shared TXOP start time, and Shared TXOP duration. The AP ID field can be used to indicate which AP the user information field belongs to. The RU Allocation field can be used to indicate the resource unit transmitting the CTS. The Shared TXOP start time field can be used to indicate the start time of the shared TXOP allocated to the AP identified by the AP ID. The Shared TXOP duration field can be used to indicate the duration of the shared TXOP allocated to the AP identified by the AP ID. For example, the AP ID field is 12 bits long, the RU Allocation field is 8 bits long, and both the Shared TXOP start time and Shared TXOP duration fields are 7 bits long. As another example, the user information field may also contain reserved bits.

[0176] It is understood that the names, order, and lengths of the fields shown in Figure 17 above are merely examples. This application does not limit the names, order, and lengths of the fields in the user information field of the MU-RTS frame.

[0177] In one possible implementation, if the second indication information is different from the first indication information, the first indication information can be carried in the Common Info field of the MU-RTS frame. For example, the reserved bits or trigger-related common information in the Common Info field of the MU-RTS frame can be used to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA. In this implementation 2.2, the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA.

[0178] In one possible implementation, the second access point can be a polled AP that wishes to participate in CTDMA. If the second access point has a transmission requirement, or if the STAs associated with the second access point have a transmission requirement, the second access point and the STAs associated with the second access point can use the second indication information in the user information field of the MU-RTS frame to perform NPCA operation.

[0179] For example, referring to Figure 18, which is the eighth schematic diagram of introducing the NPCA mechanism in CTDMA provided by the embodiments of this application. The first access point is AP1, i.e., the sharing AP, and AP2 and AP3 both participate in CTDMA; the second access point is AP2. Assume that the STA associated with AP2 can know whether AP2 participates in CTDMA. For example, the STA associated with AP2 can know the AP ID of AP2, or the STA associated with AP2 can know whether AP2 participates in CTDMA from cross-link signaling, or the STA associated with AP2 can know from AP2 whether it intends to participate in CTDMA before the CTDMA begins. As shown in Figure 18, after AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 detect and parse the MU-RTS frame on the main channel, if AP2 or the STA associated with AP2 has a transmission requirement, AP2 and the STA associated with AP2 can perform NPCA operation during the entire TXOP duration excluding the shared TXOP allocated to AP2 (as shown by t1 to t2 in Figure 18). The total TXOP duration can be the total duration of the TXOP occupied by AP1 on the main channel. The shared TXOP allocated to AP2 can be the time period indicated by the Shared TXOP start time field and the Shared TXOP duration field in Figure 17 above.

[0180] This application embodiment improves NPCA operation in CTDMA by designing the user information field of the MU-RTS frame. Furthermore, for APs participating in CTDMA and STAs associated with those APs, channel utilization can be further improved, throughput increased, and network latency reduced without missing the shared TXOP allocated by the sharing AP.

[0181] In this application embodiment, implementation methods 2.1 and 2.2 can be implemented individually or in combination. In other words, this application embodiment can design one or more of the public information fields and user information fields of the MU-RTS frame. For example, the public information fields of the MU-RTS frame are shown in Figure 15a or Figure 15b above, and the user information fields of the BSRP frame are shown in Figure 17 above.

[0182] It is understood that when the aforementioned first indication information is carried in the Common Info field of the MU-RTS frame, the content indicated by the first indication information applies to all APs / STAs that can receive and parse the MU-RTS frame. When the aforementioned first indication information is carried in the User Information field of the MU-RTS frame (if the first indication information and the second indication information are the same indication information), the content indicated by the first indication information applies to the AP corresponding to the User Information field and the STA associated with that AP.

[0183] Implementation method 3: The first frame is a data frame.

[0184] Referring to Figure 19, which is a schematic diagram of a data frame structure provided in an embodiment of this application, the data frame may include a Medium Access Control (MAC) header, a frame body, and an FCS. As shown in Figure 19, the MAC header may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following fields: Frame Control, Duration / ID, Address 1, Address 2, Address 3, Sequence Control, Address 4, Quality of Service (QoS) Control, and HT Control. The frame body can be used to carry data (e.g., payload).

[0185] For example, the format of the HT control field is shown in Table 1 below. In Table 1, B0 to B31 represent bits 0 to 31, a total of 32 bits.

[0186] Table 1

[0187] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned second indication information can be carried in the MAC header of the data frame. For example, the A-control field in the MAC header of the data frame can be used to carry this second indication information. This second indication information can specifically indicate the remaining TXOP duration. For example, this second indication information can indicate the duration from the end time of the MAC header to the end time of the first access point occupying the main channel. The end time of the first access point occupying the main channel can be understood as the end time of the TXOP obtained by the first access point after preempting the main channel.

[0188] Alternatively, the second indication information can be specifically used to indicate the duration from the current time to the start of TXOP sharing. For example, the second indication information can indicate the duration from the current time to the start of MU-RTS frame transmission.

[0189] For example, referring to Figure 20a, which is a schematic diagram of a frame structure for the A-control field in a data frame provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 20a, the A-control field of the data frame may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following fields: Control ID and Control Information. The Control Information may include, but is not limited to, the NPCA Duration. The Control ID can be any value from 7 to 14, used to represent information related to the NPCA operation. The NPCA Duration field can be used to indicate the remaining TXOP duration or the duration from the current time to the start of TXOP sharing.

[0190] In another possible implementation, the second indication information can specifically be used to indicate the remaining TXOP duration and the duration from the current time to the start of TXOP sharing. For example, the second indication information may include two fields, one of which can be used to indicate the remaining TXOP duration, and the other field can be used to indicate the duration from the current time to the start of TXOP sharing. For instance, referring to Figure 20b, which is a schematic diagram of a frame structure for the A-control field in a data frame provided in an embodiment of this application, as shown in Figure 20b, the A-control field of the data frame may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following fields: Control ID and Control Information. The Control Information may include, but is not limited to, the first field and the second field. The Control ID can be any value from 7 to 14, used to represent information related to carrying NPCA operations. The first field can be used to indicate the remaining TXOP duration, and the second field can be used to indicate the duration from the current time to the start of TXOP sharing.

[0191] In one possible implementation, if the second indication information is different from the first indication information, the first indication information can be carried in the MAC header of the data frame. For example, the A-control field in the MAC header of the data frame can be used to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA. For instance, the first indication information can be 1 bit; when this 1 bit is 1, it indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA; when this 1 bit is 0, it indicates that NPCA operation is not allowed during CTDMA. In this implementation 3, the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA. For example, referring to Figure 20c, which is another frame structure diagram of the A-control field in a data frame provided in this application embodiment. As shown in Figure 20c, the A-control field of the data frame can include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following fields: Control ID and Control Information. The Control Information can include, but is not limited to, an NPCA indicator and a second indication information. The second indication information can be the NPCA Duration field in Figure 20a, or it can be the first field and the second field in Figure 20b. The Control ID can be any value from 7 to 14, representing information related to NPCA operations. The NPCA indicator field can be used to indicate whether NPCA operations are allowed during CTDMA. For example, when the NPCA indicator field is 1, it indicates that NPCA operations are allowed during CTDMA; when the NPCA indicator field is 0, it indicates that NPCA operations are not allowed during CTDMA. For example, the NPCA indicator field is 1 bit long. When the NPCA indicator field indicates that NPCA operations are allowed during CTDMA, the second indicator information can be used to indicate the remaining TXOP duration and / or the duration from the current time to the start of TXOP sharing. When the NPCA indicator field indicates that NPCA operations are not allowed during CTDMA, the second indicator information indicates reservation.

[0192] It is understood that the names and order of the fields shown in Figures 20a, 20b, and 20c are merely examples. This application does not limit the names and order of the fields in the A-control field of the data frame.

[0193] In one possible implementation, if the second access point is a polled AP that does not wish to participate in CTDMA or is not polled, when the second access point has a transmission requirement, or when the STAs associated with the second access point have a transmission requirement, the second access point and the STAs associated with the second access point can utilize the remaining TXOP duration to perform NPCA operation. If the second access point is a polled AP that wishes to participate in CTDMA, when the second access point has a transmission requirement, or when the STAs associated with the second access point have a transmission requirement, the second access point and the STAs associated with the second access point can utilize the time from the current time to the start of TXOP sharing to perform TXOP.

[0194] This application embodiment improves NPCA operation in CTDMA by designing the MAC header of the data frame, increases channel utilization in the CTDMA process, reduces network latency, and increases throughput.

[0195] Those skilled in the art will understand that, in the absence of logical conflicts, the above-described implementation methods 1, 2, and 3 in the embodiments of this application can be implemented individually or in combination (including partial and complete combination). These are not listed here.

[0196] In one possible implementation, after step S102, the communication method shown in Figure 4 may further include: the first access point sending a second frame. When the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during the CTDMA process, the second frame includes second indication information, which indicates the time period during which NPCA operation is allowed. The second access point or a station associated with the second access point can detect the second frame on the main channel. The first frame may be a BSRP frame, and the second frame may be a MU-RTS frame or a data frame. The first indication information may be carried in the Common Info field of the BSRP frame; specific implementation details can be found in the preceding description and will not be repeated here. The design of the second indication information in the MU-RTS frame can be referenced in implementation method 2 described above and will not be repeated here. The design of the second indication information in the data frame can be referenced in implementation method 3 described above and will not be detailed here.

[0197] In this embodiment of the application, the first indication information of the first frame in the CTDMA process indicates whether NPCA operation is allowed in the CTDMA process, which can support NPCA operation in CTDMA; and when NPCA operation is allowed in the CTDMA process, the second indication information is used to indicate the time period during which NPCA operation is allowed, so as to improve NPCA operation in CTDMA, improve channel utilization in the CTDMA process, reduce network latency, and improve throughput.

[0198] The foregoing details the method provided in this application. To facilitate the implementation of the above-described solutions in the embodiments of this application, corresponding apparatus or devices are also provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0199] This application divides access points or sites into functional modules according to the above method embodiments. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation. The access points and sites of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 21 to 23.

[0200] Referring to Figure 21, which is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application, the communication device includes a transceiver module 801 and a processing module 802. The transceiver module 801 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 802 is used for data processing. The transceiver module 801 can also be referred to as an interface, a communication interface, or a communication module, etc.

[0201] In some embodiments of this application, the communication device may be the first access point shown above. That is, the communication device shown in FIG21 may be used to perform the steps or functions performed by the first access point in the above method embodiments. For example, the communication device may be the first access point or a chip or functional module configured in the first access point, etc., and this application embodiment does not limit this. The transceiver module 801 is used to perform the transceiver-related operations of the first access point in the above method embodiments, and the processing module 802 is used to perform the processing-related operations of the first access point in the above method embodiments.

[0202] For example, processing module 802 is used to generate a first frame; transceiver module 801 is used to send the first frame. The first frame includes first indication information, which is used to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA.

[0203] For example, when the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during the CTDMA process, the first frame includes second indication information, which is used to indicate the time period during which NPCA operation is allowed.

[0204] For example, the transceiver module 801 is also configured to send a second frame, which includes second indication information when the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during the CTDMA process. The second indication information is used to indicate the time period during which NPCA operation is allowed.

[0205] In this embodiment of the application, the description of the first frame, the first indication information, the second frame, the second indication information, etc. can be referred to the description in the above method embodiment (as shown in Figure 4), and will not be described in detail here.

[0206] It is understood that the specific descriptions of the transceiver module and processing module shown in the embodiments of this application are merely examples. For the specific functions or execution steps of the transceiver module and processing module, please refer to the above method embodiments (as shown in Figure 4), which will not be detailed here. In addition, the technical effects of the embodiments of this application are the same as those in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0207] Reusing Figure 21, in some other embodiments of this application, the communication device may be the second access point or a station associated with the second access point shown above. That is, the communication device shown in Figure 21 may be used to perform the steps or functions performed by the second access point or a station associated with the second access point in the method embodiments above. For example, the communication device may be the second access point or a station associated with the second access point, or a chip or functional module configured in the second access point or a station associated with the second access point, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment of the application. The transceiver module 801 is used to perform the transceiver-related operations of the second access point or a station associated with the second access point in the method embodiments above, and the processing module 802 is used to perform the processing-related operations of the second access point or a station associated with the second access point in the method embodiments above.

[0208] For example, transceiver module 801 is used to receive a first frame; processing module 802 is used to parse the first frame. The first frame includes first indication information, which is used to indicate whether NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA.

[0209] For example, when the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during the CTDMA process, the first frame includes second indication information, which is used to indicate the time period during which NPCA operation is allowed.

[0210] For example, the transceiver module 801 is further configured to receive a second frame. When the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during the CTDMA process, the second frame includes second indication information, which is used to indicate the time period during which NPCA operation is allowed.

[0211] In this embodiment of the application, the description of the first frame, the first indication information, the second frame, the second indication information, etc. can be referred to the description in the above method embodiment (as shown in Figure 4), and will not be described in detail here.

[0212] It is understood that the specific descriptions of the transceiver module and processing module shown in the embodiments of this application are merely examples. For the specific functions or execution steps of the transceiver module and processing module, please refer to the above method embodiments (as shown in Figure 4), which will not be detailed here. In addition, the technical effects of the embodiments of this application are the same as those in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0213] The above describes the access point or site according to embodiments of this application. The following describes possible product forms of the access point or site. It should be understood that any product with the functions of the access point or site described in Figure 21 above falls within the protection scope of this application. It should also be understood that the following description is merely illustrative and does not limit the product form of the access point or site according to embodiments of this application to this specific example.

[0214] In one possible implementation, in the communication device shown in FIG21, the processing module 802 can be one or more processors, and the transceiver module 801 can be a transceiver. Alternatively, the transceiver module 801 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. The transmitting and receiving modules are integrated into a single device, such as a transceiver. In this embodiment, the processor and transceiver can be coupled, etc., and the connection method between the processor and transceiver is not limited in this embodiment. During the execution of the above method, the process of sending information (such as sending the first frame) can be understood as the process of the processor outputting the above information. When outputting the above information, the processor outputs the above information to the transceiver so that the transceiver can transmit it. After the above information is output by the processor, it may need to undergo other processing before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, the process of receiving information (such as receiving the first frame) in the above method can be understood as the process of the processor receiving the input information. When the processor receives the input information, the transceiver receives the above information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the aforementioned information, the information may need to undergo further processing before being input into the processor.

[0215] Referring to Figure 22, which is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application, the communication device can be a first access point, a second access point, a station associated with a second access point, or a chip therein. Figure 22 only shows the main components of the communication device. In addition to the processor 1001, the communication device may further include a transceiver 1002, a memory 1003, and input / output devices (not shown in the figure).

[0216] The processor 1001 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process the data of the software programs. The memory 1003 is mainly used to store software programs and data. In one design, the transceiver 1002 can be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, or transceiver circuit, etc., and is used to implement the transceiver function. The transceiver 1002 may include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver can be called a receiver or receiving circuit, etc., and is used to implement the receiving function; the transmitter can be called a transmitter or transmitting circuit, etc., and is used to implement the transmitting function. In another design, the transceiver 1002 may include a control circuit and an antenna. The control circuit is mainly used for the conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and the processing of radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touch screens, displays, and keyboards, are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0217] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1001 can read the software program in the memory 1003, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, process the data of the software program, and control the medium access control (MAC) layer and physical layer (PHY) to implement the method of this application embodiment. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 1001 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 communication 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 1001. The processor 1001 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0218] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be set up independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be arranged remotely, independent of the communication device.

[0219] The processor 1001, transceiver 1002, and memory 1003 can be connected via a communication bus.

[0220] For example, when the communication device is used to perform the steps, methods, or functions performed by the first access point in the method embodiment shown in FIG4, the processor 1001 may be used to perform step S101 in FIG4, and / or to perform other processes of the technology described herein; the transceiver 1002 may be used to perform step S102 in FIG4, and / or to perform other processes of the technology described herein.

[0221] For example, when the communication device is used to perform the steps, methods, or functions performed by the second access point or a site associated with the second access point in the method embodiment shown in FIG4 above, the processor 1001 may be used to perform step S103 in FIG4, and / or to perform other processes of the technology described herein; the transceiver 1002 may be used to receive the first frame, and / or to perform other processes of the technology described herein.

[0222] In any of the above designs, the processor 1001 may include a transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0223] In any of the above designs, the processor 1001 may store instructions, which may be computer programs. These computer programs, running on the processor 1001, cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The computer program may be embedded in the processor 1001; in this case, the processor 1001 may be implemented in hardware.

[0224] In one implementation, the communication device may include circuitry capable of performing the functions of transmitting, receiving, or communicating as described in the foregoing method embodiments. The processor and transceiver described in this application can be implemented on integrated circuits (ICs), analog ICs, radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), mixed-signal ICs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), electronic devices, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), n-metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS), positive channel metal oxide semiconductors (PMOS), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0225] It is understood that the communication device shown in the embodiments of this application may have more components than those in Figure 22, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this. The methods executed by the processor and transceiver shown above are merely examples, and the specific steps executed by the processor and transceiver can be referred to the description of the method embodiments above.

[0226] In another possible implementation, in the communication device shown in FIG21, the processing module 802 can be one or more logic circuits, and the transceiver module 801 can be an input / output interface, or a communication interface, or an interface circuit, or an interface, etc. Alternatively, the transceiver module 801 can also be a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module can be an output interface, and the receiving module can be an input interface. The sending module and the receiving module are integrated into one module, such as an input / output interface. Referring to FIG23, FIG23 is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. As shown in FIG23, the communication device shown in FIG23 includes a logic circuit 901 and an interface 902. That is, the above-mentioned processing module 802 can be implemented by the logic circuit 901, and the transceiver module 801 can be implemented by the interface 902. Among them, the logic circuit 901 can be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit, or a system on chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface 902 can be a communication interface, an input / output interface, a pin, etc. For example, FIG23 shows the above-mentioned communication device as a chip, which includes a logic circuit 901 and an interface 902.

[0227] In this embodiment, the logic circuit and the interface can also be coupled to each other. The specific connection method between the logic circuit and the interface is not limited in this embodiment.

[0228] For example, when the communication device is used to execute the method or function or step executed by the first access point in the aforementioned method embodiment, logic circuit 901 is used to generate a first frame; interface 902 is used to output the first frame.

[0229] For example, when the communication device is used to perform the method, function or step performed by the second access point or the site associated with the second access point in the foregoing method embodiments, the interface 902 is used to input the first frame; the logic circuit 901 is used to parse the first frame.

[0230] In this application embodiment, the specific description of the first frame, etc., can be referred to the foregoing method embodiment, and will not be described in detail here.

[0231] It is understood that the communication device shown in the embodiments of this application can implement the method provided in the embodiments of this application in hardware form or in software form, etc., and the embodiments of this application do not limit it in this way.

[0232] For specific implementations of the embodiment shown in Figure 23, please refer to the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0233] This application also provides a wireless communication system, which includes a first access point and a second access point. The first access point and the second access point can be used to perform the methods in the foregoing method embodiments. Optionally, the wireless communication system further includes a station associated with the second access point.

[0234] In addition, this application also provides a computer program for implementing the operations and / or processes performed by the first access point in the method provided in this application.

[0235] This application also provides a computer program for implementing the operations and / or processes performed by a second access point or a site associated with the second access point in the method provided in this application.

[0236] This application also provides a readable storage medium storing a program that is executed by one or more processors, causing a device including the one or more processors to perform the operations and / or processes performed by the first access point in the method provided in this application.

[0237] This application also provides a readable storage medium storing a program that is executed by one or more processors, causing a device including the one or more processors to perform the operations and / or processes performed by a second access point or a station associated with the second access point in the method provided in this application.

[0238] 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 a first access point in the method provided in this application to be executed.

[0239] 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 a second access point or a site associated with the second access point in the method provided in this application to be executed.

[0240] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices, or units, or it may be an electrical, mechanical, or other form of connection.

[0241] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the technical effects of the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0242] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0243] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit 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.

[0244] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: Applied to a first access point, the method includes: A first frame is generated, the first frame including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate whether non-master channel access NPCA operation is allowed during Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (CTDMA); Send the first frame.

2. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method, applied to a second access point or a site associated with the second access point, includes: Receive a first frame, the first frame including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate whether non-master channel access NPCA operation is allowed during Cooperative Time Division Multiple Access (CTDMA); Analyze the first frame.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, When the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during CTDMA, the first frame includes second indication information, which is used to indicate the time period during which NPCA operation is allowed.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The first indication information and the second indication information are the same indication information.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The second indication information is specifically used to indicate the time period in the transmission opportunity TXOP of the first access point occupying the main channel for the first access point to transmit data.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that, The second indication information is specifically used to indicate the total duration of the TXOP of the first access point occupying the main channel.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that, The second indication information is specifically used to indicate the planned shared TXOP duration, which is equal to the difference between the total TXOP duration occupied by the first access point on the main channel and the duration used for the first access point to transmit data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first frame is a Buffer Status Report Polling (BSRP) frame, and the second indication information is carried in the special user information field of the first frame. The value of the associated identifier (AID) field in the special user information field is greater than 2007.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first frame is a multi-user request to send MU-RTS frame, and the second indication information is carried in the common information field of the first frame.

10. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The first frame includes a user information field, and the second indication information is carried in the user information field. The second indication information is specifically used to indicate the maximum idle time period of the second access point corresponding to the user information field in the CTDMA process, and the second access point is not allocated a shared TXOP during the maximum idle time period.

11. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The first frame includes a user information field, and the second indication information is carried in the user information field. The second indication information is specifically used to indicate the time period of the shared TXOP that is planned to be allocated to the second access point corresponding to the user information field.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The first frame is a BSRP frame.

13. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The first frame includes a user information field, and the second indication information is carried in the user information field. The second indication information is specifically used to indicate the time period of the shared TXOP allocated to the second access point corresponding to the user information field.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first frame is a MU-RTS frame.

15. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: A second frame is sent. When the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during the CTDMA process, the second frame includes second indication information, which is used to indicate the time period during which NPCA operation is allowed.

16. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second frame is received. When the first indication information indicates that NPCA operation is allowed during the CTDMA process, the second frame includes second indication information, which is used to indicate the time period during which NPCA operation is allowed.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The first frame is a BSRP frame, and the second frame is a MU-RTS frame.

18. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The first frame is a BSRP frame, the second frame is a data frame, and the second indication information is specifically used to indicate the remaining TXOP duration, and / or the second indication information is specifically used to indicate the duration from the current time to the start of TXOP sharing.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, include: One or more processors, said one or more processors being coupled to one or more memories; The one or more memories are used to store computer programs, and the one or more processors are used to execute the computer programs stored in the one or more memories, so that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, For storing a program, said program being executed by one or more processors, such that a device including said one or more processors performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18.

21. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer program product is executed, the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18 is performed.

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