Method for determining resource unit type

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure is a method for determining a resource unit type. The method is applied to a non-access point device. The method comprises: determining a resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device, and sending a first indication to an access point device, wherein the first indication is used to indicate the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device; and when the access point device accepts the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device, determining the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device as a resource unit type used for data transmission.

Description

Method for determining resource unit type

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This disclosure is based on and claims priority to Chinese patent application CN202411976743.2, filed on December 26, 2024, entitled “Method for Determining Resource Unit Type”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a method for determining resource unit types. Background Technology

[0004] The transmit power of Wi-Fi devices is subject to regulatory power spectral density (PSD) limitations, especially in the 6GHz band. For non-access point devices in the LPI (Low Power Indoor) band, the PSD limit is as low as -1dBm / MHz. If the subcarriers in the resource unit (RU) used for transmission are continuous, i.e., a regular resource unit (RRU), the uplink communication rate and line-of-sight communication distance of non-access point devices are severely limited due to PSD limitations.

[0005] In a Distributed Resource Unit (DRU), subcarriers are non-contiguous and distributed. Introducing DRUs provides new options for resource scheduling. If DRUs are used, the PSD limitation can be overcome and transmit power can be significantly improved, thereby increasing spectral efficiency and expanding coverage.

[0006] Traditional non-access point devices only support RRUs. For non-access point devices that support both RRUs and DRUs, determining the required resource unit type is a problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This disclosure provides a method for determining resource unit types, thereby at least addressing the problem in related technologies of determining the resource unit types required for non-access point devices that support RRU and DRU.

[0008] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, a method for determining a resource unit type is provided, comprising: applying to a non-access point device, including: determining a resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device; sending a first indication to an access point device, wherein the first indication is used to indicate the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device; and, if the access point device accepts the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device, determining the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device as a resource unit type for data transmission.

[0009] According to another embodiment of this disclosure, a method for determining a resource type is provided, applied to an access point device, comprising: receiving a first indication sent by a non-access point device, wherein the first indication is used to indicate a resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device; and, if the access point device accepts the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device, determining the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device as the resource unit type used for allocating data transmission for the non-access point device.

[0010] According to yet another embodiment of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, wherein a computer program is stored therein, wherein the computer program is configured to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments when it is run.

[0011] According to yet another embodiment of this disclosure, an electronic device is also provided, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0012] According to yet another embodiment of this disclosure, a computer program product is also provided, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in any of the above method embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the subcarrier distribution of DRU and RRU according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a WLAN network architecture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of different RU allocations according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the uplink OFDMA process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the general format of a Control subfield according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the Control Information field format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a general format of trigger frames according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the MAC frame format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the OM control field format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the operation mode field format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the operation mode notification element format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of an operation mode notification frame according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the Action field format in the operation mode notification according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 14 is a flowchart of a method for determining resource unit type according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the region division according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the operation mode control subfield format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the OM notification element format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the OM notification frame format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of the BSR control subfield format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the Basic trigger frame format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of the data transmission process between AP and STA according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of the BA frame format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 23 is a flowchart of a method for determining resource unit type according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of the BSRP trigger frame or MU-RTS trigger frame format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 25 is a schematic diagram of the BSR response frame format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0039] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and drawings of this disclosure are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0040] With the widespread adoption of mobile internet and the continuous optimization of wireless network services, wireless communication technology has developed rapidly, and a wide variety of smart devices such as tablets, sensors, and smartphones have become integrated into our lives. Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) have gained increasing attention due to their advantages such as flexible networking methods and low deployment costs.

[0041] Future Wi-Fi standards may introduce Distributed RUs (DRUs), where subcarriers are non-contiguous and distributed. The introduction of DRUs provides new options for resource scheduling. Using DRUs can overcome PSD limitations and significantly improve transmit power, thereby increasing spectral efficiency and expanding coverage. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the subcarrier distribution of DRUs and RRUs according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, under a 20MHz bandwidth, compared to a 26-ton RRU (Regular RU), the RRU's subcarriers are continuously distributed, while the DRU's subcarriers are dispersed.

[0042] In future WLAN networks, two types of non-access point (STA) devices will be included, using RRU and DRU. Wi-Fi devices supporting DRU also support RRU. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a WLAN network architecture according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, the WLAN network comprises one or more wireless communication devices (i.e., WLAN devices), specifically including: Access Point (AP) devices 102, and STAs 104 that support both RRU and DRU, also known as wireless terminal devices. These devices are capable of data exchange according to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards. IEEE 802.11 wireless communication technology can also be referred to as Wi-Fi technology.

[0043] The IEEE 802.11 series of standards defines technologies including Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) protocols. Wireless communication technologies based on IEEE 802.11 can also be referred to as Wi-Fi technology.

[0044] A Basic Service Set (BSS) is the basic service unit of a wireless local area network (WLAN), consisting of one access point (AP) and several STAs (Stations). The BSS defines the coverage area of ​​an AP, within which STAs can communicate with each other. The AP periodically broadcasts beacon frames to enable any STA within its wireless range to establish and maintain a communication link with the WLAN.

[0045] In layman's terms, a channel, or frequency range, determines the frequency range within which a WLAN device communicates. Wi-Fi devices can operate on one or more frequency bands, such as 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz, and 60GHz. The 802.11 standard specifies multiple channels within each frequency band. If channels overlap, interference can occur, leading to a degrade in the overall performance of the wireless network. In practical use, adjacent access points (APs) should typically choose non-overlapping channels.

[0046] Wireless communication channel bandwidths offer a variety of options, including but not limited to 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and combinations such as 80+80MHz. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the channel bandwidth may reach 320MHz, or appear in a combination of 160+160MHz. For narrower channels, bandwidth options may include subdivisions from 1MHz to 10MHz, or combinations thereof, or other bandwidths less than or equal to the available bandwidth may also be used.

[0047] The concept of Resource Units (RUs) is introduced in IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6). For example, an 80MHz channel is divided into multiple RUs within the same time domain. Each RU carries a certain number of subcarriers, and each STA transmits and receives information through the RU. Depending on the number of subcarriers carried, RUs can be classified as 26-tone, 52-tone, 106-tone, 242-tone, 484-tone, 996-tone, and 2x996-tone. In Wi-Fi 7, different RU combination types are also defined, such as 26+52-tone, 242+484-tone, etc. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of different RU allocations according to an embodiment of this disclosure, illustrating different RU allocations at 80MHz.

[0048] Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) introduces OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) technology. The access point (AP) divides channel resources into multiple root units (RUs), and then allocates one RU as a communication resource to the STA (Station). This fully utilizes channel resources, improving channel utilization, channel access efficiency, and system throughput. The AP can trigger uplink data transmission by assigning resources to the STA through a triggering mechanism.

[0049] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the uplink OFDMA process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, the uplink OFDMA process includes the following three stages:

[0050] Phase 1: The AP sends a trigger frame requesting buffer information from the STA. The trigger frame can be a Buffer Status Report Poll (BSRP) type. The STA can explicitly pass the BSR (i.e., directly carry the BSR control subfield) in any frame it passes to the AP in response to the BSRP Trigger Frame. The AP determines the RU to allocate to the STA based on the buffer information fed back by the STA in the BSR (Buffer Status Reports).

[0051] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the general format of the Control subfield according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, illustrating the general format of the Control subfield in the IEEE 802.11ax standard, wherein the control ID is 4, and the control ID for the BSR Control subfield is 3.

[0052] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the Control Information field format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, illustrating the Control Information field format in the BSR Control subfield, wherein the Queue Size related field indicates buffer status information.

[0053] Phase 2: The AP sends a trigger frame, which can be of the Multi-user Ready-to-send (MU-RTS) type. It can be transmitted using traditional OFDM technology, and all STAs can receive it. Traditional STAs will set their local NAV timer by receiving the Duration / ID field in the MU-RTS frame to ensure that they do not initiate active contention during the remaining UL-OFDMA time.

[0054] Phase 3: The AP sends a trigger frame, which can be of Basic type, to trigger the STA to perform uplink transmission on the allocated RU. The trigger frame will carry some information required for uplink transmission, such as RU resource allocation, UL MC, UL Target Receive Power (uplink target reception, i.e., the reception power expected by the AP), number of spatial streams, guard interval (GI), etc.

[0055] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the general format of the trigger frame according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 7, the general format of the trigger frame can carry one Common Info and multiple User Info fields. Depending on the specific trigger frame type, the Common Info and User Info fields are not completely consistent.

[0056] In addition, the STA can also proactively report the cache without the AP triggering it, and carry the BSR in the QoS control field or BSR control subfield of any frame sent to the AP, that is, the above-mentioned stage 1 is not mandatory.

[0057] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the MAC frame format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 8, QoS control is a field of the MAC layer. The QoS Control field has 2 bytes. Bits 0-3 represent the Traffic Identifier (TID), which is the ID number related to the service flow. Bit 4:=1 represents uplink data. Bits 8-15 represent the Queue size.

[0058] In this embodiment of the disclosure, a High Efficiency Station (HE STA) can change its operating mode setting through an operating mode change notification or an Operating Mode Indication (OMI) procedure. An HE STA should not simultaneously transmit the Operating Mode (OM) control subfield and the operating mode field in the same Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU).

[0059] OMI, or Operating Mode Indicator, is used to negotiate transmission parameters between the STA and AP. The current OMI mechanism includes two modes: "Receive Operating Mode (ROM)" and "Transmit Operating Mode (TOM)".

[0060] During the OMI process, the OMI initiator sends a frame with an OM control subfield to the AP, i.e., the OMI responder. This method allows for the switching of transmission modes. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the OM control subfield format according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 9, the OM control subfield includes Control ID and Control Information. The Control Information format includes Rx Nss, Channel Width, UL MU Disable, Tx NSTS, and UL MU Data Disable.

[0061] If it is an OM Control Subfield transmitted by AP, then UL MU Disable and UL MU Data Disable subfields are reserved fields.

[0062] AP does not act as the OMI initiator for Transmit Operating Mode (TOM) indication.

[0063] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the operating mode change notification may be an operating mode notification frame, an action frame, and a frame containing an operating mode notification element; wherein the operating mode field may exist in the operating mode notification frame and the operating mode notification element.

[0064] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the operating mode field format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 10, the operating mode field includes Channel Width, 160 / 80+80BW, No LDPC, Rx NSS, and Rx NSS Type.

[0065] The Operating Mode Notification element may exist in Beacon frames, (re)Association request / response frames, Probe response frames, etc. Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the operating mode notification element format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, illustrating the element ID and format of the operating mode notification element. Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of an operating mode notification frame according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the Action field format in the operating mode notification according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0066] This disclosure proposes a resource management method in which one of the AP / STA initiates a request for suggested / recommended RU types, and both parties can accept / reject each other's suggestions, and the final RU type is used for resource allocation in the subsequent process.

[0067] The process for RU type requests initiated by STAs (Standard Operating Procedures) includes:

[0068] Step S11: The STA determines that the recommended RU type has changed based on its own area and sends a change indication to the AP. The indication method includes one of the following: TOM indication of the OMI mechanism, Operating Mode Notification element, Operating Mode Notification frame, BSR in the reporting cache or implicit reporting scenario indicating the new recommended RU type, and ACK / BA response frame of the corresponding downlink data.

[0069] In step S12, the AP determines whether to accept the STA's request based on the usage of the two types of resources. If accepted, the AP will subsequently allocate resources using the RU type suggested by the STA; if not accepted, the AP will subsequently allocate resources using another RU type.

[0070] The process for AP-initiated suggestion / recommendation RU type request includes:

[0071] Step S21: The AP determines the preferred RU type based on resource utilization. If there is a change, it sends a change instruction to the STA. The instruction method includes one of the following: BSRP TF frame, MU-RTS TF frame, instruction carried in the Operating Mode Notification element in the Beacon, or Operating Mode Notification frame.

[0072] In step S22, the STA determines whether to accept the AP's suggestion based on its own location and indicates the negotiated RU type in the corresponding response frame. If accepted, the existing process is followed, and the AP allocates resources according to its suggested RU type. If not accepted, the STA re-initiates the RU type change indication process.

[0073] The above-mentioned resource management method includes a method for determining resource unit types, which allows STAs to increase transmit power by utilizing specific resource unit allocation methods. However, the use of specific resource unit allocation methods is controlled to reduce the impact on the STA itself (such as processing complexity) and the overall spectrum efficiency.

[0074] This embodiment provides a method for determining the resource unit type operating in the aforementioned WLAN network. Figure 14 is a flowchart of the method for determining the resource unit type according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 14, the process includes the following steps:

[0075] Step S1402: Determine the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device and send a first indication to the access point device, wherein the first indication is used to indicate the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device.

[0076] In this embodiment, the resource unit types include: continuous resource unit type (i.e., RRU) and distributed resource unit type (i.e., DRU).

[0077] As shown in Figure 1, DRU leads to spectrum fragmentation, reducing spectrum efficiency, and also impacts resource scheduling for non-access point devices using RRU. From the access point device's perspective, a balance must be struck between the gains and negative effects of DRU. DRU technology is similar to UL OFDMA and RRU technologies, but differs in the subcarrier distribution within the RU. As shown in Figure 1, DRU disperses subcarriers significantly. For non-access point devices, using DRU leads to more complex frequency domain processing, potentially resulting in higher power consumption and increased internal resource usage. Furthermore, interference between adjacent subcarriers in DRU reduces demodulation performance. When non-access point devices are in non-edge areas, the straight-line transmission distance is not an issue, and RRU can be used instead of DRU. For access point devices, if DRU resources are scarce but RRU resources are available, non-access point devices should utilize RRU resources as much as possible; conversely, the same applies.

[0078] Therefore, although the non-access point device in this embodiment supports DRU, it does not mean that DRU must be used to transmit data. The non-access point device can determine whether to enable / disable DRU capability based on its location. When DRU capability needs to be enabled, it sends a request to the access point device, which considers various factors to decide whether to allow enabling / disabling. Typically, the non-access point device uses RRU by default.

[0079] In one embodiment, determining the recommended resource unit type for a non-access point device includes: determining the recommended resource unit type for the non-access point device based on the straight-line distance between the non-access point device and the access point device.

[0080] In one embodiment, determining the recommended resource unit type for the non-access point device (NAPD) based on the straight-line distance between the NAPD and the access point device includes: determining the continuous resource unit type as the recommended resource unit type for the NAPD when the straight-line distance between the NAPD and the access point device is less than a first preset threshold; and determining the distributed resource unit type as the recommended resource unit type for the NAPD when the straight-line distance between the NAPD and the access point device is greater than a second preset threshold; wherein the second preset threshold is greater than the first preset threshold.

[0081] In an exemplary embodiment, the area where the STA is located is divided into regions based on the straight-line distance between the STA and the AP. Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of region division according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 15, the region is divided with the location of the AP as the center and the different straight-line distances d between the STA and the AP as the radius. When d is less than a first preset threshold, the region where the STA is located is determined to be region 1; when d is greater than a second preset threshold, the region where the STA is located is determined to be region 3; when d is greater than the first preset threshold and less than the second preset threshold, the region where the STA is located is determined to be region 2. Wherein, the second preset threshold is greater than the first preset threshold.

[0082] The recommended resource unit type varies depending on the region where the STA is located, for example:

[0083] Area 1 is the preferred area for using RRU. When the STA is in Area 1, the STA is close to the AP, so it is recommended to use RRU.

[0084] Area 2 is the preferred area for using DRU. When the STA is in Area 2, the STA is a bit far from the AP, and the uplink signal quality is not very good. It is recommended to use DRU to improve the transmit power.

[0085] Area 3 is a mandatory DRU area. When a STA is in Area 3, if the STA is too far from the AP, the STA is forced to use the DRU, that is, the DRU must be used to increase the transmission power, otherwise the access point equipment will not be able to receive the signal.

[0086] In one embodiment, determining the recommended resource element type for the non-access point device includes: determining the recommended resource element type based on the measurement results of the downlink signal by the non-access point device; wherein the measurement results include at least one of the following: the measurement results of signal quality measurement and the measurement results of signal strength measurement.

[0087] In an exemplary embodiment, by measuring the signal quality or signal strength of the downlink signal, if the signal quality or signal strength of the downlink signal is lower than a third preset threshold, then the STA is considered to have entered region 2; otherwise, the STA is considered to have entered region 1, and corresponding measures to prevent the ping-pong effect are required.

[0088] In one embodiment, the area where the STA is located can also be divided into regions based on the positioning mechanism described in 802.11az / bk, etc.

[0089] When switching from one area to another, the non-access point device (NAP) indicates the recommended RU type to the access point device (AP). After evaluation, if the current resource conditions can meet the recommended resource type, the AP will allocate resources according to the RU type recommended by the NAP. Otherwise, it will still use a different RU type than the one recommended by the NAP for resource allocation.

[0090] In one embodiment, the access point device evaluates whether it supports the STA's request and then uses the determined RU type during subsequent resource allocation. The evaluation principles of the access point device may include:

[0091] (1) Low DRU resource utilization and / or high RRU resource utilization: Enable DRU.

[0092] (2) High DRU resource utilization and / or low RRU resource utilization: Enable RRU.

[0093] In one embodiment, when switching from one area of ​​a non-access point device to another, sending a first indication to an access point device includes: sending the first indication to the access point device via a Media Access Control (MAC) frame carrying an operating mode control subfield; wherein the operating mode control subfield carries information about the resource element type recommended by the non-access point device. Alternatively, the first indication can be sent to the access point device via an operating mode notification frame or an uplink MAC frame carrying an operating mode field; wherein the operating mode field carries information about the resource element type recommended by the non-access point device.

[0094] In one embodiment, the media access control layer frame includes one of the following: a data frame, a management frame, or a control frame.

[0095] In one exemplary embodiment, the STA proactively initiates an Operating Mode Indication (OMI), which involves setting the suggested / recommended resource type as a transmission parameter in the Operating Mode Control subfield to send a first indication to the AP. For example, when the STA's location changes, the STA sends its suggested / recommended resource type to the AP via an Operating Mode (OM) change notification. Since DRUs are primarily used for UL OFDMA, the STA's suggested / recommended resource type can be used as a parameter in the Transmit Operating Mode (TOM) parameter.

[0096] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the format of the Operation Mode Control subfield according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 16, the OMI adds a parameter indication of DRU enable or DRU disable to the OM Control subfield to send the resource type suggested / recommended by the STA as a parameter of the TOM to the AP. The OM Control subfield can be set in data frames, management frames, and control frames, so the STA can carry the indication of DRU enable or DRU disable in these messages.

[0097] After evaluation, if the AP accepts the RU type recommended by the STA, it will use the RU type recommended by the STA in subsequent resource allocations; otherwise, it will still use another RU type.

[0098] In one exemplary embodiment, the STA proactively initiates an OM notification frame / element, setting the suggested / recommended resource type as a transmission parameter in the operation mode field to send a first indication to the AP. For example, when the STA's location changes, the STA sends the suggested / recommended resource type to the AP via an OM notification element, which can be set in an uplink data frame, management frame, or control frame; alternatively, the STA sends the suggested / recommended resource type to the AP via an OM notification frame (Operating Mode Notification frame), i.e., a UHR Action frame.

[0099] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the OM notification element format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 17, the OM notification element adds a parameter indication of DRU enable or DRU disable in the Operating Mode field to send the resource type suggested / recommended by the STA to the AP via DRU enable or DRU disable.

[0100] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the OM notification frame format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 18, the OM notification frame is configured with DRU enable or DRU disable to notify the AP of the recommended RU type to be enabled. For forward compatibility, the Category must be different from the Category in the prior art.

[0101] After evaluation, if the AP accepts the RU type recommended by the STA, it will use the RU type recommended by the STA in subsequent resource allocations; otherwise, it will still use another RU type.

[0102] In one embodiment, when switching from one area of ​​a non-access point device to another area, sending a first indication to an access point device includes: sending a cache status report response frame to the access point device based on a trigger frame requesting cache information sent by the access point device; and sending the first indication to the access point device through the cache status report response frame, wherein the cache status report response frame carries a cache status report control subfield, and the cache status report control subfield is provided with a subfield for indicating information on the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device.

[0103] In an exemplary embodiment, in the uplink OFDMA process shown in Figure 4, in response to the trigger frame of the AP requesting cache information, the STA, in addition to uploading the cache information, also sends a first indication to the AP through the corresponding Buffer Status Reports (BSR) response frame to inform the AP whether to enable DRU capability.

[0104] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of the BSR control subfield format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 19, a subfield for DRU enable or DRU disable is added to the BSR control subfield in the BSR response frame to indicate the recommended RU type to be enabled.

[0105] After evaluation, if the AP accepts the RU type recommended by the STA, it will use the RU type recommended by the STA in subsequent resource allocations; otherwise, it will still use another RU type.

[0106] In an exemplary embodiment, the AP indicates the negotiated RU type in the Basic trigger frame during phase 3 shown in FIG4. FIG20 is a schematic diagram of the Basic trigger frame format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG20, the Basic trigger frame adds an RU type indication and an AID to the User Info field of the general trigger frame format, wherein the AID corresponds to the requested STA.

[0107] In one embodiment, when switching from one area of ​​a non-access point device to another area, sending a first indication to the access point device includes: when implicitly reporting cache information, sending the first indication to the access point device via a QoS control field or a cache status report subfield.

[0108] In an exemplary embodiment, during phase 1 of the uplink OFDMA process, the STA can implicitly report cached information. When the STA implicitly reports cached information, it sends a first indication to the AP, including: using 1 / 2 bit in the QoS control field or BSR control subfield to indicate the suggested RU type.

[0109] The format of the BSR control subfield is shown in Figure 19. For the QoS control field, in the scenario of reporting the Queue size: add a DRU enable or DRU disable field to the QoS control field; or add a DRU enable or DRU disable subfield to an existing field in the MAC frame header.

[0110] After evaluation, if the AP accepts the RU type recommended by the STA, it will use the RU type recommended by the STA in subsequent resource allocations; otherwise, it will still use another RU type.

[0111] In one embodiment, when switching from one area of ​​a non-access point device to another area, sending a first indication to an access point device includes: upon receiving downlink data sent by the access point device, sending a first indication to the access point device via a block acknowledgment frame, wherein the block acknowledgment frame carries information about the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device in its block acknowledgment field.

[0112] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of the data transmission process between AP and STA according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 21, in response to the downlink data sent by AP, STA sends a first indication to AP through a BA frame, in which the BA frame carries the RU type suggested by STA.

[0113] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of the BA frame format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 22, the BAcontrol field of the BA frame is provided with a reserved field, which can indicate the RU type recommended by the STA.

[0114] After evaluation, if the AP accepts the RU type recommended by the STA, it will use the RU type recommended by the STA in subsequent resource allocations; otherwise, it will still use another RU type.

[0115] Step S1404: If the access point device accepts the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device, the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device is determined as the resource unit type for data transmission.

[0116] In one embodiment, the method further includes: if the access point device rejects the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device, determining the resource unit type currently used by the non-access point device as the resource unit type for data transmission.

[0117] Access point devices can also proactively suggest / recommend the types of resources to be enabled based on factors such as global resources, and then notify non-access point devices; non-access point devices can also determine whether to agree to the access point device's suggestion based on their own location. Once the negotiation is complete, the access point device allocates resources according to the negotiated types.

[0118] In one embodiment, the method further includes: receiving a second indication sent by the access point device, wherein the second indication is used to indicate a resource unit type recommended by the access point device; if the non-access point device accepts the resource unit type recommended by the access point device, determining the resource unit type recommended by the access point device as a resource unit type for data transmission; if the non-access point device rejects the resource unit type recommended by the access point device, determining the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device as a resource unit type for data transmission.

[0119] In one embodiment, the method further includes: sending a third indication to the access point device via the cache status report response frame, wherein the cache status report response frame carries a cache status report control subfield, and the cache status report control subfield is provided with a subfield for instructing the non-access point device to accept or reject information on the resource unit type recommended by the access point device.

[0120] Through the above steps, the non-access point device (NAP) sends the identified NAP device to the access point device via a first instruction. Upon receiving the resource element type recommended by the NAP, the NAP determines that resource element type as the resource element type for data transmission. Therefore, this solves the problem in related technologies of determining the required resource element type for NAP devices supporting RRUs and DRUs, thereby improving overall spectrum efficiency.

[0121] This disclosure also provides a method for determining resource unit type, which is applied to an access point device. Figure 23 is a flowchart of a method for determining resource unit type according to another embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 23, the process includes the following steps:

[0122] Step S2302: Receive a first indication sent by the non-access point device, wherein the first indication is used to indicate the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device.

[0123] Step S2304: If the access point device accepts the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device, the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device is determined as the resource unit type used to allocate data transmission for the non-access point device.

[0124] Following step S2304 in this embodiment, the method further includes: sending a fourth indication to the non-access point device via an operation mode notification frame or a downlink media access control layer frame carrying an operation mode field; wherein the fourth indication is used to indicate that data transmission is performed according to the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device; and the operation mode field carries information on accepting the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device.

[0125] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the access point device may also proactively suggest / recommend the types of resources to be enabled based on considerations such as global resources, and then notify the non-access point devices.

[0126] When an access point device actively recommends enabling a certain resource type to a non-access point device, the method includes: determining the resource unit type recommended by the access point device; sending a second indication to the non-access point device, wherein the second indication is used to indicate the resource unit type recommended by the access point device; and, if the non-access point device accepts the resource unit type recommended by the access point device, determining the resource unit type recommended by the access point device as the resource unit type for data transmission.

[0127] In this embodiment, the resource unit types include: continuous resource unit type and distributed resource unit type.

[0128] In one embodiment, before sending the second indication to the non-access point device, the method further includes: determining the currently recommended resource unit type of the access point device based on the utilization rate of wireless channel resources; and setting the recommended resource unit type in the second indication.

[0129] In one embodiment, sending a second indication to a non-access point device includes: sending a second indication to the non-access point device via a cached status report polling trigger frame, wherein the trigger frame carries information about the resource unit type recommended by the access point device.

[0130] In an exemplary embodiment, in phase 1 or phase 2 of the uplink OFDMA process shown in FIG4, after the AP determines the recommended RU type, it can also send a second indication to the STA via a BSRP trigger frame or a MU-RTS trigger frame to send the AP-recommended RU resource type to the STA.

[0131] Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of the BSRP trigger frame or MU-RTS trigger frame format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 24, in the User Info List field of the general format of the BSRP trigger frame or MU-RTS trigger frame, an indication field for DRU enable or DRU disable, as well as the AID corresponding to the target STA, are added.

[0132] Based on its location, the STA determines whether to accept the AP's suggestion. When the AP sends a second instruction to the STA via a BSRP trigger frame, the STA responds to the BSRP trigger frame by returning a response frame to the AP. The response frame carries the RU type negotiated between the STA and the AP.

[0133] Figure 25 is a schematic diagram of the BSR response frame format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 25, when the response frame is a BSR response frame, a field indicating the negotiated RU type, i.e., RU Type, is added to the BSR Control field of the BSR response frame.

[0134] When the response frame is a control frame, the negotiated RU type is indicated in the Frame control of the control frame.

[0135] When the AP sends a second indication to the STA via a MU-RTS trigger frame, the STA will reply with a CTS if it receives the RU type suggested by the AP; otherwise, it will not reply with a CTS.

[0136] In one embodiment, sending a second indication to a non-access point device includes: sending the second indication to the non-access point device via an operation mode notification frame or a beacon frame carrying an operation mode notification element; wherein the operation mode notification frame or the beacon frame carrying an operation mode notification element is provided with an operation mode field, the operation mode field carrying information about the resource unit type recommended by the access point device.

[0137] In one exemplary embodiment, the AP proactively initiates an OM notification frame / element to set the suggested / recommended resource type as a transmission parameter in the OM notification frame / element.

[0138] For example, the AP may indicate the proposed RU type in the Operating Mode Notification element carried in the beacon frame; or, the AP may indicate the proposed RU type in the Operating Mode Notification frame. For forward compatibility, the Category must differ from the Category in the prior art.

[0139] Based on its location, the STA determines whether to accept the RU type recommended by the AP; if not, it can re-initiate the RU type instruction / notification using the method described in the above embodiments.

[0140] In one embodiment, the method further includes: if the non-access point device rejects the resource unit type recommended by the access point device, determining the resource unit type currently used by the access point device as the resource unit type for data transmission.

[0141] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods according to the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this disclosure, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk), and includes several instructions to cause a terminal device (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0142] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program configured to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments when executed.

[0143] In one exemplary embodiment, the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, various media capable of storing computer programs, such as a USB flash drive, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), portable hard disk, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0144] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide an electronic device including a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program and the processor being configured to run the computer program to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0145] In one exemplary embodiment, the electronic device may further include a transmission device and an input / output device, wherein the transmission device is connected to the processor and the input / output device is connected to the processor.

[0146] Specific examples in this embodiment can be found in the examples described in the above embodiments and exemplary implementations, and will not be repeated here.

[0147] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the modules or steps of this disclosure described above can be implemented using general-purpose computing devices. They can be centralized on a single computing device or distributed across a network of multiple computing devices. They can be implemented using computer-executable program code, and thus can be stored in a storage device for execution by a computing device. In some cases, the steps shown or described can be performed in a different order than those presented herein, or they can be fabricated as separate integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps can be fabricated as a single integrated circuit module. Thus, this disclosure is not limited to any particular combination of hardware and software.

[0148] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this disclosure and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Various modifications and variations can be made to this disclosure by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the principles of this disclosure should be included within the protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for determining resource unit type, applied to non-access point devices, comprising: Determine the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device, and send a first indication to the access point device, wherein the first indication is used to indicate the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device; If the access point device accepts the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device, the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device shall be determined as the resource unit type for data transmission.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The resource unit types include: continuous resource unit type and distributed resource unit type.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The determination of the recommended resource unit type for non-access point devices includes: The recommended resource unit type for the non-access point device is determined based on the straight-line distance between the non-access point device and the access point device.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, Based on the straight-line distance between the non-access point device and the access point device, the recommended resource unit type for the non-access point device is determined, including: If the straight-line distance between the non-access point device and the access point device is less than a first preset threshold, the continuous resource unit type is determined as the recommended resource unit type for the non-access point device. If the straight-line distance between the non-access point device and the access point device is greater than a second preset threshold, the distributed resource unit type is determined as the recommended resource unit type for the non-access point device; wherein the second preset threshold is greater than the first preset threshold.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The determination of the recommended resource unit type for non-access point devices includes: The recommended resource unit type is determined based on the measurement results of the downlink signal by the non-access point device; wherein the measurement results include at least one of the following: the measurement results of signal quality measurement and the measurement results of signal strength measurement.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Send a first instruction to the access point device, including: A first instruction is sent to the access point device via a media access control layer frame carrying an operation mode control subfield; wherein the operation mode control subfield carries information about the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Send a first instruction to the access point device, including: A first instruction is sent to the access point device via an operation mode notification frame carrying an operation mode field or an uplink media access control layer frame; wherein the operation mode field carries information about the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein, The media access control layer frame includes one of the following: data frame, management frame, or control frame.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Send a first instruction to the access point device, including: Based on the trigger frame for requesting cache information sent by the access point device, send a cache status report response frame to the access point device; The cache status report response frame sends a first indication to the access point device, wherein the cache status report response frame carries a cache status report control subfield, and the cache status report control subfield is provided with a subfield for indicating information on the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Send a first instruction to the access point device, including: When implicitly reporting cache information, the first instruction is sent to the access point device through the QoS control field or the cache status report subfield.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Send a first instruction to the access point device, including: Upon receiving downlink data sent by the access point device, a first indication is sent to the access point device via a block confirmation frame, wherein the block confirmation field carried by the block confirmation frame contains information about the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: If the access point device rejects the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device, the resource unit type currently used by the non-access point device is determined as the resource unit type for data transmission.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: Receive a second indication sent by the access point device, wherein the second indication is used to indicate the resource unit type recommended by the access point device; If the non-access point device accepts the resource unit type recommended by the access point device, the resource unit type recommended by the access point device shall be determined as the resource unit type for data transmission. If the non-access point device rejects the resource unit type recommended by the access point device, the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device shall be determined as the resource unit type for data transmission.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The method further includes: A third indication is sent to the access point device via a cache status report response frame, wherein the cache status report response frame carries a cache status report control subfield, and the cache status report control subfield is configured with a subfield for instructing the non-access point device to accept or reject information on the resource unit type recommended by the access point device.

15. A method for determining a resource type, applied to an access point device, comprising: Receive a first indication sent by the non-access point device, wherein the first indication is used to indicate the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device; If the access point device accepts the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device, the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device is determined as the resource unit type used to allocate data transmission for the non-access point device.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, After determining the recommended resource unit type for the non-access point device as the resource unit type used for allocating data transmission to the non-access point device, the method further includes: A fourth indication is sent to the non-access point device via an operation mode notification frame carrying an operation mode field or a downlink media access control layer frame; wherein the fourth indication is used to indicate that data transmission is performed according to the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device; the operation mode field carries information on accepting the resource unit type recommended by the non-access point device.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The method further includes: The resource unit type recommended by the access point device is determined, and a second indication is sent to the non-access point device, wherein the second indication is used to indicate the resource unit type recommended by the access point device; If the non-access point device accepts the resource unit type recommended by the access point device, the resource unit type recommended by the access point device shall be determined as the resource unit type for data transmission.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The resource unit types include: continuous resource unit type and distributed resource unit type.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein, Before sending the second instruction to the non-access point device, the method further includes: Based on the utilization rate of wireless channel resources, determine the currently recommended resource unit type for the access point device; and set the recommended resource unit type in the second indication.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein, Send a second instruction to the non-access point device, including: A second indication is sent to the non-access point device via a cache status report polling trigger frame, wherein the trigger frame carries information about the resource unit type recommended by the access point device.

21. The method according to any one of claims 17-20, wherein, Send a second instruction to the non-access point device, including: The second instruction is sent to the non-access point device via an operation mode notification frame or a beacon frame carrying an operation mode notification element; wherein the operation mode notification frame or the beacon frame carrying an operation mode notification element is provided with an operation mode field, and the operation mode field carries information about the resource unit type recommended by the access point device.

22. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The method further includes: If the non-access point device rejects the resource unit type recommended by the access point device, the resource unit type currently used by the access point device is determined as the resource unit type used for data transmission.

23. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 14, or the steps of the method described in any one of claims 15 to 22.

24. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor, when executing the computer program, implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, or implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 15 to 22.

25. A computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, or implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 15 to 22.

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