Information indication methods, apparatuses, and storage medium

Abstract

Provided are information indication methods, apparatuses, and a storage medium. A method comprises: a first AP sends first indication information, the first indication information being used for indicating whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth coordinated beamforming transmission.

Description

Information indication method, device and storage medium

[0001] This disclosure claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202510324063.0, filed on March 17, 2025, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an information indication method, apparatus and storage medium. Background Technology

[0003] In coordinated-beamforming (Co-BF) technology, a key feature compared to single-AP beamforming is the addition of digital domain interference cancellation for stations (STAs) within overlapping basic service sets (OBSSs). This requires the measurement and feedback of more channel information, including the channel between the AP and its associated STAs, as well as the channel between APs and STAs within other OBSSs participating in Co-BF. This additional channel information acquisition significantly increases the overhead of the measurement process.

[0004] The ultra-high reliability (UHR) detection procedures published in related technologies, whether sequential or joint measurements, require multiple measurements to obtain sufficient information for cooperative beamforming. Furthermore, when the measurement bandwidth is too large, leading to fragmentation, the feedback overhead increases further. These issues not only increase transmission time but may also affect transmission reliability, especially when using compressed beamforming and high quantization accuracy. Therefore, at the protocol level, it is necessary to minimize and optimize the measurement overhead introduced in Co-BF transmission to reduce air interface transmission loss and improve the effectiveness of OBSS interference suppression. Summary of the Invention

[0005] On the one hand, an information indication method is provided, applied to a first AP, the method comprising:

[0006] Send a first indication message, which is used to indicate whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0007] On the other hand, an information indication method is provided for application to a STA, the method comprising:

[0008] Receive first indication information, which is used to indicate whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0009] On the other hand, an information indication method is provided for application to a second AP, the method comprising:

[0010] Receive first indication information, which is used to indicate whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0011] In another aspect, a communication device is provided for use in a first access point (AP), the device comprising:

[0012] The first communication module is used to send first indication information, which is used to indicate whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0013] In another aspect, a communication device is provided for use in a STA, the device comprising:

[0014] The first communication module is used to receive first indication information, which is used to indicate whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0015] In another aspect, a communication device is provided for use in a second AP, the device comprising:

[0016] The first communication module is used to receive first indication information, which is used to indicate whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0017] In another aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a memory and a processor; the memory and the processor are coupled; the memory is used to store computer program instructions executable by the processor; and the processor implements the method provided in any of the above embodiments when executing the computer program instructions.

[0018] In another aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer program instructions that, when executed on a computer (e.g., a communication device), implement the method provided in any of the above embodiments.

[0019] In another aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes computer program instructions that, when executed, implement the method provided in any of the above embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in some embodiments of this disclosure will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely drawings of some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings.

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a beamforming MIMO channel model provided according to some embodiments.

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to some embodiments.

[0023] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence measurement method according to some embodiments.

[0024] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a joint measurement method according to some embodiments.

[0025] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided according to some embodiments.

[0026] Figure 6 is a flowchart of an information indication method provided according to some embodiments.

[0027] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a cooperative beamforming group according to some embodiments.

[0028] Figure 8 is a transmission block diagram provided according to some embodiments.

[0029] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a capability field provided according to some embodiments.

[0030] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a working field provided according to some embodiments.

[0031] Figure 11 is an interactive flowchart of an information indication method provided according to some embodiments.

[0032] Figure 12 is an interactive flowchart of another information indication method provided according to some embodiments.

[0033] Figure 13 is an interactive flowchart of another information indication method provided according to some embodiments.

[0034] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a signal transmission process under multiple access points (APs) according to some embodiments.

[0035] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of another signal transmission process under multiple APs according to some embodiments.

[0036] Figure 16 is a flowchart of another information indication method provided according to some embodiments.

[0037] Figure 17 is a flowchart of yet another information indication method provided according to some embodiments.

[0038] Figure 18 is a block diagram of a communication device according to some embodiments.

[0039] Figure 19 is a block diagram of another communication device provided according to some embodiments.

[0040] Figure 20 is a block diagram of another communication device provided according to some embodiments.

[0041] Figure 21 is a block diagram of another communication device provided according to some embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0042] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, the technical solutions of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0043] In this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or," for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this document is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. Furthermore, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. The terms "first," "second," etc., do not limit the quantity or order of execution, and "first," "second," etc., do not necessarily imply differences.

[0044] It should be noted that in this disclosure, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in this disclosure should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0045] In this embodiment of the disclosure, "instruction" can include direct and indirect instructions, as well as explicit and implicit instructions. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (such as the first instruction information, second instruction information, or third instruction information below) is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementation, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is a correlation between the other information and the information to be instructed. It can also indicate only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement order of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent. Simultaneously, common parts of various pieces of information can be identified and indicated uniformly to reduce the instruction overhead caused by individually indicating the same information.

[0046] Beamforming, also known as transmit beamforming or transmit beamforming, is an advanced antenna technology used in wireless communication, primarily to enhance signal transmission efficiency and improve signal coverage. Beamforming optimizes the signal propagation path, reduces interference, and improves signal quality at the receiver by concentrating the energy of the transmitted signal in a specific direction.

[0047] Beamforming technology uses an array antenna (an antenna group composed of multiple antenna elements) to control the direction of transmitted signals. By adjusting the phase and amplitude between the individual antenna elements, beamforming can form one or more high-gain beams directly pointed at the target receiver. This precise directional control allows signals to bypass obstacles, reducing path loss and interference, thereby enhancing the performance of communication links. In wireless local area network (WLAN) protocols, this is often referred to as the steering matrix Q. k (steering matrix Q k ).

[0048] The equivalent complex baseband multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channel model is modeled as follows: y k =H k x k +n

[0049] For example, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a beamforming MIMO channel model according to some embodiments, wherein site device A (STA A) has three transmit antennas for transmitting beam A. TX and receiving beam A RXSite equipment B (STA B) has two transmitting antennas for transmitting beam B. TX and receiving beam B RX The channel matrix from STA A to STA B is H. AB The channel matrix from STA B to STA A is H. BA .

[0050] When using beamforming technology (N) STS ≦N TX Beamformers use Q... k x k Replace x k The receiving vector can be represented as: y k =H k Q steer,k x k +n

[0051] Here, x k It is a vector transmitted on subcarrier k, y k It is the receive vector, H k It is of dimension N RX ×N TX The channel matrix is ​​given by n, where n is Gaussian white noise. The matrix fed back during the sounding process is usually a compressed channel matrix H. k .

[0052] Q stter,k It is a beamforming matrix, whose general form consists of two parts: a spatial spread matrix and a V matrix, so it can be written in the following form: Q steer,k =V k Q k

[0053] The specific beamforming matrix can be: Q steer,k =V k Q k D water-fill

[0054] Here Q k It is a spatially extended matrix, and the elements in the matrix are defined by the protocol. D water-fill This is a diagonal matrix used for power water injection; the elements in the matrix are obtained by the manufacturer.

[0055] Coordinated beamforming (Co-BF) is a technique used in wireless communication systems, particularly in multi-antenna systems (such as MIMO systems) and cellular networks. Its main purpose is to enhance signal transmission efficiency and quality while reducing interference through cooperation among multiple antennas. Co-BF coordinates the transmit beams of multiple base stations or antenna arrays, enabling the receiver to receive a stronger signal and minimizing interference from other users or base stations. Co-BF can also be referred to as joint beamforming.

[0056] Key advantages of collaborative beamforming technology include:

[0057] 1) Improve signal quality: By adjusting the direction of the beam, the signal can be more accurately directed to the target user, thereby improving communication quality.

[0058] 2) Reduce interference: Reduce interference to nearby users or base stations by jointly optimizing the direction and power of the transmitted signal.

[0059] 3) Increase system capacity: By reducing interference, the overall system capacity can be increased, allowing more users to communicate simultaneously.

[0060] 4) Cooperative beamforming is typically used in applications requiring high data transmission rates and low latency, such as 5th-generation (5G) communication systems and wireless fidelity (WiFi).

[0061] 5) Interference between multiple APs is one of the common challenges in WLAN. It mainly stems from multiple APs operating on the same frequency band, causing mutual interference and thus affecting the stability and performance of the network.

[0062] As shown in Figure 2, AP1 is associated with STA1, and AP2 is associated with STA2. During communication, AP1 sends signals to STA1 while simultaneously interfering with STA2, and AP2 sends signals to STA2 while simultaneously interfering with STA1. Taking STA1's reception as an example: Y1 = H 11 x1+H 21 x² + n (1)

[0063] Here H 21 x2 represents the interference signal. A feasible solution is to use multi-AP cooperative beamforming. In this case, the transmitted signal is reshaped using a precoding matrix before transmission, as follows: The received signal of STA1 is then represented as: Y1 = H 11 W1x1+H 21W2x2+n (2)

[0064] This method uses the precoding matrix W2 to make H 21 W2 = 0, thus ensuring that the interference signal received by STA1 is effectively suppressed, i.e.: H 21 W²x² = 0. (3)

[0065] Similarly, AP1 should also do the following: H 12 W1x1=0.

[0066] Obtaining W1 involves the following steps:

[0067] Step 1, find H 12 The zero matrix H 12 W′1=0;

[0068] Step 2, for the equivalent matrix H 11 W′1 is subjected to general SVD decomposition + water injection (reverse water injection) to obtain the beamforming matrix W″1;

[0069] Step 3, the final Co-BF matrix W1 = W′1W″1.

[0070] FTTR (Fiber to the Room) technology is a fiber-optic-based network connectivity technology designed to bring high-speed fiber optic networks directly into every room of a building. Unlike traditional broadband access methods such as Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or Fiber to the Floor (FTTH), FTTR provides higher quality and more stable network service by directly connecting fiber optic cables to the interior of rooms. FTTR technology can significantly improve WiFi coverage, reduce network latency, and optimize user experience, especially in large-scale and high-density user environments.

[0071] Applying Co-BF technology to FTTR has several potential benefits:

[0072] 1) Enhanced signal coverage: In FTTR, fiber optic cables provide high-speed network access, while Co-BF can utilize wireless technology to optimize the wireless signal transmission of the FTTR system, reducing coverage dead zones, especially in complex buildings. This method ensures that network signal quality remains high even in room corners or where walls obstruct the view.

[0073] 2) Improved network stability: Co-BF enables FTTR systems to maintain high stability in multi-user environments. Through beamforming technology, the system can accurately concentrate and transmit signals to the required devices, avoiding interference and signal loss, and improving the overall stability of the network.

[0074] 3) Reduced interference: Co-BF technology can dynamically adjust the signal transmission direction, reducing interference from neighboring rooms or devices. This allows FTTR technology to run multiple network traffic simultaneously in a multi-room environment without conflict or interference, thereby improving the user experience.

[0075] 4) Optimized data transmission efficiency: Co-BF can improve the data transmission rate of the FTTR system by intelligently selecting the optimal signal path and transmission method. Especially in high-traffic application scenarios, Co-BF helps improve the utilization of network resources and ensures efficient data transmission.

[0076] Overall, the combination of Co-BF technology and FTTR can further enhance the network experience of fiber-to-the-room access, ensuring higher quality wireless coverage and more stable connections, especially in high-demand and high-density user environments.

[0077] A key feature of the multi-AP cooperative beamforming mentioned above compared to single-AP beamforming is the addition of digital domain interference cancellation for STAs within the OBSS, the principle of which is illustrated in formulas (2) and (3). Compared to beamforming technologies in WIFI 7 and earlier, which only acquire channel information of the AP and its associated STA devices, cooperative beamforming (Co-BF) requires additional acquisition of the channel represented by the dashed line in Figure 2 to achieve interference suppression for STA devices within the OBSS. Taking AP1 as an example, AP1 needs to acquire channel H... 11 In addition, channel H also needs to be obtained 21 Therefore, the overhead of the measurement process used to coordinate with beamforming is also relatively high. This is also evidenced by the published UHR sounding process in related technologies.

[0078] Currently, two measurement methods have been published in the relevant technologies: sequential measurement and combined measurement.

[0079] For example, Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence measurement method according to some embodiments. As shown in Figure 3, during Extremely High Throughput (EHT) Transport Block (TB) Sounding, AP1 initiates an EHT null data packet (NDP) announcement to coordinate EHT channel sounding. After the EHT NDP announcement, AP1 waits for one short interframe space (SIFS) before sending an EHT Sounding NDP for channel sounding and measurement. After waiting for another SIFS, AP1 sends a beamforming report poll (BFRP) trigger signal, requesting STA1 to report its beamforming status. After the BFRP trigger is sent, AP1 waits for one SIFS to receive feedback from STA1. STA1 is associated with AP1, indicating that it is a terminal device of AP1 and participates in the measurement process. STA1 performs EHT compressed beamforming / channel quality indicator (CQI) measurements and feeds the results back to AP1.

[0080] During Cross-BSS UHR TB Sounding, AP1 initiates a UHR NDP Announcement to coordinate channel sounding across the basic service set (BSS). After the UHR NDP Announcement, it waits for a SIFS. Upon receiving AP1's UHR NDP Announcement, AP2 sends an EHT Sounding NDP to participate in cross-BSS channel sounding. AP1 sends a BFRP Trigger, requesting STA1 to report its beamforming status. STA1 associates with AP1, indicating that it is AP1's terminal device and participates in cross-BSS channel sounding. STA1 performs TBD Compressed Beamforming / CQI measurements and provides feedback.

[0081] For example, Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a joint measurement method according to some embodiments. As shown in Figure 4, AP1 initiates a UHR NDP Announcement to coordinate the channel sounding process. After the UHR NDP Announcement, after waiting for one SIFS, AP1 and AP2 send an EHT Sounding NDP for channel sounding and measurement. After waiting for another SIFS, AP1 sends a BFRP Trigger, requesting STA1 to report its beamforming status. STA1 associates with AP1, indicating that it is a terminal device of AP1 and participates in the measurement process. STA1 performs a TBD Compressed Beamforming / CQI 1 measurement and provides feedback.

[0082] It can be seen that using the sequential measurement method requires four sequential procedures before a single cooperative beamforming operation to obtain sufficient information for the operation. Similarly, using the joint measurement method requires two sequential procedures for a single joint measurement to obtain sufficient information for cooperative beamforming. In these processes, each STA is measured once by an AP within the BSS and once by an AP within the OBSS participating in Co-BF. If the measurement bandwidth is too large, leading to fragmentation, the already lengthy feedback overhead will further increase.

[0083] Assume STA1, associated with AP1, operates at a 160MHz bandwidth, and STA2, associated with AP2, operates at a 20MHz bandwidth. AP1, AP2, STA1, and STA2 form a Co-BF group. AP1 and AP2 both have 4 antennas, while STA1 and STA2 each have 2 antennas. STA1 needs to participate in the measurement process from AP1 and AP2. Taking AP1 as an example, assuming explicit compressed feedback is already used, the amount of channel state information (CSI) that STA1 needs to feedback is as follows:

[0084] Effective subcarrier count: 980 * 2 = 8820;

[0085] Givens number of rotations: N givens =N SS *(2N t -N ss -1) / 2;

[0086] The number of rotations given is equal to the number of types of ψ in the compression feedback. Substituting the preset parameters, we have:

[0087] The other compression parameter Φ is the number of bits and the number of spatial streams N. ss related, To balance the accuracy and overhead of the feedback, assuming that parameter Φ is quantized with 4 bits and parameter ψ with 2 bits, and the grouping is 4, the calculated feedback overhead is: N info =(5*2+4*2)*3820 / 4=8820bits

[0088] Consider using a 2-space-stream modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for transmission: T = 8820 / 2860 ≈ 3µs

[0089] Even under the most ideal scenario, the optical feedback section still requires 3µs of time. In actual deployment, the following issues will also be encountered:

[0090] 1. Compressed beamforming is an Action No Ack frame. Using too high a transmission rate cannot guarantee transmission reliability.

[0091] 2. Co-BF has high requirements for the quality of channel feedback, but the estimation process uses low-precision 2-bit quantization and 4-subcarrier grouping.

[0092] If a conservative design is adopted, using MCS7 for transmission and employing higher precision feedback Φ quantized with 6 bits and parameter ψ quantized with 4 bits, then a single feedback would take approximately 10.7µs, and the overhead feedback time for a second feedback would reach 21.4µs. This does not even consider the impact of unreliable transmission on Co-BF; the more data transmitted, the greater the possibility of unreliable transmission.

[0093] It is evident that the protocol layer should minimize and optimize the measurement overhead introduced in Co-BF transmission to reduce the possibility of potential air interface transmission loss and improve the effectiveness of OBSS interference suppression in Co-BF.

[0094] To address the aforementioned overhead optimization issues, a thorough analysis of interference bandwidth and Co-BF technical details revealed potential for overhead optimization in scenarios with uneven STA operating bandwidth.

[0095] In view of this, this disclosure provides an information indication method, which designs a signaling interaction process to implement partial bandwidth beamforming at the protocol level. The method includes sending a first indication message, which indicates whether a first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission. This allows the AP to flexibly adjust its transmission strategy to adapt to changes in network conditions. For example, when facing severe OBSS interference, the AP can choose to enable cooperative beamforming transmission on the interfering bandwidth to enhance its interference suppression capability. This reduces the measurement overhead introduced in cooperative beamforming transmission while lowering air interface transmission loss and improving the effectiveness of OBSS interference suppression.

[0096] The method provided in this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems, such as Internet of Things (IoT) systems, ambient Internet of Things (Ambient IoT) systems, narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, 5th-generation (5G) communication systems, 3GPP-related communication systems, or systems integrating multiple systems, as well as new communication systems emerging in future communication development (such as 6th-generation (6G) communication systems). The method provided in this disclosure can also be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) systems, such as WiFi, and this disclosure does not limit the scope of the application.

[0097] For example, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to some embodiments. The communication system includes a first AP, a second AP, and a STA. The first AP and the second AP are communicatively connected to the STA, and there can be one or more of the first AP, the second AP, and the STA; the number is not limited. In some embodiments, the first AP can be referred to as a first node, the second AP as a second node, and the STA as a third node. In some embodiments, the first AP can be referred to as a sharing AP, and the second AP as a shared AP.

[0098] Sharing an AP refers to actively transferring some client devices to other APs. When an AP is overloaded or has poor signal quality, it will transfer some clients to an AP with a lighter load or better signal to optimize network performance.

[0099] A shared access point (AP) is an access point that receives client devices from other APs. It typically has a lighter load or better signal quality and can accommodate more clients.

[0100] Here, an Access Point (AP) is a device with wireless communication capabilities, supporting communication or sensing using the WLAN protocol. It has the function of communicating or sensing with other devices (such as stations or other access points) in the WLAN network, and can also communicate or sense with other devices. Alternatively, an access point acts as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, primarily connecting various wireless network clients together and then connecting the wireless network to the Ethernet. In a WLAN system, an access point can be called an Access Point Station (AP STA). This wireless communication device can be a complete device, or a chip 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 disclosure under the control of the chip or processing system. The AP in the embodiments of this disclosure is a device that provides services to STAs. For example, an access point can be an access point for terminals (such as mobile phones) to enter a wired (or wireless) network, mainly deployed in homes, buildings, and parks, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters; it can also be deployed outdoors. For example, an AP can be a communication server, router, switch, bridge, or other communication entity; an AP can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, etc. Of course, an AP can also be the chip and processing system within these various types of devices, thereby implementing the methods and functions of the embodiments of this disclosure. The access point in this disclosure can be a high-efficiency (HE) AP or an extremely high-throughput (EHT) AP, or an access point applicable to future WiFi standards, etc.

[0101] An access point (AP) can be either multi-antenna or single-antenna. An AP includes physical layer (PHY) processing circuitry and medium access control (MAC) processing circuitry. The PHY processing circuitry is used to process physical layer signals, and the MAC processing circuitry is used to process MAC layer signals.

[0102] For example, the AP can send a trigger frame to the STA, and the STA will then send a beamforming report frame to the AP based on the trigger frame.

[0103] A Station on a Wireless Interface (STA) is a device with wireless communication capabilities that supports communication or sensing using the WLAN protocol, and has the ability to communicate or sense other stations or access points in a WLAN network. In a WLAN system, a station can be called a non-access point station (non-AP STA). For example, an STA is any user communication device that allows a user to communicate or sense with an Access Point (AP) and thus communicate with the WLAN. This wireless communication device can be a complete device, or it can be a chip or processing system installed in a complete device. Devices with these chips or processing systems can implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this disclosure under the control of the chip or processing system. For example, a station can be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal, and can also be referred to as a user. Furthermore, a station can be a mobile phone supporting WiFi communication, a tablet computer supporting WiFi communication, a set-top box supporting WiFi communication, a smart TV supporting WiFi communication, a smart wearable device supporting WiFi communication, an in-vehicle communication device supporting WiFi communication, and a computer supporting WiFi communication, etc.

[0104] A physical layer oscillator (STA) can be a single-antenna or a multi-antenna oscillator. A STA can include PHY processing circuitry and MAC processing circuitry. The physical layer processing circuitry can be used to process physical layer signals, and the MAC layer processing circuitry can be used to process MAC layer signals.

[0105] WLAN systems can provide high-speed, low-latency transmission. As WLAN application scenarios continue to evolve, WLAN systems will be applied to more scenarios and industries, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) industry, the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) industry, the banking industry, enterprise offices, stadiums, exhibition halls, concert halls, hotel rooms, dormitories, hospital wards, classrooms, supermarkets, squares, streets, production workshops, and warehouses. Of course, devices supporting WLAN communication or sensing (such as access points or sites) can be sensor nodes in smart cities (e.g., smart water meters, smart electricity meters, smart air quality monitoring nodes), smart devices in smart homes (e.g., smart cameras, projectors, displays, televisions, speakers, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.), nodes in the IoT, entertainment terminals (e.g., AR, VR wearable devices), smart devices in smart offices (e.g., printers, projectors, amplifiers, speakers, etc.), IoV devices, infrastructure in daily life scenarios (e.g., vending machines, supermarket self-service navigation kiosks, self-checkout machines, self-service ordering machines, etc.), and equipment in large sports and music venues. For example, access points and sites can be devices used in vehicle networks, IoT nodes and sensors in the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cameras, smart remote controls, smart water and electricity meters in smart homes, and sensors in smart cities. This disclosure does not limit the specific forms of STAs and APs; these are merely illustrative examples.

[0106] It should be noted that Figure 5 is only an exemplary framework diagram. The number of devices included in Figure 5 and the names of each device are not limited. In addition to the devices shown in Figure 5, the communication system may also include other devices, such as core network devices. This disclosure does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0107] The application scenarios of the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited. The system architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this disclosure are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0108] This disclosure provides an information indication method applied to a first access point (AP). As shown in FIG6, the method includes the following steps:

[0109] S101, the first AP sends a first indication message, which is used to indicate whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0110] Here, partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission uses multiple antennas to work together to perform cooperative beamforming on a portion of the frequency band, rather than processing the entire operating bandwidth. This reduces the measurement overhead introduced in cooperative beamforming transmission and effectively suppresses interference.

[0111] Understandably, if the primary goal is to suppress interference, then only the portion of the bandwidth where interference occurs (i.e., the overlapping subcarriers) needs to be subjected to cooperative beamforming.

[0112] For example, as shown in Figure 7, for a cooperative beamforming group consisting of 2 APs and 2 STAs, mutual interference only occurs on the interfering portion of the operating bandwidth because the transmission bandwidth usually requires strict alignment.

[0113] In practice, the digital beamforming process of Co-BF is performed at the subcarrier level. If interference suppression is the primary consideration, Co-BF only needs to be applied to the subcarriers in the interference section of Figure 7. Thus, based on the description in the background section above, only 20MHz of channel information needs to be fed back, and the amount of feedback information is 1 / 8 of that in the correlation scheme. This reduces the measurement overhead introduced in cooperative beamforming transmission, lowers air interface transmission loss, and improves the effectiveness of OBSS interference suppression.

[0114] To achieve the above functions at the protocol level, this disclosure presents a signaling interaction process to realize partial bandwidth beamforming.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first indication information may be sent in at least one of the following stages: discovery stage, association stage, multi-AP establishment stage, initial stage of cooperative beamforming transmission, triggering stage of cooperative beamforming transmission, and cooperative beamforming transmission stage.

[0116] Here, the indication method of the first indication information can be varied. For example, the first indication information can be 2 bits of information, where "00" indicates that the first AP does not support or does not enable partial bandwidth co-beamforming transmission, and "01" indicates that the first AP supports or enables partial bandwidth co-beamforming transmission. Another example is that the first indication information can be a string, where "Paritial Bandwidth Co-BF Allowed" indicates support or enable of partial bandwidth co-beamforming transmission, and "Paritial Bandwidth Co-BF not Allowed" indicates that partial bandwidth co-beamforming transmission is not supported or is not enabled. Of course, the above indication methods for the first indication information are merely examples, and the indication methods for the following indication information (such as the second, third, and fourth indication information below) can also refer to the above indication methods. In addition, there are other indication methods for the indication information in this disclosure, which will not be elaborated upon here. The embodiments of this disclosure do not limit the implementation of the specific indication method of the indication information.

[0117] During the discovery phase, the initiating AP announces via announcement frames whether it has partial bandwidth beamforming capabilities.

[0118] In some embodiments, the first AP sends first indication information, including: the first AP sends an announcement frame (such as a beacon frame) that includes the first indication information.

[0119] Here, the announcement frame transmission phase is the discovery phase before the STA and AP are associated. A typical announcement frame is a Beacon frame sent by the AP. Beacon frames are management frames periodically sent by access points (APs) in wireless local area networks (WLANs) to announce the existence of the network and convey key information. Client devices discover and connect to the wireless network by receiving Beacon frames. For example, the first AP can add a first indication to the UHR Co-BF related capability field in the Beacon frame to indicate whether it supports partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming. For instance, the first indication might exist in the Beacon frame as a field indicating "Partial Bandwidth Co-BF Allowed" or a similar field.

[0120] For the first AP, if partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming is required, its transmit block diagram will change compared to the previous one, as shown in Figure 8. The dashed block diagram represents the additional physical layer (PHY) processing module needed to implement partial bandwidth beamforming. Since the signal processing in the transmit section will differ, it is necessary to indicate whether this capability is present in the announcement frame. The corresponding signal processing in the receive section will also change accordingly. If the above field is not present, it can be assumed that the function is not supported; however, if the function is required, the absence of this field can also be assumed to indicate that the function is supported. A detailed description of the modules in Figure 8 is as follows:

[0121] Grouping: Subcarriers are grouped into those that perform Co-BF and those that perform only ordinary BF or only identity mapping.

[0122] Cooperative beamforming: Digital signal processing corresponding to cooperative beamforming.

[0123] Beamforming or identity mapping: Perform ordinary non-cooperative beamforming or directly perform spatial spreading and identity mapping, depending on the specific product implementation and whether sufficient channel information has been acquired.

[0124] Merging: Merging subcarriers that have undergone two different signal processing steps.

[0125] Inverse Fourier Transform: After frequency domain processing, the waveform is converted into a time domain waveform.

[0126] During the association phase, the initiating AP and STA interact via request and response frames to determine whether partial bandwidth beamforming capability is supported.

[0127] In some embodiments, before sending the first indication information, the first AP further includes: the first AP receiving a first request frame sent by a first site device (STA). Here, sending the first indication information by the first AP includes: the first AP sending a first response frame to the STA, the first response frame including the first indication information.

[0128] In some embodiments, the first request frame is a probe request frame and the first response frame is a probe response frame; or, the first request frame is an association request frame and the first response frame is an association response frame.

[0129] Here, the first request frame and the first response frame can be located in the association phase. Specifically, the association phase can be the probe and response phase between the AP and STA, in which case the first request frame can be called a probe request frame, and the first response frame can be called a probe response frame. Alternatively, the association phase can also be the association and response phase between the AP and STA, in which case the first request frame can be called an association request frame, and the first response frame can be called an association response frame.

[0130] In some embodiments, the first indication information is carried in a capability field related to ultra-high reliability cooperative beamforming and / or a working field related to ultra-high reliability.

[0131] In some embodiments, the first AP receives a second indication message sent by the STA, the second indication message being used to indicate whether the STA supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0132] In some embodiments, the first AP receiving second indication information sent by the STA includes: the first AP receiving a first request frame sent by the STA, the first request frame including the second indication information.

[0133] In some embodiments, the second indication information is carried in a capability field related to ultra-high reliability cooperative beamforming or an operation field related to ultra-high reliability.

[0134] In some embodiments, the indication information can be sent implicitly. For example, for the first response frame (or first request frame), a related field or a field with a similar meaning can be added to the corresponding capability field related to UHR Co-BF to indicate whether the first AP (or STA) supports partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission. Adding a related field to the UHR working field indicates whether the first AP (or STA) has enabled partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission. If the above field does not appear, it can be assumed that the first AP (or STA) does not support or has not enabled this function; however, if partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission is required as a necessary function, the absence of this field can also be assumed to indicate that the function is supported or enabled.

[0135] For example, a related field or a similar field can be added to the UHR Capabilities field to indicate whether the first AP (or STA) supports partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission. As shown in Figure 9, a Partial Bandwidth Co-BF Capable field can be added to the UHR Beamforming Capabilities / UHR Co-BF Capabilities / Co-BF Capabilities subfields to indicate whether the first AP (or STA) supports partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming capability.

[0136] For example, adding relevant fields to the UHR operation information field indicates whether the first AP (or STA) has enabled partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission. As shown in Figure 10, Element ID: This is a field related to UHR operation and can be used to identify or distinguish different work elements or items. Length: This field can represent some length information related to UHR operation, such as operation duration, data length, etc. The specific meaning needs to be determined based on the context. Adding Partial Bandwidth Co-BF Enable or Partial Bandwidth Co-BF fields to the UHR operation information field indicates whether the first AP (or STA) has enabled partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0137] For example, Figure 11 is an interactive flowchart of an information indication method according to some embodiments, in which the STA and AP interact to achieve partial bandwidth Co-BF capability through probe request frames and probe response frames. Specifically, it includes the following steps:

[0138] Step 1: The AP sends a beacon frame to the STA;

[0139] Step 2: The STA sends a probe request frame to the AP;

[0140] Step 3: The AP sends a probe response frame to the STA.

[0141] Here, the beacon frame or probe response frame may include first indication information for indicating whether the AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission. The probe request frame may include second indication information for indicating whether the STA supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0142] In some embodiments, the STA does not parse information about whether it supports partial bandwidth Co-BF in the beacon frame sent by the AP, and carries second indication information in the probe request frame to indicate that the STA supports partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission. After receiving the probe request frame from the STA, the AP finds that the STA supports partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission and the AP also supports partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission, then the AP also carries second indication information in the probe response frame to indicate that the AP supports and enables partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission.

[0143] In some embodiments, if the STA does not support partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission, a second indication information for indicating that the STA does not support or does not enable partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission may be carried in the probe request frame.

[0144] In some embodiments, if the AP does not support or does not enable partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission, a first indication message for indicating that the AP does not support or does not enable partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission may be carried in the probe response frame or beacon frame.

[0145] For example, as shown in Figure 12, the STA and AP interact with each other to achieve partial bandwidth Co-BF capability through association request frames and association response frames. Specifically, this includes the following steps:

[0146] Step 1: The AP sends a beacon frame to the STA;

[0147] Step 2: The STA sends an association request frame to the AP;

[0148] Step 3: The AP sends an association response frame to the STA.

[0149] Here, the beacon frame or association response frame may include first indication information for indicating whether the AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission. The association request frame may include second indication information for indicating whether the STA supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0150] In some embodiments, the STA does not parse information about whether it supports partial bandwidth Co-BF from the beacon frame sent by the AP, and carries second indication information in the association request frame to indicate that the STA supports partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission. After receiving the association request frame from the STA, the AP finds that the STA supports partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission and the AP also supports partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission, then the AP also carries second indication information in the association response frame to indicate that the AP supports and enables partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission.

[0151] In some embodiments, if the STA does not support partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission, a second indication information for indicating that the STA does not support or does not enable partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission may be carried in the associated request frame.

[0152] In some embodiments, if the AP does not support or does not enable partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission, a first indication message for indicating that the AP does not support or does not enable partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission may be carried in the associated response frame or beacon frame.

[0153] In this way, AP and STA can complete part of the bandwidth Co-BF capability interaction within their BSS through announcement frames (such as beacon frames) and association handshake frames (such as probe request / response frames and association request / response frames).

[0154] During the multi-AP setup phase, APs can exchange information about whether they have partial bandwidth beamforming capabilities through certain frames (such as management frames). That is, request and response frames may contain fields indicating whether different APs support and enable partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming or contain similar meanings.

[0155] In some embodiments, the first AP sends a second request frame to the second AP. The second request frame is used to request the establishment of a multi-AP group and includes first indication information.

[0156] In some embodiments, after the first indication information instructs the first AP to support and / or enable partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission, the first AP sends information about the portion of the bandwidth in which it participates in cooperative beamforming to the second AP. The information about the partial bandwidth includes: the bandwidth size in which the first AP participates in cooperative beamforming and / or channel location information. The channel location information may include a channel number and / or a bit pattern related to frequency band resources.

[0157] In some embodiments, information related to the bandwidth of the first AP participating in cooperative beamforming can be carried in the second request frame, the third request frame, and the trigger frame.

[0158] In some embodiments, the first AP receives third indication information sent by the second AP, the third indication information being used to indicate whether the second AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0159] In some embodiments, when the third indication information instructs the second AP to support and / or enable partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission, the second AP sends information about the portion of the bandwidth in which it participates in cooperative beamforming to the first AP. This partial bandwidth information includes: the bandwidth size in which the second AP participates in cooperative beamforming and / or channel location information. The channel location information may include a channel number and / or a bit pattern related to frequency band resources.

[0160] In some embodiments, information related to the portion of the bandwidth in which the second AP participates in cooperative beamforming can be carried in the second response frame and the third response frame.

[0161] In some embodiments, before the first AP receives the third indication information sent by the second AP, the method further includes: the first AP sending a second request frame to the second AP, the second request frame being used to request the establishment of a multi-AP group. Here, the first AP receiving the third indication information sent by the second AP includes: the first AP receiving a second response frame sent by the second AP, the second response frame being used to instruct the second AP to accept the establishment of the multi-AP group, the second response frame including the third indication information.

[0162] In some embodiments, while the third indication information is used to indicate that the second AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission, the second response frame also includes information related to the partial bandwidth in which the second AP participates in cooperative beamforming. The information related to the partial bandwidth includes: the bandwidth size in which the second AP participates in cooperative beamforming and / or channel location information. The channel location information may include a channel number and / or a bit pattern related to frequency band resources.

[0163] For example, as shown in Figure 13, the first AP (sharing AP) and the second AP (the AP being shared with) achieve partial bandwidth Co-BF capability interaction through MAP establishment request frames (i.e., the second request frame) and MAP establishment response frames (the second response frame). Specifically, this includes the following steps:

[0164] Step 1: The first AP sends a MAP establishment request frame to the second AP. The MAP establishment request frame is used to request the establishment of a multi-AP group.

[0165] Step 2: The second AP sends a MAP establishment response frame to the first AP.

[0166] Here, the MAP establishment request frame may include first indication information indicating whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission. The MAP establishment response frame may include third indication information indicating whether the second AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission. If partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission is enabled, relevant information about the partial bandwidth may be indicated. The relevant information about the partial bandwidth may include the size of the bandwidth participating in cooperative beamforming and / or channel location information, and feasible reporting content includes at least one of the following: the size of the bandwidth participating in cooperative beamforming, channel number, or a bit pattern related to frequency band resources. The relevant information about the partial bandwidth may be included in the MAP establishment request frame, and it may also be included in the MAP establishment response frame. Here, the MAP establishment response frame carries relevant information about the partial bandwidth of the shared AP participating in cooperative beamforming. The MAP establishment request frame carries relevant information about the partial bandwidth of the sharing AP participating in cooperative beamforming.

[0167] In some embodiments, the second AP parses the establishment request frame sent by the first AP to determine that it supports partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission, and carries third indication information in the MAP establishment response frame to indicate that the second AP supports partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission. Upon receiving the MAP establishment request frame from the second AP, the first AP determines to enable partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission.

[0168] In some embodiments, the second AP does not parse information regarding whether it supports partial bandwidth Co-BF in the setup request frame sent by the first AP, but carries third indication information in the MAP setup response frame to indicate that the second AP supports partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission. After receiving the MAP setup response frame from the second AP and finding that the second AP supports partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission, the first AP determines whether to enable partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission based on its own capabilities.

[0169] In some embodiments, if the first AP does not support partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission, a first indication message for indicating that the first AP does not support or does not enable partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission may be carried in the MAP establishment request frame.

[0170] In some embodiments, if the second AP does not support or does not enable partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission, a third indication information for indicating that the second AP does not support or does not enable partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission may be carried in the MAP establishment response frame.

[0171] In the initial phase of cooperative beamforming transmission, the sharing AP (second AP) informs itself of its partial bandwidth beamforming capability via an initial control response frame. The sharing AP (first AP) does not need to include the relevant field regarding its partial bandwidth beamforming capability in the initial control frame.

[0172] In some embodiments, before the first AP receives the third indication information sent by the second AP, the process includes: the first AP sending a third request frame to the second AP, the third request frame being used to request cooperative beamforming transmission. The first AP receiving the third indication information sent by the second AP includes: the first AP receiving a third response frame sent by the second AP, the third response frame being used to instruct the second AP to participate in cooperative beamforming transmission, the third response frame including the third indication information.

[0173] In some embodiments, the third indication information is used to indicate that the second AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission. The third response frame also includes information related to the partial bandwidth in which the second AP participates in cooperative beamforming. The information related to the partial bandwidth includes: the bandwidth size in which the second AP participates in cooperative beamforming and / or channel location information. The channel location information may include a channel number and / or a bit pattern related to frequency band resources.

[0174] For example, as shown in Figure 14, the sharing AP initiates a Co-BF transmission request via an Initial Control Frame (ICF), and the shared AP participates in the Co-BF transmission via an Initial Control Response (ICR), indicating in its operation field whether to enable partial bandwidth Co-BF. Upon receiving the ICR, the sharing AP can decide whether to perform partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission based on its own and the shared AP's enabled partial bandwidth Co-BF transmission status. Afterwards, the sharing AP and the shared AP exchange Physical Layer Protocol Data Units (PPDUs).

[0175] Here, enabling partial bandwidth Co-BF can indicate relevant information about the partial bandwidth. This information includes the size of the bandwidth participating in cooperative beamforming and / or channel location information. Possible reported partial bandwidth information includes at least one of the following: the size of the bandwidth participating in cooperative beamforming, channel number, or bit pattern related to frequency band resources. This partial bandwidth information may be included in the STA information to be transmitted as indicated by the ICR. It can also be carried in the ICF. Here, the ICR carries information about the partial bandwidth of the shared AP participating in cooperative beamforming. The ICF carries information about the partial bandwidth of the sharing AP participating in cooperative beamforming.

[0176] Here, ICF refers to the third request frame mentioned above, and ICR refers to the third response frame mentioned above. Afterwards, the sharing AP and the AP being shared with exchange Physical Layer Protocol Data Units (PPDUs).

[0177] During the triggering phase of Co-BF transmission, the sharing AP (first AP) indicates whether the current Co-BF transmission type is partial bandwidth beamforming through a trigger frame.

[0178] In some embodiments, the first AP sends a trigger frame to trigger cooperative beamforming transmission. The trigger frame includes fourth indication information indicating whether partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission is enabled. This allows the STA to better perform demodulation by including the fourth indication information in the trigger frame.

[0179] In some embodiments, the fourth indication information is used to indicate the initiation of partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission, and the trigger frame also includes information related to the partial bandwidth of the first AP and the second AP participating in cooperative beamforming. The information related to the partial bandwidth includes the size and / or location of the bandwidth participating in cooperative beamforming, and may also include information related to overlapping subcarriers of the first AP and the second AP. Possible reported information related to the partial bandwidth includes at least one of the following: the size of the bandwidth participating in cooperative beamforming, channel number, or bit pattern related to frequency band resources. The information related to the partial bandwidth is included in the Co-BF trigger frame.

[0180] For example, as shown in Figure 15, the sharing AP initiates a Co-BF joint transmission request via ICF, and the shared AP participates in the Co-BF joint transmission via ICR. The sharing AP indicates whether to enable partial bandwidth Co-BF in the Co-BF Trigger (the trigger frame for Co-BF). If partial bandwidth Co-BF is enabled, the Co-BF Trigger can carry information related to the partial bandwidth. Afterwards, the sharing AP and the shared AP perform PPDU (Portable Component Distribution Unit).

[0181] In this way, the sharing AP and the AP being shared with communicate via ICF and ICR frames to check the support and activation status of partial bandwidth Co-BF capabilities in the BSS and OBSS. When both the BSS and OBSS support partial bandwidth Co-BF, this function can be used for transmission in subsequent Co-BF operations.

[0182] It is understandable that the partial bandwidth Co-BF activation status and related information about the partial bandwidth of Co-BF, which are both indicated in the initial stage and the trigger stage of Co-BF transmission, can be indicated in one of these two stages.

[0183] During cooperative beamforming transmission, if partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission is determined to be used, the MAC layer of the first AP (sharing AP) indicates to the first AP whether to enable or support partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission and related information about the bandwidth involved in cooperative beamforming, through certain information. Since whether or not partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming is used will result in a slight difference in the transmission process, the MAC layer of the first AP needs to indicate relevant information to the PHY layer of the first AP.

[0184] In some embodiments, the MAC layer of the first AP sends first information to the PHY of the first AP, the first information including first indication information.

[0185] In some embodiments, the first information further includes information related to a portion of the bandwidth in which the first AP participates in cooperative beamforming. The information related to the portion of the bandwidth includes the size and / or location information of the portion of the bandwidth in which the first AP participates in cooperative beamforming.

[0186] Here, the initial information can be carried in the Physical Layer Management Entity (PLME) or the TXVECTOR. The TXVECTOR is a set of Physical Layer (PHY) parameters used for transmitting frames. It contains various configuration information required when sending data frames, which can be found in the relevant protocol descriptions and will not be elaborated here.

[0187] For example, the MAC layer of the first AP indicates to the PHY of the first AP the transmission type of this cooperative beamforming (whether to support and / or enable partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission) and the size and / or location information of the bandwidth participating in cooperative beamforming through primitives in the PLME. Table 1 provides a configuration example related to the ultra-high throughput (UHR) of the PHY in the PLME.

[0188] Compared to related technologies, the method disclosed herein can reduce the feedback overhead of the joint measurement process and the computational complexity required for cooperative beamforming when the BSS and OBSS bandwidths are unequal. Furthermore, based on an analysis of the underlying principles of Co-BF, this disclosure presents an interference bandwidth identification method that can process only the interference bandwidth (a portion of the bandwidth). This can reduce the potential for air interface transmission loss and improve the effectiveness of OBSS interference suppression in Co-BF.

[0189] This disclosure provides an information indication method applied to a STA. As shown in FIG16, the method includes the following steps:

[0190] S201, STA receives first indication information sent by first AP, the first indication information being used to indicate whether first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0191] In some embodiments, the STA receiving first indication information sent by the first AP includes: the STA receiving an announcement frame sent by the first AP, the announcement frame including the first indication information.

[0192] In some embodiments, before receiving the first indication information sent by the first AP, the STA further includes: sending a first request frame to the first AP. Here, the STA receiving the first indication information sent by the first AP includes: the STA receiving a first response frame sent by the first AP, the first response frame including the first indication information.

[0193] In some embodiments, the first request frame is a probe request frame and the first response frame is a probe response frame; or, the first request frame is an association request frame and the first response frame is an association response frame.

[0194] In some embodiments, the STA sends a second indication message to the first AP, the second indication message being used to indicate whether the STA supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0195] In some embodiments, the STA sends second indication information to the first AP, including: the STA sends a first request frame to the first AP, the first request frame including the second indication information.

[0196] In some embodiments, the STA receives a trigger frame for triggering cooperative beamforming transmission. The trigger frame includes fourth indication information for indicating whether partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission is enabled.

[0197] In some embodiments, the fourth indication information is used to indicate the activation of partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission, and the trigger frame also includes information related to the partial bandwidth of the first AP and the second AP participating in cooperative beamforming.

[0198] For a more detailed description of S201 above, as well as a more detailed description of each technical feature and a description of the beneficial effects, please refer to the description in the above embodiments or examples, which will not be repeated here.

[0199] This disclosure provides an information indication method applied to a second access point (AP). As shown in FIG17, the method includes the following steps:

[0200] S301, the second AP receives the first indication information sent by the first AP. The first indication information is used to indicate whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0201] In some embodiments, the second AP receiving the first indication information sent by the first AP includes: the second AP receiving a second request frame sent by the first AP, the second request frame being used to request the establishment of a multi-AP group, and the second request frame including the first indication information.

[0202] In some embodiments, the second AP sends a third indication message to the first AP, the third indication message being used to indicate whether the second AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0203] In some embodiments, before the second AP sends the third indication information to the first AP, the method further includes: the second AP receiving a second request frame sent by the first AP, the second request frame being used to request the establishment of a multi-AP group. Here, the second AP sending the third indication information to the first AP includes: the second AP sending a second response frame to the first AP, the second response frame being used to indicate that the second AP accepts the establishment of the multi-AP group, the second response frame including the third indication information.

[0204] In some embodiments, the third indication information is used to indicate that the second AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission, and the second response frame also includes information related to the partial bandwidth of the second AP participating in cooperative beamforming.

[0205] In some embodiments, before the second AP sends the third indication information, the method further includes: the second AP receiving a third request frame sent by the first AP, the third request frame being used to request cooperative beamforming transmission. Here, the second AP sending the third indication information to the first AP includes: the second AP sending a third response frame to the first AP, the third response frame being used to indicate that the second AP participates in cooperative beamforming transmission, the third response frame including the third indication information.

[0206] In some embodiments, the third indication information is used to indicate that the second AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission, and the third response frame also includes information related to the partial bandwidth of the second AP participating in cooperative beamforming.

[0207] In some embodiments, the third request frame includes information about a portion of the bandwidth in which the first AP participates in cooperative beamforming.

[0208] During cooperative beamforming transmission, if partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission is determined to be used, the MAC layer of the second AP (the AP being shared with) instructs the second AP whether to enable or support partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission and the relevant information about the bandwidth involved in cooperative beamforming through certain information. Since whether or not partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming is used will result in a slight difference in the transmission process, the MAC layer of the second AP needs to instruct the PHY layer of the second AP on the relevant information.

[0209] In some embodiments, the MAC layer of the second AP sends second information to the PHY of the second AP, the second information including third indication information.

[0210] In some embodiments, the second information may also include information related to a portion of the bandwidth involved in the cooperative beamforming.

[0211] Here, the second piece of information can be carried in the PLME or the TXVECTOR. For specific carrying methods, please refer to the description on the first AP side; details will not be repeated here.

[0212] For a more detailed description of S301 above, as well as a more detailed description of each technical feature and a description of the beneficial effects, please refer to the description in the above embodiments or examples, which will not be repeated here.

[0213] The foregoing primarily describes the solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure from a methodological perspective. A communication device is also illustrated below for executing the methods in any of the above embodiments and their possible implementations. It is understood that, in order to implement the information indication method, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of various functions; those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, in conjunction with the algorithm steps of the various examples described in the embodiments of this disclosure, this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the target application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each target application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0214] This disclosure embodiment can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or software. It should be noted that the module division in this disclosure embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. The following description uses the example of dividing each functional module according to each function.

[0215] Figure 18 is a block diagram of a communication device according to some embodiments, applied to a first access point (AP). The communication device 40 includes: a first communication module 41 and a second communication module 42.

[0216] Here, the first communication module 41 is used to send first indication information, which is used to indicate whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0217] In some embodiments, the first communication module 41 is configured to send an announcement frame, the announcement frame including first indication information.

[0218] In some embodiments, the second communication module 42 is configured to receive a first request frame sent by the first site device STA;

[0219] The first communication module 41 is used to send a first response frame to the STA, the first response frame including first indication information.

[0220] In some embodiments, the first request frame is a probe request frame and the first response frame is a probe response frame; or, the first request frame is an association request frame and the first response frame is an association response frame.

[0221] In some embodiments, the first indication information is carried in a capability field related to ultra-high reliability cooperative beamforming and / or a working field related to ultra-high reliability.

[0222] In some embodiments, the first communication module 41 is configured to send a second request frame to the second AP. The second request frame is used to request the establishment of a multi-AP group and includes first indication information.

[0223] In some embodiments, the second communication module 42 is configured to receive second indication information, which is used to indicate whether the STA supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0224] In some embodiments, the second communication module 42 is configured to receive a first request frame sent by the STA, the first request frame including second indication information.

[0225] In some embodiments, the second indication information is carried in a capability field related to ultra-high reliability cooperative beamforming or an operation field related to ultra-high reliability.

[0226] In some embodiments, the second communication module 42 is configured to receive third indication information, which indicates whether the second AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0227] In some embodiments, the first communication module 41 is configured to send a second request frame to the second AP, the second request frame being used to request the establishment of a multi-AP group;

[0228] The second communication module 42 is used to receive a second response frame sent by the second AP. The second response frame is used to instruct the second AP to accept the establishment of a multi-AP group. The second response frame includes third indication information.

[0229] In some embodiments, the first communication module 41 is used to send a third request frame to the second AP, the third request frame being used to request cooperative beamforming transmission;

[0230] The second communication module 42 is used to receive a third response frame sent by the second AP. The third response frame is used to instruct the second AP to participate in cooperative beamforming transmission. The third response frame includes third instruction information.

[0231] In some embodiments, the first communication module 41 is used to send a trigger frame, which is used to trigger cooperative beamforming transmission. The trigger frame includes fourth indication information, which is used to indicate whether partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission is enabled.

[0232] In some embodiments, the trigger frame may also include information about the portion of the bandwidth in which the first AP and the second AP participate in cooperative beamforming.

[0233] In some embodiments, the first communication device 41 is located in the media access control layer of the first AP, and the first communication device 41 is used to send first information to the physical layer of the first AP, the first information including first indication information.

[0234] In some embodiments, the first information may also include information related to a portion of the bandwidth involved in the cooperative beamforming.

[0235] For a more detailed description of the first communication module 41 and the second communication module 42, as well as a more detailed description of the various technical features and the beneficial effects, please refer to the corresponding method embodiment section above, which will not be repeated here.

[0236] Figure 19 is a block diagram of another communication device according to some embodiments, applied to a STA. The communication device 50 includes: a first communication module 51 and a second communication module 52.

[0237] Here, the first communication module 51 is used to receive the first indication information sent by the first AP. The first indication information is used to indicate whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0238] In some embodiments, the first communication module 51 is configured to receive an announcement frame sent by the first AP, the announcement frame including first indication information.

[0239] In some embodiments, the second communication module 52 is configured to send a first request frame to the first AP;

[0240] The first communication module 51 is used to receive a first response frame sent by the first AP, the first response frame including first indication information.

[0241] In some embodiments, the first request frame is a probe request frame and the first response frame is a probe response frame; or, the first request frame is an association request frame and the first response frame is an association response frame.

[0242] In some embodiments, the second communication module 52 is used to send second indication information, which is used to indicate whether the STA supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0243] In some embodiments, the second communication module 52 is configured to send a first request frame to the first AP, the first request frame including second indication information.

[0244] In some embodiments, the first communication module 51 is configured to receive a trigger frame, the trigger frame being used to trigger cooperative beamforming transmission, the trigger frame including fourth indication information, the fourth indication information being used to indicate whether partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission is enabled.

[0245] For a more detailed description of the first communication module 51 and the second communication module 52, as well as a more detailed description of the various technical features and the beneficial effects, please refer to the corresponding method embodiment section above, which will not be repeated here.

[0246] Figure 20 is a block diagram of another communication device according to some embodiments, applied to a second AP. The communication device 60 includes: a first communication module 61 and a second communication module 62.

[0247] The first communication module 61 is used to receive first indication information sent by the first AP. The first indication information is used to indicate whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0248] In some embodiments, the first communication module 61 is configured to receive a second request frame sent by the first AP, the second request frame being used to request the establishment of a multi-AP group, and the second request frame including first indication information.

[0249] In some embodiments, the second communication module 62 is configured to send third indication information, which indicates whether the second AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

[0250] In some embodiments, the first communication module 61 is configured to receive a second request frame sent by the first AP, the second request frame being used to request the establishment of a multi-AP group;

[0251] The second communication module 62 is used to send a second response frame to the first AP. The second response frame is used to instruct the second AP to accept the establishment of a multi-AP group. The second response frame includes third indication information.

[0252] In some embodiments, the first communication module 61 is configured to receive a third request frame sent by the first AP, the third request frame being used to request cooperative beamforming transmission; the second communication module 62 is configured to send a third response frame to the first AP, the third response frame being used to instruct the second AP to participate in cooperative beamforming transmission, the third response frame including third indication information.

[0253] In some embodiments, the first communication device 61 is located in the media access control layer of the second AP, and the first communication device 61 is used to send second information to the physical layer of the second AP, the second information including third indication information.

[0254] In some embodiments, the second information may also include information related to a portion of the bandwidth involved in the cooperative beamforming.

[0255] For a more detailed description of the first communication module 61 and the second communication module 62, as well as a more detailed description of the various technical features and the beneficial effects, please refer to the corresponding method embodiment section above, which will not be repeated here.

[0256] It should be noted that the modules in Figures 18, 19, and 20 can also be called units; for example, a communication module can be called a communication unit. Furthermore, in the embodiments shown in Figures 18, 19, and 20, the names of the modules may not be those shown in the figures; for example, a communication module can also be called a transmitting module or a receiving module.

[0257] The units or modules in Figures 18, 19, and 20, if implemented as software functional modules and sold or used as independent products, can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, essentially, or the parts that contribute to related technologies, or all or part of the technical solutions, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of this disclosure. Storage media for storing computer software products include 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.

[0258] In the case of implementing the functions of the integrated modules described above in hardware, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a possible structure for a communication device used to execute the information indication method provided in embodiments of this disclosure. As shown in FIG21, the communication device 700 includes: a communication interface 703, a processor 702, and a bus 704. In some embodiments, the communication device may further include a memory 701.

[0259] Processor 702 may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with embodiments of this disclosure. Processor 702 may be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital beamformer, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with embodiments of this disclosure. Processor 702 may also be a combination of computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a microprocessor, etc.

[0260] The communication interface 703 is used to connect to other devices via a communication network. This communication network can be Ethernet, wireless access network, wireless local area network (WLAN), etc.

[0261] The memory 701 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto.

[0262] In some embodiments, the memory 701 may exist independently of the processor 702. The memory 701 may be connected to the processor 702 via a bus 704 and is used to store instructions or program code. When the processor 702 calls and executes the instructions or program code stored in the memory 701, it can implement the information indication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0263] In other embodiments, the memory 701 may also be integrated with the processor 702.

[0264] Bus 704 can be an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Bus 704 can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used to represent it in Figure 21, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0265] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) storing computer program instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform an information indication method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0266] In some embodiments, the computer may be the aforementioned communication device, and this disclosure does not limit the specific form of the computer.

[0267] In some examples, the aforementioned computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes), optical disks (e.g., compact disks (CDs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMs), cards, sticks, or key drives, etc.). The various computer-readable storage media described in this disclosure may represent one or more devices for storing information and / or other machine-readable storage media. The term "machine-readable storage media" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0268] This disclosure provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to execute the information indication method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0269] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An information indication method, wherein, The method, applied to a first access point device (AP), includes: Send a first indication message, which is used to indicate whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The sending of the first instruction information includes: Send an announcement frame, the announcement frame including the first indication information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Before sending the first indication information, the method further includes: Receive the first request frame sent by the first site device (STA); The sending of the first instruction information includes: A first response frame is sent to the STA, the first response frame including the first indication information.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The first request frame is a probe request frame, and the first response frame is a probe response frame; or, the first request frame is an association request frame, and the first response frame is an association response frame.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The first indication information is carried in a capability field related to ultra-high reliability cooperative beamforming and / or a working field related to ultra-high reliability.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The sending of the first instruction information includes: A second request frame is sent to the second AP. The second request frame is used to request the establishment of a multi-AP group. The second request frame includes the first indication information.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: Receive a second indication message, which is used to indicate whether the STA supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The receipt of the second indication information includes: Receive a first request frame sent by the STA, the first request frame including the second indication information.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The second indication information is carried in a capability field related to ultra-high reliability cooperative beamforming or an operation field related to ultra-high reliability.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: Receive third indication information, which is used to indicate whether the second AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, Before receiving the third indication information, the method further includes: Send a second request frame to the second AP, the second request frame being used to request the establishment of a multi-AP group; The receipt of the third indication information includes: The second response frame sent by the second AP is received. The second response frame is used to indicate that the second AP accepts the establishment of a multi-AP group. The second response frame includes the third indication information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The third indication information is used to indicate that the second AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission, and the second response frame also includes information related to the partial bandwidth of the second AP participating in cooperative beamforming.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein, Before receiving the third indication information, the method further includes: Send a third request frame to the second AP, the third request frame being used to request cooperative beamforming transmission; The receipt of the third indication information includes: The third response frame sent by the second AP is received. The third response frame is used to instruct the second AP to participate in cooperative beamforming transmission. The third response frame includes the third indication information.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The third indication information is used to indicate that the second AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission. The third response frame also includes information related to the partial bandwidth of the second AP participating in cooperative beamforming.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The third request frame includes information about the bandwidth of the portion of the first AP participating in cooperative beamforming.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: Send a trigger frame, the trigger frame being used to trigger cooperative beamforming transmission, the trigger frame including fourth indication information, the fourth indication information being used to indicate whether partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission is enabled.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The fourth indication information is used to indicate the activation of partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission. The trigger frame also includes information related to the partial bandwidth of the first AP and the second AP participating in cooperative beamforming.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The sending of the first instruction information includes: The media access control layer of the first AP sends first information to the physical layer of the first AP, the first information including the first indication information.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The first information also includes information related to the bandwidth of the first AP participating in cooperative beamforming.

20. An information indication method, wherein, Applied to STA, the method includes: The system receives a first indication message sent by a first AP, the first indication message being used to indicate whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein, The first indication information received from the first AP includes: Receive an announcement frame sent by the first AP, the announcement frame including the first indication information.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein, Before receiving the first indication information sent by the first AP, the method further includes: Send a first request frame to the first AP; The first indication information received from the first AP includes: Receive a first response frame sent by the first AP, the first response frame including the first indication information.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein, The first request frame is a probe request frame, and the first response frame is a probe response frame; or, the first request frame is an association request frame, and the first response frame is an association response frame.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein, The method further includes: Send a second indication message, which is used to indicate whether the STA supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein, The sending of the second instruction information includes: A first request frame is sent to the first AP, the first request frame including the second indication information.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein, The method further includes: A trigger frame is received, the trigger frame being used to trigger cooperative beamforming transmission, the trigger frame including fourth indication information, the fourth indication information being used to indicate whether partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission is enabled.

27. An information indication method, wherein, Applied to a second AP, the method includes: The system receives a first indication message sent by a first AP, the first indication message being used to indicate whether the first AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein, The first indication information received from the first AP includes: The system receives a second request frame sent by the first AP. The second request frame is used to request the establishment of a multi-AP group. The second request frame includes the first indication information.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein, The method further includes: Send a third indication message, which is used to indicate whether the second AP supports and / or enables partial bandwidth cooperative beamforming transmission.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein, Before sending the third indication information, the method further includes: Receive a second request frame sent by the first AP, the second request frame being used to request the establishment of a multi-AP group; The sending of the third instruction information includes: A second response frame is sent to the first AP. The second response frame is used to instruct the second AP to accept the establishment of a multi-AP group. The second response frame includes the third indication information.

31. The method according to claim 29, wherein, Before sending the third indication information, the method further includes: Receive a third request frame sent by the first AP, the third request frame being used to request cooperative beamforming transmission; The sending of the third instruction information includes: A third response frame is sent to the first AP, the third response frame being used to instruct the second AP to participate in cooperative beamforming transmission, the third response frame including the third indication information.

32. The method according to claim 29, wherein, The sending of the third instruction information includes: The media access control layer of the second AP sends a second message to the physical layer of the second AP, the second message including the third indication message.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein, The second information also includes information related to a portion of the bandwidth involved in the collaborative beamforming.

34. A communication device, wherein, include: Memory and processor; The memory and the processor are coupled; The memory is used to store instructions that can be executed by the processor; When the processor executes the instructions, it performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 33.

35. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein, The computer-readable storage medium includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions are stored, which, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 33.

36. A computer program product, wherein, When the computer program product is executed, it implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 33.

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