CN118741654A - A method, device, equipment and system for data relay forwarding - Google Patents

Abstract

A method, device, equipment and system for forwarding data relay are provided. Before a first relay device forwards first data to a second device, the first relay device sends a second broadcast signal to the second device to wake up the second device; the second broadcast signal comprises first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the second equipment to receive first data; the first data is cached in the first device; the first relay device receives the first data of the first device and forwards the first data to the second device. The first relay device wakes up the second device and then forwards the first data to the second device, so that the memory requirement of the first relay device is reduced, and the hardware cost of the first relay device is reduced.

Description

A method, device, equipment and system for data relay forwarding

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and to a method, device, equipment and system for data relay forwarding.

Background Art

With the popularity of various IoT products, more and more smart home products use Wi-Fi connections, such as smart sockets, smart curtains, door locks, etc. These terminal devices usually have the following application characteristics: (1) They need to maintain an association with the access point (AP) for a long time; (2) The terminal device is in standby mode most of the time and wakes up regularly to obtain the cached data of the AP; Since smart devices are distributed in every corner of the home, home APs cannot cover all devices, and relays need to be added to expand the coverage of the AP; data relay devices can be used as middlemen to forward AP data to terminal devices. At the same time, when the terminal device has no data to receive, the terminal device can be in standby mode to save power consumption. Before forwarding data to the terminal device, the relay device usually needs to cache the AP data first, then wake up the terminal device, and then send the cached data to the terminal device. In order to support more terminal devices, the relay device needs to be configured with a larger memory, which will increase the hardware cost of the relay device.

Summary of the invention

The present application provides a method, apparatus, device and system for data relay forwarding to reduce the memory requirements of relay devices and reduce hardware costs.

The first aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a method for data relay forwarding, including: before a first relay device forwards first data to a second device, the first relay device sends a second broadcast signal to the second device to wake up the second device; the second broadcast signal includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the second device receives the first data; the first data is cached in the first device; the first relay device receives the first data of the first device and forwards the first data to the second device. In this embodiment, before forwarding the first data cached by the first device to the second device, the first relay device first wakes up the second device through the second broadcast signal and then forwards the data. The first relay device does not need to cache the first data first, which can reduce the memory requirements of the first relay device and reduce hardware costs.

In a possible design, in a first implementation of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application, after the first relay device sends the second broadcast information, the first relay device receives the second indication information of the second device, the second indication information is used to indicate that the second device requests the first data; the first relay device sends the third indication information to the first device; the third indication information is used for the first relay device to request the first data from the first device. In this embodiment, after the first relay device sends the second broadcast information, it determines that the second device can receive the first data based on the received second indication information, and sends the third indication information to request the first data from the first device, thereby avoiding the situation where the second device cannot receive the first data when it is not awake, and the first relay device cannot cache the first data, resulting in the loss of the first data.

In a possible design, in a second implementation of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application, before sending the second broadcast signal, the first relay device receives a first broadcast signal sent by the first device, the first broadcast signal includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to instruct the first relay device to receive the first data. In this embodiment, the first relay device is instructed to receive the first data by means of broadcast information, which helps the first relay device to be in a dormant state before the first broadcast information arrives, thereby saving power consumption.

In one possible design, in a third implementation of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the first indication information is also used to instruct the second device to stop receiving the first data. In this embodiment, the first indication information instructs the second device to stop receiving the first data, so that the second device can enter a dormant state according to the first indication information and save power consumption.

In a possible design, in a fourth implementation of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the second broadcast signal is a beacon frame Beacon, and the first indication information is a transmission indication bit table TIM.

In a possible design, in a fifth implementation manner of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the first device is a Wireless Fidelity Wi-Fi network device access point AP, and the second device is a station STA.

In a possible design, in a sixth implementation of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the second device is associated with the first relay device, and the first relay device is associated with the first device.

Through the method provided in the first aspect above, the first relay device wakes up the second device through the second broadcast signal before forwarding the first data to the second device, and forwards the first data to the second device after the second device wakes up. This can avoid the need to configure a large-capacity memory to first cache the first data and then wake up the second device to forward the first data, thereby saving the memory requirements of the first relay device.

The second aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a method for data relay forwarding, including: a first device sends a first broadcast signal to a first relay device, the first broadcast signal includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to instruct the first relay device to receive first data; the first device receives third indication information, and the third indication information is used to instruct the first relay device to request the first data from the first device; the first device sends the first data to the first relay device. In this embodiment, the first device instructs the first relay device to receive the first data through the first broadcast information, and after receiving the third indication information, the first data is sent to the first relay device, which is conducive to the first relay device being in a dormant state before the first broadcast information arrives, saving power consumption.

In one possible design, in a first implementation of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the fourth indication information is also used to instruct the first relay device to stop receiving the first data. In this embodiment, the fourth indication information instructs the first relay device to stop receiving the first data, so that the first relay device enters a dormant state according to the fourth indication information, thereby saving power consumption.

In a possible design, in a second implementation of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the first broadcast signal is a beacon frame Beacon, and the fourth indication information is a transmission indication bit table TIM.

In a possible design, in a second implementation of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the first device is a Wireless Fidelity Wi-Fi network device access point AP, and the second device is a station STA.

In a possible design, in a third implementation of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the second device is associated with the first relay device, and the first relay device is associated with the first device.

Through the method provided in the second aspect above, the first device instructs the first relay device to receive the first data through the fourth indication information carried by the first broadcast information, or instructs the first relay device to stop receiving the first data through the fourth indication information, so as to facilitate the first relay device to switch the working state according to the fourth indication information and save power consumption.

The third aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a method for data relay forwarding, wherein a second device receives a second broadcast signal sent by a first relay device, wherein the second broadcast signal includes first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the second device receives first data, and the first data is cached in the first device; the second device sends second indication information to the first relay device, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the second device requests the first data; and the second device receives the first data sent by the first relay device. In this embodiment, after receiving the first indication information carried by the second broadcast information, the second device sends the second indication information to request the first data, so that the second device only needs to wake up periodically to receive the second broadcast information before receiving the second indication information, thereby saving power consumption.

In a possible design, in a first implementation of the third aspect of the embodiment of the present application, after the second device receives the first indication information, it enters the awake state. Before the second device receives the first indication information indicating the reception of the first data, the second device only needs to wake up periodically to wait for the first indication information, saving power consumption.

In a possible design, in a third implementation of the third aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the first indication information is also used to instruct the second device to stop receiving the first data. When the second device receives the first indication information, the second device enters a dormant state, and then only needs to be awakened periodically to wait for the first indication information to indicate that the first data is received again, thereby saving power consumption.

In a possible design, in a fourth implementation of the third aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the second broadcast signal is a beacon frame Beacon, and the first indication information is a transmission indication bit table TIM.

In a possible design, in a fifth implementation of the third aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the first device is a Wireless Fidelity Wi-Fi network device access point AP, and the second device is a station STA.

In a possible design, in a sixth implementation of the third aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the second device is associated with the first relay device, and the first relay device is associated with the first device.

Through the method provided in the third aspect above, the second device confirms whether it needs to receive the first data based on the first indication information carried by the second broadcast information, and requests the first data by sending the second indication information. This helps the second device to only need to wake up periodically to receive the second broadcast information before receiving the second indication information, thereby saving power consumption.

The fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a device for data relay forwarding, including: a sending unit, before a first relay device forwards first data to a second device, the sending unit sends a second broadcast signal to the second device to wake up the second device; the second broadcast signal contains first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the second device receives the first data; the first data is cached in the first device; a receiving unit, used for the first relay device to receive the first data of the first device, and the sending unit forwards the first data to the second device.

In a possible device, in a first implementation manner of the fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present application, after the first relay device sends the second broadcast information, the receiving unit receives second indication information of the second device, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the second device requests the first data; the sending unit sends third indication information to the first device; the third indication information is used by the first relay device to request the first data from the first device.

In a possible device, in a second implementation of the fourth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, before the first relay device sends the second broadcast signal, the receiving unit receives a first broadcast signal sent by the first device, the first broadcast signal includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to instruct the first relay device to receive the first data;

In a possible device, in a third implementation of the fourth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the device also includes: a processing unit for generating the second broadcast signal and the third indication information; a storage unit for storing the first data, the second indication information and the first broadcast information.

In a possible apparatus, in a fourth implementation of the fourth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the first indication information is also used to instruct the second device to stop receiving the first data.

In a possible device, in a fifth implementation manner of the fourth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the first broadcast signal is a beacon frame Beacon, and the fourth indication information is a transmission indication bit table TIM.

In a possible apparatus, in a sixth implementation manner of the fourth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the first device is a Wireless Fidelity Wi-Fi network device access point AP, and the second device is a station STA.

In a possible apparatus, in a seventh implementation manner of the fourth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the second device is associated with the first relay device, and the first relay device is associated with the first device.

The fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a device for data relay forwarding, including: a sending unit, used by a first device to send a first broadcast signal to a first relay device, the first broadcast signal includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate the first relay device to receive first data; a receiving unit, used by the first device to receive third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate the first relay device to request the first data from the first device; the sending unit is also used to send the first data to the first relay device.

In a possible device, in a first implementation manner of the fifth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the device also includes: a processing unit, used to generate the first broadcast signal; and a storage unit, used to store the third indication information or the first data.

In a possible apparatus, in a second implementation of the fifth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the fourth indication information is also used to instruct the first relay device to stop receiving the first number.

In a possible device, in a third implementation manner of the fifth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the first broadcast signal is a beacon frame Beacon, and the fourth indication information is a transmission indication bit table TIM.

In a possible apparatus, in a fourth implementation manner of the fifth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the first device is a Wireless Fidelity Wi-Fi network device access point AP, and the second device is a station STA.

In a possible apparatus, in a fifth implementation manner of the fifth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the second device is associated with the first relay device, and the first relay device is associated with the first device.

The sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a device for data relay forwarding, including: a receiving unit, used for a second device to receive a second broadcast signal sent by a first relay device, the second broadcast signal comprising first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the second device receives first data, the first data being cached in the first device; a sending unit, used to send second indication information to the first relay device, the second indication information being used to indicate that the second device requests the first data; the receiving unit receives the first data sent by the first relay device.

In a possible device, in a first implementation manner of the sixth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the device further includes: a processing unit, used to generate the second indication information; and a storage unit, used to store the first data.

In a possible apparatus, in a second implementation of the sixth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the second device enters a wake-up state after receiving the first indication information.

In a possible apparatus, in a third implementation of the sixth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the first indication information is also used to instruct the second device to stop receiving the first data.

In a possible apparatus, in a fourth implementation of the sixth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the second device enters a sleep state after receiving the first indication information.

In a possible device, in a fifth implementation manner of the sixth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the second broadcast signal is a beacon frame Beacon, and the first indication information is a transmission indication bit table TIM.

In a possible apparatus, in a sixth implementation manner of the sixth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the first device is a Wireless Fidelity Wi-Fi network device access point AP, and the second device is a station STA.

In a possible apparatus, in a seventh implementation manner of the sixth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the second device is associated with the first relay device, and the first relay device is associated with the first device.

In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes a communication device for implementing the communication device described in the fourth aspect, the communication device described in the fifth aspect, and the communication device described in the sixth aspect.

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the method used by the above-mentioned first relay device.

In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the method used by the above-mentioned first device.

In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the method used by the above-mentioned second device.

In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor is used to implement the method as described in the first aspect, or to implement the method as described in the second aspect, or to implement the method as described in the third aspect. In a possible implementation, the chip system also includes a memory for storing a computer program. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program code, when the computer program code is executed, the method of the first aspect, the second aspect or the third aspect is executed.

The beneficial effects of the fourth to twelfth aspects and their implementations can refer to the description of the beneficial effects of the first aspect or the second aspect or the third aspect and their implementations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG2 is a flow chart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG3 is a framework diagram of a TIM table provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG4 is a diagram of a Ps-poll frame provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG5 is a flow chart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG6 is a schematic diagram of scenario 1 provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG7 is a schematic diagram of scenario 2 provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a hardware device structure of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a hardware device structure of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a hardware device structure of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a chip structure of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a chip structure of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a chip structure of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments of the present application are described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention described below can be applied to communication systems, such as Wi-Fi communication systems, which may include a network access point (Access Point, AP), a relay device, and a user device (Station, STA) that communicates with the relay device. The user device cannot communicate directly with the AP due to distance and other reasons, and communicates with the AP through the relay device. Figure 1 is an example of the communication system. The communication system shown in Figure 1 includes a network side device (AP), a relay device, and multiple user devices communicating with it (shown as STA1 to STA3 in Figure 1). The relay device and the user device in this application have the same data receiving and sending functions and can be regarded as a user device.

The network side device in this application can be an access point (AP) in Wi-Fi, a base station (macro base station, small/micro base station, home base station, etc.), a relay station, as long as it is a network capable of sending periodic broadcast information, such as a base transceiver station (BTS) in a global system for mobile communication (GSM) or code division multiple access (CDMA) network, or a NB (NodeB) in wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), or an eNB or eNodeB (Evolutional NodeB) in long term evolution (LTE), or a gNB in a future 5G network or new radio (NR). The network side device can also be a wearable device or a vehicle-mounted device.

In addition to being a station (STA) in Wi-Fi, the user equipment in this application can also be other access terminals, user units, user stations, mobile stations, remote stations, remote terminals, mobile devices, user terminals, wireless communication devices, user agents or user devices, etc. The access terminal can be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a television (TV), and other handheld devices with wireless communication functions, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted devices, and wearable devices.

The following is an explanation of the process of traditional data relay forwarding in conjunction with FIG2 , which includes steps 200 to 207 .

Step 200, the first device sends a first broadcast message, including a fourth indication message, indicating that the first relay device receives the first data. The first broadcast message here may be a beacon frame Beacon, and the transmission indication bit table (Traffic indication map, TIM) carried in the Beacon indicates that the first relay device has data to receive. As shown in Figure 3, the IEEE802.11 standard uses TIM to indicate to any sleeping listening station that the APAP has buffered data waiting for it to receive. The listening station here is the first relay device. Since the listening station should listen to at least one beacon within the listening interval, the AP periodically sends this TIM as an information element in its beacon. The TIM consists of 2008 bits, each bit representing the associated ID (Associate ID, AID) of the station.

However, in most cases, the AP has data to send for only a few sites, so only the partial TIM representing these sites needs to be transmitted. Since the TIM is never transmitted in its entirety, the portion that is actually transmitted is called a partial virtual bitmap.

Among them, the element ID field is used to indicate a TIM element; the length DTIM field indicates the size of the entire TIM element in bits. The Count field indicates the number of beacons remaining before the DTIM (including this frame, so 0 indicates that this frame is a DTIM); the DTIM period field indicates a scaling factor that only has a TIM in every nth beacon frame. Stations in low-power mode will remain in sleep mode and only wake up after hearing these beacons, and determine whether the station should also remain on standby to receive data frames based on the DTIM period. The Broadcas field indicates that when one or more broadcast or multicast frames appear queued for transmission, this means that all stations should wake up. Each bit in the Partial virtual map field represents the currently associated station. Bit 1 indicates that the station has data to receive, otherwise there is no data to receive.

Step 201: The first relay device sends a third indication message to request the first data from the first device. The third indication message is carried in the power saving query packet Ps-Poll,

Optionally, the third indication information may also carry a data packet containing a data segment non-ps data when the energy-saving state is the working state, or a data frame null data frame with an empty data segment, or a data packet qos data containing a data segment that supports quality of service, or a data frame null data frame with an empty data segment. Taking the Ps-Poll data packet as an example, the first relay device sends a Ps-poll message to request the first data. Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the Ps-poll frame. Among them, the Framecontrol field indicates the control frame type; AID is the associated site ID, which is assigned by the AP, and the associated site here is the first relay device. BSSID is the basic service set representation of the associated AP; TA is the associated site MAC address; FCS is the frame check sequence. The first device can know that the first relay device requests data based on the Frame control field and AID or TA.

Step 202: The first device sends first data to the first relay device.

Step 203: The first device sends first broadcast information including fourth indication information, and sets the first relay device associated ID bit in the TIM domain to zero, indicating that the first data has been sent.

Step 204: Same as step 200, the first relay device sends second broadcast information including the first indication information. The second broadcast information here is also a beacon frame Beacon, carrying TIM, and setting the second device associated AID bit to 1 to instruct the second device to receive the first data.

Step 205: Same as step 201, the second device sends second indication information to request the first data from the first relay device. The second indication information is carried in the power saving query packet Ps-Poll.

Step 206: The first relay device sends the first data to the second device.

Step 207: The first relay device sends second broadcast information including the first indication information, sets the second device associated AID bit on the TIM to 0, and instructs the second device to stop receiving the first data.

From the above steps, it can be seen that the first relay device needs to cache the first data sent by the first device before forwarding it to the second device. The first relay device needs to be configured with a larger memory to cache the first data, which increases the hardware cost of the first relay device.

To this end, an embodiment of the present application provides a data relay forwarding solution, which can reduce the memory requirements of the relay device.

The present embodiment will be further described in detail below based on the common aspects of the present application described above.

Referring to FIG. 5 , FIG. 5 provides a sending process of the data relay forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application, including steps 500-507. Step 500: The first device sends a first broadcast message, including fourth indication information, indicating that the first relay device receives the first data. The first broadcast message may be a beacon frame Beacon, and the TIM (indicates that the first relay device has data to receive) carried in the Beacon.

Step 501: The first relay device sends second broadcast information including first indication information. The second broadcast information here is also a beacon frame Beacon, carrying a TIM, and setting a second device associated AID bit thereof to 1, indicating that the second device receives the first data.

Step 502: The second device sends second indication information to request the first data from the first relay device. The second indication information is carried in the power saving query packet Ps-Poll.

Step 503, the first relay device sends the third indication information to request the first data from the first device. The third indication information here is carried in the power saving inquiry packet Ps-Poll. Optionally, the third indication information can also be carried in a data packet containing a data segment non-ps data in a working state in the energy saving state, or a data frame null data frame with an empty data segment, or a data packet containing a data segment qos data that supports quality of service, or a data frame null data frame with an empty data segment. Taking Ps-poll as an example, the first relay device sends Ps-poll to request the first data.

Step 504: The first device sends first data to the first relay device.

Step 505: The first relay device sends the first data to the second device.

Step 506: The first device sends first broadcast information including fourth indication information, and sets the first relay device association ID bit in the TIM domain to zero, indicating that the first data has been sent.

Step 507: The first relay device sends second broadcast information including the first indication information, sets the second device associated AID bit on the TIM to 0, and instructs the second device to stop receiving the first data.

This embodiment achieves zero caching of unicast messages of the first relay device by optimizing the process of the first relay device obtaining the first device cache and the first relay device notifying the second device to obtain the cache, thereby reducing the probability of standby device cache message overflow when the low-cost terminal chip is used as a relay product.

In the Beacon frame sent in the above embodiment, there are two modes according to the number of address fields, namely 3-address mode and 4-address mode. As shown in Figure 6, in the 3-address mode, there are two scenarios:

Scenario 1: The MAC frame header of the Beacon frame sent by the AP contains three addresses, BSSID, SA and DA, where BSSID and SA are the MAC addresses of the AP, and DA is the broadcast address. At this time, the AP only knows that it needs to send the first data to the relay device, and the relay device needs to send the second broadcast information, set the AIDs of all associated devices in the TIM to 1 to wake up all devices. After receiving the first data, the destination terminal of the first data can be parsed according to the IP address of the first data, and the first data can be sent to the terminal device. The advantage of scenario 1 is that only one set of MAC addresses needs to be maintained in the relay device, saving memory, but all devices need to be woken up during the broadcast information sending stage.

Scenario 2: The MAC frame header of the Beacon frame sent by the AP contains three addresses, BSSID, SA and DA, where BSSID and SA are the MAC addresses of the AP, and DA is the broadcast address. At this time, the relay device only needs to send the second broadcast information and set the AIDs of the target devices associated in the TIM to 1 to wake up the corresponding devices. It is not necessary to wake up all terminals, but multiple sets of MAC addresses need to be maintained in the relay device.

In the 4-address mode, as shown in Figure 7, the MAC frame header of the Beacon frame sent by the AP contains three addresses, BSSID, SA and DA, where BSSID and SA are the MAC addresses of the AP, and DA is the broadcast address. At this time, the relay device only needs to send the second broadcast information and set the AIDs of the destination devices associated in the TIM to 1 to wake up the corresponding devices. It is not necessary to wake up all terminals, and only one set of MAC addresses needs to be maintained in the relay device.

FIG8 is a schematic diagram showing a possible structure of the communication device involved in the above embodiment:

The communication device 800 includes a sending unit 802 and a receiving unit 803; optionally, it may also include a processing unit 801 and a storage unit 804. The storage unit 804 is connected to the processing unit 801, the sending unit 802, and the receiving unit 803, respectively. Further, the communication device 800 also includes a bus system 805. Among them, the processing unit 801, the sending unit 802, the receiving unit 803 and the storage unit 804 can be connected through the bus system 805. The sending unit 802 is used to send the second broadcast information in step 501 of the above embodiment, the third indication information in step 503, and the first data to the second device in step 505. The receiving unit 803 is used to receive the second indication information in step 502 of the above embodiment, and receive the first data sent by the first device in step 504. The storage unit 804 is used to cache the first data sent by the first device and the second indication information received. The processing unit 801 is used to generate the second broadcast information and the third indication information sent in step 501 of the above embodiment.

FIG9 is a schematic diagram showing a possible structure of the communication device involved in the above embodiment:

The communication device 900 includes a sending unit 902 and a receiving unit 903; optionally, it may also include a processing unit 901 and a storage unit 904. The storage unit 904 is connected to the processing unit 901, the sending unit 902, and the receiving unit 903 respectively. Further, the communication device 900 also includes a bus system 905. The processing unit 901, the sending unit 902, the receiving unit 903, and the storage unit 904 may be connected via the bus system 905.

The sending unit 902 is used to send the first broadcast information in step 500 and the first data in step 504 to the first relay device in the above embodiment. The receiving unit 903 is used to receive the third indication information in step 503 in the above embodiment. The storage unit 904 is used to store the first data and the third indication information in the above embodiment. The processing unit 901 is used to generate the first broadcast information sent in step 500 in the above embodiment.

FIG10 is a schematic diagram showing a possible structure of the communication device involved in the above embodiment:

The communication device 1000 includes a sending unit 1002 and a receiving unit 1003; optionally, it may also include a processing unit 1001 and a storage unit 1004. The storage unit 1004 is connected to the processing unit 1001, the sending unit 1002, and the receiving unit 1003, respectively. Further, the communication device 1000 also includes a bus system 1005. Among them, the processing unit 1001, the sending unit 1002, the receiving unit 1003 and the storage unit 1004 can be connected through the bus system 1005. The sending unit 1002 is used to send the first indication information in step 502 of the above embodiment. The receiving unit 1003 is used to receive the second broadcast information in step 501 and the first data in step 505 of the above embodiment. The storage unit is used to store the first data and the second broadcast information sent by the first relay device in step 505 of the above embodiment. The processing unit 1001 is used to generate the second indication information in step 502 of the above implementation.

The embodiment of the present application provides a chip, as shown in FIG11, the chip 1100 is used to implement the functions of the first relay device in the above embodiment, including a processor 1101, a communication interface 1102, the processor 1101 is connected to the communication interface 1102, the communication interface 1102 is used to receive the signal and/or data to be processed, and the processor 1101 obtains the signal and/or data from the communication interface 1102 and processes it. The processor 1101 is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to execute the corresponding operations and/or processes performed by the first relay device in the communication method provided by the present application. Further, it also includes an antenna 1106 connected to the radio frequency device 1105. The radio frequency device 1105 sends a signal through the antenna 1106, or sends the received signal to the baseband device 1104 for processing.

The processor 1101 generates a second broadcast signal and sends it to the communication interface 1102. The communication interface 1102 sends the second broadcast signal to the baseband 1104, and after being up-converted and amplified by the radio frequency device 1105, it is sent out through the antenna 1106.

After receiving the signal carrying the second indication information sent by the second device, the antenna 1106 down-converts the signal through the radio frequency device 1105 and transmits it to the baseband 1104. The baseband 1104 transmits the baseband signal to the processor 1101 through the communication interface 1102.

After receiving the second indication information, the processor 1101 generates third indication information and sends it to the communication interface 1102. The communication interface 1102 sends the third indication information to the baseband 1104, which is then up-converted and amplified by the radio frequency device 1105 and sent out through the antenna 1106.

After receiving the first data sent by the first device, the antenna 1106 down-converts the first data through the radio frequency device 1105 and transmits it to the baseband 1104. The baseband 1104 transmits the baseband signal to the processor 1101 through the communication interface 1102.

The processor 1101 sends the received first data to the communication interface 1102, and the communication interface 1102 sends the first data to the baseband 1104, and the first data is sent out through the antenna 1106 after being up-converted and amplified by the radio frequency device 1105;

The memory 1103 is used to store the second indication information and the first data received by the communication interface 1102 , and the processor 1101 generates the third indication information and the second broadcast signal.

The embodiment of the present application provides another chip, as shown in FIG12, the chip 1200 is used to implement the functions of the first device in the above embodiment, including a processor 1201, a communication interface 1202, the processor 1201 is connected to the communication interface 1202, the communication interface 1202 is used to receive the signal and/or data to be processed, and the processor 1201 obtains the signal and/or data from the communication interface 1202 and processes it. The processor 1201 is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to execute the corresponding operation and/or process performed by the first device in the communication method provided by the present application. Further, it also includes an antenna 1206 connected to the radio frequency device 1205. The radio frequency device 1205 sends a signal through the antenna 1206, or sends the received signal to the baseband device 1204 for processing.

The processor 1201 generates a first broadcast signal and sends it to the communication interface 1202. The communication interface 1202 sends the first broadcast signal to the baseband 1204. After being up-converted and amplified by the radio frequency device 1205, it is sent out through the antenna 1206.

After receiving the signal carrying the third indication information sent by the first relay device, the antenna 1206 down-converts the signal through the radio frequency device 1205 and transmits it to the baseband 1204. The baseband 1204 transmits the baseband signal to the processor 1201 through the communication interface 1202.

After receiving the third indication information, the processor 1201 sends the first data stored in the memory 1203 to the communication interface 1202, and the communication interface 1202 sends the first data to the baseband 1204, which is then up-converted and amplified by the radio frequency device 1205 and sent out through the antenna 1206;

The memory 1203 is used to store the third indication information and the first data received by the communication interface 1202 , and the first broadcast signal generated by the processor 1201 .

The embodiment of the present application also provides a chip, as shown in FIG13, the chip 1300 is used to implement the function of the second device in the above embodiment, including a processor 1301, a communication interface 1302, the processor 1301 is connected to the communication interface 1302, the communication interface 1302 is used to receive the signal and/or data to be processed, and the processor 1301 obtains the signal and/or data from the communication interface 1302 and processes it. The processor 1301 is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to execute the corresponding operation and/or process performed by the second device in the communication method provided by the present application. Further, it also includes an antenna 1306 connected to the radio frequency device 1305. The radio frequency device 1305 sends a signal through the antenna 1306, or sends the received signal to the baseband device 1304 for processing.

After receiving the second broadcast signal sent by the first relay device, the antenna 1306 down-converts the signal through the radio frequency device 1305 and transmits it to the baseband 1304. The baseband 1304 transmits the baseband signal to the processor 1301 through the communication interface 1302.

The processor 1301 generates second indication information and sends it to the communication interface 1302. The communication interface 1302 sends the second indication information to the baseband 1304, and the second indication information is sent out through the antenna 1306 after being up-converted and amplified by the radio frequency device 1305.

The antenna 1306 receives the first data sent by the first relay device, down-converts the data through the radio frequency device 1305, and transmits the data to the baseband 1304. The baseband 1304 transmits the baseband signal to the processor 1301 through the communication interface 1302.

The memory 1303 is used to store the second broadcast signal and the first data received by the communication interface 1302 , and the second indication information generated by the processor 1301 .

The memory and storage involved in the above embodiments may be physically independent units, or the memory may be integrated with the processor.

In addition, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the corresponding operations and/or processes performed by the first device, the first relay device, or the second device in each method embodiment.

The present application also provides a communication system, which includes the first device and the second device mentioned in the above embodiment.

In the above embodiments, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the technical solution of the present application. For example, the processor may be a digital signal processor device, a microprocessor device, an analog-to-digital converter, a digital-to-analog converter, etc. The processor may distribute the control and signal processing functions of the terminal device or network device among these devices according to the respective functions of these devices. In addition, the processor may have the function of operating one or more software programs, which may be stored in a memory. The functions of the processor may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

The memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or it can also be any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

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

Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the part of the technical solution of the present application that contributes to the prior art or the part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk or optical disk, etc., and other media that can store program codes.

The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. The protection scope of the present application shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (44)

1. A method for data relay forwarding, characterized in that the method comprises: Before the first relay device forwards the first data to the second device, the first relay device sends a second broadcast signal to the second device to wake up the second device; the second broadcast signal includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the second device receives the first data; the first data is cached in the first device; The first relay device receives the first data from the first device, and forwards the first data to the second device. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that After the first relay device sends the second broadcast information, the first relay device receives second indication information of the second device, where the second indication information is used to instruct the second device to request the first data; The first relay device sends third indication information to the first device; the third indication information is used by the first relay device to request the first data from the first device. 3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Before sending the second broadcast signal, the first relay device receives a first broadcast signal sent by the first device, where the first broadcast signal includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to instruct the first relay device to receive the first data. 4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first indication information is also used to instruct the second device to stop receiving the first data. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The second broadcast signal is a beacon frame Beacon, and the first indication information is a transmission indication bit table TIM. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The first device is a wireless fidelity Wi-Fi network device access point AP, and the second device is a station STA. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The second device is associated with the first relay device, and the first relay device is associated with the first device. 8. A method for data relay forwarding, characterized in that the method comprises: The first device sends a first broadcast signal to the first relay device, where the first broadcast signal includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to instruct the first relay device to receive first data; The first device receives third indication information, where the third indication information is used to instruct the first relay device to request the first data from the first device; The first device sends first data to the first relay device. 9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The fourth indication information is further used to instruct the first relay device to receive first data. 10. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 9, characterized in that: The first broadcast signal is a beacon frame Beacon, and the fourth indication information is a transmission indication bit table TIM. 11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 9, characterized in that: The first device is a wireless fidelity Wi-Fi network device access point AP, and the second device is a station STA. 12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 9, characterized in that: The second device is associated with the first relay device, and the first relay device is associated with the first device. 13. A method for data relay forwarding, characterized in that the method comprises: The second device receives a second broadcast signal sent by the first relay device, where the second broadcast signal includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to instruct the second device to receive first data, where the first data is cached in the first device; The second device sends second indication information to the first relay device, where the second indication information is used to instruct the second device to request the first data; The second device receives the first data sent by the first relay device. 14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that After receiving the first indication information, the second device enters a wake-up state. 15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The first indication information is also used to instruct the second device to stop receiving the first data. 16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that After receiving the first indication information, the second device enters a sleep state. 17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that: The second broadcast signal is a beacon frame Beacon, and the first indication information is a transmission indication bit table TIM. 18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that: The first device is a wireless fidelity Wi-Fi network device access point AP, and the second device is a station STA. 19. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 18, characterized in that: The second device is associated with the first relay device, and the first relay device is associated with the first device. 20. A data relay forwarding device, characterized in that the device comprises: a sending unit, wherein before the first relay device forwards the first data to the second device, the sending unit sends a second broadcast signal to the second device to wake up the second device; the second broadcast signal includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the second device receives the first data; the first data is cached in the first device; The receiving unit is used for the first relay device to receive the first data of the first device, and the sending unit forwards the first data to the second device. 21. The device according to claim 20, characterized in that After the first relay device sends the second broadcast information, the receiving unit receives second indication information of the second device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the second device requests the first data; The sending unit sends third indication information to the first device; the third indication information is used by the first relay device to request the first data from the first device. 22. The device according to claim 21, characterized in that Before the first relay device sends the second broadcast signal, the receiving unit receives a first broadcast signal sent by the first device, where the first broadcast signal includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to instruct the first relay device to receive the first data. 23. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 22, characterized in that the device further comprises: A processing unit, configured to generate the second broadcast signal and the third indication information; A storage unit is used to store the first data, the second indication information and the first broadcast information. 24. The device according to claim 23, characterized in that The first indication information is also used to instruct the second device to stop receiving the first data. 25. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 24, characterized in that The first broadcast signal is a beacon frame Beacon, and the fourth indication information is a transmission indication bit table TIM. 26. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 24, characterized in that The first device is a wireless fidelity Wi-Fi network device access point AP, and the second device is a station STA. 27. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 26, characterized in that The second device is associated with the first relay device, and the first relay device is associated with the first device. 28. A data relay forwarding device, characterized in that the device comprises: A sending unit, configured for a first device to send a first broadcast signal to a first relay device, wherein the first broadcast signal includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to instruct the first relay device to receive first data; A receiving unit, configured for the first device to receive third indication information, where the third indication information is used to instruct the first relay device to request the first data from the first device; The sending unit is further configured to send first data to the first relay device. 29. The device according to claim 28, characterized in that the device further comprises: A processing unit, configured to generate the first broadcast signal; A storage unit, used to store the third indication information or the first data. 30. The device according to claim 29, characterized in that The fourth indication information is further used to instruct the first relay device to stop receiving the first number. 31. The device according to any one of claims 28 to 30, characterized in that The first broadcast signal is a beacon frame Beacon, and the fourth indication information is a transmission indication bit table TIM. 32. The device according to any one of claims 28 to 30, characterized in that The first device is a wireless fidelity Wi-Fi network device access point AP, and the second device is a station STA. 33. The device according to any one of claims 28 to 32, characterized in that The second device is associated with the first relay device, and the first relay device is associated with the first device. 34. A data relay forwarding device, characterized in that the device comprises: A receiving unit, configured for a second device to receive a second broadcast signal sent by a first relay device, wherein the second broadcast signal includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to instruct the second device to receive first data, and the first data is cached in the first device; a sending unit, configured to send second indication information to the first relay device, where the second indication information is used to instruct the second device to request the first data; The receiving unit receives the first data sent by the first relay device. 35. The device according to claim 34, characterized in that the device further comprises: A processing unit, configured to generate the second indication information; A storage unit is used to store the first data. 36. The device according to claim 35, characterized in that After receiving the first indication information, the second device enters a wake-up state. 37. The device according to claim 36, characterized in that The first indication information is also used to instruct the second device to stop receiving the first data. 38. The device according to claim 37, characterized in that After receiving the first indication information, the second device enters a sleep state. 39. The device according to any one of claims 34 to 38, characterized in that The second broadcast signal is a beacon frame Beacon, and the first indication information is a transmission indication bit table TIM. 40. The device according to any one of claims 34 to 38, characterized in that The first device is a wireless fidelity Wi-Fi network device access point AP, and the second device is a station STA. 41. The device according to any one of claims 34 to 40, characterized in that The second device is associated with the first relay device, and the first relay device is associated with the first device. 42. A communication system, characterized in that: It includes the device described in any one of claims 20-27, the device described in any one of claims 28-33 and the device described in any one of claims 34-41. 43. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19. 44. A chip, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 13 to 19.