CN118947152A

CN118947152A - Communication method, device, equipment and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN118947152A
Application number: CN202380008598.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 董贤东
Original assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd
Priority date: 2023-03-09
Filing date: 2023-03-09
Publication date: 2024-11-12
Also published as: WO2024183083A1

Abstract

The embodiment of the disclosure relates to the technical field of communication, and provides a communication method, a device, equipment and a storage medium, which can be applied to Access Point (AP) equipment. The method comprises the following steps: determining a first message frame, wherein the first message frame is used for indicating that Basic Service Set (BSS) key information is changed, and the BSS key information comprises sleep information of the BSS; a first message frame is sent. The embodiment of the disclosure can provide a way for the AP equipment to indicate the change of the BSS key information.

Description

Communication method, device, equipment and storage medium

Technical Field

The embodiment of the disclosure relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a communication method, a device, equipment and a storage medium.

Background

To improve wireless local area network (Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN) reliability, reduce latency, increase throughput, and reduce device level power consumption, a power saving mechanism is proposed in ultra high reliability (Ultra High Reliablity) project authorization request (Project Authorization Request, PAR) to enhance power saving.

For an Access Point (AP) device, when Basic service set (Basic SERVICE SET, BSS) key information of the AP device changes, the AP device needs to inform a Station (STA) associated with the AP device that BSS key information of the AP device changes before entering a power saving mode. However, there is no mechanism in the prior art.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the disclosure provides a communication method, a device, equipment and a storage medium, which can provide a mode that AP equipment indicates BSS key information to change.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, which is applicable to an AP device, where the method includes:

determining a first message frame, wherein the first message frame is used for indicating the change of Basic Service Set (BSS) key information, and the BSS key information comprises sleep information of a BSS;

And transmitting the first message frame.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, which is applicable to a STA device, where the method includes:

And receiving a first message frame sent by the AP equipment, wherein the first message frame is used for indicating the change of Basic Service Set (BSS) key information, and the BSS key information comprises sleep information of the BSS.

In a third aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication apparatus, including:

A determining unit, configured to determine a first message frame, where the first message frame is used to indicate that basic service set BSS key information changes, and the BSS key information includes dormancy information of a BSS;

and the first communication unit is used for sending the first message frame.

In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication apparatus, including:

And the second communication unit is used for receiving a first message frame sent by the AP equipment, wherein the first message frame is used for indicating the change of Basic Service Set (BSS) key information, and the BSS key information comprises sleep information of the BSS.

In a fifth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an electronic device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, where the processor executes the program to implement any one of the communication methods provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure.

In a sixth aspect, the disclosed embodiments also provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. The computer program, when executed by a processor, implements any one of the communication methods provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure.

The embodiment of the disclosure provides a communication method, which can enable an AP device to indicate BSS key information (such as dormancy information) of the AP device to an associated STA device through a first message frame.

Additional aspects and advantages of embodiments of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings that are needed in the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings may be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is another flow diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an interactive schematic diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

fig. 6 is another schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The term "and/or" in the embodiments of the present disclosure describes an association relationship of association objects, which indicates that three relationships may exist, for example, a and/or B may indicate: a exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. The character "/" generally indicates that the context-dependent object is an "or" relationship.

The term "plurality" in the embodiments of the present disclosure means two or more, and other adjectives are similar thereto.

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, refers to the same or similar elements in different drawings, unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary examples do not represent all implementations consistent with the invention. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with aspects of the invention as detailed in the accompanying claims.

The terminology used in the present disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used in this disclosure and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and/or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any or all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used in this disclosure to describe various information, these information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one type of information from another. For example, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Depending on the context, for example, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "at … …" or "at … …" or "in response to a determination.

The following description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be made clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this disclosure, all other embodiments that a person of ordinary skill in the art would obtain without making any inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

The method and the device are based on the same disclosure, and because the principles of solving the problems by the method and the device are similar, the implementation of the device and the method can be referred to each other, and the repetition is not repeated.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, an AP device may determine and send a first message frame to an STA device associated therewith for indicating a change in BSS key information. The AP device may be an independent AP device that does not support multi-link communication, or may be an AP MLD that supports multi-link communication.

As shown in fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In fig. 1, an AP device may be associated with at least one STA device, i.e., the AP device may communicate with different STA devices over different communication links. For example, when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, the AP device may communicate with the at least one STA device on a broadcast basis, i.e., associated with the at least one STA device over a broadcast link. For example, when the AP devices are AP MLDs, the AP MLDs may include a plurality of accessory AP devices, and one or more communication links may be established between the AP MLDs and the Non-AP MLDs, each of the communication links connecting one of the accessory AP devices in the AP MLD and one of the STA devices in the Non-AP MLDs.

In the disclosed embodiment, the AP device supports UHR, which may be a soft AP (MLD) device, or a Non-simultaneous transmission and reception (Non-simultaneous TRANSMIT AND RECEIVE, NSTR) AP (MLD) device, which is not limited herein. The AP device may include software applications and/or circuitry to enable other types of nodes in the wireless network to communicate with the outside and inside of the wireless network through the AP device. As an example, the AP device may be a terminal device or a network device equipped with a Wi-Fi chip.

Wherein the STA device supports UHR, specifically may include, but is not limited to: a cellular phone, a smart phone, a wearable device, a computer, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a Personal Communication System (PCS) device, a Personal Information Manager (PIM), a Personal Navigation Device (PND), a global positioning system, a multimedia device, an internet of things (IoT) device, and so forth.

The embodiment of the disclosure provides a communication method which can be applied to Access Point (AP) equipment. Referring specifically to fig. 2, fig. 2 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Optionally, the method may comprise the steps of:

Step S21, determining a first message frame, wherein the first message frame is used for indicating that BSS key information is changed, and the BSS key information comprises sleep information of the BSS.

The BSS key information includes sleep information of the BSS, which is used to identify that the AP device or at least one AP device attached to the AP device enters a power saving mode, and may further include parameter information related to the BSS, such as channel switch Announcement (CHANNEL SWITCH antenna) information, extended CHANNEL SWITCH antenna information, enhanced distributed channel access parameter (EDCA PARAMETERS) information, silence element (query element) information, direct sequence spread spectrum parameter set (Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum PARAMETER SET), and the like, which are not limited herein.

Wherein, the AP device may determine the first message frame after negotiating new BBS key information, such as negotiating a new sleep period, with the associated STA device to indicate that the BSS key information has changed through the first message frame.

Wherein the sleep information includes at least one of a sleep period or a sleep duration.

Step S22, a first message frame is sent.

The AP device may send a first message frame to the STA device associated therewith to indicate, via the first message frame, that BSS key information has changed.

The AP device may send the first message frame at any time outside the sleep procedure, for example, the AP device may send the first message frame to the STA device associated therewith before entering the power saving mode, or the AP device may send the first message frame to the STA device associated therewith after waking up, which is not limited herein, i.e., when BSS key information (such as sleep information) of the AP device changes.

In the communication method applied to the AP device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, the first message frame is used to indicate that BSS key information of the AP device changes.

For example, when an AP device is not attached to any AP MLD and the sleep information of the AP device changes, the first message frame is used to indicate that key information of the BSS of the AP device changes, such as the sleep information of the BSS associated with the AP device changes.

When the AP device supports multi-link communication, that is, when the AP device is an AP MLD, the first message frame is used to indicate that BSS key information of at least one accessory AP device of the AP device changes.

For example, when the AP device is an AP MLD and BSS key information of accessory AP1 and accessory AP2 of the AP MLD changes, the AP MLD may send a first message frame indicating that BSS key information of accessory AP1 or at least one AP device of accessory AP1 changes, such as sleep information indicating that BSS associated with at least one AP device of accessory AP1 and accessory AP2 changes.

Wherein, when the AP device does not support the multi-link communication, the AP device may send a first message frame to the associated STA device based on the broadcast manner. When the AP device supports multi-link communication, the AP device may send a first message frame through its affiliated AP device.

In the communication method applied to the AP device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, that is, the AP device is not attached to any AP MLD, the first message frame includes a first identification bit, and when the identification value of the first identification bit is the first value, the first identification bit is used to indicate that BSS key information of the AP device changes, for example, dormancy information used to indicate a BSS associated with the AP device changes.

The first identification bit may be any one information field or any one bit in the first message frame, and optionally, the first identification bit may be a check beacon (check beacon) field in the first message frame.

The AP device transmits a message frame including a first identification bit for indicating whether BSS key information of the AP device is changed before entering the power saving mode each time. In the case that the BSS key information is changed, the identification value (first value) of the first identification bit in the first message frame is different from the identification value of the first identification bit in the message frame that the AP device last transmitted, so as to indicate that the BSS key information of the current AP device is changed. And under the condition that the BSS key information is not changed, the identification value of the first identification bit in the first message frame is the same as the identification value of the first identification bit in the message frame which is transmitted by the AP equipment last time.

That is, when BSS key information of the AP device changes, the first value of the first identification bit may be any value different from the identification value of the first identification bit in the message frame last transmitted by the AP device.

In the communication method applied to the AP device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the AP device supports multi-link communication, that is, when the AP device is an AP MLD, the first message frame includes at least one second identification bit, and BSS key information of an accessory AP device for indicating one AP MLD changes when an identification value of each second identification bit is a second value.

Wherein, each second identification bit may be any one information field or any one bit in the first message frame, alternatively, each second identification bit may be a BSS change count field in the first message frame.

The AP device sends a message frame including a second identification bit for indicating whether BSS key information of each accessory AP device changes before entering the power saving mode each time, and each second identification bit corresponds to one accessory AP device. For any accessory AP device, when BSS key information of the accessory AP device changes, an identification value (second value) of a second identification bit corresponding to the accessory AP device in the first message frame is different from an identification value of a second identification bit corresponding to the accessory AP device in a message frame sent last time by the AP device, so as to indicate that BSS key information of the accessory AP device changes. Under the condition that BSS key information of all accessory AP equipment of the AP equipment is not changed, the identification value of the second identification bit corresponding to any accessory AP equipment in the first message frame is the same as the identification value of the second identification bit corresponding to the accessory AP equipment in the message frame sent by the AP equipment last time.

That is, when BSS key information of any one accessory AP device of the AP devices changes, the second value of the second identification bit corresponding to the accessory AP device may be any value different from the identification value of the second identification bit corresponding to the accessory AP device in the message frame that the AP device last transmitted.

In the communication method applied to the AP device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the AP device supports multi-link communication, that is, when the AP device is an AP MLD, the first message frame includes a multi-link information element (Muti-LINK ELEMENT) field, and the multi-link information element field includes at least one second identification bit.

The multi-link information element field may be any information field directly included in the first message frame, or may be any sub-information field directly or indirectly included in any information field in the first message frame, which is not limited herein.

The second identification bit may be a BSS change count field.

Optionally, when the AP device supports multi-link communication, i.e. the AP device is an AP MLD, the first message frame comprises a reduced neighbor report element (Reduced Neighbor Report Elemen, RNRE) field comprising at least one second identification bit.

The reduced neighbor report element field may be any information field directly included in the first message frame, or may be any sub-information field directly or indirectly included in any information field in the first message frame, which is not limited herein.

As an example, the first message frame includes a target beacon frame transmission time (Target Beacon Transmission Time, TBTT) Information field, the target beacon frame transmission start time Information (TBTT Information) field includes a multi-link device parameter (MLD PARAMETERS) field, and the multi-link device parameter field includes at least one second identification bit.

The second identification bit may be a BSS change count field.

And when the identification value of each second identification bit is a second value, the BSS key information for indicating one accessory AP device is changed.

In the communication method applied to the AP device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, the first message frame further includes sleep information of a BSS associated with the AP device.

That is, when the AP device is not attached to any AP MLD, the AP device may transmit sleep information of the BSS associated with the AP device to the associated STA device through the first message frame. For example, when an AP device is not attached to any AP MLD and the sleep information of the BSS associated with the AP device changes, the AP device may transmit the newly negotiated sleep information to the associated STA device through a first message frame.

In the communication method applied to the AP device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame further includes sleep information of a BSS associated with at least one accessory AP device.

That is, when the AP device is an AP MLD, the AP device may transmit sleep information of a BSS associated with at least one accessory AP device to the associated STA device through a first message frame.

Alternatively, when the AP device is an AP MLD, the AP device may transmit sleep information of a BSS associated with each accessory AP device to the associated STA device through the first message frame.

Alternatively, when the AP device is an AP MLD, the AP device may transmit sleep information of a BSS associated with the first device to the associated STA device through a first message frame, the first device being an accessory AP device associated with a communication link for transmitting the first message frame. That is, for each accessory AP device of the AP device, the AP device transmits sleep information for the respective accessory AP device to the corresponding STA device over the communication link associated with each accessory AP device.

In the communication method applied to the AP device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame includes at least one third identification bit and sleep information of a BSS associated with at least one accessory AP device. Each third identification bit is used for marking a communication link associated with a subordinate AP device, and each third identification bit is used for indicating that one piece of dormancy information in the first message frame is dormancy information corresponding to the subordinate AP device associated with the corresponding communication link.

The first message frame may include a link bitmap, where one bit in the link bitmap is a third identification bit, each third identification bit corresponds to one dormancy information, each third identification bit marks a communication link associated with one accessory AP device, and each dormancy information corresponds to one accessory AP device. Based on this, for any one of the third identification bits, the third identification bit may be used to indicate for which accessory AP device the corresponding dormancy information is the dormancy information of the BSS associated with.

In the communication method applied to the AP device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first message frame is a beacon (beacon) frame or a probe response (probe) frame.

In the communication method applied to the AP device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first message frame may further include at least one piece of BSS-related parameter information other than the dormancy information in the BSS key information, for example, the first message frame may further include extended channel switching announcement information, etc., and the specific manner is the same as the implementation manner in which any one of the foregoing first message frames includes the dormancy information.

In the communication method applied to the AP device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first message frame further includes a mute element (quiet element) field for indicating mute time information of each STA device associated with the AP device.

For example, the AP device is associated with at least one STA device under a broadcast link, the first message frame may further indicate quiet time information of each associated STA device through a quiet element field.

The silence time information may include a silence duration or a silence period, among others.

When the AP device does not support the multi-link communication, the silence time information is consistent with the sleep information of the BSS associated with the AP device, that is, the STA device associated with the AP device keeps silent during the sleep process (i.e., entering the power saving mode).

Wherein, when the AP device supports the multi-link communication, the first message frame includes at least one silence time information, each silence time information is associated with one STA device and one accessory AP device, and each silence time information is consistent with a sleep time of a BSS associated with the corresponding accessory AP device. That is, each accessory AP device of the AP device remains silent during the sleep procedure (i.e., enters a power save mode) with the STA device associated with that accessory AP device.

For example, when the AP device is an AP MLD, the AP device may transmit quiet time information for each associated STA device through a first message frame for indicating that each STA device remains quiet during the corresponding accessory AP device entering the power save mode.

For example, when the AP device is an AP MLD, the AP device may transmit silence time information to the STA device associated with the first device through the first message frame, the silence time information is consistent with sleep information of the BSS associated with the first device, and the first device is an accessory AP device associated with a communication link for transmitting the first message frame. That is, the AP device may send silence time information to the STA device associated with the first device through the first message frame for indicating that the STA device associated with the first device remains silent during the sleep process (entering the power saving mode).

The embodiment of the disclosure provides a communication method which can be applied to STA equipment. Referring specifically to fig. 3, fig. 3 is another flow chart of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the disclosure.

Optionally, the method may comprise the steps of:

Step S31, a first message frame sent by the AP equipment is received, wherein the first message frame is used for indicating the change of BSS key information, and the BSS key information comprises the dormancy information of the BSS.

The STA device executing the communication method applied to the STA device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is an STA device associated with the AP device.

In the communication method applied to the STA device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, the first message frame is used to indicate that BSS key information of the AP device changes.

When the AP device does not support the multi-link communication, the first message frame may be sent by the AP device based on a broadcast manner. When the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame may be sent by the AP device through its affiliated AP device.

In the communication method applied to the STA device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, that is, the AP device is not attached to any AP MLD, the first message frame includes a first identification bit, and when the identification value of the first identification bit is the first value, the first identification bit is used to indicate that BSS key information of the AP device changes, for example, dormancy information used to indicate a BSS associated with the AP device changes.

In the communication method applied to the STA device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the AP device supports multi-link communication, that is, when the AP device is an AP MLD, the first message frame includes at least one second identification bit, and BSS key information of an accessory AP device for indicating one AP MLD changes when an identification value of each second identification bit is a second value.

In the communication method applied to the STA device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the AP device supports multi-link communication, that is, when the AP device is an AP MLD, the first message frame includes a multi-link information element field, and the multi-link information element field includes at least one second identification bit.

The second identification bit may be a BSS change count field.

Optionally, when the AP device supports multi-link communication, i.e. the AP device is an AP MLD, the first message frame comprises a Reduced Neighbor Report Element (RNRE) field comprising at least one second identification bit.

As an example, the first message frame includes a target beacon frame transmission time Information (TBTT Information) field including a multi-link device parameter (MLD PARAMETERS) field including at least one second identification bit.

The second identification bit may be a BSS change count field.

In the communication method applied to the STA device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, the first message frame further includes sleep information of a BSS associated with the AP device.

That is, when the AP device is not attached to any AP MLD, the AP device may transmit sleep information of a BSS associated with the AP device through a first message frame. For example, when an AP device is not attached to any AP MLD and the sleep information of the BSS associated with the AP device changes, the AP device may transmit the newly negotiated sleep information to the associated STA device through a first message frame.

In the communication method applied to the STA device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame further includes sleep information of a BSS associated with at least one accessory AP device.

That is, when the AP device is an AP MLD, the STA device may receive a first message frame including sleep information of a BSS associated with at least one accessory AP device of the AP device.

Alternatively, when the AP device is an AP MLD, the STA device may receive a first message frame including sleep information of a BSS associated with each accessory AP device of the AP device.

Alternatively, when the AP device is an AP MLD, the STA device may receive a first message frame including sleep information of a BSS associated with the first device, the first device being an accessory AP device associated with a communication link for transmitting the first message frame, the STA device being associated with the first device based on the communication link. That is, for each accessory AP device of the AP device, the AP device transmits sleep information for the respective accessory AP device to the corresponding STA device over the communication link associated with each accessory AP device.

In the communication method applied to the STA device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame includes at least one third identification bit and sleep information of a BSS associated with at least one accessory AP device. Each third identification bit is used for marking a communication link associated with a subordinate AP device, and each third identification bit is used for indicating that one piece of dormancy information in the first message frame is dormancy information corresponding to the subordinate AP device associated with the corresponding communication link.

In the communication method applied to the STA device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first message frame is a beacon (beacon) frame or a probe response (probe) frame.

In the communication method applied to the STA device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first message frame may further include at least one piece of BSS-related parameter information other than the dormancy information in the BSS key information, for example, the first message frame may further include extended channel switching announcement information, etc., and the specific manner is the same as the implementation manner in which any one of the foregoing first message frames includes the dormancy information.

In the communication method applied to the STA device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first message frame further includes a mute element (quiet element) field for indicating mute time information of at least one STA device associated with the AP device.

For example, the AP device is associated with at least one STA device under a broadcast link, the first message frame may further indicate silence time information of the at least one associated STA device through a silence element field.

For example, when the AP device is an AP MLD, the AP device may transmit silence time information to the STA device associated with the first device through the first message frame, the silence time information remaining consistent with sleep information of the BSS associated with the first device, and the first device being an accessory AP device associated with a communication link for transmitting the first message frame, the STA device being associated with the first device based on the communication link. That is, the AP device may send silence time information to the STA device associated with the first device through the first message frame for indicating that the STA device associated with the first device remains silent during the sleep process (entering the power saving mode).

The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is further described below with reference to fig. 4. The AP device shown in fig. 4 may be a stand-alone AP device that does not support multi-link communication, or may be an AP MLD that supports multi-link communication, and the AP device is associated with a STA device.

Wherein the AP device may send a first message frame to the STA device after negotiating new BSS key information with the associated STA device.

When the AP device does not support the multi-link communication, the first message frame comprises a check beacon domain, the check beacon domain indicates that the sleep information of the BSS associated with the AP device changes through a second value, and the second value is different from the identification value of the check beacon domain in the message frame sent by the AP device last time.

At this time, the first message frame further includes sleep information of the BSS associated with the AP device.

When the AP device supports the multi-link communication, the first message frame includes a multi-link information element field or a reduced neighbor report information element field, where the multi-link information element field or the reduced neighbor report information element field includes at least one BSS change count field, and when an identification value of each BSS change count field is a second value, the dormancy information of a BSS associated with one accessory AP device is changed.

For any accessory AP device, under the condition that the dormancy information of the BSS associated with the accessory AP device is changed, the identification value (second value) of the BSS change count domain corresponding to the accessory AP device in the first message frame is different from the identification value of the BSS change count domain corresponding to the accessory AP device in the message frame sent by the AP device last time, so that the dormancy information of the BSS associated with the accessory AP device is indicated to be changed.

At this time, the first message frame further includes sleep information corresponding to the accessory AP device associated with the communication link that transmitted the first message frame, or includes sleep information of the BSS associated with each accessory AP device. When the first message frame includes dormancy information of a BSS associated with each accessory AP device, the first message frame includes a link bitmap, one bit in the link bitmap corresponding to one dormancy information, each bit marking a communication link associated with one accessory AP device, each dormancy information corresponding to one accessory AP device. Based on this, for each bit in the connector bit map, the bit may be used to indicate for which accessory AP device the associated BSS's dormancy information is.

Further, the first message frame also includes a quiet element field for indicating quiet time information for each STA device associated with the AP device for indicating that each STA device remains quiet while the associated AP device is in a sleep process.

According to the communication method provided by the embodiment of the disclosure, when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the AP device may indicate, through the first message frame, that BSS key information (such as sleep information) of at least one accessory AP device is changed, or may indicate, through the first message frame, BSS key information (such as sleep information) of at least one accessory AP device. When the AP device does not support the multi-link communication, the AP device may indicate BSS key information (e.g., dormancy information) of the AP device through the first message frame, or may indicate BSS key information (e.g., dormancy information) of the AP device through the first message frame. While the AP device may also indicate quiet time information for each STA device associated through the first message frame to keep each STA device quiet during sleep for the associated AP device or accessory AP device.

As shown in fig. 5, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication apparatus including:

A determining unit 51, configured to determine a first message frame, where the first message frame is used to indicate that basic service set BSS key information changes, and the BSS key information includes dormancy information of a BSS;

a first communication unit 52, configured to send the first message frame.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, the first message frame is used to indicate that BSS key information of the AP device changes; when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame is used to indicate that BSS key information of at least one accessory AP device of the AP device changes.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, the first message frame includes a first identification bit, and when an identification value of the first identification bit is a first value, BSS key information of the AP device is used to indicate that the BSS key information of the AP device is changed; or alternatively

When the AP devices support multi-link communication, the first message frame includes at least one second identification bit, and when an identification value of each second identification bit is a second value, BSS key information of one of the accessory AP devices is changed.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the AP device supports multilink communication, the first message frame includes a multilink information element field, and the multilink information element field includes each of the second identification bits.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, the first message frame further includes dormancy information of a BSS associated with the AP device; or alternatively

When the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame further includes sleep information of a BSS associated with at least one accessory AP device.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame includes dormancy information of a BSS associated with a first device, and the first device is an accessory AP device associated with a communication link for transmitting the first message frame.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame includes at least one third identification bit, where each third identification bit is used to mark a communication link associated with the accessory AP device, and each third identification bit is used to indicate that one piece of sleep information in the first message frame is sleep information corresponding to the accessory AP device associated with the corresponding communication link.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the disclosure, the sleep information includes at least one of a sleep period or a sleep duration.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first message frame further includes a silence element field, where the silence element field is used to indicate silence time information of each STA station device associated with the AP device.

As shown in fig. 6, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication apparatus including:

A second communication unit 61, configured to receive a first message frame sent by the AP device, where the first message frame is used to indicate that basic service set BSS key information is changed, and the BSS key information includes dormancy information of the BSS.

The embodiment of the disclosure further provides an electronic device, as shown in fig. 7, an electronic device 700 shown in fig. 7 includes: a processor 701 and a memory 703. The processor 701 is coupled to a memory 703, such as via a bus 702. Optionally, the electronic device 700 may also include a transceiver 704. It should be noted that, in practical applications, the transceiver 704 is not limited to one, and the structure of the electronic device 700 is not limited to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

The memory 703 is used for storing application program codes for executing embodiments of the present disclosure and is controlled by the processor 701 for execution. When the electronic device 700 is used as an AP device, the processor 701 is configured to execute application program codes stored in the memory 703 to implement the communication method applied to the AP device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, and when the electronic device 700 is used as an STA device, the processor 701 is configured to execute application program codes stored in the memory 703 to implement the communication method applied to the STA device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure.

Bus 702 may include a path to transfer information between the components. Bus 702 may be a PCI (PERIPHERAL COMPONENT INTERCONNECT, peripheral component interconnect standard) bus, or an EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture ) bus, or the like. Bus 702 may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in fig. 7, but not only one bus or one type of bus.

The Memory 703 may be, but is not limited to, read Only Memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, random access Memory (Random Access Memory, RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, electrically erasable programmable Read Only Memory (ELECTRICALLY ERASABLE PROGRAMMABLE READ ONLY MEMORY, EEPROM), compact disc Read Only Memory (Compact Disc Read Only Memory, CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, optical disk storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

The disclosed embodiments provide a computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the corresponding method embodiments described above.

It should be understood that, although the steps in the flowcharts of the figures are shown in order as indicated by the arrows, these steps are not necessarily performed in order as indicated by the arrows. The steps are not strictly limited in order and may be performed in other orders, unless explicitly stated herein. Moreover, at least some of the steps in the flowcharts of the figures may include a plurality of sub-steps or stages that are not necessarily performed at the same time, but may be performed at different times, the order of their execution not necessarily being sequential, but may be performed in turn or alternately with other steps or at least a portion of the other steps or stages.

It should be noted that the computer readable storage medium described above in the present disclosure may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium, or any combination of the two. The computer readable storage medium can be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or a combination of any of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. In the present disclosure, however, the computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, with the computer-readable program code embodied therein. Such a propagated data signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable signal medium may also be any computer readable storage medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on a computer readable storage medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to: electrical wires, fiber optic cables, RF (radio frequency), and the like, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

The computer-readable storage medium may be contained in the AP device or the STA device; or may exist alone without being assembled into an AP device or an STA device.

The computer-readable storage medium carries one or more programs that, when executed by an AP device or an STA device, cause the AP device or the STA device to perform a corresponding communication method.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product or computer program comprising computer instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium. The processor of the computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions to cause the computer device to perform the communication methods provided in the various alternative implementations described above.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the present disclosure may be written in one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, smalltalk, C ++ and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the case of a remote computer, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any kind of network, including a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet service provider).

The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems which perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The modules described in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in software or hardware. The name of a module is not limited to the module itself in some cases, and for example, an a module may also be described as "an a module for performing a B operation".

The foregoing description is only of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and description of the principles of the technology being employed. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the scope of the disclosure referred to in this disclosure is not limited to the specific combinations of features described above, but also covers other embodiments which may be formed by any combination of features described above or equivalents thereof without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. Such as those described above, are mutually substituted with the technical features having similar functions disclosed in the present disclosure (but not limited thereto).

Claims

A communication method, characterized in that it is applied to an access point AP device, the method comprising:

Determine a first message frame, where the first message frame is used to indicate that key information of a basic service set (BSS) has changed, where the key information of the BSS includes sleep information of the BSS;

The first message frame is sent.

The method according to claim 1 is characterized in that when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, the first message frame is used to indicate that the BSS key information of the AP device has changed; when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame is used to indicate that the BSS key information of at least one subordinate AP device of the AP device has changed.

The method according to claim 2, characterized in that when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, the first message frame includes a first identification bit, and when the identification value of the first identification bit is a first value, it is used to indicate that the BSS key information of the AP device has changed; or

When the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame includes at least one second identification bit, and when the identification value of each second identification bit is a second value, it is used to indicate that the BSS key information of one of the subordinate AP devices has changed.

The method according to claim 3 is characterized in that when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame includes a multi-link information element field, and the multi-link information element field includes each of the second identification bits.

The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, the first message frame further includes sleep information of the BSS associated with the AP device; or

When the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame further includes sleep information of at least one BSS associated with the subordinate AP device.

The method according to claim 5 is characterized in that, when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame includes sleep information of the BSS associated with the first device, and the first device is an auxiliary AP device associated with the communication link used to send the first message frame.

The method according to claim 5 is characterized in that when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame includes at least one third identification bit, each third identification bit is used to mark a communication link associated with the auxiliary AP device, and each third identification bit is used to indicate that a sleep information in the first message frame is the sleep information corresponding to the auxiliary AP device associated with the corresponding communication link.

According to the method of claim 1, the sleep information includes at least one of a sleep cycle or a sleep duration.

The method according to claim 1 is characterized in that the first message frame also includes a silence element field, and the silence element field is used to indicate the silence time information of each station STA device associated with the AP device.

A communication method, characterized in that it is applied to a site STA device, the method comprising:

A first message frame sent by an AP device is received, where the first message frame is used to indicate that key information of a basic service set (BSS) has changed, and the key BSS information includes sleep information of the BSS.

The method according to claim 10 is characterized in that when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, the first message frame is used to indicate that the BSS key information of the AP device has changed; when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame is used to indicate that the BSS key information of at least one subordinate AP device of the AP device has changed.

The method according to claim 11, characterized in that when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, the first message frame includes a first identification bit, and when the identification value of the first identification bit is a first value, it is used to indicate that the BSS key information of the AP device has changed; or

The method according to claim 12 is characterized in that when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame includes a multi-link information element field, and the multi-link information element field includes each of the second identification bits.

The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that when the AP device does not support multi-link communication, the first message frame further includes sleep information of the BSS associated with the AP device; or

The method according to claim 14 is characterized in that, when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame includes sleep information of the BSS associated with the first device, and the first device is an auxiliary AP device associated with the communication link used to send the first message frame.

The method according to claim 14 is characterized in that when the AP device supports multi-link communication, the first message frame includes at least one third identification bit, each third identification bit is used to mark a communication link associated with the auxiliary AP device, and each third identification bit is used to indicate that a sleep information in the first message frame is the sleep information corresponding to the auxiliary AP device associated with the corresponding communication link.

According to the method of claim 10, the sleep information includes at least one of a sleep cycle or a sleep duration.

The method according to claim 10 is characterized in that the first message frame also includes a silence element field, and the silence element field is used to indicate the silence time information of each station STA device associated with the AP device.

A communication device, characterized in that the device comprises:

A determining unit, configured to determine a first message frame, where the first message frame is used to indicate that key information of a basic service set (BSS) has changed, where the key information of the BSS includes sleep information of the BSS;

The first communication unit is configured to send the first message frame.

A communication device, characterized in that the device comprises:

The second communication unit is used to receive a first message frame sent by the AP device, wherein the first message frame is used to indicate a change in key information of a basic service set BSS, wherein the key information of the BSS includes sleep information of the BSS.

An electronic device, characterized in that the electronic device comprises a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements any one of the methods of claims 1 to 18 when executing the program.

A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that a computer program is stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18 is implemented.