RU2803320C1 - Method and device for communicating with a plurality of communication lines, electronic device and a computer-readable storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: communications.

SUBSTANCE: to achieve the result, a method for communicating with multiple links performed by an access point (AP) includes determining the first frame of the message, wherein the first frame of the message contains a change sequence field, and the value of the change sequence field is configured to indicate silence information for the multiple links; and transmitting the first message frame on at least one link of the plurality of links to at least one station.

EFFECT: enabling an access point (AP) to broadcast silence time in a variety of communication lines of the IEEE802.11be standard or other standards

19 cl, 5 dwg, 4 tbl

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to the field of communication technology and provides a method for performing multi-line communication and an apparatus for performing multi-line communication.

PREREQUISITES FOR CREATION OF THE INVENTION

[0002] In May 2018, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) formed the IEEE802.11be Study Group (SG) to study next-generation Wi-Fi technology (i.e. IEEE802. 11a/b/g/n/ac). The scope of the study includes transmission in the 320 MHz frequency band, as well as aggregation and interoperability of multiple frequency bands. The study suggests an increase in speed and throughput of at least four times compared to the existing IEEE802 standard. Groin, and its main application scenarios are video transmission, augmented reality (AR, Augmented Reality) and virtual reality (VR, Virtual Reality).

[0003] Multi-band aggregation and interoperability refers to the simultaneous communication between devices in the 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz and 6-7 GHz frequency bands, and a new Media Access Control (MAC) mechanism must be defined to control the communication control). In addition, the IEEE802.11be standard is expected to support low-latency transmission.

[0004] When discussing the IEEE802.11be standard, the maximum supported frequency band is 320 MHz (160 MHz + 160 MHz), and the IEEE802.11be standard can also support 240 MHz (160 MHz + 80 MHz) and frequency bands supported by the IEEE802.11ax standard .

[0005] In the existing standard, if multiple Basic Service Sets (BSS) exist simultaneously or multiple BSS are integrated into one physical access point (AP), to avoid the possibility of overlapping Basic Service Sets (OBSS), Set), the AP will maintain silence during the quiet period for the duration of the silence. In particular, the negotiation of a quiet period can be achieved based on a quiet period request element and a quiet period request response element, as shown below.

[0006] The silent period request element specifies a periodic sequence of silent intervals for scheduling requested by the requesting AP from the responding AP.

[0007] The silence period request response element specifies feedback information from the access point that received the silence period request element.

[0008] When the negotiation is completed, the access point broadcasts the result via a beacon frame or a probe response frame. In addition, the existing standard introduces a change sequence information element in a single link to identify a change of system information in the BSS.

[0009] Multi-link communication is supported by the IEEE802.11be standard, but the access point broadcasts the silent time on one link, which may not satisfy the multi-link communication requirements of the IEEE802.11be standard or other standards.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Aspects of the invention solve at least the above problems and/or disadvantages. Embodiments of the invention provide the following technical solution.

[0011] A method for performing multi-link communication is provided in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. The method includes: determining a first message frame on one communication link, wherein the first message frame includes a change sequence field, and the value of the change sequence field is configured to indicate silence information for a plurality of communication lines; and transmitting the first message frame on at least one of the plurality of communication links.

[0012] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the value of the change sequence field is set to the first value to indicate a change in silence information for the multiple link APs.

[0013] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the change sequence field is a field included in the change sequence information element.

[0014] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the change sequence information element includes: a link identifier, wherein the link identifier corresponds to a link with the changed silence information.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the invention, the first frame of the message also includes: silent time information.

[0016] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the method also includes: transmitting silence time information on at least one communication link.

[0017] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the silence time information includes: a second link identifier, wherein the second link identifier corresponds to a link with the modified silence information.

[0018] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the silence time information includes: a BSS identifier, wherein the BSS identifier corresponds to a link with the modified silence information.

[0019] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the quiet time information includes: a time offset corresponding to a communication link for transmitting the quiet time information.

[0020] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the silence time information includes: an element identifier indicating the type of silence time information.

[0021] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the method also includes: transmitting silence time information on communication links other than the at least one communication link, wherein the format of the silence time information is the same as the format of the silence element.

[0022] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, a method for communicating with multiple communication lines is provided. The method includes:

[0023] receiving a first message frame on at least one communication link, wherein the first message frame includes a change sequence field, and the value of the change sequence field is configured to indicate silence information for the plurality of communication lines.

[0024] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the value of the change sequence field is set to the first value to indicate a change in silence information for the multiple link APs.

[0025] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the change sequence field is a field included in the change sequence information element.

[0026] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the change sequence information element includes: a link identifier, wherein the link identifier corresponds to a link with the changed silence information.

[0027] According to some embodiments of the invention, the first frame of the message also includes: silent time information.

[0028] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the method also includes receiving silence time information on at least one communication link.

[0029] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the silence time information includes a second link identifier, wherein the second link identifier corresponds to a link with the modified silence information.

[0030] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the silence time information includes a BSS identifier, wherein the BSS identifier corresponds to a link with the modified silence information.

[0031] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the quiet time information includes: a time offset corresponding to a communication link for transmitting the quiet time information.

[0032] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the quiet time information includes: an element identifier indicating the type of quiet time information.

[0033] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the method also includes: receiving silence time information on communication lines other than the at least one communication line, wherein the format of the silence time information is the same as the format of the silence element.

[0034] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, an apparatus for communicating with multiple communication lines is provided. The device contains: a processing module and a communication module. The processing module is configured to determine a first frame of a message on one communication link, wherein the first frame of the message includes a change sequence field, and the value of the change sequence field is configured to indicate silence information for a plurality of communication lines. The communication module is configured to transmit a first message frame on at least one communication link of the plurality of communication links.

[0035] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, an apparatus for communicating with multiple communication lines is provided. The apparatus comprises: a receiving module configured to receive a first message frame on at least one communication link, wherein the first message frame includes a change sequence field, and a value of the change sequence field is configured to indicate silence information for the plurality of communication lines.

[0036] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, an electronic device is provided. An electronic device contains: memory, a processor, and computer programs stored in the memory and executed by the processor. When computer programs are executed by a processor, the method described above is carried out.

[0037] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided on which computer programs are stored. When computer programs are executed by a processor, the method described above is carried out.

[0038] The technical solution provided in embodiments of the invention can reduce the amount of signaling overhead and allow devices to communicate over multiple communication lines, which increases network throughput.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] The above and additional features of the embodiments of the invention will become more clear from the detailed description of the embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] FIG. 1 is an example of a schematic diagram of a multi-link communication scenario.

[0041] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a communication method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0042] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a communication method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0043] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a communication method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0044] FIG. 5 is a diagram of a communication device according to an example embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0045] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, is provided for a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims and their equivalent features. Embodiments of the invention include various specific details that are considered illustrative only. In addition, description of known methods, functions and structures may be omitted for the sake of clarity and brevity.

[0046] The terms and words used in this description are not limited to their written meaning, but are used by the inventors to provide a clear and consistent understanding of the invention. Accordingly, for those skilled in the art, the description of embodiments of the invention is provided for illustration only and not as limitation of the invention.

[0047] It should be understood that, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, singular forms used herein may also include plural forms. In addition, it should be understood that the term "include" as used herein refers to the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, components and/or assemblies, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers , stages, operations, components, units and/or their groups.

[0048] It is understood that although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited to these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. Therefore, within the spirit of the exemplary embodiments of the invention, the first element discussed below may be referred to as the second element.

[0049] It should be understood that when a component is "connected" or "linked" to another component, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other components, or there may be an intermediate component. In addition, the terms "connected" or "linked" as used herein may include a wireless connection or wireless communication. As used herein, the combination "and/or" or the expression "at least one/at least one of..." includes any and all combinations of one or more of the corresponding listed elements.

[0050] Unless otherwise specified, all terms used herein, including technical terms and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates.

[0051] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a multi-link communication scenario.

[0052] In a wireless local area network, one BSS includes an AP and one or more stations (STAs) that communicate with the AP. A BSS can connect to a distribution system (DS, Distribution System) through an access point, and then access another BSS to form an extended set of services (ESS, Extended Service Set).

[0053] An access point is a wireless switch that is used for a wireless network and is the core of a wireless network. The AP device can be used as a wireless base station and is mainly used as a bridge to connect the wireless network and wired network. An access point is used to integrate wired and wireless networks.

[0054] The AP may include software applications and/or circuitry that allow other types of nodes in the wireless network to communicate internally and externally using the wireless network via the AP. In some examples, for example, the AP may be an end device or a network device equipped with a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) chip.

[0055] For example, an STA may include, but is not limited to: a cell phone, a smartphone, a wearable device, a computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal communication system (PCS) device, a personal information manager ( PIM, Personal Information Manager), personal navigation device (PND, Personal Navigation Device), global positioning system, multimedia device and Internet of Things device (IoT, Internet of Things).

[0056] In an exemplary embodiment, the AP and STA may communicate with multiple communication links. For ease of description, the following will mainly describe an example of an AP interacting with an STA on multiple communication links, but the embodiments of the invention are not limited to this.

[0057] In FIG. 1, by way of example only, a Multi-Link Device (MLD) AP may represent an AP supporting a multi-link communication function, and an MLD STA may represent an STA supporting a multi-link communication function. As shown in FIG. 1, the MLD AP can operate in three communication lines, such as AP1, AP2 and AP3 shown in FIG. 1, a MLD STA can operate in three links such as STA1, STA2 and STA3 shown in FIG. 1. In the example in FIG. 1, AP1 communicates with STA1 on link 1. Similarly, AP2 communicates with STA2 on link 2, and AP3 communicates with STA3 on link 3. In addition, links 1-3 may be multiple communication links at different frequencies, for example, a 2.4 GHz link, a 5 GHz link and a 6 GHz link. In addition, each communication line can have several channels. However, it should be understood that the communication scenario shown in FIG. 1 is illustrative only, and the inventive concept is not limited thereto. For example, an MLD AP may be connected to one or more MLD STAs, or an MLD AP may be connected to at least one STA that supports a single link (i.e., an STA that supports only an existing standard and may be referred to as a legacy STA type), or the AP may communicate with multiple STAs on different links.

[0058] As mentioned above, in order to identify a change of system information in the BSS, the existing standard defines a change sequence information element for identifying a change of system information, as shown in Table 1 below.

[0059] The change sequence information element indicates a change in system information in the BSS. The change sequence field has 1 octet, which is defined as an unsigned integer and can be initialized to 0, and is incremented when a critical update occurs to any of the elements in the beacon frame.

[0060] When a critical update occurs to any of the elements in the beacon frame, the AP increases the value of the change sequence field (modulo 256) of the beacon frame to be transmitted next. The following events may be classified as a critical update:

[0061] a) enabling an extended channel switch announcement;

[0062] b) changing the parameters of the enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA, Enhanced Distributed Channel Access); or

[0063] c) modification of the operating element S1G.

[0064] Multi-link communication means that the AP MLD will form multiple BSSs on different links, and the non-AP MLD STA will communicate with the AP MLD on multiple links. It is necessary to determine how to broadcast the AP silence time for BSSs formed by the same AP MLD to a non-AP MLD STA. In an exemplary embodiment, an AP MLD and a non-AP MLD STA may support the ability to simultaneously transmit and/or receive on multiple links at the same time.

[0065] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a communication method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 2, at step 210, a first message frame may be determined. For example, the first frame of the message may be determined by the access point on one of the multiple links supported by it itself. In some examples, one or more communication links supported by the AP may be specified to transmit the first message frame. According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the first message frame may be a beacon frame or a probe response frame broadcast by the AP, which is not limited to embodiments of the invention. The first frame of the message may be any other type of frame according to the communication environment. In an exemplary embodiment, the first message frame may be determined based on the communication capabilities of the AP and the current communication environment. In another embodiment of the invention, a pre-stored or pre-recorded first frame of a message may be received directly.

[0067] In an exemplary embodiment, a first message frame (eg, a beacon frame or a probe response frame) may include a change sequence field to indicate silence information for a plurality of communication links.

[0068] It is believed that an event update may occur when the silence information of the access point has changed, and then the change in the silence information for the access point may be represented by a change sequence field. Silence information for the AP may include a period of silence or duration of silence for the AP. That is, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the value of a change sequence field (for example, the change sequence field shown in Table 2 below) can be set to the first value to indicate a change in silence information for the multiple link APs (i.e., a change in period silence or duration of silence for AP of multiple communication lines). An example of a change sequence field will be described in detail below with reference to Table 2.

[0069] At step 220, a first message frame is transmitted on at least one of the plurality of communication links. That is, the change sequence field is transmitted on at least one communication link by carrying the change sequence field in the first message frame.

[0070] In some examples, the change sequence field only indicates whether the silence information of the AP has changed, and the specific silence information may be further communicated to the receiver (e.g., STA) via the silence time information (which may also be referred to as a silence time information element) , which will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 3 and fig. 4.

[0071] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a communication method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 3, at step 310, a change sequence information element and silence time information may be determined. For example, a change sequence information element and silent time information may be included in the first message frame (eg, a beacon frame or a probe response frame). When the first message frame is determined at step 210 in FIG. 2, a change sequence information element and silence time information may also be determined. According to an example embodiment of the invention, the change sequence information element and the silence time information may be carried in the same first message frame. In other examples, the change sequence information element and the silence time information may be transmitted via the same first message frame. Alternatively, the change sequence information element and the silence time information may be transmitted in different first frames of the message. In other words, the change sequence information element and the silence time information may be transmitted separately through different first frames of the message. As noted above, examples of the first message frames are a beacon frame or a probe response frame, which does not limit the invention.

[0073] According to an example embodiment of the invention, the change sequence information element may have a format as shown in Table 2 below.

[0074] According to Table 2, the change sequence field described with reference to step 210 in FIG. 2 may be a change sequence field included in a change sequence information element. For example, when the value of the change sequence field is set to "00000101", its value is 5, and the modulo 256 value is used to indicate that the silent time information for a plurality of communication lines has changed.

[0075] Additionally, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the change sequence information element may include a link identifier. The link ID may correspond to a link with the modified silence information. In an example, the link ID may correspond to a single link (eg, link ID in Table 2). However, in another example, the link ID may correspond to a set of multiple links (eg, the set of links in Table 2).

[0076] In addition to identifying a change in AP silence information of a plurality of communication lines by setting the value of the change sequence field to the first value, as described in step 210 in FIG. 2, it is also possible to indicate by the link identifier in which link or links the silence information has been changed.

[0077] In addition, given that the change sequence information element shown in Table 2 is different from the prior art (as shown in Table 1), the element ID value is set to a value different from the element ID value shown in the table 1, and thus is set to a different value to indicate that the change sequence information element is a new defined element type for the receiver.

[0078] However, this is only an example, and in other embodiments of the invention, the link identifier may also be omitted, or the value of the element identifier in Table 2 may be the same as the value of the element identifier in Table 1.

[0079] The silence time information determined at step 310 may have the format shown in Table 3 below.

[0080] According to Table 3, the silence time information may include a second link identifier, such as the link identifier in Table 3. The second link identifier may correspond to a link with the modified silence information. In some embodiments of the invention, the quiet time information may include a BSSID. The BSSID corresponds to a link with modified silence information. The BSSID may indicate which BSS the link with the modified silence information belongs to.

[0081] In addition, the silence time information may include a time offset corresponding to the communication link for transmitting the silence time information (e.g., a time offset relative to the reference link in Table 3), which may be used to represent the time difference between the communication link, in which silence occurs, and the communication line in which information about the time of silence is currently transmitted. For example, the link in which silence occurs may be link 1 shown in FIG. 1, and the corresponding time is T1. If silent time information is transmitted on all three links (links 1 to 3) shown in FIG. 1, the time offset field in the silence time information transmitted on link 1 may be O, the time offset field in the silence time information transmitted on link 2 may be s1, and the time offset field in the time information the silence transmitted on link 3 may have the value s2. That is, the time at which each of the communication lines 1 to 3 transmits silence time information, respectively, may correspond to T1, T1+s1 and T1+s2, which is only an example and is not limited in the exemplary embodiment of the invention. For example, the quiet time information offset field may directly indicate a specific time corresponding to the communication link on which the quiet time information is transmitted.

[0082] For example, one of the plurality of links supported by the AP may be defined as a reference link (eg, a link in which there is silence, or any other link). When the silence time information is transmitted on at least one link, a time offset in the silence time information on each link of the at least one link may indicate a time offset of each link relative to the reference link when transmitting the silence time information. which is not limited to examples of implementation of the invention. For example, instead of setting a reference link, a reference time may be set, and then the time offset may correspond to a time offset of the transmission of quiet time information on each link relative to the reference time. In other words, when the silence time information is transmitted on at least one link, a time offset in the silence time information on each link of the at least one link may indicate a time offset of each link relative to a reference time.

[0083] In addition, the silence time information may include an element identifier indicating the type of silence time information (ie, the element identifier in Table 3). That is, in an embodiment of the invention, the silence time information (in the format shown in Table 3) transmitted at step 310 can be identified by the element identifier as a newly defined type.

[0084] In addition, the silence time information may include at least one of the following fields: length, silence counter, silence period, silence duration, or silence offset. These fields are used to determine specific information when the silence information has changed, and their meanings are similar to those in the prior art, so only some of these fields are briefly described below.

[0085] The Quiet Count field sets the number of times the target beacon transmission time (TBTTa) before the beacon interval during which the next quiet interval begins.

[0086] The Quiet Period field specifies the number of beacon intervals between the start of regularly scheduled quiet intervals, defined by a quiet time element (which can also be called a new type of quiet element, as shown in Table 3). A silence period field set to 0 indicates that the periodic silence interval is not defined.

[0087] The Quiet Duration field indicates the duration of the silence intervals, expressed in time units (TU, Time Unit).

[0088] The Quiet Offset field specifies the offset of the start of the quiet intervals from the QTT specified by the Quiet Count field, expressed in TU. The Quiet Offset field value can be less than one beacon interval.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 3, at step 320, the change sequence information element and silence time information may be transmitted on at least one communication link. That is, the silence time information shown in Table 3 can be transmitted on a communication link in which the change sequence information element shown in Table 2 is broadcast.

[0090] In an embodiment of the invention, the change sequence information element and silence time information may be transmitted on link 1 or other links, or the change sequence information element and silence time information may be transmitted only on link 1. In some possible In embodiments of the invention, the change sequence information element and silence time information may also be transmitted on different communication links.

[0091] As shown at step 220 in FIG. 2, the first message frame (eg, a beacon frame or a probe response frame) includes both a change sequence information element and quiet time information, and both the change sequence information element and the silence time information are transmitted on at least one line. communications from multiple communication lines. In some examples, when the change sequence information element and the silence time information are not included in the same first message frame, for example, when the change sequence information element and the silence time information are included in different first message frames, the first message frame containing the information a change sequence element may be transmitted on at least one link (for example, link 1 and link 2 shown in FIG. 1), and then another first message frame containing silent time information will be transmitted on the same communication lines (eg, communication line 1 and communication line 2 shown in FIG. 1).

[0092] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a communication method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 4, at step 410, a change sequence information element and quiet time information may be determined.

[0094] At step 420, the change sequence information element may be transmitted to link 1. In an exemplary embodiment, link 1 is any link of a plurality of links supported by the AP. The change sequence information element may have the format shown in Table 2, which is not limited to exemplary embodiments of the invention. For example, the change sequence information element may also have the format shown in Table 1, which may be determined based on whether the receiver supports multi-link communication.

[0095] In an embodiment of the invention, the change sequence information element may be transmitted on link 1 together with other communication links, or the change sequence information element may be transmitted only on link 1.

[0096] At step 430, the quiet time information may be transmitted on a link other than link 1. The format of the quiet time information may be the same as the format of a Quiet Element (QE) defined in an existing standard. The QE format defined in the existing standard may be as shown in Table 4 below.

[0097] If there is a device that does not support multi-link communication (eg, a legacy STA that only supports single-link communication), the quiet time information determined at step 410 and transmitted at step 430 may be QE (as shown in Table 4) that can be recognized by both a multi-link capable device (eg, a non-AP MLD STA) and a non-multi-link capable device (eg, a legacy STA). type).

[0098] For example, unlike the communication environment shown in FIG. 1, when the MLD AP communicates with a device that does not support multi-link communication (eg, an old type STA) on the link, i.e. in response to the presence of a device that does not support multi-link communication (eg, an old type STA), in accordance with the communication method, silent time information having a format defined in accordance with an existing standard (i.e., QE, shown in Table 4) to avoid the inability of the legacy STA to analyze idle time information transmitted on the multiple links defined by the invention (ie, the QEs shown in Table 3), thereby providing backward compatibility with the legacy STA.

[0099] According to the communication method, a change in silent time information (for example, a silence period or a silence duration) of an MLD AP in a plurality of communication links can be identified in a change sequence information element, and its specific information element is also decided to be broadcast in one or more links, so that AP silence time can be obtained on one or more links while achieving backward compatibility with the old style STA.

[00100] In addition, the communication method can reduce signaling overhead, which allows a device to communicate over multiple communication links and increases network capacity.

[00101] FIG. 5 is a diagram of a communication apparatus 500 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[00102] As shown in FIG. 5, the communication device 500 includes: a processing module 510 and a communication module 530.

[00103] Processing module 510 is configured to determine a first frame of a message on one communication link, wherein the first frame of the message includes a change sequence field, and the value of the change sequence field is configured to indicate silence information for multiple links.

[00104] Communication module 530 is configured to transmit a first message frame on at least one communication link of the plurality of communication links.

[00105] According to an example embodiment of the invention, the value of the change sequence field can be set to the first value to indicate a change in silence information for a multi-link access point. For example, when the value of the change sequence field is set to "00000101", its value is 5, and the modulo 256 value is used to identify that the silent time information of the plurality of communication lines has changed.

[00106] According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a change sequence field is a field included in a change sequence information element.

[00107] According to an example embodiment of the invention, the change sequence information element includes: a link identifier, wherein the link identifier corresponds to a link with the changed silence information.

[00108] According to an example embodiment of the invention, the first message frame also includes: silent time information.

[00109] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, communication module 520 is also configured to transmit silent time information on at least one communication link.

[00110] According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the silence time information includes: a second link identifier, and the second link identifier corresponds to a link with the modified silence information.

[00111] According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the silence time information includes: a BSS identifier, wherein the BSS identifier corresponds to a communication link with the modified silence information.

[00112] According to an example embodiment of the invention, the quiet time information may include a time offset corresponding to a communication link for transmitting the quiet time information (for example, a time offset relative to the reference link in Table 3), which is configured to represent a time difference between the communication link , in which there is silence, and the communication line in which information about the time of silence is currently transmitted. For example, the link in which silence occurs may be link 1 shown in FIG. 1 with the corresponding time T1. Assuming that silent time information is transmitted on all three links (links 1-3) shown in FIG. 1, the time offset field in the silence time information transmitted on link 1 may have a value of 0, the time offset field in the silence time information transmitted on link 2 may have the value s1, and the time offset field in the time information the silence transmitted on link 3 may have the value s2. That is, the time at which each of the communication lines 1-3 transmits silence time information may correspond to T1, T1+s1 and T1+s2, respectively, which is only an example and is not limited to embodiments of the invention. For example, the quiet time information offset field may directly indicate a specific time corresponding to the communication link on which the quiet time information is transmitted. For example, one link among a plurality of links supported by the AP may be set as a reference link (eg, a link in which silence occurs, or any other link), and when the silence time information is transmitted at least in one link, a time offset corresponding to a link on which the quiet time information is transmitted may indicate a time offset of the link relative to the reference link at the time the quiet time information is transmitted, which is not limited to exemplary embodiments of the invention. For example, instead of setting a reference link, a reference time may be set, and then the time offset may correspond to a time offset of the transmission of quiet time information on each link relative to the reference time. In other words, when the silence time information is transmitted on at least one link, a time offset in the silence time information on each link of the at least one link may indicate a time offset of each link relative to a reference time.

[00113] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the silence time information includes: an element identifier indicating the type of silence time information.

[00114] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, communication module 520 is also configured to transmit silence time information on communication links other than at least one communication link, wherein the format of the silence time information is the same as the QE format (as shown in Fig. 4).

[00115] The configuration and structure of the communication device 500 shown in FIG. 5 are illustrative only and are not limited to examples of implementation of the invention. For example, the communication device 500 may include more or fewer modules. In addition, the modules described above may be implemented through a combination of software and/or hardware, which is not limited to embodiments of the invention.

[00116] By using a communication device in accordance with examples of the invention, the amount of signaling overhead can be reduced, which allows the device to communicate over multiple communication lines and improves network throughput.

[00117] In addition, embodiments of the invention also provide a method for communicating with multiple communication lines. The method may include receiving a first message frame on at least one communication link, wherein the first message frame includes a change sequence field, wherein the value of the change sequence field is configured to indicate silence information for the plurality of communication links. For example, a multi-link device (eg, an MLD STA) may receive the first message frame on at least one link, and a single-link device (eg, a legacy STA) may receive the first frame. messages on one communication line.

[00118] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the value of the change sequence field is set to the first value to indicate a change in silence information for the multiple link APs.

[00119] According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a change sequence field is a field included in a change sequence information element.

[00120] According to an example embodiment of the invention, the change sequence information element includes: a link identifier, wherein the link identifier corresponds to a link with the changed silence information.

[00121] According to an example embodiment of the invention, the first message frame also includes: silent time information.

[00122] According to an example embodiment of the invention, the method also includes receiving information about the time of silence on at least one communication link.

[00123] According to an example embodiment of the invention, the silence time information includes: a second link identifier, wherein the second link identifier corresponds to a link with the modified silence information.

[00124] According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the silence time information includes: a BSS identifier, wherein the BSS identifier corresponds to a communication link with the modified silence information.

[00125] According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the silence time information includes: a time offset corresponding to a communication link for transmitting the silence time information.

[00126] According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the silence time information includes: an element identifier indicating the type of silence time information.

[00127] According to an example embodiment of the invention, the method also includes receiving silence time information on communication lines other than the at least one communication line, wherein the format of the silence time information is the same as the format of the silence element.

[00128] The change sequence information element, quiet time information and QE described above may be similar to the elements described with reference to Tables 1-4, and their description is omitted here for brevity.

[00129] In an exemplary embodiment, upon receiving the change sequence information element and/or the silence time information, the STA may perform a corresponding silence operation based on the change sequence information element and/or the silence time information.

[00130] In addition, embodiments of the invention provide an apparatus for communicating with multiple communication lines. The device may correspond to an STA or a control device on the STA side.

[00131] The apparatus may comprise: a receiving module configured to receive a first message frame on at least one communication link, wherein the first message frame includes a change sequence field, and the value of the change sequence field is configured to indicate silence information for the plurality of communication lines.

[00132] According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the value of the change sequence field is set to the first value to indicate a change of silence information for the multiple link APs.

[00133] According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a change sequence field is a field included in a change sequence information element.

[00134] According to an example embodiment of the invention, the change sequence information element includes: a link identifier, wherein the link identifier corresponds to a link with the changed silence information.

[00135] According to an example embodiment of the invention, the first message frame also includes: silent time information.

[00136] According to an example embodiment of the invention, the receiving module is also configured to receive silence time information on at least one communication link.

[00137] According to an example embodiment of the invention, the silence time information includes: a second link identifier, wherein the second link identifier corresponds to a link with the modified silence information.

[00138] According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the silence time information includes: a BSS identifier, wherein the BSS identifier corresponds to a communication link with the modified silence information.

[00139] According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the silence time information includes: a time offset corresponding to a communication link for transmitting the silence time information.

[00140] According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the silence time information includes: an element identifier indicating the type of silence time information.

[00141] According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the receiving module is also configured to receive silence time information on communication lines other than the at least one communication line, wherein the format of the silence time information is the same as the QE format.

[00142] The change sequence information element, quiet time information and QE described above may be similar to the elements described with reference to Tables 1-4, which are not described again here for brevity.

[00143] In an exemplary embodiment, the device may also include other modules, such as a processing module, that may be configured to perform an appropriate silence operation based on receiving a change sequence information element and/or silence time information.

[00144] Based on the same principles as the method presented in the embodiments of the invention, embodiments of the invention also provide an electronic device. An electronic device contains a processor and memory that stores machine-readable instructions (which may also be called computer programs). When the machine-readable instructions are executed by the processor, the method described with reference to FIG. 2-4.

[00145] Embodiments of the invention also provide a computer-readable storage medium on which computer programs are stored. When computer programs are executed by the processor, the method described with reference to FIG. 2-4.

[00146] In exemplary embodiments of the invention, the processor may be a logical unit, module, or circuit for implementing or executing various embodiments of the invention presented in the description, for example, a central processing unit (CPU, Central Processing Unit), general processor, digital signal processor (DSP) , Digital Signal Processor), Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A processor may also be a combination used to implement a computing function, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors and a combination of a DSP and microprocessors.

[00147] In examples of the invention, the memory can be, for example, read only memory (ROM, Read Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), compact -disk (CD-ROM, Compact Disc Read Only Memory) or other optical disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices (including CDs, laser discs, CD-ROMs, digital discs and Blu-ray discs), disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices or any other media that can be used to carry or store program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but not limited to this document.

[00148] It should be understood that although the steps of the flowchart in the accompanying drawings are shown sequentially as indicated by arrows, the steps are not necessarily performed sequentially in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the invention, there is no strict restriction on the sequential execution of these steps, which may be performed in any other order. In addition, at least some of the steps of the flowchart in the accompanying drawings may include multiple substeps or multiple steps that are not necessarily performed simultaneously, but may be performed at different times. The order of execution is not necessarily sequential, and steps may be performed alternately or interleaved with other steps or at least a portion of substeps or phases of other steps.

[00149] Although the invention has been shown and described with reference to embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes in form and detail can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should not be limited to the embodiments of the invention, but should be determined by the appended claims and their equivalent features.

Claims (24)

1. A method for performing multi-link communication performed by an access point (AP) including: determining a first message frame, wherein the first message frame contains a change sequence field, and a value of the change sequence field is configured to indicate silence information for the plurality of communication lines; And transmitting a first message frame on at least one communication link of the plurality of communication links to at least one station (STA); wherein the value of the change sequence field is set equal to the first value to indicate a change in silence information for the plurality of communication lines. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the change sequence field is included in the change sequence information element. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the change sequence information element comprises: a first link identifier, wherein the first link identifier corresponds to a link with the changed silence information. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first frame of the message also contains information about silence. 5. The method according to claim 1, also including: transmitting information about silence in at least one communication line. 6. The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein the silence information comprises a second link identifier, wherein the second link identifier corresponds to a link with the modified silence information. 7. The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein the silence information comprises a base service set identifier, wherein the base service set identifier corresponds to a communication link with the modified silence information. 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the silence information comprises a time offset corresponding to a communication link for transmitting the silence time information. 9. The method of claim 6, wherein the silence information comprises: an element identifier indicating a type of silence information. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting (430) silence information on at least one communication link other than said at least one communication link on which the first message frame is transmitted; wherein the format of the silence information is the same as the format of the silence element. 11. A method of performing multi-link communication performed by a station (STA) and including: receiving a first frame of a message on at least one link transmitted by at least one access point (AP), wherein the first frame of the message includes a change sequence field, and the value of the change sequence field is configured to indicate silence information for the plurality of links; wherein the value of the change sequence field is set equal to the first value to indicate a change in silence information for the plurality of communication lines. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the change sequence field is included in the change sequence information element. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the change sequence information element comprises: a first link identifier, wherein the first link identifier corresponds to a link with the changed silence information. 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first frame of the message also contains silence information. 15. The method according to claim 11, also including: receiving information about silence on at least one communication line. 16. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the silence information comprises a second link identifier, wherein the second link identifier corresponds to a link with the modified silence information. 17. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the silence information comprises a base service set identifier, wherein the base service set identifier corresponds to a communication link with the modified silence information. 18. An electronic communication device comprising: a memory, a processor and computer programs stored in the memory and executed by the processor, wherein when the computer programs are executed by the processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is carried out. 19. An electronic communication device comprising: a memory, a processor and computer programs stored in the memory and executed by the processor, wherein when the computer programs are executed by the processor, the method according to any one of claims 11 to 17 is carried out.