Disclosure of Invention
When a multi-link end device connects to a multi-link access point device, it is common to establish connections on multiple links and to monitor or transmit data on the multiple links. The multiple links are started at the same time, so that larger electric quantity of the equipment is consumed, and most of terminal equipment is battery-powered equipment, so that the long-term use of the multiple links for data transmission can cause the excessively rapid consumption of the electric quantity of the battery. In view of the above, the present invention provides a method, apparatus, device and storage medium for establishing a direct link, which can establish a direct link in a power saving mode.
In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for establishing a direct link, including:
The method comprises the steps that a first multi-link device sends a direct link discovery request message to a second multi-link device, when the first multi-link device is in a power saving mode, if the first multi-link device accepts a switching main link, the first multi-link device can establish a direct link on a main link and an auxiliary link of the first multi-link device in the direct link discovery request message, if the first multi-link device does not accept the switching main link, the first multi-link device can only establish the direct link on the main link in the direct link discovery request message, and the first multi-link device indicated in the direct link discovery request message is used for selecting a link which can establish the direct link from links which can establish the direct link in the second multi-link device;
The method comprises the steps that a first multi-link device receives a direct link discovery response message from a second multi-link device, wherein the direct link discovery response message indicates that the second multi-link device can establish a link of a direct link;
The first multi-link device selects a link which requests to establish a direct link from links which can establish the direct link in the second multi-link device, and sends a direct link establishment request message to the second multi-link device, wherein the direct link establishment request message indicates the link which requests to establish the direct link;
The first multi-link device receives a direct link establishment response message from the second multi-link device, wherein the direct link establishment response message indicates the second multi-link device to confirm the establishment of the direct link.
In a possible implementation manner, the first multi-link device selects a link that requests to establish a direct link from links that the second multi-link device can establish the direct link, including one or more of the following:
If the link of the second multi-link device capable of establishing the direct link only comprises the main link of the first multi-link device, the first multi-link device selects the main link of the first multi-link device included in the link of the second multi-link device capable of establishing the direct link as a link for requesting to establish the direct link;
If the link of the second multi-link device capable of establishing the direct link only comprises an auxiliary link of the first multi-link device, the first multi-link device selects the auxiliary link of the first multi-link device included in the link of the second multi-link device capable of establishing the direct link as a link for requesting to establish the direct link, and switches the main link to the auxiliary link of the first multi-link device included in the link of the second multi-link device capable of establishing the direct link;
If the second multi-link device can establish the link of the direct link and comprises a main link and an auxiliary link of the first multi-link device, the first multi-link device selects the main link of the first multi-link device included in the link of the second multi-link device, which can establish the direct link, as a link for requesting to establish the direct link, or the first multi-link device selects the auxiliary link of the first multi-link device included in the link of the second multi-link device, which can establish the direct link, as a link for requesting to establish the direct link, and switches the main link to the auxiliary link of the first multi-link device included in the link of the second multi-link device, which can establish the direct link.
In a possible implementation manner, the direct link discovery request message further includes an indication of link properties, which are used to instruct the second multi-link device to preferentially select the main link indicated in the direct link discovery request message as a link capable of establishing a direct link, where the link properties include a main link and an auxiliary link.
In a possible implementation manner, the switching the main link to the secondary link of the first multi-link device included in the link that can be used by the second multi-link device to establish the direct link includes:
Sending a main link switching request message to an access point, wherein the main link switching request message indicates a main link to be switched and a time length required by switching, the main link to be switched is an auxiliary link of a first multi-link device included in a link which can establish a direct link by the second multi-link device, and the access point is connected with the first multi-link device and the second multi-link device;
and receiving a main link switching response message sent by the access point, wherein whether switching is agreed is indicated in the main link switching response message.
In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for establishing a direct link, including:
the second multi-link device receives a direct link discovery request message from the first multi-link device, wherein the direct link discovery request message indicates that the first multi-link device can establish a link of a direct link;
The second multi-link device selects a link capable of establishing a direct link from links capable of establishing a direct link in the first multi-link device, and sends a direct link discovery response message to the first multi-link device, wherein the direct link discovery response message indicates that the second multi-link device can establish the link of the direct link, and the second multi-link device is used for selecting a link requesting to establish the direct link from the links capable of establishing the direct link in the second multi-link device;
The second multi-link device receives a direct link establishment request message from the first multi-link device, wherein the direct link establishment request message indicates a link for requesting to establish a direct link;
and if the link of the request for establishing the direct link is different from the main link of the second multi-link equipment, the second multi-link equipment switches the main link to the link of the request for establishing the direct link and sends a direct link establishment response message to the first multi-link equipment, wherein the direct link establishment response message indicates that the direct link is established on the link of the request for establishing the direct link.
In a possible implementation manner, when the second multi-link device is in the power saving mode, the second multi-link device selects a link that can establish a direct link from links that can be established by the first multi-link device, including one or more of the following:
If the link of the first multi-link device capable of establishing the direct link comprises a main link and an auxiliary link of the second multi-link device, and the second multi-link device does not accept to switch the main link, or the link of the first multi-link device capable of establishing the direct link only comprises the main link of the second multi-link device, the second multi-link device selects the main link of the second multi-link device included in the link of the first multi-link device capable of establishing the direct link as the link capable of establishing the direct link;
if the links of the first multi-link device capable of establishing the direct link comprise a main link and an auxiliary link of the second multi-link device, and the second multi-link device accepts to switch the main link, the second multi-link device selects the main link and the auxiliary link of the second multi-link device included in the links of the first multi-link device capable of establishing the direct link as the links capable of establishing the direct link;
if the link of the first multi-link device capable of establishing the direct link only comprises an auxiliary link of the second multi-link device, and the second multi-link device accepts to switch the main link, the second multi-link device selects the auxiliary link of the second multi-link device included in the link of the first multi-link device capable of establishing the direct link as the link capable of establishing the direct link.
In a possible implementation manner, the direct link discovery request message further includes an indication of link properties, where the link properties include a primary link and a secondary link;
The second multi-link device selects a link that can establish a direct link from links that can establish a direct link by the first multi-link device, including one or more of:
When the second multi-link device is in a power saving mode, if the first multi-link device can establish a link of a direct link and comprises a main link and an auxiliary link of the second multi-link device, if the second multi-link device accepts to switch the main link, the second multi-link device selects the main link indicated in the direct link discovery request message as the link capable of establishing the direct link;
When the second multi-link device does not use the power saving mode, the second multi-link device selects the main link indicated in the direct link discovery request message as a link that can establish a direct link.
In a possible implementation manner, the second multi-link device switches the main link to the link of the request to establish the direct link, including:
The second multi-link device sends a main link switching request message to an access point, wherein the main link switching request message indicates a main link to be switched and a time length required by switching, the main link to be switched establishes a link of a direct link for the request, and the access point is connected with the first multi-link device and the second multi-link device;
And the second multi-link equipment receives a main link switching response message sent by the access point, wherein whether switching is agreed is indicated in the main link switching response message.
In a third aspect, the present invention provides a direct link establishment apparatus, including a direct link module, where the direct link module is configured to perform the following steps:
Sending a direct link discovery request message to a second multi-link device through a first multi-link device, wherein when the first multi-link device is in a power saving mode, if the first multi-link device accepts switching of a main link, the direct link discovery request message indicates that the first multi-link device can establish a direct link on the main link and an auxiliary link of the first multi-link device; if the first multi-link device does not accept the switching main link, the direct link discovery request message indicates that the first multi-link device can only establish a direct link on the main link of the first multi-link device, and the direct link discovery request message indicates that the first multi-link device can establish a direct link;
Receiving, by the first multi-link device, a direct link discovery response message from the second multi-link device, where the direct link discovery response message indicates that the second multi-link device can establish a link of the direct link;
selecting a link which requests to establish a direct link from links which can establish the direct link by the first multi-link device, and sending a direct link establishment request message to the second multi-link device, wherein the direct link establishment request message indicates a link which requests to establish the direct link;
and receiving a direct link establishment response message from the second multi-link device through the first multi-link device, wherein the direct link establishment response message indicates the second multi-link device to confirm the establishment of the direct link.
In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a direct link establishment apparatus, including a direct link module, where the direct link module is configured to perform the following steps:
Receiving a direct link discovery request message from the first multi-link device through the second multi-link device, wherein the direct link discovery request message indicates that the first multi-link device can establish a link of the direct link;
selecting a link capable of establishing a direct link from links capable of establishing a direct link by the first multi-link device through the second multi-link device, and sending a direct link discovery response message to the first multi-link device, wherein the direct link discovery response message indicates that the second multi-link device can establish the link of the direct link, and the link capable of establishing the direct link is used for selecting a link requesting to establish the direct link from the links capable of establishing the direct link by the first multi-link device;
Receiving a direct link establishment request message from the first multi-link device through the second multi-link device, wherein the direct link establishment request message indicates a link for requesting to establish a direct link;
And if the link of the request for establishing the direct link is different from the main link of the second multi-link equipment, switching the main link to the link of the request for establishing the direct link through the second multi-link equipment, and sending a direct link establishment response message to the first multi-link equipment, wherein the direct link establishment response message indicates that the establishment of the direct link on the link of the request for establishing the direct link is confirmed.
In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides an electronic device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory, the processor executing the computer program to implement the method of the first or second aspect.
In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which when executed by a processor implements the method of the first or second aspect.
In a seventh aspect, the present invention provides a computer program product comprising computer readable code, or a non-transitory computer readable storage medium carrying computer readable code, which when run in an electronic device, causes a processor in the electronic device to perform the method of the first or second aspect.
It should be noted that, the apparatus according to the third aspect is configured to perform the method provided in the first aspect, the apparatus according to the fourth aspect is configured to perform the method provided in the second aspect, the electronic device according to the fifth aspect, the storage medium according to the sixth aspect, and the computer program product according to the seventh aspect are configured to perform the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect, so that the same advantages as those of the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect can be achieved, and the present invention will not be repeated.
The invention determines the link for establishing the direct link through the negotiation of the direct link requesting party and the direct link responding party, preferentially ensures the establishment of the direct link on the main link of at least one of the direct link requesting party and the direct link responding party, reduces the consumption of the electric quantity of the battery and improves the endurance time of the multi-link terminal equipment while guaranteeing the service quality.
Detailed Description
In order to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the following description will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. While the present disclosure has been described in terms of an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it should be understood that each aspect of the disclosure may be separately provided as a complete solution. The following embodiments and features of the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.
In embodiments of the present invention, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. In order to clearly describe the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, in the embodiment of the present invention, the words "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish identical items or similar items having substantially the same function and effect, and those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first", "second", etc. do not limit the number and execution order, but merely illustrate and distinguish between the objects of the description, without dividing the order, nor do they indicate that the number of devices or messages in the embodiment of the present invention is particularly limited, and cannot constitute any limitation of the embodiment of the present invention. The term "comprising" is used to indicate the presence of the features stated hereafter, but does not exclude the addition of other features.
Firstly, the multilink technology according to the present invention will be briefly described, and in a multilink scenario, generally one physical device may include a plurality of logical entities, where the physical device may refer to devices such as a mobile phone, a television, and a projector, and the logical entity may refer to a logical unit in the physical device, and belongs to a virtual function module. Each logical entity can independently manage data transmission and reception, and each logical entity independently operates on one link, such a physical device being referred to as a Multi-link device (Multi-LINK DEVICE, MLD).
Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the communication system includes a multi-link terminal device STA MLD1, a multi-link access point device AP MLD and a multi-link terminal device STA MLD2, where the multi-link terminal device STA MLD1 includes two logical entities STA1 and STA2, the multi-link terminal device STA MLD2 includes two logical entities STA3 and STA4, and the multi-link access point device AP MLD includes two logical entities AP1 and AP2.STA1 and STA3 are connected to AP1, STA2 and STA4 are connected to AP2, where AP1 operates on a 2.4GHz link, setting the link identification as link1, and AP2 operates on a 5GHz link, setting the link identification as link2.
It should be understood that fig. 1 is only a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system, and in an embodiment of the present application, the number, types, etc. of devices in the communication system are not limited, for example, more terminals or access points may be included, and the multilink access point device and the multilink terminal device may include other numbers of logical entities, and the numbers of logical entities included in each multilink device may be different, etc. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the term "Access Point (AP)" in accordance with the principles and functions described herein may also be used to describe an access port or any other access point capable of receiving and transmitting wireless signals within a network architecture, and thus, the use of an access point is merely exemplary.
With continued reference to fig. 1, the STA MLD1 and the STA MLD2 may use or not use a power saving mode according to needs, and when the power saving mode is used, the STA MLD1 and the STA MLD2 only monitor or transmit data in their main links, and the secondary link is in a dormant state and may be awakened to transmit data. The manner in which STA MLD1 and STA MLD2 enter the power saving mode may refer to the related art, and a method of enabling the power saving mode is exemplarily given below by taking STA MLD1 as an example.
S1001, the AP MLD sends a broadcast message through the AP1, wherein the broadcast message comprises link identifiers of the AP1 and the AP2, a capability indication MLpowersavingsupport of whether the multi-link power saving mode is supported or not and a time-out duration of the power saving mode processing. In the embodiment of the invention, MLpowersavingsupport is set to 1 to indicate that the multilink power saving mode is supported, and the power saving mode processing timeout duration is used for indicating the longest processing duration required by APMLD after receiving the power saving request of the terminal equipment.
It should be noted that, whether the multi-link power saving mode capability indication MLpowersavingsupport and the power saving mode processing timeout period are supported may be included in the broadcast message or may be included in other messages, such as a probe response message (e.g., MLproberesponse message) or a connection response message (e.g., associationresponse message).
S1002, the STA1 reads the broadcast message sent by the AP1, and obtains the link identifiers of the AP1 and the AP 2.
S1003, the STA1 sends a probe request message (such as an ML probe request message) to the AP1, wherein the message comprises a link identification link1 and a link2.
S1004, after receiving the probe request message, the AP1 sends a probe response message (such as MLproberesponse message) to the STA1, wherein the message contains system parameters of the AP1 and the AP2 corresponding to the link identifiers link1 and link 2.
In S1005, the STA1 sends a connection request message (e.g. Association request message) to the AP1, where the message includes operation parameters of the STA1 and the STA2 and corresponding operation links, and in this embodiment of the present invention, the STA1 is set to operate in link1, and the STA2 is set to operate in link2.
S1006, the AP1 sends a connection response message (e.g. Associationresponse message) to the STA1, where the message indicates the successfully established link, including link1 and link2, and includes the operation parameters on each link, and the connection identifier AID allocated to the STA MLD 1.
If the STA MLD1 needs to save power consumption, and the connected capacity parameter MLpowersavingsupport of APMLD indicates that the multi-link power saving mode is supported, the main logic terminal can be determined according to information such as power, signal strength and the like, other logic terminals are used as auxiliary logic terminals, the main logic terminal is used for normal communication with the APMLD, including monitoring broadcast messages, receiving data and sending data, the auxiliary logic terminal is in a sleep mode when normal, and when larger data needs to be sent or received, the STAMLD1 can wake up the auxiliary logic terminal to send or receive data autonomously or under the instruction of APMLD. The embodiment of the invention assumes that the signal intensity of the AP1 measured by the STA1 is maximum, the link operated by the STA1 is in the 2.4GHz frequency band, the power is lower, the STA1 is selected as a main logic terminal, and meanwhile, the link1 where the main logic terminal is positioned is taken as a main link.
S1007, STA MLD1 sends a Multi-link power saving request message (such as Multi-link Powersaving request message) to APMLD through STA1 on link1, where the message includes the following parameters:
PRIMARY LINK, the identification of the link operated by the main logic terminal, and the embodiment is set as link1;
MLPS mode enabled an indication of whether the multilink power save mode is enabled, if set to 1, indicating enablement, set to 0, indicating disablement, this embodiment set to 1;
DL wake enabled (optional) whether to support downlink wake up of the secondary logical terminal, e.g. set to 1, flag enabled, set to 0, indicating disabled.
S1008, APMLD receives the Multi-link power saving request message on the link1 through the AP1, and sends the Multi-link power saving response message (such as Multi-link Powersaving response message) to the STA MLD1 on the link1 through the AP1, wherein the message contains a Status parameter Status, if APMLD agrees to the request of the STA MLD1, the value of the Status parameter Status is set to SUCCESS, which indicates that the request is agreed, and if APMLD does not agree to the request of the STA MLD1, the value of the Status parameter Status is set to REJECT, which indicates that the request is not agreed.
S1009, STA MLD1 receives the multi-link power saving response message on link1 through STA1, if the status parameter value contained therein is SUCCESS, performs power saving operation according to the requested power saving parameter, and if the status parameter value contained therein is REJECT, maintains the current mode to perform operation, i.e. maintains normal operation without performing power saving operation.
If the multi-link power saving response message is not received within the time-out period of the power saving mode processing after the multi-link power saving request message is sent, the STA MLD1 does not repeatedly send the multi-link power saving request message, and if the multi-link power saving response message is not received after the time-out period of the power saving mode processing after the multi-link power saving request message is sent, the current mode is kept to operate or the multi-link power saving request message is sent again to APMLD.
STAMLD1 in the multilink power saving mode, only the logic terminal STA1 subordinate to STAMLD1 reads the broadcast message of the AP1 on link1, only the STA1 sends data to the AP1 on link1, only the STA1 receives the data sent by the AP1 on link1, STAMLD1 can set a threshold T1, and when the data buffer size is greater than the threshold T1, the auxiliary logic terminal STA2 is awakened to send data on the auxiliary link 2.
APMLD after STAMLD enters the multi-link power saving mode, data is sent to STA1 only through AP1 on a link indicated by PRIMARY LINK, if the value of a parameter DLwakeenabled is 1, APMLD can send a starting message to STAMLD1 according to the parameter DLwakebufferThreshold or setting a threshold value T2 when the data buffer size is larger than the threshold value DLwakebufferThreshold or T2, the starting message indicates a link to be awakened, after the STA MLD1 receives the starting message, response information is sent to APMLD on the link and other links to be awakened according to the link indicated in the starting message, and APMLD sends data to STAMLD1 on the link receiving the response information.
In some embodiments, STA MLD1 may actively request termination of the power save mode according to its own policy. For example, STA MLD1 sends a Multi-link power save notification message (e.g., multi-link Powersavingnotify message) to AP MLD, which includes the following parameters:
MLPS mode enabled an indication of whether a multilink power save mode is enabled, the embodiment is set to 0, indicating disabling;
MLPS mode transition delay mode transition delay, which represents delay due to processing time of the processor or adjustment of the transceiver, etc. when transitioning between modes.
STAMLD1 waits for the duration indicated by the parameter MLPS mode transition delay after sending the multilink power saving notification message, and terminates the power saving mode, and the primary and secondary logic terminals are in an active state and can read the broadcast message, receive the data sent by APMLD and send the data to APMLD.
The operation of the STA MLD2 to enable and terminate the power saving mode is similar to that of the STA MLD1 and will not be described in detail here.
In the embodiment of the present invention, it is assumed that the multi-link terminal device STA MLD1 is an initiator of direct link establishment, and the multi-link terminal device STA MLD2 is a responder of direct link establishment. After entering the power saving mode, the STA MLD1 takes the link1 as a main link and the link2 as an auxiliary link.
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a method for establishing a direct link according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, the direct link establishment method includes the following:
S201, STAMLD1 sends a direct link discovery request message (such as TDLSdiscoveryrequest message) to APMLD, if STAMLD1 only wants to establish a direct link on the main link1, such as STAMLD1 does not accept switching of the main link, the direct link discovery request message indicates that only a direct link can be established on the main link1 of STAMLD1, and illustratively, the direct link discovery request message includes the following parameters:
STA info 1 equipment information including link identification link1 and characteristic parameters of STA1, indicating that a direct link can be established on link1, optionally, also including an indication of a primary link.
If STAMLD1 can establish a direct link on both the main link1 and the auxiliary link2, then the direct link discovery request message indicates that a direct link can be established on both the main link1 and the auxiliary link2 of STAMLD1, and the direct link discovery request message includes the following parameters:
The STA info 1 comprises equipment information, optionally a main link indication and a STA MLD2 indication, wherein the equipment information comprises a link identification link1 and characteristic parameters of the STA1 and indicates that a direct link can be established on the link 1;
STA info 2 equipment information including link identification link2 and characteristic parameters of STA2, indicating that a direct link can be established on link2, optionally, an indication of an auxiliary link.
It should be understood that, in the direct Link discovery request message, the STA MLD1 may also be indicated by other manners to establish a Link of the direct Link, for example, the request message includes a parameter TDLS Link, where the parameter includes a plurality of bits, one bit corresponds to one Link, when a value on a certain bit is set to 1, it indicates that the Link corresponding to the bit may establish the direct Link, and when a value on a certain bit is set to 0, it indicates that the Link corresponding to the bit may not establish the direct Link. For example, the parameter TDLS Link includes two bits, and when the value of the parameter is set to 01, it indicates that STA MLD1 can only establish a direct Link on Link1, and when the value of the parameter is set to 11, it indicates that STA MLD1 can establish a direct Link on links Link1 and Link 2.
S202, APMLD receives the direct link discovery request message sent by STAMLD1 and sends the direct link discovery request message to STAMLD2, and the payload of the direct link discovery request message received by APMLD from STAMLD1 is the same as the payload of the direct link discovery request message sent to STAMLD2, for example, both contain device information STA info 1 or both contain device information STA info 1 and STA info 2.
S203, STAMLD2 receives the direct link discovery request message, selects a link that can establish a direct link from the indicated links, and sends a direct link discovery response message (e.g. TDLSdiscoveryresponse message) to STAMLD1, where STAMLD indicates that a link can be established by the direct link. Examples are as follows:
1) If STAMLD2 is using the power saving mode and link1 is the main link of STAMLD2, then send a direct link discovery response message to STA MLD1, where the message contains the following parameters:
STA info 3 equipment information including link identification link1 and characteristic parameters of STA3 indicating that a direct link may be established on link1, optionally also including an indication of a primary link.
2) If STAMLD is using power saving mode, link2 is the main link of STAMLD2 and the replacement of the main link is not accepted, if the direct link discovery request message only contains STAinfo 1, the STA MLD1 can only establish the direct link on the link1 through the link identification link1 therein, and does not respond to the direct link discovery request message.
If the direct link discovery request message includes STAinfo a and STAinfo a, and the link identifiers link1 and link2 in the direct link discovery request message indicate that the STA MLD1 can establish a direct link on the links link1 and link2, the direct link discovery response message is sent to the STA MLD1, where the message includes the following parameters:
STA info 4 equipment information including link identification link2 and characteristic parameters of STA4 indicating that a direct link may be established on link2 and optionally an indication of a primary link.
3) If STAMLD2 is using the power saving mode, link2 is the main link of STAMLD2 and accepts to replace the main link, if the direct link discovery request message only contains STAinfo 1, then send a direct link discovery response message to STA MLD1, where the message contains the following parameters:
STA info 3 equipment information including link identification link1 and characteristic parameters of STA3, indicating that a direct link can be established on link1, optionally, also including an indication of an auxiliary link.
If the direct link discovery request message contains STAinfo and STAinfo 2, then the direct link discovery response message is sent to STA MLD1, where the message contains the following parameters:
STA info 3 equipment information, including link identification link1 and characteristic parameters of STA3, indicating that a direct link can be established on the link 1;
The STA info 4 comprises equipment information, including a link identifier link2 and characteristic parameters of the STA4, and indicates that a direct link can be established on the link2, and optionally also comprises an indication of a main link, and indicates that the STA MLD1 preferentially selects to establish the direct link on the link.
Further, if STAinfo and STAinfo included in the direct link discovery request message further include an indication of a primary and secondary link, the STA MLD2 preferentially selects the primary link1 indicated therein as a link in which the direct link can be established, that is, the direct link discovery response message sent by the STA MLD2 to the STA MLD1 includes the following parameters:
STA info 3 equipment information including link identification link1 and characteristic parameters of STA3, indicating that a direct link can be established on link1, optionally, also including an indication of an auxiliary link.
4) If STAMLD2 does not use the power saving mode, if the direct link discovery request message only contains STAinfo 1, then send a direct link discovery response message to STA MLD1, where the message contains the following parameters:
the STA info 3 comprises equipment information including a link identification link1 and characteristic parameters of the STA3, and can be used for indicating that a direct link can be established on the link1, and optionally, an indication of a normal link, such as indication by containing specific parameters or not indicating a main link and an auxiliary link, namely indicating the normal link.
If the direct link discovery request message contains STAinfo and STAinfo 2, then the direct link discovery response message is sent to STA MLD1, where the message contains the following parameters:
The STA info 3 comprises equipment information, optionally, an indication of a normal link, wherein the equipment information comprises a link identification link1 and characteristic parameters of the STA3, and the indication can be used for establishing the direct link on the link 1;
the STA info 4 comprises equipment information including a link identifier link2 and characteristic parameters of the STA4, and indicates that a direct link can be established on the link2, and optionally, an indication of a normal link, such as indication by containing specific parameters or not indicating a main link and an auxiliary link, namely indicating the normal link.
Further, if STAinfo and STAinfo included in the direct link discovery request message further include an indication of a primary and secondary link, the STA MLD2 preferentially selects the primary link1 indicated therein as a link in which the direct link can be established, that is, the direct link discovery response message sent by the STA MLD2 to the STA MLD1 includes the following parameters:
STA info 3 equipment information including link identification link1 and characteristic parameters of STA3, indicating that a direct link can be established on link1, optionally, also including an indication of a normal link.
It should be noted that, the STA MLD2 may directly send the direct link discovery response message to the STA MLD1, or may send the direct link discovery response message to the STA MLD1 through the AP MLD, that is, first send the direct link discovery response message to the AP MLD, and then the AP MLD sends the direct link discovery response message to the STA MLD1.
S204, STAMLD1 receives the direct link discovery response message, selects a link from the indicated links that requests to establish a direct link, and sends a direct link establishment request message (e.g., TDLSsetuprequest message) to STAMLD, where the request message indicates that a link is requested to establish a direct link. Examples are as follows:
1) If the direct link discovery response message only includes STAinfo corresponding to link1, sending a direct link establishment request message to STAMLD through the AP MLD, where the message includes the following parameters:
STA info 1 equipment information including link identification link1 and characteristic parameters of STA1, indicating a request to establish a direct link on link1, optionally, also including an indication of a primary link.
2) If the direct link discovery response message only includes STAinfo 4 corresponding to link2, then a main link switching request message (such as Primarylinkswitchrequest message) is sent to the AP MLD, where the message includes the following parameters:
TARGET PRIMARY LINK the main link to be switched to, the embodiment is set as link2, which means that the main link needs to be switched to link2;
transition delay, the duration required for handover.
STAMLD1, after receiving a main link switching response message (such as PRIMARY LINK SWITCH response message) sent by the AP MLD, sends a direct link establishment request message to STAMLD2 through the AP MLD, where the message includes the following parameters:
STA info 2 equipment information including link identification link2 and characteristic parameters of STA2, indicating a request to establish a direct link on link2, optionally, an indication of a primary link.
3) If the direct link discovery response message includes STAinfo corresponding to link1 and STAinfo corresponding to link2, STAMLD1 directly selects the link whose main link1 is used as the link for requesting to establish the direct link, and sends a direct link establishment request message to STAMLD via AP MLD, where the message includes the following parameters:
STA info 1 equipment information including link identification link1 and characteristic parameters of STA1, indicating a request to establish a direct link on link1, optionally, also including an indication of a primary link.
Optionally, if the direct link discovery response message includes STAinfo corresponding to link1 and STAinfo corresponding to link2, stamld1 may also select its secondary link2 as the link for requesting to establish the direct link according to its own policy, or select the main link indicated in the direct link discovery response message as the link for requesting to establish the direct link according to the indication of the main secondary link in STAinfo and STAinfo, if the main link indicated in the direct link discovery response message is link2 in this embodiment, select link2 as the link for requesting to establish the direct link, and send a main link switching request message (such as Primarylinkswitchrequest message) to AP MLD, where the message includes the following parameters:
TARGET PRIMARY LINK the main link to be switched to, the embodiment is set as link2, which means that the main link needs to be switched to link2;
transition delay, the duration required for handover.
STAMLD1, after receiving a main link switching response message (such as PRIMARY LINK SWITCH response message) sent by the AP MLD, sends a direct link establishment request message to STAMLD2 through the AP MLD, where the message includes the following parameters:
STA info 2 equipment information including link identification link2 and characteristic parameters of STA2, indicating a request to establish a direct link on link2, optionally, an indication of a primary link.
S205, STAMLD2 receives the direct link establishment request message, and sends a direct link establishment response message (such as TDLSsetupresponse message) to the STA MLD1 according to the link of the request for establishing the direct link indicated in the direct link establishment request message, where the response message indicates whether to approve the request. The present embodiment assumes that STA MLD2 grants the request, examples are as follows:
1) If STAMLD2 does not use the power saving mode and the received direct link establishment request message indicates that the direct link is requested to be established on the link1, sending a direct link establishment response message to the STA MLD1, where the message includes the following parameters:
STA info 3 equipment information including link identification link1 and characteristic parameters of STA3, indicating confirmation of establishment of a direct link on link1, optionally, also including indication of normal link.
2) If STAMLD2 does not use the power saving mode and the received direct link establishment request message indicates that the direct link is requested to be established on the link2, sending a direct link establishment response message to the STA MLD1, where the message includes the following parameters:
STA info 4 equipment information including link identification link2 and characteristic parameters of STA4, indicating confirmation of establishment of a direct link on link2, optionally, also including indication of normal link.
3) If STAMLD is using the power saving mode and the main link is link1, sending a direct link establishment response message to STA MLD1, where the message includes the following parameters:
STA info 3 equipment information including link identification link1 and characteristic parameters of STA3, indicating confirmation of establishment of a direct link on link1, optionally, also including indication of a main link.
4) If STAMLD is using the power saving mode and the main link is link2, the received direct link establishment request message indicates that the direct link is requested to be established on link2, and then a direct link establishment response message is sent to STA MLD1, where the message includes the following parameters:
STA info 4 equipment information including link identification link2 and characteristic parameters of STA4 indicating confirmation of establishment of a direct link on link2, optionally also including an indication of a primary link.
5) If STAMLD is using the power saving mode and the main link is link2, the received direct link establishment request message indicates that the direct link is requested to be established on link1, and then a main link switching request message (such as Primarylinkswitchrequest message) is sent to the AP MLD, where the message includes the following parameters:
TARGET PRIMARY LINK to switch to the main link, the embodiment is set as link1, which means that the main link needs to be switched to link1;
transition delay, the duration required for handover.
STAMLD2, after receiving the main link switching response message (such as PRIMARY LINK SWITCH response message) sent by the AP MLD, sends a direct link establishment response message to STAMLD1, where the message includes the following parameters:
STA info 3 equipment information including link identification link1 and characteristic parameters of STA3, indicating confirmation of establishment of a direct link on link1, optionally, also including indication of a main link.
It should be noted that, the STA MLD2 may directly send the direct link establishment response message to the STA MLD1, or may send the direct link establishment response message to the STA MLD1 through the AP MLD, that is, first send the direct link establishment response message to the AP MLD, and then the AP MLD sends the direct link establishment response message to the STA MLD1.
S206, STAMLD1 receives the direct link establishment response message, if the direct link establishment response message indicates agreement request, STAMLD1 and STAMLD2 perform data communication on the established direct link, if the direct link establishment response message indicates disagreement request, the establishment of the direct link fails.
The embodiment of the invention also provides a direct link establishment device, which comprises a direct link module and a direct link control module, wherein the direct link module is used for executing the following steps:
Sending a direct link discovery request message to a second multi-link device through a first multi-link device, wherein when the first multi-link device is in a power saving mode, if the first multi-link device accepts switching of a main link, the direct link discovery request message indicates that the first multi-link device can establish a direct link on the main link and an auxiliary link of the first multi-link device; if the first multi-link device does not accept the switching main link, the direct link discovery request message indicates that the first multi-link device can only establish a direct link on the main link of the first multi-link device, and the direct link discovery request message indicates that the first multi-link device can establish a direct link;
Receiving, by the first multi-link device, a direct link discovery response message from the second multi-link device, where the direct link discovery response message indicates that the second multi-link device can establish a link of the direct link;
selecting a link which requests to establish a direct link from links which can establish the direct link by the first multi-link device, and sending a direct link establishment request message to the second multi-link device, wherein the direct link establishment request message indicates a link which requests to establish the direct link;
and receiving a direct link establishment response message from the second multi-link device through the first multi-link device, wherein the direct link establishment response message indicates the second multi-link device to confirm the establishment of the direct link.
In an alternative example, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above apparatus may be specifically configured as the STA MLD1 in the above embodiment, and the apparatus may be configured to perform each flow and/or step corresponding to the STA MLD1 in the above method, which is not described herein for avoiding repetition.
The embodiment of the invention also provides a direct link establishment device, which comprises a direct link module and a direct link control module, wherein the direct link module is used for executing the following steps:
Receiving a direct link discovery request message from the first multi-link device through the second multi-link device, wherein the direct link discovery request message indicates that the first multi-link device can establish a link of the direct link;
selecting a link capable of establishing a direct link from links capable of establishing a direct link by the first multi-link device through the second multi-link device, and sending a direct link discovery response message to the first multi-link device, wherein the direct link discovery response message indicates that the second multi-link device can establish the link of the direct link, and the link capable of establishing the direct link is used for selecting a link requesting to establish the direct link from the links capable of establishing the direct link by the first multi-link device;
Receiving a direct link establishment request message from the first multi-link device through the second multi-link device, wherein the direct link establishment request message indicates a link for requesting to establish a direct link;
And if the link of the request for establishing the direct link is different from the main link of the second multi-link equipment, switching the main link to the link of the request for establishing the direct link through the second multi-link equipment, and sending a direct link establishment response message to the first multi-link equipment, wherein the direct link establishment response message indicates that the establishment of the direct link on the link of the request for establishing the direct link is confirmed.
In an alternative example, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above apparatus may be specifically configured as STA MLD2 in the above embodiment, and the apparatus may be configured to perform each flow and/or step corresponding to STA MLD2 in the above method, which is not described herein for avoiding repetition.
It should be understood that the apparatus herein is embodied in the form of functional modules. The term module herein may refer to an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (e.g., a shared, dedicated, or group processor, etc.) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that support the described functionality. The device has the function of realizing the corresponding steps in the method, and the function can be realized by hardware or can be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above. In embodiments of the present invention, the device may also be a chip or a system-on-chip (SoC), for example. The invention is not limited herein.
The embodiment of the invention also provides an electronic device, and fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the electronic device provided by the embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 3, the device 300 comprises a processor 301, a memory 302 and a communication interface 303, wherein the processor 301, the memory 302 and the communication interface 303 are in communication with each other via a bus 304, and instructions executable by the processor 301 are stored in the memory 302, and are loaded and executed by the processor 301 to control the communication interface 303 to send signals and/or receive signals.
It should be appreciated that the apparatus 300 may be embodied as STAMLD1 or STAMLD in the above embodiments, or that the functionality of STAMLD1 or STAMLD2 in the above embodiments may be integrated into the apparatus 300, and that the apparatus 300 may be configured to perform the respective steps and/or processes corresponding to STAMLD1 or STAMLD2 in the above embodiments. Alternatively, the memory 302 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor 301. A portion of memory 302 may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory 302 may also store information of the device type. The processor 301 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 301, and when the processor 301 executes the instructions, the processor 301 may perform corresponding steps and/or flows in the above-described method embodiments.
It is to be appreciated that in embodiments of the invention, the processor may be a central processing unit (centralprocessing unit, CPU), which may also be other general purpose processors, digital Signal Processors (DSPs), application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or the like. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.
In implementation, the steps of the above method may be performed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in a processor or by instructions in the form of software. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present invention may be embodied directly in a hardware processor for execution, or in a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor for execution. The software modules may be located in a random access memory, flash memory, read only memory, programmable read only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. as well known in the art. The storage medium is located in a memory, and the processor executes instructions in the memory to perform the steps of the method described above in conjunction with its hardware. To avoid repetition, a detailed description is not provided herein.
The above embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any other combination. When implemented in software, the above-described embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product comprises one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer program are loaded or executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are produced in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, computer, server, or data center by wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that contains one or more sets of available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium may be a solid state disk.
It should be understood that, in various embodiments of the present invention, the sequence numbers of the foregoing processes do not mean the order of execution, and the order of execution of the processes should be determined by the functions and internal logic thereof, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention. The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed over a plurality of network modules, where some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purposes of the embodiment of the present invention.
In the several embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus, device and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the modules is merely a logical function division, and there may be other manners of dividing the modules or components into multiple modules or components when actually implemented, or multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not performed. Alternatively, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed with each other may be an indirect coupling or communication connection via some interfaces, devices or modules, which may be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative modules and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.
The foregoing is merely illustrative of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art will readily recognize that variations or substitutions are within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.