CN117395721A - Link load balancing method, multi-link access device, terminal and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

The application provides a link load balancing method, a multi-link access device, a terminal and a storage medium, and relates to the technical field of communication. The method comprises the following steps: if at least one multilink terminal in communication connection with the multilink access device meets a preset load balancing condition, determining at least one multilink terminal meeting the preset condition from the at least one multilink terminal as a target multilink terminal, and sending first service link mapping information to the multilink terminal, wherein the target multilink terminal can adjust links of a first target service according to the first service link mapping information, so that the number of links of data transmitted by the adjusted target multilink terminal is smaller than the number of links before adjustment. Therefore, the method and the device for configuring the multi-link access equipment flexibly enable the multi-link access equipment to flexibly perform link configuration based on the flexibly set preset conditions, so that the maximization of the number of users of the system is ensured while the transmission rate is improved, and good user experience is ensured.

Description

Link load balancing method, multi-link access device, terminal and storage medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a link load balancing method, a multi-link access device, a terminal, and a storage medium.

Background

As wireless local area network standards evolve, to further increase overall throughput and reduce latency, wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) competitiveness is ensured while backwards compatibility and coexistence with legacy technology standards is ensured. Wireless fidelity networks (802.11 be) have introduced a new type of communication device, the multilink device.

Currently, when a multilink access point is deployed, multiple links simultaneously serve a multilink terminal and a single link terminal. However, after the multilink terminal is connected with the multilink access point, the resources are occupied on the multiple links to perform data transmission, so that when a larger number of multilink terminals are connected with the multilink access point, one device occupies the resources of multiple frequency bands when receiving and transmitting data, the time for obtaining the transmitted data by the single-link device on each frequency band is greatly reduced, the actual device served by the access point is greatly reduced, and the actual service user number of the network is greatly reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a link load balancing method, a multi-link access device, a terminal and a storage medium aiming at the defects in the prior art, so that the multi-link device can flexibly configure an operation mode according to load, the transmission rate is improved, the maximization of the number of system users is ensured, and good user experience is ensured.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical solution adopted in the embodiment of the present application is as follows:

in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a link load balancing method applied to a multi-link access device, where the method includes:

if at least one multilink terminal in communication connection with the multilink access equipment meets a preset load balancing condition, determining at least one multilink terminal meeting the preset condition from the at least one multilink terminal as a target multilink terminal;

transmitting first service link mapping information, the first service link mapping information comprising: and the first service link mapping information is used for enabling the target multi-link terminal to adjust the links of the first target service, so that the number of the links of the data transmission of the adjusted target multi-link terminal is smaller than the number of the links before adjustment, wherein the first target service is a service supported by the target multi-link terminal in the at least one service.

Optionally, before determining that at least one multilink terminal meeting the preset condition is the target multilink terminal from the at least one multilink terminal, the method further includes:

And if the number of the at least one multi-link terminal exceeds a preset number threshold, or the service quality of the multi-link terminals with preset proportion in the at least one multi-link terminal does not meet a preset service quality condition, determining that the at least one multi-link terminal reaches the preset load balancing condition.

Optionally, the determining, from the at least one multi-link terminal, that at least one multi-link terminal meeting the preset condition is the target multi-link terminal includes:

determining the interaction time interval of each multi-link terminal according to the last interaction time of each multi-link terminal;

determining N1 multi-link terminals with longest interaction time intervals from the at least one multi-link terminal as the target multi-link terminal;

or determining that the multi-link terminal with the interaction time interval exceeding a preset interval threshold value is the target multi-link terminal from the at least one multi-link terminal.

Optionally, the determining, from the at least one multi-link terminal, that at least one multi-link terminal meeting the preset condition is the target multi-link terminal includes:

if the signal intensity of the target logic terminal in the preset time period in the at least one multi-link terminal is smaller than a preset signal intensity threshold value, determining the multi-link terminal where the target logic terminal is located as the target multi-link terminal.

Optionally, the determining, from the at least one multi-link terminal, that at least one multi-link terminal meeting the preset condition is the target multi-link terminal includes:

and according to the service data volume of the at least one multilink terminal, determining N2 multilink terminals with the minimum service data volume from the at least one multilink terminal, or determining the multilink terminal with the service data volume less than a preset service data volume threshold as the target multilink terminal.

Optionally, the determining, from the at least one multi-link terminal, that at least one multi-link terminal meeting the preset condition is the target multi-link terminal includes:

determining the service delay sensitivity of the at least one multi-link terminal according to the service type of the at least one multi-link terminal;

and according to the service delay sensitivity of the at least one multilink terminal, determining N3 multilink terminals with the lowest service delay sensitivity from the at least one multilink terminal, or determining the multilink terminal with the service delay sensitivity less than a preset sensitivity threshold as the target multilink terminal.

Optionally, before the sending the first service link mapping information to the target multi-link terminal, the method further includes:

Determining other links except for a link operated by a logic terminal with signal strength smaller than a preset signal strength threshold from a plurality of links of the multi-link access equipment;

and generating the first service link mapping information, wherein the at least one service corresponds to the other links.

Optionally, after the sending the first service link mapping information, the method further includes:

and if the multilink terminals do not meet the preset load balancing condition, sending second service link mapping information, wherein the second service link mapping information comprises: and the second service link mapping information is used for enabling the target multi-link terminal to adjust the links of the second target service, so that the number of the links of the data transmitted by the adjusted target multi-link terminal is more than the number of the links before adjustment, wherein the second target service is a service supported by the target multi-link terminal in the at least one service in the second service link mapping information.

Optionally, the first service link mapping information further includes: equalization list information; the equalization list information is used to identify the target multi-link terminal.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a link load balancing method applied to a multi-link terminal, where the method includes:

receiving first service link mapping information sent by a multi-link access device, wherein the first service link mapping information comprises: at least one corresponding relation between the service and the link;

according to the first service link mapping information, adjusting links of a first target service, so that the number of links of the data transmission of the adjusted target multi-link terminal is smaller than the number of links before adjustment, wherein the first target service is a service supported by the target multi-link terminal in the at least one service; the target multi-link terminal is at least one multi-link terminal which is determined by the multi-link access equipment from at least one multi-link terminal and meets preset conditions.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

and setting the state of a target link which is not contained in the first service link mapping information as an unavailable state, setting a logic terminal corresponding to the target link in the target multi-link terminal as a power saving mode, and entering a dormant state.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

Receiving second service link mapping information; the second service link mapping information includes: the corresponding relation between the at least one service and the link;

and adjusting links of a second target service according to the second service link mapping information, so that the number of links of the data transmission of the adjusted target multi-link terminal is more than the number of links before adjustment, wherein the second target service is a service supported by the target multi-link terminal in the at least one service.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

modifying the state of a second target link contained in the second service link mapping information into an available state, and setting a logic terminal corresponding to the second target link in the target multi-link terminal into an awake state.

Optionally, the first service link mapping information further includes: equalization list information; before the link of the first target service is adjusted according to the first service link mapping information, the method comprises the following steps:

determining whether the current multi-link terminal is a target multi-link terminal according to the identification of the equalization list information;

and if the current multi-link terminal is a target multi-link terminal, adjusting the link of the first target service according to the first service link mapping information.

In a third aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a multilink access device including: the system comprises a transmitter, a processor, a storage medium and a bus, wherein the storage medium stores program instructions executable by the processor, when the multi-link access device is running, the processor communicates with the storage medium through the bus, and the processor executes the program instructions to execute steps of the link load balancing method according to any one of the first aspect when being matched with the transmitter to execute.

In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a multi-link terminal including: the system comprises a receiver, a processor, a storage medium and a bus, wherein the storage medium stores program instructions executable by the processor, when the multi-link terminal is running, the processor and the storage medium are communicated through the bus, and the processor executes the program instructions to cooperate with the receiver to execute the steps of the link load balancing method according to any one of the second aspect.

In a fifth aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, performs the steps of the link load balancing method according to any of the first aspect, or performs the steps of the link load balancing method according to any of the second aspect.

The beneficial effects of this application are: the embodiment of the application provides a link load balancing method, if at least one multilink terminal in communication connection with a multilink access device meets a preset load balancing condition, determining at least one multilink terminal meeting the preset condition from at least one multilink terminal as a target multilink terminal, and sending first service link mapping information to the multilink terminal, wherein the target multilink terminal can adjust links of a first target service according to the first service link mapping information, so that the number of links of data transmitted by the adjusted target multilink terminal is smaller than the number of links before adjustment. Therefore, the preset conditions can judge the actual load of the multi-link access equipment, and the target multi-link terminal needing to be subjected to link load balancing is determined based on the preset conditions flexibly, so that the multi-link access equipment can flexibly carry out link configuration, the transmission rate is improved, the maximization of the number of system users is ensured, and good user experience is ensured.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings that are needed in the embodiments will be briefly described below, it being understood that the following drawings only illustrate some embodiments of the present invention and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope, and other related drawings may be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a flowchart of a link load balancing method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a flowchart of a link load balancing method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a multi-link access device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a multi-link terminal according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

For the purpose of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more apparent, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments of the present invention.

In this application, the terms "first," "second," and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one feature. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" means at least two, for example, two, three, unless explicitly specified otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one … …" does not exclude the presence of other like elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises an element.

As the use of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) continues to grow, providing wireless data services in home, enterprise, and hotspot environments, etc., has become increasingly important, and users have placed higher demands on the throughput, latency, etc., of applications in network use, for example, video traffic is one of the major traffic types in WLAN deployments, and throughput requirements for video-based applications are evolving due to the presence of 4k and 8k video (20 Gbps uncompressed rates).

For high throughput and stringent real-time delay requirements of applications, users desire to support their applications over a WLAN, with higher throughput, higher reliability, less delay, and higher power efficiency. The 802.11be network aims to ensure the competitiveness of WLAN by further improving the overall throughput and reducing the delay while ensuring backward compatibility and coexistence with legacy technology standards. 802.11 compatible devices operating in the 2.4GHz,5GHz and 6GHz frequency bands.

At present, based on an 802.11be network, when a multi-link access point is deployed, a plurality of links simultaneously provide services for a multi-link terminal and a single-link terminal. However, after the multilink terminal is connected with the multilink access point, the resources are occupied on the multiple links to perform data transmission, so that when a larger number of multilink terminals are connected with the multilink access point, the resources of multiple frequency bands are occupied by one device when receiving and transmitting data, and the time for obtaining the transmitted data by the single-link device on each frequency band is greatly reduced. In practical use, a large number of single link devices may not have resources for data transmission and data reception, so that the devices cannot be connected with the internet, and further, users enter a state similar to network disconnection, so that user experience is poor.

Aiming at the problems existing in the current link load balancing, the embodiment of the application provides a plurality of possible implementation modes, so that the multilink equipment can flexibly configure an operation mode according to the load, the transmission rate is improved, the maximization of the number of system users is ensured, and good user experience is ensured. The following is explained by way of several examples in connection with the accompanying drawings.

The task processing method is realized by cooperation of at least one multi-link access device and at least one multi-link terminal. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 1, a communication connection between a multi-link access device 100 and a multi-link terminal 300 is shown.

In this application, for the purpose of describing the multi-link access device and the multi-link terminal, the following settings are set, but the settings are only possible examples of the disclosure, and are not intended to limit the disclosure, and various modifications and variations are possible for those skilled in the art, so that the number of access points provided in the multi-link access device, the number of links corresponding to the access points, the number of logic terminals included in the multi-link terminal, and the like are possible. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure should be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure:

providing three logical access points AP1, AP2, AP3 in the multi-link access device 100 (Access Point Multi Link Device, AP MLD), operating on three different links respectively, wherein AP1 operates on a 2.4GHz link, sets a link identification of link1, AP2 operates on a 5GHz link, sets a link identification of link2, AP3 operates on a 6GHz link, and sets a link identification of link3;

The multi-link terminal 300 (Station Multi Link Device, abbreviated as STA MLD) has three logical terminals STA1, STA2, and STA3.

For clarity of explanation of the link load balancing method of the present application, the following briefly describes a communication connection establishment procedure between the multi-link access device 100 and the multi-link terminal 300:

step 1, an AP MLD sends a broadcast message through an AP1, wherein the broadcast message contains link identifiers of the AP1, the AP2 and the AP 3;

step 2, STA1 reads a broadcast message sent by AP1 to obtain link identifiers of AP1, AP2 and AP 3;

step 3, sta1 sends a probe request message (ML probe request) to AP1, where the message includes link identifiers link1, link2, and link3;

step 4, after receiving the probe request message, the AP1 sends a probe response message (ML probe response) to the STA1, where the message includes system parameters of AP1, AP2 and AP3 corresponding to the link identifier;

step 5, STA1 sends a connection request message (Association request) to AP1, where the message includes operation parameters of STA1, STA2, and STA3 and corresponding operation links, and the application sets that STA1 operates in link1, STA2 operates in link2, and STA3 operates in link3 (but other settings may be performed in specific implementation, which is not limited in this application);

Step 6, the ap1 sends a connection response message (Association response) to the STA1, where the message indicates a successfully established link, including link1, link2 and link3, and includes operation parameters on each link, and a connection identifier AID allocated to the STA MLD1, which is set to 1 in the present application; and TID (traffic identification) is used in this application to represent the type of traffic.

Step 7, from this point forward, STA1, STA2 and STA3 of STA MLD respectively establish a connection with AP1 on Link1, AP2 on Link2, and AP3 on Link 3; meanwhile, the AP1, the AP2 and the AP3 are respectively connected with a plurality of terminals only supporting a single link;

fig. 2 is a flowchart of a link load balancing method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 2, the method is applied to a multi-link access device, and includes:

step 110: and if at least one multilink terminal in communication connection with the multilink access equipment meets the preset load balancing condition, determining at least one multilink terminal meeting the preset condition from the at least one multilink terminal as a target multilink terminal.

It should be noted that, the preset load balancing condition is a condition for judging the multi-link terminal preset by a technician according to an actual use scenario, and the judging object may be, for example, a service condition, a use duration, a historical use condition, etc., which is not limited in this application. If the multilink terminal meets the preset load balancing condition, the current situation is indicated to need load balancing, and at least one multilink terminal meeting the preset condition is determined to be a target multilink terminal from the multilink terminals meeting the preset load balancing condition; if the multi-link terminal does not exist and meets the preset load balancing condition, the current situation is indicated that load balancing is not needed.

Optionally, before determining that at least one multilink terminal meeting the preset condition is the target multilink terminal in the at least one multilink terminal in step 110, the method includes:

if the number of the at least one multi-link terminal exceeds a preset number threshold, or the service quality of the at least one multi-link terminal with the preset proportion does not meet the preset service quality condition, determining that the at least one multi-link terminal reaches the preset load balancing condition.

In one possible implementation, the number of multi-link terminals connected by the multi-link access device exceeds a preset number threshold Y (e.g., 50 multi-link terminals are currently connected by the multi-link access device, and the access number threshold Y is 46). (it should be noted that, for the specific case in the above example, the multilink access device needs to reduce the multilink connection of 4 multilink terminals, which may be implemented, for example, by arranging the 4 multilink terminals on one link), then it is determined that at least one multilink terminal reaches the preset load balancing condition;

in another possible implementation manner, if the quality of service fed back by the multi-link terminal device exceeding the preset proportion does not reach the preset quality of service condition (for example, the quality of service fed back by the multi-link terminal device exceeding 40% to the multi-link access device does not reach the preset quality of service condition) in the multi-link terminal connected with the multi-link terminal, determining that at least one multi-link terminal reaches the preset load balancing condition;

In yet another possible implementation manner, if the multilink access device needs to perform service control (e.g., the multilink access device performs service control, so that online game/video is performed on link1 after service control, and internet surfing/background data is performed on link 2), it is determined that at least one multilink terminal reaches a preset load balancing condition.

The foregoing is merely illustrative, and in practical implementation, there may be other ways of setting the preset load balancing condition, which is not limited in this application.

Step 120: transmitting first service link mapping information, the first service link mapping information including: the first service link mapping information is used for enabling the target multi-link terminal to adjust links of the first target service, so that the number of links of the adjusted target multi-link terminal for transmitting data is smaller than the number of links before adjustment, wherein the first target service is a service supported by the target multi-link terminal in the at least one service.

After determining the target multi-link terminal, the multi-link access device sends first service link mapping information, where the first service link mapping information includes: at least one correspondence between traffic and links. After the target multi-link terminal receives the first service link mapping information, the links of the first target service (i.e. the service supported by the target multi-link terminal in at least one service) can be adjusted according to the corresponding relation between the service provided by the target multi-link terminal and the links, so that the number of links of the adjusted target multi-link terminal for transmitting data is less than the number of links before adjustment. The correspondence between at least one service and the link may be represented in the form of an array, a chart (e.g., a service link mapping information table tid-to link mapping), etc., which is not limited in this application.

In one possible implementation, the multilink access device may arrange in the first traffic link mapping information on one link some multilink terminals that need to be separated by a long time to interact with the multilink access device, thereby avoiding that these multilink terminals occupy excessive resources.

For example, table 1 is a table of correspondence between services and links provided in an embodiment of the present application:

table 1 a correspondence table between services and links provided in an embodiment of the present application

TID	link
		0	link2
1	link2
		2	link2
3	link2

As shown in table 1, TID represents service types, in this application, all services are classified into four types 0-3, but the classification mode and the number of specific classification items are not limited in this application, in the above example, the service with TID of 0-3 of the target multi-link terminal is adjusted to link2 for transmission through the corresponding relationship between the service and the link, so that the number of links for transmitting data by the adjusted target multi-link terminal is less than the number of links before adjustment, and the target multi-link terminal is prevented from occupying excessive resources.

In one possible implementation, the multilink access device may arrange a number of multilink terminals using a specific service type service on one link in the first service link mapping information, thereby avoiding that the multilink terminals occupy excessive resources.

The foregoing is merely illustrative, and in practical implementation, the link adjustment of the first target service may also have other manners, which is not limited in this application.

Optionally, the specific transmission form of the first service link mapping information in step 120 is not limited in this application, as long as the first service link mapping information can be received by the target multi-link terminal.

In one possible implementation manner, any one or more logic access points (any one or more of AP1-AP 3) in the multi-link access device send first service link mapping information (for example, tid-to-link mapping message) to logic terminals of each target multi-link terminal meeting preset conditions, where the message includes at least one corresponding relationship between a service and a link. The corresponding relation between at least one service and the link sent to each target multi-link terminal in this way can be the same or different, thus each target multi-link terminal can be independently managed.

In another possible implementation manner, the multilink access device may send the first service link mapping information in a broadcast form, or the logical access points (AP 1-AP 3) of the multilink access device may send the first service link mapping information in a broadcast form, where the first service link mapping information further includes: equalization list information (e.g., aid list); the equalization list information is used to identify the target multi-link terminal (i.e., the management object of the equalization is needed to be described, and the management object of the equalization list is only the multi-link terminal). For example, if the AID list contains 1,2,3, and 4 values of AID, the managed object is 4 terminals with 1,2,3, and 4 AID. By the method, the same service link mapping information can be simultaneously sent to a plurality of multi-link terminals, so that a plurality of target multi-link terminals can be uniformly managed at one time.

The foregoing is merely illustrative, and in practical implementation, the multilink access device may also have other first service link mapping information sending manners, which is not limited in this application.

The multi-link terminal 300 is applied to the multi-link terminal 300 after receiving the first traffic link mapping information transmitted by the multi-link access device 100:

step 310: receiving first service link mapping information sent by a multi-link access device, wherein the first service link mapping information comprises: at least one correspondence between traffic and links.

The multi-link terminal receives first service link mapping information sent by the multi-link access equipment.

If the first service link mapping information is sent by the multilink access device by sending the first service link mapping information to the logic terminals of the target multilink terminals that meet the preset conditions, step 320 is performed according to the first service link mapping information.

If the first service link mapping information is sent by the multilink access device in a broadcast form, the first service link mapping information further includes: equalization list information. Prior to step 320, the present application further provides a possible implementation manner of the link load balancing method, where the method further includes:

Step 311: and determining whether the current multi-link terminal is a target multi-link terminal according to the identification of the balanced list information.

After receiving the broadcasted first service link mapping information, the multi-link terminal firstly checks whether the multi-link terminal is in the balanced list information according to the identification of the balanced list information, and if the multi-link terminal is not in the balanced list information, ignores the corresponding relation between at least one service in the first service link mapping information and the link; if yes, determining the current multi-link terminal as the target multi-link terminal.

Step 312: and if the current multi-link terminal is the target multi-link terminal, adjusting the link of the first target service according to the first service link mapping information.

If the current multi-link terminal is the target multi-link terminal, then the step of step 320 is performed.

Step 320: according to the first service link mapping information, adjusting links of a first target service, so that the number of links of data transmission of the adjusted target multi-link terminal is smaller than the number of links before adjustment, wherein the first target service is a service supported by the target multi-link terminal in at least one service; the target multi-link terminal is at least one multi-link terminal which is determined by the multi-link access equipment from at least one multi-link terminal and meets preset conditions.

In one possible implementation, the target multi-link terminal adjusts the link of the first target service according to the first service link mapping information.

In summary, the embodiments of the present application provide a link load balancing method, where if at least one multilink terminal communicatively connected to a multilink access device meets a preset load balancing condition, at least one multilink terminal meeting the preset condition is determined from at least one multilink terminal to be a target multilink terminal, and first service link mapping information is sent to the multilink terminal, and the target multilink terminal may adjust links of a first target service according to the first service link mapping information, so that the number of links of data transmitted by the adjusted target multilink terminal is less than the number of links before adjustment. Therefore, the preset conditions can judge the actual load of the multi-link access equipment, and the target multi-link terminal needing to be subjected to link load balancing is determined based on the preset conditions flexibly, so that the multi-link access equipment can flexibly carry out link configuration, the transmission rate is improved, the maximization of the number of system users is ensured, and good user experience is ensured.

Optionally, on the basis of fig. 2, the present application further provides a possible implementation manner of a link load balancing method, where step 110 determines, from at least one multilink terminal communicatively connected to the multilink access device, that at least one multilink terminal meeting a preset condition is a target multilink terminal, including:

and determining at least one multilink terminal which meets the preset communication state condition from the at least one multilink terminal as a target multilink terminal according to the communication state information of the at least one multilink terminal.

The target multi-link terminal may be determined from the multi-link terminals according to communication status information of the multi-link terminals, where the communication status information may be, for example, communication connection information, communication signal information, or the like, and the present application is not limited thereto.

Optionally, in one possible implementation manner, the communication status information of each multi-link terminal includes: the last interaction time of each multi-link terminal; the determining that at least one multilink terminal meeting the preset condition is the target multilink terminal from the at least one multilink terminal, or determining that at least one multilink terminal meeting the preset communication condition is the target multilink terminal from the at least one multilink terminal according to the communication state information of the at least one multilink terminal, including:

Determining the interaction time interval of each multi-link terminal according to the last interaction time of each multi-link terminal; n1 multi-link terminals with longest interaction time intervals are determined as target multi-link terminals from at least one multi-link terminal;

or determining the multi-link terminal with the interaction time interval exceeding the preset interval threshold value from at least one multi-link terminal as the target multi-link terminal.

In a specific implementation, the multi-link access device calculates the last time it interacted with each multi-link terminal, and determines the interaction time interval between each multi-link terminal and the multi-link access device according to the current time and the last interaction time. The N1 multi-link terminals with the longest interaction time interval (N1 may be a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, for example, n1=4) are selected from all multi-link terminals linked with the multi-link access device as target multi-link terminals. Alternatively, a multi-link terminal whose interaction time interval exceeds a preset interval threshold M1 (M1 may be a real number greater than 0) may be selected as a target multi-link terminal from all multi-link terminals linked with the multi-link access device.

Optionally, in one possible implementation manner, the communication status information of each multi-link terminal includes: signal strength of a plurality of logical terminals in each multi-link terminal; the determining that at least one multilink terminal meeting the preset condition is the target multilink terminal from the at least one multilink terminal, or determining that at least one multilink terminal meeting the preset communication condition is the target multilink terminal from the at least one multilink terminal according to the communication state information of the at least one multilink terminal, including:

If the signal intensity of the target logic terminal in the preset time period is smaller than the preset signal intensity threshold value in the at least one multilink terminal, determining the multilink terminal where the target logic terminal is located as the target multilink terminal.

In a specific implementation, each logical access point of the multi-link access device requests signal strength from a logical terminal connected thereto and receives signal strength returned by each logical terminal. And comparing the signal intensity of each logic terminal with a preset signal intensity threshold M5, and if the signal intensity of the target logic terminal in the preset time period in at least one multi-link terminal is smaller than the preset signal intensity threshold M5, selecting the multi-link terminal where the target logic terminal is positioned as a target multi-link terminal (namely an adjustment object).

Optionally, if there is a target logic terminal in at least one multi-link terminal that has a signal strength in a preset time period that is less than a preset signal strength threshold, the present application further provides a possible implementation manner of a link load balancing method, and fig. 3 is a flowchart of a link load balancing method provided in another embodiment of the present application; before the step 120 of sending the first service link mapping information to the target multi-link terminal, the method further comprises:

Step 111: and determining other links except for the links operated by the logic terminal with the signal strength smaller than the preset signal strength threshold from a plurality of links of the multi-link access device.

If the signal strength of the target logic terminal in the preset time period is smaller than the preset signal strength threshold value in the at least one multi-link terminal, the link used by the target logic terminal is not applicable in the current use environment, and switching of other links can be considered. Thus, other links than the link in which the logical terminal whose signal strength is less than the preset signal strength threshold operates, that is, the link in which the logical terminal whose signal strength is less than the preset signal strength threshold operates is first determined from among the plurality of links of the multi-link access device.

Step 112: and generating first service link mapping information, wherein at least one service corresponds to other links.

And corresponding at least one service to other links through the first service link mapping information, namely, the link which is operated by the logic terminal with the signal strength smaller than the preset signal strength threshold is not used by the service of the multi-link terminal.

It should be noted that, for the multi-link terminal where the target logic terminal with the signal strength lower than the preset signal strength threshold M5 is located, all services may be mapped to links other than the link operated by the logic terminal with the signal strength lower than the preset signal strength threshold M5 through the corresponding relationship between at least one service and the link in the first service link mapping information, that is, the link operated by the logic terminal with the signal strength lower than the preset signal strength threshold M5 is not used for data transmission. For example, the coverage of the 2.4G network and the 5G network are different (the range of 2.4G is larger), and if the signal strength on the 5G network is lower than the preset signal strength threshold M5 for a continuous preset period of time, the multi-link terminal is considered to be out of the 5G range for a long time, and the multi-link terminal can be deleted from the link.

Optionally, on the basis of fig. 2, the present application further provides a possible implementation manner of a link load balancing method, where determining, from at least one multilink terminal communicatively connected to the multilink access device, at least one multilink terminal meeting a preset condition as a target multilink terminal includes:

and determining at least one multilink terminal which does not meet the preset service condition from the at least one multilink terminal as a target multilink terminal according to the service information of the at least one multilink terminal.

It should be noted that the target multi-link terminal may be determined from the multi-link terminals according to service information of the multi-link terminals, where the service information may be, for example, a service volume, a service type, a service use case, etc., which is not limited in this application.

Optionally, in one possible implementation manner, the determining, according to the service information of the at least one multilink terminal, that at least one multilink terminal meeting the preset service condition is a target multilink terminal from the at least one multilink terminal, or determining, according to the communication status information of the at least one multilink terminal, that at least one multilink terminal meeting the preset communication status condition is a target multilink terminal from the at least one multilink terminal, includes:

And according to the service data volume of at least one multilink terminal, determining N2 multilink terminals with the minimum service data volume from the at least one multilink terminal, or determining the multilink terminal with the service data volume less than the preset service data volume threshold as a target multilink terminal.

In a specific implementation manner, the multilink access device selects N2 (N2 may be a positive integer greater than or equal to 1) multilink terminals with the least traffic data volume of each multilink terminal connected thereto as target multilink terminals (or the multilink access device looks at the traffic type of each multilink terminal connected thereto, and selects N2 multilink terminals with the least traffic data volume of each multilink terminal connected thereto as target multilink terminals according to the traffic type of each multilink terminal). Alternatively, a multi-link terminal having a traffic data amount less than the threshold M2 (M2 may be a real number greater than 0) may be selected as the target multi-link terminal from among the multi-link terminals connected thereto.

Optionally, in another possible implementation manner, the determining, according to the service information of the at least one multilink terminal, that at least one multilink terminal that meets the preset service condition is a target multilink terminal from the at least one multilink terminal, or determining, according to the communication status information of the at least one multilink terminal, that at least one multilink terminal that meets the preset communication status condition is a target multilink terminal from the at least one multilink terminal, includes:

Determining service delay sensitivity of at least one multi-link terminal according to the service type of the at least one multi-link terminal;

and according to the service delay sensitivity of at least one multilink terminal, determining N3 multilink terminals with the lowest service delay sensitivity from the at least one multilink terminal, or taking the multilink terminal with the service delay sensitivity less than a preset sensitivity threshold as a target multilink terminal.

In a specific implementation, the multilink access device looks at the service type of each multilink terminal connected to it and determines the service delay sensitivity of at least one multilink terminal according to the service type of the at least one multilink terminal. The multilink access device determines, from at least one multilink terminal, N3 (N3 may be a positive integer greater than or equal to 1) multilink terminals with the lowest traffic delay sensitivity as target multilink terminals or multilink terminals with traffic delay sensitivity lower than a threshold M3 (M3 may be a real number greater than 0) as target multilink terminals according to the traffic delay sensitivity of the at least one multilink terminal.

Optionally, on the basis of fig. 2, the present application further provides a possible implementation manner of a link load balancing method, and after sending the first service link mapping information, the method further includes:

If none of the multilink terminals meets the preset load balancing condition, sending second service link mapping information, wherein the second service link mapping information comprises: the second service link mapping information is used for enabling the target multi-link terminal to adjust the links of the second target service, so that the number of the links of the adjusted target multi-link terminal for transmitting data is more than the number of the links before adjustment, wherein the second target service is a service supported by the target multi-link terminal in at least one service in the second service link mapping information.

If the multilink terminal does not exist and meets the preset load balancing condition, the current situation does not need to be subjected to load balancing, or the load balancing based on the embodiment is finished. And if the number of all the multilink terminals is smaller than or equal to a preset number threshold, or if the ratio of the service quality of the multilink terminals in the multilink terminals which does not meet the preset service quality condition is smaller than the preset ratio, or the service management and control of the multilink access equipment is finished, and the like, the multilink terminals do not meet the preset load balancing condition, and then the second service link mapping information is sent. The second traffic link mapping information includes: at least one correspondence between traffic and links.

After the target multi-link terminal receives the second service link mapping information, the link of the second target service (i.e. the service that needs to be adjusted or the service that needs to be released by the link based on the load balancing completed before) can be adjusted according to the correspondence between the service provided in the second service link mapping information and the link, so that the number of links of the adjusted target multi-link terminal for transmitting data is greater than the number of links before adjustment. The second target service is a service supported by the target multi-link terminal in at least one service in the second service link mapping information.

Note that, the mode of transmitting the second service link mapping information by the multi-link access device may be the same as the mode of transmitting the first service link mapping information by the multi-link access device, or may be different from the mode of transmitting the first service link mapping information by the multi-link access device, which is not limited in this application. In addition, when the multilink access device sends the second service link mapping information, the second service link mapping information may be set to be sent to each target multilink terminal respectively according to needs (the specific implementation manner is the same as the implementation manner of sending the first service link mapping information in the above embodiment, which is not described herein in detail), or may be sent in a broadcast manner (if broadcast sending is used, the second service link mapping information further includes equalization list information, and the specific implementation manner is the same as the implementation manner of broadcasting the first service link mapping information, which is not described herein in detail).

Optionally, on the basis of the foregoing embodiment, the present application further provides a possible implementation manner of a link load balancing method applied to a multi-link terminal, where the method further includes:

and setting the state of the target link which is not contained in the first service link mapping information as an unavailable state, setting a logic terminal corresponding to the target link in the target multi-link terminal as a power saving mode, and entering a dormant state.

In one possible implementation, if the multi-link terminal receives the first service link mapping information sent by the multi-link access device in a broadcast manner, and the current multi-link terminal is located in the balanced list, or if the multi-link terminal receives the first service link mapping information sent by the multi-link access device directly to the target multi-link terminal, if all services are not mapped on one of the links that have already established a connection (for example, all types of services are not mapped in link1 and link 3), the link is the target link.

In another possible implementation manner, if the multilink terminal receives the first service link mapping information directly sent by the multilink access device to the target multilink terminal, and at least one link which has already been established is not included, the link which has already been established but is not included in the first service link mapping information is the target link.

For the target link, the state of the target link can be adjusted in the following manner, so that the occupation of the multi-link terminal to the link is reduced, the maximization of the number of system users is further ensured (more multi-link terminals or single-link terminals can use the target link), and good user experience is ensured:

and setting the state of the target link which is not contained in the first service link mapping information as an unavailable state, setting a logic terminal corresponding to the target link in the target multi-link terminal as a power saving mode, and entering a dormant state.

In a specific implementation, after determining the target link, the multi-link terminal does not use the target link to send a management frame to the multi-link access device; not sending probe request frames (probe requests), authentication, connection requests, etc. through the target link, not reading beacons (beacons); a not deleted group temporary key (Group Transient Key, GTK), an Integrity Group Temporary Key (IGTK), a Beacon Integrity group temporary key (Beacon Integrity GTK, BIGTK); setting the target link to an unavailable state (disable state); and setting the logic terminal corresponding to the target link to a power saving mode (power saving mode) and entering a sleep state (doze state).

The foregoing is merely illustrative, and in practical implementation, there may be other ways to adjust the state of the target link, which is not limited in this application.

Optionally, on the basis of the foregoing embodiment, the present application further provides a possible implementation manner of a link load balancing method applied to a multi-link terminal, where the method further includes:

modifying the state of a second target link contained in the second service link mapping information into an available state, and setting a logic terminal corresponding to the second target link in the target multi-link terminal into an awake state.

In one possible implementation, if the multi-link terminal receives the second service link mapping information sent by the multi-link access device in a broadcast manner, and the current multi-link terminal is located in the balanced list, or if the multi-link terminal receives the second service link mapping information directly sent by the multi-link access device to the target multi-link terminal, if there is a service mapping on a link in an unavailable state in the second service link mapping information, the link is a second target link.

In another possible implementation manner, if the multilink terminal receives the second service link mapping information directly sent by the multilink access device to the target multilink terminal, the second service link mapping information includes at least one link already in an unavailable state, and the link in the unavailable state is the second target link. The second target link may be an added link or a restored link, which is not limited in this application.

For example, after load balancing is completed in table 1, the second service link mapping information includes a table of correspondence between the service and the link in table 2, where table 2 is another table of correspondence between the service and the link provided in an embodiment of the present application:

table 2 another service and link correspondence table provided in an embodiment of the present application

TID	link
		0	link2，link3
1	link2
		2	link2
3	link2

As shown in table 2, the service data with TID 0 is additionally transmittable on link3, and if link3 is in an unavailable state (after the multi-link terminal acquires the first service link mapping information according to the above embodiment, since the first service link mapping information does not include link3, link3 is set to an unavailable state), link3 is the second target link.

For the second target link, the state of the second target link can be adjusted in the following manner, so that the multi-link terminal fully utilizes link resources, and good user experience is ensured:

modifying the state of a second target link contained in the second service link mapping information into an available state, and setting a logic terminal corresponding to the second target link in the target multi-link terminal into an awake state.

In one specific implementation, after determining the second target link, the multi-link terminal begins to periodically read beacons (beacons); using a previous group temporary key, an integrity group temporary key, and a beacon integrity group temporary key; setting the second target link to an available state (enable state); and when data is transmitted, or when the logic terminal corresponding to the second target link reads downlink data from the broadcast message, setting the logic terminal corresponding to the second target link to be in an awake state (awake state).

The foregoing is merely illustrative, and in practical implementation, there may be other ways to adjust the state of the second target link, which is not limited in this application.

The following is a description of a multilink access device, a multilink terminal, a computer readable storage medium, and the like, which are provided in the present application, and specific implementation processes and technical effects thereof are referred to above, and are not described in detail below.

The embodiment of the application provides a possible implementation example of the multi-link access device, and the method for balancing the link load of the multi-link access device side provided by the embodiment can be executed. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a multi-link access device according to an embodiment of the present application.

The multi-link access device 100 includes: the transmitter 400, the processor 401, the storage medium 402 and the bus, wherein the storage medium 402 stores program instructions executable by the processor, when the multi-link access device operates, the processor communicates with the storage medium through the bus, and the processor executes the program instructions to perform the steps of the link load balancing method on the multi-link access device side when the processor cooperates with the transmitter to execute. The specific implementation manner and the technical effect are similar, and are not repeated here.

The embodiment of the application provides a possible implementation example of a multi-link terminal, and can execute the link load balancing method of the multi-link terminal side provided by the embodiment. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a multi-link terminal according to an embodiment of the present application.

The multi-link terminal 300 includes: the receiver 500, the processor 501, the storage medium 502 and the bus, wherein the storage medium 502 stores program instructions executable by the processor, when the multi-link terminal is running, the processor communicates with the storage medium through the bus, and the processor executes the program instructions to cooperate with the receiver to execute the steps of the link load balancing method on the multi-link terminal side. The specific implementation manner and the technical effect are similar, and are not repeated here.

The embodiments of the present application provide a possible implementation example of a computer readable storage medium, which can execute the link load balancing method on the multi-link access device side or the link load balancing method on the multi-link terminal side provided in the foregoing embodiments, and the storage medium stores a computer program, where the computer program is executed by a processor to execute the steps of the link load balancing method on the multi-link access device side or the link load balancing method on the multi-link terminal side.

A computer program stored on a storage medium may include instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor (english: processor) to perform some of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of the invention. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: u disk, mobile hard disk, read-Only Memory (ROM), random access Memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), magnetic disk or optical disk, etc.

In the several embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative, e.g., the division of elements is merely a logical functional division, and there may be additional divisions of actual implementation, e.g., multiple elements 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 units, which may be in electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate units may or may not be physically separate, and units shown as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed over a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in the embodiments of the present invention may be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units may be integrated in one unit. The integrated units may be implemented in hardware or in hardware plus software functional units.

The integrated units implemented in the form of software functional units described above may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. The software functional unit is stored in a storage medium, and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor (english: processor) to perform part of the steps of the methods of the embodiments of the invention. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: u disk, mobile hard disk, read-Only Memory (ROM), random access Memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), magnetic disk or optical disk, etc.

The foregoing is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think about changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and the changes or substitutions are covered in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (17)

1. A method of link load balancing, applied to a multi-link access device, the method comprising:

if at least one multilink terminal in communication connection with the multilink access equipment meets a preset load balancing condition, determining at least one multilink terminal meeting the preset condition from the at least one multilink terminal as a target multilink terminal;

transmitting first service link mapping information, the first service link mapping information comprising: and the first service link mapping information is used for enabling the target multi-link terminal to adjust the links of the first target service, so that the number of the links of the data transmission of the adjusted target multi-link terminal is smaller than the number of the links before adjustment, wherein the first target service is a service supported by the target multi-link terminal in the at least one service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein before determining from the at least one multi-link terminal that meets a preset condition is a target multi-link terminal, the method further comprises:

and if the number of the at least one multi-link terminal exceeds a preset number threshold, or the service quality of the multi-link terminals with preset proportion in the at least one multi-link terminal does not meet a preset service quality condition, determining that the at least one multi-link terminal reaches the preset load balancing condition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, from the at least one multi-link terminal, that at least one multi-link terminal that meets a preset condition is a target multi-link terminal, comprises:

determining the interaction time interval of each multi-link terminal according to the last interaction time of each multi-link terminal;

determining N1 multi-link terminals with longest interaction time intervals from the at least one multi-link terminal as the target multi-link terminal;

or,

and determining the multi-link terminal with the interaction time interval exceeding a preset interval threshold from the at least one multi-link terminal as the target multi-link terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, from the at least one multi-link terminal, that at least one multi-link terminal that meets a preset condition is a target multi-link terminal, comprises:

if the signal intensity of the target logic terminal in the preset time period in the at least one multi-link terminal is smaller than a preset signal intensity threshold value, determining the multi-link terminal where the target logic terminal is located as the target multi-link terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, from the at least one multi-link terminal, that at least one multi-link terminal that meets a preset condition is a target multi-link terminal, comprises:

and according to the service data volume of the at least one multilink terminal, determining N2 multilink terminals with the minimum service data volume from the at least one multilink terminal, or determining the multilink terminal with the service data volume less than a preset service data volume threshold as the target multilink terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, from the at least one multi-link terminal, that at least one multi-link terminal that meets a preset condition is a target multi-link terminal, comprises:

Determining the service delay sensitivity of the at least one multi-link terminal according to the service type of the at least one multi-link terminal;

and according to the service delay sensitivity of the at least one multilink terminal, determining N3 multilink terminals with the lowest service delay sensitivity from the at least one multilink terminal, or determining the multilink terminal with the service delay sensitivity less than a preset sensitivity threshold as the target multilink terminal.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein prior to the sending the first traffic link mapping information to the target multi-link terminal, the method further comprises:

determining other links except for a link operated by a logic terminal with signal strength smaller than a preset signal strength threshold from a plurality of links of the multi-link access equipment;

and generating the first service link mapping information, wherein the at least one service corresponds to the other links.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein after the sending the first traffic link mapping information, the method further comprises:

and if the multilink terminals do not meet the preset load balancing condition, sending second service link mapping information, wherein the second service link mapping information comprises: and the second service link mapping information is used for enabling the target multi-link terminal to adjust the links of the second target service, so that the number of the links of the data transmitted by the adjusted target multi-link terminal is more than the number of the links before adjustment, wherein the second target service is a service supported by the target multi-link terminal in the at least one service in the second service link mapping information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first traffic link mapping information further comprises: equalization list information; the equalization list information is used to identify the target multi-link terminal.

10. A method for link load balancing, applied to a multi-link terminal, the method comprising:

receiving first service link mapping information sent by a multi-link access device, wherein the first service link mapping information comprises: at least one corresponding relation between the service and the link;

according to the first service link mapping information, adjusting links of a first target service, so that the number of links of the data transmission of the adjusted target multi-link terminal is smaller than the number of links before adjustment, wherein the first target service is a service supported by the target multi-link terminal in the at least one service; the target multi-link terminal is at least one multi-link terminal which is determined by the multi-link access equipment from at least one multi-link terminal and meets preset conditions.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

and setting the state of a target link which is not contained in the first service link mapping information as an unavailable state, setting a logic terminal corresponding to the target link in the target multi-link terminal as a power saving mode, and entering a dormant state.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving second service link mapping information; the second service link mapping information includes: the corresponding relation between the at least one service and the link;

and adjusting links of a second target service according to the second service link mapping information, so that the number of links of the data transmission of the adjusted target multi-link terminal is more than the number of links before adjustment, wherein the second target service is a service supported by the target multi-link terminal in the at least one service.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

modifying the state of a second target link contained in the second service link mapping information into an available state, and setting a logic terminal corresponding to the second target link in the target multi-link terminal into an awake state.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the first traffic link mapping information further comprises: equalization list information; before the link of the first target service is adjusted according to the first service link mapping information, the method comprises the following steps:

Determining whether the current multi-link terminal is a target multi-link terminal according to the identification of the equalization list information;

and if the current multi-link terminal is a target multi-link terminal, adjusting the link of the first target service according to the first service link mapping information.

15. A multi-link access device, comprising: transmitter, processor, storage medium and bus, said storage medium storing program instructions executable by said processor, said processor and said storage medium communicating via the bus when the multi-link access device is running, said processor executing said program instructions to perform the steps of the link load balancing method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 when executed in cooperation with said transmitter.

16. A multi-link terminal, comprising: receiver, processor, storage medium and bus, wherein the storage medium stores program instructions executable by the processor, when the multi-link terminal is running, the processor communicates with the storage medium through the bus, and the processor executes the program instructions to perform the steps of the link load balancing method according to any one of claims 10 to 14 when executed in cooperation with the receiver.

17. A computer readable storage medium, characterized in that the storage medium has stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, performs the steps of the link load balancing method according to any of claims 1 to 9 or performs the steps of the link load balancing method according to any of claims 10 to 14.