WO2023197782A1

WO2023197782A1 - Channel access method and apparatus, device, and storage medium

Info

Publication number: WO2023197782A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/080070
Authority: WO
Inventors: 徐彦超; 余庆华; 王泷
Original assignee: Oppo广东移动通信有限公司
Priority date: 2022-04-14
Filing date: 2023-03-07
Publication date: 2023-10-19
Also published as: CN114916085A

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications. Disclosed are a channel access method and apparatus, a device, and a storage medium. The method comprises: in a case that a channel state is idle and a channel back-off access process is determined to be restarted, executing the following steps: in a first channel back-off access process, obtaining a transmission opportunity, but abandoning transmission; and executing a second channel back-off access process, wherein the first channel back-off access process is the last channel back-off access process before the second channel back-off access process. The solution provides a mode of restarting a channel back-off access process on the basis that a channel is in an idle state.

Description

Channel access method, device, equipment and storage medium

This application claims priority to the patent application filed on April 14, 2022 with the application number 202210394224. in this application.

Technical field

The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, and in particular, to a channel access method, device, equipment and storage medium.

Background technique

When a wireless communication device uses a channel corresponding to an unlicensed spectrum, it needs to use the channel backoff access process to determine that the channel is in an idle state before it can use the channel. The IFS (Inter Frame Space) during the channel backoff access process The continuous IFS time channel in the channel detection phase is the starting reference point of idleness and the time point when the last channel busy ended.

However, the above solution cannot be applied to channel access in complex scenarios, such as channel access between different STAs (Stations) in MLD (Multiple Links Device). When STA1 is expected to perform operations on the channel When the transmission will affect the data interaction of STA2, STA1 needs to restart the channel backoff access process.

Contents of the invention

Embodiments of the present application provide a channel access method, device, equipment and storage medium. The technical solutions are as follows:

According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a channel access method is provided, and the method includes:

When the channel status is idle and it is decided to restart the channel backoff access process, perform the following steps:

In the first channel back-off access process, the transmission opportunity is obtained but the transmission is given up; the second channel back-off access process is executed; where the first channel back-off access process is the last channel back-off access process of the second channel back-off access process. .

According to one aspect of the embodiment of the present application, a channel access device is provided, and the device includes:

The processing module is configured to perform the following steps when the channel status is idle and the channel backoff access process is decided to be restarted:

According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a first wireless communication device is provided, the first wireless communication device includes a processor;

The processor is configured to perform the following steps when the channel status is idle and the channel backoff access process is decided to be restarted:

According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program is stored, and the computer program is used for execution by a processor to implement the above channel access method.

According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a chip is provided. The chip includes programmable logic circuits and/or program instructions, and is used to implement the above channel access method when the chip is running.

According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a computer program product or computer program is provided. The computer program product or computer program includes computer instructions. The computer instructions are stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The processor obtains the instructions from the computer program. The computer-readable storage medium reads and executes the computer instructions to implement the above channel access method.

The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application can bring the following beneficial effects:

By performing the following steps when the channel status is idle and it is decided to restart the channel back-off access process: in the first channel back-off access process, obtain a transmission opportunity but give up the transmission; perform the second channel back-off access process; wherein, The first channel back-off access process is the last channel back-off access process of the second channel back-off access process, which provides a basic When the channel is idle, the channel backoff access process is restarted. This solves the shortcoming in the related technology that the continuous IFS time channel in the IFS channel detection phase during the channel backoff access process is the idle starting reference point and can only be the time point when the last channel busy ended.

Description of the drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings without exerting creative efforts.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the channel backoff access process provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a channel backoff access process provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application;

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access) backoff provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a wireless local area network provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of multi-link transmission or reception of data provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of multi-link data packet interaction provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

Figure 7 is a flow chart of a channel access method provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

Figure 8 is a flow chart of a channel access method provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application;

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of multi-link data packet interaction provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application;

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of multi-link data packet interaction provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application;

Figure 11 is a flow chart of a channel access method provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application;

Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of multi-link data packet interaction provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application;

Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of multi-link data packet interaction provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application;

Figure 14 is a flow chart of a channel access method provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application;

Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of multi-link data packet interaction provided by another exemplary embodiment of the present application;

Figure 16 is a structural block diagram of a channel access device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a wireless communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

Channel backoff access process: In related technologies, the channel backoff access process at least includes DCF (Distributed Coordination Function, distributed coordination function) or EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access, enhanced distributed channel access) Backoff (backoff), as follows The description will expand on DCF and EDCA.

CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance, Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance) is the core mechanism of DCF and EDCA. Since the wireless channel only has the characteristics of one collision domain, a random access mechanism needs to be set up to avoid the conflict problem caused by multiple wireless communication devices accessing the network at the same time. In the WiFi protocol, the random access mechanism is CSMA/CA.

DCF: Figure 1 shows that when wireless communication device 1 and wireless communication device 2 have data one after another and need to obtain transmission rights and send on the channel, wireless communication device 1 and wireless communication device 2 first need to "wait" for DIFS (Distributed Interface). -frame Spacing, distributed inter-frame gap) time, if the channel remains idle during the DIFS time, then the backoff process can be performed. It should be noted that the "waiting" process of DIFS is not really waiting. In DIFS, it is necessary to monitor that the channel is idle within the continuous IFS time. The details will be explained in the introduction of EDCA below.

If wireless communication device 1 and wireless communication device 2 enter a backoff process, they first need to select a random number from a contention window (Contention Window, CW). In Figure 1, wireless communication device 1 selects 2, and wireless communication device 2 selects 8.

During the backoff process, after each slot (time slot), the wireless communication device will "monitor" the channel. If the channel is idle, Then the value of the corresponding backoff counter is decremented by 1. As shown in Figure 1, after three slots, the backoff counter of wireless communication device 2 decreases from 8 to 5, and the wireless communication device 1 decreases from 2 to 0 accordingly.

When the backoff counter counts down to 0, the wireless communication device obtains the transmission right and can send data. As shown in Figure 1, after wireless communication device 1 obtains the transmission right, it sends PACKET A (data packet A) to the AP. After the AP receives the data, it will use the CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check, cyclic redundancy check) mechanism to verify the data. If the verification passes, the AP will check the data after SIFS (Short Inter-Frame Space, short inter-frame space). , feedback ACK confirmation frame. After the wireless communication device 1 successfully receives the ACK frame, this transmission is completed.

After this transmission is completed, the wireless communication device needs to listen again and restart the backoff process after the channel is idle within the continuous IFS time in DIFS. If the wireless communication device has just finished sending data, it needs to re-select a random number from the competition window for countdown when the backoff process begins. If the wireless communication device does not send data, then the countdown continues directly from the last countdown result. As shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication device 2 does not obtain the transmission right, so in the second backoff process, it directly counts down to 4 based on the last 5. The purpose of this design is to ensure the fairness of network transmission.

EDCA: EDCA backoff is an enhanced channel backoff access process based on DCF. According to the type of frame (frame) to be sent and/or AC (Access Code, access code), an IFS and an initial random backoff are selected. Backoff Slot Count. That is, the entire EDCA backoff process is divided into two parts: the IFS channel detection phase and the random backoff phase; if the channel is in the idle state (idle) during the IFS channel detection phase, detection will continue in each backoff slot (backoff slot). channel, if the channel is idle in the i-th time slot, the backoff slot count will be decremented by 1, and the channel will continue to be detected in the i+1-th time slot until the backoff slot count is reduced to 0.

With reference to Figure 2, the continuous IFS time channel in the IFS channel detection phase is the starting reference point of idleness and the time point at which the last busy channel ("channel busy" in Figure 2) ends.

As shown in Figure 2, starting from the basic time slice of SIFS, PIFS=SIFS+1*slot, DIFS=SIFS+2*slot, AIFS=SIFS+n*slot. If n is larger, it means that more time needs to be waited before each access to the channel, so the current wireless communication device is considered to have a lower priority. In Figure 5, AIFS[AC]=SIFS+4*slot, AIFS[AC’]=SIFS+5*slot.

With reference to FIG. 3 , FIG. 3 illustrates the definitions and corresponding processing of each time point (boundary) in the EDCA backoff process specified in the related art. In the EDCA backoff process shown in Figure 3, the AIFS duration is AIFS=aSIFSTime+AIFSN*SlotTime, where the duration of one SIFS is usually 16us or 10us, and the duration of one Slot is 9us. The AIFSN value in Figure 3 is 2, which is random. The number of selected backoff slots is 1 (CW=1). In Figure 3, the duration of 1 SIFS = D1+M1+Rx/Tx, the duration of 1 Slot = D2+CCADel+M2+Rx/Tx;

Among them, D1=Delay1 (processing delay 1), M1=M2=aMACProcessingDelay (a media access control processing delay), Rx/Tx=aRxTxTurnaroundTime (a transceiver conversion time), D2=D1+aAirPropagationTime (an air interface propagation time) ), CCAdel=aCCATime (an idle channel assessment detection time)-D1;

In the EDCA backoff process shown in Figure 3, the time points (boundaries) that need to detect the channel busyness of the current wireless network device are the AIFSN Slot Boundary and the Backoff Slot Boundary. Moreover, in order to consider the actual processing delay, etc., it can be seen that from the end time of the last busy medium (Busy medium) as the starting point, the time point for making the channel busy judgment is actually, during the duration (SIFS duration + 1*Slot Duration-RxTxTurnaroundTime) time point and duration (SIFS duration+2*Slot duration-RxTxTurnaroundTime) time point.

It can be known that, with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3, when a wireless network device wants to use a channel for data transmission, the wireless network cable device starts the channel backoff access process. The benchmark for the continuous channel idle time during the channel backoff access process is The point is the time point when the last busy state ended. Moreover, during the channel back-off access process, the wireless communication device continuously determines whether the channel to be used is in an idle state. Only when the channel back-off access process determines that the channel is in an idle state, the wireless communication device can obtain the right to use the channel. That is, the reference point of the continuous channel idle time during the channel backoff access process is the last busy time. The time point when the state ends.

However, when the channel backoff access process is applied to MLD (Multiple Links Device, multi-link device), it is also necessary to consider the STA (Station, site) of different STAs in MLD (Multiple Links Device, multi-link device) on different links. The impact of data interaction on the road; or the impact of data interaction between different APs in AP (Access Point) MLD on different links.

In these scenarios, it is necessary to consider how to enable the channel backoff access process when the channel to be used is idle.

The following will introduce wireless LAN based on MLD. Figure 4 shows a block diagram of a wireless local area network provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The wireless LAN may include: STA MLD 41 and AP MLD 42.

STA MLD 41 contains one or more logical entities STA, which can be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor or a wireless communication terminal. For example, mobile phones that support Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) communication function, tablet computers that support WiFi communication function, set-top boxes that support WiFi communication function, smart TVs that support WiFi communication function, smart wearable devices that support WiFi communication function, Vehicle-mounted communication equipment that supports WiFi communication functions and computers that support WiFi communication functions.

AP MLD 42 contains one or more logical entity APs. Among them, AP can be the access point for mobile users to enter the wired network. It is mainly deployed inside homes, buildings and campuses. The typical coverage radius is tens of meters to hundreds of meters. Of course, it can also be deployed outdoors. The AP is equivalent to a bridge connecting the wired network and the wireless network. Its main function is to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. Specifically, the AP can be a terminal device or network device with a WiFi chip.

In the embodiment of this application, multiple links are established between the STA MLD 41 and the AP MLD 42. Exemplary STA MLD 41 includes: STA1 and STA2, and AP MLD 42 includes: AP1 and AP2. STA1 and STA2 interact with AP1 and AP2 respectively, that is, AP1 and AP2 are the peer logical entities of STA1 and STA2 respectively. For example, link 1 exists between STA1 and AP1, and link 2 exists between STA2 and AP2. STA1 receives data sent by AP1 through link 1, or AP1 receives data sent by STA1 through link 1; STA2 receives data sent by STA1 through link 1. Link 2 receives the data sent by AP2, or AP2 receives the data sent by STA2 through link 2.

In the embodiment of this application, both STA MLD 41 and AP MLD 42 support the 802.11 standard. It can be understood that the STA MLD 41 and AP MLD 42 in the embodiment of this application can also support the evolution standard of the 802.11 standard, and can also support other communication standards. For example, it supports 802.11be and subsequent versions.

It should be noted that the network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly explaining the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application. Those of ordinary skill in the art will know that , with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

As shown in Figure 4, two interconnected devices STA MLD and AP MLD that support the multi-link function (Multiple Links Operation) are defined. STA MLD and AP MLD that have established multi-links with each other can take advantage of multi-links to send and receive data on multiple links to achieve high throughput/low latency and other advantages.

In related technologies, a NSTR (Non-simultaneous Transmission and Reception, cannot be transmitted and received at the same time) STA MLD is also defined. In the NSTR STA MLD that supports multiple links, due to limitations such as radio frequency (Radio Frequency, RF), when When STA1 transmits data on link 1, it will cause mutual interference (in-Device Interference) in the STA MLD, causing STA2 to be unable to receive data normally (reception) on link 2, which in turn causes the NSTR STA MLD to be unable to Data is sent and received independently and simultaneously on multiple links. That is, if NSTR STA MLD uses multiple links at the same time, NSTR STA MLD transmits (also called sending) or receives data on multiple links at the same time.

As shown in Figure 5, it shows the uplink (UL) process. Under ideal circumstances, the time point when NSTR STA MLD sends data on the two links is aligned (Align), and the time point when receiving data is also Aligned. UL PPDU is the physical layer protocol packet unit (PHY Protocol Data Unit) sent in the uplink process, and BA is the downlink process Block Acknowledgment received.

Because in the multi-link operation of the related art, transmission or reception between multiple links cannot be aligned. When link 2 is performing data interaction (transmitting or receiving data), if link 1 needs to transmit, it is necessary to consider whether the expected transmission of link 1 will interfere with link 2, which is undergoing data exchange, causing the link Route 2 cannot interact with data normally.

Based on the above, in related technologies, for STA MLD and AP MLD that have NSTR Links (NSTR multi-link) established, when the STA MLD or AP MLD targets an AC (Access Code, access code) Queue on link 1 (Queue), when the channel backoff access process is used to obtain the right to use the channel, that is, when the TxOP (Transmission Opportunity, transmission opportunity) of the AC Queue is obtained on link 1, the STA MLD or AP MLD can make a judgment: If the trigger starts transmitting this Will the data packets on the AC Queue cause interference to the frame exchange sequence on Link 2? STA MLD or AP MLD can decide whether to trigger the transmission of data packets on this AC Queue based on this judgment.

As shown in Figure 6, for NSTR STA MLD, when STA1 on link 1 gets a TxOP, it is found that the expected initiated transmission data (TX PPDU) will be compared to the ongoing receive data (RX PPDU) on STA2 on link 2. Causes interference, so STA1 decides not to start transmitting data at time point 301.

To sum up, when the channel backoff process is applied to NSTR STA MLD or NSTR AP MLD, the transmission on link 1 needs to consider the data interaction on link 2, so that the channel backoff process needs to be restarted when the channel is idle. scenario, based on this, this application provides the following embodiments.

Please refer to Figure 7, which shows a flow chart of a channel access method provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The method includes:

Step 701, when the channel status is idle and it is decided to restart the channel back-off access process, perform the following steps: in the first channel back-off access process, obtain a transmission opportunity but give up the transmission; perform the second channel back-off access process; Wherein, the first channel backoff access process is the last channel backoff access process of the second channel backoff access process.

In some optional embodiments, step 701 is performed by a wireless communication device, including a STA or an AP. Taking the wireless communication device as an STA as an example, when the STA determines that the channel to be used is in a busy state, at the end of the busy state, the STA starts the first channel backoff access process. At the end of the first channel backoff access process, the STA obtains a transmission opportunity, and the channel is in an idle state. However, the STA decides to start the second channel backoff access procedure and abandons transmission.

It should be noted that for an STA, the channel is in a busy state because other STAs are occupying the channel of the current STA, or there is other interference on the channel of the current STA, or the current STA is exchanging data on the channel, etc.

In some optional embodiments, the channel backoff access process includes at least: DCF, EDCA backoff, and other CSMA/CA-based channel backoff access processes. Among them, DCF and EDCA backoff have been introduced in detail above. In subsequent embodiments, only EDCA backoff will be used as an example.

It should be noted that when the channel is busy, the method shown in Figure 7 can also be used. At this time, step 701 can be implemented as follows: For the STA or AP on the NSTR Link, when deciding to restart the channel backoff access process, the following steps are adopted: During the first channel backoff access process, the transmission opportunity is obtained but Abandon transmission; perform the second channel backoff access process; wherein the first channel backoff access process is the last channel backoff access process of the second channel backoff access process.

In some other optional embodiments, during the execution of the first channel backoff access process, if it is found that the data expected to be transmitted on link 1 will affect the data to be received on link 2, then in the started During the first channel back-off access process, even if a transmission opportunity is obtained, the transmission will be abandoned, and the second channel back-off access process will be started instead, in the hope that link 1 and link 1 will be avoided by restarting the channel back-off access process. 2 mutual interference.

In other optional embodiments, step 701 may be replaced by step 701-1 and step 701-2.

Step 701-1, back off the access process on the first channel, obtain the transmission opportunity but give up the transmission;

Step 701-2: When the channel status is idle and it is decided to restart the channel back-off access process, execute the second channel back-off access process; wherein the first channel back-off access process is a descendant of the second channel back-off access process. The last channel failed Avoid the access process.

In other optional embodiments, step 701 may be replaced by step 701'.

Step 701', when the channel status is idle and it is decided to restart the channel back-off access process, the channel access process is performed in a target manner; wherein, the last channel back-off access process that restarts the channel back-off access process obtains transmission Opportunity but abandon transmission.

To sum up, when the channel status is idle and it is decided to restart the channel back-off access process, the following steps are performed: in the first channel back-off access process, the transmission opportunity is obtained but the transmission is given up; the second channel back-off access process is performed. The first channel back-off access process is the last channel back-off access process of the second channel back-off access process, which provides a way to restart the channel back-off access process based on the channel being in an idle state.

Please refer to Figure 8, which shows a flow chart of a channel access method provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The method includes:

Step 801: When the channel is in a busy state, start the first channel backoff access process;

In some optional embodiments, the method shown in Figure 8 is executed by the first wireless communication device corresponding to the NSTR link in the MLD. Wireless communication devices include any one of STA and AP. Optionally, the first wireless communication device is STA1 and the second wireless communication device is STA2; or, the first wireless communication device is AP1 and the second wireless communication device is AP2. For convenience of explanation, the following takes the first wireless communication device as STA1 and the second wireless communication device as STA2 as an example.

Referring to Figures 9 and 10 in conjunction, it is shown that at the end moment when STA1 determines that the channel is in a busy state, STA1 starts to perform EDCA backoff, that is, STA1 starts to perform the first channel backoff access process.

Step 802: When the first channel backoff access process obtains a transmission opportunity but the expected initiated transmission causes interference to the data interaction of the second wireless communication device in the MLD, give up the transmission;

In an optional embodiment, the first wireless communication device obtains a transmission opportunity at the end of the first channel backoff access process, but the first wireless communication device finds that the expected start of transmission causes data interaction with the second wireless communication device. interference, the first wireless communication device gives up transmission.

Step 803, decide to start the second channel backoff access process;

The first wireless communication device gives up transmission and decides to restart the channel backoff access process, that is, decides to start the second channel backoff access process.

Step 804: When the channel is in an idle state and it is decided to restart the channel back-off access process, start the second channel back-off access process at the time reference point; wherein the time reference point is the decision to start the second channel back-off access process. time point.

Optionally, there are the following two possible ways to determine the time reference point;

·The time reference point is the time point when the first wireless communication device decides to give up transmission;

Referring to Figure 9, it shows that STA1 obtained a transmission opportunity at time point 901 but decided not to start transmission. The current channel is in an idle state, and STA1 re-executes EDCA backoff on link 1 (that is, starting the second channel backoff access process ). At time point 901, STA1 discovered that the expected startup TX PPDU caused interference to the RX PPDU of STA2.

·The time reference point is the time point when the first wireless communication device gives up transmission and rediscovers that the expected start of transmission no longer causes interference to the data interaction of the second wireless communication device in the MLD.

Referring to FIG. 10 , it shows that STA1 obtains a transmission opportunity at time point 1001 but decides not to initiate transmission. STA1 finds that the TX PPDU expected to be started causes interference to the RX PPDU of STA2 at time point 1001 . STA1 temporarily assumes that STA1 has no data packets to send on this AC Queue, that is, it is assumed that this AC Queue is an empty queue, so STA1 can start transmission without triggering at time point 1001, and maintain the channel backoff of EDCA backoff on this AC Queue. The window is 0 until the subsequent time point 1002. When STA2 believes that triggering the data packet on the AC Queue at this time will not interfere with the data interaction on link 2, STA1 can treat the AC Queue as a non-empty one again. queue, the current channel is in idle state at this time, and STA1 performs EDCA backoff on link 1 again, that is, STA1 starts the second channel backoff access process on link 1.

In some optional embodiments, the first wireless communication device also aligns the time reference point to the boundary of the latest time slot Slot corresponding to the first wireless network device. In the case where the time reference point is the time point at which the first wireless communication device decides to abandon transmission, the time reference point is aligned to the time slot boundary 901 as shown in FIG. 9 . In the case where the time reference point is the time point when the expected initiated transmission no longer causes interference to the data interaction of the second wireless communication device in the MLD after the first wireless communication device gives up transmission, the time reference point is aligned to as follows: Slot boundaries 1002 shown in Figure 10.

In some optional embodiments, starting the second channel backoff access process at the time reference point includes:

1. Starting from the time reference point, perform channel detection in the first time period;

Optionally, when the channel backoff access process is DCF, the first time period may be the above-mentioned DIFS, DIFS=SIFSTime+2*SlotTime. From the above related introduction, we can know that SIFS=D1+M1+Rx/Tx, SlotTime=D2+CCAdel+M2+Rx/Tx. Optionally, when the channel backoff access process is EDCA backoff, the first time period may be the above-mentioned AIFS, AIFS=SIFSTime+AIFSN*SlotTime. It can be seen from the above related introduction that different ACs may have different AIFSN values. The larger the AIFSN value, the lower the priority of the current first wireless communication device. Referring to Figures 9 and 10 in conjunction, it is shown that STA1 performs a new EDCA backoff, where AIFS is the first time period.

2. When the channel detection result in the first time period is idle, channel detection is performed on the i-th second time period among the n second time periods Slot. n is the number of backoff time periods, and i The initial value is 1 and i is not greater than n;

In some optional embodiments, the EDCA backoff process includes an IFS channel detection phase (first time period) and a random backoff phase. The random backoff phase includes n slots (second time period).

As can be seen from the above, the first time period includes SIFS and several slots. The channel detection result in the first time period is idle, which can be that the channel detection results on SIFS and several slots are all idle; it can also be that the channel detection result on SIFS is busy and the channel detection results on several slots are busy. for idle.

3. When the channel detection result in the i-th second time period is idle and n is not 0, decrement n by one, increase i by 1, and then execute the i-th in the n second time periods again. The steps of performing channel detection in the second time period;

When the first wireless communication device performs channel detection on the i-th slot and the detection result is that the channel is in an idle state and n is not 0, the first wireless communication device decrements the number of backoff slots by 1 and continues to perform channel detection on the i+1th slot. Channel detection is performed on each slot until the number of backoff slots reaches 0. Referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 in conjunction, it shows the process in which STA1 performs new EDCA backoff, and the number of backoff slots is gradually reduced to 0.

4. When the channel detection result in the i-th second time period is idle and n is 0, determine that the second channel backoff access process obtains a transmission opportunity.

When the first wireless communication device performs channel detection on the i-th slot and the detection result is that the channel is in an idle state and n is not 0, the first wireless communication device determines that the second channel backoff access process obtains a transmission opportunity.

Referring to Figure 9 and Figure 10 in conjunction, it shows that STA1 performs a new EDCA backoff (i.e., the second channel backoff access process). After the number of backoff slots gradually decreases to 0, STA1 has the opportunity to obtain TX PPDU (transmission data). .

It should be noted that when the channel is busy, the method shown in Figure 8 can also be used. At this time, step 804 can be implemented as follows: for the STA or AP on the NSTR Link, when deciding to restart the channel backoff access process, start the second channel backoff access process at the time reference point; where, the time reference point is the time point at which it is decided to start the second channel backoff access process.

To sum up, by starting the second channel back-off access process at the time reference point, a possible implementation method of restarting the channel back-off access process is provided.

Furthermore, the time reference point is the time point when the first wireless communication device decides to give up transmission, or the time reference point is when the first wireless communication device gives up transmission and then rediscovers the expected start of transmission data to the second wireless communication device in the MLD. The time point when the interaction no longer causes interference further provides a specific implementation method for starting the second channel backoff access process based on the idle state channel.

Please refer to Figure 11, which shows a flow chart of a channel access method provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The method includes:

Step 1101: When the channel is in a busy state, start the first channel backoff access process;

In some optional embodiments, the method shown in Figure 11 is executed by the first wireless communication device corresponding to the NSTR link in the MLD. In some optional embodiments, the wireless communication device includes any one of a STA and an AP. Optionally, the first wireless communication device is STA1 and the second wireless communication device is STA2; or, the first wireless communication device is AP1 and the second wireless communication device is AP2. For convenience of explanation, the following takes the first wireless communication device as STA1 and the second wireless communication device as STA2 as an example.

With reference to FIG. 12 , FIG. 12 shows that at the end moment when STA1 determines that the channel is in a busy state, STA1 starts to perform EDCA backoff, that is, STA1 starts the first channel backoff access process.

Step 1102: When the first channel backoff access process obtains a transmission opportunity but the expected initiated transmission causes interference to the data interaction of the second wireless communication device in the MLD, give up the transmission;

Step 1103, decide to start the second channel backoff access process;

Step 1104, when the channel status is idle and it is decided to start the second channel back-off access process, generate a channel busy signal at the time reference point, which is the time point when it is decided to start the second channel back-off access process;

In some optional embodiments, the channel busy signal may be at least one of the following signals:

·CCA (Clear Channel Assessment) busy signal;

·Non-zero NAV (Network Allocation Vector) information; NAV can be understood as a time counter, indicating how long the channel will be occupied. Each listening STA or AP maintains a NAV counter. The NAV value continues to decrease as time goes by. Before the NAV value decreases to zero, the STA or AP always considers the channel to be busy and stops channel competition and data transmission.

·Transmitting and receiving sequences;

In some optional embodiments, the channel busy signal lasts for the first duration.

When the channel busy signal includes a CCA busy signal, the first duration may include an integer multiple of the detection time of the CCA busy signal. Optionally, the length of the detection time of the CCA busy signal is preconfigured; optionally, the end time of the detection time of the CCA busy signal is earlier than the end time of the data interaction of the second wireless communication device; optionally, the CCA busy signal The end time of the detection time of the signal is equal to the end time of the data interaction of the second wireless communication device.

When the channel busy signal includes non-zero NAV information, the first duration may include the duration of the NAV information. Optionally, the duration of the NAV information is preconfigured; optionally, the end time of the NAV information is earlier than the end time of the data interaction of the second wireless communication device; optionally, the end time of the NAV information is equal to the end time of the second wireless communication device. The end time of data interaction with the device.

When the channel busy signal includes a transceiver sequence, the first duration may include a duration for the first wireless communication device to perform data interaction of the transceiver sequence. Optionally, the duration of the transceiver sequence is preconfigured; optionally, the end time of the transceiver sequence is earlier than the end time of data interaction of the second wireless communication device; optionally, the end time of the transceiver sequence is equal to the end time of the second wireless communication device. The end time of data interaction with the device.

In some optional embodiments, the channel busy signal is a false channel busy signal. Optionally, the false channel busy signal includes at least one of a false CCA busy signal, false non-zero NAV information, and a false transceiver sequence.

In some optional embodiments, please refer to Figure 12. STA1 obtained the transmission opportunity at the end of the last EDCA backoff (i.e., the first channel backoff access process) 1201, but STA1 decided not to start transmission. After that, STA1 generated a channel busy message. signal, the start time 1201 of the channel busy signal is the time reference point of the new EDCA backoff, and then, after the end time 1202 of the channel busy signal, STA1 enters the IFS channel detection phase (AIFS).

In another optional embodiment, please refer to Figure 13. In the last EDCA backoff (i.e., the first channel backoff), STA1 Access process) end time 1301 gets the transmission opportunity, but STA1 decides not to start transmission. After that, STA1 temporarily assumes that there is no data packet to be sent on this AC Queue, that is, it is assumed that this AC Queue is an empty queue, so STA1 does not need to trigger Start transmission and keep the channel backoff window of EDCA backoff on this AC Queue at 0 until the subsequent time point 1302. STA2 believes that triggering the data packet on the AC Queue at this time will not cause interference to the data interaction on link 2. When After the end time 1303 of the signal, the STA enters the IFS channel detection phase (AIFS).

Step 1105: At the end of the channel busy signal, start the second channel backoff access process.

It should be noted that when the channel is busy, the method shown in Figure 11 can also be used. At this time, step 1104 can be implemented as follows: for the STA or AP on the NSTR Link, when deciding to restart the channel backoff access process, generate a channel busy signal at the time reference point, which is the time reference point when the decision is made to start the channel backoff access process. The time point of the second channel backoff access process.

To sum up, by generating a channel busy signal at the time reference point, the first wireless communication device can start the second channel backoff based on the channel idle according to the preset "start the second channel backoff access process based on the channel busy" method. Access process.

Please refer to Figure 14, which shows a flow chart of a channel access method provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The method includes:

Step 1401: When the channel is in a busy state, start the first channel backoff access process;

In some optional embodiments, the method shown in Figure 14 is executed by the first wireless communication device corresponding to the NSTR link in the MLD. In some optional embodiments, the wireless communication device includes any one of a STA and an AP. Optionally, the first wireless communication device is STA1 and the second wireless communication device is STA2; or, the first wireless communication device is AP1 and the second wireless communication device is AP2. For convenience of explanation, the following takes the first wireless communication device as STA1 and the second wireless communication device as STA2 as an example.

With reference to FIG. 15 , FIG. 15 shows that at the end moment when STA1 determines that the channel is in a busy state, STA1 starts EDCA backoff, that is, STA1 starts the first channel backoff access process.

Step 1402: If the first channel backoff access process obtains a transmission opportunity but the expected initiated transmission causes interference to the data interaction of the second wireless communication device in the MLD, give up the transmission;

Step 1403, decide to start the second channel backoff access process;

The first wireless communication device gives up transmission and decides to start a second channel backoff access process.

Step 1404, when the channel status is idle and it is decided to restart the channel backoff access process, the first wireless communication device determines the channel as busy during the time when the second wireless communication device performs data exchange;

In some optional embodiments, the first wireless communication device uses the transceiver sequence of the second wireless communication device as the transceiver sequence of the first wireless communication device; at the end of the transceiver sequence of the first wireless communication device, the first wireless communication device The device starts the second channel backoff access process.

Referring to Figure 15, STA1 obtained a transmission opportunity at the end time 1501 of the last EDCA backoff (first channel backoff access process), but STA1 decided not to start transmission. After that, STA1 used the transceiver sequence of STA2 as its own transceiver sequence. At the end time 1502 of STA2's transmission and reception sequence, STA1 starts a new EDCA backoff, that is, STA1 starts the second channel backoff access process.

Step 1405: After the data exchange with the second wireless communication device is completed, the first wireless communication device starts the second channel backoff access process.

It should be noted that when the channel is busy, the method shown in Figure 14 can also be used. At this point, step 1404 can It is implemented as follows: for the STA or AP on the NSTR Link, when deciding to restart the channel backoff access process, the first wireless communication device determines the channel as busy during the time when the second wireless communication device performs data exchange. .

To sum up, by using the transceiver sequence of the second wireless communication device as the transceiver sequence of the first wireless communication device, at the end of the transceiver sequence of the first wireless communication device, the channel backoff access process is restarted, so that the first wireless communication device The communication device implements starting the second channel back-off access process based on the channel being idle according to the preset method of "starting the second channel back-off access process based on the channel being busy". Moreover, the first wireless communication device can start the second channel backoff access process as soon as possible.

It can be understood that the above method embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination, and this application is not limited thereto.

Figure 16 shows a structural block diagram of a channel access device provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The device includes:

The processing module 1601 is configured to perform the following steps when the channel status is idle and the channel back-off access process is decided to be restarted: in the first channel back-off access process, a transmission opportunity is obtained but the transmission is given up; and the second channel back-off access process is performed. entry process; wherein the first channel back-off access process is the last channel back-off access process of the second channel back-off access process.

In some optional embodiments, the processing module 1601 is also configured to start the second channel back-off access process at a time reference point; wherein the time reference point is the time point at which it is decided to start the second channel back-off access process.

In some optional embodiments, the apparatus includes a first wireless communication device corresponding to the NSTR link in the MLD. The reason for giving up the transmission is because the first wireless communication device finds that the expected start of transmission is to the data of the second wireless communication device in the MLD. The interaction caused interference and was abandoned.

In some optional embodiments, the time reference point is a time point when the first wireless communication device decides to give up transmission.

In some optional embodiments, the time reference point is the time point when the first wireless communication device gives up transmission and rediscovers that the expected start of transmission no longer causes interference to the data interaction of the second wireless communication device in the MLD.

In some optional embodiments, the processing module 1601 is also configured to perform channel detection in the first time period starting from the time reference point; when the channel detection result in the first time period is idle, perform channel detection in n Channel detection is performed on the i-th second time period in the second time period Slot, n is the number of backoff time periods, the initial value of i is 1 and i is not greater than n; the channel on the i-th second time period When the detection result is idle and n is not 0, n is decremented by one, i is increased by 1, and then the steps of performing channel detection on the i-th second time period among the n second time periods are performed again; in the When the channel detection result in the i second time period is idle and n is 0, it is determined that the channel backoff access process is obtained to obtain a transmission opportunity.

In some optional embodiments, the processing module 1601 is also configured to align the time reference point to the boundary of the latest time slot corresponding to the first wireless communication device.

In some optional embodiments, the processing module 1601 is also used to generate a channel busy signal at a time reference point, which is the time point at which it is decided to start the second channel backoff access process; at the end of the channel busy signal, Start the second channel backoff access process.

In some optional embodiments, the channel busy signal includes any one of the following signals: CCA busy signal, non-zero NAV information, and transceiver sequence.

In some optional embodiments, the processing module 1601 is also configured to determine the channel as busy during the time when the second wireless communication device is performing data exchange; after the second wireless communication device completes the data exchange, start the second channel backoff connection. into the process.

In some optional embodiments, the processing module 1601 is also configured to use the transceiver sequence of the second wireless communication device as the transceiver sequence of the first wireless communication device; at the end of the transceiver sequence of the first wireless communication device, start the second Channel backoff access process.

To sum up, when the channel status is idle and it is decided to restart the channel backoff access process, perform the following Next steps: In the first channel back-off access process, obtain the transmission opportunity but give up the transmission; execute the second channel back-off access process, which provides a way to restart the channel back-off access process.

It should be noted that when the device provided in the above embodiment implements its functions, only the division of the above functional modules is used as an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be allocated to different functional modules according to actual needs. That is, the content structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

Regarding the devices in the above embodiments, the specific manner in which each module performs operations has been described in detail in the embodiments related to the method, and will not be described in detail here.

Please refer to Figure 17, which shows a schematic structural diagram of an MLD provided by an embodiment of the present application. The MLD can be a STA MLD or an AP MLD. STA MLD includes STA1 and STA2; AP MLD includes AP1 and AP2. Taking the MLD as STA MLD 1700 as an example, STA1 and STA2 share the processor 1701. STA1 also includes a transceiver 1702 and a memory 1703, and STA2 also includes a transceiver 1704 and a memory 1705.

The processor 1701 includes one or more processing cores. The processor 1701 executes various functional applications by running software programs and modules.

The transceiver 1702 can be used to receive and send information, and the transceiver 1702 can be a communication chip. The transceiver 1704 is similar to the transceiver 1702 and will not be described again.

The memory 1703 can be used to store a computer program, and the processor 1701 is used to execute the computer program to implement various steps performed by the wireless communication device in the above method embodiment. The memory 1705 is similar to the memory 1703 and will not be described again.

In addition, the memory 1703 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device, or a combination thereof. Volatile or non-volatile storage devices include but are not limited to: Random-Access Memory (RAM) And read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, EEPROM), flash memory or other solid-state storage technology, compact disc (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory, CD-ROM), high-density digital video disc (Digital Video Disc, DVD) or other optical storage, tape cassette, tape, disk storage or other magnetic storage device.

In another possible MLD structure, STA1 and STA2 have respective processors.

In another possible MLD structure, STA1 and STA2 share the same memory.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium, where a computer program is stored in the storage medium, and the computer program is configured to be executed by a processor to implement the above channel access method.

Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium may include: read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), random access memory (Random-Access Memory, RAM), solid state drive (Solid State Drives, SSD) or optical disk, etc. Among them, random access memory can include resistive random access memory (Resistance Random Access Memory, ReRAM) and dynamic random access memory (Dynamic Random Access Memory, DRAM).

An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip, which includes programmable logic circuits and/or program instructions, and is used to implement the above channel access method when the chip is running.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product or computer program. The computer program product or computer program includes computer instructions. The computer instructions are stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The processor reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium. The medium reads and executes the computer instructions to implement the above channel access method.

The processor in the embodiment of the present application includes: Application Specific Integrated Circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC).

It should be understood that the "instruction" mentioned in the embodiments of this application may be a direct instruction, an indirect instruction, or an association relationship. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; it can also mean that A and B There is a correlation relationship between them.

In the description of the embodiments of this application, the term "correspondence" can mean that there is a direct correspondence or indirect correspondence between the two, it can also mean that there is an associated relationship between the two, or it can mean indicating and being instructed, configuration and being. Configuration and other relationships.

The "plurality" mentioned in this article means two or more than two. "And/or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and/or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character "/" generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

In addition, the step numbers described in this article only illustrate a possible execution sequence between the steps. In some other embodiments, the above steps may not be executed in the numbering sequence, such as two different numbers. The steps are executed simultaneously, or two steps with different numbers are executed in the reverse order as shown in the figure, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

Those skilled in the art should realize that in one or more of the above examples, the functions described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

The above are only exemplary embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the protection of the present application. within the range.

Claims

A channel access method, characterized in that the method includes:

When the channel status is idle and it is decided to restart the channel backoff access process, perform the following steps:

During the backoff access process of the first channel, the transmission opportunity is obtained but the transmission is given up;

Execute the second channel backoff access process;

Wherein, the first channel backoff access process is the last channel backoff access process of the second channel backoff access process.
The method according to claim 1, wherein performing the second channel backoff access process includes:

Start the second channel backoff access process at the time reference point;

Wherein, the time reference point is the time point at which it is decided to start the second channel backoff access process.
The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the method is executed by the first wireless communication device corresponding to the NSTR link in the multi-link device MLD that cannot transmit and receive at the same time, and the reason for giving up the transmission is because the first wireless communication device The device finds that the expected transmission causes interference to the data interaction of the second wireless communication device in the MLD and gives up;

The time reference point is the time point when the first wireless communication device decides to give up transmission;

or,

The time reference point is a time point when the first wireless communication device gives up transmission and rediscovers that the expected transmission no longer causes interference to the data interaction of the second wireless communication device in the MLD.
The method according to claim 2, wherein starting the second channel backoff access process at a time reference point includes:

Starting from the time reference point, perform channel detection on the first time period;

When the channel detection result in the first time period is idle, channel detection is performed on the i-th second time period among the n second time periods Slot, where n is the number of backoff time periods, and i The initial value is 1 and i is not greater than n;

When the channel detection result in the i-th second time period is idle and n is not 0, n is decremented by one, i is increased by 1, and then the n-th second time period in the n-th time period is executed again. The steps of performing channel detection on i second time period;

When the channel detection result in the i-th second time period is idle and n is 0, it is determined that the second channel backoff access process obtains a transmission opportunity.
The method of claim 3, further comprising:

Align the time reference point to the boundary of the latest time slot corresponding to the first wireless communication device.
The method according to claim 1, wherein performing the second channel backoff access process includes:

Generate a channel busy signal at a time reference point, which is the time point at which it is decided to start the second channel backoff access process;

At the end time of the channel busy signal, the second channel backoff access process is started.
The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the channel busy signal includes any one of the following signals:

Idle channel evaluation CCA busy signal;

Non-zero network allocation vector NAV information;

Transceiver sequence.
The method according to claim 7, wherein the channel busy signal lasts for a first duration.
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method is executed by the first wireless communication device corresponding to the NSTR link in the multi-link device MLD, and the reason for giving up the transmission is because the first wireless communication device finds that the expected The initiated transmission caused interference to the data interaction of the second wireless communication device in the MLD and was abandoned;

The execution of the second channel backoff access process includes:

Determine the channel to be busy during the time when the second wireless communication device performs data interaction;

After the data exchange with the second wireless communication device is completed, the second channel backoff access process is started.
The method of claim 9, wherein determining the channel as busy during the time when the second wireless communication device performs data interaction includes:

Use the transceiver sequence of the second wireless communication device as the transceiver sequence of the first wireless communication device;

After the data interaction with the second wireless communication device is completed, starting the second channel backoff access process includes:

At the end of the transceiver sequence of the first wireless communication device, the second channel backoff access process is started.
A channel access device, characterized in that the device includes:

The processing module is used to perform the following steps when the channel status is idle and it is decided to restart the channel backoff access process:

During the backoff access process of the first channel, the transmission opportunity is obtained but the transmission is given up;

Execute the second channel backoff access process;

Wherein, the first channel backoff access process is the last channel backoff access process of the second channel backoff access process.
The device according to claim 11, characterized in that:

The processing module is also configured to start the second channel backoff access process at a time reference point;

Wherein, the time reference point is the time point at which it is decided to start the second channel backoff access process.
The device according to claim 12, characterized in that the device includes a first wireless communication device corresponding to an NSTR link in a multi-link device MLD that cannot simultaneously transmit and receive, and the reason for giving up transmission is because the first wireless communication device It is found that the intended transmission causes interference to the data interaction of the second wireless communication device in the MLD and is abandoned;

The time reference point is the time point when the first wireless communication device decides to give up transmission;

or,

The time reference point is a time point when the first wireless communication device gives up transmission and rediscovers that the expected transmission no longer causes interference to the data interaction of the second wireless communication device in the MLD.
The device according to claim 12, characterized in that:

The processing module is also configured to perform channel detection in the first time period starting from the time reference point;

The processing module is also configured to perform channel detection on the i-th second time period among the n second time periods Slot, when the channel detection result in the first time period is idle, n is The number of backoff time periods, the initial value of i is 1 and i is not greater than n;

The processing module is also configured to, when the channel detection result in the i-th second time period is idle and n is not 0, decrement n by one, add 1 to i, and then execute the process in n again. The step of performing channel detection on the i-th second time period among the second time periods;

The processing module is also configured to determine that the channel backoff access process obtains a transmission opportunity when the channel detection result in the i-th second time period is idle and n is 0.
The device according to claim 13, characterized in that:

The processing module is also configured to align the time reference point to the most recent one corresponding to the first wireless communication device. Time slot boundaries.
The device according to claim 11, characterized in that:

The processing module is also configured to generate a channel busy signal at a time reference point, which is the time point at which it is decided to start the second channel backoff access process;

The processing module is also configured to start the second channel backoff access process at the end time of the channel busy signal.
The device according to claim 16, wherein the channel busy signal includes any one of the following signals:

CCA busy signal;

Non-zero NAV information;

Transceiver sequence.
The device according to claim 17, wherein the channel busy signal lasts for a first duration.
The device according to claim 11, characterized in that the device includes the first wireless communication device corresponding to the NSTR link in the multi-link device MLD, and the abandonment of transmission is because the first wireless communication device finds that it is expected to start The transmission causes interference to the data interaction of the second wireless communication device in the MLD and is abandoned;

The processing module is also configured to determine that the channel is busy during the time when the second wireless communication device performs data interaction;

The processing module is also configured to start the second channel backoff access process after data interaction with the second wireless communication device is completed.
The device according to claim 19, characterized in that:

The processing module is also configured to use the transceiver sequence of the second wireless communication device as the transceiver sequence of the first wireless communication device;

The processing module is also configured to start the second channel backoff access process at the end of the transceiver sequence of the first wireless communication device.
A first wireless communication device, characterized in that the first wireless communication device includes a processor;

The processor is configured to perform the following steps when the channel status is idle and it is decided to restart the channel backoff access process:

During the backoff access process of the first channel, the transmission opportunity is obtained but the transmission is given up;

Execute the second channel backoff access process;

Wherein, the first channel backoff access process is the last channel backoff access process of the second channel backoff access process.
A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that a computer program is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program is used to be executed by a processor to implement the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10. Channel access method.
A chip, characterized in that the chip includes programmable logic circuits and/or program instructions, which are used to implement the channel access method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 when the chip is running.
A computer program product, characterized in that the computer program product includes computer instructions, and the calculation The computer instructions are stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the processor reads and executes the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium to implement the channel access method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.