CN116321529A

CN116321529A - Method, device, equipment and storage medium for controlling multilink terminal to receive data

Info

Publication number: CN116321529A
Application number: CN202211103439.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吴昊; 尹蕾
Original assignee: Yibin Jimi Photoelectric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Yibin Jimi Photoelectric Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-09-09
Filing date: 2022-09-09
Publication date: 2023-06-23

Abstract

The invention discloses a method, a device, equipment and a storage medium for controlling a multilink terminal to receive data. The method comprises the following steps: the multi-link access device sends a data packet containing recommended link indication to the multi-link terminal on a certain link; the multi-link terminal sends a message for indicating that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link terminal to the multi-link access equipment on all links or part of links indicated by the recommended links; and the multi-link access equipment sends the data packet to the multi-link terminal on all links or part of links indicated by the recommended links according to the received message. According to the invention, the control information, such as the recommended link indication, is added in the downlink data packet to indicate the terminal to receive the data on the current link and/or other links outside the current link, so that the terminal can timely receive the downlink data without increasing the data quantity of the broadcast message additionally, and meanwhile, the throughput of the network effective data is not reduced.

Description

Method, device, equipment and storage medium for controlling multilink terminal to receive data

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications, and in particular, to a method, an apparatus, a device, and a storage medium for controlling a multilink terminal to receive data.

Background

802.11be systems, also known as extremely high throughput (EHT, extremely High Throughput) systems, enhance functionality through a range of system characteristics and mechanisms to achieve extremely high throughput. As the use of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) continues to grow, it is increasingly important to provide wireless data services in many environments, such as homes, businesses, and hotspots. In particular, video traffic will continue to be the dominant traffic type in many WLAN deployments. The throughput requirements of these applications are evolving due to the advent of 4k and 8k video (20 Gbps uncompressed rate). New high throughput, low latency applications such as virtual or augmented reality, gaming, remote offices, and cloud computing will proliferate (e.g., latency for real-time gaming is less than 5 milliseconds).

In view of the high throughput and stringent real-time delay requirements of these applications, users desire to support their applications over a WLAN with higher throughput, higher reliability, less delay and jitter, and higher power efficiency. The 802.11be system 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.

Disclosure of Invention

After the multi-link terminal is connected with the multi-link access device, the multi-link terminal enters a dormant state in order to save power consumption, and only wakes up to read the broadcast message in a period when the multi-link access device transmits the broadcast message, when the multi-link access device has downlink data to be transmitted to the multi-link terminal, the broadcast message contains parameters to indicate that the terminal has downlink data, and because the broadcast message transmission periods of a plurality of logic access points of the multi-link access device are different, in order to enable the terminal to reduce delay, a faster response is provided to receive the downlink data, the prior art proposes to broadcast the logic access point per se in the broadcast message of each logic access point, and whether other logic access points have the downlink data to transmit to each logic entity of the multi-link terminal, thereby enabling the logic terminal which receives the broadcast message to forward the information to other logic terminals in the multi-link terminal, even if the other logic terminals have not woken up the broadcast message of the logic access point connected with the multi-link terminal, the logic access point can timely know whether the downlink data is to be received, so that the logic access point can be switched to the wake-up state as soon as possible, and the logic access point can receive the downlink data from the logic access point connected with the logic access point.

However, in the above method, additional information needs to be added to the broadcast message, when the number of terminals to be indicated is large, the data size of the broadcast message increases sharply, and the broadcast message is used as a periodic data packet with high transmission frequency and low transmission rate, and the throughput of the network effective data is reduced due to the increase of the data size of the broadcast message. In view of this, the present invention provides a method, apparatus, device and storage medium for controlling a multi-link terminal to receive data, so that the terminal can timely receive downlink data without increasing the data amount in a broadcast message, and at the same time, the throughput of network effective data is not reduced.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for controlling a multilink terminal to receive data, comprising:

a first logic terminal of the multi-link terminal receives a first data packet sent by a first logic access point of multi-link access equipment, wherein the first data packet comprises a recommended link indication for indicating which links the multi-link terminal is recommended to receive data, and the first logic terminal and the first logic access point are both operated on the first link;

and the multi-link terminal sends a message for indicating that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link access equipment to the multi-link terminal on all links or part links indicated by the recommended links, so that the multi-link access equipment sends data packets to the multi-link terminal on all links or part links indicated by the recommended links according to the received message.

In one possible implementation manner, before the first logic terminal of the multi-link terminal receives the first data packet sent by the first logic access point of the multi-link access device, the method further includes:

a first logic terminal or a second logic terminal of the multi-link terminal receives a broadcast message sent by multi-link access equipment, wherein the broadcast message indicates that the multi-link access equipment caches downlink data of the multi-link terminal, and the second logic terminal operates on a second link;

the first logic terminal sends a first message to the first logic access point, where the first message is used to indicate that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link terminal, so that the multi-link access device sends a data packet to the multi-link terminal on the first link.

In one possible implementation, the multi-link terminal sending a message to the multi-link access device indicating that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link terminal on all or part of the recommended link indication comprises at least one of:

if the recommended link includes a first link and a second link, and both the first logic terminal and the second logic terminal of the multi-link terminal agree to receive data, the first logic terminal sends a second message to the first logic access point, and the second logic terminal sends a third message to the second logic access point of the multi-link access device, for instructing the multi-link access device to send data packets to the multi-link terminal on the first link and the second link, where both the second logic terminal and the second logic access point operate on the second link, and both the second message and the third message are used for indicating that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link terminal;

If the recommended link only comprises a first link and the first logic terminal agrees to receive data, the first logic terminal sends a second message to the first logic access point, and the second message is used for indicating the multilink access equipment to send a data packet to the multilink terminal on the first link;

and if the recommended link only comprises a second link and the second logic terminal agrees to receive data, the second logic terminal sends a third message to the second logic access point, wherein the third message is used for indicating the multilink access equipment to send a data packet to the multilink terminal on the second link.

Further, when the recommended link includes a first link and a second link, if the first link and the second link are NSTR pairs, the first logical terminal and the second logical terminal simultaneously transmit a message indicating that downlink data can be transmitted to the multi-link terminal.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

the multi-link terminal sends a service link mapping request message to the multi-link access equipment, wherein the service link mapping request message is used for requesting a service identifier and link mapping relation;

The multi-link terminal receives a service link mapping response message sent by the multi-link access device, wherein the service link mapping response message indicates a service identifier and a link mapping relation used by the multi-link terminal, and the service link mapping relation is used for determining a recommended link according to the service type of downlink data sent to the multi-link terminal by the multi-link access device and the service identifier and the link mapping relation used by the multi-link terminal.

Further, in the mapping relationship between the service identifier and the link used by the multi-link terminal, a first link is indicated as a general link, and a second link is indicated as a special link, wherein the general link indicates that all the service identifiers can be mapped to the link; the dedicated link means that part of the traffic identities may be mapped to the link.

In one possible implementation, at least one of the following is further included:

if the recommended link comprises a first link and a second link, the first logic terminal receives a data packet sent by the first logic access point, and the second logic terminal receives the data packet sent by the second logic access point;

if the recommended link only comprises a first link, the first logic terminal receives a data packet sent by the first logic access point;

And if the recommended link only comprises a second link, the second logic terminal receives the data packet sent by the second logic access point.

Further, at least one of the first message, the second message, and the third message is a power save mode poll message.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of controlling a multilink terminal to receive data, comprising:

a first logic access point of a multi-link access device sends a first data packet to a first logic terminal of the multi-link terminal, wherein the first data packet comprises a recommended link indication for indicating which links the multi-link terminal is recommended to receive data, and the first logic access point and the first logic terminal are both operated on a first link;

and the multi-link access equipment receives the message sent by the multi-link terminal and used for indicating that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link terminal on all or part of the links indicated by the recommended links, and sends a data packet to the multi-link terminal on all or part of the links indicated by the recommended links according to the received message.

In one possible implementation manner, before the first logical access point of the multi-link access device sends the first data packet to the first logical terminal of the multi-link terminal, the method further includes:

A first logic access point or a second logic access point of the multi-link access device sends a broadcast message, wherein the broadcast message indicates that the multi-link access device caches downlink data of the multi-link terminal, and the second logic access point operates on a second link;

the first logic access point receives a first message sent by the first logic terminal, where the first message is used to indicate that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link terminal.

In one possible implementation manner, the multi-link access device receives a message sent by the multi-link terminal and used for indicating that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link terminal on all links or part links indicated by the recommended links, and sends a data packet to the multi-link terminal on all links or part links indicated by the recommended links according to the received message, including at least one of the following:

if the first logic access point receives a second message generated by the first logic terminal and the second logic access point of the multi-link access device receives a third message sent by the second logic terminal of the multi-link terminal, the first logic access point sends a data packet to the first logic terminal, and the second logic access point sends a data packet to the second logic terminal, wherein the second logic access point and the second logic terminal both operate on a second link, and the second message and the third message are both used for indicating that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link terminal;

If only the first logic access point receives a second message sent by the first logic terminal, the first logic access point sends a data packet to the first logic terminal;

and if only the second logic access point receives a second message sent by the second logic terminal, the second logic access point sends a data packet to the second logic terminal.

Further, when the first logical access point receives a second message sent by the first logical terminal and the second logical access point receives a third message sent by a second logical terminal of the multi-link terminal, if the first logical access point and the second logical access point simultaneously receive a message for indicating that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link terminal, the first logical access point and the second logical access point simultaneously send data packets.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

the multi-link access equipment receives a service link mapping request message sent by the multi-link terminal, wherein the service link mapping request message is used for requesting a service identifier and link mapping relation;

the multi-link access equipment sends a service link mapping response message to the multi-link terminal, wherein the service link mapping response message indicates a service identifier and link mapping relation used by the multi-link terminal;

And the multi-link access equipment determines a recommended link according to the service type of the downlink data which is required to be sent to the multi-link terminal and the mapping relation between the service identifier used by the multi-link terminal and the link.

In one possible implementation, at least one of the first message, the second message, and the third message is a power save mode poll message.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for controlling a multilink terminal to receive data, comprising a data reception control module for performing the steps of:

receiving, by a first logical terminal of the multi-link terminal, a first data packet sent by a first logical access point of a multi-link access device, where the first data packet includes a recommended link indication for indicating which links the multi-link terminal is recommended to receive data, where the first logical terminal and the first logical access point are both operating on a first link;

And sending a message for indicating that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link access equipment to the multi-link terminal on all links or part links indicated by the recommended links through the multi-link terminal, so that the multi-link access equipment sends data packets to the multi-link terminal on all links or part links indicated by the recommended links according to the received message.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for controlling a multilink terminal to receive data, comprising a data reception control module for performing the steps of:

transmitting a first data packet to a first logic terminal of the multilink terminal through a first logic access point of the multilink access device, wherein the first data packet comprises a recommended link indication for indicating which links the multilink terminal is recommended to receive data, and the first logic access point and the first logic terminal are both operated on the first link;

and receiving a message sent by the multi-link terminal and used for indicating that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link terminal on all links or part of links indicated by the recommended links through the multi-link access equipment, and sending a data packet to the multi-link terminal on all links or part of links indicated by the recommended links according to the received message.

In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides an electronic device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory, the processor executing the computer program to implement the method of the first or second aspect.

In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which when executed by a processor implements the method of the first or second aspect.

In a seventh aspect, the present invention provides a computer program product comprising computer readable code, or a non-transitory computer readable storage medium carrying computer readable code, which when run in an electronic device, causes a processor in the electronic device to perform the method of the first or second aspect.

It should be noted that, the apparatus according to the third aspect is configured to perform the method provided in the first aspect, the apparatus according to the fourth aspect is configured to perform the method provided in the second aspect, the electronic device according to the fifth aspect, the storage medium according to the sixth aspect, and the computer program product according to the seventh aspect are configured to perform the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect, so that the same advantages as those of the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect can be achieved, and the present invention will not be repeated.

According to the invention, the control information, such as the recommended link indication, is added in the downlink data packet to indicate the terminal to receive the data on the current link and/or other links outside the current link, so that the terminal can timely receive the downlink data without increasing the data quantity of the broadcast message additionally, and meanwhile, the throughput of the network effective data is not reduced. In addition, the invention also determines the recommended link based on the service and link mapping configuration, thus avoiding unnecessary awakening of the terminal and avoiding unnecessary consumption of electric quantity and network resources.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a multi-link terminal to receive data according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the following description will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. While the present disclosure has been described in terms of an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it should be understood that each aspect of the disclosure may be separately provided as a complete solution. The following embodiments and features of the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.

In embodiments of the present invention, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. In order to clearly describe the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, in the embodiment of the present invention, the words "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish identical items or similar items having substantially the same function and effect, and those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first", "second", etc. do not limit the number and execution order, but merely illustrate and distinguish between the objects of the description, without dividing the order, nor do they indicate that the number of devices or messages in the embodiment of the present invention is particularly limited, and cannot constitute any limitation of the embodiment of the present invention. The term "comprising" is used to indicate the presence of the features stated hereafter, but does not exclude the addition of other features.

Firstly, the multilink technology according to the present invention will be briefly described, and in a multilink scenario, generally one physical device may include a plurality of logical entities, where the physical device may refer to devices such as a mobile phone, a television, and a projector, and the logical entity may refer to a logical unit in the physical device, and belongs to a virtual function module. Each logical entity can independently manage data transmission and reception, and each logical entity independently operates on one link, and such a physical device is called an ALL-link device (MLD).

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the communication system includes a multi-link access device AP MLD1 and a multi-link terminal STA MLD1, where the AP MLD1 includes two logical entities, i.e., logical access points AP1 and AP2, and the STA MLD1 includes two logical entities, i.e., logical terminals STA1 and STA2. The multi-link terminal STA MLD1 and the multi-link access device AP MLD1 establish multi-link connection on the link1 and the link2, for example, the link1 and the link2 are respectively a 2.4GHz link and a 5GHz link, the logic terminal STA1 of the STA MLD1 is connected with the logic access point AP1 of the AP MLD1 and operates on the link1, the logic terminal STA2 of the STA MLD1 is connected with the logic access point AP2 of the AP MLD1 and operates on the link2, and the AP MLD1 distributes a connection identifier AID1 for the STA MLD1 and sends the connection identifier AID1 to the STA MLD1.

It should be understood that fig. 1 is only a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system, and in an embodiment of the present invention, the number, types, etc. of devices in the communication system are not limited, for example, more terminals or access devices may be included, multiple link access devices and multiple link terminals may include more logic entities, and the number of logic entities included in the multiple link access devices and multiple link terminals are different. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the term "Access Point (AP)" in accordance with the principles and functions described herein may also be used to describe an access port or any other access point capable of receiving and transmitting wireless signals within a network architecture, and thus, the use of an access point is merely exemplary.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a multi-link terminal to receive data according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, the method of controlling the multilink terminal to receive data includes the following:

s201, the AP MLD1 sends a first data packet to the STA MLD1 on a certain link (such as link1 or link 2), wherein the first data packet comprises a recommended link indication for indicating which links the STA MLD1 is recommended to receive data on.

Illustratively, the first data packet includes a recommended link indication information element RLI, and the RLI information element includes the following parameters:

recommended link bitmap: recommending a link indication, such as setting a bit corresponding to a link to 1 indicates recommending that data be received on the link, and setting a bit corresponding to a link to 0 indicates that data be not received on the link. Illustratively, when the parameter is set to 11, it indicates that data is recommended to be received on link1 and link 2; when set to 10, it indicates that data is recommended to be received on link2, and when set to 01, it indicates that data is recommended to be received on link1.

In some embodiments, STA MLD1 and AP MLD1 may also negotiate a service and link mapping configuration, and negotiate which links may be used to transmit which service data, at this time, AP MLD1 may determine a recommended link according to a service type of downlink data that needs to be sent to STA MLD1 and a negotiated service identifier and link mapping relationship, and may only wake up a logical terminal corresponding to a link related to a service type of data of a terminal, so as to save terminal power, avoid unnecessary power consumption and network resource consumption, for example, service identifiers 1-3 map to link1, service identifiers 4-6 map to link2, and when the service type of downlink data that needs to be sent to STA MLD1 by AP MLD1 corresponds to service identifier 1, the recommended link is link1; in another example, service identifiers 1-6 are mapped to link1, and service identifiers 4-6 are mapped to link2, so when the service type of the downlink data that is required to be sent to STA MLD1 by AP MLD1 corresponds to service identifier 4, the recommended link may be link1 and link2, or may be link2 or link1. The negotiation procedure is exemplified as follows:

S1001, the STA MLD1 sends a service link mapping request message (such as TID to link mapping request message) to the AP MLD1, requesting the service identification and link mapping relation. Optionally, the service link mapping request message includes a requested service identifier and link mapping relationship.

S1002, the AP MLD1 sends a service link mapping response message (e.g. TID to link mapping response message) to the STA MLD1, where the message includes a service identifier and link mapping relationship indicating the use of the STA MLD 1.

Optionally, in the mapping relationship included in the service link mapping response message, the link1 may be indicated as a general link, where the general link indicates that all service identifiers may be mapped to the link, the link2 is indicated as a dedicated link, and the dedicated link indicates that a portion of service identifiers may be mapped to the link, and data corresponding to the service identifiers may only be sent or received on a link where the service identifiers have a mapping relationship with the link.

In some embodiments, STA MLD1 may be in a power saving mode, and when there is no data transmission, STA1 wakes up only during a period in which AP1 transmits a broadcast message to receive the broadcast message, STA2 wakes up only during a period in which AP2 transmits a broadcast message to receive the broadcast message, and the broadcast message transmission period of AP1 and the broadcast message transmission period of AP2 may be the same, and may be different. When the received broadcast message indicates that the AP MLD1 caches downlink data of the STA MLD1, the STA1 or the STA2 may send an indication message to the AP1 or the AP2, which indicates that the AP1 or the AP2 may send downlink data to the STA1 or the STA2, for example, as follows:

S2001, when there is downlink data to be sent to STA MLD1, AP MLD1 includes TIM information element in broadcast messages of both logical access points AP1 and AP2, when bit corresponding to identifier of terminal is set to 1 in TIM information element, it is used to indicate that the terminal has downlink data to be received, and when bit corresponding to identifier of terminal is set to 0, it is used to indicate that the terminal has no downlink data to be received, and it can be in sleep state continuously. In this embodiment, a bit corresponding to the connection identifier of STA MLD1 is set to 1 in the TIM information element, so as to instruct the AP MLD1 to cache the downlink data of STA MLD 1.

S2002, if the STA1 receives the broadcast message first, after the STA1 receives the broadcast message, if the broadcast message includes a TIM information element and a bit corresponding to the connection identifier of the STA MLD1 is 1, a power saving mode poll message (ps-poll message) may be sent to the AP1 on the link1, or another message may be used, where the message is used to inform the AP1 that the STA1 has been awakened, and may send downlink data to the STA1. After receiving the ps-poll message sent by STA1, AP1 sends a first data packet to STA1.

If the STA2 receives the broadcast message first, after the STA2 receives the broadcast message, if the broadcast message includes a TIM information element and the bit corresponding to the connection identifier of the STA MLD1 is 1, a power saving mode poll message (ps-poll message) may be sent to the AP2 on the link2, or another message may be used, where the message is used to inform the AP2 that the STA2 has been awakened, and may send downlink data to the STA2. After receiving the ps-poll message sent by STA2, AP2 sends a first data packet to STA2.

Optionally, when the STA MLD1 and the AP MLD1 determine that the link1 is a general link and the link2 is a dedicated link in the process of negotiating the service and link mapping configuration, for example, the service identifier 1-6 is mapped to the link1 and the service identifier 4-6 is mapped to the link2, after the STA MLD1 receives the broadcast message, the STA MLD1 may send the ps-poll message only through the logical terminal STA1 operating on the general link1, so that data may be sent only by using one link, saving terminal power consumption, and correspondingly, the AP MLD1 sends the first data packet to the STA1 only through the AP1. The method comprises the following steps:

if the STA MLD1 operates on the general link and the logic terminal STA1 receives the broadcast message first, after the STA1 receives the broadcast message, if the broadcast message contains the TIM information element and the bit value corresponding to the connection identifier of the STA MLD1 is 1, the ps-poll message is sent to the AP1 on the link1, or other control messages may be used, where the control messages are used to inform the AP1 that the STA1 has been awakened, and downlink data may be sent to the STA1.

If the STA MLD1 operates on the dedicated link and the logic terminal STA2 receives the broadcast message first, after the STA2 receives the broadcast message, if the TIM information element is included therein and the bit value corresponding to the connection identifier of the STA MLD1 is 1, the STA1 is awakened, and after the STA1 is awakened, the ps-poll message is sent to the AP1 on the link 1.

After receiving the ps-poll message, AP1 sends a first packet to STA1.

It should be noted that, the AP MLD1 may optionally select one of the supported links to send the first data packet according to its policy, or according to the mapping relationship between the service identifier and the link and the service type of the data to be sent, or may send the first data packet on the set general link, or send the first data packet on the corresponding link according to the instruction of the STA MLD1, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present invention.

S202, the STA MLD1 transmits a message for indicating that downlink data can be transmitted to the STA MLD1 to the AP MLD1 on all links or part of links indicated by the recommended link.

In this embodiment, assuming that STA1 receives the first data packet sent by AP1, the case that STA2 receives the first data packet sent by AP2 is similar to this, and the embodiment of this application will not be described in detail.

In some embodiments, after receiving the first data packet sent by the AP1, the STA1 sends a message, such as a ps-poll message, to the AP1, for indicating that downlink data may be sent to the STA MLD1, where the message includes an information element RLI, and where RLI in the message indicates, according to an RLI setting in the first data packet, on which links the STA MLD1 may receive data, such as a value of a parameter recommended link bitmap included in the information element RLI in the first data packet is 11, and a value of a parameter recommended link bitmap included in the information element RLI may be set to 11, 10, or 01, respectively, indicating that the STA MLD1 may receive data on the link1 and the link2, or the link2 or the link 1.

In other embodiments, after receiving the first data packet sent by the AP1, if the first data packet includes the recommended link indication information element RLI, the STA1 may perform the following operations according to the RLI information:

1) If the recommended link includes links link1 and link2, and both STA1 and STA2 agree to receive data, STA1 transmits a message, such as a ps-poll message, on link1 indicating that downlink data can be transmitted to STA MLD1 to AP1, and STA2 transmits a message, such as a ps-poll message, on link2 indicating that downlink data can be transmitted to STA MLD1 to AP2. If link1 and link2 are NSTR pairs (NSTR pairs indicate that STA MLD1 cannot receive data on link2 when transmitting data on link1, or that STA MLD1 cannot receive data on link1 when transmitting data on link 2), then STA2 transmits ps-poll messages to AP2 on link2 while STA1 transmits ps-poll messages; if links link1 and link2 are NSTR pairs, there is no requirement that STA1 and STA2 send ps-poll messages simultaneously.

If only the STA1 agrees to receive the data, only the STA1 sends a ps-poll message to the AP1 on the link 1; if only the STA2 agrees to receive the data, only the STA2 sends a ps-poll message to the AP2 on the link 2; if both STA1 and STA2 do not agree to receive data, STA1 and STA2 do not transmit ps-poll messages, and AP MLD1 may discard the data that needs to be transmitted to STA MLD1 after saving the data for a period of time if ps-poll messages have not been received.

2) If the recommended link only includes link1 and STA1 agrees to receive data, STA1 sends a message, such as ps-poll message, on link1 indicating that downlink data can be sent to STA MLD1 to AP1; if the STA1 does not agree to receive data, it does not transmit a ps-poll message and proceeds to the sleep state.

3) If the recommended link only includes link2 and STA2 agrees to receive data, STA2 sends a message, such as ps-poll message, on link2 indicating that downlink data can be sent to STA MLD1 to AP2; if the STA2 does not agree to receive data, it does not transmit a ps-poll message and proceeds to the sleep state.

And S203, the AP MLD1 sends a data packet to the STA MLD1 on all links or part of links indicated by the recommended links according to the received message.

In some embodiments, after receiving the ps-poll message sent by STA1, if the message includes an information element RLI, the AP MLD1 sends a data packet to STA MLD1 on a link indicated by a parameter recommended link bitmap included in the information element RLI according to the information element RLI, if the value of the parameter recommended link bitmap is 11, the AP1 sends a data packet to STA1, and the AP2 sends a data packet to STA2; the value of the parameter recommended link bitmap is 01, the AP1 transmits a data packet to the STA1; the value of the parameter recommended link bitmap is 10, the AP2 transmits a packet to the STA2.

In other embodiments, if the AP1 receives the ps-poll message sent by the STA1 and the AP2 receives the ps-poll message, the AP1 and the AP2 send data packets to the STA1 and the STA2, where the data packets may or may not include RLI information elements, and if so, a parameter recommended link bitmap therein is set to indicate that it is recommended to receive data on the links link1 and link 2; if the AP1 receives the ps-poll message sent by the STA1 and the AP2 does not receive the ps-poll message sent by the STA2, the AP1 sends a data packet to the STA1, where the data packet may or may not include an RLI information element, and if so, a parameter recommended link bitmap therein is set to indicate that data is recommended to be received on the link 1; if the AP2 receives the ps-poll message sent by the STA2 and the AP1 does not receive the ps-poll message sent by the STA1, the AP2 sends a data packet to the STA2, where the data packet may or may not include an RLI information element, and if so, a parameter recommended link bitmap therein is set to indicate that it is recommended to receive data on the link 2.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a device for controlling the multilink terminal to receive data, which comprises a data receiving control module, wherein the data receiving control module is used for executing the following steps:

Optionally, the data receiving control module is further configured to perform the following steps:

receiving, by a first logic terminal or a second logic terminal of the multi-link terminal, a broadcast message sent by a multi-link access device, where the broadcast message indicates that the multi-link access device caches downlink data of the multi-link terminal, and the second logic terminal operates on a second link;

And sending a first message to the first logic access point through the first logic terminal, wherein the first message is used for indicating that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link terminal, so that the multi-link access device sends a data packet to the multi-link terminal on the first link.

sending a service link mapping request message to the multi-link access device through the multi-link terminal, wherein the service link mapping request message is used for requesting a service identifier and link mapping relation;

and receiving a service link mapping response message sent by the multi-link access device through the multi-link terminal, wherein the service link mapping response message indicates a service identifier and link mapping relation used by the multi-link terminal, and the service link mapping relation is used for determining a recommended link according to the service type of downlink data which is sent to the multi-link terminal by the multi-link access device as required and the service identifier and link mapping relation used by the multi-link terminal.

transmitting a broadcast message through a first logic access point or a second logic access point of the multilink access device, wherein the broadcast message indicates that the multilink access device caches downlink data of the multilink terminal, and the second logic access point operates on a second link;

and receiving, by the first logical access point, a first message sent by the first logical terminal, where the first message is used to indicate that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link terminal.

receiving a service link mapping request message sent by the multi-link terminal through the multi-link access equipment, wherein the service link mapping request message is used for requesting a service identifier and link mapping relation;

sending a service link mapping response message to the multi-link terminal through the multi-link access device, wherein the service link mapping response message indicates a service identifier and link mapping relation used by the multi-link terminal;

and determining a recommended link according to the service type of the downlink data which is required to be sent to the multi-link terminal by the multi-link access equipment and the mapping relation between the service identifier used by the multi-link terminal and the link.

It should be understood that the apparatus herein is embodied in the form of functional modules. The term module herein may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (application specific integrated circuit, ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (e.g., a shared, dedicated, or group processor, etc.) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that support the described functionality. The device has the function of realizing the corresponding steps in the method; the above functions may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above. In an embodiment of the invention, the device may also be a chip or a system of chips, for example: system on chip (SoC). The invention is not limited herein.

The embodiment of the invention also provides an electronic device, and fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the electronic device provided by the embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 3, the device 300 comprises a processor 301, a memory 302 and a communication interface 303, wherein the processor 301, the memory 302 and the communication interface 303 are in communication with each other via a bus 304, and instructions executable by the processor 301 are stored in the memory 302, and are loaded and executed by the processor 301 to control the communication interface 303 to send signals and/or receive signals.

It should be understood that the apparatus 300 may be specifically an AP MLD1 or an STA MLD1 in the above embodiments, or the functions of the AP MLD1 or the STA MLD1 in the above embodiments may be integrated in the apparatus 300, and the apparatus 300 may be configured to perform the respective steps and/or flows corresponding to the AP MLD1 or the STA MLD1 in the above embodiments. Alternatively, the memory 302 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor 301. A portion of memory 302 may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory 302 may also store information of the device type. The processor 301 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 301, and when the processor 301 executes the instructions, the processor 301 may perform corresponding steps and/or flows in the above-described method embodiments.

It should be appreciated that in embodiments of the present invention, the processor may be a central processing unit (centralprocessing unit, CPU), the processor may also be other general purpose processors, digital Signal Processors (DSPs), application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

In implementation, the steps of the above method may be performed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in a processor or by instructions in the form of software. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present invention may be embodied directly in a hardware processor for execution, or in a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor for execution. The software modules may be located in a random access memory, flash memory, read only memory, programmable read only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. as well known in the art. The storage medium is located in a memory, and the processor executes instructions in the memory to perform the steps of the method described above in conjunction with its hardware. To avoid repetition, a detailed description is not provided herein.

The above embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any other combination. When implemented in software, the above-described embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product comprises one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer program are loaded or executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are produced in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, computer, server, or data center by wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that contains one or more sets of available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium may be a solid state disk.

It should be understood that, in various embodiments of the present invention, the sequence numbers of the foregoing processes do not mean the order of execution, and the order of execution of the processes should be determined by the functions and internal logic thereof, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention. The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed over a plurality of network modules, where some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purposes of the embodiment of the present invention.

In the several embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus, device and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the modules is merely a logical function division, and there may be other manners of dividing the modules or components into multiple modules or components when actually implemented, or multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not performed. Alternatively, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed with each other may be an indirect coupling or communication connection via some interfaces, devices or modules, which may be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative modules and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

The foregoing is merely illustrative of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art will readily recognize that variations or substitutions are within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a multi-link terminal to receive data, comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, before the first logical terminal of the multi-link terminal receives the first data packet sent by the first logical access point of the multi-link access device:

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-link terminal transmitting a message indicating that downlink data can be transmitted to the multi-link terminal to the multi-link access device over all or part of the recommended link indication comprises at least one of:

4. A method of controlling a multi-link terminal to receive data according to claim 3, wherein when the recommended link comprises a first link and a second link, if the first link and the second link are NSTR pairs, the first logical terminal and the second logical terminal simultaneously transmit a message indicating that downlink data can be transmitted to the multi-link terminal.

5. The method of controlling a multi-link terminal to receive data according to claim 1, further comprising:

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein a mapping relationship between service identifiers and links used by the multi-link terminal indicates a first link as a general link and indicates a second link as a dedicated link, wherein the general link indicates that all service identifiers can be mapped to the link; the dedicated link means that part of the traffic identities may be mapped to the link.

7. A method of controlling a multilink terminal to receive data as claimed in claim 3, further comprising at least one of:

8. A method of controlling a multi-link terminal to receive data as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least one of the first message, the second message and the third message is a power saving mode poll message.

9. A method for controlling a multi-link terminal to receive data, comprising:

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, prior to the first logical access point of the multi-link access device sending the first data packet to the first logical terminal of the multi-link terminal:

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the multi-link access device receives a message sent by the multi-link terminal on all or part of the recommended link indication indicating that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link terminal, and sends a data packet to the multi-link terminal on all or part of the recommended link indication according to the received message, comprising at least one of:

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein when the first logical access point receives a second message sent by the first logical terminal and the second logical access point receives a third message sent by the second logical terminal of the multi-link terminal, if the first logical access point and the second logical access point simultaneously receive a message indicating that downlink data can be sent to the multi-link terminal, the first logical access point and the second logical access point simultaneously send data packets.

13. The method of controlling a multi-link terminal to receive data as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein a mapping relationship between service identifiers and links used by the multi-link terminal indicates a first link as a general link and indicates a second link as a dedicated link, wherein the general link indicates that all service identifiers can be mapped to the link; the dedicated link means that part of the traffic identities may be mapped to the link.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first message, the second message, and the third message is a power save mode poll message.

16. An apparatus for controlling a multilink terminal to receive data, comprising a data reception control module for performing the steps of:

17. An apparatus for controlling a multilink terminal to receive data, comprising a data reception control module for performing the steps of:

18. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory, characterized in that the processor executes the computer program to implement the method of any one of claims 1-15.

19. A computer readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, characterized in that the computer program, when being executed by a processor, implements the method of any of claims 1-15.