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CN-122002267-A - Method and apparatus for maintaining network allocation vector NAV timer

CN122002267ACN 122002267 ACN122002267 ACN 122002267ACN-122002267-A

Abstract

The application provides a method and a device for maintaining NAV timers, which can be applied to support IEEE protocols, such as 802.11be/Wi-Fi 7/Wi-Fi 8 protocols, IEEE 802.11Integrated mmWave protocols, IEEE 802.11 bf/sensing protocols or IEEE 802.15/UWB protocols, and can also support star flash protocols. The method is applicable to a scenario where a station can switch between NPCA mode and PCA mode. The method includes that the station maintains a first NAV timer and a third NAV timer corresponding to a main channel, and maintains a first NAV timer and a second NAV timer corresponding to a non-main channel, so that the number of NAV timers used by the station supporting the operation in the NPCA mode and the PCA mode can be reduced.

Inventors

  • YAN ZHONGJIANG
  • YANG MAO
  • LI YUNBO
  • GAN MING
  • GUO YUCHEN

Assignees

  • 华为技术有限公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20241106

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A method for maintaining a network allocation vector, NAV, timer, the method applied to a station, the method comprising: determining that a first physical layer protocol data unit, PPDU, received on a non-primary channel meets a first condition, the first condition comprising that a first duration indicated by a duration field in the first PPDU received by the station is greater than a current NAV value of the station; updating a NAV value of a first NAV timer based on the first duration; determining that a second PPDU received on a primary channel satisfies a second condition, the second condition comprising that a second duration indicated by a duration field in the second PPDU received by the station is greater than a current NAV value of the station; Based on the second duration, a NAV value of the first NAV timer is updated.
  2. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: Determining that a third PPDU received on the non-primary channel satisfies a third condition, the third condition including whether the third PPDU is from an outer basic service set BSS of the station or the station cannot determine whether the third PPDU is from an outer BSS or a present BSS of the station, a third duration length indicated by a duration length field in the third PPDU being greater than a NAV value of a second NAV timer of the station; and updating the NAV value of the second NAV timer based on the third duration.
  3. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the method further comprises: Determining that a fourth PPDU received on the primary channel satisfies a fourth condition, the fourth condition including whether the fourth PPDU is from an outer BSS of the station or the station cannot determine whether the fourth PPDU is from the outer BSS or the present BSS of the station, a fourth duration length indicated by a duration length field in the fourth PPDU being greater than a NAV value of a third NAV timer of the station; and updating the NAV value of the third NAV timer based on the fourth duration.
  4. 4. A method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the method further comprises: Determining that the transmission channel of the third PPDU includes the primary channel and a NAV value of a third NAV timer of the third duration greater than the station, wherein an end time of the third NAV timer is an end time of the primary channel occupied by an outer BSS of the station; and updating the NAV value of the third NAV timer based on the third duration.
  5. 5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising: According to the bandwidth information carried by the third PPDU, determining that a sending station of the third PPDU works on the main channel; after determining that the receiving station indicated in the third PPDU does not contain the station, switching from the non-primary channel to the primary channel, or After determining that the receiving station indicated in the third PPDU includes the station, performing frame interaction with the transmitting station on the non-primary channel; and after determining that the PPDU of which the receiving station contains the self is not received within a preset time period after the sending station of the third PPDU finishes frame interaction, switching from the non-main channel to the main channel.
  6. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the NAV value of the second NAV timer is not 0 after switching from the non-primary channel to the primary channel, the method further comprising: Receiving a PPDU from an outer BSS of the station on the primary channel; And when the NAV value of the second NAV timer is smaller than or equal to switching time delay, switching from the main channel to the non-main channel, wherein the switching time delay represents time delay of switching from the non-main channel to the main channel.
  7. 7. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that the method further comprises: determining that the transmission channel of the fourth PPDU includes the non-primary channel and the fourth duration is greater than a NAV value of the second NAV timer; And updating the NAV value of the second NAV timer based on the fourth duration.
  8. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: Determining that a fourth PPDU received on the primary channel satisfies a fourth condition, the fourth condition including whether the fourth PPDU is from an outer BSS of the station or the station cannot determine whether the fourth PPDU is from the outer BSS or the present BSS of the station, a fourth duration length indicated by a duration length field in the fourth PPDU being greater than a NAV value of a third NAV timer of the station; updating a NAV value of the third NAV timer based on the fourth duration; After switching from the primary channel to the non-primary channel, updating the NAV value of the third NAV timer from a first value to 0, and setting the NAV value of a fourth NAV timer of the station to the first value or recording a first time instant, the fourth NAV timer having only a countdown function, the first time instant being a time instant at which the station expects to switch to the primary channel.
  9. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: Determining that frame interaction of a fifth PPDU can be completed on the non-primary channel before an end time of a third NAV timer, the end time of the third NAV timer being an end time of the primary channel occupied by an outer BSS of the station; and transmitting the fifth PPDU on the non-primary channel.
  10. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that frame interactions of a fifth PPDU can be completed on the non-primary channel before an end of a third NAV timer comprises: Determining that frame interactions of a fifth PPDU can be completed on the non-primary channel before a time instant after a handoff delay, which characterizes a delay in switching from the non-primary channel to the primary channel, is subtracted from an end time instant of a third NAV timer.
  11. 11. The method of claim 9 or 10, wherein prior to determining that frame interactions of the fifth PPDU can be completed on the non-primary channel before the end of the third NAV timer minus the time after the handoff delay, the method further comprises: Obtaining TXOP on the non-primary channel, or The backoff counter for the station is determined to decrease to 0.
  12. 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, After determining that a fifth condition is met, switching from the non-primary channel to the primary channel, wherein the fifth condition comprises any one of a current time being later than or equal to a second time, the current time being later than or equal to a third time, an ending time of a second NAV timer of the station being later than or equal to the second time, the ending time of the second NAV timer being later than or equal to the third time, the station judging that frame interaction cannot be completed before the second time after acquiring the TXOP on the non-primary channel, the station judging that frame interaction cannot be completed before the third time after acquiring the TXOP on the non-primary channel, and judging that frame interaction cannot be completed before the second time after the station's back-off counter is reduced to 0, and judging that frame interaction cannot be completed before the third time after the station's back-off counter is reduced to 0. Wherein the second time is any one of the following: The end time of the third NAV timer; the end time of the third NAV timer subtracts the time of the opposite terminal switching delay; The end time of the third NAV timer minus the time after the larger of the switching time delay and the opposite terminal switching time delay; The switching delay characterizes the delay of switching from the non-main channel to the main channel, the opposite terminal switching delay characterizes the delay of switching the opposite terminal of the station from the non-main channel to the main channel, the ending time of the third NAV timer is the ending time of the main channel occupied by the outer BSS of the station, the third time is the time of subtracting the first time from the second time, the ending time of the second NAV timer is the ending time of the non-main channel occupied by the outer BSS of the station, and the first time is longer than or equal to the short frame sending time.
  13. 13. A method for maintaining a network allocation vector, NAV, timer, the method applied to a station, the method comprising: Maintaining a first NAV timer and a third NAV timer corresponding to a main channel, wherein the NAV value of the first NAV timer and the NAV value of the third NAV timer are used for judging the state of the main channel; and maintaining the first NAV timer and the second NAV timer corresponding to the non-main channel, wherein the NAV value of the first NAV timer and the NAV value of the second NAV timer are used for judging the state of the non-main channel.
  14. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein maintaining the first NAV timer and the third NAV timer corresponding to the primary channel comprises: determining that a second physical layer protocol data unit, PPDU, received on the primary channel meets a second condition, the second condition comprising that the second PPDU is from a basic service set, BSS, of the station, a second duration length indicated by a duration length field in the second PPDU received by the station is greater than a current NAV value of the station; updating the NAV value of the first NAV timer based on the second duration, or Determining that a fourth PPDU received on the primary channel satisfies a fourth condition, the fourth condition including whether the fourth PPDU is from an outer BSS of the station or the station cannot determine whether the fourth PPDU is from the outer BSS or the present BSS of the station, a fourth duration length indicated by a duration length field in the fourth PPDU being greater than a NAV value of a third NAV timer of the station; and updating the NAV value of the third NAV timer based on the fourth duration.
  15. 15. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein maintaining the first and second NAV timers that correspond to non-primary channels comprises: Determining that a first PPDU received on the non-primary channel satisfies a first condition, the first condition including that the first PPDU is from a present BSS of the station, a first duration length indicated by a duration length field in the first PPDU received by the station is greater than a current NAV value of the station; updating the NAV value of the first NAV timer based on the first duration, or Determining that a third PPDU received on the non-primary channel satisfies a third condition, the third condition including whether the third PPDU is from an outer BSS of the station or the station cannot determine whether the third PPDU is from the outer BSS or the present BSS of the station, a third duration length indicated by a duration length field in the third PPDU being greater than a NAV value of a second NAV timer of the station; And updating the NAV value of the second NAV timer based on the third duration.
  16. 16. A communication device comprising means or units for performing the method of any of claims 1-15.
  17. 17. A communication device comprising a processor coupled to a memory for storing a computer program or instructions, the processor for executing the computer program or instructions in memory, causing the communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 15.
  18. 18. A computer readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer readable storage medium has stored thereon a computer program or instructions, which when executed, cause a computer to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 15.
  19. 19. A chip comprising a communication interface for signal transceiving of the chip and a processor for executing a computer program or instructions to cause a communication device comprising the chip to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 15.
  20. 20. A computer program product, characterized in that the computer program product, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 15.

Description

Method and apparatus for maintaining network allocation vector NAV timer Technical Field The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for maintaining a NAV timer. Background A wireless local area network (wireless local area network, WLAN) refers to a generic term covering wireless networks within a local area, typically represented as wireless fidelity (WIRELESS FIDELITY, wi-Fi). WLAN operates in unlicensed band (unlicensed spectrum), the most well known and absolutely dominant international standard being IEEE 802.11. The latest generation WLAN standard IEEE 802.11be (considered as seventh generation Wi-Fi, i.e., wi-Fi 7) is about to be officially released in 2024 or 2025. The next generation WLAN standard IEEE 802.11bn (considered eighth generation Wi-Fi, i.e., wi-Fi 8) has also begun to be studied and is planned to be released in 2028. Currently, WLANs carry over 50% of the global internet protocol (internet protocol, IP) traffic, which has become the dominant wireless network in the current and future, along with cellular networks. The WLAN includes one or more Basic Service Sets (BSSs) SERVICE SET. Each BSS generally includes one wireless Access Point (AP) and one or more non-AP stations (referred to as non-AP STAs), both of which may be referred To As Stations (STAs). An AP is a station that can provide network access services. For example, a wireless access point is typically implemented in a wireless router, and a non-AP STA is typically implemented in a terminal device such as a mobile phone. The packets of the physical layer transmitted by the station (AP or non-AP STA) over the air are referred to as physical layer protocol data units (PHYSICAL LAYER protocol data unit, PPDUs). The PPDU includes a preamble (preamble) and a payload (payload) portion. The indication information of the network allocation vector (network allocation vector, NAV) may be contained in a preamble (preamble) or payload (payload) portion of the PPDU. The NAV is a length of time indicating a duration that a transmitting station of the PPDU still needs to continue to occupy a channel from an end time of the PPDU. The NAV timer is a countdown timer. When the value of the NAV timer is greater than 0, it means that the virtual carrier sense result of the channel corresponding to the NAV timer is that the channel is busy. When the value of the NAV timer is equal to 0, it indicates that the virtual carrier sense result of the channel corresponding to the NAV timer is idle. In the next generation Wi-Fi 8 network, two channel access modes of WLAN are defined, (1) main channel access (PRIMARY CHANNEL ACCESS, PCA) mode, and (2) non-main channel access (non-PRIMARY CHANNEL ACCESS, NPCA). The primary channel access refers to the process that a node in the network accesses in the primary channel and acquires the channel usage rights. The non-primary channel access refers to a process that a node in the network switches to the non-primary channel access and acquires the channel usage right according to a certain rule if a PPDU sent by a station of an overlapped basic service set (overlapping basicservice set, OBSS) is detected in the process of accessing the primary channel and acquiring the channel usage right. Currently, it is necessary to study how to maintain NAV timers when a station operates in PCA mode and NPCA mode, so as to determine the busy/idle degree of the primary channel and the non-primary channel according to the maintained NAV timers. Disclosure of Invention The embodiment of the application discloses a method and a device for maintaining NAV timers, which can reduce the number of NAV timers used by stations supporting the operation in an NPCA mode and a PCA mode and reduce the complexity and the power consumption for maintaining the NAV timers. In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for maintaining a network allocation vector NAV timer, where the method is applied to a station, and the method is implemented by the station or a component on the station side, and is described below with reference to the station implementation. The method includes a station determining that a first physical layer protocol data unit (PHYSICAL LAYER protocol data unit, PPDU) received on a non-primary channel satisfies a first condition including a first duration (duration) indicated by a duration field in a first PPDU received by the station being greater than a current NAV value (current NAV value) of the station, or the first duration indicated by the duration field in the first PPDU being greater than a current NAV value of a first NAV timer of the station, and updating the NAV value of the first NAV timer based on the first duration. When the station determines that the PPDU received on the non-primary channel does not satisfy the first condition, the station need not update the NAV value of the first NAV timer based on the duration fi