Channel access method and apparatus

1 . A channel access method, comprising:

allocating, by a first device, a plurality of slots to a plurality of access points (APs) in one slot interval, wherein one AP corresponds to one slot;

determining, by the first device, a first frame that comprises first indication information, wherein the first indication information indicates a first AP from the plurality of APs to perform contention access for a first traffic in a first slot from the plurality of slots, and wherein the first traffic comprises a traffic for which channel access is performed using a priority interframe space (PIFS); and

sending, by the first device, the first frame to the first AP.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first indication information comprises a slot interval of the first slot, duration of the first slot, and a start moment of the first slot.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first indication information further comprises one or more of the following: a start moment of a beacon, a beacon interval, a duration of a boundary guard interval, or a second slot, and wherein the second slot is a reserved time window.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the method further comprises:

selecting, by the first device, one AP from the plurality of APs as a primary AP;

using, by the first device, a timestamp of the primary AP as a first reference moment; and

using, by the first device, a time offset of the first slot of the first AP relative to the first reference moment as the start moment of the first slot.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the first indication information further comprises the first reference moment.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

using, by the first device, a local clock of the first device as a second reference moment; and

using, by the first device, a time offset of the first slot of the first AP relative to the second reference moment as a start moment of the first slot.

7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the method further comprises:

sending, by the first device, a second frame to the first AP that indicates that the first AP is prohibited from performing contention access using the PIFS.

8 . A channel access method, comprising:

receiving, by a first access point (AP) in at least one access point (AP), a first frame from a first device, wherein the first frame comprises first indication information; and

performing, by the first AP, contention access for a first traffic in a first slot based on the first indication information, wherein the first traffic comprises a traffic for which channel access is performed using a priority interframe space (PIFS), the first slot is allocated, by the first device, to the first AP, from a plurality of slots allocated to a plurality of access points (APs) in one slot interval, and one AP corresponding to one slot.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the first indication information comprises the slot interval of the first slot, duration of the first slot, and a start moment of the first slot.

10 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the first indication information further comprises one or more of the following: a start moment of a beacon, a beacon interval, duration of a boundary guard interval, or a second slot, and wherein the second slot is a reserved time window.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the start moment of the first slot is a time offset of the first slot of the first AP relative to a first reference moment, the first reference moment is a timestamp of a primary AP, and the primary AP is an AP selected from the at least one AP.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the first indication information further comprises the first reference moment.

13 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein a start moment of the first slot is a time offset of the first slot of the first AP relative to a second reference moment, and wherein the second reference moment is a local clock of the first device.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the first AP, a second frame from the first device that indicates the first AP is prohibited from performing contention access by using the PIFS.

15 . A channel access apparatus, comprising:

a non-transitory memory storage comprising instructions; and

one or more processors in communication with the memory, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to:

allocate, by a first device, a plurality of slots to a plurality of access points (APs) in one slot interval, wherein one AP corresponds to one slot;

determine a first frame that comprises first indication information, wherein the first indication information indicates a first AP from the plurality of APs to perform contention access for a first traffic in a first slot from the plurality of slots, and wherein the first traffic comprises a traffic for which channel access is performed using a priority interframe space (PIFS); and

send the first frame to the first AP.

16 . The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the first indication information comprises a slot interval of the first slot, duration of the first slot, and a start moment of the first slot.

17 . The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the first indication information further comprises one or more of the following: a start moment of a beacon, a beacon interval, a duration of a boundary guard interval, and a second slot, and wherein the second slot is a reserved time window.

18 . The apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to:

select one AP from the plurality of APs as a primary AP;

use a timestamp of the primary AP as a first reference moment; and

use a time offset of the first slot of the first AP relative to the first reference moment as the start moment of the first slot.

19 . The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the first indication information further comprises the first reference moment.

20 . The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to:

use a local clock of the apparatus as a second reference moment; and

use a time offset of the first slot of the first AP relative to the second reference moment as a start moment of the first slot.