Channel sounding method and communication apparatus
This application discloses channel sounding methods and communication apparatuses. One method includes: receiving, by a second access point, a user association frame from a first access point, wherein the user association frame carries identification information of a first station and is used to determine a first channel sounding result of the first station associated with the first access point, and determining, by the second access point, the first channel sounding result from a plurality of second channel sounding results based on the user association frame, wherein the plurality of second channel sounding results are obtained by the second access point by performing sounding on a plurality of channel sounding frames from a plurality of stations.
1. A channel sounding method, comprising:
receiving, by a second access point, a user association frame from a first access point, wherein the user association frame carries identification information of a first station and is used to determine a first channel sounding result of the first station associated with the first access point; and
determining, by the second access point, the first channel sounding result from a plurality of second channel sounding results based on the user association frame, wherein the first channel sounding result is determined from at least one second channel sounding result in the plurality of second channel sounding results that satisfies a first preset condition, wherein the first preset condition is that a difference between a receiving moment of a channel sounding frame corresponding to the second channel sounding result and a receiving moment of a channel sounding frame received by the first access point from the first station falls within a first preset range, and wherein the plurality of second channel sounding results are obtained by the second access point by performing sounding on a plurality of channel sounding frames from a plurality of stations.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the first channel sounding result comprises:
receiving, by the second access point, a channel sounding instruction from a controller or a central access point; and
determining the first channel sounding result from the plurality of second channel sounding results, wherein the channel sounding instruction indicates the second access point to perform channel sounding on the plurality of channel sounding frames, and wherein the plurality of stations comprise the first station.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the first channel sounding result comprises:
determining, by the second access point based on packet length information, the first channel sounding result from the at least one second channel sounding result that satisfies the first preset condition, wherein the packet length information indicates a length of the channel sounding frame sent by the first station to the first access point, and the packet length information is carried in the user association frame; or
determining, by the second access point based on packet fingerprint information, the first channel sounding result from the at least one second channel sounding result that satisfies the first preset condition, wherein the packet fingerprint information indicates length information of a channel sounding frame sent by the first station to the first access point, and the packet fingerprint information is carried in the user association frame.
4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein determining the first channel sounding result comprises:
determining, by the second access point, a second channel sounding result that satisfies a second preset condition in the at least one second channel sounding result that satisfies the first preset condition as the first channel sounding result, wherein the second preset condition is that a packet length of the channel sounding frame corresponding to the second channel sounding result and a packet length of the channel sounding frame received by the first access point from the first station are the same or have a minimum difference.
5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein determining the first channel sounding result comprises:
determining, by the second access point, a second channel sounding result that satisfies a third preset condition in the at least one second channel sounding result that satisfies the first preset condition as the first channel sounding result, wherein the third preset condition is that packet fingerprint information of the channel sounding frame corresponding to the second channel sounding result is the same as the packet fingerprint information.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
performing, by the second access point, timing synchronization with the first access point.
7. A channel sounding method, comprising:
performing, by a first access point, channel sounding on a channel sounding frame sent by a first station associated with the first access point, wherein the channel sounding frame is used for channel sounding; and
sending, by the first access point, a user association frame to a second access point, wherein the user association frame carries identification information of the first station and is used to determine a first channel sounding result that matches the first station from a plurality of second channel sounding results, wherein the first channel sounding result is determined from at least one second channel sounding result in the plurality of second channel sounding results that satisfies a first preset condition, wherein the first preset condition is that a difference between a receiving moment of a channel sounding frame corresponding to the second channel sounding result and a receiving moment of a channel sounding frame received by the first access point from the first station falls within a first preset range, and wherein the plurality of second channel sounding results are obtained by the second access point by performing sounding on a plurality of channel sounding frames from a plurality of stations that comprise the first station.
8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein sending the user association frame to the second access point comprises:
receiving, by the first access point, a channel sounding instruction from a controller or a central access point; and
sending the user association frame to the second access point, wherein the channel sounding instruction indicates the first access point to perform channel sounding and send the user association frame to the second access point.
9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the user association frame further comprises packet length information and packet fingerprint information, wherein the packet length information indicates a length of the channel sounding frame received by the first access point from the first station, and wherein the packet fingerprint information comprises the packet length information.
10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the packet length information is determined based on one of:
information carried in a signal field in a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), wherein the channel sounding frame is carried in the PPDU;
the packet length information is determined based on a difference of moments indicated by a physical layer receive end indication (PHY-RXEND.indication) and a physical layer receive start indication (PHY-RXSTART.indication) that are received by a media access control MAC layer; or
the packet length information is determined based on a start moment and an end moment of a clear channel assessment (CCA) during reception of the channel sounding frame sent by the first station.
11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the channel sounding frame received by the first access point from the first station is carried in a PPDU, and the packet fingerprint information is determined based on information carried in a signal field in the PPDU.
12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises:
sending, by the first access point, a channel sounding announcement frame to the controller or the central access point, wherein the channel sounding announcement frame comprises a channel sounding state, and wherein the channel sounding state indicates that a channel sounding result is correct, incorrect, or lost.
13. A communication apparatus, comprising:
one or more processors; and
a memory communicably coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions for execution by the one or more processors to:
receive a user association frame from a first access point, wherein the user association frame carries identification information of a first station and is used to determine a first channel sounding result of the first station associated with the first access point; and
determine the first channel sounding result from a plurality of second channel sounding results based on the user association frame, wherein the first channel sounding result satisfies a first preset condition, wherein the first preset condition is that a difference between a receiving moment of a channel sounding frame corresponding to the first channel sounding result and a receiving moment of a channel sounding frame received by the first access point from the first station falls within a first preset range, and wherein the plurality of second channel sounding results are obtained by a second access point by performing sounding on a plurality of channel sounding frames from a plurality of stations.
14. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the instructions are for execution by the one or more processors to:
after receiving a channel sounding instruction from a controller or the central access point, determine the first channel sounding result from the plurality of second channel sounding results, wherein the channel sounding instruction indicates the second access point to perform sounding on the plurality of channel sounding frames, the plurality of stations comprise the first station, and the first station is not associated with the second access point.
15. A communication apparatus, comprising:
one or more processors; and
a memory communicably coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions for execution by the one or more processors to:
perform channel sounding on a channel sounding frame sent by a first station associated with a first access point, wherein the channel sounding frame is used for channel sounding; and
send a user association frame to a second access point, wherein the user association frame carries identification information of the first station and is used to determine a first channel sounding result that matches the first station from a plurality of second channel sounding results, wherein the user association frame carries a first receiving moment at which the first access point receives the channel sounding frame sent by the first station, wherein the first receiving moment is determined based on a system time point of the first access point, and wherein the system time point of the first access point is synchronized with a system time point of the second access point, and wherein the plurality of second channel sounding results are obtained by the second access point by performing sounding on a plurality of channel sounding frames from a plurality of stations that comprise the first station.
16. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the instructions are for execution by the one or more processors to:
receive a channel sounding instruction from a controller or a central access point; and
send the user association frame to the second access point, wherein the channel sounding instruction indicates the first access point to perform channel sounding and send the user association frame to the second access point.