Multicast Packet Transmission Method, and Apparatus

Abstract

A multicast packet transmission method and an apparatus relate to the communications field and define how multicast data is sent to stations (STAs) using a multicast association identifier (AID). The method includes allocating, by an access point (AP), a corresponding multicast AID to STAs, where the multicast AID is set in a short media access control (MAC) header of a multicast packet; and sending, by the AP, the multicast packet to at least two STAs, so that the at least two STAs determine, according to the multicast AID, whether the multicast packet is a multicast packet corresponding to the at least two STAs, where the at least two STAs are in a same multicast group.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A multicast packet transmission method, comprising:
 allocating, by an access point (AP), a corresponding multicast association identifier (AID) to at least two stations (STAs), wherein the multicast AID is set in a short media access control (MAC) header of a multicast packet, wherein the short MAC header comprises a first address field and a second address field, wherein the first address field comprises a flag bit that indicates whether an AID in the first address field is the multicast AID, wherein the second address field comprises a basic service set identifier (BSSID), wherein the short MAC header consists of a frame control field, two to three address fields, and a sequence control field, and wherein the short MAC header does not comprise a duration field, a quality of service control field, and a high throughput control field; and   sending, by the AP, the multicast packet to the at least two STAs, wherein the at least two STAs are in a same multicast group.   
     
     
         2 . The multicast packet transmission method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 calculating, by the AP for the STAs, a corresponding multicast partial association identifier (PAID) of the STAs; and   setting, by the AP, the multicast PAID into a physical layer convergence procedure protocol data unit (PPDU) frame of the multicast packet.   
     
     
         3 . The multicast packet transmission method according to  claim 2 , wherein the multicast PAID is set in a signal field of a short preamble format when the PPDU frame format is the short preamble format, and wherein the multicast PAID is set in a signal A field of a long preamble format when the PPDU frame format is the long preamble format. 
     
     
         4 . The multicast packet transmission method according to  claim 1 , wherein the multicast AID is set in the first address field. 
     
     
         5 . A multicast packet transmission method, comprising:
 receiving, by a station (STA), a multicast packet from an access point (AP), wherein the multicast packet is sent by the AP to at least two STAs which comprise the STA, wherein a multicast association identifier (AID) in the multicast packet is set in a short media access control (MAC) header of the multicast packet, wherein the short MAC header comprises a first address field and a second address field, wherein the first address field comprises a flag bit that indicates whether an AID in the first address field is the multicast AID, wherein the second address field comprises a basic service set identifier (BSSID), wherein the short MAC header consists of a frame control field, two to three address fields, and a sequence control field, and wherein the short MAC header does not comprise a duration field, a quality of service control field, and a high throughput control field; and   determining, by the STA according to the flag bit of the multicast AID, whether the multicast packet is a multicast packet corresponding to the STA.   
     
     
         6 . The multicast packet transmission method according to  claim 5 , wherein the multicast AID is set in the first address field. 
     
     
         7 . An access point (AP), comprising:
 a non-transitory computer readable medium having instruction stored thereon; and   a computer processor coupled to the non-transitory computer readable medium and configured to execute the instructions to:
 allocate a corresponding multicast association identifier (AID) to at least two stations (STAs), wherein the multicast AID is set in a short media access control (MAC) header of a multicast packet, wherein the short MAC header comprises a first address field and a second address field, wherein the first address field comprises a flag bit that indicates whether an AID in the first address field is the multicast AID, wherein the second address field comprises a basic service set identifier (BSSID), wherein the short MAC header consists of a frame control field, two to three address fields, and a sequence control field, and wherein the short MAC header does not comprise a duration field, a quality of service control field, and a high throughput control field; and 
 send the multicast packet to the at least two STAs, wherein the at least two STAs are in a same multicast group. 
   
     
     
         8 . The AP according to  claim 7 , wherein the computer processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:
 calculate a corresponding multicast partial association identifier (PAID) of the STAs for the STAs; and   set the multicast PAID into a physical layer convergence procedure protocol data unit (PPDU) frame of the multicast packet.   
     
     
         9 . The AP according to  claim 8 , wherein the multicast PAID is set in a signal field of a short preamble format when the PPDU frame format is the short preamble format, and wherein the multicast PAID is set in a signal A field of a long preamble format when the PPDU frame format is the long preamble format. 
     
     
         10 . The AP according to  claim 7 , wherein the multicast AID is set in the first address field. 
     
     
         11 . A station (STA), comprising:
 a non-transitory computer readable medium having instruction stored thereon; and   a computer processor coupled to the non-transitory computer readable medium and configured to execute the instructions to:
 receive a multicast packet from an access point (AP), wherein the multicast packet is sent by the AP to at least two STAs which comprise the STA, wherein a multicast association identifier (AID) in the multicast packet is set in a short media access control (MAC) header of the multicast packet, wherein the short MAC header comprises a first address field and a second address field, wherein the first address field comprises a flag bit that indicates whether an AID in the first address field is the multicast AID, wherein the second address field comprises a basic service set identifier (BSSID), wherein the short MAC header consists of a frame control field, two to three address fields, and a sequence control field, and wherein the short MAC header does not comprise a duration field, a quality of service control field, and a high throughput control field; and 
 determine, according to the flag bit of the multicast AID, whether the multicast packet is a multicast packet corresponding to the STA. 
   
     
     
         12 . The STA according to  claim 11 , wherein the multicast AID is set in the first address field. 
     
     
         13 . The STA according to  claim 11 , wherein the computer processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:
 receive a broadcast signal from the AP; and   learn that the AP is to send the multicast packet to the STA.