Communication device, communication method, and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a communication device, a communication method, and a storage medium. The communication device communicates a wireless frame conforming to Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series standards with a partner device, wherein a medium access control (MAC) frame of the wireless frame includes information indicating a frequency channel as information related to communication via multiple links conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series standards, the multiple links being to be established on multiple different frequency channels on which the device transmitting the wireless frame and the partner device are able to perform wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series standards.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the transmission and reception of communication-related information in wireless communication. Background Technology

[0002] The IEEE 802.11 series is known as the wireless local area network (WLAN) communication standard developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The IEEE 802.11 series of standards includes standards such as IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax.

[0003] Patent document 1 (PTL1) discusses the performance of wireless communication, in which Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) is used in the case of communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11ax standard. The use of OFDMA in wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11ax standard allows for high peak throughput.

[0004] To achieve higher throughput and improved frequency utilization efficiency, IEEE is considering developing the IEEE 802.11be standard as a new IEEE 802.11 family of standards. For the IEEE 802.11be standard, technologies are being considered for establishing multiple links between access points (APs) and stations (STAs) for communication via multiple different frequency channels.

[0005] Citation List

[0006] Patent documents

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-50133 Summary of the Invention

[0008] Technical issues

[0009] As mentioned above, the IEEE 802.11be standard considers multi-link communication, where APs and STAs establish multiple links and communicate in parallel on different frequency channels. For multi-link communication to be successful, multi-link communication-related information (such as multi-link communication capability information related to the AP) needs to be communicated between the AP and STA. The Media Access Control (MAC) frame, used to appropriately communicate this multi-link communication-related information, is a newly developed format.

[0010] In view of the foregoing, the present invention aims to enable the use of appropriate MAC frames to communicate information relating to communication via multiple links conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards to be established with each other on multiple different frequency channels.

[0011] Solution to the problem

[0012] For the above purposes, a communication device includes: a communication unit configured to communicate with other communication devices wireless frames conforming to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series standards, wherein the Media Access Control (MAC) frame of the wireless frame communicated by the communication unit includes information indicating frequency channels as information related to communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series standards via multiple links, wherein the multiple links are to be established on multiple different frequency channels on which the device transmitting the wireless frame and the other device are capable of wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series standards.

[0013] Beneficial effects of the invention

[0014] According to the present invention, appropriate MAC frames can be used to communicate information relating to communication via multiple links conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards to be established with the other device on multiple different frequency channels. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the configuration of the network to which the communication equipment belongs.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the communication equipment.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the communication equipment.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the processes performed when a communication device and other communication devices are engaged in multi-link communication.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the frame format for a multi-link capability element.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the processes performed by other communication devices during multi-link communication.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the processes performed by the communication device during multi-link communication. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configurations described in the following exemplary embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations shown.

[0023] Figure 1The configuration of a network in which the communication device 102 participates according to this exemplary embodiment is illustrated. The communication device 102 is an access point (AP) intended to build a network 101. Network 101 is a wireless network. In this exemplary embodiment, when the communication device 102 builds multiple networks, all networks have the same Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID). The BSSID is an identifier used to identify a network. The Service Set Identifier (SSID) presented by the communication device 102 in any network is also the same. The SSID is an identifier used to identify the AP. In this exemplary embodiment, even if multiple connections are established, the communication device 102 uses a single SSID.

[0024] Communication device 103 is a station (STA) intended to join network 101. Each communication device supports the IEEE 802.11be (Extremely High Throughput or EHT) standard and can conduct wireless communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard via network 101. Each communication device can communicate in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz frequency bands. The frequency bands of the communication devices are not limited to these. Other frequency bands (such as the 60 GHz band) can be used. Each communication device can communicate in bandwidths of 20, 40, 80, 160, and 320 MHz.

[0025] Communication devices 102 and 103 enable multi-user (MU) communication, where signals from multiple users are multiplexed through Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard. In OFDMA communication, the packet portions (resource elements [RU]) of the frequency band are allocated to STAs in a non-overlapping manner, and the carriers allocated to each STA are orthogonal to each other. Therefore, the AP can communicate with multiple STAs in parallel.

[0026] Communication devices 102 and 103 perform multi-link communication by establishing links via multiple frequency channels. As used herein, a frequency channel refers to a channel defined in the IEEE 802.11 series of standards and capable of wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards. The IEEE 802.11 series of standards defines multiple frequency channels in various frequency bands within the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz frequency bands. In the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, each frequency channel is defined as having a bandwidth of 20 MHz. Furthermore, a bandwidth of 40 MHz or greater can be used as a single frequency channel through adjacent frequency bands. For example, communication device 102 can establish a first link 104 with communication device 103 via a first frequency channel in the 2.4 GHz band and a second link 105 with communication device 103 via a second frequency channel in the 5 GHz band, and communicate via these two links. In this case, communication device 102 maintains the second link 105 via the second frequency channel in parallel with the first link 104 via the first frequency channel. Communication device 102 can improve the throughput of communication with communication device 103 by establishing links with communication device 103 via multiple frequency channels. Communication devices 102 and 103 can establish multiple links in different frequency bands in multi-link communication. For example, in addition to a first link 104 in the 2.4 GHz band and a second link 105 in the 5 GHz band, communication devices 102 and 103 can also establish a third link in the 6 GHz band. Alternatively, communication devices 102 and 103 can establish links via multiple different channels included in the same frequency band. For example, communication devices 102 and 103 can establish a first link 104 via 1 channel in the 2.4 GHz band and a second link 105 via 5 channels in the 2.4 GHz band. Links in the same frequency band and links in different frequency bands can be established simultaneously. For example, in addition to the first link 104 via 1 ch in the 2.4 GHz band and the second link 105 via 5 ch in the 2.4 GHz band, communication devices 102 and 103 can also establish a third link via 36 ch in the 5 GHz band. By establishing multiple connections with communication device 103 in different frequency bands, communication device 102 can communicate with communication device 103 in one frequency band even if other frequency bands are congested. This prevents a reduction in the throughput of communication with communication device 103.

[0027] In multi-link communication, the multiple links established between communication devices 102 and 103 are at least links on different frequency channels. In multi-link communication, the channel distance between the frequency channels of the multiple links established between communication devices 102 and 103 is at least greater than 20 MHz. Although communication devices 102 and 103 establish a first link 104 and a second link 105 in this exemplary embodiment, communication devices 102 and 103 may establish three or more links.

[0028] In multi-link communication, communication devices 102 and 103 can communicate in three modes. One is asynchronous mode. In this mode, communication via multiple links occurs asynchronously. Specifically, communication via the first link and communication via the second link occur at their respective independent timings. Therefore, the first and second links can each communicate at timings independent of the other's communication timing. In such a case, if the channel distance between the frequency channels of each link is narrow, communication on one link may affect communication on another link. Specifically, if the frequency channels of the links are close, communication on one link can be detected by the other link during carrier sensing, making it impossible for communication on one link to occur simultaneously. Therefore, in asynchronous mode, the channel distance between links is set wide. Another mode is synchronous mode. In this mode, communication via multiple links occurs synchronously. Specifically, the first and second links begin their respective communication at the same timing. Since communication via each link begins simultaneously, communication on one link will not be detected by the other link during carrier sensing. Therefore, the channel distance between each link can be set narrow. Another mode is semi-asynchronous mode. In this mode, when data needs to be communicated via one link and the frequency channel of the other link is idle, communication via the two links is performed synchronously. For example, when the backoff counter of the first link becomes 0 and the frequency channel of the second link is idle, communication via the first and second links begins at the same timing. Here, the backoff counter of the second link does not need to be 0. When the backoff counter of the first link becomes 0 and the frequency channel of the second link is not idle, communication only begins via the first link and not via the second link. In this mode, when communication via multiple links is performed in parallel, communication via each link begins simultaneously. Therefore, the channel distance between each link can be set narrow. Communication devices 102 and 103 can select the mode to use in multi-link communication based on the established channel distance between the multiple links.

[0029] In multi-link communication, at least one of communication devices 102 and 103 is capable of simultaneously transmitting data via one link and receiving data via other links. Alternatively, at least one of communication devices 102 and 103 may be capable of transmitting data via one link but only simultaneously transmitting data via other links. Alternatively, at least one of communication devices 102 and 103 may be capable of receiving data via one link but only simultaneously receiving data via other links. Alternatively, at least one of communication devices 102 and 103 may be capable of maintaining multiple links simultaneously but cannot simultaneously communicate data via other links while communicating data via one link. Such communication devices are considered not to support synchronous or semi-asynchronous modes.

[0030] In multi-link communication, communication devices 102 and 103 each segment data and send the segmented data to the other device via multiple links. Alternatively, communication devices 102 and 103 can send the same data via multiple links, such that communication via one link serves as a backup for communication via another link. Specifically, communication device 102 sends the same data to communication device 103 via a first link using a first frequency channel and a second link using a second frequency channel. In such a case, for example, if an error occurs in communication via the first link, communication device 103 can receive the data sent from communication device 102 because the same data was also sent via the second link. Alternatively, communication devices 102 and 103 can selectively use links depending on the type of frame or data to be communicated. For example, communication device 102 can send management frames via the first link and data frames including data via the second link. Specific examples of management frames include beacon frames, probe request / response frames, and association request / response frames. In addition to such frames, deassociation frames, authentication frames, deauthentication frames, and action frames are also referred to as management frames. A beacon frame is used to notify the network of information. A probe request frame is used to request network information. A probe response frame is a response to a request frame and is used to provide network information. An association request frame is used to request a connection. An association response frame is a response to an association request frame and is used to indicate connection permission, errors, etc. A deassociation frame is used to disconnect the connection. An authentication frame is used to authenticate the other device. A deauthentication frame is used to terminate the authentication of the other device and disconnect the connection. An action frame is used to perform additional functions besides the aforementioned functions. Communication devices 102 and 103 send and receive management frames conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards. Alternatively, when sending data related to captured images, for example, communication device 102 may send metadata such as date, camera parameters (aperture value and shutter speed), and location information via a first link, and send pixel information via a second link.

[0031] Communication devices 102 and 103 are capable of performing multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication. In this case, communication devices 102 and 103 include multiple antennas. Either communication device 102 or 103 transmits different signals from each antenna using the same frequency channel. The receiver device uses multiple antennas to simultaneously receive all signals arriving from multiple streams and segments and decodes the signals from each stream. Compared to the amount of data without MIMO communication, communication devices 102 and 103 can communicate more data in the same amount of time by performing such MIMO communication. Communication devices 102 and 103 can use some links for MIMO communication when performing multi-link communication.

[0032] Although communication devices 102 and 103 support the IEEE 802.11be standard as described in the above specification, the supported standard can be at least any one of the conventional standards preceding the IEEE 802.11be standard. Conventional standards refer to the IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax standards. In this exemplary embodiment, at least one of the IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be standards will be referred to as the IEEE 802.11 series standards. In addition to the IEEE 802.11 series standards, communication devices 102 and 103 can support other communication standards (such as...). Near Field Communication (NFC), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the Multi-Band Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) Alliance (MBOA), etc. UWB includes Wireless Universal Serial Bus (USB), Wireless 1394, and Winter. It can also support wired communication standards such as wired Local Area Networks (LANs).

[0033] Specific examples of communication device 102 include, but are not limited to, wireless LAN routers and personal computers (PCs). Communication device 102 can be any communication device capable of multi-link communication with other communication devices. Communication device 102 can be an information processing device (such as a wireless chip) capable of wireless communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard. Specific examples of communication device 103 include, but are not limited to, cameras, tablets, smartphones, PCs, mobile phones, and camcorders. Communication device 103 can be any communication device capable of multi-link communication with other communication devices. Communication device 103 can be an information processing device (such as a wireless chip) capable of wireless communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard. Although Figure 1 The network shown is a network including one access point (AP) and one STA, but the number of APs and STAs is not limited to this. Information processing devices, such as wireless chips, include antennas for transmitting the generated signals.

[0034] Figure 2 The hardware configuration of a communication device 102 according to this exemplary embodiment is shown. The communication device 102 includes a storage unit 201, a control unit 202, a functional unit 203, an input unit 204, an output unit 205, a communication unit 206, and an antenna 207.

[0035] Storage unit 201 includes one or more memories (such as read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM), and stores computer programs for performing various operations described below, as well as various types of information such as communication parameters for wireless communication. In addition to memories such as ROM and RAM, storage media such as floppy disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, and DVDs can also be used as storage unit 201. Storage unit 201 may include multiple memories.

[0036] Control unit 202 includes one or more processors such as a central processing unit (CPU) and a microprocessor unit (MPU), and controls the overall operation of communication device 102 by executing a computer program stored in storage unit 201. Control unit 202 can be configured to control the overall operation of communication device 102 through the cooperation of a computer program and an operating system (OS) stored in storage unit 201. Furthermore, control unit 202 generates data and signals (wireless frames) to be transmitted during communication with other communication devices. Control unit 202 may include multiple processors (such as a multi-core processor), and multiple processors are used to control the overall operation of communication device 102.

[0037] Control unit 202 controls function unit 203 to perform wireless communication and predetermined processes such as camera capture, printing, and projection. Function unit 203 is the hardware used by communication device 102 to perform predetermined processes.

[0038] Input unit 204 receives various operations from the user. Output unit 205 provides various outputs to the user via a monitor screen and speakers. Outputs from output unit 205 may include displays on the monitor screen, audio output from the speakers, and vibration output. Both input unit 204 and output unit 205 can be implemented as a single module, such as a touch panel. Input unit 204 and output unit 205 can each be integrated with or separated from communication device 102.

[0039] Communication unit 206 controls wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard. Communication unit 206 can also control wireless communication conforming to other IEEE 802.11 series standards besides IEEE 802.11be, or control wired communication such as wired LAN communication. Communication unit 206 controls antenna 207 to send and receive signals for wireless communication generated by control unit 202. In addition to the IEEE 802.11be standard, communication device 102 also supports NFC standard or... In a standard configuration, communication unit 206 can control wireless communication conforming to such a communication standard. Where communication device 102 can perform wireless communication conforming to multiple communication standards, communication device 102 may include separate communication units and antennas supporting each communication standard. Communication device 102 communicates data such as image data, document data, and video data with communication device 103 via communication unit 206. Antenna 207 can be configured as a component separate from communication unit 206. Antenna 207 can be combined with communication unit 206 as a single module.

[0040] Antenna 207 is an antenna capable of communication in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz frequency bands. In this exemplary embodiment, communication device 102 has one antenna. However, communication device 102 may include antennas, each corresponding to a different frequency band. If communication device 102 includes multiple antennas, it may also include communication units 206, each corresponding to a different antenna among the multiple antennas.

[0041] Communication device 103 has the same hardware configuration as communication device 102.

[0042] Figure 3 The functional configuration of a communication device 102 according to this exemplary embodiment is shown. The communication device 102 includes a capability information generation unit 301 for multi-link communication, an operation information determination unit 302 for multi-link communication, and a connection processing unit 304. The communication device 102 also includes a media access control (MAC) frame generation unit 305 and a data transmission and reception unit 306.

[0043] The capability information generation unit 301 is a block used to generate multi-link communication-related capability information related to the communication device 102. The communication device 102 generates capability information to notify other communication devices of its own multi-link communication-related capabilities. (Refer to the following...) Figure 5 Describes multi-link communication-related capability information. Regarding capability information, communication device 102 can notify other communication devices of capability information related to its own device, or only receive capability information related to other communication devices that are the other party devices.

[0044] The operation information determination unit 302 is a block used to determine operation information related to multi-link communication with the other device based on multi-link communication capability information related to its own device and the other device. The operation information related to multi-link communication refers to the frequency channel and bandwidth to be used in multi-link communication between communication devices 102 and 103. (Refer to the following...) Figure 5 This describes the details of multi-link communication-related operational information. Communication device 102 may or may not notify the other device of the determined operational information.

[0045] The connection processing unit 304 is a block for performing processing that enables the communication device 103, acting as a STA, to join the network 101 constructed by the communication device 102. Specifically, the connection processing unit 304 causes the communication device 102 to send an association response frame as a response to an association request, wherein the association request is a connection request received from the communication device 103. The communication device 102 includes connection processing units 304, each corresponding to a different link among a plurality of links established by the device itself.

[0046] The MAC frame generation unit 305 is a block for generating MAC frames, which include multi-link communication-related capability information generated by the capability information generation unit 301 and multi-link communication-related operation information determined by the operation information determination unit 302. The MAC frame generated by the MAC frame generation unit 305 is included in at least one of beacon, probe response, and association response radio frames and is transmitted. Alternatively, the generated MAC frame may be included in a re-association response and transmitted. The capability information and operation information included in the MAC frame generated by the MAC frame generation unit 305 are described below. Figure 5 The elements shown are represented.

[0047] The data transmission and reception unit 306 is a block used to transmit and receive data frames in multi-link communication based on multi-link communication-related operation information determined by the operation information determination unit 302. The data transmission and reception unit 306 can transmit radio frames including MAC frames generated by the MAC frame generation unit 305, and receive radio frames from the other party device.

[0048] Except for the following points, communication device 103 has the same functional configuration as communication device 102.

[0049] Communication device 103 includes a request information determining unit (not shown) instead of operation information determining unit 302. The request information determining unit is a block used to determine request information related to multi-link communication with the other device based on multi-link communication capability information related to both the device and the other device. The request information related to multi-link communication refers to the frequency channel and bandwidth requested for use in multi-link communication between communication devices 102 and 103. Reference will be made below. Figure 5 This describes the details of request information related to multi-link communication. Communication device 103 may or may not notify the other device of the determined request information.

[0050] The connection processing unit 304 is a block for performing processing that enables the communication device 103 to join the network 101 constructed by the communication device 102 acting as an access point (AP). Specifically, the connection processing unit 304 causes the communication device 103 to send an association request as a connection request to the communication device 102, and receives an association response as a response from the communication device 102.

[0051] The MAC frame generation unit 305 is a block for generating MAC frames. These MAC frames include multi-link communication-related capability information generated by the capability information generation unit 301 and multi-link communication-related request information determined by the request information determination unit. The MAC frame generated by the MAC frame generation unit 305 is included in at least one of a probe request, association request, and re-association request radio frame and is transmitted. The capability information and request information included in the MAC frame generated by the MAC frame generation unit 305 are described below. Figure 5 The elements shown are represented.

[0052] Figure 4 This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the processing performed in the case of multi-link communication between communication devices 102 and 103.

[0053] Communication devices 102 and 103 each include a connection processing unit 304 corresponding to a plurality of corresponding links. The connection processing unit 304 of communication device 102 corresponding to the first link is referred to as AP1. The connection processing unit 304 of communication device 102 corresponding to the second link is referred to as AP2. The connection processing unit 304 of communication device 103 corresponding to the first link is referred to as STA1. The connection processing unit 304 of communication device 103 corresponding to the second link 105 is referred to as STA2. STA1 and AP1 perform communication processing via a first frequency channel (e.g., 1 ch in the 2.4 GHz band). STA2 and AP2 perform communication processing via a second frequency channel (e.g., 36 ch in the 5 GHz band).

[0054] The processing of this sequence begins in response to the power-on of each of the communication devices 102 and 103. Alternatively, at least one of the communication devices 102 and 103 may begin processing in response to receiving an instruction to begin multi-link communication from a user or application. Alternatively, at least one of the communication devices 102 and 103 may begin processing in response to the amount of data to be communicated with the other device reaching or exceeding a predetermined threshold.

[0055] In step S401, communication device 102 initially notifies nearby STAs of network information by transmitting a beacon containing network information related to its own device on a first frequency channel. Specific examples of the network information include the transmission interval of the beacon by communication device 102 and the SSID of communication device 102. Additionally, communication device 102 can also notify nearby STAs of network information by transmitting a beacon on a first frequency channel, as described below. Figure 5 The multi-link capability element shown is included in the beacon as network information, and notifies nearby STAs of multi-link communication-related capability information related to communication device 102.

[0056] In step S402, in response to receiving a beacon sent from communication device 102 on the first frequency channel, communication device 103 sends a probe request on the first frequency channel to inquire about network information related to communication device 102. The probe request includes the SSID of communication device 103. Additionally, communication device 103 can use the information described below... Figure 5 The multi-link capability element shown includes, in the probe request, notifying the communication device 102 of multi-link communication-related capability information related to the communication device 103.

[0057] In step S403, in response to receiving a probe request, communication device 102 sends a probe response to communication device 103 on the first frequency channel. Figure 5 If the multi-link capability element shown is not included in the beacon, communication device 102 includes that element in the probe response and sends the probe response. Alternatively, communication device 102 may only include the element described below. Figure 5 Some of the information included in the multi-link capability element shown is included in the beacon, and the remaining or all information is included in the probe response.

[0058] By performing steps S401 to S403, communication devices 102 and 103 can exchange information about their multi-link communication capabilities with each other.

[0059] Next, communication device 103 sends an association request as a connection request to communication device 102 on the first frequency channel. Here, communication device 103 can... Figure 5The multi-link capability element shown includes, in the association request, notifying communication device 102 of multi-link communication-related capability information related to communication device 103. Communication device 103 can determine the capability information to be sent in step S404 based on the multi-link communication-related capability information related to communication device 102 obtained in at least one of steps S401 and S403. For example, if communication device 103 can support a combination of links in the 2.4 GHz band and 5 GHz band in multi-link communication, while communication device 102 only supports multiple links in the 2.4 GHz band, communication device 103 can send only the capability information related to the establishment of multiple links in the 2.4 GHz band as the capability information to be sent in this step. In the above exemplary embodiment, in step S402, communication device 103 sends multi-link communication-related capability information related to its own device. However, this is not limiting. Communication device 103 may send capability information only in this step, not in step S402. Alternatively, communication device 103 can send capability information by... Figure 5 The multi-link capability element shown is included in the association request, which does not send capability information but instead sends request information to be requested during multi-link communication. The request information to be requested by communication device 103 can be provided by... Figure 5 The multi-link capability element or other element shown below represents this. Figure 5 Describe the details of the requested information.

[0060] In step S405, in response to receiving the association request, communication device 102 sends an association response to communication device 103 on the first frequency channel. The association response sent here includes a multi-link capability element representing operational information determined by communication device 102 for conducting multi-link communication with communication device 103. The operational information can be represented by elements other than the multi-link capability element. If the association request sent in step S404 includes operational information requested by communication device 103 acting as a STA, communication device 102 may send an association response that only includes information related to whether or not the request is accepted.

[0061] In step S406, if communication device 103 is capable of performing multi-link communication specified by the operation information included in the associated response, communication devices 102 and 103 establish a link via the first frequency channel and begin data communication. Here, if the operation information sent from communication device 102 includes operation information related to a link via the second frequency channel, then in step S407, communication devices 102 and 103 further establish other links via the second frequency channel and begin data communication.

[0062] If, in step S405, communication device 102 receives the request information requested by communication device 103 in step S404, the processing in step S406 is performed similarly. If, in step S404, the request information sent by communication device 103 also includes request information related to the link via the second frequency channel, the processing in step S407 is performed.

[0063] In this exemplary embodiment, two links are established by transmitting and receiving frames on a single frequency channel. However, this is not limiting, and three or more links can be established.

[0064] In the above exemplary embodiment, multi-link communication begins from a state where no link has been established between communication devices 102 and 103. However, this is not limiting. Communication devices 102 and 103 can begin multi-link communication by establishing a new link in addition to the already established links. In such a case, if multi-link communication capability information related to communication device 102 acting as an AP has been obtained, communication device 103 acting as a STA can begin processing at step S404. Alternatively, if multi-link communication capability information related to communication device 103 has been obtained, communication device 102 can enable communication device 103 to begin processing at step S404 by sending a signal to cause communication device 103 to send an association request. Alternatively, in addition to multiple already established links, communication devices 102 and 103 can also establish new links. Here, Figure 4 The sequence can also begin at step S404.

[0065] In the above exemplary embodiment, links via multiple frequency channels are established by transmitting and receiving frames on a single frequency channel. However, this is not limiting. In the case of multi-link communication, communication devices 102 and 103 can disconnect established links via multiple frequency channels by transmitting and receiving frames via a single frequency channel. For example, if communication devices 102 and 103 have established a first link via a first frequency channel and a second link via a second frequency channel and are conducting multi-link communication, and when either communication device 102 or 103 sends a disassociation request as a link disconnection request to the other device via the first link, if the sent disassociation includes information related to the second link, then communication devices 102 and 103 disconnect not only the first link but also the second link. In this way, by transmitting and receiving disassociations, communication devices 102 and 103 can disconnect not only the links through which the transmission and reception of disassociations occur, but also other links indicated by the information included in the disassociation. Furthermore, communication devices 102 and 103 can disconnect three or more links simultaneously. When the deassociation involves information related to links other than those traversed for sending and receiving the deassociation, communication devices 102 and 103 may disconnect only the other links. In such cases, communication devices 102 and 103 do not disconnect the links traversed for sending and receiving the deassociation.

[0066] like Figure 4 As shown, communication devices 102 and 103 can control the establishment and disconnection of links on other frequency channels by sending and receiving frames via one frequency channel (or link). Communication devices 102 and 103 can also control the establishment and disconnection of links on multiple frequency channels by sending and receiving frames via one frequency channel (or link).

[0067] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the frame format for a multi-link capability element. In this exemplary embodiment, Figure 5 The element shown is named Multi-Link Capability Element. However, this is not restrictive and other names (such as Multi-Link Element, etc.) can be used.

[0068] Communication devices 102 and 103 can each be used Figure 5 The multi-link capability elements shown are used to notify the other device of capability information indicating the capabilities of the device itself in multi-link communication. Furthermore, communication device 102 can use... Figure 5 The multi-link capability elements shown, in addition to or replacing capability information, will also notify the other device of operational information during multi-link communication. Communication device 103 can use... Figure 5The multi-link capability elements shown, in addition to or in place of capability information, will also notify the other device of request information during multi-link communication.

[0069] Figure 5 The multilink capability element shown includes an element identifier (ID) 501, a length 502, and a multilink (ML) capability 503. The element ID 501 is a field that includes an ID used to identify the element. In this exemplary embodiment, the element ID 501 contains an ID representing the multilink capability element. The length 502 is a field indicating the data length of the element. In this exemplary embodiment, the length 502 contains information indicating the data length of the ML capability 503. The ML capability 503 contains information specific to the multilink capability element, namely, multilink communication related information. Details of the information contained in the ML capability 503 will be described below.

[0070] Communication devices 102 and 103 are each generated sequentially starting from element ID 501. Figure 5 The multi-link capability elements shown are generated and sent to the other device. In this case, communication devices 102 and 103 generate all fields in the frame before transmission. Specifically, communication devices 102 and 103 each generate all of element ID 501, length 502, and ML capability 503 before sending to other devices. Alternatively, communication devices 102 and 103 can generate and send fields in parallel. Specifically, communication devices 102 and 103 can send the generated element ID 501 while generating length 502.

[0071] Communication device 102, acting as an access point (AP), adds MAC frames including multi-link capability elements to radio frames such as beacon and probe responses, and transmits the resulting radio frames. In addition to these radio frames, communication device 102 can also add MAC frames including elements to radio frames such as association responses and reassociation responses. Communication device 103, acting as a station (STA), adds MAC frames including multi-link capability elements to radio frames such as probe requests and association requests, and transmits the resulting radio frames. In addition to these radio frames, communication device 103 can also add MAC frames including elements to reassociation requests.

[0072] ML capability 503 includes common information 511, per-band information 512, and per-link information 513. Common information 511 is a field indicating information common to all frequency bands and links. Per-band information 512 is a field indicating information common to all links included in a specific frequency band. This information is indicated on a frequency band basis. Per-link information 513 is a field indicating information relevant to each link.

[0073] Public information 511 includes a main channel (Ch) 521, synchronous mode support 522, asynchronous mode support 523, and semi-asynchronous mode support 528. Public information 511 also includes a total maximum number of links 524, frequency band combination information 525, and the number of information per frequency band 526. Public information 511 also includes the number of information per link 527 and device type 529.

[0074] The main CH 521 is a field containing information indicating the frequency channel for sending and receiving management frames related to multilink communication. The main CH refers to the frequency channel used for sending and receiving management frames when a link in multilink communication is connected or disconnected. Specifically, the main CH 521 contains information indicating the frequency channel for sending and receiving beacons including multilink capability elements. Communication device 102, acting as an AP, adds information to the main CH 521 indicating the frequency channel for sending beacon frames including multilink capability elements. Communication device 103, acting as a STA, adds information to the main CH 521 indicating the frequency channel for receiving beacons including multilink capability elements (in other words, for sending a probe request including that element). In this exemplary embodiment, the indication... Figure 4 Information about the first frequency channel for transmitting and receiving beacon and probe requests / responses is included in the main CH 521. If the frequency channel for transmitting and receiving management frames is changed after multi-link communication is initiated by communication devices 102 and 103, the main CH 521 contains information related to the changed frequency channel. Regardless of how the information in the capability information, operational information, and request information represented by elements is presented, the main CH 521 contains information indicating the frequency channel for transmitting and receiving management frames.

[0075] The Synchronization Mode Support 522 field contains information indicating whether the transmitting element, as communication device 102 or 103, supports the synchronization mode capability for multi-link communication. For example, if this field contains 0, it indicates that the transmitting element's device does not support synchronization mode. If this field contains 1, it indicates that the transmitting element's device supports synchronization mode.

[0076] When the multi-link capability element represents operational information, the synchronization mode support 522 can indicate whether to use the synchronization mode for multi-link communication. For example, when communication device 102 sends an association response including the element, this field indicates whether to use the synchronization mode in communication via the link established by exchanging association responses. For example, if the field contains 0, it indicates that multi-link communication is not performed in synchronization mode. If the field contains 1, it indicates that multi-link communication is performed in synchronization mode.

[0077] When the multilink capability element represents a request, the synchronization mode support 522 can indicate whether to request the use of synchronization mode in multilink communication. For example, when communication device 103, acting as a STA, sends an association request including the element, this field indicates whether communication device 103 requests the use of synchronization mode in multilink communication. For example, if this field contains 0, communication device 103 requests not to perform multilink communication in synchronization mode. If this field contains 1, communication device 103 requests to perform multilink communication in synchronization mode.

[0078] The asynchronous mode support field 523 contains information indicating whether the sending element, as communication device 102 or 103, supports asynchronous mode for multi-link communication. For example, if this field contains 0, it indicates that the sending element's device does not support asynchronous mode. If this field contains 1, it indicates that the sending element's device supports asynchronous mode.

[0079] When the multi-link capability element represents operational information, asynchronous mode support 523 can indicate whether asynchronous mode for multi-link communication should be used. For example, when communication device 102 sends an associated response including the element, this field indicates whether asynchronous mode should be used on the link established by exchanging the associated response. In such a case, if this field contains 0, multi-link communication is not performed in asynchronous mode. If this field contains 1, multi-link communication is performed in asynchronous mode. Note that if the element represents operational information and the aforementioned synchronous mode support 522 indicates the use of synchronous mode, this field indicates that asynchronous mode is not used. Similarly, if synchronous mode support 522 indicates that synchronous mode is not used, asynchronous mode support 523 indicates the use of asynchronous mode.

[0080] When the multilink capability element represents request information, the asynchronous mode support 523 can indicate whether to request the use of asynchronous mode in multilink communication. For example, when communication device 103, acting as a STA, sends an association request including the element, this field indicates whether communication device 103 requests the use of asynchronous mode in multilink communication. For example, if this field contains 0, communication device 103 requests not to perform multilink communication in asynchronous mode. If this field contains 1, communication device 103 requests to perform multilink communication in asynchronous mode.

[0081] The semi-asynchronous mode support 528 field contains information indicating whether the transmitting element, as communication device 102 or 103, supports the capability of semi-asynchronous mode for multi-link communication. For example, if this field contains 0, it indicates that the transmitting element's device does not support semi-asynchronous mode. If this field contains 1, it indicates that the transmitting element's device supports semi-asynchronous mode.

[0082] When the multi-link capability element represents operational information, this field can indicate whether to use a semi-asynchronous mode for multi-link communication. For example, when communication device 102 sends an associated response including the element, this field indicates whether to use a semi-asynchronous mode in communication via a link established by exchanging associated responses. For example, if the field contains 0, it indicates that multi-link communication is not performed in a semi-asynchronous mode. If the field contains 1, it indicates that multi-link communication is performed in a semi-asynchronous mode.

[0083] When the multilink capability element represents request information, this field can indicate whether to request the use of semi-asynchronous mode for multilink communication. For example, when communication device 103, acting as a STA, sends an association request including the element, this field indicates whether communication device 103 requests the use of semi-asynchronous mode in multilink communication. For example, if this field contains 0, communication device 103 requests not to perform multilink communication in semi-asynchronous mode. For example, if this field contains 1, communication device 103 requests to perform multilink communication in semi-asynchronous mode.

[0084] If the mode to be used by communication devices 102 and 103 in multi-link communication is pre-set from synchronous mode, asynchronous mode, or semi-asynchronous mode, the above fields can be omitted. Specifically, synchronous mode support 522, asynchronous mode support 523, and semi-asynchronous mode support 528 can be omitted.

[0085] The maximum total number of links, 524, is a field containing information indicating the maximum number of links supported by the transmitting element as communication device 102 or 103 in multi-link communication. The maximum number of links refers to the maximum number of links that the transmitting element's device can establish with a peer device. For example, if this field contains a value of 3, the transmitting element's device can establish up to three links with each peer device. In this case, the transmitting element's device can maintain three links with one peer device and simultaneously maintain multiple links with other peer devices. Alternatively, the maximum number of links can refer to the maximum number of links that the transmitting element's device can establish in multi-link communication independently of peer devices. In this case, for example, if this field contains a value of 3 and the transmitting element's device has already established three links with one or more peer devices, the transmitting element's device cannot establish any other links regardless of the peer devices. In this field, communication device 102, acting as an AP, and communication device 103, acting as a STA, each include information indicating the maximum number of links they can maintain simultaneously in multi-link communication.

[0086] When the multi-link capability element represents operational information, this field may contain the number of links actually to be established in multi-link communication. For example, when communication device 102, acting as an AP, sends an association response including the element, this field indicates the number of links to be established by exchanging association responses. Alternatively, this field may contain the maximum number of links that can be established in multi-link communication with communication device 103. In such a case, the total maximum number of links 524 contains a value that is less than or equal to the smaller of the maximum number of links that the device itself can establish in multi-link communication and the maximum number of links that the other device can establish.

[0087] When the multi-link capability element represents request information, this field may contain the number of links requested to be established in multi-link communication. For example, when communication device 103, acting as a STA, sends an association request including the element, this field indicates the number of links to be requested from communication device 103 to communication device 102. Alternatively, this field may contain the maximum number of links that can be established in multi-link communication with communication device 102. Note that when the multi-link capability element represents operation information or request information, this field may be omitted.

[0088] The frequency band combination information 525 is a field containing information indicating the capability of the transmitting element, as a communication device 102 or 103, to support one or more frequency bands in multi-link communication. Table 1 shows examples of the information indicated by the individual bits of this field. In Table 1, each bit lists which frequency band or frequency band combination is supported. In this exemplary embodiment, when a bit contains 0, it indicates that multi-link communication corresponding to the description of that bit is not supported. When a bit contains 1, it indicates that multi-link communication corresponding to the description of that bit is supported. For example, if the frequency band combination information 525 transmitted by communication device 102 contains 1 in the zeroth bit, it indicates that multi-link communication of communication device 102 on different channels in the 2.4 GHz frequency band is supported. For example, if the frequency band combination information 525 contains the value 00011110, it indicates that communication device 102 supports multi-link communication using multiple links in different frequency bands. This also indicates that communication device 102 does not support multi-link communication using multiple links in the same frequency band. Setting all bits of the band combination information 525 to 0 indicates that the transmitting element's device does not support multi-link communication. Alternatively, 0 in each bit can indicate the current unavailability of multi-link communication performed by the transmitting element's device. Note that communication devices 102 and 103 may each support different frequency bands between single-link communication and multi-link communication. For example, communication devices 102 and 103 may support all of the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands in single-link communication and only the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands in multi-link communication. The correspondence between the bits of the band combination information 525 and their descriptions is not limited to the correspondence shown in Table 1. The number of bits in the band combination information 525 can be increased to indicate whether multiple links can be established at more combinations of frequency bands or at other frequency bands.

[0089] Table 1

[0090]

[0091]

[0092] In the case of multi-link capability elements representing operational information, this field can indicate the frequency band (one or more) to be actually used in multi-link communication. For example, when communication device 102, acting as an AP, sends an association response including the element, this field contains information indicating the frequency band (one or more) of the link to be established by exchanging association responses. For example, in the case of communication devices 102 and 103 establishing a 2.4 GHz link and a 5 GHz link, the frequency band combination information 525 has the value 00001000.

[0093] When the multi-link capability element represents request information, this field can indicate one or more frequency bands to be used in multi-link communication. For example, when communication device 103, acting as a STA, sends an association request including an element, this field indicates one or more frequency bands to be requested from communication device 103 to communication device 102 for multi-link communication. Even when the element represents operation information or request information, this field can contain capability information indicating the frequency bands supported by the device sending the element in multi-link communication.

[0094] The per-band information number 526 is a field containing information indicating the number of per-band information included in the per-band information 512 described below. The per-band information 512 includes a set of per-band information corresponding to the respective frequency bands supported in multi-link communication by the device as communication device 102 or 103, which transmits multi-link capability elements. Specifically, the per-band information number 526 contains information indicating the same number of frequency bands as indicated by the band combination information 525. However, this does not apply to cases where the same per-band information in the per-band information 512 described below indicates information related to more than one frequency band. This field is also omitted if the per-band information 512 described below is omitted.

[0095] The per-link information number 527 is a field containing information indicating the number of per-link information included in the per-link information 513 described below. The per-link information 513 includes a set of per-link information corresponding to the respective links supported in multi-link communication by the device 102 or 103, which transmits the multi-link capability element. This field is also omitted if the per-link information 513 described below is omitted.

[0096] Device type 529 is a field containing capability information indicating the type of device (communication device 102 or 103) that is a transmitting element in multi-link communication. Specifically, device type 529 contains information indicating the type of device from the following four types: Type 1 device refers to a device that can simultaneously transmit data via a link and receive data via other links in multi-link communication. Type 2 device refers to a device that can only transmit data via other links while transmitting data via a link. Type 3 device refers to a device that can only receive data via other links while receiving data via a link. Type 4 device refers to a device that can maintain multiple links simultaneously but cannot simultaneously communicate data via other links while communicating data via a link.

[0097] When the multi-link capability element represents operational information, device type 529 can indicate the respective device operation type of devices from the aforementioned types in multi-link communication. For example, when communication device 102 sends an association response including the element, this field indicates the device operation type of communication device 102 in communication via a link established by exchanging association responses. For example, when information indicating the second type is sent as operational information, even if communication device 102 can operate as a device operating with the first type, communication device 102 can also operate as a device operating with the second type in communication via a link established by exchanging association responses.

[0098] When the multi-link capability element represents request information, device type 529 can indicate a request for a device operation type in multi-link communication. For example, when communication device 103, acting as a STA, sends an association request including this element, this field indicates the device operation type of communication device 103 in multi-link communication. For example, if this field contains information indicating a second type, communication device 103 requests to operate as a second type of device in multi-link communication with communication device 102.

[0099] Each per-band information 512 includes fields such as band ID 531, supported bandwidth 532, supported CHs 533, and asynchronous mode CH distance 534. In addition to these fields, the per-band information 512 also includes a maximum number of links 535 and a supported number of spatial streams (Nss) 536. The multi-link capability element comprises a set of per-band information 512 corresponding to the respective frequency indicated by the band ID 531, which will be described below.

[0100] Band ID 531 is a field containing information used to identify a frequency band. Table 2 shows examples of the correspondence between the values ​​of Band ID 531 and the descriptions indicated by these values. For example, when Band ID 531 contains a value of 0, the per-band information 512 including that Band ID 531 is information common to links in multi-link communication within the 2.4 GHz band. The correspondence between the values ​​of Band ID 531 and the indicated descriptions is not limited to this. The number of bits in Band ID 531 can be increased to indicate a larger number of frequency bands.

[0101] Table 2

[0102] 0 2.4GHz band 1 5 GHz band 2 6 GHz band

[0103] The supported bandwidth 532 is a field containing information indicating the capability of the transmitting element, as communication device 102 or 103, to support bandwidth in the frequency band indicated by band ID 531. The bandwidth indicated here refers to the bandwidth that each link is required to support in the case of multi-link communication within the frequency band indicated by band ID 531. Table 3 shows an example of the correspondence between the values ​​of the supported bandwidth 532 and the descriptions indicated by these values. For example, if the supported bandwidth 532 contains a value of 0, the transmitting element's device supports a bandwidth of 20 MHz in the frequency band indicated by band ID 531. If the supported bandwidth 532 value is 1 or greater, the transmitting element's device can support any bandwidth narrower than or equal to that value when establishing links in multi-link communication. For example, if the supported bandwidth 532 has a value of 2, the transmitting element's device supports all of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, and 80 MHz as link bandwidth. Communication devices 102 and 103 can each support different bandwidths between communication using only one link and multi-link communication. For example, communication devices 102 and 103 can support a bandwidth of 80 MHz in the 5 GHz band in communication using only a single link, and a bandwidth of 20 MHz in multi-link communication. The correspondence between the value of the supported bandwidth 532 and the indicated description is not limited thereto. The number of bits for the supported bandwidth 532 can be increased to indicate a larger amount of bandwidth.

[0104] Table 3

[0105] 0 20 MHz wide 1 40 MHz wide 2 80 MHz wide 3 160 MHz wide 4 240 MHz wide 5 320 MHz wide

[0106] In the case of multi-link capability elements representing operational information, this field can indicate the bandwidth actually used in multi-link communication. For example, when communication device 102, acting as an AP, sends an association response including the element, this field contains information indicating the bandwidth of the link (one or more) established by exchanging association responses. For example, if communication devices 102 and 103 establish a link with a bandwidth of 40MHz in the 2.4GHz band, the supported bandwidth 532 value is 1.

[0107] When the multi-link capability element represents request information, this field can indicate the bandwidth requested to be used in multi-link communication. When communication device 103, acting as a STA, sends an association request including the element, this field indicates the bandwidth to be requested from communication device 103 to communication device 102. Even when the element represents operation information or request information, this field can contain capability information indicating the bandwidth supported by the device sending the element in multi-link communication.

[0108] Supported CH 533 is a field containing information indicating the capability of the transmitting element, as communication device 102 or 103, to support channels in the frequency band indicated by band ID 531. The channels indicated here refer to information about the channels that the transmitting element's device supports for multi-link communication in the frequency band indicated by band ID 531. Table 4 shows examples of the correspondence between the bits of supported CH 533 and the channels indicated by those bits. For example, a bit with a value of 0 indicates that the transmitting element's device does not support the channel indicated by that bit. A bit with a value of 1 indicates that the transmitting element's device supports the channel indicated by that bit. For example, if supported CH 533 contains the value 0000010010100, it indicates that the transmitting element's device supports multi-link communication on 3ch, 5ch, and 8ch. Note that communication devices 102 and 103 may each support different channels for single-link communication and multi-link communication. For example, communication devices 102 and 103 can support all of channels 1 through 13 in communication using only one link, and only a portion of the channels (such as channel 1 and channel 5) in multi-link communication. The correspondence between the bits of the supported CH 533 and their descriptions is not limited to the correspondence shown in Table 4. The number of bits in the supported CH 533 can be increased to indicate a larger number of channels. For example, although Table 4 only shows channels at 2.4 GHz as an example, the number of bits can be increased so that channels in the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands can be indicated by the thirteenth bit and subsequent bits. Alternatively, if the band ID 531 contains information indicating the 5 GHz band, the channels in the 5 GHz band can be listed sequentially starting from the zeroth bit. Similarly, if the band ID 531 contains information indicating the 6 GHz band, the channels in the 6 GHz band can be listed sequentially starting from the zeroth bit.

[0109] Table 4

[0110] 0 1CH 1 2CH 2 3CH ..... ..... 12 13CH

[0111] In the case of multi-link capability elements representing operational information, this field can indicate one or more channels to be actually used in multi-link communication. For example, when communication device 102, acting as an AP, sends an association response including the element, this field contains information indicating one or more channels of one or more links established by exchanging association responses. For example, when communication devices 102 and 103 establish links on 1ch and 4ch in the 2.4 GHz band, the supported CH 533 has the value 0000000001001.

[0112] When the multi-link capability element represents request information, this field can indicate the request for one or more channels to be used in multi-link communication. For example, when communication device 103, acting as a STA, sends an association request including an element, this field indicates that communication device 103 requests communication device 102 to establish one or more channels for one or more links. Even when the element represents operation information or request information, this field can contain capability information indicating the capability of the sending device to support one or more channels in multi-link communication.

[0113] Asynchronous mode CH distance 534 is a field containing capability information indicating the channel distance required by the transmitting element's device for asynchronous mode in the frequency band indicated by band ID 531. In asynchronous mode, since communication in each link is asynchronous, communication may interfere with each other if the channels of the links are close to each other. The distance between the channels of the links required for proper decoding of the signals of each link varies depending on the communication device. Therefore, this field is used to notify capability information. For example, if asynchronous mode CH distance 534 contains a value of 4, the transmitting element's device requires a channel distance of at least four or more channels in asynchronous mode. If the aforementioned asynchronous mode support 523 contains information indicating that asynchronous mode is not supported, this field may contain a value of 0, or the field may be omitted. In this exemplary embodiment, the required channel distance in asynchronous mode is indicated for each frequency band in the frequency band indicated by band ID 531. However, this is not limiting. The channel distance may be information common to all frequency bands. Specifically, this field may be included in common information 511.

[0114] In the case where the multi-link capability element represents operational information, this field may contain information indicating the channel distance actually used in the asynchronous mode of multi-link communication. For example, when communication device 102, acting as an AP, sends an association response including the element, this field contains information indicating the channel distance between the multiple links established by exchanging association responses.

[0115] When the multi-link capability element represents request information, this field may contain information indicating the channel distance to be used in asynchronous mode of multi-link communication. It may include information indicating the minimum channel distance supported in asynchronous mode of multi-link communication with the other device. When the element represents operation information, this field contains a value greater than or equal to the larger of the channel distance presented by communication device 102 as its capability information and the channel distance presented by communication device 103 as its capability information. When asynchronous mode support 523 contains information indicating that asynchronous mode is not used, or when asynchronous mode support 523 is omitted, this field may contain a value of 0. Alternatively, this field may be omitted. When communication device 103, acting as a STA, sends an association request including the element, this field indicates the channel distance to be requested from communication device 103 in asynchronous mode with communication device 102. When communication device 103 does not request the use of asynchronous mode, this field may contain a value of 0 or be omitted. When the multi-link capability element represents operation information or request information, this field may be omitted.

[0116] Maximum Link Count 535 is a field containing information indicating the maximum number of links supported by the transmitting element in multi-link communication within the frequency band indicated by Band ID 531. This field may contain a value of 0 if the aforementioned band combination information 525 does not contain information indicating support for multi-link communication using links in the same frequency band. Alternatively, this field may be omitted. In this exemplary embodiment, the maximum number of links may be indicated in frequency bands. However, this is not limiting. The maximum number of links may be indicated as information common to all frequency bands. Specifically, this field may be included in common information 511.

[0117] In the case of multi-link capability elements representing operational information, this field can indicate the total number of links actually used in the frequency band indicated by band ID 531 in multi-link communication. For example, when communication device 102, acting as an AP, sends an association response including the element, this field contains information indicating the number of links to be established by exchanging association responses, wherein the number of links is one or more. For example, when communication devices 102 and 103 establish two links in the 2.4 GHz band, this field contains the value 2.

[0118] When the multi-link capability element represents request information, this field can indicate the total number of links to be used in the frequency band indicated by frequency band ID 531 in multi-link communication. For example, when communication device 103, acting as a STA, sends an association request including an element, this field indicates the number of links to be requested from communication device 103 to communication device 102. Even when the element represents operation information or request information, this field can contain capability information indicating the maximum number of links that the sending device can establish in multi-link communication.

[0119] The supported Nss 536 is a field containing capability information indicating the maximum number of (spatial) streams supported by the transmitting element in multi-link communication within the frequency band indicated by band ID 531. The number of streams indicated by this field is the number of streams in MIMO communication. If MIMO communication is not supported in the multi-link communication within the frequency band indicated by band ID 531, this field contains a value of 0 or 1, or the field is omitted. In this exemplary embodiment, the maximum number of streams can be indicated in frequency bands. However, this is not limiting. The maximum number of streams can be indicated as information common to all frequency bands. Specifically, this field can be included in common information 511.

[0120] When the multi-link capability element represents operational information, this field can indicate the number of streams actually used in the frequency band indicated by frequency band ID 531 during multi-link communication. For example, when communication device 102, acting as an AP, sends an association response including the element, this field contains information indicating the number of streams actually used for MIMO communication by exchanging association responses. For example, when communication devices 102 and 103 are performing MIMO communication with three streams in a multi-link communication link at the 2.4 GHz frequency band, this field contains the value 3. When no MIMO communication is performed, this field can contain the value 0 or 1, or it can be omitted.

[0121] When the multilink capability element represents request information, this field may indicate the number of streams requested to be used in the frequency band indicated by frequency band ID 531 in multilink communication. When the communication device 103, acting as a STA, sends an association request including the element, this field indicates the number of streams to be requested from the communication device 103 in MIMO communication within the multilink communication. If the communication device 103 does not request MIMO communication, this field may contain a value of 0 or 1, or it may be omitted. Even when the element represents operation information or request information, this field may contain capability information indicating the maximum number of streams supported by the sending device for MIMO communication in multilink communication.

[0122] Each per-link information 513 is a field that includes fields such as link ID 541, band ID 542, bandwidth 543, CH 544, and Nss 545. When a multi-link capability element represents capability information, the per-link information 513 indicates information related to the channels for multi-link communication supported by the transmitting element's device. In this case, the set of per-link information 513 includes as many per-link information 513 as the number of channels (links) for multi-link communication supported by the transmitting element's device. When an element represents capability information and a multi-link communication link has been established, the per-link information 513 indicates information related to the established links. In this case, the set of per-link information 513 includes as many per-link information 513 as the number of established links. Furthermore, in this case, the link that the communication device 102 uses to present information using the per-link information 513 is a link that has been established with at least one of the communication devices 103 or other communication devices. Furthermore, in such a case, the link presented by communication device 103 using per-link information 513 is a link that has already been established with communication device 102 or at least one of other communication devices. Alternatively, when the element represents capability information, the element does not need to include any per-link information 513. This is not limiting when the multi-link capability element represents operational information and communication device 102, acting as an AP, sends an association response including that element. In such a case, per-link information 513 indicates information related to the link to be established by exchanging association responses. In such a case, as many per-link information 513s as are included in the number of links to be established by exchanging association responses. When communication device 103 presents request information by sending an association request including an element, per-link information 513 indicates information related to the link that communication device 103 requests to establish. In such a case, as many per-link information 513s as are included in the number of links that communication device 103 requests to establish.

[0123] Link ID 541 is a field that contains an identifier used to identify the link.

[0124] Band ID 542 is a field that contains information indicating the frequency band to which the link indicated by Link ID 541 belongs. This field is represented in a similar manner to Band ID 531.

[0125] Bandwidth 543 is a field containing information indicating the bandwidth of the link indicated by Link ID 541. This field is represented in a similar manner to Supported Bandwidth 532. In the case of a multi-link capability element representing capability information, this field indicates the bandwidth supported by the link indicated by Link ID 541. When a communication device 102, acting as an AP, presents operational information by sending an associated response including the element, this field indicates the bandwidth to be used on the link indicated by Link ID 541. When a communication device 103, acting as a STA, presents request information by sending an associated request including the element, this field indicates the bandwidth that the communication device 103 requests on the link indicated by Link ID 541.

[0126] CH 544 is a field containing information indicating the frequency channel of the link indicated by Link ID 541. This field may contain the number itself representing the channel. Alternatively, the channel may be as shown in Table 4. In the case of a multi-link capability element representing capability information, this field indicates the channel supported in the link indicated by Link ID 541. In the case of a communication device 102 acting as an AP presenting operational information by sending an association response including the element, this field indicates the channel to be used in the link indicated by Link ID 541. In the case of a communication device 103 acting as a STA presenting request information by sending an association request including the element, this field indicates the channel that the communication device 103 requests in the link indicated by Link ID 541.

[0127] Nss 545 is a field containing information indicating the number of MIMO communication flows in the link indicated by Link ID 541. This field may contain a value of 0 or 1, or it may be omitted, when no MIMO communication is being performed. In the case of a multi-link capability element representing capability information, this field indicates the maximum number of flows supported in the link indicated by Link ID 541. When communication device 102, acting as an AP, presents operational information by sending an associated response including the element, this field indicates the number of flows to be used in the link indicated by Link ID 541. When communication device 103 presents request information by sending an associated request including the element, this field indicates the number of flows that communication device 103 requests in the link indicated by Link ID 541.

[0128] By sending and receiving MAC frames that include the aforementioned multi-link capability elements, communication devices 102 and 103 exchange multi-link communication capability information, operation information, and request information. In this exemplary embodiment, the multi-link communication capability information, operation information, and request information are represented by the same multi-link capability element. However, this is not limiting. Capability information and operation information, or capability information and request information, can be represented by different information elements. In such cases, for example, capability information can be represented by an element including common information 511 and per-band information 512. Operation information and request information can be represented by an element including common information 511 and per-link information 513. When the multi-link capability element represents capability information, some fields can represent operation information or request information. Alternatively, when the multi-link capability element represents operation information or request information, some fields can represent capability information.

[0129] Figure 5 The multi-link capability elements shown include fields such as primary CH 521, supported CH 533, and CH 544 as information indicating frequency channels. However, this is not limiting, and the multi-link capability elements may include at least one of primary CH 521, supported CH 533, and CH 544 as information indicating frequency channels.

[0130] The names of the fields, the number of fields, and the order of the fields are not limited to... Figure 5 Those shown. They can be found... Figure 5 Any field may precede or follow a given field shown in the diagram. Fields included in public information 511 may also be included in per-band information 512 or per-link information 513. Similarly, fields included in per-band information 512 or per-link information 513 may be included in others or included in public information 511. (The last part, "can be omitted," appears to be a separate, unrelated instruction and is left untranslated.) Figure 5 Any field shown.

[0131] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the process performed when the communication device 103 performs multi-link communication, in which the control unit 202 reads and executes the computer program stored in the storage unit 201.

[0132] The flowchart begins in response to power-on of the communication device 103. Alternatively, the communication device 103 may begin the flowchart in response to an instruction from a user or application to begin multi-link communication. Alternatively, the communication device 103 may begin the flowchart when the amount of data to be sent to the communication device 102 reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0133] In step S601, communication device 103 first obtains multi-link communication capability information related to the other device. Specifically, communication device 103 obtains capability information related to communication device 102 by receiving a beacon containing multi-link capability elements sent from communication device 102. Alternatively, communication device 103 can perform this step by receiving a probe response containing multi-link capability elements sent from communication device 102. In this case, the order of this step and step S602 described below is reversed.

[0134] In step S602, communication device 103 notifies communication capability information related to itself. Specifically, communication device 103 notifies communication device 103 of the multi-link capability information related to itself by sending a probe request including multi-link capability elements. If capability information related to the other device is obtained before this step, communication device 103 can determine the capability information of its own device to be notified based on the capability information related to the other device. Specifically, communication device 103 can determine the capability information to be notified in this step within the scope of the capabilities of communication device 102. For example, if communication device 103 supports multi-link communication in the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz frequency bands and communication device 102 only supports multi-link communication in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands, communication device 103 will notify communication device 103 of multi-link communication support in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands as capability information in this step. Note that if communication device 103 sends an association request including request information indicating a multi-link communication related request to communication device 102 in step S603, which will be described below, this step can be omitted.

[0135] In step S603, the communication device 103 sends an association request including multi-link communication request information. The request information sent in this step indicates information related to the multi-link communication requested by the communication device 103. In this step, the communication device 103 may also send an association request without request information.

[0136] In step S604, communication device 103 determines whether it has received an association response from communication device 102, which is being used as an AP. If no association response is received (no in step S604), communication device 103 repeats this step. If a predetermined time has elapsed since the association request was sent in step S603 and no "yes" determination was made in this step, communication device 103 notifies the user of an error. The process ends. On the other hand, if an association response is received (yes in step S604), communication device 103 proceeds to step S605.

[0137] In step S605, communication device 103 initiates multi-link communication with communication device 102. If the associated response received in step S604 includes multi-link communication operation information, communication device 103 initiates multi-link communication based on the operation information. If a request message is sent in step S603 and an associated response containing only permission information is received in step S604, communication device 103 initiates multi-link communication based on the request message sent in step S603. After processing in step S605, the process ends.

[0138] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the process performed by the control unit 202 reading and executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 201 when the communication device 102 is performing multi-link communication.

[0139] The flowchart begins in response to power-on of communication device 102. Alternatively, communication device 102 may begin the flowchart in response to an instruction from a user or application to begin multi-link communication. Alternatively, communication device 102 may begin the flowchart in response to the amount of data to be sent to communication device 103 reaching or exceeding a predetermined threshold.

[0140] In step S701, communication device 102 initially notifies itself of multilink communication capability information related to itself. Specifically, communication device 102 notifies itself of multilink communication capability information related to itself by sending a beacon including multilink capability elements. Alternatively, communication device 102 may perform this step by sending a probe response including multilink capability elements in response to a probe response received from communication device 103. In this case, the order of this step and step S702 described below is reversed.

[0141] In step S702, the communication device 102 obtains multi-link communication capability information related to the other device. Specifically, the communication device 102 obtains the multi-link communication capability information related to the other device by receiving a probe request that includes multi-link capability elements. If no probe request including multi-link capability elements is received from the other device, this step can be omitted.

[0142] In response to a probe request received from communication device 103, communication device 102 returns a probe response as a reply. Here, if a beacon including multi-link capability elements has already been sent, the probe response does not need to include multi-link capability elements.

[0143] In step S703, communication device 102 determines whether it has received an association request from communication device 103. If no association request is received (no in step S703), communication device 102 repeats this step. If a predetermined time has elapsed since the probe response was sent in step S702 and no "yes" determination was made in step S703, communication device 102 notifies the user of an error, and the process ends. On the other hand, if an association request is received (yes in step S703), communication device 102 proceeds to step S704.

[0144] In step S704, communication device 102 sends an association response as a response to the association request. If no request information is received from communication device 103 in step S703, communication device 102 sends an association response including operational information related to multi-link communication with communication device 103. Here, communication device 102 determines what operational information should be included in the association response based on multi-link communication capability information related to communication device 103. The operational information to be included in the association response from communication device 102 indicates information related to the actual multi-link communication to be performed between communication devices 102 and 103. Note that even if the association request received in step S703 includes request information from communication device 103, communication device 102 may still send an association response including operational information. In such a case, communication device 102 determines what operational information should be included in the association request based on the request information contained in the association request received from communication device 103. Alternatively, if a request information is received from communication device 103 in step S703, communication device 102 may send an association response that only includes information indicating whether multi-link communication is permitted.

[0145] In step S705, communication device 102 initiates multi-link communication with communication device 103. If the associated response sent in step S704 includes multi-link communication operation information, communication device 102 initiates multi-link communication based on the operation information. If a request message is received in step S703 and an associated response consisting only of information indicating permission is sent in step S704, communication device 102 initiates multi-link communication based on the request message received in step S703. After processing in step S705, the process ends.

[0146] As described above, communication devices 102 and 103 add elements indicating multi-link communication capability information to the MAC frame, thereby enabling multi-link communication that takes into account each other's capabilities.

[0147] Figure 6 and Figure 7At least part or all of the flowcharts for the communication devices 102 and 103 shown can be implemented in hardware. For example, by using a predetermined compiler, a dedicated circuit can be generated on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) according to a computer program for implementing the steps, and this dedicated circuit is used for hardware implementation. Like an FPGA, gate array circuits can be formed for hardware implementation. Application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) can be used for implementation.

[0148] This invention can be implemented by supplying a program for implementing one or more functions of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. Alternatively, it can be implemented using circuitry (such as an ASIC) for implementing one or more functions.

[0149] This invention is not limited to the foregoing exemplary embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the appended claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention.

[0150] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application 2019-233222, filed on December 24, 2019, the entire description of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising: The communication unit is configured to communicate with other communication devices using associated frames conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards. The associated frames communicated by the communication unit include multi-link elements. The multi-link element includes an element ID field, a length field, a common information field, and a link information field, wherein the link information field includes a link ID field. The common information field includes information shared by all multiple links, and the link information field includes information specific to each of the multiple links. The communication device establishes multiple links with other communication devices, including a first link on a first channel and a second link on a second channel. On the first channel, the communication unit communicates with other communication devices via associated frames containing multiple link elements. The public information field includes a field that can indicate the minimum frequency interval between any two links among a plurality of links recommended for the communication device, which transmits the associated frame including multi-link elements in communication on multiple links to communicate asynchronously on a first link and on a second link.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein, The associated frame also includes information indicating whether the communication device that has communicated the associated frame with the other communication device supports a mode in the communication on the plurality of links, wherein communication is performed asynchronously on the first link and on the second link.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein, The public information field includes a field that indicates the type of communication that the communication device is communicating on the multiple links through the associated frame that has already communicated with the other communication devices.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein, The public information field includes a field that can indicate the maximum number of links on which the communication device that has communicated the associated frame with the other communication device is communicating on the plurality of links.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein, The communication unit receives an association request frame including multiple link elements from the other communication device on the first channel, and based on the receipt of the association request frame including multiple link elements, sends an association response frame including multiple link elements to the other communication device on the first channel, wherein the association response frame is an association frame including the multiple link elements.

6. The communication device of claim 5, wherein, The communication unit sends beacon frames that include multiple link elements.

7. The communication device of claim 6, wherein, The communication unit receives a probe request frame including multiple link elements from the other communication device on the first channel, and based on the receipt of the probe request frame including multiple link elements, sends a probe response frame including the multiple link elements to the other communication device on the first channel.

8. The communication device of claim 1, wherein, The communication unit sends an association request frame including multiple link elements to the other communication device on the first channel. The association request frame is an association frame including the multiple link elements. The communication unit also receives an association response frame including multiple link elements from the other communication device on the first channel.

9. The communication device according to claim 8, wherein, The communication unit sends a probe request frame including multiple link elements to the other communication device on the first channel and receives a probe response frame including multiple link elements from the other communication device on the first channel.

10. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein, The multi-link element included in the association request frame includes a field indicating a link ID, which corresponds to the link that the communication device requests the other communication device to establish therebetween.

11. A communication method, comprising: It enables communication, used to communicate associated frames conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series standards through communication devices and other communication devices. In this communication, the associated frames include multi-link elements. The multi-link element includes an element ID field, a length field, a common information field, and a link information field, wherein the link information field includes a link ID field. The common information field includes information shared by all multiple links, and the link information field includes information specific to each of the multiple links. The communication device establishes multiple links with other communication devices, including a first link on a first channel and a second link on a second channel. On the first channel, communication with other communication devices includes associated frames containing multiple link elements. The public information field includes a field that can indicate the minimum frequency interval between any two links among a plurality of links recommended for the communication device, which transmits the associated frame including multi-link elements in communication on multiple links to communicate asynchronously on a first link and on a second link.

12. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as one or more units of a communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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