Communication device and communication method

Abstract

The communication device includes: a control circuit that controls the transmission and reception of a first control frame and a first data frame used for communication with other communication devices, and controls the transmission and reception of a second control frame and a second data frame used for communication with the other communication devices; a first radio circuit that uses a non-directional first antenna to perform wireless communication of the first control frame and the first data frame; and a second radio circuit that uses a directional second antenna to perform wireless communication of the second control frame and the second data frame. When the first radio circuit receives from the other communication device a vehicle environment wireless access service advertisement frame, i.e., a WSA frame, in the first control frame that contains information related to wireless communication using the second radio circuit, the control circuit determines, based on the WSA frame, that an association process is not to be performed between the communication device and the other communication device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device and a communication method. Background Art

[0002] Research has been conducted on methods for high-speed, low-latency communications using a wide frequency band at carrier frequencies above 10 GHz. For example, in high frequency bands above 10 GHz, in order to take advantage of the small size of antennas due to short wavelengths, and to avoid large propagation losses and extend communication distances, research has been conducted on beamforming technology using antennas with high directivity and electrically controllable directivity.

[0003] As a millimeter wave wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication standard using the 60 GHz frequency band, there is the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11ad-2012 standard (Non-Patent Document 1). The IEEE 802.11ad-2012 standard specifies a beamforming protocol.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Non-patent literature

[0006] Non-patent document 1: IEEE802.11ad-2012

[0007] Non-patent document 2: IEEE1609.3-2016 Summary of the invention

[0008] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0009] The IEEE 802.11ad-2012 standard specifies a wireless communication method that assumes fixed wireless devices and wireless devices that move at approximately the same speed as pedestrians, but does not assume millimeter wave communications carried on high-speed moving objects such as cars and trains.

[0010] The non-limiting embodiments of the present invention contribute to providing a communication device and a communication method that can be mounted on a high-speed moving object and perform millimeter wave communication.

[0011] Solutions to the problem

[0012] A communication device of one embodiment of the present invention includes: a control circuit that controls the transmission and reception of a first control frame and a first data frame used for communication with other communication devices, and controls the transmission and reception of a second control frame and a second data frame used for communication with the other communication devices; a first wireless circuit that uses a non-directional first antenna to perform wireless communication of the first control frame and the first data frame; and a second wireless circuit that uses a directional second antenna to perform wireless communication of the second control frame and the second data frame, wherein, when the first wireless circuit receives from the other communication device an in-vehicle environment wireless access service advertisement frame, i.e., a WSA frame, in the first control frame that contains information related to wireless communication using the second wireless circuit, the control circuit determines, based on the WSA frame, that an association process is not to be performed between the communication device and the other communication device.

[0013] It should be noted that these general or specific aspects may be implemented by a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program or a recording medium, or may be implemented by any combination of systems, apparatuses, methods, integrated circuits, computer programs and recording media.

[0014] Effects of the Invention

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to carry out millimeter wave communication by being mounted on a high-speed moving object.

[0016] More advantages and effects of an embodiment of the present invention will be explained through the description and drawings. These advantages and / or effects are provided by several embodiments, and the features described in the description and drawings, but not necessarily all of them need to be provided in order to obtain one or more of the same features. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1A This is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication system according to Implementation Example 1.

[0018] Figure 1B This is a diagram showing an example of a wireless link between communication devices in a V2X communication system according to Implementation Example 1.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a communication device compliant with the IEEE802.11ad standard.

[0020] Figure 3A This is a diagram showing an example of a process in which a communication device in compliance with the IEEE802.11ad standard establishes a communication link.

[0021] Figure 3BThis is a diagram showing another example of a process in which a communication device in compliance with the IEEE802.11ad standard establishes a communication link.

[0022] Figure 3C This is a diagram showing another example of a process of establishing a communication link between communication devices in compliance with the IEEE802.11ad standard.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a communication device according to Embodiment 1.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing another example of a process in which the communication device according to the first embodiment establishes a communication link.

[0025] Fig. 6A This is a diagram showing an example of a process in which the communication device according to Embodiment 1 establishes a communication link.

[0026] Figure 6B This is a diagram showing another example of a process in which the communication device according to the first embodiment establishes a communication link.

[0027] Figure 6C This is a diagram showing another example of a process in which the communication device according to the first embodiment establishes a communication link.

[0028] Fig.6D This is a diagram showing another example of a process in which the communication device according to the first embodiment establishes a communication link.

[0029] Fig. 6E It means that through application FIG. 6A to FIG. 6D Diagram of a wireless link established by a process.

[0030] Fig. 7A This is a diagram showing an example of the format of a DMG beacon frame according to the first embodiment.

[0031] Figure 7B This is a diagram showing an example of the value and description of the BSS (Basic Service Set) type (Type) subfield according to the first implementation mode.

[0032] Fig. 8A This is a diagram showing an example of the format of the SSW frame according to the first embodiment.

[0033] Figure 8B This is a diagram showing an example of the format of the short SSW packet payload according to the first embodiment.

[0034] Fig. 9 This is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the communication device according to Embodiment 1 performs millimeter wave communication.

[0035] Fig.10 This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a process in which the communication device according to Embodiment 1 performs millimeter wave communication.

[0036] Fig.11 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication device according to the modified example of implementation mode 1.

[0037] Fig. 12A This is a diagram showing an example of the format of a DMG beacon frame according to a modified example of Implementation 1.

[0038] Fig. 12B This is a diagram showing an example of the format of an SSW Feedback element according to a variation of the first embodiment.

[0039] Fig.13 This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a process in which the communication device according to the modified example of the first embodiment performs millimeter wave communication.

[0040] Fig.14 This is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a communication device according to Embodiment 2.

[0041] Fig.15 This is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the communication device according to the second embodiment performs millimeter wave communication.

[0042] Fig.16 This is a diagram showing an example of the format of a WSA frame according to the second embodiment.

[0043] Fig.17 This is a diagram showing an example of the format of the channel information (Channel Info) field of Implementation Example 2.

[0044] Fig.18 This is a diagram showing an example of the format of the SSW frame according to the second embodiment.

[0045] Fig.19 This is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process in which the communication device according to Embodiment 2 performs millimeter wave communication. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as appropriate. However, sometimes an overly detailed description may be omitted. For example, sometimes a detailed description of a well-known matter or a repeated description of a substantially identical structure may be omitted. This is to avoid the following description from becoming unnecessarily lengthy and to make it easy for those skilled in the art to understand.

[0047] In addition, the drawings and the following description are provided for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to fully understand the present invention, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0048] In addition, in each drawing, the same reference numerals are attached to common structural elements. In addition, when the same type of elements are distinguished and described, reference numerals are used, such as "vehicle 10A" and "vehicle 10B", and when the same type of elements are not distinguished and described, common numbers among the reference numerals are sometimes used, such as "vehicle 10". In addition, "vehicle" may also be called "mobile body" or "mobility".

[0049] (Implementation Method 1)

[0050] Figure 1A This is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication system 1 .

[0051] In the communication system 1, vehicles 10 (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10h, 10i, 10j, 10k, 10m) are provided with communication devices 100 (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f, 100g, 100h, 100i, 100j, 100k, 100m), pedestrians 20 (20a, 20b, 20c) are provided with communication devices 100 (100n, 100p, 100q), and roadside equipment 30 (30a, 30b) are provided with communication devices 100 (100r, 100s), respectively.

[0052] Furthermore, the vehicle 10 , the pedestrian 20 , and the roadside equipment 30 may each include a plurality of communication devices 100 .

[0053] The communication device 100 has a communication function based on the millimeter wave communication method, and may be based on the IEEE802.11ad standard, the IEEE802.11-2016 standard, the IEEE802.11ay standard (draft), the IEEE802.11bd standard (draft), the IEEE802.15.3c standard, the IEEE802.15.3e standard, or the 3GPP NR (New Radio) method.

[0054] Figure 1B This is a diagram showing an example of a wireless link between communication devices in a V2X communication system according to Implementation Example 1. Figure 1BAn example of a wireless link between communication devices 100 in the communication system 1 is shown. The dotted arrows between the communication devices 100 represent wireless links. As an example, the communication device 100a has wireless links with the communication devices 100b, 100e, and 100r, and they can communicate with each other, but sometimes does not have a wireless link with the communication device 100c. For example, sometimes there is no link between the communication devices 100 because the distance between the communication devices 100 is large or there are other vehicles or other obstructions between the communication devices. Figure 1B As shown, for the communication system 1 performing V2X communication, there is one or more wireless links between each of the plurality of communication devices 100. In addition, when the vehicle 10 or the pedestrian 20 moves, the presence or quality of the wireless links between each of the plurality of communication devices 100 may change.

[0055] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a communication device compliant with the IEEE802.11ad standard. Figure 2 1 shows the structure of the communication device 100. The communication device 100 includes an antenna 101, a wireless circuit 102, a MAC (Media Access Control) control circuit 103, a host CPU (Central Processing Unit) 104, and peripheral devices 105. In addition, the host CPU 104 and the MAC control circuit 10a may also be collectively referred to as a control circuit.

[0056] Antenna 101 may include more than one antenna element. In addition, antenna 101 may be, for example, a phased array antenna or an array antenna. A transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna may be provided separately, or a common antenna may be provided for both transmission and reception. Antenna 101 may also have a function of switching antenna directivity (for example, referred to as a "beam steering function" or a "beam forming function"). The process of selecting a directivity for communicating with a communication device at a communication destination with good quality is referred to as "beam forming training".

[0057] The wireless circuit 102 includes an RF (Radio Frequency) circuit and a PHY (PHYsical layer) control circuit, and performs transmission and reception control of packets defined in the IEEE802.11ad standard, etc. The wireless circuit 102 is sometimes referred to as a "transceiver."

[0058] The MAC control circuit 103 controls the transmission and reception of MAC frames (control frames) specified in the IEEE802.11ad standard, for example. In addition, the MAC control circuit 103 controls the wireless circuit 102, for example, the process of discovering the communication device of the communication destination (also called "discovery" or "scanning"), the beamforming training process, and the RTS / CTS (Request to Send / Clear to Send) process.

[0059] The host CPU 104 controls the MAC control circuit 103, for example, executes a device driver, a supplicant software, and also executes an OS (Operating System) or application software.

[0060] The peripheral device 105 may also include peripheral devices connected to the host CPU 104 for the host CPU 104 to execute software, such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), a network expansion device such as an Ethernet (registered trademark) controller / Ethernet board, and a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) application software.

[0061] Next, a method for establishing a communication link by the communication device 100a, the communication device 100b, the communication device 100c, the communication device 100d, and the communication device 100e in accordance with the IEEE802.11ad standard will be described. Figure 3A This is a diagram showing an example of a process in which a communication device in compliance with the IEEE802.11ad standard establishes a communication link. Figure 3B This is a diagram showing another example of a process in which a communication device in compliance with the IEEE802.11ad standard establishes a communication link. Figure 3C This is a diagram showing another example of a process of establishing a communication link between communication devices in compliance with the IEEE802.11ad standard.

[0062] exist Figure 3A In the example, the communication device 100a changes the antenna directivity of the antenna 101 and transmits a plurality of DMG (Directional MultiGigabit) beacon frames in which the value of the Discovery Mode (DM) subfield is set to 1 (flagged). In addition, the communication device 100d changes the antenna directivity of the antenna 101 and transmits a plurality of DMG (Directional MultiGigabit) beacon frames.

[0063] exist Figure 3BIn the case where the communication devices 100b and 100c respond to the DMG beacon frame sent by the communication device 100a, the communication device 100a performs the association process with the communication devices 100b and 100c and starts the PBSS (Personal Basic Service Set) 1001a. The communication device 100a becomes the PCP (PBSS Control Point) and performs the scheduling of the PBSS 1001a.

[0064] The communication device 100b transmits a plurality of DMG beacon frames in which the value of the discovery mode subfield is set to 1 while changing the antenna directivity of the antenna 101, and when the communication device 100c responds, recognizes that the communication device 100c has joined the PBSS 1001a.

[0065] The communication device 100a, the communication device 100b, and the communication device 100c each determine whether data communication or beamforming training can be performed based on the scheduling information notified by the communication device 100a, and communicate with the communication device 100 participating in the PBSS 1001a.

[0066] Similarly, the communication device 100d sends multiple DMG beacon frames in which the value of the discovery mode subfield is set to 1, and when the responding communication device 100e has not joined any PBSS, it starts communicating with the communication device 100 (100e) that has joined PBSS1001b, using the communication device 100d as the PCP.

[0067] In addition, Figure 3B In the embodiment, the communication devices 100a and 100d that sent the DMG beacon are selected as PCPs, but other communication devices 100 may be selected as PCPs. For example, the communication device 100b or the communication device 100c may be the PCP of the PBSS 1001a, and the communication device 100e may be the PCP of the PBSS 1001b.

[0068] exist Figure 3C In the embodiment, when a vehicle 10d (not shown) equipped with a communication device 100d moves and approaches the communication area between the communication devices 100b and 100c, the communication devices 100b and 100c respond to the DMG beacon sent by the communication device 100d, but the communication devices 100b and 100c do not join the PBSS 1001b because they have joined the PBSS 1001a. In this case, it is difficult for the communication devices 100b and 100c to communicate with the communication device 100d.

[0069] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing another example of the structure of the communication device. Figure 4 Indicates that Figure 3C In the same situation, an example of the structure of a communication device 200 for mutually communicating between the communication devices 100b, 100c and the communication device 100d is provided. The communication device 200 includes a plurality of MAC control circuits 103. As an example, Figure 4 The communication device 200 includes two MAC control circuits 103a and 103b.

[0070] By setting two Figure 2 MAC control circuits 103a and 103b may be formed by using a MAC control circuit 103 of the same type. In addition, as another example, MAC control circuits 103a and 103b may be formed by using software having the same functions as those of two MAC control circuits 103. For example, the following structure may be adopted, that is, Figure 2 The MAC control circuit 103 includes a CPU (not shown), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor: not shown), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array: not shown), and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and has the same functions as the two MAC control circuits 103a and 103b through software simulation.

[0071] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing another example of a process in which the communication device according to the first embodiment establishes a communication link. Figure 5 Indicates the following state, that is, the communication device 200 (200a, 200b, 200c, 200d, 200e) and Figure 3C PBSS1001a (communication device 200a is a PCP, and communication devices 200b and 200c join) and PBSS1001b (communication device 200d is a PCP, and communication device 200e joins) are similarly constructed, and communication device 200d is close to communication devices 200b and 200c.

[0072] The communication devices 200b and 200c are each controlled by the MAC control circuit 103a to join the PBSS 1001a, and perform communication control based on the scheduling information from the communication device 200a as the PCP. In addition, the communication devices 200b and 200c perform communication control based on the scheduling information from the communication device 200a as the PCP, which is called synchronization of the communication devices 200b and 200c with the communication device 200a.

[0073] When the communication device 200b or 200c is close to the communication device 200d, the communication device 200b or 200c may use another MAC control circuit 103b to perform an association process with the communication device 200d and join the PBSS 1001b. That is, the communication device 200 may join a plurality of PBSSs according to the number of MAC control circuits 103 it has.

[0074] However, the number of PBSSs that the communication device 200 can join is limited by the number of MAC control circuits 103 provided. Figure 5 In the case where the communication device 200f (not shown) which is the PCP of the PBSS1001c (not shown) approaches the communication device 200b, since the communication device 200b has already joined two PBSSs, it is difficult to further join the PBSS1001c and communicate with the communication device 200f.

[0075] In addition, since the communication device 200 includes a plurality of MAC control circuits 103a and 103b, or uses an improved Figure 2 The processing performance of the MAC control circuit 103 is reduced, so the circuit scale increases and the power consumption increases.

[0076] Next, a method for enabling mutual communication with surrounding communication devices in a V2X communication system without increasing the circuit scale will be described.

[0077] Fig. 6A This is a diagram showing an example of a process in which the communication device according to Embodiment 1 establishes a communication link. Figure 6B This is a diagram showing another example of a process in which the communication device according to the first embodiment establishes a communication link. Figure 6C This is a diagram showing another example of a process in which the communication device according to the first embodiment establishes a communication link. Fig.6D This is a diagram showing another example of a process in which the communication device according to the first embodiment establishes a communication link. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6E The method by which the communication devices 300 (300a, 300b, 300c, 300d, 300e) communicate with each other is shown. The structure of the communication device 300 is similar to Figure 2 The communication device 100 is the same as in FIG. 1 , but the MAC control circuit 103 and the host CPU 104 in the communication device 300 utilize the same Figure 3A to Figure 3C Different control methods perform different actions.

[0078] exist Fig. 6A, the communication devices 300a and 300d change the antenna directivity of the antenna 101 while sending multiple DMG beacon frames in which the value of the OCB mode (Outside the Context of aBSS: not joining the BSS) subfield is set to 1 (flagged). The OCB mode subfield contains a value indicating whether the communication devices 300 communicate with each other without joining the BSS. In addition, when the value of the OCB mode subfield is 1, it means that the communication device 300 sends the data frame without associating. In addition, it is also possible that the communication devices 300d and 300e set the value of the discovery mode subfield to 1 in addition to the OCB mode subfield and send.

[0079] Fig. 7A This is a diagram showing an example of the format of a DMG beacon frame according to the first embodiment. Fig. 7A Indicates the format of the DMG beacon frame. The DMG beacon frame contains the frame control field, the duration field, the BSSID field, the frame body field, and the FCS field.

[0080] The frame control field includes information indicating the type of frame and indicates that it is a DMG beacon frame. When the communication device 300 transmits a plurality of DMG beacon frames, the duration field indicates the time until the transmission of the plurality of DMG beacons is completed.

[0081] BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) ​​indicates the identification number of the BSS. When the communication device 300 communicates in the OCB mode, the value of the BSSID field is set to a value indicating a wildcard (all bits are 1).

[0082] The frame body includes a plurality of fields (described later). The FCS (Frame Check Sequence) includes an error detection code (for example, a CRC: Cyclic Redundancy Check code).

[0083] The frame body includes a timestamp field, a sector sweep field, a beacon interval field, a beacon interval control field, and a DMG parameter field. In addition, one or more non-essential fields (called "optional fields") may be added.

[0084] The timestamp field contains information used to synchronize time between communication devices.

[0085] When the communication device 300 changes the antenna directivity of the antenna 101 while transmitting a plurality of DMG beacon frames, the sector scan field includes information related to directivity such as the sector number or the antenna array number. Other communication devices that receive the DMG beacon frame include the sector number and the antenna array number contained in the DMG beacon frame with the best reception quality in the SSW frame (described later) and notify the communication device 300. As a result, the communication device 300 can select the best sector number and antenna array number (i.e., the best directivity) and transmit the data frame.

[0086] The beacon interval field includes the current CC (CC Present) subfield, the discovery mode subfield, the next beacon (NextBeacon) subfield, the current ATI (ATI (Access Terminal Identifier) ​​Present) subfield, the A-BFT (Association Beamforming Training) length (Length) subfield, the FSS subfield, the responder TXSS (Is Responder TXSS (Transmit Sector Scan)) subfield, the next (Next) A-BFT subfield, the fragmented (Fragmented) TXSS subfield, the TXSS span (Span) subfield, the N BI (Beacon Interval) s A-BFT (N BIs A-BFT) subfield, the A-BFT count (Count) subfield, the N A-BFT in Ant (Antenna) subfield, the PCP association ready (Association Ready) subfield, and the reserved (Reserved) bit.

[0087] The communication device 300 sets the value of the discovery mode subfield to 1. The communication device 300 thereby indicates that the transmitted DMG beacon does not notify the synchronization information of the BSS.

[0088] The description of the following fields is omitted (refer to non-patent document 1): next beacon subfield, current ATI subfield, A-BFT length subfield, FSS subfield, is responder TXSS subfield, next A-BFT subfield, segmented TXSS subfield, TXSS span subfield, N BIs A-BFT subfield, A-BFT count subfield, N A-BFT in Ant subfield, PCP association ready subfield, reserved bit.

[0089] The DMG parameter field includes the BSS type subfield, the CBAP (Content-Based Access Period Only) subfield, the CBAP source (Source) subfield, the DMG privacy (Privacy) subfield, the ECAPC (Extended Centralized Access Point or Personal Service Set Control Point Cluster) Policy Enforced (Policy Enforced) subfield, the OCB mode subfield, and the reserved (Reserved) bit.

[0090] Figure 7B This is a diagram showing an example of the value and description of the BSS type subfield in Implementation Example 1. Figure 7B Indicates the value and description of the BSS Type subfield. When the AP responds to the DMG beacon frame sent by the communication device 300, the value of the BSS Type subfield is set to 3. When the PCP responds to the DMG beacon frame sent by the communication device 300, the value of the BSS Type subfield is set to 2. As an example, Figure 3C In the example, the communication device 100b may also send a DMG beacon frame to discover the communication device 100d (not shown). At this time, since the communication device 100b sets the value of the BSS type subfield of the DMG beacon frame to 2, the communication device 100d as the PCP responds.

[0091] The communication device 300 sets the value of the BSS type field to 1 or 0 so that other communication devices respond to the DMG beacon frame by sending an SSW frame in which the value of the OCB response (OCB Response) subfield (described later) is set to 1. The communication device 300 sets the value of the BSS type subfield to 0 when communicating with other communication devices corresponding to the OCB mode and / or connecting to an existing AP or PCP.

[0092] In the OCB mode, the communication device 300 does not use AP or PCP and does not schedule communication opportunities. Fig. 7A The value of the CBAP-only field is set to 1.

[0093] The communication device 300 sets the value of the OCB mode subfield to 1 in order to use the OCB mode. The OCB mode subfield is a newly added field using the reserved bits in the IEEE802.11ad standard. That is, the communication device (communication device 100, 200) that corresponds to the IEEE802.11ad standard but does not support the OCB mode will ignore the OCB mode subfield, and when the value indicated by the BSS type is consistent with the role assumed by the communication device 100, 200, the communication device 100, 200 responds to the DMG beacon frame.

[0094] In addition, the OCB mode subfield may not be included in the DMG parameter field, but may be included in the beacon interval control field or other fields. In addition, an OCB parameter (for example, not shown) field may be added as an optional field of the DMG beacon frame. If the OCB parameter field exists in the DMG beacon frame, it indicates that the OCB mode is supported. If the OCB parameter field does not exist, it indicates that the OCB mode is not supported.

[0095] The communication device 300 sends Fig. 7A In the case of a DMG beacon frame, sometimes a response is received from a communication device corresponding to the OCB mode and a communication device 100, 200 not corresponding to the OCB mode. It is possible that, when the communication device 300 receives a response from a communication device not corresponding to the OCB mode, it sends a probe request frame and performs an active scanning process described in the IEEE802.11ad standard. That is, the communication device 300 can communicate with a communication device corresponding to the OCB mode and a communication device not corresponding to the OCB mode.

[0096] The description of other subfields of the DMG parameter field (only the CBAP subfield, the CBAP source subfield, the DMG privacy subfield, the ECAPC policy implementation subfield, and the reserved bit) is omitted (refer to non-patent document 1).

[0097] exist Figure 6B In the communication device 300b, 300c receives the Fig. 7A In the case of a DMG beacon frame, an SSW (Sector Sweep) frame is sent in response (described later, see FIG8 ). Figure 6B In the example, the communication device 300a may not start PBSS, the communication devices 300b and 300c may not associate with the communication device 300a, but the communication devices 300a and 300b may communicate with each other. Alternatively, the communication devices 300a and 300c may communicate with each other. Fig.10 , which is described later in the text Figure 6B The details of the process from the combination of the communication device 300a and the communication device 300b to the combination of the communication device 300a and the communication device 300c ....

[0098] In addition, Figure 6B In the example, the communication devices 300d and 300e also communicate with each other without starting PBSS and performing the association process.

[0099] use Figure 6CA method for communication between the communication device 300d and the communication device 300b, and between the communication device 300d and the communication device 300c when the communication device 300d is close to the communication devices 300b and 300c will be described.

[0100] The communication device 300d will Fig. 7A The value of the OCB mode subfield of the DMG beacon frame is set to 1, and the DMG beacon frame is sent multiple times while changing the antenna directivity of the antenna 101. When the communication devices 300b and 300c receive the OCB mode subfield of the DMG beacon frame from the communication device 300d, Fig. 7A In the case of a DMG beacon frame, an SSW frame is sent in response. It may be that although the communication device 300d has not started PBSS and the communication devices 300b and 300c have not performed the association process with the communication device 300d, the communication devices 300d and 300b communicate with each other. In addition, it may be that the communication devices 300d and 300c communicate with each other.

[0101] Right now, Figure 6C The process of the communication device 300d communicating with the communication devices 300b and 300c in Fig. 6A The process of communication device 300a communicating with communication devices 300b and 300c is the same as that of communication device 300d communicating with communication devices 300b and 300c. The process of communication device 300d communicating with communication devices 300b and 300c does not depend on whether communication device 300d has communicated with communication device 300e.

[0102] In addition, Fig.6D In the communication device 300e, Figure 6C Similarly, the communication device 300d uses Fig. 7A DMG beacon frame is used to communicate with communication devices 300b and 300c.

[0103] Fig. 6E Indicates that by applying FIG. 6A to FIG. 6D The wireless link is established by the process of Figure 3C Differently, wireless links can be established for the group of communication device 300b and communication device 300d, the group of communication device 300c and communication device 300d, the group of communication device 300b and communication device 300e, and the group of communication device 300c and communication device 300e. Fig. 7A The communication device 300 that receives the DMG beacon frame can communicate with more communication devices. Figure 4 Unlike the communication device 200, a plurality of MAC control circuits 103 are not required, so the circuit scale is small and the power consumption is low.

[0104] Fig. 8AThis is a diagram showing an example of the format of the SSW frame of Embodiment 1. The SSW frame includes a frame control field, a duration field, an RA (Receiver Address) field, a TA (Transmitter Address) field, an SSW field, an SSW feedback field, and an FCS field.

[0105] The frame control field contains information indicating the type of frame and information indicating that it is an SSW frame. The duration field indicates the time until SLS (Sector Level Sweep, a method of beamforming training) is completed. The RA field and the TA field contain the MAC address of the communication device that receives and sends the SSW frame, respectively. The SSW field contains information required for SLS such as the sector number and antenna array number.

[0106] The SSW feedback field includes a sector selection (Sector Select) subfield, a DMG antenna selection (AntennaSelect) subfield, an SNR (Signal Noise Ratio) report (Report) subfield, a poll request (PollRequired) subfield, an OCB response (OCB Response) subfield, a reserved (Reserved) bit, an unsolicited RSS activation (Unsolicited RSS Enabled) subfield, and an EDMG (Enhanced Directional Multi-Gigabit) extension flag (Extension Flag) subfield.

[0107] The OCB response subfield indicates that the communication device 300 transmits a data frame without association (referred to as "OCB mode"). When the communication device 300 receives a DMG beacon frame with the value of the OCB mode subfield set to 1 from another communication device, the communication device 300 transmits an SSW frame with the value of the OCB mode subfield set to 1.

[0108] The name of the OCB response subfield may also be other subfield names such as OCB mode (OCB Mode) subfield, OCB supported (OCB Supported), etc.

[0109] The description of other subfields of the SSW feedback field (sector selection subfield, DMG antenna selection subfield, SNR report subfield, polling request subfield, reserved bit, unsolicited RSS activation subfield, EDMG extension flag subfield) is omitted (refer to non-patent document 1).

[0110] The communication device 300 may also send a short SSW packet instead. Fig. 8A The SSW frame. Figure 8B This is a diagram showing an example of the format of the short SSW packet payload according to the first embodiment.

[0111] The short SSW packet includes a packet type field, a direction field, an OCB response field, a source AID field, a destination AID field, a CDOWN field, an RF chain ID field, a short SSW feedback field, and an FCS field.

[0112] The OCB Response subfield indicates that the communication device 300 supports the OCB mode. When the communication device 300 receives a DMG beacon frame in which the value of the OCB Mode subfield is set to 1 from another communication device, the communication device 300 transmits a short SSW packet in which the value of the OCB Response field is set to 1.

[0113] The description of other fields of the short SSW packet (packet type field, direction field, source AID field, destination AID field, CDOWN field, RF chain ID field, short SSW feedback field, FCS field) is omitted (refer to non-patent document 1).

[0114] Fig. 9 This is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the communication device according to Embodiment 1 performs millimeter wave communication. Fig. 9 This shows the process of communication between the communication device 300a and the communication device 300b.

[0115] (Step S1001) The communication device 300a receives a scanning start instruction (not shown) and starts the operation of step S1001. Fig. 7A The value of the discovery mode subfield and the OCB mode subfield of the DMG beacon frame is set to 1 and transmitted. The communication device 300a may transmit a plurality of DMG beacon frames while changing the antenna directivity of the antenna 101.

[0116] (Step S1003) When receiving an SSW frame in A-BFT, the communication device 300a proceeds to step S1004 (step S1003: Yes). When not receiving an SSW frame, the communication device 300a returns to step S1001 (step S1003: No).

[0117] (Step S1004) When the answer of step S1003 is "YES", the communication device 300a transmits the SSW feedback frame to the transmission source of the SSW frame (for example, the communication device 300b).

[0118] (Step S1005) The communication device 300a determines whether the scan is completed, and if it is determined to be completed, it proceeds to step S1006 (step S1005 is "yes"). It is possible that the communication device 300a determines that the scan is completed when a predetermined scan time has passed since the start of the scan in step S1001. It is possible that the scan time is included in the scan start instruction of step S1001, for example, notified to the MAC control circuit 103 by the host CPU 104. If the scan is not completed, the communication device 300a returns to step S1001 (step S1005 is "no").

[0119] The scanning time is determined based on the allowable delay time, so that the communication device 300a can communicate with many communication devices within the allowable delay time. As an example, the scanning time is greater than or equal to 200 milliseconds and less than 300 milliseconds.

[0120] It may be that, when receiving at least one SSW frame in which the value of the OCB mode subfield is 1, the communication device 300a determines "yes" in step S1005 regardless of whether the scanning time has passed. That is, the order of step S1005 and step 1006 (described later) may be reversed. Thus, the communication device 300a can find another communication device 300b that corresponds to the OCB mode and can communicate with the communication device 300a with less latency, and start communication.

[0121] (Step S1006) When at least one SSW frame whose OCB Mode subfield value is 1 is received, the communication device 300a proceeds to step S1007 (Yes in step S1006). When No in step S1006, the communication device 300a ends the process.

[0122] (Step S1007) The communication device 300a and the communication device 300b (the communication device that transmitted the SSW frame with the value of the OCB mode subfield being 1) perform SLS (sector level scanning, a form of beamforming training) to train the transmission antenna and the reception antenna. As a result, the communication devices 300a and 300b can select the directivity of the transmission antenna and the reception antenna in a manner that improves the communication quality, thereby improving the data rate.

[0123] The communication device 300a may also execute BRP (Beam Refinement Protocol) in step S1007. BRP is a method for improving communication quality by controlling the directivity of the antenna 101 more precisely than SLS.

[0124] (Step S1008) If the SLS in step S1007 is not completed normally (step S1008 is "No"), the communication device 300a returns to step S1007. Alternatively, if the SLS in step S1007 is not completed normally, the communication device 300a repeats step S1007 a plurality of times, and if it is still not completed normally, returns to step S1001.

[0125] As reasons why SLS is not completed normally, there are the following cases: for example, the distance between the communication devices 300a and 300b increases due to the movement of vehicles or pedestrians equipped with the communication devices 300a and 300b, or it is difficult to establish a wireless link due to an obstruction (for example, another vehicle) entering between the communication device 300a and the communication device 300b. In this case, the communication device 300a may find another communication device with which it can communicate by returning to step S1001 to execute the process, or it may connect to the communication device 300b again after the obstruction moves.

[0126] When the SLS in step S1007 is normally completed ("Yes" in step S1008), the communication device 300a proceeds to step S1009.

[0127] (Step S1009) The communication device 300a sets the antenna 101 to the directivity selected in step S1007, and transmits the data frame.

[0128] (Step S1010) Alternatively, when the link quality has decreased, for example, when the received power or the S / N (Signal to Noise) ratio has decreased, or when the packet error rate has increased, the communication device 300a returns to step S1007 and performs SLS with the communication device 300b (step S1010 is "Yes"). On the other hand, when the link quality has not decreased, the communication device 300a proceeds to step S1011 (step S1010 is "No"). In addition, regardless of the link quality, when a fixed time has passed, the communication device 300a returns to step S1007 and performs SLS.

[0129] (Step S1011) When a predetermined time (BeaconInterval: beacon interval) has passed since the start of DMG beacon frame transmission in step S1001 (step S1011 is "Yes"), the communication device 300a returns to step S1001 and transmits a DMG beacon frame. The purpose is to find a communication device that has approached the communication device 300a during the predetermined time and start communication. On the other hand, when the predetermined time has not passed, the communication device 300a returns to step S1009 and transmits a data frame (step S1011 is "No").

[0130] Each time step S1001 is performed, the time (beacon interval) for the communication device 300a to repeatedly perform step S1001 may be randomly determined within a range of 10TU (Time Unit: 1TU is 1.024 milliseconds) to less than 200TU.

[0131] The communication device 300a may also change the time interval for executing SLS according to the moving speed of the vehicle 10a or the pedestrian 20a equipped with the communication device 300a. When the moving speed of the vehicle 10a or the pedestrian 20a is fast, the time interval for executing SLS can be shortened to maintain the high quality of the wireless link. When the moving speed of the vehicle 10a or the pedestrian 20a is slow or stopped, the time interval for executing SLS can be extended to reduce the decrease in data rate caused by the overhead of SLS or the interference with other communication devices.

[0132] It may be that when the communication device 300a operates in the OCB mode, that is, when the communication device 300a Fig. 7A When the OCB mode subfield value of the DMG beacon frame is set to 1 and sent, and the SSW frame of Figure 8 with the OCB response subfield value set to 1 is received from the communication device 300b, the communication device 300a shortens the time interval for executing SLS with the communication device 300b.

[0133] Alternatively, when the communication device 100a is not operating in the OCB mode, that is, when receiving an SSW frame in which the value of the OCB response subfield is 0 from the communication device 100b, the communication device 100a may extend the time interval for executing SLS with the communication device 100b.

[0134] Thus, when the communication device 300b supporting the OCB mode is mounted on a vehicle, the wireless link can be kept high quality by shortening the time interval for executing SLS. When the communication device 100b not supporting the OCB mode is mounted on a non-mobile device, such as a base station or access point, the time interval for executing SLS can be extended to reduce the drop in data rate caused by the overhead of SLS or the interference with other communication devices.

[0135] exist Figure 1B In the case where multiple wireless links exist between multiple communication devices, the communication device 300 mounted on the vehicle 10, the pedestrian 20, and the moving subject can use the OCB mode as shown in FIG. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6EAs shown, the wireless link can be flexibly changed according to the movement of the communication device. In addition, although the communication device 300 mounted on the roadside equipment 30 does not move, by using the OCB mode, it can communicate with the communication device 300 mounted on the vehicle 10 and the pedestrian 20 using a single mode (OCB mode), thereby simplifying the MAC control.

[0136] On the other hand, when a mobile communication device 300 communicates using a non-mobile base station or access point and directly communicates with other mobile communication devices 300, by not using the OCB mode but instead associating, functions such as scheduling can be used, thereby enabling efficient communication.

[0137] In addition, it may also be that when at least one SSW frame with the value of the OCB response subfield being 0 is received in step S1002 (as an example, the sending source is set to the communication device 100b), the communication device 300a receives a probe request frame after sending the SSW feedback frame in step S1004, or sends a probe request frame, and after the scan is completed, starts the association process with the communication device 100b.

[0138] For example, when receiving an SSW frame in which the value of the OCB response subfield is 0 in step S1006 (step S1006 is "No"), the communication device 300a ends the communication. Fig. 9 process and through FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C The process of starting or joining the PBSS specified in the IEEE802.11ad standard is performed. When an SSW frame with a value of 1 in the OCB response subfield is received in step S1006 (step S1006 is "yes"), the communication device 300a performs Fig. 9 The process after step S1007 can be FIG. 6A to FIG. 6E As shown, multiple wireless links are established.

[0139] Therefore, the communication device 300 can communicate with each communication device in a situation where the communication device 300 supporting the OCB mode and the communication device 300 compliant with IEEE802.11ad that does not support the OCB mode are mixed.

[0140] In addition, in step S1007, the communication device 300 performs SLS, but may also perform a BRP (beam optimization protocol) process. When the communication devices 300a and 300b have established a wireless link through the process of steps S1001 to S1006, the communication device 300 performs BRP instead of SLS, thereby enabling beamforming with low latency and high accuracy. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S1010 that the wireless link has been disconnected, or when it is assumed that the S / N ratio is low and the probability of BRP success is low, the communication device 300 performs SLS as described above, thereby increasing the probability of successful beamforming.

[0141] Fig.10 This is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of a process in which the communication device according to Embodiment 1 performs millimeter wave communication. Fig.10 The process of communication between the communication device (STA: STAtion) 300d and the communication devices 300b and 300c will be described (refer to Figure 6C ) for details. Fig.10 In the example, "MAC" indicates the operation of the MAC control circuit 103. As an example, "higher layer entities" indicate the operation of the host CPU 104. In addition, "higher layer entities" may be software such as SME (Station Management Entity: terminal management unit), requester, driver, and OS.

[0142] For MAC, an interface specification called "MLME (MAC layer management entity (Layer Management Entity)) SAP (Service Access Point)" is defined. MLME SAP may also include the definition of primitives with the prefix "MLME-" and is used to control MAC (MAC control circuit 103). In addition, for MAC, an interface specification called "MAC SAP" is defined. MAC SAP may also include the definition of primitives with the prefix "MAC-" and is used to control data transmission and reception in MAC (MAC control circuit 103).

[0143] In addition, the interface specifications and primitives of MLME SAP and MAC SAP are defined for convenience, and the signals exchanged between the MAC control circuit 103 and the host CPU 104 depend on the implementation. Examples of signals exchanged between the MAC control circuit 103 and the host CPU 104 include PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) signals, USB (Universal Serial Bus) signals, serial communication signals, and function calls. In addition, a part of the high-level entity may also be implemented as a part of the MAC control circuit 103. In this case, the interface specifications and primitives of MLME SAP and MAC SAP become internal signals of the MAC control circuit 103.

[0144] Therefore, the interface specifications and primitives of MLME SAP and MAC SAP do not limit the operation of the communication device 300, but are used to describe the content and transmission and reception order of a series of frames exchanged between the communication device 300d and the communication device 300b.

[0145] (Step S1100) Fig.10 The MLME-SCAN.request issued by the high-level entity to the MAC is a scan start instruction. The MAC control circuit 103 of the communication device 300d takes the MLME-SCAN.request as an opportunity to start from step S1001 Fig. 9 process.

[0146] The MAC of the communication device 300d sends a DMG beacon frame in which the value of the discovery mode subfield is set to 1 and the value of the OCB mode subfield is set to 1 (equivalent to Fig. 9 The communication devices 300b and 300c receive DMG beacon frames respectively.

[0147] The MAC of the communication devices 300b and 300c sends an SSW frame with the OCB response field set to 1 as a response to the DMG beacon frame (equivalent to Fig. 9 In addition, the communication devices 300b and 300c may also transmit in a time slot randomly selected for the transmission timing of the SSW frame based on the A-BFT (Associated Beamforming Training) method described in the IEEE802.11ad standard, thereby avoiding competition between the transmission of the communication device 300b and the transmission of the communication device 300c.

[0148] When the communication device 300d receives the SSW frame from the communication devices 300b and 300c, it sends an SSW feedback frame (equivalent to Fig. 9Step 1004).

[0149] When the scanning time has passed, the MAC of the communication device 300d completes the scanning and issues the MLME-SCAN.confirm primitive to the higher-level entity. The MLME-SCAN.confirm primitive includes the MAC address of the transmission source communication device 300b, 300c that received the SSW frame in step S1002, link quality information, and information indicating whether the communication devices 300b, 300c support the OCB mode. As an example of the specific implementation of the MLME-SCAN.confirm primitive, the MAC control circuit 103 notifies the host CPU 104 of the information included in the MLME-SCAN.confirm as the scanning report information.

[0150] At this time, as an example, the requesting software executed on the host CPU 104 may also display the scan report information on a display included in the peripheral device 105. In addition, the requesting software may also perform Fig. 9 The judgment of step S1006 determines whether to associate with the PBSS or communicate in the OCB mode (steps S1007 to step 1010).

[0151] (Step S1101) The high-level entity of the communication device 300d performs the judgment of step S1006. If it is "yes", it issues the MLME-BF-TRAINING.request primitive to the MAC and starts the SLS (equivalent to the SLS) with the communication device 300b. Fig. 9 The SLS includes the transmission of an SSW frame by the communication device 300d (called "ISS: Initiator Sector Sweep"), the transmission of an SSW frame by the communication device 300b (called "RSS: Responder Sector Sweep"), the transmission of an SSW feedback frame by the communication device 300d, and the transmission of an SSW Ack (equivalent to Acknowledgement) frame by the communication device 300b.

[0152] When the SLS is completed, the MAC of the communication device 300d issues the MLME-BF-TRAINING.confirm primitive to the higher-level entity. In addition, the communication device 300d may issue the MLME-BF-TRAINING.confirm primitive regardless of whether the SLS is successful. Information indicating whether the SLS is successful, the reception quality, or information of each field included in the SSW frame may be included in the MLME-BF-TRAINING.confirm primitive and notified to the higher-level entity.

[0153] When the SLS is completed, the MAC of the communication device 300b issues the MLME-BF-TRAINING.indicate primitive to the higher-level entity. In addition, the communication device 300b may issue the MLME-BF-TRAINING.indicate primitive regardless of whether the SLS is successful. Information indicating whether the SLS is successful, the reception quality, or the information of each field contained in the SSW frame may be included in the MLME-BF-TRAINING.indicate primitive and notified to the higher-level entity.

[0154] When the upper layer entity of the communication device 300d completes the SLS with the communication device 300b, the upper layer entity of the communication device 300d issues the MLME-BF-TRAINING.request primitive to the MAC and starts the SLS with the communication device 300c.

[0155] (Step S1102) The upper layer entity of the communication device 300d performs a determination in step S1008 based on the information contained in the MLME-BF-TRAINING.confirm primitive. If the determination result in step S1008 is that the SLS is successful, the upper layer entity issues a MA-UNITDATA.request primitive to the MAC of the communication device 300d to request the execution of data transmission processing. The MA-UNITDATA.request primitive includes a transmission destination address or transmission data.

[0156] During the data transmission process, the MAC of the communication device 300d sends an RTS (Request to Send) frame, receives a DMG CTS (Clear to Send) frame, sends a data frame, and receives an Ack frame (equivalent to Fig. 9 Step S1008).

[0157] For the transmission of the RTS frame and the data frame, the communication device 300d sets the antenna directivity selected by SLS in step S1007 to the antenna 101 for transmission. When the communication device 300b receives the RTS frame, it is not clear from which communication device the frame is transmitted, and therefore, it uses a Quasi-Omni antenna (the antenna 101 is set to Quasi-Omni) for reception.

[0158] After transmitting the DMG CTS frame, the communication device 300b expects that the communication device 300d will transmit a data frame, and therefore sets the antenna 101 to receive the data frame with the directivity determined by the SLS in step S1007. This can improve the quality of the wireless link and increase the data rate.

[0159] In addition, the communication device 300d may also transmit a DMG CTS to self frame (DMG CTS frame in which the destination is set to the address of the communication device 300d) instead of the RTS frame. The communication device 300d may transmit a data frame following the DMG CTS to self frame.

[0160] Alternatively, upon receiving the DMG CTS to self frame, the communication device 300b does not send a DMG CTS frame, but assumes that a data frame will be sent from the communication device 300d next, and therefore sets the antenna 101 to receive the data frame using the antenna directivity determined by the SLS in step S1007.

[0161] After sending the Ack frame, the MAC of the communication device 300b issues the MA-UNITDATA.indication primitive to the higher-level entity. The MA-UNITDATA.indication primitive includes the source and destination addresses, received data (the content of the data frame received from the communication device 300d), and information indicating whether the reception was successful (for example, if the received data frame contains a bit error, the reception is considered to have failed).

[0162] When the upper-layer entity of the communication device 300b is notified of successful reception using the MA-UNITDATA.indication primitive, it obtains the received data from the MA-UNITDATA.indication primitive and passes it to the OS or application software.

[0163] When the MAC of the communication device 300d receives an Ack frame or when the time when the Ack frame is expected to be received has passed, it issues the MA-UNITDATA.STATUS.indication primitive to the upper-layer entity. The MA-UNITDATA.STATUS.indication primitive contains information indicating whether the data frame has been successfully transmitted. When the communication device 300d receives an Ack frame, the data frame has been successfully transmitted.

[0164] When receiving the MA-UNITDATA.STATUS.indication primitive, the upper layer entity of the communication device 300d may newly issue the MA-UNITDATA.request primitive to the MAC to request the communication device 300c to send data (not shown). Alternatively, the communication with the communication device 300b may be repeated.

[0165] Alternatively, when the high-level entities of the communication devices 300b and 300c are notified by the MAC that the SLS is successful using the MLME-BF-TRAINING.indication primitive, or when they are notified by the MA-UNITDATA.STATUS.indication primitive or the MA-UNITDATA.indication primitive that the data sending or receiving is complete (not shown), each high-level entity of the communication devices 300b and 300c issues an MA-UNITDATA.request primitive to the MAC to request that data be sent to the communication device 300d (not shown).

[0166] In addition, it is not limited to Fig.10 In the process, the high-level entity of the communication device 300d can also issue a MA-UNITDATA.request primitive to the MAC to request to send data to the communication device 300b when the SLS between the communication device 300b and the communication device 300b is completed and the MLME-BF-TRAINING.confirm primitive is notified (not shown).

[0167] As described above, the communication device 300 includes a signal supporting the OCB mode in a DMG beacon frame and sends it. When receiving an SSW frame including a signal supporting the OCB mode, it sends a data frame without making an association. Therefore, the circuit scale of the MAC control circuit 103 can be reduced, power consumption can be reduced, and communication with multiple mobile communication devices can be achieved.

[0168] (Variation of Implementation Example 1)

[0169] In Embodiment 1, the communication device 300 sets the value of the OCB mode subfield to 1 and transmits a DMG beacon frame, receives an SSW frame with the value of the OCB response field being 1, and performs beamforming training, thereby starting communication in the OCB mode. The communication device 500 of this variation does not transmit an SSW frame when receiving a DMG beacon frame, but includes feedback information in the DMG beacon frame transmitted by the communication device 500. As a result, the communication device 500 can omit the transmission of the SSW frame and reduce interference with other communication devices.

[0170] Fig.11 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication device according to the modified example of implementation mode 1.

[0171] (Step S2001) The communication device 500 receives multiple DMG beacon frames transmitted by other communication devices while changing the directivity (sector) of the antenna. The communication device 500 records the sector number (referred to as "best sector information") contained in the DMG beacon frame with good reception quality. When multiple DMG beacon frames are received from multiple transmission sources, the communication device 500 records the best sector information according to the transmission source.

[0172] (Step S2002) The communication device 500 includes the best sector information in a DMG beacon frame and transmits it.

[0173] Fig. 12A This is a diagram showing an example of the format of a DMG beacon frame according to a modified example of Implementation 1. Fig. 12B This is a diagram showing an example of the format of the SSW feedback element according to the modified example of the first embodiment. Fig. 12A It shows the format of the DMG beacon frame sent by the communication device 500 in step S2002. Fig. 12A The DMG beacon frame includes the DMG Beacon Sector Feedback field in the DMG parameter field. In addition, the optional field includes Fig. 12B One or more SSW feedback elements shown. Omitted with Fig. 7A Description of the fields and subfields contained in the DMG beacon frame.

[0174] The DMG Beacon Sector Feedback subfield contains bits indicating whether reception of the SSW feedback element is supported.

[0175] Fig. 12B Indicates the format of the SSW feedback element. The SSW feedback element contains the element ID field, the length field, the element ID extension field, the target MAC address field, and the sector scan (SSW) feedback field.

[0176] The element ID field and the element ID extension field include information for identifying the element type (indicating that it is an SSW feedback element) based on a combination of the values ​​of the element ID field and the element ID extension field.

[0177] The length field indicates the length of the element (data length).

[0178] The target MAC address field includes a MAC address of a notification destination indicating information in the sector sweep feedback field. For example, when the sector sweep feedback field includes the best sector information of the communication device 500b, the MAC address of the communication device 500b is included in the target MAC address field. The communication device 500 may include the target MAC address field and the sector sweep feedback field in a plurality of SSW feedback elements, respectively, thereby notifying a plurality of communication devices of the best sector information.

[0179] The format of the Sector Scan Feedback field is the same as Fig. 8A The sector scan feedback field is the same as that of , so the description is omitted.

[0180] (Step S2003) Receive Fig. 12A The other communication device (set as the communication device 500b) receiving the DMG beacon frame of the SSW feedback element checks whether the target MAC address field of the SSW feedback element contains the MAC address of the communication device 500b, and if the MAC address is contained, sends a BRP (Beam Optimization Protocol) frame to the communication device 500 to perform beamforming training. The communication device 500 may also perform beamforming training of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna when receiving the BRP frame.

[0181] The communication device 500b may also send an SSW frame to perform SLS when the communication device 500 does not respond to the sent BRP frame.

[0182] (Step S2004) When the beamforming training using BRP or SLS is completed in step S2003, the communication device 500 transmits and receives data frames.

[0183] Fig.13 This is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of a process in which a communication device according to a modification of the first embodiment performs millimeter wave communication. Fig.13 The communication device 500a, the communication device 500b, and the communication device 500c are described in detail. Fig.11 The process of communicating with the process.

[0184] The communication device 500a changes the antenna directivity of the transmitting antenna while sending a plurality of DMG beacon frames. Fig. 12A The value of the DMG beacon sector feedback subfield in the DMG beacon frame is set to 1 and transmitted. The communication devices 500b and 500c receive the DMG beacon frame and record the best sector information (equivalent to step S2001).

[0185] The communication device 500c includes the optimal sector information of the communication device 500a in Fig. 12BThe SSW feedback element is sent Fig. 12A The communication devices 500a and 500b receive the DMG beacon frame, check whether the target MAC address field of the SSW feedback element contains the address of the communication devices 500a and 500b, and obtain the best sector information.

[0186] The communication device 500a sets the directivity of the antenna 101 using the optimal sector information included in the received DMG beacon frame, and transmits a BRP frame to the communication device 500c. The communication device 500c receives the BRP frame and performs beamforming training with the communication device 500a (equivalent to step S2003).

[0187] In addition, in step S2003, the communication device 500a may also send a ProbeRequest frame to the communication device 500c, and after receiving the Probe Response frame and obtaining detailed information (capability information) of the communication device 500c, send a BRP frame. Thus, based on the information indicating whether the extended function of BRP or the MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) function is supported contained in the detailed information of the communication device 500c, the extended function of BRP or the MIMO function can be used to send and receive BRP and data frames, thereby shortening the execution time of beamforming training and efficiently performing data communication.

[0188] When the BRP is completed, the communication devices 500a and 500c transmit and receive data frames (equivalent to step S2004).

[0189] Similar to communication device 500c, communication device 500b transmits a DMG beacon frame including the optimal sector information of communication device 500a (equivalent to step S2002), executes BRP (equivalent to step S2003), and performs data communication (equivalent to step S2004).

[0190] In addition, when receiving the SSW feedback element (equivalent to step S2002), the communication device 500 may send an SSW frame to perform SLS-based beamforming training (step S4001).

[0191] The communication device 500a includes the best sector information of the communication devices 500b and 500c in the SSW feedback element and transmits the DMG beacon frame (equivalent to step S2002).

[0192] The communication device 500b selects, for example, 16 sectors (directivities) based on the received best sector information to transmit 16 SSW frames (step S4001). The communication device 500b may select, for example, a sector number included in the best sector information and 15 sectors with directivities close to the best sector for transmission of the SSW frame in step S2005.

[0193] When receiving the SSW frame, the communication device 500a transmits an SSW feedback frame to the communication device 500b (step S4002). In addition, the communication devices 500a and 500b perform BRP (equivalent to step S2003) and perform data communication (equivalent to step S2004).

[0194] In addition, in step S2002, the communication device 500a may also omit the transmission of the best sector information for the communication device 500 that has established a wireless link. Thus, the communication device 500a can reduce the amount of data in the DMG beacon frame, shorten the delay associated with the transmission, and reduce interference to other communication devices 500.

[0195] As an example, the communication device 500a establishes a wireless link with the communication devices 500b and 500c in step S2003, so the DMG beacon frame may be sent without including the best sector information of the communication devices 500b and 500c. In this case, the communication device 500 may also omit the processes of step S4001 and step S4002.

[0196] In addition, the communication device 500 may send a DMG beacon frame at a predetermined time period. That is, the communication device 500 may also periodically perform step S2001 or step S2002. Each time step S2001 or step S2002 is performed, the period (Beacon Interval) may be randomly selected within a range of more than 10TU and less than 200TU.

[0197] As described above, the communication device 500 includes the optimal sector information in the DMG beacon frame and sends it (step S2002), so the wireless link is established without sending or receiving SSW frames and BRP is performed. Therefore, the delay until the start of sending or receiving data frames can be reduced, and the interference caused to other communication devices 500 by sending SSW frames can be reduced.

[0198] In addition, the communication device 500 reduces the number of SSW frames sent and performs SLS based on the optimal sector information, thereby reducing the delay until the start of sending and receiving data frames and reducing the interference caused to other communication devices 500 by sending SSW frames.

[0199] (Implementation Method 2)

[0200] Fig.14 1 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a communication device 400 according to Embodiment 2. The communication device 400 includes a 60 GHz antenna 101a, a 60 GHz wireless circuit 102a, a 60 GHz MAC control circuit 103a, a host CPU 104, a peripheral device 105, a 5.9 GHz antenna 401, a 5.9 GHz wireless circuit 402, and a 5.9 GHz MAC control circuit 403. Figure 2 The same components of the communication devices 100 and 300 are given the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted. Fig.14 In order to distinguish the structural elements of the 60 GHz band from the structural elements of the 5.9 GHz band, the 60 GHz antenna 101a, the 60 GHz wireless circuit 102a, and the 60 GHz MAC control circuit 103a are operated in the same manner as the 5.9 GHz band. Figure 2 The antenna 101, wireless circuit 102, and MAC control circuit 103 are the same structural elements, but are marked as "60GHz".

[0201] The communication device 400 uses a non-directional antenna to perform broadcast transmission in the 5.9 GHz frequency band, thereby being able to send low-capacity data (such as Figure 1A Since the communication device 400 performs broadcast transmission in wireless communication in the 5.9 GHz band, there is no need to find the communication device at the transmission destination. In addition, since a non-directional antenna is used, beamforming training is not required, so the delay until the start of data communication is small. In addition, since the communication device 400 has a communication function in the 60 GHz band, it can perform large-capacity communication.

[0202] The 5.9 GHz antenna 401 transmits and receives wireless signals in the 5.9 GHz frequency band. The 5.9 GHz antenna 401 may be a non-directional antenna. The 5.9 GHz wireless circuit 402 transmits and receives wireless signals according to the communication standard physical layer of the 5.9 GHz frequency band, such as the IEEE 802.11p standard. The 5.9 GHz MAC control circuit 403 performs MAC control according to the communication standard MAC layer of the 5.9 GHz frequency band, such as the IEEE 802.11p standard and the IEEE 1609 standard.

[0203] As an example of the standard based on the 5.9 GHz wireless circuit 402, IEEE802.11p is shown, but other standards such as IEEE802.11-2016, DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) standard, LTE-V2X (Long Term Evolution-V2X), and C-V2X (Cellular V2X) may also be used. In addition, as an example of a frequency band for the 5.9 GHz wireless circuit 402 to perform wireless communication, the 5.9 GHz band is shown, but other frequency bands such as the 760 MHz band (ARIB STD-T109: Radio Industry Association Standard T109), 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band wireless LAN (Wi-Fi or IEEE802.11) may also be used.

[0204] As an example of the standard based on which the 5.9 GHz MAC control circuit 403 is based, IEEE802.11p and IEEE1609 are shown, but other standards such as IEEE802.11-2016, WAVE (Wireless Access in Vehicular Environment) standard, LTE-V2X (Long Term Evolution-V2X), and C-V2X (Cellular V2X) may also be used. In addition, when the 5.9 GHz wireless circuit 402 operates in a frequency band different from 5.9 GHz, such as in accordance with the 760 MHz band (ARIB STD-T109: Radio Industry Association Standard T109), 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band wireless LAN (Wi-Fi or IEEE802.11), the 5.9 GHz MAC control circuit 403 performs MAC control operations based on the corresponding standard.

[0205] Fig.15 This is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the communication device according to the second embodiment performs millimeter wave communication. Fig.15 It shows the process of the communication device 400 performing communication in the V2X communication system 1.

[0206] (Step S3001a) The communication device 400 uses 5.9 GHz band wireless to send advertising information including information related to the channel for communication in the 60 GHz band. The advertising information may also be included in the WSA (WAVE Service Advertisement) frame described in the IEEE1609.3-2016 standard (non-patent document 2).

[0207] Fig.16 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the format of a WSA frame according to Embodiment 2. Fig.16 The following is an example of the format of a WSA frame containing information about channels in the 60 GHz band. The WSA frame includes a WSA version field, a WSA header option indicator field, a WSA identifier field, a content count field, a WAVE information element extension field, a service information field, a channel information field, and a WAVE routing advertisement field.

[0208] The WSA version field indicates the version information of the WSA frame. The WSA header option indicator field indicates whether the WAVE information element extension field, service information section, channel information section, and WAVE route advertisement field, which are optional fields, are included in the WSA frame.

[0209] The WSA identifier field indicates identification information of the WSA frame. The communication device 400 may repeatedly send WSA frames containing the same value, but when sending a WSA frame different from the last time, a different value from the last time is set to the WSA identifier field. In addition, the communication device 400 may repeatedly send the same WSA frame as the last time while increasing the value of the content count field.

[0210] The WAVE information element extension field can include a plurality of information elements and may also include information related to services provided by 5.9 GHz communication and 60 GHz communication.

[0211] The service information segment includes a service information count field, a PSID field, a channel index field, a reserved bit, a service information option indicator field, and a service information WAVE information element extension field.

[0212] The service information section may also contain multiple sets of fields except the service information count field. The service information count field indicates how many sets of subsequent fields (PSID to WAVE information element extension fields) are included.

[0213] The PSID (Provide Service Identifier) ​​field contains a value related to the application provided by 5.9 GHz communication and 60 GHz communication. The correspondence between the PSID value and the content is specified by the IEEE 1609.12 standard.

[0214] The channel index field contains the following value, which indicates which wireless channel provides the service indicated by the PSID to WAVE information element extension field of the service information segment. As an example, when the channel information segment of the WSA frame (details will be described later) contains 4 sets of channel information and the value of the channel index field is 2, it means that the information in the channel information segment of the WSA frame is arranged in the second channel indicated for service.

[0215] The service information option indicator field indicates whether the service information WAVE information element extension field is included as a subsequent field.

[0216] The service information WAVE information element extension field includes information related to the provided service similar to the aforementioned WAVE information element extension field, but includes information on the service specific to the channel specified by the channel index field.

[0217] Fig.17 This is a diagram showing an example of the format of the channel information segment of implementation mode 2. The channel information segment includes a channel information count (Channel Info Count) field, an operating class (Operating Class) field, a channel number (Channel Number) field, a transmit power level (Transmit Power Level) field, an adaptable (Adaptable) field, a data rate (Data Rate) field, a channel information option indicator (Channel Info Option Indicator) field, and a channel information WAVE information element extension field.

[0218] The channel information segment may also include multiple sets of information (hereinafter referred to as "channel information") from the operation level field to the channel information WAVE information element extension field in addition to the channel information count field, and the channel information count field indicates the number of sets.

[0219] As an example, Fig.16 The WSA frame contains two channel information of the 5.9 GHz band and the 60 GHz band, and the value of the channel information count field is 2.

[0220] The Operation Level field contains a number for identifying a set of frequency bands or channels specified in the IEEE802.11 standard. For example, in the case of communication in the 5.9 GHz band with a channel width of 10 MHz in the United States, the value of the Operation Level field of the 5.9 GHz band channel information is 17. As another example, in the case of communication in the 60 GHz band with a channel width of 2.16 GHz in Japan, the value of the Operation Level field of the 60 GHz band channel information is 59.

[0221] The channel number field is a channel number within the operating level specified by the IEEE802.11 standard. For example, in the case of the US operating level 17, the value of the channel number field of the 5.9 GHz band channel information is a value from 171 to 184. As another example, in the case of the Japanese operating level 59, the value of the channel number field is a value from 1 to 29.

[0222] The Transmit Power Level field contains the value (unit: dBm) of the transmit power (EIRP: Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power) in the channel.

[0223] The adaptation field is used in combination with the data rate field. When the value of the adaptation field is 1, the value of the data rate field indicates the minimum data rate at which the communication device 400 transmits. When the value of the adaptation field is 0, the communication device 400 transmits at a fixed data rate corresponding to the value of the data rate field.

[0224] In addition, in the IEEE 1609.3 standard, the value indicated by the data rate field is from 1 Mbit / s to 63.5 Mbit / s. The value of the data rate field may also be replaced in accordance with the value of the operation level field. For example, when the value of the operation level field is 59 in Japan, etc., indicating a 60 GHz frequency band, the value of the data rate field may be replaced with 1000 times the value in the case of a 5.9 GHz frequency band, so that the value indicates a value in the range of from 1 Gbit / s to 63.5 Gbit / s.

[0225] In addition, as another example, in the 60GHz channel information, the data rate value can be set to a value indicating the maximum value, i.e., greater than 63.5Mbit / s, and the subfield indicating the data rate in the 60GHz frequency band channel can be included in the channel information option WAVE information element extension field described later.

[0226] The channel information option indicator field indicates whether the channel information contains the channel information WAVE information element extension field.

[0227] The channel information WAVE information element extension field is similar to the aforementioned WAVE information element extension field (refer to Fig.16 ) also contains information related to the services provided, but it contains information about the services inherent to the channel specified by the operation level field and the channel number field.

[0228] When the communication device 400 includes the information related to the 60 GHz frequency band channel in the WSA frame and transmits it, Fig.17 The DMG information element shown is included in the channel information WAVE information element extension field and is sent.

[0229] The DMG information element includes a WAVE element ID field, a primary channel number field, a PHY type field, a DMG beacon request (Beacon Required) field, a BTI (Beacon Transmission Interval) SSW feedback field, an address (Address Included) field, a reserved bit, and a MAC address field.

[0230] The WAVE element ID field indicates the following identification number, which indicates the type of element (in Fig.17 DMG information element).

[0231] The primary channel number field indicates the number of the primary channel in the 60 GHz frequency band.

[0232] The PHY Type field indicates the wireless communication standard used by the communication device 400 in the 60 GHz frequency band. When the value of the PHY Type field is 0, it indicates the IEEE 802.11ad standard (DMG: Directional Multi-Gigabit), and when the value of the PHY Type field is 1, it indicates the IEEE 802.11ay standard (EDMG: Enhanced Directional Multi-Gigabit). Other values, 2 to 7, are reserved for future standards.

[0233] The DMG beacon request field indicates that the communication device 400 receives Fig.16 When communicating with other communication devices that receive the WSA frame, whether it is necessary to receive the DMG beacon frame first will be described in detail later.

[0234] The BTI SSW feedback field indicates whether the communication device 400 supports the use of Fig.11 The DMG beacon is used for SSW feedback.

[0235] Contains address field indicates whether to include the MAC address field.

[0236] The MAC address field indicates the MAC address used by the communication device 400 in the 60 GHz band. When the value of the address field is 0 (the MAC address field is not included), the communication device 400 uses the MAC address for the 5.9 GHz band contained in the header (not shown) of the WSA frame for the 60 GHz band. In addition, the communication device 400 can use the same MAC address in the 60 GHz band as that in the 5.9 GHz band, or a different MAC address.

[0237] right Fig.15 The steps after step S3001b are described. When other communication devices that receive the WSA frame (advertising information) support actions in the frequency band under the operating level indicated by the operating level field and support the communication standard indicated by the PHY type, the other communication devices send frames in the main channel indicated by the main channel field.

[0238] The communication device 400 receives an SSW frame from another communication device (step S3002) when the value of the DMG beacon request field included in the WSA frame is set to 0 and sent (step S3001b is "yes"), and receives a DMG beacon frame from another communication device (step S3012) when the value of the DMG beacon request field included in the WSA frame is set to 1 and sent (step S3001b is "no"). In addition, when a WSA frame that does not include channel information of the 60 GHz frequency band is received in step S3001b, the association process to the PBSS / BSS can also be performed.

[0239] After receiving the SSW frame for ISS in step S3002, the communication device 400 sends an SSW frame for RSS in response (step S3003). After the other communication devices respond to the SSW frame for RSS and the communication device 400 receives the SSW feedback frame (step S3004), the communication device 400 sends an SSW Ack frame to notify the other communication devices that the SLS is successful (step S3005).

[0240] Fig.18 This is a diagram showing an example of the format of an SSW frame according to Embodiment 2. Fig.18 The format of the SSW frame transmitted by the communication device 400 in step S3002 will be described. Fig.18 The SSW frame includes an OCB mode subfield in the SSW feedback field. The description of other fields and subfields of the SSW frame is omitted (refer to non-patent document 1).

[0241] In the case of supporting the OCB mode, the communication device 400 sets the OCB mode subfield to 1 in step S3002 and sends the SSW frame. In the case of supporting the OCB mode, other communication devices 400 may set the OCB mode subfield to 1 in step S3003. Fig. 8A The value of the OCB response subfield of the SSW frame is set to 1 and sent.

[0242] After receiving the DMG beacon frame in step S3012, the communication device 400 responds by sending an SSW frame for RSS (step S3013). When other communication devices respond to the SSW frame for RSS and the communication device 400 receives an SSW feedback frame from the other communication devices (step S3014), SLS is successful.

[0243] The communication device 400 may also set the value of the OCB mode subfield to 1 in step S3012 and send Fig. 7A Other communication devices 400 may also set the value of the OCB response subfield to 1 in step S3013 and send Fig. 8A The SSW frame.

[0244] If the SLS with the other communication device in step S3005 or step S3014 is successful, the communication device 400 receives the 60 GHz band data frame from the other communication device. Alternatively, in step S3006, the communication device 400 sends the data frame to the other communication device.

[0245] Fig.19 This is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process in which the communication device according to Embodiment 2 performs millimeter wave communication. Fig.19 , explaining the use of the communication device 400d Figure 2 The process of communicating with multiple other communication devices 400b, 400c.

[0246] exist Fig.19 In the example, the "higher entity" indicates the operation of the host CPU 104. Alternatively, the "higher entity" may be software such as an SME (Station Management Entity), a requester, a driver, an OS, or software conforming to the IEEE 1609 standard.

[0247] In addition, the communication device 400 may cause software conforming to the IEEE 1609 standard to operate on the 60 GHz MAC control circuit 103 and the 5.9 GHz MAC control circuit 403. In addition, the communication device 400 may include a MAC control circuit 413 (not shown) that performs common processing performed by the 60 GHz MAC control circuit 103 and the 5.9 GHz MAC control circuit 403, and execute software conforming to the IEEE 1609 standard in the MAC control circuit 413.

[0248] exist Fig.19 In FIG. 1 , “60 GHz MAC” indicates the operation of the 60 GHz MAC control circuit 103 . In addition, “5.9 GHz MAC” indicates the operation of the 5.9 GHz MAC control circuit 403 .

[0249] exist Fig.19 In the timing diagram, the operation of the structural elements other than the "higher layer entity", "5.9 GHz MAC" and "60 GHz MAC" (for example, the operation of the 5.9 GHz radio circuit 402 and the 60 GHz radio circuit 102) is omitted.

[0250] The high-level entity of the communication device 400d generates Fig.16 , Fig.17 The WSA frame containing the channel information of the 5.9 GHz band and the 60 GHz band is issued, the MA-UNITDATA.request primitive is issued, and the 5.9 GHz MAC is requested to send the WSA frame.

[0251] The 5.9 GHz MAC of the communication device 400d broadcasts the WSA frame in the 5.9 GHz band wireless communication. Since the broadcast transmission enables multiple communication devices to receive the frame data, the communication devices 400b and 400c receive the WSA frame (equivalent to step S3001a).

[0252] After receiving the WSA frame, the 5.9 GHz MAC of the communication devices 400b and 400c issues the MA-UNITDATA.indication primitive, and notifies each higher-level entity of a notification indicating that data has been received and the data of the WSA frame.

[0253] The upper layer entities of the communication devices 400b and 400c start 60 GHz band communication based on the channel information contained in the received WSA frame. When the value of the received DMG beacon request field is 0, the upper layer entities of the communication devices 400b and 400c issue a MLME-BF-TRAINING.request primitive to request each 60 GHz MAC to execute SLS (equivalent to step S3002).

[0254] The upper layer entity of the communication devices 400b and 400c sets the parameters of the MLME-BF-TRAINING.request primitive based on the information contained in the primary channel number field of the WSA frame to perform beamforming in the designated primary channel of the 60 GHz band. In addition, the upper layer entity of the communication devices 400b and 400c determines the destination of the SSW frame based on the address field and the MAC address field (if present) of the WSA frame, and sets it as the parameters of the MLME-BF-TRAINING.request primitive.

[0255] The 60 GHz MAC of the communication devices 400b and 400c sends an SSW frame (ISS) (equivalent to step S3003), and after receiving the SSW frame (RSS) (equivalent to step S3004), sends an SSW feedback frame (equivalent to step S3005), completing SLS.

[0256] Alternatively, upon receiving the MLME-BF-TRAINING.request primitive, the 60GHz MAC of the communication devices 400b and 400c may start sending SSW frames (ISS) after waiting for a random time, so that the sending of SSW frames does not compete with each other. Alternatively, upon receiving the WSA frame and waiting for a random time, the high-level entity of the communication devices 400b and 400c may issue the MLME-BF-TRAINING.request primitive.

[0257] After SLS is completed, the 60 GHz MAC of communication devices 400b and 400c issues the MLME-BF-TRAINING.confirm primitive to notify the upper layer entity that the beamforming training is completed. In addition, the 60 GHz MAC of communication device 400d issues the MLME-BF-TRAINING.indication primitive to notify the upper layer entity to perform beamforming training.

[0258] Data communication can be performed between communication devices that have completed beamforming training. Fig.19 In the example, the upper-layer entity of the communication device 400b issues the MA-UNITDATA.request primitive to request the 60GHz MAC to send data. The 60GHz MAC of the communication device 400b sends an RTS frame, receives a DMG CTS frame, sends a data frame, and receives an ACK frame, thereby completing the data transmission. The 60GHz MAC of the communication device 400b issues the MA-UNITDATA.STATUS.indication primitive to notify the upper-layer entity that the data transmission is completed.

[0259] The 60 GHz MAC of the communication device 400 d issues a MA-UNITDATA.indication primitive to notify the higher-level entity that data has been received in the 60 GHz frequency band.

[0260] exist Fig.19 In the sequence, the communication device 400d does not associate, so it is possible to shorten the delay and start sending data to the communication devices 400b and 400c earlier. In addition, the communication device 400d includes the 60GHz band channel information, MAC address, and primary channel information in the advertisement information and broadcasts it in 5.9GHz, so it is possible to receive SSW frames (which are shorter in length than DMG beacon frames (see non-patent document 1) Fig.18 ) to perform beamforming, thereby shortening the delay until the start of data transmission in the 60 GHz band.

[0261] As described above, the communication device 400 uses an omnidirectional antenna to perform broadcast transmission in the 5.9 GHz band, thereby being able to transmit low-capacity data to multiple communication devices in a wide range. The communication device 400 performs broadcast transmission in wireless communication in the 5.9 GHz band, so there is no need to discover the communication device at the transmission destination. In addition, since an omnidirectional antenna is used, no beamforming training is required, so the delay until the start of data communication can be reduced. In addition, since the communication device 400 has a communication function in the 60 GHz band, it can perform large-capacity communication.

[0262] In the above-mentioned embodiments, the expression "...part" used in each component may be replaced by other expressions such as "...circuitry", "...device", "...unit" or "...module".

[0263] Above, the embodiment is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to this example. Those skilled in the art can obviously think of various variations or modifications within the scope of the protection scope of this application. It should be understood that these variations or modifications certainly also belong to the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, the various constituent elements in the embodiment can be arbitrarily combined within the scope of the present invention.

[0264] The present invention can be implemented by software, hardware or software in cooperation with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of the above-mentioned embodiment is partially or entirely implemented as an LSI (Large Scale Integration) as an integrated circuit, and each process described in the above-mentioned embodiment may also be partially or entirely controlled by an LSI or a combination of LSIs. LSI can be composed of individual chips, or it can be composed of one chip in a manner that includes part or all of the functional blocks. LSI may also include data input and output. LSI is sometimes also referred to as "IC (Integrated Circuit)", "System LSI", "Super LSI", "Ultra LSI" depending on the degree of integration.

[0265] In addition, the method of integrated circuitization is not limited to LSI, and can also be implemented by a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. In addition, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) that can be programmed after LSI manufacturing, or a reconfigurable processor (Reconfigurable Processor) that can reconfigure the connection or setting of the circuit blocks inside the LSI can also be used. The present invention can also be implemented as digital processing or analog processing.

[0266] Furthermore, if integrated circuit technology that replaces LSI emerges as semiconductor technology advances or other technologies are derived, it is of course possible to use this technology to achieve integration of functional blocks. There is also the possibility of applying biotechnology, etc.

[0267] The present invention can be implemented in all kinds of devices, equipment, and systems (collectively referred to as "communication devices") with communication functions. Non-limiting examples of communication devices include: phones (mobile phones, smart phones, etc.), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (laptops, desktops, notebook computers, etc.), cameras (digital cameras, digital video cameras, etc.), digital players (digital audio / video players, etc.), wearable devices (wearable cameras, smart watches, tracking devices, etc.), game consoles, e-book readers, telehealth / telemedicine (telehealth / medical prescription) devices, vehicles or transportation vehicles with communication functions (cars, airplanes, ships, etc.), and combinations of the above devices.

[0268] Communication devices are not limited to portable or mobile devices, but also include all kinds of devices, equipment, and systems that cannot be carried or fixed. For example, they include: smart home devices (home appliances, lighting equipment, smart meters or meters, control panels, etc.), vending machines, and all other "things" that can exist on the IoT (Internet of Things) network.

[0269] The communication includes data communication performed by a cellular system, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) system, a communication satellite system, etc., and also includes data communication performed by a combination of these systems.

[0270] In addition, the communication device also includes devices such as controllers or sensors connected or linked to the communication device that performs the communication function described in the present invention. For example, it includes a controller or sensor that generates a control signal or data signal used by the communication device that performs the communication function of the communication device.

[0271] In addition, the communication device includes infrastructure equipment that communicates with the above-mentioned non-limiting various devices or controls the above-mentioned various devices, such as base stations, access points, and all other devices, equipment, and systems.

[0272] <Summary of the present invention>

[0273] The communication device of the present invention comprises:

[0274] a control circuit for controlling the transmission and reception of a first control frame and a first data frame used for communication with another communication device, and for controlling the transmission and reception of a second control frame and a second data frame used for communication with the other communication device;

[0275] a first wireless circuit, using a first omnidirectional antenna, to perform wireless communication of the first control frame and the first data frame; and

[0276] The second wireless circuit uses a directional second antenna to perform wireless communication of the second control frame and the second data frame.

[0277] When the first wireless circuit receives from the other communication device an in-vehicle wireless access service advertisement frame, i.e., a WSA frame, in the first control frame, which contains information related to wireless communication using the second wireless circuit, the control circuit determines, based on the WSA frame, not to perform an association process between the communication device and the other communication device.

[0278] In the communication device of the present invention, the control circuit controls the antenna directivity training of the second antenna by sending a directional multi-gigabit beacon frame, i.e., a DMG beacon frame, or a sector scanning frame, i.e., an SSW frame, for initiator sector scanning, i.e., an ISS, from the second radio circuit to the other communication device based on information related to the wireless communication using the second radio circuit.

[0279] In the communication method of the present invention, the omnidirectional first antenna of the first radio circuit of the communication device receives from other communication devices a vehicle environment wireless access service advertisement frame, i.e., a WSA frame, in a first control frame used for communication with the other communication devices, which contains information related to wireless communication using the second radio circuit. Based on the WSA frame, the control circuit determines that an association process is not to be performed between the communication device and the other communication devices. The control circuit controls the transmission and reception of the first control frame and the first data frame via the first antenna, and controls the transmission and reception of the second control frame and the second data frame used for communication with the other communication devices via the second radio circuit having a directional second antenna.

[0280] In the communication method of the present invention, the control circuit controls the antenna directivity training of the second antenna by sending a directional multi-gigabit beacon frame, i.e., a DMG beacon frame, or a sector scanning frame, i.e., an SSW frame, for initiator sector scanning, i.e., an ISS, from the second radio circuit to the other communication device based on information related to the wireless communication using the second radio circuit.

[0281] This application claims priority based on Patent Application No. 2020-058834 filed with the Japan Patent Office on March 27, 2020. The contents of Patent Application No. 2020-058834 are incorporated herein by reference.

[0282] Industrial Applicability

[0283] The present invention is suitable for use in millimeter wave communications carried out by being mounted on a high-speed moving object, for example.

[0284] Description of Reference Numerals

[0285] 10 (10a~10m) vehicles

[0286] 100 (100a~100m), 200, 300, 400, 500 communication devices

[0287] 30 Roadside Equipment

[0288] 20 Pedestrians

[0289] 101 Antenna

[0290] 102 wireless circuit

[0291] 103MAC control circuit

[0292] 104 Host CPU

[0293] 105 Peripheral equipment

[0294] 1001PBSS

[0295] 401 5.9GHz Antenna

[0296] 402 5.9GHz wireless circuit

[0297] 403 5.9GHz MAC control circuit

Claims

1. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a control circuit for controlling the transmission and reception of a first control frame and a first data frame used for communication with another communication device, and for controlling the transmission and reception of a second control frame and a second data frame used for communication with the other communication device; A first wireless circuit performs wireless communication of the first control frame and the first data frame using a first non-directional antenna in a first frequency band lower than the millimeter wave; as well as The second wireless circuit performs wireless communication of the second control frame and the second data frame using a directional second antenna in a second frequency band of millimeter waves, When receiving the in-vehicle wireless access service advertisement frame (WSA frame) in the first control frame including the second frequency band channel information, MAC address, and main channel information, the control circuit does not perform an association process between the communication device and the other communication devices.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The first frequency band is any one of a 5.9 GHz frequency band, a 760 MHz frequency band, a 2.4 GHz frequency band, a 5 GHz frequency band, and a 6 GHz frequency band.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit sends a directional multi-gigabit beacon frame, i.e., a DMG beacon frame, or a sector scanning frame, i.e., an SSW frame, for initiator sector scanning, i.e., an ISS, from the second wireless circuit to the other communication device according to the information contained in the WSA frame to control the antenna directivity training of the second antenna.

4. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein: The control circuit sends an SSW frame with the MAC address included in the WSA frame as a destination to perform antenna directivity training of the second antenna.

5. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein: The control circuit sends a DMG beacon frame in the primary channel included in the WSA frame, sends an SSW frame with a MAC address for performing antenna directivity training of the second antenna as a destination, and performs antenna directivity training of the second antenna.

6. A communication method, characterized in that: The omnidirectional first antenna of the first wireless circuit of the communication device receives a first control frame and a first data frame for communication with another communication device in a first frequency band lower than the millimeter wave. The directional second antenna of the second wireless circuit of the communication device receives a second control frame and a second data frame for communication with the other communication device in a second frequency band of millimeter waves, The control circuit performs transmission and reception control of the first control frame and the first data frame received via the first antenna, and performs transmission and reception control of the second control frame and the second data frame received via the second antenna, When receiving the in-vehicle wireless access service advertisement frame (WSA frame) in the first control frame including the second frequency band channel information, MAC address, and main channel information, the control circuit does not perform an association process between the communication device and the other communication devices.

7. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein: The first frequency band is any one of a 5.9 GHz frequency band, a 760 MHz frequency band, a 2.4 GHz frequency band, a 5 GHz frequency band, and a 6 GHz frequency band.

8. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein: The control circuit sends a directional multi-gigabit beacon frame, i.e., a DMG beacon frame, or a sector scanning frame, i.e., an SSW frame, for initiator sector scanning, i.e., an ISS, from the second wireless circuit to the other communication device according to the information contained in the WSA frame to control the antenna directivity training of the second antenna.

9. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein: The control circuit sends an SSW frame with the MAC address included in the WSA frame as a destination to perform antenna directivity training of the second antenna.

10. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein: The control circuit sends a DMG beacon frame in the primary channel included in the WSA frame, sends an SSW frame with a MAC address for performing antenna directivity training of the second antenna as a destination, and performs antenna directivity training of the second antenna.

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