Communication device, control method and storage medium

Abstract

The present invention relates to a communication device, a control method, and a storage medium. A communication device supports a first communication standard and a second communication standard using OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) technology, and allocates frequency resources to a second other communication device that conforms to the second communication standard based on frequency resources already allocated to a first other communication device that conforms to the first communication standard. The communication device specifies, from frequency resources in a second pattern, a second frequency resource that partially or completely overlaps with a first frequency resource already allocated to the first other communication device, and allocates frequency resources in the second pattern that are not included in the second frequency resource to the second other communication device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to communication equipment, a control method and a storage medium, and in particular to a technology for controlling resource allocation in wireless communications. Background Art

[0002] The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard is a well-known standard for wireless LAN (wireless local area network) communications. The IEEE 802.11 standard is a series of standards that includes IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax. International Publication No. 2017 / 073006 describes the IEEE 802.11ax standard, which uses OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) for communication. OFDMA wireless communications can achieve high peak throughput and can maintain sufficient communication speed even in congested conditions (see International Publication No. 2017 / 073006).

[0003] Currently, the IEEE 802.11be standard is being developed as a new standard within the IEEE 802.11 standard series to further improve throughput. In addition to achieving efficient high-frequency utilization through OFDMA, as in IEEE 802.11ax, IEEE 802.11be is considering technologies to further enhance performance. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a resource allocation technology, which can realize efficient communication in an environment where communication equipment of multiple standards are mixed.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a communication device that supports first and second communication standards using OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) technology is provided, and the communication device includes: an allocation unit, which is used to allocate frequency resources for communication of a second other communication device that conforms to a second communication standard based on frequency resources that have been allocated for communication of a first other communication device according to the first communication standard, the first communication standard uses a first mode to allocate frequency resources, and the second communication standard uses a second mode to allocate frequency resources, wherein, when the first other communication device and the second other communication device communicate concurrently, the allocation unit: specifies, from among the frequency resources in the second mode, a second frequency resource that partially overlaps or completely overlaps with the first frequency resource that has been allocated to the first other communication device according to the first mode, and allocates the frequency resource to the second other communication device from among the frequency resources in the second mode that are not included in the second frequency resource.

[0006] According to another aspect of the present invention, a control method performed by a communication device is provided, the control method including: an allocation step of allocating frequency resources for communication of a second other communication device that conforms to a second communication standard based on frequency resources that have been allocated for communication of a first other communication device according to a first communication standard, the first communication standard using a first mode to allocate frequency resources, and the second communication standard using a second mode to allocate frequency resources, wherein, in the allocation step, when the first other communication device and the second other communication device communicate concurrently, a second frequency resource that partially overlaps or completely overlaps with the first frequency resource that has been allocated to the first other communication device according to the first mode is designated from among the frequency resources in the second mode, and frequency resources are allocated to the second other communication device from among the frequency resources in the second mode that are not included in the second frequency resources, and the first communication standard and the second communication standard are communication standards using OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) technology.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, storing a program for causing a computer to execute a communication method, the communication method comprising: performing resource allocation processing to allocate frequency resources for communication of a second other communication device that conforms to a second communication standard based on frequency resources that have been allocated for communication of a first other communication device that conforms to a first communication standard, the first communication standard using a first pattern to allocate frequency resources, and the second communication standard using a second pattern to allocate frequency resources, wherein in the resource allocation processing, when the first other communication device and the second other communication device are communicating concurrently, the following processing is performed: specifying processing for specifying, from among frequency resources in the second pattern, second frequency resources that partially overlap or completely overlap with first frequency resources that have been allocated to the first other communication device according to the first pattern, and allocating processing for allocating frequency resources to the second other communication device from among frequency resources in the second pattern that are not included in the specified second frequency resources, wherein the first communication standard and the second communication standard are communication standards using OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) technology.

[0008] Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to the attached drawings). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration.

[0010] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an AP.

[0011] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an AP.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the structure of a trigger frame.

[0013] Figure 5 It is a diagram for explaining a first example of the flow of processing executed by the AP.

[0014] Figure 6 It is a diagram for explaining a second example of the flow of processing executed by the AP.

[0015] Figure 7 is a diagram showing a first example of an RU allocation list.

[0016] Figure 8 is a diagram showing a second example of the RU allocation list. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Below, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention. While various features are described in the embodiments, not all of these features are required to limit the invention, and multiple such features may be appropriately combined. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to identical or similar structures, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0018] Communication devices compliant with the IEEE 802.11ax and IEEE 802.11be standards are expected to become ubiquitous in the future. In this scenario, multiple communication devices compliant with either of these standards may be mixed together and communicate in the same frequency band. In this embodiment, one objective is to provide a communication mechanism that prevents the new standard from interfering with communications using the old standard in such situations. Furthermore, another objective is to provide a mechanism for allocating communication resources that takes into account both the need to not interfere with communications using the old standard and the need to optimize communications using the new standard. Specific embodiments will be described below.

[0019] (Network Structure)

[0020] Figure 1An example of the construction of a wireless communication network according to the present embodiment is shown. Network 101 is a wireless communication network in which communication devices capable of performing communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard and communication devices capable of performing communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11ax standard are mixed. IEEE is an abbreviation for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. IEEE 802.11be may also be referred to as IEEE 802.11EHT. EHT is an abbreviation for Extremely High Throughput or Extreme High Throughput. IEEE 802.11ax may also be referred to as IEEE 802.11HE. HE is an abbreviation for High Efficiency.

[0021] In one example, network 101 includes an AP 102 and a STA 103 that comply with the IEEE 802.11be standard, and an STA 104 that is capable of communicating in accordance with the IEEE 802.11ax standard. AP refers to an access point, and STA refers to a station. It is assumed that AP 102 is capable of communicating based on the IEEE 802.11ax standard. That is, AP 102 is capable of communicating with STA 103 using, for example, a wireless communication method based on the IEEE 802.11be standard, and communicating with STA 104 using a wireless communication method based on the IEEE 802.11ax standard. Hereinafter, devices that communicate in accordance with the IEEE 802.11be standard are referred to as be devices, while devices that communicate in accordance with the IEEE 802.11ax standard may be referred to as ax devices.

[0022] Each communication device can communicate in at least one of the 2.4-GHz band, the 5-GHz band, and the 6-GHz band. However, this is an example, and a different frequency band such as the 60-GHz band can be used, for example. In addition, each communication device can communicate in any signal bandwidth of 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and 320MHz. Multiple signals are multiplexed between AP 102 and STA 103 and STA 104 by using OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access), and communication with multiple users (STAs) is performed concurrently. Communication with such multiple users concurrently can be called multi-user (MU) communication. AP 102 and STA 103 can each have multiple antennas and can be configured to be capable of MIMO (Multiple Input and Multiple Output) communication. In this case, the transmitting side device generates a signal corresponding to each of the multiple antennas from multiple data streams, and transmits the signal corresponding to each of the multiple antennas by each of the multiple antennas using the same frequency channel. The receiving device then uses multiple antennas to concurrently receive these signals, separates the individual data streams from the received signals, and decodes them. By performing MIMO communication, AP 102 and STA 103 can transmit and receive more data in the same amount of time compared to when not performing MIMO communication. AP 102 can establish a radio link with STA 103 or STA 104 through a connection process, such as an association process, that complies with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards.

[0023] Figure 1 The examples of network configurations are merely examples, and for example, a large number of be devices and ax devices may be included in a wider area. In addition, other communication devices that comply with legacy standards (IEEE802.11a / b / g / ac standards) prior to the IEEE802.11ax standard may be included in the network. AP 102, STA 103, and STA 104 may also support the aforementioned legacy standards. In addition, AP 102, STA 103, and STA 104 may support Bluetooth 5.0, ... Other communication standards include NFC, UWB, Zigbee, and MBOA. UWB is the abbreviation of Ultra Wide Band, and MBOA is the abbreviation of MultiBand OFDM Alliance. Here, OFDM is the abbreviation of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing. In addition, NFC is the abbreviation of Near Field Communication. UWB includes Wireless USB, Wireless 1394, Winet, etc. In addition, AP 102, STA 103, and STA 104 can support communication standards for wired communication such as wired LAN.

[0024] As an example, AP 102 may be, but is not limited to, a wireless LAN router, a personal computer (PC), or the like. That is, AP 102 may be any communication device capable of communicating with other communication devices using OFDMA in accordance with the IEEE 802.11be standard. AP 102 may also be an information processing device, such as a radio chip, capable of wireless communications compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard. Furthermore, as an example, STA 103 may be, but is not limited to, a camera, a tablet computer, a smartphone, a PC, a mobile phone, a video camera, a headset, or the like. That is, STA 103 may be any communication device capable of communicating with other communication devices using OFDMA in accordance with the IEEE 802.11be standard. STA 103 may also be an information processing device, such as a radio chip, capable of wireless communications compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard. STA 104 may be any communication device or information processing device, such as a radio chip, capable of wireless communications compliant with the IEEE 802.11ax standard. Information processing devices, such as radio chips, have antennas for transmitting generated signals.

[0025] In the IEEE 802.11ax standard and the IEEE 802.11be standard, frequency resources of a predetermined frequency range combined with a predetermined number of OFDMA subcarriers are set as resource units (RUs). RUs are units of frequency resources constructed by a predetermined number of subcarriers, and frequency resources are allocated to STAs with RUs as the smallest unit. The IEEE 802.11ax standard and the IEEE 802.11be standard define 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, 106-tone RUs, etc., respectively, where 26 subcarriers, 52 subcarriers, 106 subcarriers, etc. are combined into one RU. In addition, in the IEEE 802.11ax standard and the IEEE 802.11be standard, the frequency bandwidth that can be used for communication is variably constructed as 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, etc. Within the frequency band used, RUs are associated with serial numbers, and by specifying any serial number, the RU corresponding to that number is specified, and the corresponding subcarrier number is specified according to the serial number. Table 1 shows an example of the relationship between RUs and subcarrier numbers when using a 52-tone RU in an 80-MHz frequency bandwidth, as defined in the IEEE 802.11ax standard. Furthermore, Table 2 shows an example of the relationship between RUs and subcarrier numbers when using a 52-tone RU in an 80-MHz frequency bandwidth, as defined in the IEEE 802.11be standard. In these tables, [x:y] represents a group of subcarriers between subcarrier number x and subcarrier number y.

[0026] [Table 1]

[0027]

[0028] [Table 2]

[0029]

[0030] When a STA operating in accordance with the IEEE 802.11ax standard or the IEEE 802.11be standard sends a signal to the AP, the STA can send the signal to the AP in the RU allocated to itself. The AP sends a trigger frame (which will be described later) to multiple STAs, and the STA sends a signal in the allocated RU in response to receiving the trigger frame. In the IEEE 802.11ax standard and the IEEE 802.11be standard, UL-MU (uplink multi-user) transmission using OFDMA is performed by multiple STAs sending signals in different RUs according to the trigger frame. The uplink refers to the link in the direction in which the signal is sent from the STA to the AP.

[0031] In the following, it will be assumed that a 52-tone RU is used in an 80-MHz bandwidth for description. That is, AP 102 allocates the 52-tone RU as defined in Tables 1 and 2 above to each of STA 103 supporting IEEE 802.11be and STA 104 supporting IEEE 802.11ax. However, this is just an example, and the following discussion can also be applied when using RUs of other specifications (such as 26 tones or 106 tones) or when using frequency bands of other frequency bandwidths (20MHz bandwidth, 40MHz bandwidth, 160MHz bandwidth). In the following, the RU defined in the IEEE 802.11ax standard is referred to as ax RU, and the RU defined in the IEEE 802.11be standard is referred to as be RU. In addition, a STA operating in accordance with IEEE 802.11ax is referred to as ax STA, and a STA operating in accordance with IEEE 802.11be is referred to as be STA.

[0032] Here, we will consider a case where AP 102 allocates be RU 12 to STA 103 and ax RU 11 to STA 104. In this case, since STA 103 operates based on the IEEE 802.11be standard, it uses subcarriers with subcarrier numbers 201 to 252 for UL-MU transmission. At the same time, since STA 104 operates based on the IEEE 802.11ax standard, it uses subcarriers with subcarrier numbers 152 to 203 for UL-MU transmission. Therefore, both STA 103 and STA 104 transmit signals on subcarriers with subcarrier numbers 201 to 203. Therefore, in these subcarriers, the signal transmitted from STA 103 and the signal transmitted from STA 104 may interfere with each other. That is, due to the difference between the first RU mode provided in the IEEE 802.11ax standard and the second RU mode provided in the IEEE 802.11be standard, interference may occur depending on the allocation of RUs. As a result, the AP 102 fails to receive these signals, and the frequency utilization efficiency of the entire system may decrease, for example, due to ongoing retransmissions.

[0033] In this embodiment, AP 102 provides a technique for allocating RUs to ax STAs and be STAs to prevent such interference from occurring. Hereinafter, the device configuration of AP 102 will be described, and then an example of a processing flow performed by AP 102 will be described.

[0034] (Device Structure)

[0035] Figure 21 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the AP 102 according to this embodiment. The AP 102 includes, for example, a storage unit 201, a control unit 202, a function unit 203, an input unit 204, an output unit 205, a communication unit 206, and an antenna 207. Although the STAs 103 and 104 may also have the same configuration, the description here will focus on the AP 102.

[0036] For example, the storage unit 201 is configured to include one or more memories such as ROM and RAM, and stores various information, such as computer programs for performing various operations described later and communication parameters for wireless communication. ROM is an abbreviation for read-only memory, while RAM is an abbreviation for random access memory. In addition to or in place of memories such as ROM or RAM, the storage unit 201 may include a storage medium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, or a DVD. The storage unit 201 may also include multiple memories, etc.

[0037] The control unit 202 is configured, for example, by one or more processors such as a CPU and an MPU, and controls the entire AP 102 by, for example, executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 201. A CPU stands for Central Processing Unit, and an MPU stands for Micro Processing Unit. In addition to controlling the entire AP 102, the control unit 202 may be configured to perform processing for generating data or signals (radio frames) to be transmitted when communicating with other communication devices (e.g., STA 103). The control unit 202 may be configured to perform processing such as controlling the entire AP 102 by, for example, cooperating with the computer program stored in the storage unit 201 and the OS (Operating System). Furthermore, the control unit 202 may include multiple processors, such as multi-core processors, and may perform processing such as overall control of the AP 102 using the multiple processors. Furthermore, the control unit 202 may be configured by an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like.

[0038] Furthermore, the control unit 202 controls the functional unit 203 to execute predetermined processing such as imaging, printing, or projection. The functional unit 203 is hardware for causing the AP 102 to perform predetermined processing. For example, if the AP 102 is a camera, the functional unit 203 is an imaging unit and performs imaging processing. Furthermore, for example, if the AP 102 is a printer, the functional unit 203 is a printing unit and performs printing processing. Furthermore, for example, if the AP 102 is a projector, the functional unit 203 is a projection unit and performs projection processing. The data to be processed by the functional unit 203 may be data stored in the storage unit 201 or data communicated with other communication devices (e.g., STA 103) via the communication unit 206, which will be described later.

[0039] Input unit 204 accepts various operations from the user. Output unit 205 performs various outputs to the user. Here, the output of output unit 205 includes at least one of vibration output, on-screen display, and audio output from a speaker. Both input unit 204 and output unit 205 can be implemented by a single module, such as a touch panel. Each of input unit 204 and output unit 205 can be built into AP 102, or can be configured as an external device connected to a communication device.

[0040] The communication unit 206 controls wireless communications compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series and IP communications. In this embodiment, the communication unit 206 is specifically configured to control wireless communications compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard and, if necessary, compliant with the IEEE 802.11ax standard. Furthermore, the communication unit 206 can be configured to control wireless communications compliant with conventional standards such as the aforementioned IEEE 802.11 standard. Furthermore, the communication unit 206 can be configured to control wired communications, such as a wired LAN. The communication unit 206, for example, controls the antenna 207 to transmit and receive signals generated by the control unit 202 for wireless communications. The AP 102 can be configured to include multiple communication units 206. In this case, the AP 102 can perform multi-link communications by establishing multiple links, each of which is established using a single communication unit 206. The AP 102 can establish multiple links using a single communication unit 206. In this case, the communication unit 206 can perform communications via multiple links by, for example, switching operating frequency channels in a time-division manner. When the AP 102 supports the NFC standard, the Bluetooth standard, or the like, the communication unit 206 can also control wireless communications that comply with these standards. When the AP 102 is configured to be capable of performing wireless communications that comply with multiple communication standards, the communication unit 206 and the antenna 207 corresponding to each communication standard can be provided separately. Furthermore, the AP 102 communicates data such as image data, document data, and video data with a communication partner device (e.g., the STA 103 or the STA 104) via the communication unit 206. The antenna 207 can be provided separately from the communication unit 206 or can be configured as a module integrated with the communication unit 206.

[0041] Antenna 207 is an antenna that enables communication in the sub-GHz band, 2.4-GHz band, 5-GHz band, and 6-GHz band. AP 102 may have a multi-band antenna as antenna 207, or may have multiple antennas corresponding to each frequency band. Furthermore, when having multiple antennas 207, AP 102 may have multiple communication units 206 corresponding to each of the multiple antennas, or may have a smaller number of communication units 206 than the number of antennas, such as having one communication unit 206 for multiple antennas. Antenna 207 may be a single antenna or an antenna array. That is, antenna 207 may have multiple antenna elements and may be configured to enable multi-antenna communication such as MIMO.

[0042] Figure 32 shows an example of a functional configuration of the AP 102. As its functional configuration, the AP 102 includes, for example, a RU allocation control unit 301, a trigger frame generation unit 302, and a frame transmission / reception unit 303.

[0043] RU allocation control unit 301 allocates RUs to STA 103 and STA 104 with which radio links have been established. Trigger frame generation unit 302 generates a trigger frame based on the RU allocation determined by RU allocation control unit 301, which provides the STA with an opportunity to transmit a signal. Frame transmission / reception unit 303 controls the transmission and reception of management frames, which include trigger frames, control frames, and data frames. The trigger frame generated by trigger frame generation unit 302 is transmitted to STA 103 and STA 104 via frame transmission / reception unit 303. Based on the contents of the trigger frame, STA 103 and STA 104 transmit signals in the RUs allocated to them. This allows STA 103 and STA 104 to transmit signals to AP 102 in UL-MU transmission using OFDMA.

[0044] Here, we will refer to Figure 4Describes the format of the trigger frame. The fields / subfields shown here conform to the format specified in IEEE 802.11ax. That is, the trigger frame includes fields for frame control 401, duration 402, RA 403, TA 404, common information 405, user information 406, padding 407, and FCS 408. Among these fields, the common information field 405 includes information shared by multiple STAs for which communication is multiplexed via OFDMA. In addition, the user information field 406 contains unique information for each of the multiple STAs. The number of user information fields 406 to be provided corresponds to the number of STAs. In one example, the frequency bandwidth to be used is notified to all target STAs via the UL BW subfield 412 in the common information field 405. At the same time, allocation information is individually notified to each STA via the AID12 subfield 421 and RU allocation subfield 422 in the user information field 406, which indicates the allocation of RUs to be used by each STA. The AID12 subfield 421 stores an AID (Association ID), which is identification information that uniquely identifies an STA and is assigned to the STA upon association. Therefore, the STA that has received this frame can specify in which user information field 406 its information is stored. The STA then specifies the RU assigned to it by checking the RU assignment subfield 422 in the user information field 406, where its AID is stored in the AID12 subfield 421. Sequence numbers are associated with each RU, and among these sequence numbers, the number corresponding to the RU to be assigned to the STA is stored in the RU assignment subfield 422.

[0045] (Processing Flow)

[0046] Next, an example of a process flow for allocating RUs to be executed by AP 102 will be described. The process to be described below is implemented by control unit 202 reading and executing a computer program stored in storage unit 201 when AP 102 determines the allocation of RUs. Dedicated hardware for executing the following process may be used, or, for example, an implementation method in which a processor included in communication unit 206 executes the following process may be used.

[0047] <Processing Example 1>

[0048] Figure 5An example of a processing flow performed by the RU allocation control unit 301 of the AP 102 in this processing example is shown. In this process, the AP 102 first generates an RU allocation candidate list of the ax STA, which represents RU candidates that can be allocated to the ax STA, and an RU allocation candidate list of the be STA, which represents RU candidates that can be allocated to the be STA (step S501). Initially, all axRUs and all be RUs are processed as allocatable RU candidates. This is because when no RU is allocated to any STA, any RU can be allocated to the STA. In one example, as shown in Table 1 or Table 2, the RU allocation candidate list is constructed to include an RU number and a subcarrier number for constructing an RU corresponding to the RU number. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the construction may be such that: the RU number is included but the subcarrier number for constructing the RU corresponding to the RU number is not included, or the RU number is not included but the subcarrier number for constructing the RU corresponding to each RU number is included.

[0049] Next, the AP 102 determines to which STA the RU is allocated among the STAs that have established a radio link with the AP 102 (step S502). Here, the order of allocation of RUs among the STAs that have established a radio link can be determined by any method. For example, the order of allocation of RUs can be determined by a method in which RUs are allocated preferentially from STAs with smaller AIDs, or RUs are allocated preferentially from STAs with larger AIDs. In addition, the order of allocation of RUs can be determined by a method in which RUs are allocated preferentially from STAs with smaller or larger MAC (Media Access Control) address values. In addition, RUs can be allocated preferentially to axSTAs, or RUs can be allocated preferentially to beSTAs. For example, in an environment where axSTAs and beSTAs are mixed, a structure can be adopted to complete the allocation of RUs to any one of them, and then perform the allocation of RUs to the other. These are just examples, and the order of allocation of RUs can be determined by other criteria, such as preferentially allocating RUs from STAs with a large amount of buffered data to be sent. Furthermore, different priorities may be assigned to each of the ax STA and the be STA, and the priority may be increased as the amount of buffered data to be transmitted increases, and the STA to which the RU is preferentially allocated may be determined based on a combination of these priorities.

[0050] AP 102 determines whether the STA to which the RU is to be allocated is a beSTA (step S503). If the STA to which the RU is to be allocated is a beSTA ("Yes" in step S503), AP 102 selects an RU to be allocated to the STA from the beSTA's RU allocation candidate list (step S504). Then, based on the allocation of the selected RU to the STA to which the RU is to be allocated, AP 102 sets the RU in the beSTA's RU allocation candidate list as unallocatable, so that the RU is not allocated in subsequent allocation processing (step S504). Setting the RU to be unallocatable can be performed by, for example, providing a flag for each RU in the beSTA's RU allocation candidate list, the flag indicating whether it is to be allocated, and setting the flag of the RU allocated in step S504 to a value indicating that it is unallocatable. In addition, RUs that have been set as unallocatable can be deleted from the beSTA's RU allocation candidate list.

[0051] In the initial state, all RUs are allocatable in the be STA's RU allocation candidate list, so the AP 102 allocates any RU to the be STA. If an RU has already been allocated to one or more STAs, the AP 102 avoids the RUs that have been set as unallocatable and allocates one of the remaining RUs. Here, for example, when there are multiple allocatable RUs, the AP 102 may randomly select an RU from the multiple RUs. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and RU allocation may be performed using any method. For example, the AP 102 may select the RU with the smallest RU number or the RU with the largest RU number from the allocatable RUs. The AP 102 may also obtain CSI (channel state information) from the STA to which the RU is to be allocated and select an RU based on the CSI. For example, the AP 102 may allocate an RU with good radio quality from the allocatable RUs to the STA to which the RU is to be allocated. In addition, when performing UL-MU communication with the STA to which the RU is to be allocated, the AP 102 may select the RU to be allocated to the STA based on the radio quality of the signal received from the STA at that time. The radio quality may be, for example, an SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) or an SINR (Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio).

[0052] After AP 102 selects a be RU to be allocated to the be STA, it specifies an ax RU whose subcarriers partially or entirely overlap with the ax RU (step S505). AP 102 then sets the ax RU specified in step S505 as unallocatable in the ax STA's RU allocation candidate list (step S506). For example, assume that in step S504, AP 102 selects beRU 12 (subcarrier numbers 201 to 252) as the RU to be allocated to STA 103. In this case, in step S505, AP 102 specifies ax RU 11, corresponding to subcarrier numbers 152 to 203, and ax RU 12, corresponding to subcarrier numbers 206 to 257. This is because ax RU 11 includes subcarriers with subcarrier numbers 201 to 203, while ax RU 12 includes subcarrier numbers 206 to 252. Then, in step S506, AP 102 sets ax RU 11 and ax RU 12 in the ax STA's RU allocation candidate list as unallocatable. This makes it possible to make the following ax RUs among the ax RUs unallocatable, when signals are transmitted on this RU, the ax RU expected to interfere with the signal transmitted on the be RU allocated in step S504. Setting the RUs as unallocatable can be performed by, for example, providing a flag for each RU in the ax STA's RU allocation candidate list, which indicates whether it is to be allocated, and setting the flag of the RU specified in step S505 to a value indicating that the RU is unallocatable. In addition, the RUs that have been set as unallocatable can be deleted from the ax STA's RU allocation candidate list. As a result, AP 102 can designate the following ax RUs as RUs that can be allocated to the ax STA, which are different from the ax RUs whose subcarriers partially or entirely overlap with the RUs allocated to the be STA.

[0053] Meanwhile, when the STA to which the RU is to be allocated is an ax STA ("No" in step S503), AP 102 performs the processing in steps S504 to S506 by switching between the be RU and the ax RU. That is, AP 102 selects the RU to be allocated to the STA from the ax STA's RU allocation candidate list and sets the selected RU as unallocatable in the ax STA's RU allocation candidate list (step S507). Then, AP 102 designates a be RU whose subcarriers partially or entirely overlap with the ax RU selected for allocation to the ax STA (step S508). Then, AP 102 sets the be RU designated in step S508 as unallocatable in the be STA's RU allocation candidate list (step S509). As a result, AP 102 can designate a be RU as an RU that can be allocated to the be STA, which is different from a be RU whose subcarriers partially or entirely overlap with the RU allocated to the ax STA.

[0054] AP 102 then determines whether all STAs with which radio links have been established have been allocated RUs (step S510). If all STAs with which radio links have been established have been allocated RUs ("Yes" in step S510), AP 102 terminates the process. Meanwhile, if any STAs with which radio links have been established have not been allocated RUs ("No" in step S510), AP 102 returns the process to step S502 and continues allocating RUs. Instead of or in addition to determining in step S510 whether all STAs with which radio links have been established have been allocated RUs, AP 102 may determine whether any RUs remain that can be allocated. That is, if no RUs remain that can be allocated, the process may terminate.

[0055] <Processing Example 2>

[0056] According to the relationship between RU and subcarrier shown in Table 1 and Table 2, there is a case where all corresponding subcarriers coincide between be RU and ax RU, and a case where some subcarriers do not coincide. For example, in the IEEE 802.11be standard and the IEEE 802.11ax standard, all corresponding subcarriers coincide between RU 1 to RU 4 and RU 13 to RU 16. Therefore, the communication in these RUs may only affect one corresponding RU. At the same time, for RU 5 to RU 12, some corresponding subcarriers are not consistent, so the communication on one ax RU may affect two be RUs, and the communication on one be RU may affect two ax RUs. In this processing example, each group of RUs whose corresponding subcarriers are inconsistent is set to be allocated exclusively to be STA or allocated exclusively to ax STA. As a result, RUs are effectively allocated while preventing the communication of ax STA and the communication of be STA from interfering with each other.

[0057] Figure 6 1 shows an example of a process flow executed by the RU allocation control unit 301 of the AP 102 in this process example. The AP 102 first generates an RU allocation list for each RU, the list indicating whether the RU is allocable to an ax STA or a be STA (step S601). Figure 7 An example of an RU allocation list is shown. The RU allocation list is constructed to include RU numbers and information indicating whether each RU is allocable to an ax STA or a be STA. Figure 7 This example shows RUs 1 through 4 and 13 through 16 as RUs allocatable to ax STAs, and RUs 5 through 12 as RUs allocatable to bee STAs. The RU allocation list settings are determined to avoid interference. For example, while RU 5 is allocatable to a be STA, some subcarriers of beRU 5 overlap with those of ax RU 5 and ax RU 6, so RU 6 is not allocated to an ax STA. Therefore, when RU 5 is allocatable to a be STA, RU 6 is also allocatable to a be STA. Similarly, when RU 7 is allocatable to a be STA, RU 8 is also allocatable to a be STA. Figure 7 The RU allocation list is constructed in this way. Figure 7 is an example, and other RU allocation lists can be generated by the same method. For example, in Figure 7 In the , all RUs that can be assigned to be STA and RUs that can be assigned to ax STA can be switched. In addition, the following can be generated Figure 8The RU allocation list is shown. In addition, Figure 7 and Figure 8 The example shows a case where the number of RUs allocable to the ax STA matches the number of RUs allocable to the be STA, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the AP 102 can determine the number of RUs allocable to the ax STA and the number of RUs allocable to the be STA based on the number of ax STAs and the number of be STAs for which radio links have been established. The AP 102 can also establish a radio link and then determine the number of RUs allocable to the ax STA and the number of RUs allocable to the be STA based on the number of each of the ax STA and the be STA that are requesting UL-MU communication. By determining the number of RUs allocable to the ax STA and the number of RUs allocable to the be STA in this manner, the AP 102 can flexibly set up UL-MU communication according to the status of the wireless connection.

[0058] Back to Figure 6 AP 102 determines the STA to which the RU is to be allocated (step S602). If the STA is a be STA ("Yes" in step S603), it selects an RU to be allocated from the RUs in the RU allocation list that can be allocated to the be STA (step S604). AP 102 then sets the selected RU to be unallocatable, as in Processing Example 1. For example, a flag indicating whether allocation is to be provided in the RU allocation list, and AP 102 can set the flag corresponding to the selected RU to a value indicating that it is unallocatable. AP 102 can also delete the selected RU from the RU allocation list. Furthermore, if the STA to which the RU is to be allocated is an ax STA ("No" in step S603), AP 102 selects an RU to be allocated from the RUs in the RU allocation list that can be allocated to the ax STA, and sets the selected RU to be unallocatable (step S605). AP 102 repeats this process until all STAs with established connections have been allocated RUs, or until all available RUs are allocated (step S606). For example, if all STAs to which connections have been established have been allocated RUs ("YES" in step S606), the AP 102 ends the present process.

[0059] In the above-described processing example 2, if the number of RUs allocable to bee STAs is less than the number of be STAs already connected to AP 102, some be STAs may not have been allocated RUs. In this case, AP 102 can increase the number of RUs allocable to bee STAs in the RU allocation to be performed in response to the next trigger frame. Similarly, if the number of RUs allocable to ax STAs is less than the number of ax STAs already connected, AP 102 can increase the number of RUs allocable to ax STAs in the RU allocation to be performed in response to the next trigger frame. This prevents situations where only one of the ax STA and the be STA cannot be allocated an RU, ensuring fairness in RU allocation. When adjusting the number of RUs, the adjustment can be made using RUs whose corresponding subcarriers are consistent between ax RUs and be RUs, such as RUs 1 to 4 and RUs 13 to 16 in the above example, or using other RUs, depending on the number of RUs to be increased or decreased. That is, when increasing or decreasing one by one, the RUs for ax and be can be switched among RU 1 to RU 4 or RU 13 to RU 16, and when increasing or decreasing two or more, the RUs for ax and be can be preferentially switched among RU 5 to RU 12. For example, if the RU for be is to be changed from Figure 8 If the state shown is increased by five, four RUs (RU 5 and RU 6 and RU 9 and RU 10) and one RU from RU 1 and RU 2 and RU 13 and RU 14 can be set as RUs that can be allocated to the be STA. This ensures flexibility in RU allocation.

[0060] AP 102 generates a trigger frame including information indicating the RU allocation determined by the above-described processes, and transmits the trigger frame to STA 103 and STA 104. This allows STA 103 and STA 104 to be instructed to use frequency resources whose signals do not interfere with each other when they concurrently transmit signals.

[0061] Due to the above-described various processes, frequency resources allocated for signal transmission by STAs using the IEEE 802.11ax standard can be prevented from overlapping with frequency resources allocated for signal transmission by STAs using the IEEE 802.11be standard. Therefore, by preventing STAs corresponding to these communication standards from concurrently transmitting signals using overlapping frequency resources, the frequency of communication failures can be reduced, thereby preventing the degradation of frequency utilization efficiency due to communication failures.

[0062] In the various processing examples described above, a description has been given for the following case, wherein the frequency bandwidth to be used is 80 MHz and 52-tone RUs are allocated to ax STA and be STA. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when a frequency bandwidth greater than or equal to 80 MHz or narrower is used, or when 26-tone RUs or 106-tone RUs are allocated to ax STA and be STA, a similar effect can be obtained by applying the above-mentioned processing. In addition, the above-mentioned processing examples can be applied to the outside of allocating RUs to ax STA and be STA. That is, the above-mentioned method can be applied to the following case, wherein the allocation unit of frequency resources (allocation of subcarriers of RUs) is different between any first wireless scheme and a second wireless scheme different from the first wireless scheme. Due to this, when frequency resources are allocated to a communication device of the first wireless scheme and a communication device of the second wireless scheme, the occurrence of interference caused by the difference in the allocation unit of frequency resources can be suppressed, thereby effectively allocating frequency resources.

[0063] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if there are no remaining RUs allocable to the be STA (ax STA) and no RUs can be allocated, for example, the AP 102 may prioritize the STA in the next opportunity to allocate RUs. That is, the AP 102 may prioritize allocating RUs to the STA in the RU allocation to be performed in response to the next trigger frame. In this case, in step S502, the AP 102 may determine the STA to which the RU is to be allocated based on the allocation result in the previous trigger frame. This ensures fairness when allocating RUs to STAs connected to the wireless LAN.

[0064] The above method relates to a technology for allocating frequency resources between the IEEE 802.11ax standard and the IEEE 802.11be standard, but can be applied to other standards such as the IEEE 802.11 standard series. For example, it can also be used when allocating resources through collaboration between cellular communication standards and IEEE 802.11 standards. For example, when a cellular communication standard (such as long term evolution or fifth generation) is used in the frequency band of a wireless LAN, the above technology can be applied. In the example, after the RU of the IEEE 802.11ax standard or the IEEE 802.11be standard is allocated, the resource blocks of the cellular communication standard whose part or all of the frequency resources overlap with the frequency resources of the RU can be set to be non-allocatable. In addition, the RU of the IEEE 802.11ax standard or the IEEE 802.11be standard (whose part or all of the frequency resources overlap with the frequency resources of the resource blocks allocated to the terminal device in the cellular communication standard) can be set to be non-allocatable. This allows the communication of the cellular communication standard and the communication of the wireless LAN standard to proceed concurrently without interfering with each other. Furthermore, the above process can be performed using other communication standards besides the cellular communication standard. When adjusting frequency resources using a wireless LAN standard besides the cellular communication standard, the AP 102 can obtain information about resource allocation in the other communication standards and allocate only RUs of the wireless LAN.

[0065] For example, AP 102 may be configured to operate only in one of the IEEE 802.11ax standard and the IEEE 802.11be standard. In one example, a configuration may be employed to collaborate with other APs to obtain information about RUs to be allocated by the AP in accordance with the IEEE 802.11ax standard, and to determine RUs to be allocated to STAs in accordance with the IEEE 802.11be standard based on the information about the RUs to be allocated. This process may be used when an AP collaborates with another AP to concurrently communicate with STAs operating in multiple versions of surrounding wireless LAN communication standards.

[0066] Further, in this embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the AP 102 determines allocation of RUs, but a control device for controlling one or more APs 102 may be separately provided, and the control device may determine allocation of RUs in the one or more APs 102 .

[0067] In the above-described embodiment, the process of transmitting an uplink signal to the STA 103 and the STA 104 has been described, but the same method can be applied to the allocation of RUs in the downlink.

[0068] Other embodiments

[0069] The embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented by a computer of a system or device, which reads and executes computer-executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be more fully referred to as a "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium") to perform one or more functions of the above-described embodiments, and / or includes one or more circuits (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments, as well as methods performed by the computer of the system or device, for example, by reading and executing computer-executable instructions from a storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments and / or controlling one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments. The computer may include one or more processors (e.g., central processing units (CPUs), microprocessing units (MPUs)), and may include independent computer networks or independent processors to read and execute computer-executable instructions. For example, the computer may be provided with executable instructions by a network or storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), memory of a distributed computing system, an optical disk (such as a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), or a Blu-ray disk (BD)). TM ), one or more of flash memory devices, memory cards, etc.

[0070] Other embodiments

[0071] The embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by the following method, that is, providing software (program) that performs the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments to a system or device through a network or various storage media, and the computer or central processing unit (CPU) or microprocessing unit (MPU) of the system or device reads and executes the program.

[0072] While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. A communication device supporting a first communication standard and a second communication standard using orthogonal frequency division multiple access technology, the communication device comprising: an allocating unit configured to allocate frequency resources for communication with a second other communication device conforming to the second communication standard based on frequency resources already allocated for communication with a first other communication device conforming to the first communication standard, the first communication standard using a first pattern to allocate frequency resources, the second communication standard using a second pattern to allocate frequency resources, Wherein, when the first other communication device and the second other communication device communicate concurrently, the allocating unit: From among the frequency resources in the second pattern, a second frequency resource is designated that partially overlaps or completely overlaps with a first frequency resource that has been allocated to the first other communication device according to the first pattern, and Frequency resources are allocated to the second other communication device from among frequency resources in the second pattern that are not included in the second frequency resources.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein The allocating unit allocates the first frequency resource to the first other communication device according to the first pattern.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a generating unit configured to generate a list indicating frequency resources that can be allocated in the second mode. in, The generating unit sets frequency resources in the second pattern that partially or completely overlap with the first frequency resource as unallocatable in the list based on the first frequency resource allocated to the first other communication device, and The allocating unit allocates a frequency resource to the second other communication device from among frequency resources in the list that are not set as being unallocatable. The communication device according to claim 2 , wherein: The allocating unit allocates frequency resources to other communication devices operating according to the first communication standard in preference to other communication devices operating according to the second communication standard according to the first pattern. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein: In a case where the first other communication device and the second other communication device transmit signals concurrently, the allocation unit specifies a second frequency resource that partially overlaps or completely overlaps with a first frequency resource that has been allocated to the first other communication device for transmitting signals, and allocates a frequency resource for the second other communication device to transmit signals from among frequency resources in the second pattern that are not included in the second frequency resource. The communication device according to claim 5 , wherein: The allocating unit preferentially allocates frequency resources to other communication devices with a larger amount of data to be transmitted.

7. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein: The distribution department: Setting frequency resources that can be allocated in the first mode, setting frequency resources other than frequency resources in the second pattern that partially overlap or completely overlap with frequency resources that can be allocated in the first pattern as frequency resources that can be allocated in the second pattern, allocating frequency resources that can be allocated in the first mode to the first other communication device, and Frequency resources that can be allocated in the second mode are allocated to the second other communication device. The communication device according to claim 7 , wherein: The allocation unit determines the number of frequency resources that can be allocated in the first mode and the number of frequency resources that can be allocated in the second mode based on the number of other communication devices operating according to the first communication standard and the number of other communication devices operating according to the second communication standard among other communication devices that have established connection with the communication device.

9. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein The first communication standard is the IEEE 802.11ax standard, and the second communication standard is the IEEE 802.11be standard.

10. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein The first communication standard is the IEEE 802.11be standard, and the second communication standard is the IEEE 802.11ax standard.

11. A control method to be performed by a communication device, the control method comprising: allocating frequency resources for communication with a second other communication device that conforms to a second communication standard based on frequency resources that have been allocated for communication with a first other communication device that conforms to a first communication standard, wherein the first communication standard allocates frequency resources using a first mode and the second communication standard allocates frequency resources using a second mode. Wherein, in the allocation step, when the first other communication device and the second other communication device communicate concurrently, From among the frequency resources in the second pattern, a second frequency resource is designated that partially overlaps or completely overlaps with a first frequency resource that has been allocated to the first other communication device according to the first pattern, and allocating frequency resources to a second other communication device from among frequency resources in the second pattern that are not included in the second frequency resources, and The first communication standard and the second communication standard are communication standards using an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access technology.

12. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a communication method, the communication method comprising: performing resource allocation processing for allocating frequency resources for communication with a second other communication device conforming to a second communication standard based on frequency resources already allocated for communication with a first other communication device conforming to a first communication standard, the first communication standard using a first pattern for allocating frequency resources, the second communication standard using a second pattern for allocating frequency resources, In the resource allocation process, when the first other communication device and the second other communication device communicate concurrently, the following process is performed: a designation process for designating, from among the frequency resources in the second pattern, a second frequency resource that partially overlaps or completely overlaps with a first frequency resource that has been allocated to the first other communication device according to the first pattern, and an allocation process for allocating frequency resources to a second other communication device from among frequency resources in the second pattern that are not included in the designated second frequency resources, and The first communication standard and the second communication standard are communication standards using orthogonal frequency division multiple access technology.

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