Access point, terminal and communication method

Abstract

An access point includes: a control circuit that generates a control signal indicating allocation of transmission resources of uplink signals of some of a plurality of traffic classes, using identification information common to a plurality of terminals included in a terminal group; and a transmission circuit that transmits the control signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an access point, a terminal and a communication method. Background Art

[0002] The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is planning to develop the IEEE 802.11be (hereinafter referred to as "11be") specification as a successor standard to the IEEE 802.11ax (hereinafter referred to as "11ax"). For example, 11ax is also called "High Efficiency (HE)" and 11be is also called "Extremely High Throughput (EHT)". In addition, the required specifications related to the successor standard of 11be are also being studied (for example, refer to non-patent document 4). For example, the successor standard of 11be is also called "EHT-plus" or "enhanced 11be (beyond 11be)".

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Non-patent literature

[0005] Non-patent document 1: IEEE 802.11-22 / 0729r1, 802.11GEN8 Study Group

[0006] Non-patent document 2: IEEE 802.11-22 / 0734r0, Next Gen After 11be: Main Directions Proposal

[0007] Non-patent document 3: IEEE 802.11-20 / 1902r0, UORA Enhancements to address RTA

[0008] Non-patent document 4: IEEE 802.11-22 / 0059r0, Beyond'be'

[0009] Non-patent document 5: IEEE 802.11-21 / 1488r1, CC36 CR for Trigger frame on EHTUser Info field

[0010] Non-patent document 6: IEEE 802.11-21 / 0485r3, EHT TF Clarifications Summary of the invention

[0011] However, the method of transmitting an uplink signal in wireless communication such as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) has not been fully studied yet.

[0012] The non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure help to provide an access point, a terminal, and a communication method that can improve the transmission efficiency of uplink signals in wireless communications.

[0013] An access point according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a control circuit that generates a control signal using identification information common to multiple terminals included in a terminal group, the control signal being a control signal indicating allocation of transmission resources for uplink signals of a portion of a plurality of service categories; and a transmission circuit that transmits the control signal.

[0014] 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.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, the transmission efficiency of uplink signals in wireless communications can be improved.

[0016] More advantages and effects of an embodiment of the present disclosure 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 1 This is a diagram showing an example of a trigger frame.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an example of a common information field (Common Info field).

[0019] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of a user information field (User Info field).

[0020] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of a special user information field (Special User Info field).

[0021] Figure 5 This is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a part of an access point (AP: Access Point).

[0022] Figure 6 This is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a part of a terminal.

[0023] Figure 7 This is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an access point.

[0024] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of terminal group information.

[0025] Fig. 9 This is a diagram showing an example of terminal group information.

[0026] Fig.10 This is a diagram showing an example of a user information field.

[0027] Fig.11 This is a diagram showing an example of terminal group information.

[0028] Fig.12 This is a diagram showing an example of terminal group information.

[0029] Fig.13 This is a block diagram showing a structural example of a terminal.

[0030] Fig.14 This is a diagram showing an example of uplink signal transmission.

[0031] Fig.15 This is a diagram showing an example of terminal group information.

[0032] Fig.16 This is a diagram showing an example of terminal group information.

[0033] Fig.17 This is a diagram showing an example of terminal group information.

[0034] Fig.18 This is a diagram showing an example of terminal group information.

[0035] Fig.19 This is a diagram showing an example of terminal group information.

[0036] Fig. 20 This is a diagram showing an example of terminal group information.

[0037] Fig.21 This is a diagram showing an example of notification of terminal group information.

[0038] Fig. 22 This is a diagram showing an example of notification of terminal group information.

[0039] Fig.23 This is a diagram showing an operation example of an AP and a terminal.

[0040] Fig.24 This is a diagram showing an example of uplink signal transmission.

[0041] Fig.25 This is a diagram showing an example of uplink signal transmission.

[0042] Fig.26 This is a diagram showing an example of uplink signal transmission.

[0043] Fig. 27 This is a diagram showing an example of the generation of a trigger frame.

[0044] Fig.28 This is a diagram showing an example of terminal group information.

[0045] Fig.29 This is a block diagram showing an example of transmission of an uplink signal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0047] 11be and enhanced 11be assume use cases such as gaming or virtual reality (VR) and propose the need to further reduce latency (low latency) (for example, refer to non-patent document 1 or non-patent document 2).

[0048] For example, in non-patent document 3, the use of uplink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) random access (UORA) is proposed for the purpose of low latency. The access point (AP: Access Point. Or, also called "AP STA", "base station") groups multiple terminals and allocates random access resource units (RA-RU: Random access-Resource unit) to the grouped multiple terminals without identifying the buffer status report (BSR: buffer status reports) of the terminal (STA: Station. Or, also called "non-AP STA (non-AP STA)"). As a result, for example, a terminal with data to be sent can send an uplink (UL: uplink) signal without notifying the AP of the BSR in advance, so it is possible to reduce latency.

[0049] For example, if the RA-RUs selected by multiple terminals overlap, the UL signals between the multiple terminals will conflict, and the AP may not be able to receive all UL signals. On the other hand, if the RA-RUs scheduled by the AP are increased in order to reduce the conflict rate of UL signals, then if there are few terminals with data to be sent, the RA-RUs may not be used and resources may be consumed for no reason.

[0050] In a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, an example of a method is described below, which does not increase the resources (e.g., RA-RU) that can be allocated to a group including multiple terminals and reduces the conflict of UL signals between multiple terminals, thereby reducing latency. For example, in addition to describing a method in which a terminal with data requiring low latency can perform UL transmission without notifying the AP in advance of the BSR, an example of a method is also described below, which reduces the conflict of UL signals even when there are multiple terminals with the above data.

[0051] In a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, low latency of UL signals is achieved by improving the control signal (hereinafter referred to as "trigger frame (TF)") used in 11ax and 11be to indicate the sending of UL signals.

[0052] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of a trigger frame. Figure 1 As shown, for multiple terminals performing frequency multiplexing, the trigger frame includes a field ("Common Info field") containing information common to multiple terminals (for example, also called "terminal common information"), and a field called "User Info List". The user information field may include one or more fields ("User Info field") containing terminal-specific (or, inherent) information (for example, also called "terminal-specific information").

[0053] In addition, in 11be, for example, the trigger frame may include a field (for example, a “special user information field”) including information for a terminal corresponding to 11be (EHT) (not shown).

[0054] Figure 2 is a diagram showing a structural example of a general information field studied in 11be (e.g., EHT) (e.g., refer to non-patent document 4). Figure 3 is a diagram showing a structural example of a user information field studied in 11be(EHT) (for example, refer to non-patent document 5). Figure 4 This is a diagram showing a structural example of a special user information field (for example, refer to non-patent document 6).

[0055] In 11ax and 11be, for example, when a terminal receives a signal including a trigger frame (e.g., PPDU: physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit), and when the association ID (AID: Association ID) of the terminal is specified in the user information field in the trigger frame, a UL signal (e.g., TB-PPDU: trigger-based PPDU) is sent using the indicated resources (RU) at the sending timing from the PPDU end timing to the SIFS (Short Interframe Space).

[0056] For example, when multiple terminals each perform carrier sensing before sending UL signals in resources that can be allocated to multiple terminals (e.g., RA-RU), the carrier sensing results in the multiple terminals are idle, so the UL signals of the multiple terminals may conflict.

[0057] In this embodiment, a trigger frame can be used to schedule RUs for sending a portion of service categories (e.g., low latency traffic) using a group identifier (e.g., called "Group AID") of a group including multiple terminals (e.g., a terminal group). In addition, for example, by making the transmission timing of UL signals between multiple terminals in a terminal group different, conflicts can be reduced.

[0058] [Structure of wireless communication system]

[0059] The wireless communication system of this embodiment may include, for example, Figure 5 The AP100 and Figure 6 The terminal (STA) 200 shown in the figure. In the wireless communication system, at least one of the AP 100 and the terminal 200 may exist in two or more.

[0060] For example, the AP 100 groups a plurality of terminals including the terminal 200 into a terminal group, and notifies the terminal 200 of the terminal group information related to the terminal group (for example, the association between the AID of the terminal and the group ID). In addition, the AP 100 transmits the following trigger frame to the terminal group including the predefined plurality of terminals 200, the trigger frame indicating the transmission of a UL signal limited to a part of the service categories (for example, services requiring low latency).

[0061] The terminal 200 receives the trigger frame, for example, and transmits a UL signal to the AP 100 based on the radio resources (eg, transmission band (eg, RU) or signal length) and transmission timing indicated by the received trigger frame.

[0062] In addition, services requiring low latency are also referred to as “low latency services” or “latency sensitive services (LatencySensitive Traffic)”, for example.

[0063] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a portion of the AP 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 In the AP 100 shown, a control unit (e.g., corresponding to a control circuit) generates a control signal (e.g., a trigger frame) using identification information common to a plurality of terminals 200 included in a terminal group (e.g., group association ID (AID)), the control signal being a control signal for instructing allocation of transmission resources for uplink signals of a portion of a plurality of service categories. A transmission unit (e.g., corresponding to a transmission circuit) transmits the control signal.

[0064] Figure 6 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a portion of a terminal 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 In the terminal 200 shown, the receiving unit (e.g., corresponding to the receiving circuit) receives a control signal (trigger frame) using identification information (group AID) common to the plurality of terminals 200 included in the terminal group, the control signal being a control signal for allocating transmission resources of uplink signals of a portion of the plurality of service categories. The control unit (e.g., corresponding to the control circuit) controls uplink transmission based on the control signal.

[0065] [Structural example of AP100]

[0066] The AP 100 , for example, sends the terminal group information to the terminal 200 and retains the terminal group information. In addition, the AP 100 , for example, sends the following trigger frame to the terminal 200 , the trigger frame instructing a terminal group including a plurality of terminals 200 to send a prescribed service.

[0067] Figure 7 It is a block diagram showing a configuration example of AP100. Figure 7 The AP100 shown may, for example, include a terminal group generating unit 101, a scheduling unit 102, a general information generating unit 103, a user information generating unit 104, a trigger frame generating unit 105, an error correction coding unit 106, a modulation unit 107, a wireless transceiver unit 108, a demodulation unit 109, an error correction decoding unit 110 and a terminal information retention unit 111.

[0068] For example, the terminal group generating unit 101, the scheduling unit 102, the general information generating unit 103, the user information generating unit 104, the trigger frame generating unit 105 and the terminal information retaining unit 111 may be included in an access control unit (eg, a medium access control (MAC) processing unit).

[0069] in addition, Figure 7 At least one of the terminal group generating unit 101, the scheduling unit 102, the general information generating unit 103, the user information generating unit 104, the trigger frame generating unit 105, the error correction coding unit 106, the modulation unit 107, the demodulation unit 109, the error correction decoding unit 110 and the terminal information retaining unit 111 shown in the figure can be included in Figure 5 In addition, Figure 7 The wireless transceiver 108 shown may be included in Figure 5 The sending part is shown.

[0070] The terminal group generating unit 101 generates a terminal group including a plurality of terminals 200 based on the terminal information input from the terminal information retaining unit 111 , for example, and outputs information related to the generated terminal group (eg, terminal group information) to the error correction coding unit 106 and the scheduling unit 102 .

[0071] The terminal information may include, for example, the capability information of the terminal 200, information related to the state of the transmission buffer, and reception quality information. The capability information may include, for example, information indicating whether the terminal 200 corresponds to the transmission and reception of low-latency services. In addition, the information related to the state of the transmission buffer may include, for example, information related to the size of the uplink or downlink buffer of the low-latency service sent to the AP 100 in the terminal 200 or the delay requirement (delay budget, etc.). In addition, the reception quality information may include, for example, the reception level of the signal measured by the terminal 200, the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR: Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio) or the path loss value.

[0072] For example, the terminal group generating unit 101 may select a plurality of terminals 200 corresponding to the transmission and reception of low-latency services based on the capability information, and group the plurality of terminals 200 into a terminal group.

[0073] For example, Figure 8 As shown, the terminal group information may at least include information associating the AID of the terminal with a group identifier (eg, group AID).

[0074] In addition, for example, Fig. 9As shown, at least one of the service information indicating the service category for which the terminal 200 within the terminal group is allowed to send UL signals (e.g., Restricted UL Traffic ID (TID) Bitmap subfield) and the information related to the sending timing of the UL signal (e.g., sending timing information) can also be associated with the terminal group information.

[0075] Business information that is allowed to be sent, such as Fig. 9 As shown, it can also be represented in the form of a bitmap and indicate whether each TID can be sent. Fig. 9 As shown in FIG. 1 , the restricted UL TID bitmap subfield may be represented by an 8-bit bitmap. Each bit of the 8-bit bitmap may correspond to 8 types of service categories (eg, TID numbers 0 to 7). As an example, Fig. 9 As shown in the figure, when "11000000" is indicated, the terminal 200 can perform UL transmission of the service data with TID numbers 0 and 1 (the first and second), but cannot perform UL transmission of the service data corresponding to other TID numbers. For example, the TID is related to the allowed delay amount, so by specifying the TID using the service information allowed to be sent, the following setting can be made, which allows UL transmission of services requiring low delay, but does not allow UL transmission of other services.

[0076] In addition, the transmission timing information of the UL signal may include, for example, information related to the offset of the transmission timing of the UL signal with respect to the end timing of the PPDU including the trigger frame.

[0077] The terminal group generating unit 101 retains the generated terminal group information. In addition, examples of the terminal group information will be described below.

[0078] It should be noted that the terminal group generating unit 101 may generate a terminal group based on a part of the terminal information input from the terminal information storage unit 111. For example, the terminal group may be defined based on the capability information without considering the transmission buffer status and reception quality of the terminal 200.

[0079] The scheduling unit 102 may, for example, perform scheduling for the terminal 200. For example, the scheduling unit 102 may allocate wireless resources (for example, including at least one of a transmission band and a signal length) for a terminal group including a plurality of terminals 200 based on the terminal group information input from the terminal group generating unit 101 and the terminal information input from the terminal information retaining unit 111.

[0080] For example, the transmission band allocated to the terminal group including multiple terminals 200 can be set to at least a part of the transmission band of the PPDU including the trigger frame. In addition, the transmission band can also be set (or limited) to a specified bandwidth (for example, 20MHz×N (N is a natural number), or a natural number multiple of the bandwidth for carrier sensing). In addition, when the AP 100 does not dynamically grasp the transmission buffer status or reception quality of the terminal 200, the scheduling unit 102 can also allocate wireless resources to the terminal group including multiple terminals 200 according to a specified period.

[0081] The scheduling unit 102 outputs, for example, the determined information on the terminal group including the plurality of terminals 200 and the allocation information of the radio resources to the general information generating unit 103 and the user information generating unit 104 .

[0082] The general information generating unit 103 may generate a general information field common to multiple terminals 200 (eg, Figure 2 The general information generating unit 103 may generate information of a trigger type subfield (Trigger type subfield) and a CS required subfield (CS Required subfield) based on the allocation information of the wireless resources input from the scheduling unit 102, for example.

[0083] The trigger type subfield is, for example, a subfield indicating the category of the trigger frame (for example, the category of the signal sent by AP100 to the terminal 200). For example, AP100 may also indicate the trigger type of the trigger frame indicating the allocation of wireless resources for the terminal group as basic (Basic). It should be noted that the trigger type of the trigger frame indicating the allocation of wireless resources for the terminal group may also be other trigger types different from the basic (for example, BFRP (Beamforming Request Poll), MU-BAR (multi-user block ack request), MU-RTS (multi-user request to send), BSRP (Buffer Status Report Poll), GCR MU-BAR (Groupcast with retries multi-user block ack request, multi-user block acknowledgment request using retransmission), BQRP (Bandwidth Query Report Poll), NFRP (NDP Feedback Request Poll), etc.). For example, AP100 may also specify the trigger type of the trigger frame as MU-RTS. If MU-RTS is used, the allocation indication of the wireless resources contained in the trigger frame and the UL transmission rules of an embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to one or more frames (for example, the transmission and reception of one or more data frames or block Ack frames after the trigger frame) during the TXOP (Transmission Opportunity). In addition, in another example, the trigger frame may also be a newly defined trigger type, which explicitly indicates that the terminal group performs UL transmission limited to specified services (for example, low-latency services).

[0084] The CS Required subfield is, for example, a subfield that indicates whether the terminal 200 needs to perform carrier sense (Carrier Sense) before sending a UL signal in response to a trigger frame (or, indicates the necessity of performing carrier sense). For example, when the value of the CS Required subfield is 0, the terminal 200 is instructed not to perform carrier sense, and when the value of the CS Required subfield is 1, the terminal 200 is instructed to perform carrier sense. In the case of instructing to perform carrier sense (when the CS Required subfield value (CS Required subfield value) = 1), the terminal 200 performs carrier sense before UL transmission, and if the carrier sense result is idle, the UL signal is sent, and if the carrier sense result is busy (Busy), the transmission of the UL signal is terminated. For example, AP100 can set the CS Required subfield (i.e., the CS Required subfield value = 1) in a manner that instructs the terminal group to perform carrier sense before UL transmission.

[0085] The general information generating unit 103 may output the generated information related to the general information field to the trigger frame generating unit 105 .

[0086] In addition, the term "setting" of a field (e.g., a subfield) within a trigger frame may be replaced with other terms such as "definition" or "interpretation".

[0087] The user information generating unit 104 can generate control information contained in a special user information field or a user information field dedicated to the terminal 200. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the user information generating unit 104 may generate information related to a special user information field or a user information field dedicated to the terminal 200 based on a prescribed format, and generate information related to a user information list, wherein the user information list includes user information fields for each of the plurality of terminals 200. The user information generating unit 104 may output the information related to the user information list to the trigger frame generating unit 105, for example.

[0088] In addition, the user information generating unit 104 may, for example, arrange the plurality of user information fields in a prescribed order according to the category of the allocated RU, thereby generating the user information list. For example, the user information generating unit 104 may also arrange the user information field indicating at least one of the allocated RU limited to the prescribed service and the allocated RU for the terminal group in priority (for example, in an earlier order) over the user information fields indicating other allocated RUs, thereby generating the user information list.

[0089] In addition, the AID12 subfield of the user information field may include an identifier of a terminal group including the terminal 200 (eg, Figure 8 and Fig. 9 The user information generating unit 104 may generate an RU allocation subfield (Allocation subfield) based on the allocation information of the radio resources input from the scheduling unit 102, for example.

[0090] In addition, the format of the user information field may be changed (or switched or set) according to the value of the AID12 subfield (for example, according to whether it is a terminal group identifier). For example, the format of the user information field corresponding to the group AID of the terminal group and the format of the user information field corresponding to the AID dedicated to the terminal 200 may be different. As an example, when the value of the AID12 subfield indicates an AID dedicated to a certain terminal, Figure 3 In addition, for example, when the value of the AID12 subfield indicates the group AID of the terminal group, the Fig.10 The format shown.

[0091] In addition, when the value of the AID12 subfield indicates a terminal group, information not included in the terminal group information (eg, MCS information or information on services allowed to be transmitted) may also be notified to the terminal 200 by the trigger frame.

[0092] As an example, Figure 3 In the format of the user information field shown in FIG. 1 , the bit positions (eg, B20-B24) of the "UL FEC Coding Type subfield" and the "UL EHT-MCS subfield" indicating the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information of the UL signal are shown in FIG. Fig.10 The format of the user information field shown in FIG. 1 may be changed to a "transmission timing information subfield" indicating the transmission timing information of the UL signal. In addition, for example, Fig.11 As shown, the MCS for each terminal group (e.g., group AID) may be defined in the terminal group information, and the MCS may be notified in advance to the terminal 200. Thus, when the terminal group is specified, the terminal 200 sets the MCS included in the terminal group information, so there may be no UL FEC coding type subfield and UL EHT-MCS subfield in the trigger frame, and therefore, the transmission timing information of the UL signal may be included in the bit positions of these subfields.

[0093] It should be noted that, as the transmission timing information of the UL signal, Fig.11As shown in FIG. 1 , a timing (eg, offset) may be set for each of the plurality of terminals 200 (eg, STA1 to STA3 and STA4 to STA6) in the terminal group. Alternatively, as the transmission timing information of the UL signal, Fig.12 As shown, multiple candidate timings (eg, offset patterns) may be set for each of the multiple terminals 200 (eg, STA1, STA2, and STA3) in the terminal group. Fig.12 In the trigger frame, the offset pattern number (pattern 1 to 3) of each terminal 200 constituting the terminal group is set. As a result, AP100 can dynamically indicate the transmission timing information of each terminal 200 (for example, one of the multiple pattern numbers), thereby improving the fairness of UL transmission opportunities between terminals 200.

[0094] The band information allocated to the terminal group including the terminal 200 (for example, the size of the transmission resource notified by the RU allocation subfield) may also be set (for example, limited) to a frequency resource position of 20 MHz×N (for example, an integer multiple of 20 MHz) allocated to the terminal 200. For example, the notification method of the frequency resource based on the clear to send (CTS: clear to send) frame of the multi-user request to send (MU-RTS) used in 11ax may also be applied as the notification method of the frequency resource position of 20 MHz×N.

[0095] In addition, when notifying the location of the frequency resource for communication during the allocation period in the 320 MHz operation band including the new 11be support, for example, Figure 4 The "UL Bandwidth Extension subfield" included in the special user information field shown in the figure may notify the terminal 200 of the operating bandwidth by using, for example, a combination of the UL BW subfield of the general information field and the UL Bandwidth Extension subfield of the special user information field.

[0096] It should be noted that the special user information field may include control information for the terminal 200 and the terminal group including the terminal 200 .

[0097] For example, the user information generating unit 104 may output information related to the generated user information list to the trigger frame generating unit 105 .

[0098] The trigger frame generating unit 105 may be based on Figure 1In the format shown, a trigger frame including information of the general information field input from the general information generating unit 103 and information of the user information list (e.g., the special user information field and at least one user information field) input from the user information generating unit 104 is generated. In the trigger frame, for example, in addition to the general information field and the user information list, at least one of a MAC header, padding, and a frame check sequence (FCS) may be included. The trigger frame generating unit 105 may output the generated trigger frame to the error correction coding unit 106, for example.

[0099] The error correction coding unit 106 performs error correction coding on the transmission data signal including the terminal group information input from the terminal group generating unit 101 or the transmission data signal including the trigger frame input from the trigger frame generating unit 105, and outputs the coded signal to the modulation unit 107. The transmission order of the terminal group information and the trigger frame may be as follows. For example, the AP 100 first notifies the terminal 200 of the terminal group information. Then, the AP 100 notifies the terminal 200 of the trigger frame indicating UL transmission to the terminal group.

[0100] The modulation unit 107 performs modulation processing on the signal input from the error correction coding unit 106 , for example, and outputs the modulated signal to the wireless transmission / reception unit 108 .

[0101] It should be noted that when the modulated data signal is an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal, AP100 (for example, the modulation unit 107) can map the modulated signal to a specified frequency resource, perform an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) process to convert it into a time waveform, and add a cyclic prefix (CP) to form an OFDM signal.

[0102] The wireless transceiver 108 performs wireless transmission processing such as D / A (Digital / Analog) conversion and up-conversion to a carrier frequency on the modulated signal input from the modulator 107, and transmits the signal after the wireless transmission processing to the terminal 200 via the antenna. In addition, the wireless transceiver 108 receives a signal transmitted from the terminal 200 via the antenna, performs wireless reception processing such as down-conversion to a baseband and A / D (Analog / Digital) conversion on the received signal, and outputs the signal after the wireless reception processing to the demodulator 109.

[0103] The demodulation unit 109, for example, demodulates the signal input from the wireless transceiver unit 108, and outputs the demodulated signal to the error correction decoding unit 110. In addition, when the signal input to the demodulation unit 109 is an OFDM signal, the AP 100 (for example, the demodulation unit 109) can perform CP removal processing and fast Fourier transform (FFT) processing.

[0104] The error correction decoding unit 110 decodes the signal input from the demodulation unit 109, for example, to obtain a received data signal from the terminal 200. For example, when the decoded received data includes the terminal information, the error correction decoding unit 110 outputs the decoded data including the terminal information to the terminal information storage unit 111.

[0105] The terminal information retention unit 111 can, for example, obtain (or retain) terminal information (for example, which may include capability information, transmission buffer status, and reception quality-related information of the terminal 200) from the decoded data input by the self-error correction decoding unit 110, and output the obtained terminal information to the terminal group generation unit 101 and the scheduling unit 102.

[0106] [Configuration Example of Terminal 200]

[0107] The terminal 200 receives the terminal group information from the AP 100 and retains the terminal group information. In addition, the terminal 200 receives the trigger frame for scheduling the RU for sending low-latency services, for example, using the group identifier (e.g., group AID) of the terminal group, and sends a UL signal to the AP 100 as a response to the trigger frame.

[0108] Fig.13 It is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the terminal 200. Fig.13 The terminal 200 shown may include, for example, a wireless transceiver unit 201, a demodulator 202, an error correction decoding unit 203, a general information acquisition unit 204, a terminal group information retention unit 205, a user information acquisition unit 206, a data generator 207, an error correction coding unit 208 and a modulator 209.

[0109] For example, at least one of the general information acquisition unit 204, the terminal group information storage unit 205, the user information acquisition unit 206, and the data generation unit 207 may be included in an access control unit (eg, a MAC processing unit).

[0110] in addition, Fig.13 At least one of the demodulation unit 202, the error correction decoding unit 203, the general information acquisition unit 204, the terminal group information storage unit 205, the user information acquisition unit 206, the data generation unit 207, the error correction coding unit 208 and the modulation unit 209 shown in the figure can be included in, for example, Figure 6In addition, Fig.13 The wireless transceiver unit 201 shown may be included in Figure 6 The receiving part shown.

[0111] The wireless transceiver 201 receives a reception signal using, for example, an antenna, performs wireless reception processing such as down-conversion and A / D conversion on the reception signal, and outputs the signal after the wireless reception processing to the demodulator 202 .

[0112] In addition, the wireless transceiver 201 performs wireless transmission processing such as up-conversion and D / A conversion on the signal input from the modulation unit 209, and transmits the signal after the wireless transmission processing from the antenna. For example, the wireless transceiver 201 can determine the transmission timing based on the information (for example, information related to the transmission timing) input from the terminal group information storage unit 205, and transmit the signal from the antenna according to the determined transmission timing.

[0113] The demodulation unit 202 demodulates the received data input from the wireless transceiver unit 201, and outputs the demodulated signal to the error correction decoding unit 203. In addition, when the signal input to the demodulation unit 202 is an OFDM signal, the terminal 200 (for example, the demodulation unit 202) can perform CP removal processing and FFT processing, for example.

[0114] The error correction decoding unit 203 can, for example, decode the demodulated signal input from the demodulation unit 202, and output the decoded signal as a received data signal. In addition, the error correction decoding unit 203 outputs a trigger frame in the received data signal, for example, to the general information acquisition unit 204 and the user information acquisition unit 206. In addition, the error correction decoding unit 203 outputs a frame (frame) containing the terminal group information in the received data signal, for example, to the terminal group information storage unit 205.

[0115] The general information acquisition unit 204 may extract information corresponding to the general information field from the trigger frame input from the self-error correction decoding unit 203 to acquire the terminal general information, for example.

[0116] The terminal general information may include, for example, information related to the channel allocated to the terminal 200. In addition, information related to the allocation period for the terminal 200 may also be included as the terminal general information. In addition, the terminal general information may also include, for example, a trigger type subfield and a CS required subfield. When the value of the trigger type subfield corresponds to a category indicating that a UL transmission limited to a specified service (for example, a low-latency service) is performed by a terminal group, the terminal 200 may also change the format of the user information field from the format of the basic category and interpret it. In addition, when the value of the CS required subfield is 1, the terminal 200 performs carrier sensing before UL transmission. The period for performing carrier sensing is, for example, set to the period from the end timing of the PPDU containing the trigger frame to the specified UL transmission timing pre-indicated by the AP 100 (or indicated by the trigger frame).

[0117] The general information acquisition unit 204 may output the extracted terminal general information to the user information acquisition unit 206 .

[0118] The terminal group information storage unit 205 obtains and stores the terminal group information from, for example, a frame containing the terminal group information input from the self-error correction decoding unit 203. In the terminal group information, for example, Figure 8 , Fig. 9 , Fig.11 or Fig.12 As shown, it may include at least information associating the terminal AID and the terminal group identifier (e.g., group AID). In addition, for example, the transmission timing information (offset) of each terminal 200 in the terminal group may also be associated with the terminal group information. The terminal group information retaining unit 205 may output the retained information to the user information acquiring unit 206, the data generating unit 207, and the wireless transceiver unit 201, for example.

[0119] The user information acquisition unit 206 can, for example, extract information corresponding to the user information list (for example, at least one user information field and a special user information field) from the trigger frame input from the self-error correction decoding unit 203, and perform reception processing of the user information field based on the terminal general information (for example, including the trigger type) input from the general information acquisition unit 204 and the information input from the terminal group information retention unit 205.

[0120] For example, the user information acquisition unit 206 determines whether there is a UL transmission instruction for the terminal group including the terminal 200 by comparing the terminal identification information (for example, AID12 subfield) contained in the user information field with the terminal group identifier (for example, group AID) input from the terminal group information retention unit 205. The user information acquisition unit 206 may also determine the format of the user information field according to whether there is a UL transmission instruction for the terminal group. In addition, the user information acquisition unit 206 obtains terminal-specific information (for example, wireless resource allocation information, transmission power information, UL signal length, etc.) from the user information field. In addition, for example, the signal length of the UL signal may also be determined based on the duration indicated by the UL length subfield (UL Length subfield) of the trigger frame.

[0121] The user information acquisition unit 206 may output the terminal-specific information and the terminal-common information to the data generation unit 207, for example.

[0122] The data generation unit 207 obtains the service information allowed to be sent to UL based on the information input from the terminal group information storage unit 205 and the information input from the user information acquisition unit 206. The data generation unit 207 performs data generation processing, for example, when retaining the service data allowed by the AP 100. On the other hand, when the data generation unit 207 does not retain the service data allowed by the AP 100, the following processing in the data generation unit 207 may be stopped (for example, not sending the UL signal).

[0123] For example, when performing data generation, the data generation unit 207 outputs the generated data signal (eg, a UL signal sent to the AP 100) to the error correction coding unit 208. The UL signal may be, for example, a response signal to a trigger frame, or may be generated according to the TB-PPDU format.

[0124] The error correction coding unit 208 performs error correction coding on the data signal input from the data generation unit 207, and outputs the coded signal to the modulation unit 209. In addition, the coding rate for the data signal can be determined based on the terminal-specific information input from the user information acquisition unit 206, for example.

[0125] The modulation unit 209 modulates the signal input from the error correction coding unit 208, and outputs the modulated signal to the wireless transceiver unit 201. In addition, the modulation method applied by the modulation unit 209 can be determined based on, for example, the terminal-specific information input from the user information acquisition unit 206. In addition, when the modulated signal is an OFDM signal, the terminal 200 (for example, the modulation unit 209) can perform IFFT processing and add CP after mapping the modulated signal to the frequency resource, thereby forming an OFDM signal.

[0126] In addition, when the sending timing information is not included in the terminal group information and is Fig.10 When a trigger frame (e.g., a transmission timing information subfield) of the format shown is notified, the terminal 200 can, for example, obtain transmission timing information (not shown) from the user information acquisition unit 206 and transmit a signal from the antenna according to the transmission timing indicated by the transmission timing information.

[0127] [Operation Example of AP 100 and Terminal 200]

[0128] Next, an operation example of the AP 100 and the terminal 200 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0129] AP100 generates terminal group information and notifies the generated terminal group information to multiple terminals 200 (e.g., non-AP terminals) included in the terminal group. In addition, AP100 instructs one or more terminals 200 to transmit UL at a specified transmission timing, for example, using a trigger frame including terminal group information shared with the terminals 200.

[0130] According to this embodiment, the AP 100 can, for example, allocate the same radio resources (e.g., RA-RU) to multiple terminals 200, allowing the terminal 200 that reserves the low-latency service to perform UL transmission, while not allowing the terminal 200 that does not reserve the low-latency service to perform UL transmission. Thus, for example, the terminal 200 can send a UL signal without sending a notification of a transmission buffer (a request for transmission resources) from the terminal 200 to the AP 100, thereby reducing the delay.

[0131] Furthermore, even when there are multiple terminals 200 that reserve low-latency services, for example, by making the transmission timings of the terminals 200 in the terminal group different, collision of UL signals can be reduced, and the AP 100 can receive a signal from one terminal 200 .

[0132] Fig.14 FIG. 2 shows an operation example of the AP 100 and the terminal 200 according to the present embodiment. Fig.14 In the example shown, AP100 instructs three terminals 200 (STA1, STA2, and STA3) to transmit UL. Fig. 9 The terminal group information (group AID=2008) shown in FIG. 200 is notified to the plurality of terminals 200 in advance. Fig.14 STA1, STA2, and STA3 shown in the figure each set a group AID=2008 which is common to the plurality of terminals 200 included in the terminal group.

[0133] As an example, in Fig.14 In the example, the service information allowed to be sent (eg, the restricted UL TID bitmap subfield) includes a low-latency service.

[0134] exist Fig.14 Therefore, STA1 determines that it is not allowed to send UL signals based on the restricted UL TID bitmap, and thus does not send UL signals.

[0135] In addition, Fig.14 STA2 reserves the low-latency service. Therefore, based on the restricted UL TID bitmap, STA2 determines that it is allowed to send UL signals. In addition, STA2 uses Fig. 9 The transmission timing (offset = SIFS + 9us) defined (or specified) for STA2 in the terminal group information shown. Fig.14 Since the carrier sensing result until the transmission timing is idle, STA2 transmits a UL signal.

[0136] In addition, Fig.14 STA3 reserves the low-latency service. Therefore, based on the restricted UL TID bitmap, STA3 determines that it is allowed to send UL signals. In addition, STA3 uses Fig. 9 The transmission timing (offset = SIFS + 18us) defined for STA3 in the terminal group information shown. Fig.14 STA3 detects the signal of STA2 by carrier sensing until the transmission timing, and therefore does not transmit the UL signal because the carrier sensing result is busy.

[0137] like Fig.14 As shown, in the resources allocated to the multiple terminals 200, some (specified) service categories (e.g., low-latency services) among the multiple service categories are allowed to be sent, while other service categories are not allowed to be sent. As a result, in the resources allocated to the multiple terminals 200, the service categories of the signals transmitted by UL are limited, so that the collision of UL signals between the terminals 200 can be reduced.

[0138] In addition, even when there are multiple terminals 200 that retain UL signals of a specified service category, the transmission timing of the UL signals set for each terminal 200 is different. As a result, in the resources allocated to multiple terminals 200, it is possible to reduce the collision of UL signals containing low-latency services between terminals 200.

[0139] In addition, the allocated resource size (e.g., the transmission resource size of the UL signal) can be set to 20MHz×N (e.g., an integer multiple of 20MHz). In this case, the terminal 200 can send signals in a wideband domain, and therefore, the UL signal length (e.g., the duration of the PPDU) can be shortened, thereby reducing latency. In addition, by setting the allocated resources to 20MHz×N, an embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied without changing the specifications of the carrier sensing in units of 20MHz of the existing standards (e.g., 11ax, 11be, etc.).

[0140] In addition, the allocated resource size can be set to be less than 20 MHz. In this case, the terminal 200 can perform carrier sensing before UL transmission in the transmitting RU, and not perform carrier sensing in a RU different from the transmitting RU. Thus, when the allocated resource is less than 20 MHz, for example, UL signals with different transmission timings can be frequency multiplexed in the 20 MHz band.

[0141] Hereinafter, a method for setting terminal group information, a method for notifying the terminal 200 of the terminal group information, a method for generating a trigger frame, and a UL transmission method will be described.

[0142] [Example of terminal group information setting]

[0143] As described above, in the terminal group information, for example, Figure 8 As shown, at least information indicating a correspondence relationship between the AID of each terminal and a group identifier (eg, group AID) may be set.

[0144] In addition, in the terminal group information, for example, Fig.11 As shown, at least one of the following information may be set: service information indicating a part of the service category that is allowed to be sent (e.g., a restricted UL TID bitmap subfield), UL signal transmission timing information (e.g., an offset subfield), and MCS information (e.g., an MCS subfield) (or, these information may be corresponded to the terminal group information).

[0145] For example, AP100 may also extract the terminals 200 corresponding to the transmission and reception of low-latency services based on the capability information of the terminals 200, and group them into terminal groups. In addition, AP100 may also extract the terminals 200 that retain the uplink or downlink buffers of low-latency services from the terminals 200 that are capable of supporting the transmission and reception of low-latency services, and group them into terminal groups. In addition, for example, the terminals 200 may also use BSR to report the sizes of each service including the latency requirement to AP100, thereby notifying the AP100 of the uplink / downlink buffer status of the low-latency service of the terminal 200.

[0146] In addition, the capability information of the terminal 200 associated with the low-latency service may also be included in the capability information of the Association Request frame and notified to the AP 100. The AP 100 may determine (or grasp) the capability of the terminal according to the Association Request frame and generate terminal group information.

[0147] In addition, the terminal 200 may also determine whether to respond to the trigger frame based on the capability of the terminal 200. For example, when the terminal 200 that does not correspond to the transmission and reception of the low-latency service detects a trigger type that explicitly indicates that the UL transmission of the service limited to the terminal group is limited, it may also stop the UL transmission processing including the subsequent decoding processing for the trigger frame.

[0148] In addition, for example, Figure 8 , Fig. 9 , Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, the reserved bits (eg, one of 2008-2044, 2047-4094) of the AID12 subfield may be used as the terminal group number (eg, group AID).

[0149] Alternatively, for example, the reservation of the AID12 subfield may not be used, and the AID used by the associated STA (for example, one of 1-2007) may be used as the terminal group number. When the AID used by the associated STA is used as the terminal group number, the AP100 does not use the AID used as the terminal group number as the AID dedicated to the terminal 200 (hereinafter referred to as "dedicated AID") for the terminal 200 corresponding to the enhanced 11be (for example, the enhanced 11be terminal). In addition, as described below, the AP100 may use the AID that has been used as the terminal group number for the enhanced 11be terminal as a dedicated AID for the terminal 200 (for example, the existing standard terminal).

[0150] In addition, the terminal group number may be set to, for example, an AID (e.g., 0, 2045) indicating an RA-RU for a plurality of terminals 200. For example, AID=0 may be set for the terminal group of the terminals 200 (associated STAs) connected to the AP100, and AID=2045 may be set for the terminal group of the terminals 200 (unassociated STAs) not connected to the AP100. In the case of a RA-RU being assigned and indicating a UL signal for a low-latency service, the terminal 200 may, for example, not consider OBO (OFDMA random access backoff) used in existing random access, and transmit the UL signal at a specified transmission timing (e.g., it may always operate as OBO=0).

[0151] In addition, for example, a terminal that only supports existing standards (e.g., 11ax, 11be) and an enhanced 11be terminal that supports a standard (e.g., enhanced 11be) that supports the actions of this embodiment may be included in the same terminal group. Fig.15 As shown, AP100 may also set the AID (for example, AID=2007) that has been set as the group AID for the enhanced 11be terminal to a terminal that does not have the function of acquiring terminal group information (for example, a terminal corresponding to 11be). Fig.15 In this way, AP100 can schedule a common RU for a terminal not corresponding to enhanced 11be and an enhanced 11be terminal using one AID.

[0152] In this case, the enhanced 11be terminal may also transmit the UL signal at a timing later than SIFS by a set offset (e.g., SIFS+9us). On the other hand, the transmission timing of the terminal that only supports the existing standard does not support the operation of this embodiment, and therefore, the transmission timing of the UL signal is fixed to SIFS. Thus, for example, when a terminal that only supports the existing standard does not transmit a UL signal, the enhanced 11be terminal may transmit a UL signal through carrier sensing of the enhanced 11be terminal, thereby avoiding conflicts of UL signals and effectively utilizing wireless resources.

[0153] In addition, multiple group AIDs may be defined (specified or set) for one terminal 200. Fig.16 As shown, multiple group AIDs (e.g., 2008 and 2009) may be defined for one terminal 200 (e.g., for STA1, STA2, and STA3, respectively). Fig.16As shown, different service information, different transmission timing information or different MCS information may be associated with each group AID. Thus, for example, AP100 can flexibly change the service category of UL transmission, determine the transmission timing or MCS of the priority of each terminal 200, and instruct to send UL signals for the same terminal 200 according to the group AID included in the trigger frame.

[0154] In addition, the UL transmission timing is not limited to Fig.11 , Fig.12 , Fig.16 In the case where the UL transmission timing (candidate transmission timing) is individually set for the terminal 200 in the terminal group, for example, multiple UL transmission timings (candidate transmission timings) may be set in the terminal group information, and each terminal 200 may randomly select from the multiple candidates. The terminal 200 may also randomly select (or apply) a transmission timing from the multiple transmission timings (candidate transmission timings). Fig.17 As shown, in the terminal group information, multiple transmission timings (for example, SIFS, SIFS+9us, and SIFS+18us) selectable by the terminal 200 can be defined. The terminal 200, for example, randomly selects and uses a transmission timing from the multiple transmission timings defined in the terminal group information, thereby making it possible to make the priority of transmission data uniform among multiple terminals 200 and improve fairness among the terminals 200.

[0155] In addition, as described above, in the case where the terminal 200 randomly selects a transmission timing from a plurality of transmission timings, the number of transmission timing patterns may also be different depending on the number of terminals included in the terminal group. For example, the more terminals a terminal group includes, the more patterns (e.g., candidate numbers) of the UL signal transmission timing may be set. As an example, when the number of terminals in the terminal group is 3 or less, Fig.17 As shown, the transmission timing of three modes is defined. When the number of terminals in the terminal group is 4 or more, as shown in FIG. Fig.18 As shown, six transmission timing patterns are defined. By changing the number of selectable transmission timing patterns according to the number of terminals constituting the terminal group, the transmission timing can be controlled within a predetermined time and fairness among the terminals 200 can be improved.

[0156] In addition, the selectable transmission timing set may also be different according to the service information (e.g., TID) allowed to be transmitted. For example, the higher the priority of the service category (e.g., the service requiring low latency), the earlier the transmission timing set may be set. As an example, Fig.19 As shown, in the service category with higher priority (for example, requiring low latency) ( Fig.19In the case of 11000000), the UL transmission timing is defined in the range of SIFS to SIFS+18us. Fig.19 In the case of 00110000 in the example, the UL transmission timing is defined in the range of SIFS+18us to SIFS+35us. As a result, the higher the priority of the service type, the higher the probability of early UL transmission timing, thus reducing the delay of UL transmission.

[0157] In addition, for example, AP100 may include in the user information field whether to allow terminal 200 to randomly select the transmission timing of the UL signal or to instruct AP100 to transmit the UL signal, and indicate this. Fig. 20 As shown, AP100 may also generate the following terminal group information, which not only explicitly indicates the transmission timing (mode 1 to mode 3) indicated to each terminal 200 in the terminal group, but also explicitly indicates the random selection (mode 4) performed by the terminal 200. For example, AP100 may also indicate one of modes 1 to 4 to the terminal 200 using 2 bits of the user information field.

[0158] Thus, the AP 100 can, for example, instruct the UL transmission timing of each terminal 200 according to the communication status of each terminal 200, thereby improving fairness among the terminals 200. For example, when there is a difference in throughput among the terminals 200, by advancing the transmission timing of the terminal 200 with low throughput, the UL transmission of the terminal 200 can be prioritized, thereby improving the throughput. In addition, for example, when the difference in throughput among the terminals 200 is small, by instructing random selection, fairness among the terminals 200 can be maintained.

[0159] In addition, the AP 100 may indicate, for example, a timing smaller than SIFS (for example, a timing offset by SIFS-6us from the end timing of the PPDU including the trigger frame) as the UL signal transmission timing to the terminal 200. For example, by indicating a timing smaller than SIFS, the AP 100 enables the terminal 200 that has the ability to respond with a timing smaller than SIFS to preferentially transmit the UL signal.

[0160] In addition, the transmission timing instruction may not be included in the terminal group information. For example, the transmission timing corresponding to the access category (AC) of the service permitted for UL transmission may be defined in the standard, or may be set in a pre-negotiation between the AP 100 and the terminal 200 .

[0161] For example, the transmission timing corresponding to four categories of AC (e.g., video, voice, best effort, and background) can also be set in the following manner according to the required delay of each AC. The service ID (TID) and the AC are previously associated with each other, so the AP 100 uses the TID to indicate the service allowed for UL transmission, thereby enabling the terminal 200 to select the transmission timing corresponding to the TID.

[0162] Video: SIFS

[0163] Voice: SIFS+9us

[0164] Best effort: SIFS+18us

[0165] Background: SIFS+18us

[0166] It should be noted that the "AID" of the AID and group AID described in one embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to the association identifier (Association identifier) ​​set by AP100 for non-AP terminals. For example, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, AID sometimes also represents various IDs and values ​​used by the AID12 subfield of the trigger frame. In addition, AID can also be referred to as "terminal ID" or "group ID". In addition, group AID can also be used to determine the ID of one or more terminals 200 that are instructed by the trigger frame to send UL signals (including low-latency services). The definition of group AID can also use existing frames.

[0167] The above describes an example of setting the terminal group information.

[0168] [Example of notification of terminal group information]

[0169] An example of a method of notifying the terminal group information from the AP 100 to the terminal 200 will be described.

[0170] For example, the terminal group information may be notified from the AP 100 to the plurality of terminals 200 using a management frame (eg, called a “new management frame”) different from the existing frame.

[0171] For example, the new management frame may include a field (eg, called a "Membership Status field") that indicates, for a plurality of terminal groups, whether the terminal 200 that is the notification target (transmission destination) is included in each terminal group.

[0172] Fig.21 An example of a member status field. Fig.21In the example of , 1 bit is used for each of 64 group AIDs (e.g., AID=2008-2071) to notify whether the terminal 200 as the destination is included in each terminal group (e.g., whether it is a member or a non-member). Fig.21 In the case where the values ​​of B0 and B1 are 1 (member) and the bits other than B0 and B1 are 0 (non-member), group AID=2008, 2009 is set for the terminal 200 as the transmission destination. Fig.21 In the illustrated example, the terminal group information is notified to the terminal 200 individually.

[0173] In addition, similar to the member status, 8 bits may be used for each of the plurality of group AIDs to notify the terminal 200 of the service information (eg, the restricted UL TID bitmap) that is permitted to be transmitted.

[0174] In addition, for example, Fig. 22 As shown, the terminal group ID (group AID or group ID), the set of terminal IDs belonging to the terminal group (for example, the terminals whose terminal AIDs are the start (Start) AID to the end (End) AID), the service information allowed to be sent (for example, the restricted UL TID) and the MCS information for the UL signal (for example, the UL MCS) can also be notified to the multiple terminals 200 at the same time. In this way, Fig. 22 In the example shown, the terminal group information is notified to a plurality of terminals 200 at once. Fig. 22 The new management frame shown is an example and is not limited thereto. For example, the new management frame may include at least a set of a group ID and a terminal ID (eg, a start AID and an end AID).

[0175] For example, a method of individually notifying a terminal (eg, Fig.21 ) and a method for notifying a plurality of terminals 200 of the terminal group information at once (for example, Fig. 22 ) can flexibly generate terminal groups. In addition, a method of notifying a plurality of terminals 200 of terminal group information at once (for example, Fig. 22 ) and a method of notifying the terminal individually (for example, Fig.21 ) compared, it can reduce the amount of signaling.

[0176] In addition, for example, an existing frame may be used (or may be diverted) to notify the terminal group information.

[0177] For example, the terminal group information may be notified to the terminal 200 by using the Group ID management frame of IEEE 11ac or the Restricted Access Window (RAW) Parameter Set (RPS) element format of IEEE 11ah.

[0178] In addition, the terminal group information may be included in a beacon of the AP 100 , for example, or may be broadcast as broadcast information to a plurality of terminals 200 connected to the AP 100 .

[0179] In addition, for example, in the negotiation process of establishing a corresponding low-latency service between the TID and the latency requirement (for example, latency budget) of the service of the TID (for example, an extension of a new action frame request / response (Request / Response), or an additional block acknowledgment (ADDBA: Add Block Acknowledgment), etc.), terminal group information may be added and notified to terminal 200.

[0180] In the above, an example of notification of terminal group information has been described.

[0181] [Example of trigger frame generation and UL transmission]

[0182] The following describes the trigger frame generation process in the AP 100 (e.g., the general information generation unit 103, the user information generation unit 104, and the trigger frame generation unit 105). In addition, the UL signal transmission process based on the terminal group information in the terminal 200 (e.g., the terminal group information storage unit 205 and the wireless transceiver unit 201) is described.

[0183] For example, one trigger frame may include a plurality of user information fields (terminal-specific information) corresponding to the same group AID (eg, identification information common to a plurality of terminals 200 ).

[0184] For example, Fig.10 As shown, the AP 100 may also include the transmission timing information (e.g., the transmission timing information subfield) in the user information field, and indicate that different transmission timings are used between the terminals 200 in the terminal group. For example, the transmission timing information included in the user information field may also be as follows: Fig.12 or Fig. 20 The mode number of the transmission timing is shown.

[0185] As an example, AP100 is used Fig.12In the case of the terminal group information shown, a trigger frame including two user information fields with group AID=2008 set can be generated and sent to multiple terminals 200 (for example, STA1, STA2 and STA3). For example, AP100 can indicate two different wireless resources (for example, RU1 and RU2) in the two user information fields, and indicate the mode numbers of the transmission timing=1 and 3 respectively.

[0186] Here, as an example, the following case is described, that is, STA1 does not retain the service data indicated by the terminal group information, and STA2 and STA3 retain the service data indicated by the terminal group information. In this case, it is assumed that STA2 and STA3 attempt to perform UL transmission. In this case, the transmission timing in RU1 and RU2 of STA2 becomes "SIFS+9us" and "SIFS+18us", respectively. In addition, the transmission timing in RU1 and RU2 of STA3 becomes "SIFS+18us" and "SIFS", respectively.

[0187] STA2 and STA3 are connected to the same group AID (in Fig.12 In the case where the user information field corresponding to 2008 indicates multiple wireless resources (RU), a wireless resource with a smaller (earlier) transmission timing can be selected from the multiple wireless resources. For example, in the above example, Fig.23 As shown, STA2 can select RU1 with the earlier "SIFS+9us" of the transmission timing of RU1 and the transmission timing of RU2, and transmit the UL signal (for example, EHT TB PPDU) at the transmission timing of "SIFS+9us" in RU1. Fig.23 As shown, STA3 may select RU2 of "SIFS+18us" which is earlier than "SIFS" of RU1 and "SIFS" of RU2, and RU2 transmits a UL signal (eg, EHTTB PPDU) at the transmission timing of "SIFS".

[0188] Here, the carrier sensing performed before UL transmission may be performed, for example, in a subchannel including an RU to be transmitted by each terminal 200. Fig.23 In the example shown, STA2 can perform carrier sensing in RU1, but not in RU2. Fig.23 In the example shown, STA3 can perform carrier sensing in RU2, but not in RU1. Fig.23 As shown, even if RU2 is used for STA3, STA2 can still send an uplink signal in RU1 because the result of carrier sensing for RU1 is idle.

[0189] In this way, for example, signal collisions between terminals 200 in wireless resources limited to low-latency services can be reduced, and UL signals of multiple terminals 200 can be frequency multiplexed, thereby reducing latency.

[0190] Furthermore, when there are multiple RUs with the same transmission timing among multiple radio resources (RUs) of the same group AID, terminal 200 may randomly select one RU from the multiple RUs with the same transmission timing. The fairness of transmission opportunities can be maintained through random selection.

[0191] For example, an example of the process in which the terminal 200 selects one RU from a plurality of candidate RUs may also be as follows.

[0192] (1) Terminal 200 randomly selects one RU from candidate RUs that can be transmitted at a predetermined transmission timing (for example, initial value = SIFS).

[0193] (2) If the carrier sensing result in the band of the RU selected in process (1) is idle, the terminal 200 determines the selected RU as the transmission RU and ends the selection process. If the carrier sensing result is busy, the terminal 200 excludes the selected RU from the candidate RUs.

[0194] (3) If a candidate RU exists, terminal 200 returns to process (1), and if a candidate RU does not exist, terminal 200 proceeds to process (4).

[0195] (4) Terminal 200 updates the transmission timing by 1 step (for example, adding 9 us) and selects a candidate RU that can be transmitted at the updated transmission timing. If there is a candidate RU, Terminal 200 returns to process (1), and if there is no candidate RU, proceeds to process (5).

[0196] (5) Terminal 200 stops UL transmission (when all candidate RUs for transmission timing are busy).

[0197] It should be noted that the terminal 200 can calculate the duration of the packet extension (PE) field, which is the last field of the TB-PPDU constituting the UL signal, based on the UL transmission timing (offset). Fig.23 As shown, the end timing of the UL signal can be made consistent among a plurality of terminals 200 .

[0198] In addition, when there are multiple user information fields indicated by the dedicated AID and the group AID for the same terminal 200, the terminal 200 may, for example, prioritize the RU indicated by the user information field for which the dedicated AID is set, and apply the SIFS offset to send the UL signal. Thus, when the AP 100 knows the buffer amount of the terminal 200, it can allocate wireless resources to the terminal 200 individually according to the dedicated AID, thereby reducing the delay.

[0199] Furthermore, when there are multiple user information fields indicated by dedicated AID and group AID for the same terminal 200, the terminal 200 may, for example, prioritize the RU indicated by the user information field for which the group AID is set, and apply an offset corresponding to the terminal group information to transmit the UL signal.

[0200] Here, if Fig.23 As shown in FIG. 1 , when UL signals transmitted from a plurality of terminals 200 at different timings are frequency multiplexed, interference between signals of the terminals 200 may occur in the reception process of the AP 100. For example, when OFDM modulation is applied to the UL signal, when the transmission timing of the terminal 200 exceeds the CP length, the orthogonality of OFDM is destroyed, and interference may occur.

[0201] Therefore, examples of UL transmission methods (for example, transmission method 1 and transmission method 2) for reducing interference are described below.

[0202] <Delivery method 1>

[0203] Transmission method 1 is a method of setting a guard band at a boundary of 20 MHz×N in the RU indicated by the group AID.

[0204] For example, Fig.24 As shown, a guard band (for example, a non-transmission interval) having a predetermined number of tones may be applied at the boundary of 242 tones (20 MHz channel).

[0205] For example, AP100 performs reception processing according to the allocated RUs (e.g., 20 MHz×N) of the multiple terminals 200. At this time, by setting a guard band at the boundary with other resources in the allocated RU, AP100 can reduce the influence of interference on UL signals transmitted at different timings by multiple terminals 200 in the case of frequency reuse.

[0206] <Delivery method 2>

[0207] Transmission method 2 is a method of making the format of a TB-PPDU including a UL signal in response to a trigger frame including a group AID different from the existing TB-PPDU format (for example, a redefinition method).

[0208] For example, Fig.25 As shown, the format of the UL signal (e.g., EHT TB-PPDU for the group AID) allocated by the user information field corresponding to the group AID (e.g., identification information common to multiple terminals 200) and the format of the UL signal (e.g., EHT TB-PPDU) allocated by the user information field corresponding to the AID dedicated to the terminal 200 may be different.

[0209] As an example, Fig.25 As shown, the following PPDU format can be applied as the format of the EHT TB-PPDU for the group AID, and the PPDU format changes the number of repetitions (Repetition) of a predetermined codeword in the UL signal according to the offset (or transmission timing) set for each terminal 200 in the terminal group. Fig.25 In the example, the smaller the offset from the end timing of the PPDU containing the trigger frame, the more the number of repetitions of the RL-SIG symbol can be set. As a result, the reception timing difference of the OFDM symbol after the U-SIG in AP100 is controlled within the CP length without depending on the offset, thereby preventing interference. In addition, AP100 can, for example, uniformly perform FFT processing on the bands of all the allocated RUs containing multiple terminals 200.

[0210] In addition, for example, Fig.26 As shown, the following PPDU format can be applied, which changes the duration of a predetermined symbol (for example, L-STF) in the UL signal according to the offset (or transmission timing) set for each terminal 200 in the terminal group. Fig.26 In the example of , the smaller the offset from the end timing of the PPDU containing the trigger frame, the larger the L-STF symbol length can be set by repeating the specified sequence. Fig.25 Similarly, the reception timing difference of OFDM symbols after U-SIG in AP100 is controlled within the CP length without depending on the offset, thereby preventing interference. In addition, AP100 can uniformly perform FFT processing on all allocated RUs including multiple terminals 200, for example.

[0211] An example of a UL transmission method for reducing interference has been described above.

[0212] In 11ax and 11be, the transmission order (or priority) of the user information field in the trigger frame has the following rule, that is, based on the RU indicated by each user information field, the rule is to send it in the following order. According to this rule, the AP 100 uses the trigger frame to send the information of the user information field. As a result, the terminal 200 can start the generation process of the UL signal with a high priority in advance.

[0213] 1. RU allocation using the AID dedicated to the terminal 200

[0214] 2. RA-RU allocation using special AID (0 or 2045)

[0215] 3. Unassigned RU using special AID (2046)

[0216] In this embodiment, for example, the sending order of RU allocation (for example, called "RU allocation using group AID") limited to a specified service (for example, a low-latency service) for a terminal group can also be redefined. Fig. 27 As shown, the sending order (or priority) of the user information field in the trigger frame may also be the following rule, that is, based on the RU indicated by each user information field, the rule of sending in the following order. In the following rule, the user information field indicating the RU allocation using the group AID may be set earlier than the user information field indicating other RUs.

[0217] 1. RU allocation using group AID

[0218] 2. RU allocation using terminal-specific AID

[0219] 3. RA-RU allocation using special AID (0 or 2045)

[0220] 4. Unallocated RU using special AID (2046)

[0221] In this way, in the trigger frame, the transmission order of the user information field corresponding to the group AID can be earlier than the transmission order of the user information field corresponding to the AID dedicated to the terminal 200. As a result, the terminal 200 can end the decoding process of the user information field containing the transmission indication of the low-latency service in advance, so that it can start preparing for UL transmission in advance. As a result, the delay of the low-latency service can be reduced.

[0222] In addition, for example, when the occurrence rate of low-latency services is low in the application environment of AP100, AP100 may also allocate RUs below 20 MHz to low-latency services.

[0223] For example, Fig.28As shown in FIG. 1 , it is explained that 5 terminal groups (group AID = 2008 to 2012) are generated for 15 terminals 200 (AID = 1 to 15). For example, when the occurrence rate of low-latency services is low in the application environment of AP 100, AP 100 can be as follows: Fig.29 As shown, 15 terminals 200 (eg, 3 terminals / RU) are scheduled in 5 RUs within 20 MHz.

[0224] For example, in the case where carrier sensing before UL transmission by the terminal 200 is performed in units of 20 MHz, the signal of the terminal 200 for which the transmission timing is set earlier among the terminals 200 having data can be frequency-multiplexed. Fig.28 In the case where STA1 (group AID = 2008, offset = SIFS) and STA10 (group AID = 2011, offset = SIFS) have low-latency services, STA1 and STA10 are set to transmit at an earlier timing than other terminals 200 in each terminal group (e.g., group AID = 2008 and 2011). Fig.29 As shown, STA1 and STA10 can perform frequency multiplexing in RUs (eg, RU1 and RU4) below 20 MHz.

[0225] When the occurrence rate of low-latency services is low (when the number of terminals allowed to send is small), by allocating RUs below 20MHz to low-latency services, for example, other terminals 200 will give priority to sending, so that the carrier monitoring becomes busy and the impact of not being able to send UL signals is small. As a result, multiple terminals 200 can be efficiently allocated in fewer wireless resources.

[0226] In addition, in the case of RU allocation below 20 MHz, the specification may be changed so that carrier sensing before UL transmission by the terminal 200 is performed in the RU band below 20 MHz. Thus, even below 20 MHz, frequency multiplexing of UL signals with different transmission timings is possible.

[0227] The above describes an example of trigger frame generation and UL transmission.

[0228] In this embodiment, the AP 100 generates a trigger frame indicating allocation of transmission resources of UL signals of some service categories among a plurality of service categories using an AID (group AID) common to the plurality of terminals 200 included in the terminal group, and transmits the trigger frame to the terminal 200. In addition, the terminal 200 receives a trigger frame indicating allocation of transmission resources of UL signals of some service categories among a plurality of service categories using the group AID common to the plurality of terminals 200 included in the terminal group, and controls UL transmission based on the trigger frame.

[0229] As a result, for example, in the resources that can be allocated to the terminal group (for example, RA-RU), the terminal 200 can be limited to a part of the service categories (for example, services requiring low latency) for UL transmission. Therefore, the conflict of UL signals between multiple terminals 200 can be reduced without increasing the resources that can be allocated to the terminal group, thereby reducing the latency.

[0230] Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the transmission efficiency of UL signals in wireless communications.

[0231] One embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above.

[0232] In addition, the above-mentioned embodiment is not limited to the following situation, which refers to the situation where the allocation of UL transmission resources for UL transmission limited to a part of the service categories (for example, the setting of a limited UL TID) and the setting of the transmission timing of the UL signal (for example, the setting of an offset) are both established in correspondence with the terminal group information. For example, it is also possible to set the allocation of UL transmission resources for UL transmission limited to a part of the service categories (for example, the setting of a limited UL TID) without setting the transmission timing of the UL signal. Even in this case, by limiting the service category, the conflict of UL signals can be reduced, thereby reducing the delay. Alternatively, it is also possible to set the transmission timing of the UL signal without setting the allocation of UL transmission resources for UL transmission limited to a part of the service categories. Even in this case, due to the difference in the transmission timing of the UL signal, the conflict of UL signals can be reduced, thereby reducing the delay.

[0233] In addition, some service categories are not limited to services requiring low latency (for example, low latency services), but may also be other service categories.

[0234] In addition, parameters such as transmission timing (offset), restricted UL TID bitmap value, group AID, AID dedicated to terminal 200, number of terminals included in the terminal group), resource size, and number of resources are examples and other values ​​may also be used.

[0235] In the above embodiment, the field indicating the information related to the terminal group is not limited to the above field, and may be arranged in other fields. In addition, the number of bits used to notify each control information related to the terminal group is not limited to the above example, and may be other bit numbers.

[0236] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the structure of the trigger frame, and the structure of the general information field and the user information field in the trigger frame are not limited to the above-mentioned examples. For example, it can also be other structures after at least one of adding other subfields and deleting part of the subfields in the above-mentioned fields.

[0237] Similarly, in the above embodiments, the structure of the management frame and UL signal (e.g., EHT TB-PPDU) is not limited to the above examples, and may be other structures after at least one of adding other fields and deleting some fields in the above structures.

[0238] In addition, although the above-mentioned embodiment is described as an example based on the 11be format, the format of an embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to the 11be format. An embodiment of the present disclosure can also be applied to the next generation standard of IEEE 802.11p, i.e., IEEE 802.11bd (NGV (Next Generation V2X, next generation vehicle wireless communication technology)), which is an in-vehicle standard.

[0239] (Replenish)

[0240] The information indicating whether the terminal 200 supports the functions, actions or processes shown in the above-mentioned embodiments may be sent (or notified) by the terminal 200 to the base station 100 as capability information or capability parameters of the terminal 200, for example.

[0241] The capability information may also include the following information element (IE: Information Element), which indicates whether the terminal 200 supports at least one of the functions, actions, and processes shown in the above embodiments, respectively, for each terminal 200. Alternatively, the capability information may also include the following information element, which indicates whether the terminal 200 supports a combination of two or more of the functions, actions, and processes shown in the above embodiments. An information element may also be simply referred to as an "element".

[0242] For example, the AP 100 may determine (or decide or assume) the function, action or process supported (or not supported) by the source terminal 200 of the capability information based on the capability information received from the terminal 200. The AP 100 may implement an action, process or control corresponding to the result of the determination based on the capability information. For example, the AP 100 may control the terminal group based on the capability information received from the terminal 200.

[0243] Furthermore, if the terminal 200 does not support a part of the functions, actions or processes shown in the above embodiments, this may be replaced by limiting the functions, actions or processes of the part in the terminal 200. For example, information or a request related to such limitation may be notified to the AP 100.

[0244] The information related to the capability or limitation of the terminal 200 may be defined in the standard, for example, or may be implicitly notified to the AP 100 by being associated with information known to the AP 100 or information sent to the AP 100 .

[0245] The present disclosure can be implemented by software, hardware or software in cooperation with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of the above-mentioned embodiments is partially or entirely implemented as an LSI (Large Scale Integration) as an integrated circuit, and each process described in the above-mentioned embodiments may also be partially or entirely controlled by an LSI or a combination of LSIs. LSI may be composed of individual chips, or may be composed of one chip in a manner that includes part or all of the functional blocks. LSI may also include input and output of data. LSI may also be referred to as "IC (Integrated Circuit)", "System LSI", "Super LSI", "Ultra LSI" depending on the degree of integration.

[0246] 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 block inside the LSI can also be used. The present disclosure can also be implemented as digital processing or analog processing.

[0247] 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.

[0248] The present disclosure can be implemented in all kinds of devices, equipment, and systems (collectively referred to as "communication devices") with communication functions. The communication device may also include a wireless transceiver and a processing / control circuit. The wireless transceiver may also include a receiving unit and a transmitting unit, or perform the functions of these parts. The wireless transceiver (transmitting unit, receiving unit) may also include an RF (Radio Frequency) module and one or more antennas. The RF module may also include an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, or a device similar to these. 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) equipment, vehicles or transportation vehicles with communication functions (cars, airplanes, ships, etc.), and combinations of the above-mentioned various devices.

[0249] Communication devices are not limited to portable or movable 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.

[0250] 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.

[0251] 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.

[0252] 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.

[0253] An access point according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a control circuit that generates a control signal using identification information common to multiple terminals included in a terminal group, the control signal being a control signal indicating allocation of transmission resources for uplink signals of a portion of a plurality of service categories; and a transmission circuit that transmits the control signal.

[0254] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the portion of service categories is a service category requiring low latency.

[0255] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, information related to the service category of the portion is associated with the identification information.

[0256] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the size of the transmission resource is an integer multiple of 20 MHz.

[0257] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmission timings of the uplink signals set for the plurality of terminals in the terminal group are different from each other.

[0258] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sending timing of the uplink signal is randomly selected from a plurality of candidates.

[0259] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmission timing of the uplink signal is set individually for the terminals in the terminal group.

[0260] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, one of the control signals includes a plurality of terminal-specific information corresponding to the identification information common to the plurality of terminals.

[0261] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when a plurality of the transmission resources are indicated by the terminal-specific information corresponding to the same identification information among the plurality of terminal-specific information, a transmission resource having an earlier transmission timing among the plurality of transmission resources is applied.

[0262] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a guard band is set at a boundary between the transmission resource of each of the plurality of terminals and other resources.

[0263] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a first format of the uplink signal allocated by terminal-specific information corresponding to the identification information common to the multiple terminals is different from a second format of the uplink signal allocated by terminal-specific information corresponding to identification information specific to a terminal.

[0264] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the first format, the number of repetitions of a symbol in the uplink signal is set based on a transmission timing of the uplink signal.

[0265] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the first format, the length of a symbol in the uplink signal is set based on the transmission timing of the uplink signal.

[0266] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a format of the terminal-specific information corresponding to the identification information common to the plurality of terminals is different from a format of the terminal-specific information corresponding to the identification information specific to a terminal.

[0267] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the control signal, the terminal-specific information corresponding to the identification information common to the plurality of terminals is sent earlier in an order than the terminal-specific information corresponding to the identification information specific to the terminal.

[0268] A terminal of one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a receiving circuit, which uses identification information common to multiple terminals contained in a terminal group to receive a control signal, which is a control signal indicating the allocation of transmission resources for uplink signals of a part of multiple service categories; and a control circuit, which controls the uplink transmission based on the control signal.

[0269] In a communication method of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an access point performs the following processing: generates a control signal using identification information common to multiple terminals included in a terminal group, the control signal being a control signal indicating allocation of transmission resources for uplink signals of a portion of a plurality of service categories; and transmits the control signal.

[0270] In a communication method of one embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal performs the following processing: receiving a control signal using identification information common to multiple terminals contained in a terminal group, the control signal being a control signal indicating the allocation of transmission resources for uplink signals of a part of a plurality of service categories; and controlling the uplink transmission based on the control signal.

[0271] The disclosed contents of the specification, drawings, and abstract contained in the Japanese patent application No. 2022-104711 filed on June 29, 2022 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0272] Industrial Applicability

[0273] One embodiment of the present disclosure is useful for a wireless communication system.

[0274] Description of Reference Numerals

[0275] 100AP

[0276] 101 Terminal Group Generation Unit

[0277] 102 Dispatching Department

[0278] 103 General Information Generation Department

[0279] 104 User information generation unit

[0280] 105 Trigger frame generation unit

[0281] 106, 208 Error Correction Coding Unit

[0282] 107, 209 Modulation Department

[0283] 108, 201 Wireless transceiver unit

[0284] 109, 202 Demodulation Unit

[0285] 110, 203 Error correction decoding unit

[0286] 111 Terminal Information Retention Department

[0287] 200 Terminal

[0288] 204 General Information Acquisition Department

[0289] 205 Terminal Group Information Retention Unit

[0290] 206 User Information Acquisition Department

[0291] 207 Data Generation Unit

Claims

1. An access point, characterized in that: include: a control circuit that generates a control signal using identification information common to a plurality of terminals included in a terminal group, the control signal being a control signal for instructing allocation of transmission resources for uplink signals of a portion of a plurality of service categories; as well as The sending circuit sends the control signal.

2. The access point according to claim 1, wherein: The business categories of the part are business categories that require low latency.

3. The access point according to claim 1, wherein: Information related to the part of the business categories is associated with the identification information.

4. The access point according to claim 1, wherein: The size of the transmission resource is an integer multiple of 20 MHz.

5. The access point of claim 1, wherein: The transmission timings of the uplink signals set for the plurality of terminals in the terminal group are different from each other.

6. The access point according to claim 5, wherein: The transmission timing of the uplink signal is randomly selected from a plurality of candidates.

7. The access point according to claim 5, wherein: The transmission timing of the uplink signal is individually set for the terminals in the terminal group.

8. The access point of claim 1, wherein: One of the control signals includes a plurality of terminal-specific information corresponding to the identification information common to the plurality of terminals.

9. The access point of claim 8, wherein: When a plurality of the transmission resources are indicated by the terminal-specific information corresponding to the same identification information among the plurality of terminal-specific information, a transmission resource having an earlier transmission timing among the plurality of transmission resources is applied.

10. The access point according to claim 5, wherein: A guard band is set at a boundary between the transmission resource of each of the plurality of terminals and other resources.

11. The access point of claim 1, wherein: A first format of the uplink signal assigned by terminal-specific information corresponding to the identification information commonly used by the plurality of terminals is different from a second format of the uplink signal assigned by terminal-specific information corresponding to identification information specific to a terminal.

12. The access point of claim 11, wherein: In the first format, the number of repetitions of symbols in the uplink signal is set based on the transmission timing of the uplink signal.

13. The access point of claim 11, wherein: In the first format, the length of a symbol in the uplink signal is set based on the transmission timing of the uplink signal.

14. The access point of claim 1, wherein: The format of the terminal-specific information corresponding to the identification information commonly used by the plurality of terminals is different from the format of the terminal-specific information corresponding to the identification information specific to a terminal.

15. The access point of claim 1, wherein: In the control signal, the terminal-specific information corresponding to the identification information common to the plurality of terminals is transmitted earlier in order than the terminal-specific information corresponding to the identification information specific to a terminal.

16. A terminal, characterized in that: include: a receiving circuit that receives a control signal using identification information common to a plurality of terminals included in a terminal group, the control signal being a control signal instructing allocation of transmission resources for uplink signals of a portion of a plurality of service categories; as well as The control circuit controls the uplink transmission based on the control signal.

17. A communication method, characterized in that: The access point performs the following processing: generating a control signal using identification information common to a plurality of terminals included in a terminal group, the control signal being a control signal instructing allocation of transmission resources for uplink signals of a portion of a plurality of service categories; as well as The control signal is sent.

18. A communication method, characterized in that: The terminal performs the following processing: receiving a control signal using identification information common to a plurality of terminals included in a terminal group, the control signal being a control signal instructing allocation of transmission resources for uplink signals of a portion of a plurality of service categories; as well as Based on the control signal, the uplink transmission is controlled.

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