Communication apparatus, control method, and program

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication apparatus, a control method, and a program. The communication device (102) establishes or disconnects a connection with the communication device (103) via a second frequency channel when the communication device (102) communicates with the establishment request or disconnection request via the first frequency channel, the establishment request is used to establish a connection with the communication device (103) via a second frequency channel different from the first frequency channel that conforms to the same communication standard as the connection via the first frequency channel, and the disconnection request is used to disconnect the connection.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of an invention patent application with an application date of December 16, 2020, application number 202080087146.8 (international application number PCT / JP2020 / 046996), and invention name “Communication equipment, control method and program”. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the control of multiple connections in a communication device. Background Art

[0003] As a wireless communication standard prescribed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the IEEE 802.11 series of standards is known. The IEEE 802.11 series of standards includes standards such as the IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax standards and the like.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discusses the use of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) to perform wireless communication in the IEEE 802.11ax standard. In the IEEE 802.11ax standard, high peak throughput is achieved by performing wireless communication using OFDMA.

[0005] In IEEE, in order to further increase throughput and enhance frequency usage efficiency, the provisions of the IEEE 802.11be standard have been considered as a new IEEE 802.11 series standard. In the IEEE 802.11be standard, the following technology has been considered: through this technology, an access point (AP) establishes a connection with a station (STA) in each of a plurality of frequency channels in a 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) band, a 5 GHz band, or a 6 GHz band, and communicates with the STA.

[0006] Prior art literature

[0007] Patent Literature

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-50133 Summary of the invention

[0009] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0010] In this way, in the IEEE 802.11be standard, a technology for communicating by establishing connections via multiple frequency channels in the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band has been considered. Conventionally, the AP needs to perform, for example, a connection or disconnection process for each connection. Therefore, for example, in the case where the AP establishes a connection in a first frequency channel and a connection in a second frequency channel with the STA, in order to disconnect the connection in the second frequency channel, the AP must send a disconnection request signal for requesting disconnection via the second frequency channel. However, for example, in the case where interference with other communications occurs in the second frequency channel, there is the possibility that the AP cannot send a disconnection request signal to the STA and cannot properly control the connection in the second frequency channel.

[0011] The present invention aims at providing a technology capable of appropriately controlling connection with other communication devices in a frequency channel different from a frequency channel through which the communication device transmits a signal.

[0012] Solutions for solving problems

[0013] In view of the above situation, according to one aspect of the present invention, a communication device includes: an establishing unit, which is configured to establish a connection with other communication devices that conforms to a predetermined communication standard; a communication unit, which is configured to communicate information for specifying a connection target related to a connection with the other communication devices via a second frequency channel via a first frequency channel, the second frequency channel being different from the first frequency channel; and a control unit, which is configured to control the establishing unit to establish a connection with the other communication devices via the second frequency channel at least based on the information for specifying the connection target after the communication unit has communicated the information for specifying the connection target, the connection being maintained in parallel with the connection with the other communication devices via the first frequency channel established by the establishing unit.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, a communication device includes: an establishing unit, which is configured to establish a connection with other communication devices that complies with a predetermined communication standard; a communication unit, which is configured to communicate a disconnection request for disconnecting the second connection via the first connection while maintaining in parallel a first connection with the other communication devices via a first frequency channel already established by the establishing unit and a second connection with the other communication devices via a second frequency channel already established by the establishing unit, the second frequency channel being different from the first frequency channel; and a disconnecting unit, which is configured to disconnect the second connection when the communication unit has communicated the disconnection request.

[0015] Effects of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately control connection with other communication devices in a frequency channel different from a frequency channel through which the communication device transmits a signal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a network in which the communication device 102 participates.

[0018] Figure 2 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the communication device 102 .

[0019] Figure 3 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the communication device 102 .

[0020] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing processing to be performed when the communication device 102 performs multi-band communication.

[0021] Figure 5 1 is a sequence diagram showing processing to be performed when the communication device 102 performs multi-band communication with the communication device 103.

[0022] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of a frame format of a multi-band element to be communicated by the communication device 102.

[0023] Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a band ID field (Band ID field) to be communicated by the communication device 102.

[0024] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing processing to be performed when the communication device 102 disconnects from the communication device 103.

[0025] Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing processing to be performed when the communication device 103 disconnects from the communication device 102.

[0026] Fig.10 103 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing to be performed when the communication device 102 disconnects from the communication device 103.

[0027] Fig.11 is a diagram showing an example of a frame format of a disassociation element to be sent by the communication device 102.

[0028] Fig.12 103 is a sequence diagram showing another example of processing to be performed when the communication device 102 disconnects from the communication device 103.

[0029] Fig.13is a diagram showing another example of a band ID field to be communicated by the communication device 102 .

[0030] Fig.14A is a diagram showing an example of a case where a predetermined value is included in a next band field (Next band field) to be communicated by the communication device 102.

[0031] Fig. 14B is a diagram showing another example of a case where a predetermined value is included in the next frequency band field to be communicated by the communication device 102 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the configurations described in the following exemplary embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0033] Figure 1 The configuration of the network in which the communication device 102 according to the present exemplary embodiment participates is shown. The communication device 102 is an access point (AP) having the function of constructing the network 101. In addition, the network 101 is a wireless network. In the present exemplary embodiment, in the case where the communication device 102 constructs multiple networks, the basic service set identifiers (BSSIDs) of the respective networks are the same. BSSID stands for basic service set identifier, and is an identifier for identifying a network. In addition, the communication device 102 indicates a common service set identifier (SSID) shared in all networks. SSID stands for service set identifier, and is an identifier for identifying an AP. In the present exemplary embodiment, even in the case where the communication device 102 establishes multiple connections, the communication device 102 uses one SSID.

[0034] In addition, the communication device 103 is a station (STA) having a role of participating in the network 101. Each communication device complies with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11be (Extremely High Throughput (EHT)) standard, and can perform wireless communication that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard via the network 101. IEEE stands for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. In addition, EHT stands for Extremely High Throughput. EHT can be interpreted as an abbreviation for Extremely High Throughput. Each communication device can perform communication in a frequency band including a 2.4 GHz band, a 5 GHz band, and a 6 GHz band. In addition, each communication device can perform communication using a bandwidth including a 20 MHz band, a 40 MHz band, an 80 MHz band, a 160 MHz band, and a 320 MHz band.

[0035] The communication devices 102 and 103 can implement multi-user (MU) communication in which signals of multiple users are multiplexed by performing orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard. OFDMA stands for orthogonal frequency division multiple access. In OFDMA, a portion of the divided frequency band (resource unit (RU)) is allocated to each STA while avoiding redundancy, and the carriers allocated to each STA are orthogonal to each other. Therefore, the AP can communicate with multiple STAs in parallel.

[0036] In addition, the communication devices 102 and 103 can perform multi-band communication for communication by establishing a connection via multiple frequency channels. For example, the communication device 102 can establish a connection with the communication device 103 via a first frequency channel in the 2.4 GHz band, and establish a connection with the communication device 103 via a second frequency channel in the 5 GHz band, and communicate with the communication device 103 via these two connections. In this case, the communication device 102 maintains a connection via the second frequency channel in parallel with the connection via the first frequency channel. In this way, the communication device 102 can increase the throughput in the communication with the communication device 103 by establishing a connection via multiple frequency channels with the communication device 103. In the case where the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 establish multiple connections with the counterpart device, the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 can simultaneously communicate in the connection. In addition, multi-band communication can be referred to as "multi-link communication". In addition, the connection to be established can be referred to as a "link". In addition, multiple connections via different frequency channels in the same frequency band can be established, rather than connections in different frequency bands.

[0037] In multi-band communication, communication devices 102 and 103 establish connections via multiple frequency channels in different frequency bands. In this case, by sending and receiving signals via one connection, the connection via different frequency channels can be controlled. In addition, communication devices 102 and 103 can establish connections via different frequency channels in the same frequency band. In this case, the frequency channels do not need to be adjacent to each other. Specifically, communication devices 102 and 103 establish connections in two frequency channels away from a frequency exceeding 20MHz. For example, in the case where communication devices 102 and 103 establish two connections in the 5GHz frequency band, a connection is established in 36 channels (ch), and another connection is established in 52ch.

[0038] Figure 1An example is shown in which the communication device 102 establishes a connection with the communication device 103 via three different frequency channels. In this case, the connection is established via frequency channels in different frequency bands including the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band. Specifically, for example, the communication device 102 establishes a connection with the communication device 103 via a first frequency channel in the 2.4 GHz band, a second frequency channel in the 5 GHz band, and a third frequency channel in the 6 GHz band. By establishing multiple connections with the communication device 103 in different frequency bands, the communication device 102 can communicate with the communication device 103 in other frequency bands even when a certain frequency band is busy. This can prevent a decrease in throughput in the communication with the communication device 103.

[0039] In this exemplary embodiment, connections are established in different frequency bands, but the connection configuration is not limited thereto. The communication device 102 only needs to establish a connection with the communication device 103 via different frequency channels. The communication device 102 can establish a connection with the communication device 103 via multiple different frequency channels in the same frequency band. In this case, connections in different frequency bands can also be established. For example, the communication device 102 can establish a connection with the communication device 103 via a first frequency channel in the 2.4 GHz band and a second frequency channel in the 2.4 GHz band. In addition, the communication device 102 can establish a connection with the communication device 103 via a third frequency channel in the 5 GHz band. Because the communication device 102 can communicate data via multiple connections by establishing multiple connections with the communication device 103 in different frequency channels, the time spent on data communication can be reduced compared to the case of establishing one connection. In addition, when the communication device 102 communicates data with the communication device 103 by establishing multiple connections with the communication device 103 in different frequency channels, the communication device 102 can also perform backup communication at the same time. For example, the communication device 102 can simultaneously send the same data as the data to be sent to the communication device 103 via a certain frequency channel to the communication device 103 via a different frequency channel. With such a configuration, even in the case where the communication device 103 fails to receive data in the communication via one frequency channel, the communication device 103 can receive the data in the communication via the other frequency channels. In this way, by simultaneously sending the same data via different frequency channels as a backup simultaneous communication, even in the case of a certain failure or error in the communication via one frequency channel, the data can be communicated via the other frequency channels.

[0040] In this exemplary embodiment, in the case where the communication device 102 establishes multiple connections with the communication device 103, the communication device 102 controls the connection with the communication device 103 in the second frequency channel by sending a signal via the first frequency channel. For example, the communication device 102 disconnects the connection with the communication device 103 in the second frequency channel by sending a signal for requesting disconnection to the communication device 103 via the first frequency channel. Alternatively, for example, the communication device 102 establishes a connection with the communication device 103 in the second frequency channel by associating with the communication device 103 via the first frequency channel.

[0041] Specifically, the signal sent in the first frequency channel is a management frame that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard. Management frames specifically refer to beacon frames, probe request frames / response frames, or association request frames / response frames. In addition to these frames, disassociation frames, authentication frames, de-authentication frames, and action frames are also referred to as management frames. Beacon frames are frames for reporting information related to the network. In addition, probe request frames are frames for requesting network information. Probe response frames are responses to probe request frames and are frames for providing network information. Association request frames are frames for requesting connection. Association response frames are responses to association request frames and are frames indicating that connection is allowed or wrongly connected. Disassociation frames are frames for disconnecting. Authentication frames are frames for authenticating counterpart devices, and de-authentication frames are frames for stopping authentication of counterpart devices and disconnecting. Action frames are frames for performing additional functions in addition to the above functions.

[0042] In addition, communication devices 102 and 103 comply with the IEEE 802.11be standard, but communication devices 102 and 103 may also comply with at least any one of the traditional standards that are standards established earlier than the IEEE 802.11be standard. Traditional standards refer to IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax standards. In addition to the IEEE802.11 series of standards, communication devices 102 and 103 may also comply with other communication standards, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), near field communication (NFC), ultra-wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and multi-band OFDM alliance (MBOA). UWB stands for ultra-wideband, and MBOA stands for multi-band OFDM alliance. In addition, OFDM stands for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. In addition, NFC stands for near field communication. UWB includes wireless universal serial bus (USB), wireless 1394, and winner information network (Winners Information Network (WiNet)), etc. In addition, the communication devices 102 and 103 may conform to a communication standard for wired communication such as a wired local area network (LAN).

[0043] Specific examples of the communication device 102 include a wireless LAN router and a personal computer (PC), etc., but the communication device 102 is not limited to these. The communication device 102 may be any communication device as long as the communication device can perform multi-band communication with different communication devices. In addition, the communication device 102 may be an information processing device (such as a wireless chip, etc.) that can perform wireless communication that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard. In addition, specific examples of the communication device 103 include a camera, a tablet computer, a smart phone, a PC, a mobile phone, a camcorder, etc., but the communication device 103 is not limited to these. The communication device 103 only needs to be a communication device that can perform multi-band communication with different communication devices. In addition, the communication device 103 may be an information processing device (such as a wireless chip, etc.) that can perform wireless communication that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard. In addition, Figure 1 The network shown is a network including one AP and one STA, but the number of APs and the number of STAs are not limited thereto. In addition, the information processing device such as a wireless chip includes an antenna for transmitting the generated signal.

[0044] Figure 3 The hardware configuration of the communication device 102 according to the present exemplary embodiment is shown. The communication device 102 includes a storage unit 301 , a control unit 302 , a function unit 303 , an input unit 304 , an output unit 305 , a communication unit 306 , and antennas 307 to 309 .

[0045] The storage unit 301 includes one or more memories such as a read-only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM), and stores computer programs for performing various operations to be described below and various types of information such as communication parameters for wireless communication. ROM stands for read-only memory, and RAM stands for random access memory. In addition to memories such as ROM and RAM, storage media such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), a recordable CD (CD-R), a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, or a digital versatile disk (DVD) can be used as the storage unit 301. In addition, the storage unit 301 may include a plurality of memories, etc.

[0046] For example, the control unit 302 includes one or more processors such as a central processing unit (CPU) and a microprocessing unit (MPU). The control unit 302 controls the entire communication device 102 by executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 301. In addition, the control unit 302 can cooperate with the computer program and the operating system (OS) stored in the storage unit 301 to control the entire communication device 102. In addition, the control unit 302 generates data and signals to be sent in communication with different communication devices. CPU stands for central processing unit, and MPU stands for microprocessing unit. In addition, the control unit 302 may include multiple processors such as a multi-core processor, and use the multiple processors to control the entire communication device 102.

[0047] In addition, the control unit 302 executes predetermined processing such as wireless communication, imaging, printing, and projection by controlling the function unit 303. The function unit 303 is hardware for the communication device 102 to execute predetermined processing.

[0048] The input unit 304 receives various operations from the user. The output unit 305 performs various outputs to the user via the monitor screen and the speaker. The output performed by the output unit 305 can be a display on the monitor screen, a voice output by the speaker, a vibration output, etc. In addition, both the input unit 304 and the output unit 305 can be implemented by a module such as a touch panel. In addition, the input unit 304 and the output unit 305 can each be formed integrally with the communication device 102, or can each be formed separately from the communication device 102.

[0049] The communication unit 306 controls wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard. In addition, the communication unit 306 can control wireless communication conforming to other IEEE 802.11 series standards other than the IEEE 802.11be standard, and can control wired communication of a wired LAN or the like. The communication unit 306 controls antennas 307 to 309, and transmits and receives signals for wireless communication that have been generated by the control unit 302. In the case where the communication device 102 conforms to the NFC standard and the Bluetooth standard, etc. in addition to the IEEE 802.11be standard, the communication unit 306 can control wireless communication conforming to these communication standards. In addition, in the case where the communication device 102 can perform wireless communication conforming to multiple communication standards, the communication unit and antenna corresponding to each communication standard can be separately included. The communication device 102 communicates data such as image data, document data, and video data with the communication device 103 via the communication unit 306. In addition, at least one of the antennas 307 to 309 can be formed separately from the communication unit 306, or can be formed as one module together with the communication unit 306.

[0050] Antennas 307 to 309 are antennas that can perform communication in the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band, respectively. In this exemplary embodiment, the communication device 102 includes different antennas for each frequency band, but the communication in each frequency band can be realized by one or two antennas. Alternatively, the communication device 102 may include four or more antennas. In addition, the communication device 102 may include a communication unit 306 corresponding to each antenna 307 to 309.

[0051] In addition, the communication device 103 has a hardware configuration similar to that of the communication device 102 .

[0052] Figure 2 The functional configuration of the communication device 102 according to the present exemplary embodiment is shown. The communication device 102 includes wireless communication control units 201 , 208 , and 210 , a frame generation unit 202 , a frame analysis unit 203 , a user interface (UI) control unit 204 , and a storage control unit 205 .

[0053] The wireless communication control units 201, 208, and 210 each include a circuit for sending and receiving wireless signals relative to different communication devices, and a program for controlling the circuit. The wireless communication control units 201, 208, and 210 control wireless communication based on a frame generated by a frame generation unit 202 to be described below, according to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards. The wireless communication control units 201, 208, and 210 control the sending and receiving of wireless signals with different communication devices in the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band, respectively. In the present exemplary embodiment, the communication device 102 includes three wireless communication control units, but the number of wireless communication control units is not limited thereto, and may be two or less than two, or four or more than four.

[0054] The frame generation unit 202 generates a wireless control frame to be transmitted by at least one of the wireless communication control units 201, 208, and 210. The wireless control frame generated by the frame generation unit 202 may be generated based on the settings stored in the storage unit 301. In addition or instead of this, the wireless control frame may also be generated based on user settings input by a user.

[0055] The frame analysis unit 203 interprets the wireless control frame received by the wireless communication control units 201, 208, and 210, and reflects the content of the received wireless control frame in at least one of the wireless communication control units 201, 208, and 210. For example, in the case where the wireless control frame received via the wireless communication control unit 201 indicates disconnection of the connection in the 5 GHz band, the wireless communication control unit 208 stops transmission and reception of wireless signals. By analyzing the wireless control frame received by any wireless communication control unit by the frame analysis unit 203, the wireless communication control unit that has not received the wireless control frame can be controlled.

[0056] The UI control unit 204 includes a program for controlling at least one of the input unit 304 and the output unit 305 of the communication device 102. The UI control unit 204 has a function for presenting information about the communication device 102 to the user (e.g., such as display of an image or voice output via the output unit 305).

[0057] The storage control unit 205 controls writing or reading of data with respect to the storage unit 301 storing data and programs operated in the communication device 102 .

[0058] Figure 4 1 is a flowchart showing processing to be performed by loading a computer program stored in the storage unit 301 onto the control unit 302 and executing the computer program in a case where the communication device 102 performs multi-band communication.

[0059] In the present exemplary embodiment, communication device 102 and communication device 103 each have the capability to establish a connection in the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band. Figure 5 As shown in the sequence diagram in , a description will be given of an example case where the communication device 102 establishes a connection with the communication device 103 in each of the frequency bands corresponding to the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band.

[0060] The communication device 102 starts the processing of the flow based on the activation of the power supply of the communication device 102. Alternatively, the communication device 102 may start the processing of the flow every time a predetermined time has passed since the activation of the power supply of the communication device 102 or the establishment of the connection with the STA. Alternatively, the communication device 102 may start the processing of the flow based on an instruction issued by a user to establish a connection with the STA. Alternatively, the communication device 102 may start the processing of the flow based on pressing a button included in the communication device 102, wherein the button is used to issue an instruction to transition to a state of receiving a connection request from the STA. Specifically, the button for issuing an instruction to receive a connection request from the STA is a button that supports a button pressing method that complies with the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) standard. Alternatively, the communication device 102 may start the processing of the flow based on an instruction from an application operating in the communication device 102.

[0061] First, in steps S401 and S5001, the communication device 102 determines the frequency band to be used by the communication device 102 for multi-band communication. The communication device 102 determines the frequency band to be used by the communication device 102 for multi-band communication according to the congestion condition of the surrounding wireless environment. Specifically, the communication device 102 counts the number of probe requests received in each frequency band corresponding to the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band. In the case where the number of probe requests received in a certain frequency band is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the communication device 102 determines to use the frequency band for multi-band communication. Alternatively, the communication device 102 may wait to receive beacons in each frequency band during a predetermined time, and count the number of received beacons. In this case, in the case where the number of beacons received in a certain frequency band is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the communication device 102 may determine to use the frequency band for multi-band communication. Alternatively, the communication device 102 may perform carrier sensing during a predetermined time and count the number of times data transmissions of different communication devices are detected. In this case, when carrier sensing is performed in a certain frequency band during a predetermined time, and the number of times data transmissions of different communication devices are detected during this time is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the communication device 102 may determine that the frequency band is used for multi-band communication. In addition, in this case, the communication device 102 may not detect the number of data transmissions, but detect the time when data transmission has been performed by different communication devices. When the communication device 102 calculates the percentage of the time when data transmission has been performed relative to the time when carrier sensing has been performed in a certain frequency band, and the percentage is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the communication device 102 may determine that the frequency band is used for multi-band communication. Alternatively, in the case where the communication device 102 has established a connection with a different AP other than the communication device 102 via a cable or wirelessly before performing the processing of this step, the communication device 102 may obtain information about the frequency band to be used for multi-band communication from the different APs.

[0062] The communication device 102 can make the determination in this step by combining these determination methods. In the case of combining multiple determination methods, the communication device 102 determines to use the frequency band for multi-band communication when it is determined that the frequency band that has been measured by all determination methods will be used for multi-band communication. Alternatively, the communication device 102 can determine to use the frequency band for multi-band communication when it is determined that the frequency band that has been measured by at least one determination method will be used for multi-band communication.

[0063] In addition, when measuring the congestion conditions in each frequency band, the communication device 102 can measure only the predetermined frequency channels (hereinafter referred to as channels) in each frequency band, or can measure multiple channels. In addition, when measuring multiple channels, the communication device 102 determines that at least one channel in a certain frequency band is to be used for multi-band communication, and determines that the frequency band is used for multi-band communication. Alternatively, the communication device 102 determines that at least half of the channels or more of the multiple channels measured in a certain frequency band are to be used for multi-band communication, and can determine that the frequency band is used for multi-band communication. In addition, when measuring multiple channels in a certain frequency band, the communication device 102 can use channels that are not adjacent to each other.

[0064] exist Figure 5 In the sequence shown, the communication device 102 determines that three frequency bands corresponding to the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band are available.

[0065] If the communication device 102 determines the available frequency band, then in steps S402 and S5011, the communication device 102 transmits information about the frequency band. In this exemplary embodiment, the communication device 102 uses a beacon to notify information about the frequency band to be used for multi-band communication. Specifically, by transmitting information including Figure 6 The communication device 102 transmits a beacon frame of a multi-band element as shown in FIG. 1 , and notifies the frequency band to be used for multi-band communication. In the present exemplary embodiment, the communication device 102 transmits a beacon frame in a 2.4 GHz band among the frequency bands to be used for multi-band communication. In addition, the beacon interval, which is an interval for transmitting a beacon, is 100 milliseconds, but the beacon interval is not limited thereto.

[0066] In addition, the beacon transmitted in this step includes information about all frequency channels judged as "yes" in step S401 as information about the frequency band to be used for multi-band communication. Alternatively, the information included in the beacon is not limited thereto, and the beacon may include only information about a part of the frequency channels.

[0067] In addition, the information about the frequency band to be used for multi-band communication included in the beacon includes information about the frequency band to be used for multi-band communication in addition to the frequency band in which the beacon is sent. For example, in the case where the beacon is sent only in the 2.4 GHz band, the beacon includes not only information about the 2.4 GHz band, but also information about the 5 GHz band and the 6 GHz band as information about the frequency band to be used for multi-band communication. Alternatively, the communication device 102 may include information about the frequency band to be used for multi-band communication in addition to the frequency band in which the beacon is sent in the beacon. For example, in the case where the beacon is sent in the 2.4 GHz band, the beacon may include only information about the 5 GHz band and the 6 GHz band as information about the frequency band to be used for multi-band communication.

[0068] Figure 6 An example of a frame format for a multi-band element to be communicated by the communication device 102 is shown.

[0069] The multi-band element includes fields for Element ID 601, Length 602, Multi-band Control 603, Band ID 604, and Operating Class 605. The multi-band element also includes fields for Channel Number 606, BSSID 607, Beacon Interval 608, and Timing Synchronization Function (TSF) Offset 609. The multi-band element also includes fields for Multi-band Connection Capability 610, fast session transfer (FST) Session Timeout 611, and STA media access control (MAC) Address 612. The multi-band element also includes fields for Pairwise CipherSuite Count 613 and Pairwise Cipher Suite List 614. These fields are in the form of Figure 6 The order shown starting from element ID 601 is sent by communication device 102 and received by different communication devices. Communication device 102 may send the fields of the multi-band element to different communication devices after generating all fields, or may generate and send each field in order starting from element ID 601.

[0070] In addition, the order of sending and receiving fields is not limited to Figure 6 The order of the fields may be different. In addition, any field may be omitted or Figure 6 Fields not shown in the figure are added at any position between fields.

[0071] Will describe Figure 6 The various fields of the multi-band element shown in .

[0072] The element ID 601 includes an identifier for identifying an element. In the present exemplary embodiment, a value "158" is included as an identifier indicating that the element is a multi-band element.

[0073] The length 602 includes information indicating the length of the multiband element excluding the element ID 601 and the length 602 .

[0074] The multi-band control 603 includes information such as STA Role, STA MAC Address Present, and Pairwise Cipher Suite Present. The STA Role includes information indicating the role of the transmitting device (the communication device 102 in this example) of the multi-band element in the frequency band indicated in the multi-band element. Specifically, the information indicating the role is information indicating whether the transmitting device is an AP or a STA in the frequency band indicated in the multi-band element. Since the communication device 102 is an AP, in this exemplary embodiment, information indicating the AP is included. In addition, the STA MAC Address Present is information indicating whether the STA MAC Address 612 to be described below is included in the multi-band element. Since the STA MAC Address 612 is an optional field, although the STA MAC Address 612 is included in the multi-band element in some cases, it is not included in the multi-band element in other cases. The Pairwise Cipher Suite Present is information indicating whether the Pairwise Cipher Suite Count 613 and the Pairwise Cipher Suite List 614 are included in the element. Because both the pairwise cipher suite count 613 and the pairwise cipher suite list 614 are optional fields, although the pairwise cipher suite count 613 and the pairwise cipher suite list 614 are included in the multi-band element in some cases, they are not included in the multi-band element in other cases.

[0075] Band ID 604 includes information for identifying a frequency band associated with operation category 605 and channel number 606, which will be described below. In the present exemplary embodiment, band ID 604 includes information indicating a frequency band determined by communication device 102 in step S401 as a frequency band to be used for multi-band communication. Figure 7 An example of the correspondence between the value included in the band ID 604 and the information indicated by the value is shown. In the present exemplary embodiment, because the communication device 102 determines the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band as the frequency bands to be used for multi-band communication in step S401 (S5001), the communication device 102 transmits a multi-band element including band ID=11. Alternatively, in the multi-band element to be included in the beacon to be transmitted in the 2.4 GHz band, the communication device 102 may include band ID=10 indicating that the 5 GHz band and the 6 GHz band are to be used for multi-band communication. Similarly, in the case where the communication device 102 transmits beacons in the 5 GHz band and the 6 GHz band, the communication device 102 may include band ID=8 and band ID=9 in the corresponding multi-band elements. In addition, the correspondence between the values ​​in the band ID and the information indicated by the respective values ​​is not limited to Figure 7 The corresponding relationship shown in .

[0076] In the present exemplary embodiment, one band ID indicates a plurality of frequency bands, but the configuration of the band ID is not limited thereto, and one band ID may indicate only one frequency band. In this case, the beacon indicating that the communication device 102 can use a plurality of frequency bands may include a plurality of multi-band elements. For example, a case where the communication device 102 sends a beacon indicating that the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band are to be used for multi-band communication will be considered. In this case, the beacon includes both a multi-band element including band ID=2 and a multi-band element including band ID=4. In addition, also in the case where a multi-band element is included for each frequency band to be used for multi-band communication, a multi-band element corresponding to the frequency band in which the beacon is sent may be included in the beacon, or the multi-band element may be omitted in the beacon.

[0077] The operation category 605 is information indicating a set of channels to be used for multi-band communication in the frequency band indicated by the band ID 604. Specifically, the information indicating the set of channels is information indicating one or more frequency channels to be used for multi-band communication. The operation category 605 indicates at least one channel to be used for multi-band communication by the communication device 102 in the frequency band indicated by the band ID 604. Specifically, the operation category 605 includes a value indicating a combination of a starting frequency of a channel to be used for multi-band communication, an interval between channels, and a set of channels. The starting frequency of a channel is a value to be used to calculate the center frequency of a channel. In addition, the interval between channels is a value indicating the interval between the center frequencies of adjacent and non-overlapping channels. The set of channels is information indicating at least one channel to be used for multi-band communication. In addition, in the case of using all channels in the frequency band indicated by the band ID 604, 0 is included as a value indicating that all channels are to be used.

[0078] The channel number 606 is information indicating a channel to be used for multi-band communication. Specifically, the channel number 606 is information indicating one or more channels to be used for multi-band communication in the set of channels indicated by the operation category 605. In addition, a channel that has been used to measure a congestion condition when determining a frequency band to be used for multi-band communication in step S401 may be included as information about the channel included as the channel number 606. In addition, in this case, in the case where congestion condition measurement has been performed in a plurality of channels in step S401, a channel determined not to be used for multi-band communication may be excluded from the channels designated as the channel number 606. Alternatively, the channel number 606 may include a channel designated by a user, or may include a channel preset in the communication device 102.

[0079] In addition, when multiple frequency bands are specified in the frequency band ID 604, an operation category 605 indicates a combination of the following items for each frequency band in the multiple frequency bands: the starting frequency of the channel to be used, the interval between the channels, and the set of channels. For example, the case where the frequency band ID 604 includes information indicating the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band is considered. In this case, a value corresponding to the following items is included as the operation category 605: the starting frequency of the channel to be used for multi-band communication in each of the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band, the interval between the channels, and the set of channels. In this case, the channel number 606 includes multiple information about the channel to be used. Specifically, information about at least one channel to be used in each of the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band is included as the channel number 606.

[0080] Alternatively, in the case where a plurality of frequency bands are specified in the band ID 604, the operation category 605 may include a plurality of operation categories as information corresponding to the plurality of frequency bands. For example, in the case where the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band are specified in the band ID 604, in addition to the operation category corresponding to the 2.4 GHz band, each operation category corresponding to the 5 GHz band and the 6 GHz band may be included. In this case, the operation category 605 includes a plurality of values. The operation category corresponds to the lower frequency band in order from the operation category included at the top. For example, in the case where the operation category = 81, 115, and 131 are included, the operation category = 81 is the operation category corresponding to the 2.4 GHz band. Similarly, the operation category = 115 is the operation category corresponding to the 5 GHz band, and the operation category = 131 is the operation category corresponding to the 6 GHz band. Alternatively, the frequency band corresponding to the included operation category may be determined according to at least one of the starting frequency of the channel, the interval between the channels, and the set of channels indicated by the operation category. Also in this case, information on at least one channel to be used for multi-band communication in each of the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band is included as the channel number 606 .

[0081] Alternatively, in the case where a plurality of multi-band elements are included to indicate a plurality of frequency bands, an operation class corresponding to the band ID 604 included in the same multi-band element is included. In this case, the channel number 606 includes information on at least one channel to be used for multi-band communication in the frequency band indicated by the band ID 604. In the case where a plurality of channels can be used in the same frequency band, the channel number 606 includes information on the plurality of channels.

[0082] Alternatively, the communication device 102 may set a multi-band element for each channel to be used for multi-band communication. In this case, the beacon includes the same number of multi-band elements as the number of channels to be used for multi-band communication by the communication device 102, and includes multiple multi-band elements containing the same band ID 604.

[0083] BSSID 607 stands for Basic Service Set Identifier, and is information indicating an identifier of a network constructed by a transmitting device of a multi-band element (communication device 102 in this example). Specifically, BSSID 607 indicates an identifier of a network constructed by a transmitting device of a multi-band element in a channel indicated by band ID 604 and channel number 606. In this exemplary embodiment, all BSSIDs of the network constructed by communication device 102 are the same. In the case where communication device 102 uses one multi-band element to indicate multiple available channels (channel number 606), BSSID 607 includes BSSIDs of multiple networks. In addition, in the case where communication device 102 uses one multi-band element to indicate one channel (channel number 606) to be used for multi-band communication, BSSID 607 includes BSSID of one network. In addition, in the case where communication device 102 constructs multiple networks in one channel, BSSID 607 may include BSSIDs of multiple networks. In addition, in the case where the communication device 102 has not yet built a network in the channel indicated by the band ID 604 and the channel number 606, the BSSID 607 includes 0, or the BSSID 607 is omitted. Alternatively, the BSSID 607 may include 1 as many times as the number of bits allocated to the BSSID 607 in such a manner as to indicate a wildcard BSSID.

[0084] The beacon interval 608 includes information indicating the transmission interval of the beacon to be transmitted in the channel indicated by the band ID 604 and the channel number 606. Specifically, the beacon interval 608 indicates the transmission interval of the beacon to be transmitted in the network by the transmitting device of the multi-band element (the communication device 102 in this example). In addition, in the case where the network has not been built in the channel indicated by the band ID 604 and the channel number 606, the beacon interval 608 includes 0. In addition, in the case where the communication device 102 uses one multi-band element to indicate multiple channels to be used for multi-band communication, the beacon interval 608 includes multiple beacon intervals corresponding to the respective channels. On the other hand, in the case where the communication device 102 uses one multi-band element to indicate one channel to be used for multi-band communication, the beacon interval 608 includes one beacon interval corresponding to the channel. In addition, in the case where the communication device 102 builds multiple networks in one channel, the beacon interval 608 may include beacon intervals corresponding to multiple corresponding networks.

[0085] The TSF offset 609 includes information indicating an offset value between the TSF of the network in which the communication device 102 sends the element and the TSF of the network constructed in the channel indicated by the channel number 606. TSF stands for timing synchronization function and is a value for synchronizing the AP and STA participating in the network. In addition, in the case where the network has not yet been constructed in the channel indicated by the channel number 606, the TSF offset 609 includes 0. In addition, in the case where the communication device 102 uses one element to indicate multiple channels (channel number 606) to be used for multi-band communication, the TSF offset 609 includes multiple TSF offsets corresponding to the respective channels. On the other hand, in the case where the communication device 102 uses the one element to indicate one channel (channel number 606) to be used for multi-band communication, the TSF offset 609 includes one TSF offset corresponding to the channel. In addition, in the case where the communication device 102 constructs multiple networks in one channel, the TSF offset 609 may include TSF offsets corresponding to multiple corresponding networks.

[0086] The multi-band connection capability 610 includes information indicating capabilities related to the connection of the communication device 102 in the channel indicated in the multi-band element to be used for multi-band communication. Specifically, the multi-band connection capability 610 indicates capabilities related to the connection of the transmitting device (the communication device 102 in this example) of the multi-band element in the channel indicated by the channel number 606. The capabilities related to the connection specifically refer to information indicating whether the communication device 102 can operate as an AP in the channel indicated in the multi-band element. In addition, in the case where the communication device 102 uses one multi-band element to indicate multiple channels to be used for multi-band communication, the field includes information indicating whether the communication device 102 operates as an AP in each channel. Alternatively, the information corresponding to the multiple channels indicated in the multi-band element can be indicated by one multi-band connection capability. For example, in the case where the communication device 102 operates as an AP in all channels, the multi-band connection capability 610 only needs to include one information indicating that the communication device 102 operates as an AP.

[0087] FST session timeout 611 is information indicating a timeout value in the establishment process of an FST session. FST stands for Fast Session Transfer, and indicates a process of transferring an already established session to another channel. The transfer destination channel may be a channel in the same frequency band as the original channel, or may be a channel in a different frequency band. This field may be omitted.

[0088] The STA MAC address 612 is information indicating the media access control (MAC) address of the communication device 102 in the channel specified in the multi-band element. In addition, in the case where the STA MAC address in the multi-band control 603 is 0 (in the case where it is indicated that the field is not included), the field is omitted. In addition, in the case where the communication device 102 uses one multi-band element to indicate multiple available channels (channel number 606), the field includes multiple MAC addresses corresponding to the respective channels. On the other hand, in the case where the communication device 102 uses one multi-band element to indicate one available channel (channel number 606), the field includes one MAC address corresponding to the channel. In addition, in the case where the communication device 102 builds multiple networks in one channel, the field may include MAC addresses corresponding to multiple corresponding networks.

[0089] The pairwise cipher suite count 613 is information indicating the number of pairwise cipher suite selectors included in the pairwise cipher suite list 614 to be described below. The pairwise cipher suite list 614 includes a series of selectors indicating pairwise cipher suites. Specifically, the pairwise cipher suite list 614 includes information indicating available cipher suites in the channel specified in the multi-band element. The cipher suite is information indicating a combination of a key exchange algorithm, a key authentication method, a cipher, and a message authenticator. In addition, in the case where the pairwise cipher suite presence in the multi-band control 603 is 0 (in the case where it is indicated that the field is not included), the field is omitted. In addition, in the case where the communication device 102 uses one multi-band element to indicate multiple available channels (channel number 606), the field includes multiple cipher suites corresponding to the respective channels. On the other hand, in the case where the communication device 102 uses one multi-band element to indicate one available channel (channel number 606), the field includes one cipher suite corresponding to the channel. In addition, in the case where the communication device 102 constructs multiple networks in one channel, the field may include cipher suites corresponding to multiple corresponding networks.

[0090] As described above, the communication device 102 sends a message including Figure 6 The beacon frame including the multi-band element shown in FIG. 1 can transmit information about the frequency band to be used by the communication device 102 for multi-band communication. Specifically, the communication device 102 can notify different communication devices of the frequency channel to be used by the communication device 102 for multi-band communication by transmitting the beacon frame including the multi-band element. Different communication devices that have received the beacon frame can determine whether to perform multi-band communication with the communication device 102 based on the information about the frequency channel indicated by the multi-band element.

[0091] In the present exemplary embodiment, the multi-band element includes an operation category 605 and a channel number 606, but the format of the multi-band element is not limited thereto. Figure 6 The illustrated multi-band element may include only the channel number 606 , but not the operating category 605 .

[0092] In the present exemplary embodiment, information about the frequency band to be used for multi-band communication is included in the beacon frame, but in addition to or in addition to this, the information may also be included in the probe request / response. Alternatively, information about the frequency band to be used for multi-band communication may be included in the authentication request / response. Alternatively, the information may be included in the association request / response, or the reassociation request / response. In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, the AP (communication device 102) sends information about the frequency band to be used for multi-band communication, but in addition to or in place of this, the STA (communication device 103) may also determine and send the frequency band to be used by the STA for multi-band communication.

[0093] In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, the information about the frequency band to be used for multi-band communication is indicated by the multi-band element, but the element indicating the information is not limited thereto. The information about the frequency band to be used for multi-band communication may be indicated by other elements, wherein the other elements include Figure 6 At least one information included in the multi-band element shown in .

[0094] Next, in step S5021, the communication device 103 serving as the STA transmits a probe request based on receiving the beacon transmitted by the communication device 102. In this case, since the beacon is transmitted in the 2.4 GHz band, the communication device 103 transmits the probe request to the communication device 102 in the 2.4 GHz band. Since the communication device 102 has received the probe request from the communication device 103, in step S5031, the communication device 102 transmits a probe response to the communication device 103 as a response. In addition, the communication device 103 may acquire information about the frequency band to be used by the communication device 102 for multi-band communication from the multi-band element included in the beacon received from the communication device 102. Alternatively, instead of this or in addition, the communication device 103 may acquire information about the frequency band to be used by the communication device 102 for multi-band communication from the multi-band element included in the probe response.

[0095] Next, the communication device 102 exchanges with the communication device 103 Figure 5 Authentication request / response not shown in the figure, and authentication of the counterpart device is performed. In addition, if communication device 102 or communication device 103 sends an authentication request, the other device sends an authentication response as a response.

[0096] In step S406, the communication device 102 determines whether a connection request has been received. Specifically, the communication device 102 determines whether an association request has been received from a different communication device. In the case where the communication device 102 has not received an association request ("No" in step S406), the communication device 102 determines "No" in this step and performs the processing in step S406 again. On the other hand, in the case where the communication device 102 has received an association request ("Yes" in step S406), the communication device 102 determines "Yes" in this step and performs the processing in step S403.

[0097] In the present exemplary embodiment, in step S5041, the communication device 103 sends an association request to the communication device 102, and in step S5051, the communication device 102 sends an association response as a response to the association request to the communication device 103. In step S403, the communication device 102 performs a connection process with the communication device 103, and establishes a connection. In the present exemplary embodiment, a connection is established between the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 in the channel that has communicated the association request / response.

[0098] In this case, the communication device 103 may include information for requesting to establish a connection in a frequency band different from the frequency band in which the association request is sent in the association request to be sent. Therefore, the communication device 103 can establish a connection with the communication device 102 in different frequency bands. In this exemplary embodiment, the communication device 103 includes information for requesting to establish a connection in the 5 GHz band and the 6 GHz band in the association request to be sent in the 2.4 GHz band. In the case where the communication device 103 has received an association response as a response, the communication device 103 can establish a connection with the communication device 102 in the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band. In addition, as information for requesting to establish a connection in different frequency bands, the association request includes at least information about the channel in which the communication device 103 expects to establish a connection. In addition to this, the association request may also include information indicating the frequency band including the channel. In addition, in the case of identifying a MAC address to be used by the communication device 102 in the channel, in addition to or in place of the information about the channel, the association request may also include information about the MAC address. In addition, in addition to or instead of the information about different frequency bands, the association request may also include information about different channels in the same frequency band. Specifically, in the case where the communication device 103 desires to connect with the communication device 102 in a different channel included in the same frequency band as the channel in which the association request is sent, the communication device 103 sends an association request including the information about the channel.

[0099] In addition, the association response sent by the communication device 102 includes information indicating that the connection is allowed. Alternatively, in addition to or instead of the information indicating that the connection is allowed, the association response may also include information indicating a channel indicated by the information included in the association request to which the communication device 102 allows connection.

[0100] In addition, at least one of the association request and the association response may include an element as information indicating a channel for which connection is requested or a channel for which connection is permitted. Alternatively, an element different from the multi-band element may be included as information indicating a channel for which connection is requested or a channel for which connection is permitted.

[0101] In addition, in the case where the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 establish a secure connection using encryption, a communication process compliant with Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) or WPA2, etc. may be performed after step S5051. Alternatively, in order to perform a process compliant with WPA3, the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 may exchange SAE commit (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals Commit) and SAE confirm (SAE Confirm) when exchanging authentication requests. In this case, the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 perform a 4-step handshake after the communication of the association request / response.

[0102] In the present exemplary embodiment, the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 establish a connection in all frequency bands (2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band) that the communication device 102 can use, but the connection configuration is not limited thereto. In the case where the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 perform multi-band communication, the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 only need to establish a connection via at least two different channels in the available frequency band.

[0103] In the present exemplary embodiment, the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 establish a connection in different channels by sending and receiving an association request / response in a specific channel, but the connection configuration is not limited thereto. The communication device 102 and the communication device 103 can establish a connection in each channel where a connection is desired to be established by sending and receiving an association request / response in the corresponding channel. Alternatively, the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 can establish a connection in a specific channel, and then send and receive an association request / response including information about different channels via the specific channel. Thus, the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 can establish a connection in different channels via the established connection.

[0104] If the connection has been established, in steps S404 and S506, communication device 102 determines parameters related to transmission and reception in the established connection. In this exemplary embodiment, communication device 102 determines parameters related to transmission and reception in each of all connections established with communication device 103.

[0105] The parameters related to transmission and reception specifically refer to the allocation of data to be transmitted and received in each connection. For example, when the communication device 102 transmits data to the communication device 103 via multiple connections, the communication device 102 determines the allocation of data to be allocated to each connection. The communication device 102 determines the amount of data to be allocated to each connection based on the maximum throughput available in the corresponding connection with the communication device 103. Alternatively, in place of this, the communication device 102 may determine the amount of data to be allocated to each connection based on the throughput calculated by actually transmitting packets to the communication device 103 via the corresponding connection. Specifically, after the communication device 102 has transmitted and received data relative to the communication device 103 during a predetermined time, the communication device 102 may determine the amount of data to be newly allocated based on the actual throughput in each connection and the amount of data transmitted and received. The communication device 102 is set to allocate a larger amount of data to a connection with a higher throughput than to a connection with a lower throughput.

[0106] Alternatively, instead of or in addition to the allocated data amount, the communication device 102 may also determine the type of frame to be communicated in the established connection as a parameter related to transmission and reception. Specifically, the communication device 102 may separate a connection for communicating management frames from a connection for communicating data frames including data. For example, the communication device 102 may send and receive management frames via a connection established in the 2.4 GHz frequency band, and send and receive data frames via a connection established in the 5 GHz frequency band or the 6 GHz frequency band.

[0107] Alternatively, in addition to or in place of the above parameters, the communication device 102 may determine the connection to be used as a parameter related to sending and receiving according to the type of data. For example, the communication device 102 may determine, among multiple data related to mixed reality or augmented reality, data about position information, posture information, and delay control information as control data to be communicated via a connection established in the 2.4 GHz band. In this case, the communication device 102 determines to communicate data with a relatively large amount of data (such as content data and occlusion information indicating an occlusion relationship between objects, etc.) via a connection established in the 5 GHz band or the 6 GHz band. Alternatively, in the case of data about the captured image, the communication device 102 may determine to communicate meta-information such as date, parameters in videography (aperture value and shutter speed), and position information via a connection established in the 2.4 GHz band. In this case, the communication device 102 may determine to communicate pixel information via a connection established in the 5 GHz band or the 6 GHz band. Alternatively, the communication device 102 may determine one of the multiple connections as a connection for backup. The communication device 102 may notify the communication device 103 of the determined parameters related to transmission and reception.

[0108] In the present exemplary embodiment, the communication device 102 determines the parameters related to transmission and reception in each established connection, but the configuration is not limited thereto. The communication device 102 may transmit and receive data without determining the parameters related to transmission and reception. In this case, the communication device 102 may skip the transmission and reception. Figure 4 Step S404 and Figure 5 In addition, the communication device 102 may independently send and receive separate streams in multiple connections established with the communication device 103.

[0109] Next, in step S405, the communication device 102 transmits and receives data via the established connection. In the case where the parameters related to transmission and reception are determined in step S404, the communication device 102 transmits and receives data relative to the communication device 103 according to the determined parameters. Figure 5 In the embodiment, in steps S5071 and S5081, the communication device 102 sends and receives data with respect to the communication device 103 via the connection established in the 2.4 GHz frequency band, and in steps S5072 and S5082, the communication device 102 sends and receives data with respect to the communication device 103 via the connection established in the 5 GHz frequency band. In addition to this, in steps S5073 and S5083, the communication device 102 also sends and receives data with respect to the communication device 103 via the connection established in the 6 GHz frequency band.

[0110] In addition, a connection that has been established between the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 and that enables communication may be referred to as a link or a communication link.

[0111] In step S407, the communication device 102 determines whether all connections with the communication device 103 have been disconnected. In the case of maintaining at least one connection established with the communication device 103 ("No" in step S407), the communication device 102 determines "No" in this step. In addition, the communication device 102 determines to maintain the following connection, wherein data communication is performed again before a predetermined time has passed since the last communication of data with the communication device 103 via the connection. In addition, the data communicated at this time may be empty data that does not include content. Alternatively, in the case where the communication device 102 receives or sends an action frame including a disassociation element to be described below via the connection with the communication device 103, the communication device 102 determines that the connection has been disconnected. Alternatively, in the case where a connection to be disconnected is specified in an action frame including a disassociation element that has been communicated with the communication device 103, the communication device 102 determines that the connection has been disconnected. In this case, a connection different from the connection for which the action frame including the disassociation element has been communicated is disconnected. In the case where the communication device 102 judges as "No" in this step, the communication device 102 performs the processing in step S405. In addition, the frame to be communicated may be a deauthentication frame or a disassociation frame instead of an action frame. In the case where there is no data to be sent or received with respect to the communication device 103, the communication device 102 may perform the processing in step S407. Alternatively, in the case where the communication device 102 judges as "No" in this step, the communication device 102 may perform the processing in step S406 in parallel with or instead of the processing in step S405, and wait for a new connection request to be received from the communication device 103. In the case where all connections with the communication device 103 have been disconnected ("Yes" in step S407), the communication device 102 judges as "Yes" in this step, and ends the processing of this flow.

[0112] As described above, the communication device 102 communicates with Figure 4 The process shown in the figure establishes a connection with the communication device 103 via multiple channels and performs multi-band communication. By establishing a connection between the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 in multiple channels according to one communication of the association request / response, the communication volume of frames in the establishment of multiple connections can be reduced. This can reduce the occupancy rate of the frequency band in the establishment of multiple connections. In addition, by performing multi-band communication with the communication device 103 via multiple connections, the communication device 102 can communicate data faster than when the data is communicated via only one connection.

[0113] Next, a case where the connection between the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 is disconnected will be described. Figure 8 1 is a flowchart showing processing to be performed by loading a computer program stored in the storage unit 301 onto the control unit 302 and executing the computer program in a case where the communication device 102 is disconnected from the communication device 103. Fig. 9 1 is a flowchart showing a process to be performed by loading a computer program stored in the storage unit 301 onto the control unit 302 and executing the computer program in a case where the communication device 103 is disconnected from the communication device 102. Figure 8 The processing shown may be performed by the communication device 103, and Fig. 9 The illustrated processing may be performed by the communication device 102 .

[0114] In the present exemplary embodiment, communication device 102 and communication device 103 establish connection in the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band. Fig.10 As shown in the sequence diagram in FIG. 1 , a description will be given of an example case where the communication device 102 disconnects the connection with the communication device 103 in the 5 GHz band. In the present exemplary embodiment, a description will be given of an example case where after the communication device 102 disconnects the connection in the 5 GHz band, as shown in FIG. Fig.12 As shown in the sequence diagram in FIG. 1 , the communication device 102 further disconnects the connection with the communication device 103 in the 6 GHz frequency band.

[0115] When the communication device 102 has established a connection with the communication device 103, the communication device 102 starts Figure 8 In addition, when the communication device 103 has established a connection with the communication device 102, the communication device 103 starts Fig. 9 Processing shown.

[0116] In steps S5071 to S5073 and steps S5081 to S5083, the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 transmit and receive data with respect to each other.

[0117] The communication device 102 starts Figure 8, and in step S801, it is determined whether a disconnection instruction has been received. In the case where a disconnection instruction has been received from the user ("Yes" in step S801), the communication device 102 determines "Yes" in this step. The disconnection instruction from the user includes not only a disconnection instruction issued by the user operating a hardware key or a software key, but also a stop instruction of a predetermined application, a switching instruction of an application, and a stop instruction of the power supply of the communication device 102, etc. Alternatively, in the case where a disconnection instruction has been received from an application operating on the communication device 102, the communication device 102 determines "Yes" in this step. Alternatively, when a disconnection instruction is received from a STA or AP different from the communication device 103 to which the communication device 102 is connected, the communication device 102 may determine "Yes" in this step. Alternatively, if no communication has been performed before a predetermined time has passed since the last communication with the communication device 103, the communication device 102 may determine "Yes" in this step. Alternatively, if the received signal strength indication (RSSI) of the radio wave connected to the communication device 103 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, the communication device 102 may judge as "yes" in this step. The communication device 102 may make the judgment in this step by combining the above-mentioned judgment methods. Alternatively, if the communication device 103 serving as an STA establishes a connection with an AP different from the communication device 102, the communication device 102 may judge as "yes" in this step. In addition, the connection with the communication device 103 may be already established, or may be a connection to be established later. In this case, in the case where it is judged as "yes" by at least one judgment method, the communication device 102 judges as "yes" in the judgment of this step. In addition, in the case where the communication device 102 establishes multiple connections with the communication device 103, the communication device 102 may perform the processing in this step for each connection. In the case where the communication device 102 judges as "yes" in this step ("yes" in step S801), the communication device 102 performs the processing in step S804. In a case where the communication device 102 determines “NO” in this step (“NO” in step S801 ), the communication device 102 performs the processing in step S802 .

[0118] In step S802, the communication device 102 determines whether the data amount relative to the data transmitted and received by the communication device 103 has decreased. Specifically, for the connection determined as "No" in step S801, the communication device 102 determines whether the data amount of the data communicated via the connection has decreased. The communication device 102 measures the data amount relative to the data transmitted and received by the communication device 103 at predetermined intervals in this step in such a manner that the data amount can be compared. In this case, the communication device 102 compares the last measured data amount and the previous data amount in this step, and in the case where the difference between the last measured data amount and the previous data amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the communication device 102 determines "Yes" in this step. Alternatively, in this step, the communication device 102 may make a judgment based on whether the last data amount is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, rather than making a judgment based on the amount of reduction in the data amount. In this case, in the case where the last data amount is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value, the communication device 102 determines "Yes" in this step. In the case where the communication device 102 determines "yes" in this step ("yes" in step S802), the communication device 102 performs the processing in step S804. In the case where the communication device 102 determines "no" in this step ("no" in step S802), the communication device 102 performs the processing in step S803. In addition, the processing in step S802 may be skipped, and in this case, in the case where the communication device 102 determines "no" in step S801, the communication device 102 performs the processing in step S803.

[0119] Next, in step S803, the communication device 102 determines whether to change the channel for sending and receiving management frames. Specifically, in the case where the communication device 102 specifies a specific connection and sends and receives management frames, the communication device 102 determines whether to change the connection for sending and receiving management frames from the specific connection. In the case where the RSSI of the connection via which the management frame is sent and received becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the communication device 102 determines "yes" in this step. Alternatively, in the case where the throughput in the connection via which the management frame is sent and received becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the communication device 102 determines "yes" in this step. In addition, the threshold used in the determination of step S803 is higher than the threshold used in the determination of step S801. In the case where the communication device 102 determines "yes" in this step ("yes" in step S803), the communication device 102 performs the processing in step S804. In the case where the communication device 102 determines "no" in this step ("no" in step S803), the communication device 102 performs the processing in step S801. In addition, in the case where the communication device 102 has not yet specified a connection for sending and receiving management frames, the processing in this step can be skipped. In this case, if the communication device 102 determines "No" in step S802, the communication device 102 performs the processing in step S801. In addition, in the case where the processing in both steps S802 and S803 is skipped, if the communication device 102 determines "No" in step S801, the communication device 102 performs the processing in step S801 again.

[0120] In step S804, the communication device 102 determines the connection to be disconnected. The communication device 102 determines the connection to be disconnected that is judged as "yes" in any one of steps S801, S802, and S803. In this example, a case where the user has issued a disconnection instruction for the connection established in the 5 GHz band between the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 will be described. In this case, since the connection established in the 5 GHz band is judged as "yes" in step S801, in this step, the communication device 102 determines the connection established in the 5 GHz band as the connection to be disconnected.

[0121] Fig.10 The processing in step S1006 is the same as that performed by the communication device 102 Figure 8 The processing in steps S801 to S804 corresponds to the processing in steps S801 to S804.

[0122] If the communication device 102 determines the connection to be disconnected, then in steps S805 and S10071, the communication device 102 sends a frame for requesting disconnection. The frame sent at this time includes information indicating the connection to be disconnected. In the present exemplary embodiment, the communication device 102 sends an action frame including a disassociation element as a frame for requesting disconnection. In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, the communication device 102 sends a frame for requesting disconnection of a connection in the 5 GHz band via a connection in the 2.4 GHz band. If the communication device 102 performs the processing in step S805, the communication device 102 next performs the processing in step S806.

[0123] Fig.11 1 shows an example of the frame format of the disassociation element included in the action frame. The disassociation element includes an element ID 1101, a length 1102, and a multi-band control 1103. The disassociation element also includes fields for a band ID 1104, an operation category 1105, and a channel number 1106. These fields are in Fig.11 The sequence shown starting from element ID 1101 is sent by communication device 102 and received by a different communication device. Communication device 102 may send all fields of the disassociation element to a different communication device after generating them, or may generate and send the fields in sequence starting from element ID 1101.

[0124] In addition, the order of sending and receiving fields is not limited to Fig.11 The order of the fields may be different. In addition, any field may be omitted or Fig.11 Fields not shown in the figure are added at any position between fields.

[0125] The element ID 1101 includes an identifier for identifying an element. In the present exemplary embodiment, a predetermined value is included as an identifier indicating that the element is a disassociated element.

[0126] The length 1102 includes information indicating the length of the disassociated element excluding the element ID 1101 and the length 1102 .

[0127] The multi-band control 1103 includes similar information to the multi-band control 603. In addition, the multi-band control 1103 may be omitted.

[0128] The band ID 1104 includes information for identifying a frequency band associated with an operation category 1105 and a channel number 1106 to be described below. In the present exemplary embodiment, the band ID 1104 includes information indicating a frequency band of a connection determined to be disconnected in step S804.

[0129] The operation category 1105 includes information indicating a set of channels included in the frequency band indicated by the band ID 1104 , including the channel determined to be disconnected in step S804 .

[0130] The channel number 1106 includes information indicating the channel of the connection determined to be disconnected in step S804.

[0131] In the present exemplary embodiment, a case where one connection is disconnected has been described as an example, but the disconnected connection is not limited thereto, and a plurality of connections may be disconnected. In this case, the communication device 102 may include information about the plurality of connections to be disconnected into one disassociation element. Specifically, the communication device 102 may include information about the plurality of connections into the band ID 1104, the operation category 1105, and the channel number 1106. Alternatively, the communication device 102 may include information about one connection into one disassociation element. In this case, the action frame includes a plurality of disassociation elements.

[0132] In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, the disassociation element includes the operation category 1105 and the channel number 1106, but the format of the disassociation element is not limited thereto. Fig.11 The disassociation element shown may include only the channel number 1106 , but not the operation category 1105 .

[0133] In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, an action frame including a disassociation element is used as a frame for requesting disconnection, but the frame is not limited thereto. The communication device 102 may use a deauthentication frame or a disassociation frame. In this case, the communication device 102 requests disconnection by sending a deauthentication frame or a disassociation frame including a multi-band element, wherein the multi-band element includes information about the connection to be disconnected. In addition, in this case, the fields from band ID 604 to channel number 606 included in the multi-band element include information similar to the information included in the fields from band ID 1104 to channel number 1106. In addition, the field and subsequent fields of BSSID 607 may be omitted. In addition, also in the case of requesting to disconnect multiple connections, multiple multi-band elements may be included similarly to the disassociation element, or information about multiple connections may be included in one multi-band element.

[0134] Alternatively, other elements may be included in the deauthentication frame or the disassociation frame instead of the multi-band element. In this case, the element includes information indicating a channel of the connection to be disconnected in addition to information indicating an identifier of the element and information indicating a length of the element.

[0135] If the communication device 103 starts Fig. 9, then in step S901, the communication device 103 determines whether information about the connection to be disconnected has been received. Specifically, the communication device 103 determines whether an action frame including a disassociation element has been received. In the case where an action frame has been received ("yes" in step S901), the communication device 103 determines "yes" in this step. In addition, in this step, the communication device 103 may determine whether a deauthentication frame or a disassociation frame including a multi-band element has been received. In the case where a deauthentication frame or a disassociation frame including a multi-band element has been received, the communication device 103 determines "yes" in this step. Alternatively, the communication device 103 may determine whether a deauthentication frame or a disassociation frame including other elements different from the multi-band element has been received, wherein the other elements include information about the connection to be disconnected. In the case where a deauthentication frame or a disassociation frame including an element has been received, the communication device 103 determines "yes" in this step. If the communication device 103 determines "No" in this step ("No" in step S901), the communication device 103 performs the processing in step S901 again. On the other hand, if the communication device 103 determines "Yes" in this step ("Yes" in step S901), the communication device 103 performs the processing in step S902.

[0136] In step S902, the communication device 103 analyzes the received disassociation element. In addition, in the case where the received element is a multi-band element or other element, the communication device 103 analyzes the received element. In this step, the communication device 103 identifies the connection requested to be disconnected. In this exemplary embodiment, the communication device 103 identifies the connection established in the 5 GHz band as the connection requested to be disconnected.

[0137] Next, in step S903, the communication device 103 determines whether a connection that enables data transmission and reception with the communication device 102 remains. The communication device 103 determines whether a connection that enables data transmission and reception with the communication device 102 exists in addition to the connection for which a disconnection request has been issued from the communication device 102. In the case where a connection that enables data transmission and reception remains ("Yes" in step S903), the communication device 103 determines "Yes" in this step. If the communication device 103 determines "Yes" in this step ("Yes" in step S903), the communication device 103 performs the processing in step S904. If the communication device 103 determines "No" in this step ("No" in step S903), the communication device 103 performs the processing in step S905.

[0138] Similarly, after performing the processing in step S805, in step S806, the communication device 102 also determines whether a connection that enables data transmission and reception with the communication device 103 remains. The communication device 102 determines whether a connection that enables data transmission and reception exists with the communication device 103 in addition to the connection for which the disconnection request has been issued. In the case where a connection that enables data transmission and reception remains ("Yes" in step S806), the communication device 102 determines "Yes" in this step. If the communication device 102 determines "Yes" in this step ("Yes" in step S806), the communication device 102 performs the processing in step S807. If the communication device 102 determines "No" in this step ("No" in step S806), the communication device 102 performs the processing in step S808.

[0139] In the case where there is a connection that enables data transmission and reception ("Yes" in steps S806 and S903), in steps S807 and S904, the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 continue data transmission and reception via the connection. In this case, data transmission and reception between the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 via the connection (channel) requested to be disconnected is stopped. In the present exemplary embodiment, since the connection in the 5 GHz band has been disconnected, in step S10082, data transmission and reception via the connection in the 5 GHz band is stopped. In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, since the connections in the 2.4 GHz band and the 6 GHz band are maintained, data transmission and reception in the 2.4 GHz band and the 6 GHz band are continued in steps S10081, S10091, S10083, and S10093. If the communication device 102 performs the processing in this step, the communication device 102 performs the processing in step S801. If the communication device 103 performs the processing in this step, the communication device 103 performs the processing in step S901.

[0140] exist Fig.10 In the example shown, since a connection that enables data transmission and reception remains between the communication device 102 and the communication device 103, "Yes" is determined in steps S806 and S903. Fig.12In step S1206, the communication device 102 performs the processing in steps S801 to S804, and determines that the connection in the 6 GHz band is to be disconnected. In steps S805 and S12071, the communication device 102 sends a frame for requesting to disconnect the connection in the 6 GHz band to the communication device 103 via the connection in the 2.4 GHz band. If the communication device 103 receives a frame for requesting disconnection from the communication device 102, the communication device 103 performs the processing in steps S901 and S902. The communication device 102 and the communication device 103 perform the judgments in steps S806 and S903, respectively. In the present exemplary embodiment, because there is still a connection in the 2.4 GHz band between the communication device 102 and the communication device 103, the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 judge as "yes" in these steps. In this case, in step S12082, the communication between the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 via the connection in the 6 GHz band is stopped.

[0141] In the case where it is determined as "No" in step S806, in step S808, the communication device 102 does not send and receive data with the counterpart device (in this example, the communication device 103) to which the disconnection frame has been sent, and the processing of this flow is terminated. Similarly, in the case where it is determined as "No" in step S903, in step S905, the communication device 103 does not send and receive data with the sending device of the disconnection frame (in this example, the communication device 102), and the processing of this flow is terminated.

[0142] As mentioned above, through Figure 8 and Fig. 9 In the process shown, the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 are disconnected. As described above, by sending a frame for requesting disconnection via a connection different from the connection to be disconnected, for example, even if interference with a different communication occurs in the connection to be disconnected, a frame for requesting disconnection can be sent to the counterpart device.

[0143] In addition, the communication device 102 Figure 8In the case where it is judged as "yes" in step S803 and the connection with the communication device 103 is disconnected, the communication device 102 can establish a new connection with the communication device 103. When sending information about the connection to be disconnected, in step S805, the communication device 102 can also send information about the new channel to be used for sending and receiving control frames. Then, the communication device 102 can establish a connection with the communication device 103 via the new channel, and use the connection to send and receive control frames. Alternatively, in the case where the communication device 102 sends information about the connection to be disconnected, in step S805, the communication device 102 can also notify the communication device 103 of information indicating a request to change the connection to be used for sending and receiving control frames. The communication device 103 that has received the change request can request the communication device 102 to establish a connection via a new frequency channel at the same time or after the connection with the communication device 102 that has been specified in step S805 is disconnected. Specifically, the communication device 103 sends an association request specifying the new frequency channel to the communication device 102. Alternatively, in the case where the communication device 102 determines "Yes" in step S806, the communication device 102 may use any one of the remaining connections with the communication device 103 as a new connection for sending and receiving control frames. In this case, the communication device 102 may notify the communication device 103 of the connection to be used as the connection for sending and receiving control frames at any timing in step S805 or subsequent steps.

[0144] In the present exemplary embodiment, a case where multi-band communication is performed between the communication device 102 (AP) and the communication device 103 (STA) has been described, but the configuration of the multi-band communication is not limited thereto, and multi-band communication may be performed between STAs. With such a configuration, even in a connection between multiple STAs that is not via an AP, communication via multiple connections in different channels may be performed. In addition, in the case where multi-band communication as in the present exemplary embodiment is performed between STAs, one STA may have a role of building a network as in the communication device 102 (AP) of the present exemplary embodiment, and perform processing similar to that of the communication device 102. In addition, other STAs may have a role of participating in a network as in the communication device 103 (STA) of the present exemplary embodiment, and perform processing similar to that of the communication device 103.

[0145] In the present exemplary embodiment, a frame for requesting disconnection is transmitted from the communication device 102 serving as the AP to the communication device 103 serving as the STA, but in addition to or instead of this, a frame for requesting disconnection may be transmitted from the STA to the AP. In the case where a frame for requesting disconnection can be transmitted from both the STA and the AP, disconnection control of each connection can be performed bidirectionally.

[0146] In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, the case where a connection is established and then disconnected has been described as an example, but the configuration is not limited thereto. In the case where an error occurs during the connection processing in a certain channel, the communication device 102 can report the occurrence of the error by requesting a disconnection in a different connection channel. For example, a case where the communication device 102 has established a connection with the communication device 103 in the first channel in the 5GHz band and is performing a connection processing for further establishing a connection in the second channel in the 2.4GHz band will be considered. In such a case, for example, in the case where an error occurs in the connection processing in the second channel due to interference with different communications, the communication device 102 sends a frame for requesting to disconnect the connection in the second channel via the connection in the first channel. The communication device 103 that has received the frame for requesting to disconnect the connection in the second channel can detect that a certain error has occurred in the ongoing connection processing in the second channel and end the connection processing. In addition, in addition to the above-mentioned case, the case where an error occurs during the connection processing includes the case where a frame different from the frame to be sent and received in the connection processing has been received, and the case where an error value is included in the frame, etc. The communication device 102 can notify the communication device 103 of the contents and the cause of the error by including information indicating the contents and the cause of the error in a frame for requesting to disconnect the connection in the second channel.

[0147] In addition, in addition to or in lieu of a case where an error occurs during connection processing, in a case where a connection request in a specific channel whose use is restricted in a predetermined area has been received, a connection response for notifying an error may be sent via a connection that has been established in a different channel. For example, a case where the communication device 102 has established a connection with the communication device 103 in a channel in the 5 GHz band will be considered. In a case where the communication device 102 has received a connection request from the communication device 103 via 14ch in the 2.4 GHz band in an area where the use of the 14ch is restricted, a connection response for notifying an error may be sent to the communication device 103 via a connection established in the 5 GHz band. In this case, the communication device 102 may send an association response including "UNACCEPTABLE_SUPPORTED_CHANNELS" as an error code.

[0148] In addition, in this exemplary embodiment, Figure 6 and Fig.11 An example of a frame format of an element for controlling connection or disconnection of multi-band communication is each shown, but the frame format of each element is not limited thereto.

[0149] Fig.13 Show Figure 6 and Fig.11Another example of a Band ID field for an element shown in . Specifically, in the case of a multi-band element, it may include Fig.13 The fields from next frequency band 1301 to channel number 1304 shown in FIG. Figure 6 604 to the channel number 606. In this case, Fig.13 The operation category 1303 and the channel number 1304 in the example include Figure 6 The same information as the operation category 605 and channel number 606 is shown. Similarly, in the case of a disassociated element, the Fig.13 The fields from next frequency band 1301 to channel number 1304 shown in FIG. Fig.11 1104 to the channel number 1106. In this case, Fig.13 The operation category 1303 and the channel number 1304 in the example include Fig.11 The operation category 1105 and channel number 1106 are the same information as shown.

[0150] Figure 6 and Fig.11 Each band ID field shown is a field including 8 bits. Therefore, in the case where the next band field and the band ID field are used alternatively, the next band field may include one bit, and the band ID field may include seven bits.

[0151] Fig.13 It also shows Fig.13 The correspondence between the value in the Band ID field in the frame format shown and its meaning. Fig.13 The illustrated correspondence does not include a value indicating a plurality of frequency bands.

[0152] In use Fig.13 In the case of the frame format shown, in the case where the fields from the next frequency band 1301 to the channel number 1304 are regarded as one set, information about one connection is included in one set. Therefore, in the case where the information about multiple connections is communicated using each element, the element includes the same number of sets of fields from the next frequency band 1301 to the channel number 1304 as the number of connections. For example, in the case where multiple sets are included in the multi-band element, the fields from the next frequency band 1301 to the channel number 1304 of the second set are included after the channel number 1304 of the first set. Then, the field of BSSID 607 is included after the channel number 1304 of the last set. Similarly, also in the case where multiple sets are included in the disassociation element, the fields from the next frequency band 1301 to the channel number 1304 of the next set are included after the channel number 1304 of the first set. Then, the channel number 1304 of the last set becomes the last field included in the disassociation element.

[0153] Next Band 1301 is information indicating whether information about a connection different from the connection indicated by the field from Band ID 1302 to Channel Number 1304 present immediately after Next Band 1301 is included in the element. In the case where 1 is included in Next Band 1301, the element includes another set of fields from Next Band 1301 to Channel Number 1304 following the field from Band ID 1302 to Channel Number 1304 present immediately after Next Band 1301. On the other hand, in the case where 0 is included in Next Band 1301, the element does not include another set of fields from Next Band 1301 to Channel Number 1304 following the field from Band ID 1302 to Channel Number 1304 present immediately after Next Band 1301. In addition, the correspondence relationship between the value included in Next Band 1301 and its meaning is not limited thereto.

[0154] In addition, similar to Fig.11 ,for Fig.13 The elements shown may include only the channel number 1304 and not the operation category 1303 .

[0155] Fig.14A and Fig. 14B An example of a frame format of a portion of a multi-band element is shown in the case where a predetermined value is included in the Next Band field. Fig.14A and Fig. 14B Only show Figure 6 The fields from Multi-Band Control 603 to BSSID 607 shown in FIG.

[0156] Fig.14A An example case is shown where the value in the first Next Band field is 0. In this case, the Multi-Band Element includes only one set of fields from Next Band 1301 to Channel Number 1304. In other words, the Multi-Band Element includes only information about one connection. In addition, the BSSID 607 follows the Channel Number 1304.

[0157] Fig. 14BAn example case is shown in which the value in the first next band field is 1 and the value in the second next band field is 0. In this case, the multi-band element includes two sets of fields from next band 1301 to channel number 1304. In addition, because the second set of fields from next band to channel number indicates information about a channel different from the channels of the first set, these fields are indicated as fields from next band 1301' to channel number 1304'. In this case, the multi-band element includes information about two connections. The first set of fields from next band 1301 to channel number 1304 indicates information about the first channel, and the second set of fields from next band 1301' to channel number 1304' indicates information about the second channel. In addition, BSSID 607 follows channel number 1304'.

[0158] Similarly, in the case where the element includes information about three connections, the communication device 102 only needs to set 1 as the value of the first next frequency band field and the second next frequency band field, and set 0 as the value of the third next frequency band field. In addition, the number of connections that can be included in the element is not limited thereto, and may be four or more.

[0159] In addition, instead of Fig.13 An extension of or in addition to the Band ID field shown Fig.13 In addition to the extension of the Band ID field shown, the communication device 102 may also extend the Channel Number field. In this case, Figure 6 or Fig.11 The first bit of the channel number field shown becomes the next channel field. In the case where the communication device 102 includes information about multiple channels included in the same frequency band in the element, the communication device 102 can include multiple next channel fields and multiple channel number fields in the element. For example, the case where the communication device 102 sends an element including information about the first channel and the second channel in the 5GHz frequency band will be considered. In this case, after the band ID field including information indicating the 5GHz frequency band, the communication device 102 sends an operation category field indicating a set of channels including the first channel and the second channel. Then, the communication device 102 first sends a next channel field including 1 as a value, and further continuously sends a channel number field indicating the first channel. Next, the communication device 102 sends a next channel field including 0 as a value, and continuously sends a channel number field indicating the second channel. In this way, in the case of communicating information about multiple channels included in the same frequency band, by repeating only the next channel field and the channel number field, information about multiple channels can be notified using a reduced number of bits.

[0160] Alternatively, in addition to or in lieu of this, the operation category field may also be extended to the next category field and the channel number field. In the case where the communication device 102 includes information about a plurality of channel sets included in the same frequency band in an element, the communication device 102 may include a plurality of next category fields, a plurality of operation category fields, and a plurality of channel number fields in the element. For example, the case where the communication device 102 sends an element including information about a first channel and a second channel in a 5 GHz band will be considered. In addition, the first channel and the second channel belong to different sets in the set of channels indicated by the operation category. In this case, after including the band ID field indicating the information of the 5 GHz band, the communication device 102 first sends a next category field including 1 as a value. Next, the communication device 102 sends an operation category field indicating a set of channels including the first channel, and sends a channel number field indicating the first channel. In addition, the communication device 102 sends a next category field including 0 as a value, and then sends an operation category field indicating a set of channels including the second channel. After this, the communication device 102 sends a channel number field indicating the second channel. In this manner, in the case of communicating information on a plurality of channel sets included in the same frequency band, by repeating only the fields from the next category field to the channel number field, the information on the plurality of channel sets can be notified with a reduced number of bits.

[0161] As mentioned above, Fig.13 Another example of a band ID field included in each element by the communication device 102 is shown. Fig.13 The frame format shown, when communicating information about multiple channels, can use a smaller number of bits to communicate the information.

[0162] In the present exemplary embodiment, each element includes information about a channel as information for identifying a connection, but the identification information is not limited thereto. Instead of information about a channel, an association identifier (AID) may be used. AID is an identifier assigned to an STA by an AP when the STA is associated with an AP (communication device 102). In the present exemplary embodiment, the AP may make the connection identifiable by changing the AID to be assigned to the same STA for each connection of different channels. For example, a case where the communication device 102 establishes a connection with the communication device 103 in the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band will be considered. In such a case, by assigning AID=1 to the communication device 103 in the 2.4 GHz band and AID=2 to the communication device 103 in the 5 GHz band, the communication device 102 may use the AID to identify the connection. Therefore, the AID may be included instead of including information about the channel of the connection as information for identifying the connection included in each element. Therefore, the communication device 102 may reduce the number of bits when using each element to communicate information about the connection.

[0163] In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, even when multiple connections are established, a common SSID and a common BSSID are set, but the configuration is not limited thereto. The communication device 102 may set a different BSSID for each connection. In addition, the communication device 102 may use different SSIDs in different connections.

[0164] In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, the communication devices 102 and 103 can control the establishment or disconnection of the connection via the second frequency channel by sending and receiving the connection request or disconnection request via the first frequency channel, but the configuration is not limited thereto. It is only required that the communication devices 102 and 103 can perform at least one of the establishment or disconnection of the connection via the second frequency channel by communicating a predetermined signal via the first frequency channel.

[0165] In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, all of the multiple connections established between the communication devices 102 and 103 are connections that comply with the IEEE 802.11be standard, but the standard is not limited thereto. Connections that comply with multiple different standards in the IEEE 802.11 series of standards may be established between the communication devices 102 and 103 as connections for multi-band communication. For example, the communication devices 102 and 103 may establish a connection that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard and a connection that complies with the IEEE 802.11ax standard as connections for multi-band communication.

[0166] In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, the communication devices 102 and 103 perform multi-band communication by establishing a connection conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series standard, but the standard is not limited thereto. The communication devices 102 and 103 can perform multi-band communication by establishing multiple connections with different frequencies conforming to a communication standard different from the IEEE 802.11 series standard.

[0167] In addition, Figure 4 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9 At least a part or all of the processing to be performed by the communication device 102 and the communication device 103 in the flowchart shown can be implemented by hardware. In the case of implementing the processing by hardware, it is sufficient to generate a dedicated circuit on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) according to a computer program for implementing each step, for example, by using a predetermined compiler and using the dedicated circuit. FPGA stands for field programmable gate array. In addition, the gate array circuit can be formed and implemented as hardware similar to FPGA. In addition, the processing can be implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0168] The exemplary embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented by the following process: a program for implementing one or more functions of the exemplary embodiments described above is supplied to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read out the program and execute the program. In addition, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0169] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, in order to apprise the public of the scope of the present invention, the following claims are made.

[0170] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-233225, filed on December 24, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising: an establishing unit configured to establish a connection with another communication device that complies with a predetermined communication standard; a communication unit configured to communicate, via a first frequency channel, information for specifying a connection target related to a connection with the other communication device via a second frequency channel, the second frequency channel being different from the first frequency channel; as well as A control unit is configured to control the establishing unit to establish a connection with the other communication device via the second frequency channel based on at least the information for specifying the connection target after the communication unit has communicated the information for specifying the connection target, and the connection is to be maintained in parallel with the connection with the other communication device via the first frequency channel established by the establishing unit.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: After the communication unit has communicated the information for specifying a connection target, the control unit controls the establishment unit to establish both a connection with the other communication device via the second frequency channel and a connection with the other communication device via the first frequency channel.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The information for specifying the connection target is included in the information indicating that the connection establishment is requested.

4. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein: The information indicating a request to establish a connection is an association request.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a receiving unit configured to receive a response to the information for specifying a connection target from the other communication device after the communication unit has sent the information for specifying a connection target to the other communication device, in, In a case where the information for specifying a connection target has been transmitted to the other communication device, the control unit controls the establishment unit to establish a connection with the other communication device via the first frequency channel and the second frequency channel after the receiving unit has received the response.

6. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a transmitting unit configured to transmit a response to the information for specifying a connection target in a case where the communication unit has received the information for specifying a connection target, in, In a case where the information for specifying a connection target has been received, the control unit controls the establishment unit to establish a connection with the other communication device via the first frequency channel and the second frequency channel after the transmission unit has transmitted the response.

7. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein: The response includes information indicating that establishment of the connection is allowed or information related to the second frequency channel.

8. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein: The response is an association response.

9. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The communication unit communicates the information for specifying a connection destination in compliance with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11be standard.

10. A communication device comprising: an establishing unit configured to establish a connection with another communication device that complies with a predetermined communication standard; a communication unit configured to communicate a disconnection request for disconnecting the second connection via the first connection while maintaining in parallel a first connection with the other communication device via a first frequency channel already established by the establishment unit and a second connection with the other communication device via a second frequency channel already established by the establishment unit, the second frequency channel being different from the first frequency channel; as well as A disconnection unit is configured to disconnect the second connection if the communication unit has communicated the disconnection request.

11. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The disconnection request includes information indicating a request to disconnect the second connection.

12. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The communication unit receives the disconnection request from the other communication device.

13. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The communication unit sends the disconnection request to the other communication device.

14. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The disconnect request is an action frame including a disassociation element.

15. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The disconnect request is a disassociation frame including a disassociation element.

16. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The communication unit communicates the disconnection request in compliance with the IEEE 802.11be standard.

17. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein: The first frequency channel and the second frequency channel are frequency channels in different frequency bands.

18. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein: The establishing unit establishes a connection with the other communication device in compliance with the IEEE802.11 series standards.

19. A method for controlling a communication device, the method comprising: Establishing connections with other communication devices that comply with predetermined communication standards; communicating, via the first frequency channel, information for specifying a connection target related to a connection with the other communication device via a second frequency channel, the second frequency channel being different from the first frequency channel; as well as After the information for specifying the connection target has been communicated in the communication, the establishment is controlled at least based on the information for specifying the connection target to establish a connection with the other communication device via the second frequency channel, and the connection is to be maintained in parallel with the connection with the other communication device via the first frequency channel established in the establishment.

20. A method for controlling a communication device, the method comprising: Establishing connections with other communication devices that comply with predetermined communication standards; communicating a disconnection request for disconnecting the second connection via the first connection while maintaining in parallel a first connection with the other communication device via a first frequency channel already established in the establishment and a second connection with the other communication device via a second frequency channel already established in the establishment, the second frequency channel being different from the first frequency channel; as well as In a case where the disconnection request has been communicated during the communication, the second connection is disconnected.

21. A program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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