Base stations and terminals

Abstract

The base station (10) in this embodiment includes first and second wireless signal processing units (130, 140) and a link management unit (120). The first and second wireless signal processing units are configured to transmit and receive wireless signals using first and second channels, respectively. The link management unit uses the first and second wireless signal processing units to create multiple links with the terminal, setting the first wireless signal processing unit as the primary link used mainly in the multiple links, and setting the second wireless signal processing unit as the secondary link used auxiliaryly in the multiple links. When the secondary link is in active mode, if a first condition is met, the link management unit sets the secondary link to an inactive mode. When the secondary link is in inactive mode, if a second condition is met, the link management unit sets the secondary link to an active mode.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese National Application No. 2020801046237 (PCT / JP2020 / 028673) (base station and terminal) filed on July 27, 2020, the contents of which are quoted below. Technical Field

[0002] The implementation methods involve base stations and terminals. Background Technology

[0003] Wireless LAN (Local Area Network) is a known wireless system that connects base stations and terminals wirelessly.

[0004] Non-patent literature 1: IEEE Std 802.11-2016, “Figure 4-25 Establishing the IEEE 802.11 association” and “11.3 STA authentication and association”, 7 December 2016 Summary of the Invention

[0005] The objective of this invention is to suppress the power consumption of wireless terminals.

[0006] The base station in this embodiment includes a first wireless signal processing unit, a second wireless signal processing unit, and a link management unit. The first wireless signal processing unit is configured to transmit and receive wireless signals using a first channel. The second wireless signal processing unit is configured to transmit and receive wireless signals using a second channel different from the first channel. The link management unit uses the first and second wireless signal processing units to create multiple links with the terminal, setting the first wireless signal processing unit as the primary link used mainly in the multiple links, and setting the second wireless signal processing unit as a secondary link used auxiliaryly in the multiple links. When the secondary link is in active mode, if a first condition is met in the multiple links, the link management unit sets the secondary link to an operation idle mode that consumes less power compared to the active mode. When the secondary link is in operation idle mode, if a second condition is met in the multiple links, the link management unit sets the secondary link to active mode.

[0007] The effects of the invention

[0008] The base station implemented in this way can suppress power consumption when there are multiple links. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the overall structure of the wireless system involved in the implementation method.

[0010] Figure 2 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating a specific example of the format of a wireless frame in a wireless system involved in an implementation.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the structure of a base station in a wireless system according to an implementation method.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the base station functionality of a wireless system according to an implementation method.

[0013] Figure 5 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the structure of a terminal in a wireless system according to an implementation method.

[0014] Figure 6 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionality of a terminal in a wireless system according to an implementation method.

[0015] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the detailed functions of the link management unit of a base station in a wireless system according to an embodiment.

[0016] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of multi-link processing in a wireless system according to an implementation method.

[0017] Figure 9 This is a table representing an example of link management information for a wireless system involved in an implementation.

[0018] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a data transmission method in a multi-link wireless system according to an implementation method.

[0019] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of a multi-link power-saving method for a wireless system according to the implementation method.

[0020] Figure 12 It means based on Figure 11 The table shows an example of how changes in link management information are obtained from the multi-link power saving usage example described in the text.

[0021] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for the link initiation process of a wireless system according to an implementation method.

[0022] Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for link stop processing in a wireless system according to an implementation method.

[0023] Figure 15This is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of the link start / stop processing of the wireless system involved in the implementation method.

[0024] Figure 16 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating a specific example of a wireless frame used in the link start / stop processing of a wireless system according to an implementation method.

[0025] Figure 17 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating a specific example of a wireless frame used in the link start / stop processing of a wireless system according to an implementation method.

[0026] Figure 18 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for the link initiation process of a wireless system according to the first variation of the implementation.

[0027] Figure 19 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for link stop processing in a wireless system according to the first variation of the implementation.

[0028] Figure 20 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for the link initiation process of a wireless system according to the second variation of the implementation.

[0029] Figure 21 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for link stop processing in a wireless system according to the second variation of the implementation.

[0030] Figure 22 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for the link initiation process of a wireless system according to the third variation of the implementation.

[0031] Figure 23 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for link stop processing in a wireless system according to the third variation of the implementation.

[0032] Figure 24 This is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of the link start / stop processing of a wireless system according to the fourth variation of the implementation.

[0033] Figure 25 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating a specific example of a wireless frame used in the link start / stop processing of a wireless system according to the fourth variation of the implementation.

[0034] Figure 26 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a frequency band used in wireless communication in a wireless system according to the fifth variation of the implementation.

[0035] Figure 27This is a table representing an example of link management information of a wireless system involved in the fifth variation of the implementation.

[0036] Figure 28 This is a table illustrating an example of the multi-link data allocation of a wireless system according to the third variation of the implementation.

[0037] Figure 29 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for link stop processing of a wireless system involved in a combination of the implementation method and the first variation of the implementation method. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Examples of embodiments illustrate apparatuses and methods for realizing the technical concept of the invention. The drawings are schematic or conceptual. The dimensions and proportions of the drawings may not be identical to reality. The technical concept of the present invention is not determined by the shape, structure, or arrangement of structural elements. Furthermore, in the following description, structural elements having substantially the same function and structure are labeled with the same reference numerals.

[0039] <1> Structure of Wireless System 1

[0040] The wireless system 1 according to the embodiment involves a link start / stop method when there are multiple links. The wireless system 1 according to the embodiment will now be described.

[0041] <1-1> Overall Structure of Wireless System 1

[0042] Figure 1 This illustrates an example of the structure of the wireless system 1 according to the implementation method. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the wireless system 1 includes, for example, a base station 10, a terminal 20, and a server 30.

[0043] Base station 10 is connected to network NW and used as an access point for a wireless LAN. For example, base station 10 can wirelessly distribute data received from network NW to terminal 20. Furthermore, base station 10 can utilize one or more bandwidths to connect to terminal 20. In this specification, the wireless connection utilizing multiple bandwidths between base station 10 and terminal 20 is referred to as "multi-link". Communication between base station 10 and terminal 20 is based, for example, on the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0044] Terminal 20 can be a wireless terminal such as a smartphone or tablet PC. Terminal 20 can send and receive data with server 30 on network NW via base station 10, which is connected wirelessly. Alternatively, terminal 20 can be other electronic devices such as desktop computers or laptops. Terminal 20 is any device that can at least communicate with base station 10 and perform the actions described later.

[0045] Server 30 can store various types of information, such as content data for terminal 20. Server 30 is configured to connect to network NW via a wired connection, enabling communication with base station 10. Furthermore, server 30 only needs to be able to communicate with base station 10 at a minimum. That is, communication between base station 10 and server 30 can be either wired or wireless.

[0046] In the wireless system 1 described in the implementation, data communication between base station 10 and terminal 20 is based on the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) reference model. In the OSI reference model, communication functions are divided into 7 layers (Layer 1: Physical Layer, Layer 2: Data Link Layer, Layer 3: Network Layer, Layer 4: Transport Layer, Layer 5: Session Layer, Layer 6: Display Layer, Layer 7: Application Layer).

[0047] The data link layer includes, for example, the LLC (Logical Link Control) layer and the MAC (Media Access Control) layer. The LLC layer, for example, appends DSAP (Destination Service Access Point) headers and SSAP (Source Service Access Point) headers to data input from the upper-level application to form LLC data packets. The MAC layer, for example, appends MAC headers to LLC data packets to form MAC frames.

[0048] Figure 2 This illustrates a specific example of the format of the wireless frames used in communication between the base station 10 and the terminal 20 in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. For example... Figure 2 As shown, a wireless frame may include, for example, the Frame Control field, Duration field, Address1 field, Address2 field, Address3 field, Sequence Control field, other control information fields, Frame Body field, and FCS (Frame Check Sequence) field.

[0049] The Frame Control field corresponds to other control information fields, such as the MAC header contained in the MAC frame. The Frame Body field corresponds to, for example, the MAC payload contained in the MAC frame. The FCS field stores error detection symbols in the MAC header and Frame Body fields and is used to determine the presence or absence of errors in the radio frame.

[0050] The Frame Control field represents various control information, including values ​​for Type, Subtype, To DS (ToDistribution System), and From DS. The Type value indicates the frame type of the radio frame. For example, a Type value of "00" indicates that the radio frame is a management frame. A Type value of "01" indicates that the radio frame is a control frame. A Type value of "10" indicates that the radio frame is a data frame.

[0051] The content of a radio frame varies depending on the combination of the Type and Subtype values. For example, "00 / 1000 (Type value / Subtype value)" indicates that the radio frame is a beacon signal. The meanings of the To DS and From DS values ​​differ depending on their combination. For example, "00 (To DS / From DS)" indicates data between terminals within the same IBSS (Independent Basic Service Set). "10" indicates that the data frame flows from outside to this DS (Distribution System). "01" indicates that the data frame flows to the outside of this DS. "11" is used in the case of a mesh network.

[0052] The Duration field indicates the scheduled period for using the wireless line. Multiple Address fields represent the BSSID, source address, destination address, sender terminal address, receiver terminal address, etc. The Sequence Control field indicates the MAC frame sequence number and the segment number used for the segment. Other control information fields include Traffic Type Identifier (TID) information. TID information can be inserted elsewhere within the wireless frame. The Frame Body field contains information corresponding to the frame type. For example, in the case of a data frame, the Frame Body field stores the data.

[0053] <1-2> Regarding the structure of base station 10

[0054] Figure 3 This illustrates an example of the structure of a base station 10 in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. For example... Figure 3 As shown, base station 10 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a wireless communication component 14, and a wired communication component 15.

[0055] CPU 11 is a circuit capable of executing various programs and controlling the operation of the entire base station 10. ROM 12 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory that stores programs and control data used to control the base station 10. RAM 13 is, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory used as the operating area of ​​CPU 11. Wireless communication component 14 is a circuit used for transmitting and receiving data based on wireless signals and is connected to an antenna. Furthermore, wireless communication component 14 may include, for example, multiple communication components corresponding to multiple frequency bands. Wired communication component 15 is a circuit used for transmitting and receiving data based on wired signals and is connected to the network NW.

[0056] Figure 4 This illustrates an example of the functional structure of a base station 10 in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. For example... Figure 4 As shown, base station 10 includes, for example, a data processing unit 110, a link management unit 120, and wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150. The processing of the data processing unit 110, the link management unit 120, and the wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 is implemented, for example, by a CPU 11 and a wireless communication component 14.

[0057] The data processing unit 110 is capable of performing LLC layer processing and upper layer (layer 3 to layer 7) processing on the input data. For example, the data processing unit 110 outputs data input from the server 30 via the network NW to the link management unit 120. In addition, the data processing unit 110 sends data input from the link management unit 120 to the server 30 via the network NW.

[0058] The link management unit 120 performs, for example, part of the MAC layer processing on the input data. Additionally, the link management unit 120 manages the link with the terminal 20 based on notifications from the wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150. The link management unit 120 includes link management information 121. This link management information 121, for example, is stored in RAM 13 and contains information about the terminal 20 wirelessly connected to the base station 10. Furthermore, the link management unit 120 includes an association processing unit 122 and an authentication processing unit 123. Upon receiving a connection request from the terminal 20 via any one of the wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150, the association processing unit 122 executes association-related protocols. The authentication processing unit 123 executes authentication-related protocols after the connection request.

[0059] Wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 respectively transmit and receive data between base station 10 and terminal 20 using wireless communication. For example, wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 respectively add preambles, PHY headers, etc. to the data input from link management unit 120 to create wireless frames. Furthermore, wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 respectively convert the wireless frames into wireless signals and distribute the wireless signals via the antenna of base station 10. Additionally, wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 respectively convert the wireless signals received via the antenna of base station 10 into wireless frames. Furthermore, wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 respectively output the data contained in the wireless frames to link management unit 120.

[0060] Thus, wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 can respectively perform a portion of MAC layer processing and Layer 1 processing on the input data or wireless signals. For example, wireless signal processing unit 130 processes wireless signals in the 2.4 GHz band. Wireless signal processing unit 140 processes wireless signals in the 5 GHz band. Wireless signal processing unit 150 processes wireless signals in the 6 GHz band. Wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 may or may not share the antenna of base station 10.

[0061] <1-3> Regarding the structure of terminal 20

[0062] Figure 5 This illustrates an example of the structure of a terminal 20 in the wireless system 1 according to an embodiment. For example... Figure 5 As shown, terminal 20 includes, for example, a CPU 21, ROM 22, RAM 23, wireless communication component 24, display 25, and storage 26.

[0063] CPU 21 is a circuit capable of executing various programs and controlling the operation of the entire terminal 20. ROM 22 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory that stores programs, control data, etc., used to control the terminal 20. RAM 23 is, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory used as the operating area of ​​CPU 21. Wireless communication component 24 is a circuit used for transmitting and receiving data based on wireless signals and is connected to an antenna. Furthermore, wireless communication component 24 may include multiple communication components corresponding to multiple frequency bands. Display 25 displays, for example, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) corresponding to application software. Display 25 may function as an input interface for terminal 20. Storage 26 is a non-volatile storage device that stores, for example, the system software of terminal 20. Alternatively, terminal 20 may not have a display. For example, display 25 may be omitted in an IoT terminal.

[0064] Figure 6 This illustrates an example of the functional structure of the terminal 20 in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. For example... Figure 6 As shown, terminal 20 includes, for example, a data processing unit 210, a link management unit 220, wireless signal processing units 230, 240 and 250, and an application execution unit 260. The processing of the data processing unit 210, the link management unit 220, and the wireless signal processing units 230, 240 and 250 is implemented, for example, by a CPU 21 and a wireless communication component 24.

[0065] The data processing unit 210 is capable of performing LLC layer processing and upper layer (layer 3 to layer 7) processing on the input data. For example, the data processing unit 210 outputs data input from the application execution unit 260 to the link management unit 220. Additionally, the data processing unit 210 outputs data input from the link management unit 220 to the application execution unit 260.

[0066] The link management unit 220 can perform some of the processing, such as MAC layer processing, on the input data. Furthermore, the link management unit 220 manages the link with the base station 10 based on notifications from the wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250. The link management unit 220 includes link management information 221. The link management information 221, for example, is stored in RAM 23 and contains information about the base station 10 wirelessly connected to the terminal 20. Additionally, the link management unit 220 includes an association processing unit 222 and an authentication processing unit 223. Upon receiving a connection request from the base station 10 via any one of the wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250, the association processing unit 222 executes association-related protocols. The authentication processing unit 223 executes authentication-related protocols after the connection request.

[0067] Wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 respectively transmit and receive data between base station 10 and terminal 20 using wireless communication. For example, wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 respectively add preambles, PHY headers, etc. to the data input from link management unit 220 to create wireless frames. Furthermore, wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 respectively convert the wireless frames into wireless signals and distribute the wireless signals via the antenna of terminal 20. Additionally, wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 respectively convert the wireless signals received via the antenna of terminal 20 into wireless frames. Furthermore, wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 respectively output the data contained in the wireless frames to link management unit 220.

[0068] Thus, wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 can respectively perform a portion of MAC layer processing and Layer 1 processing on input data or wireless signals. For example, wireless signal processing unit 230 processes wireless signals in the 2.4 GHz band. Wireless signal processing unit 240 processes wireless signals in the 5 GHz band. Wireless signal processing unit 250 processes wireless signals in the 6 GHz band. Wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 may or may not share the antenna of terminal 20.

[0069] The application execution unit 260 executes applications that utilize data input from the data processing unit 210. For example, the application execution unit 260 can display application information on the display 25. Furthermore, the application execution unit 260 can perform actions based on operations of the input interface.

[0070] Regarding the wireless system 1 described above, the wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 of the base station 10 are configured to connect with the wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 of the terminal 20, respectively. Specifically, wireless signal processing units 130 and 230 can achieve wireless connection using the 2.4 GHz frequency band. Wireless signal processing units 140 and 240 can achieve wireless connection using the 5 GHz frequency band. Wireless signal processing units 150 and 250 can achieve wireless connection using the 6 GHz frequency band. In this specification, each wireless signal processing unit may be referred to as having a "STA function." That is, the wireless system 1 according to the embodiments has multiple STA functions.

[0071] <1-4> About the Link Management Department

[0072] Figure 7 This describes the details of the channel access function of the link management unit 120 of the base station 10 in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. Furthermore, the function of the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 is, for example, the same as that of the link management unit 120 of the base station 10, and therefore its description is omitted. Figure 7 As shown, the link management unit 120 includes, for example, a data classification unit 124, transmission queues 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D and 125E, CSMA / CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) execution units 126A, 126B, 126C, 126D and 126E, and a data conflict management unit 127.

[0073] The data classification unit 124 classifies the data input from the data processing unit 110. Data categories are set as follows: "LL (Low Latency)," "VO (Voice)," "VI (Video)," "BE (Best Effort)," and "BK (Background)." LL is applied to data requiring low latency. Therefore, LL data is preferably processed preferentially compared to any of the VO, VI, BE, and BK categories.

[0074] Furthermore, the data classification unit 124 inputs the classified data into any one of the transmission queues 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, and 125E. Specifically, data for category LL is input into transmission queue 125A. Data for category VO is input into transmission queue 125B. Data for category VI is input into transmission queue 125C. Data for category BE is input into transmission queue 125D. Data for category BK is input into transmission queue 125E. Moreover, the input data for each category is accumulated in any one of the corresponding transmission queues 125A to E.

[0075] CSMA / CA execution units 126A, 126B, 126C, 126D, and 126E, respectively, confirm via carrier sensing in CSMA / CA whether wireless signals based on other terminals are not being transmitted, and wait for transmission for a predetermined time according to pre-set access parameters. Furthermore, CSMA / CA execution units 126A, 126B, 126C, 126D, and 126E retrieve data from transmission queues 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, and 125E, respectively, and output the retrieved data to at least one of the wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 via the data collision management unit 127. Thus, the wireless signal including this data is transmitted by the wireless signal processing unit (STA function) that has obtained transmission rights through CSMA / CA.

[0076] CSMA / CA execution unit 126A performs CSMA / CA on the data LL stored in transmission queue 125A. CSMA / CA execution unit 126B performs CSMA / CA on the data VO stored in transmission queue 125B. CSMA / CA execution unit 126C performs CSMA / CA on the data VI stored in transmission queue 125C. CSMA / CA execution unit 126D performs CSMA / CA on the data BE stored in transmission queue 125D. CSMA / CA execution unit 126E performs CSMA / CA on the data BK stored in transmission queue 125E.

[0077] Furthermore, access parameters can be allocated, for example, by prioritizing the transmission of wireless signals in the order of LL, VO, VI, BE, BK. Access parameters include, for example, CWmin, CWmax, AIFS, and TXOPLimit. CWmin and CWmax represent the minimum and maximum values ​​of the contention window, which serves as the waiting time to avoid collisions, respectively. AIFS (Arbitration Inter Frame Space) represents a fixed waiting time set for each access category for collision avoidance control with priority control functionality. TXOPLimit represents the upper limit of TXOP (Transmission Opportunity) corresponding to the channel occupancy time. For example, the shorter CWmin and CWmax are, the easier it is for transmission queue 125 to obtain transmission rights. The smaller the AIFS, the higher the priority of transmission queue 125. The larger the TXOPLimit value, the more data is transmitted in a single transmission.

[0078] When multiple CSMA / CA execution units 126 have obtained transmission rights with the same STA function, the data conflict management unit 127 prevents data conflicts. Specifically, the data conflict management unit 127 adjusts the transmission timing of data of different categories that have obtained transmission rights with the same STA function, sending data of the higher priority category to the STA function. For example, sometimes the STA function that has obtained transmission rights through the CSMA / CA of transmission queue 125A of LL is the same as the STA function that has obtained transmission rights through any of the other transmission queues 125B to 125E. In this case, the data conflict management unit 127 prioritizes sending the data stored in transmission queue 125A to the STA function. Similarly, in combinations of other transmission queues 125, data is sent in order based on the priority set according to the category. This prevents data assigned to the same STA function from conflicting with each other.

[0079] In this embodiment, a method in which the link management unit is equipped with a channel access function is described, but each STA function can also be equipped with a channel access function. When the link management unit is equipped with a channel access function, each STA function detects the status (idle / busy) of the corresponding link's radio channel, and the link management unit determines whether data can be transmitted (which link to use for transmission, etc.). On the other hand, when each STA function is equipped with a channel access function, each STA function only needs to independently perform carrier sensing and transmit data. In this case, channel access when using multiple links simultaneously can be performed by standardizing access parameters through interaction between multiple STA functions, or by standardizing access parameters using the link management unit. The base station 10 and the terminal 20 can simultaneously use multiple links by transmitting data between multiple STA functions based on common access parameters.

[0080] <2> Operation of Wireless System 1

[0081] The following describes an example of various operations associated with the multi-link wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. In the following description, for simplicity, STA1 and STA2 of base station 10 are also referred to as "access points (APs)". STA1 and STA2 of terminal 20 transmit wireless signals to the access point AP, corresponding to the transmission of wireless signals to STA1 and STA2 of base station 10, respectively. When STA1 and STA2 are described separately, they represent the STA function of terminal 20.

[0082] <2-1> Regarding multi-link processing

[0083] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of multi-link processing in the wireless system 1 according to an implementation method. For example... Figure 8 As shown, in multi-link processing, steps S10 to S16 are executed sequentially, for example.

[0084] Specifically, firstly, in step S10, terminal 20 sends a probe request to base station 10. The probe request confirms whether a signal from base station 10 exists around terminal 20. The Frame Control field of the probe request may contain, for example, "00 / 0100 (Type value / Subtype value)". If base station 10 receives the probe request, it executes step S11.

[0085] In step S11, base station 10 sends a probe response to terminal 20. The probe response is a signal used by base station 10 in response to a probe request from terminal 20. The Frame Control field of the probe response may contain, for example, "00 / 0101 (Type value / Subtype value)". If terminal 20 receives the probe response, it executes step S12.

[0086] In step S12, terminal 20 sends a multi-link association request to base station 10 via at least one STA function. The multi-link association request is a signal used to request the creation of multiple links from base station 10. For example, the multi-link association request is generated by the link management unit 220 of terminal 20. The Frame Control field of the multi-link association request may contain, for example, "00 / xxxx (Type value / Subtype value (xxxx is a specified value))". If the link management unit 120 of base station 10 receives the multi-link association request, it executes step S13.

[0087] In step S13, the link management unit 120 of base station 10 performs multi-link association processing using one STA function. Specifically, firstly, association processing for a first STA function is performed between base station 10 and terminal 20. Furthermore, if a radio connection (link) is established in the first STA function, the link management unit 120 of base station 10 uses the first STA function that created the link to perform association processing for a second STA function. That is, the STA function that created the link is used in the association processing of STA functions that did not create a link. If the association processing for at least two STA functions is completed, base station 10 creates multiple links and performs step S14.

[0088] Furthermore, when a link is created in the first STA function, multiple links can be created. For example, before association processing, base station 10 and terminal 20 respectively notify each other of the multi-link capability, the links referred to as multi-link objects, and the operating parameters of each link, thereby enabling unified execution of association for multiple links. Specifically, when association begins in the first STA function, link management units 120 and 220 instruct the creation of multiple links and specify the links to be multi-link objects. Then, link management units 120 and 220 execute the association of each link and manage the aforementioned links as multiple links.

[0089] In step S14, the link management unit 120 of base station 10 updates the link management information 121. Furthermore, in this example, step S14 is executed after two links are created, but the link management information 121 can be updated each time the link status is updated, or it can be updated when multiple links are created. If multiple links are created and the link management information is updated, base station 10 executes step S15.

[0090] In step S15, base station 10 sends a multilink creation response to terminal 20. The multilink creation response is a signal used by base station 10 in response to a multilink request from terminal 20. The FrameControl field of the multilink association request may contain, for example, "00 / 0001 (Type value / Subtype value)". The link management unit 220 of terminal 20 identifies whether a multilink has been created with base station 10 based on the received multilink creation response. If terminal 20 receives the multilink creation response, it executes step S16.

[0091] In step S16, the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 updates the link management information 221. That is, the terminal 20 records in the link management information 221 that multiple links with the base station 10 have been created. Thus, the multi-link processing of the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment is completed, and data communication using multiple links can be realized between the base station 10 and the terminal 20.

[0092] Figure 9 This illustrates an example of the link management information 121 of the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. Furthermore, the link management information 221 of the terminal 20 has similar information to the link management information 121 of the base station 10, therefore its description is omitted. Figure 9 As shown, the link management information 121 includes, for example, STA function, frequency band, link target ID, presence or absence of multiple links, and information on each TID.

[0093] In this example, "STA1" corresponds to the STA function using the 6GHz band, i.e., the wireless signal processing unit 150 or 250. "STA2" corresponds to the STA function using the 5GHz band, i.e., the wireless signal processing unit 140 or 240. "STA3" corresponds to the STA function using the 2.4GHz band, i.e., the wireless signal processing unit 130 or 230.

[0094] The link target ID corresponds to the identifier of terminal 20 in link management information 121 and to the identifier of base station 10 in link management information 221. In this example, multiple links using STA1 and STA2 are created. When multiple links are created, link management units 120 and 220 respectively transmit data input from the upper layer using at least one STA function link associated with the multiple links. In addition, STA1 is set for the primary link and STA2 is set for the secondary link.

[0095] A primary link is the link used as the main link in a multi-link system. A secondary link is a link used as an auxiliary link in a multi-link system. Links constituting a multi-link system are assigned to either the primary link or the secondary link. There can be two or more primary links and two or more secondary links. For each terminal 20 that has established a multi-link with base station 10, the link groups constituting each multi-link can be different, and the primary links can also be different. By allowing different primary links, the optimal link between base station 10 and each terminal 20 can be set as the primary link. This can lead to improvements in wireless communication quality.

[0096] In addition to transmitting and receiving allocated data, the primary link is also used for transmitting and receiving control information associated with the operation of the multi-link. For example, the primary link is pre-configured when creating a multi-link between base station 10 and terminal 20. The STA function used as the primary link can be prioritized according to the frequency band or according to the radio wave strength of the link.

[0097] The "TID" in link management information 121 indicates the association between STA functions and TID information. Each STA function transmits and receives data corresponding to the assigned TID information. For example, TIDs 1 to 3 correspond to any one of LL, VO, VI, BE, and BK, respectively. A single type of traffic, i.e., a single TID, can be associated with one STA function or multiple STA functions. In this example, TID 1 is assigned to both STA1 and STA2. TID 2 is assigned to STA1. TID 3 is assigned to STA2.

[0098] When establishing multiple links between base station 10 and terminal 20, a communication flow corresponding to the association between this traffic and STA function is pre-defined. For example, the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 determines the association between traffic and STA function and sends a request to the link management unit 120 of base station 10. Furthermore, base station 10 responds to the request and determines the association between traffic and STA function.

[0099] Furthermore, traffic is configured to be distributed evenly across multiple links constituting a multi-link system. This is not a limitation; traffic of similar types (priority / non-priority, etc.) can be aggregated onto a single link constituting the multi-link system. Additionally, as STA functions are associated with traffic, for example, voice is associated with the 2.4GHz band, and video is associated with 5G. Thus, frequencies for transmission and reception are preferably allocated based on the type of information being processed and the data capacity.

[0100] <2-2> Data transmission in multi-link scenarios

[0101] Figure 10 This illustrates an example of a data transmission method in a wireless system 1 with a base station 10 having multiple links, according to an embodiment. For example... Figure 10 As shown, if base station 10 obtains data from the upper layer, it will execute the processing steps S20 to S22 in sequence.

[0102] Specifically, firstly, in step S20, the link management unit 120 obtains the TID information corresponding to the data. In other words, the link management unit 120 associates the data with a TID, for example, based on information contained in the header of the data obtained from the upper layer. Thus, the link management unit 120 confirms which TID corresponds to the communication flow of the data.

[0103] Next, in step S21, the link management unit 120 acquires the STA function corresponding to the associated TID information. At this time, the link management unit 120 confirms the association between the TID information and the STA function by referring to the link management information 121. Furthermore, in step S21, the number of STA functions acquired by the link management unit 120 can be one or more.

[0104] Next, in step S12, the link management unit 120 outputs data to the acquired STA functions. When one STA function is associated with the output data (traffic), the data is transmitted serially using that one STA function. Conversely, when multiple STA functions are associated with the traffic, the data is transmitted in parallel using multiple STA functions.

[0105] Furthermore, when transmitting one type of traffic in parallel, data allocation and rearrangement are performed between the link management unit 120 of base station 10 and the link management unit 220 of terminal 20. Data allocation is performed by the link management unit on the transmitting side, and data rearrangement is performed by the link management unit on the receiving side. For example, the link management unit on the transmitting side adds a flag indicating multiple links and an identification number to the radio frame. The link management unit on the receiving side performs data rearrangement based on the added flag and identification number.

[0106] Furthermore, in the wireless system 1 described in the implementation, when the link management unit receives multiple data from the upper layer, it can combine the received multiple data to perform aggregation. This multi-link aggregation can be used as a selection function that allows the user to choose whether or not to use the data.

[0107] <2-3> Regarding power saving in multi-link systems

[0108] In the wireless system 1 described in the implementation, multiple operating modes are prepared for each STA function. Examples of operating modes for STA functions include an active mode, an intermittent operating mode, and an operation pause mode. The active mode maintains an Awake state through the ST1A function of terminal 20, corresponding to a state where wireless signals can be transmitted and received at any time. The intermittent operating mode repeatedly switches between the Awake and Doze states through the STA function of terminal 20, corresponding to a state where actions are performed intermittently. The operation pause mode maintains a Doze state through the STA function of terminal 20, corresponding to a state where wireless signals cannot be transmitted or received. Multiple STA functions constituting a multi-link include at least one link with an active mode or an intermittent operating mode. Other links constituting the multi-link can be set to any one of the active mode, intermittent operating mode, and operation pause mode.

[0109] Furthermore, the Awake state corresponds to the state where wireless signals can be transmitted and received. The Dose state corresponds to the state where wireless signals cannot be transmitted and received. In the Dose state, the power supply to the line associated with the STA function is appropriately cut off. Therefore, the power consumption of the STA function decreases in the order of active mode, intermittent operation mode, and operation pause mode. In addition, base station 10 or terminal 20 can be used for communication, but there may also be links (disabled links) that are not included in the link group of multiple links between them. Hereinafter, for the sake of simplicity, the links in active mode or intermittent operation mode, that is, the links that can communicate, are referred to as "STA function (link) in Awake state". The links in operation pause mode, that is, the links in the power-saving state where communication is not possible, are referred to as "STA function (link) in Dose state".

[0110] Regarding the multi-link functionality of the wireless system 1 described in the implementation, the STA function set for the primary link is configured as either an active mode or an intermittent operation mode. On the other hand, the STA function set for the secondary link can be configured as either an active mode, an intermittent operation mode, or an operation pause mode. For example, when multiple links are involved, the terminal 20 can perform operations in a power-saving manner by setting the secondary link to an operation pause mode. Hereinafter, the state of multiple links where the secondary link is set to an operation pause mode is referred to as "multi-link power saving." Furthermore, when multiple links are created through multi-link processing, the initial state of the secondary link can be set as either an active mode, an intermittent operation mode, or an operation pause mode.

[0111] Figure 11 This illustrates an example of a multi-link power-saving method for the wireless system 1 according to the implementation method. Furthermore, in the initial state of this example, it is set... Figure 9 The link status is shown. Furthermore, STA1 and STA2 are both set to active mode. For example... Figure 11 As shown, when STA1 and STA2 are in active mode, they can simultaneously send and receive data from TID#2 and TID#3.

[0112] If the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 detects that the first condition is met, it sends a Doze transition notification signal to the access point AP using the primary link (STA1) (step S30). The first condition corresponds, for example, to the case where traffic is not accumulated on the secondary link (STA2). The Doze transition notification signal is a signal that notifies a transition to the Doze state, corresponding to "disable" in the illustration. Terminal 20 can obtain information about this traffic by receiving beacon signals from base station 10 using at least one of STA1 and STA2.

[0113] If STA1 of base station 10 receives a Doze transition notification signal, the link management unit 120 of base station 10 checks whether the transition of the secondary link to the operation pause mode can be permitted. Furthermore, if the transition of the secondary link to the operation pause mode can be permitted, the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 sends an affirmative response (“OK”) to terminal 20 via STA1 or STA2 (step S31). Conversely, if the transition of the secondary link to the operation pause mode cannot be permitted, the link management unit 120 of base station 10 can send a negative response (“NO”) to base station 10 via STA1 or STA2.

[0114] If terminal 20 receives a positive response in step S31, the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 changes STA2, which is set as a secondary link, to the doze state (step S32). As a result, STA1 and STA2 of terminal 20 become Awake and Doze states, respectively. At this time, the multi-link becomes capable of only sending and receiving data of TID#2.

[0115] Then, if the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 detects that the second condition is met, it sends an Awake transition request signal to the access point AP via the primary link (STA1) (step S33). The Awake transition request signal is a signal requesting a transition to the Awake state, corresponding to "enable" in the illustration. The second condition, for example, corresponds to the case where traffic is accumulated on the secondary link (STA2). Terminal 20 can obtain information about this traffic by receiving the beacon signal from base station 10 using the activated STA1.

[0116] If STA1 of base station 10 receives an Awake transition request signal, the link management unit 120 of base station 10 sends an affirmative response (“OK”) to terminal 20 via STA1 corresponding to the primary link (step S34). If terminal 20 receives the affirmative response in step S34, the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 changes STA2, which is set as a secondary link, to active mode (step S35). Thus, STA1 and STA2 of terminal 20 both enter the Awake state. As a result, the multi-link becomes, for example, capable of transmitting and receiving any one of TID#1 to 3 data.

[0117] Figure 12 Indicates based on Figure 11 This is an example of the changes in link management information 121 obtained from the multi-link power saving usage example described in the text. For example... Figure 12 As shown, the connection / disconnection of multi-link power saving is applied by the Doze transition notification signal and the Awake transition request signal, respectively. Specifically, after setting up multiple links, terminal 20 sends a Doze transition notification signal to base station 10 to change the secondary link in the active mode to the action rest mode, and sends an Awake transition request signal to change the secondary link in the action rest mode to the active mode.

[0118] Thus, in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment, the base station 10 and the terminal 20 can change the operation mode of the secondary link by sending an Awake transition request signal / Doze transition notification signal. The Awake transition request signal is transmitted using the primary link or another activated link. The Doze transition notification signal is transmitted using the primary link or a stopped link (a link transitioning to an operation dormant mode).

[0119] Furthermore, an Awake transition request signal and a Doze transition notification signal can be sent from either the access point (AP) or the terminal 20. When the first and second conditions are based on traffic stagnation (buffered state), for example, the change in action mode is triggered when the accumulated traffic in the buffer exceeds a predetermined threshold. Additionally, an intermittent action mode can be applied to the primary link. In this case, the primary link operates in a manner that allows it to receive beacon signals containing control information for multiple links.

[0120] <2-4> Regarding link start / stop processing

[0121] The wireless system 1 described in this embodiment can control the activation / deactivation of secondary links based on predetermined conditions when multiple links are involved. Hereinafter, the process of activating a secondary link will be referred to as link activation processing, and the process of deactivating a secondary link will be referred to as link deactivation processing. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is envisioned that a TID is associated with both the primary and secondary links, with the primary link being used as the primary link.

[0122] (Regarding link startup processing)

[0123] First, let's illustrate an example of the conditions for starting the execution link. Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for the link initiation process of the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. When only the primary link is active in a multi-link scenario, the link management units 120 and 220 execute... Figure 13 The series of processes shown.

[0124] Specifically, firstly, the link management units 120 and 220 monitor the amount of data buffered for transmission allocated to the TID, and confirm whether the amount of data buffered exceeds the specified threshold (step S40).

[0125] If the amount of buffered data exceeds a predetermined threshold, an Awake transition request signal is sent between the link management unit 120 of base station 10 and the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 to wake up the secondary link in the Doze state (step S41). In other words, by performing link startup processing, the STA function of terminal 20, which is set as a secondary link, is changed from the action dormant mode to the active mode. Then, either link management unit 120 or 220 transmits data using the multiple links (primary link and secondary link) constituting the multiple links (step S42).

[0126] On the other hand, if the amount of data buffered does not exceed a specified threshold, either link management unit 120 or 220 transmits data using the primary link (step S43). In other words, either link management unit 120 or 220 essentially transmits data using multiple links with a single link. The link management units 120 and 220 perform the processing described above when the multiple links have buffered data allocated for transmission.

[0127] (Regarding link stop handling)

[0128] Next, we will illustrate an example of the conditions for executing the link stop processing. Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for link stop processing in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. When multiple links are active in a multi-link scenario, the link management units 120 and 220 execute... Figure 14 The series of processes shown.

[0129] Specifically, firstly, the link management unit 120 or 220 monitors the amount of data buffered for transmission allocated to the TID and confirms whether the amount of data buffered is lower than the specified threshold (step S50).

[0130] If the amount of data buffered is lower than a specified threshold, a Doze change notification signal is sent between the link management unit 120 of base station 10 and the link management unit 220 of terminal 20, setting the secondary link in the active mode to the action-free mode (Doze state) (step S51). In other words, by performing link stop processing, the STA function of terminal 20, which is set as the secondary link, is changed from the active mode to the action-free mode. Then, either link management unit 120 or 220 transmits data using the primary link (step S52).

[0131] On the other hand, if the amount of data buffered exceeds a predetermined threshold, either link management unit 120 or 220 will use multiple links (primary links and secondary links) constituting the multi-link to send data (step S53). Link management units 120 and 220 will perform the above-described processing when the multi-link has data allocated for transmission buffered.

[0132] (Specific examples regarding link start / stop processing)

[0133] Next, refer to Figure 15 Specific examples of link start / stop processing are explained. Figure 15 This is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of the link startup / shutdown process of the wireless system 1 according to the implementation method. Furthermore, in the initial state of this example, it is set... Figure 12 The link status shown is the Doze state.

[0134] like Figure 15 As shown, when STA1 and STA2 are in Awake state and Doze state respectively, data can be sent and received using STA1. Then, if the link management unit 120 of base station 10 detects that the "buffer size > specified threshold" has been met, it notifies terminal 20, for example, using a beacon signal that the "buffer size > specified threshold" has been met (not shown).

[0135] Therefore, the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 sends an Awake transition request signal to the access point (AP) using the primary link (STA1). If STA1 of base station 10 receives the Awake transition request signal, the link management unit 120 of base station 10 sends an affirmative response (“OK”) to terminal 20 via the primary link (STA1), provided that the transition of the secondary link to the active mode is permitted. If terminal 20 receives the affirmative response to the Awake transition request signal, the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 changes the operation mode of STA2, which is configured as a secondary link, from the idle mode to the active mode. As a result, STA1 and STA2 of terminal 20 both enter the Awake state. That is, the multiple links become capable of transmitting and receiving data using both the primary link (STA1) and the secondary link (STA2).

[0136] On the other hand, when STA1 and STA2 are in active mode, if the link management unit 120 of base station 10 detects that the "buffer quantity < specified threshold" has been met, it will notify terminal 20, for example, by using a beacon signal that the "buffer quantity < specified threshold" has been met (not shown).

[0137] Therefore, the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 sends a Doze transition notification signal to the access point AP using the primary link (STA1). If STA1 of base station 10 receives the Doze transition notification signal, the link management unit 120 of base station 10, if it is permissible for the secondary link to change to the action pause mode, sends an affirmative response (“OK”) to terminal 20 via the primary link (STA1) or the secondary link (STA2). If terminal 20 receives an affirmative response to the Doze transition notification signal, the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 changes the operation mode of STA2, which is set as a secondary link, from the active mode to the action pause mode. As a result, STA1 and STA2 of terminal 20 become Awake state and Doze state, respectively. That is, the multi-link becomes a state in which data can be sent and received using only the primary link (STA1).

[0138] Furthermore, in the link initiation and link termination processes described above, the specified threshold used in the link initiation process is set to be greater than or equal to the specified threshold used in the link termination process. Thus, the specified threshold used in the link initiation process and the specified threshold used in the link termination process can be different. The wireless system 1 provides a margin for these thresholds to suppress frequent occurrences of link initiation and link termination processes when the data buffer size is near each threshold.

[0139] (Regarding the radio frames used in link startup / stop processing)

[0140] Figure 16and Figure 17 This illustrates a specific example of a wireless frame used in the link start / stop process of the wireless system 1 according to the implementation method. Figure 16 This corresponds to the radio frame sent when the access point (AP) requests the terminal 20 to start / stop the link. Figure 17 This corresponds to the radio frames sent back to the access point (AP) by terminal 20 in response to a link start / stop request.

[0141] like Figure 16 As shown, the frame body of a radio frame requesting a change to the primary link includes, for example, a terminal identifier (AID) (Association Identifier), a link start / stop request, and the identifier of the target link. The link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 corresponding to the AID determines whether link start / stop can be performed based on the "link start / stop request" and by referring to the "identifier of the target link".

[0142] If the link can be started / stopped, such as Figure 17 As shown in (a), the frame body of the radio frame corresponding to the response to the link start / stop request, i.e., the affirmative response, contains "OK". "OK" corresponds to the bit that indicates that the link can be started / stopped.

[0143] On the other hand, in situations where starting / stopping the link is not possible, such as... Figure 17 As shown in (b), the frame body of the radio frame corresponding to the response to the link start / stop request, i.e., the negative response, contains "NO" and "Reason". "NO" corresponds to the bit that notifies that the link cannot be started / stopped. "Reason" corresponds to the bit that notifies the reason why the link cannot be started / stopped. In addition, the "Reason" in the radio frame corresponding to the response to the link start / stop request can be omitted.

[0144] <3> Effects of the implementation method

[0145] The wireless system 1 described above can suppress the power consumption of the terminal 20 during multi-link operation. The effects of the wireless system 1 described in the above embodiments will now be explained in detail.

[0146] Base stations and terminals using wireless LANs sometimes have multiple STA functions configured for each bandwidth used, such as 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz. In such wireless systems, a wireless connection is established, for example, by selecting one of the multiple STA functions, to enable data communication between the base station and the terminal. In this case, even if a base station exists that corresponds to the bandwidth of the selected STA function, the unselected STA function becomes unused.

[0147] In contrast, the wireless system 1 described in this embodiment flexibly utilizes the multiple STA functions of both the base station 10 and the terminal 20 to create multiple links between them. Data communication based on these multiple links can simultaneously utilize multiple bandwidths, fully and flexibly leveraging the functions of the wireless LAN device. As a result, the wireless system 1 described in this embodiment can achieve effective communication and improve communication speed.

[0148] On the other hand, regarding the power consumption of multiple links, since both base station 10 and terminal 20 are utilized by multiple STA functions, the power consumption is higher than that of a single link. From the perspective of power saving, it is preferable to use a single link when there is no traffic congestion and to use multiple links when there is traffic congestion.

[0149] Therefore, the wireless system 1 according to the implementation method switches between single link and multiple links for data communication after creating multiple links. Specifically, after creating multiple links, the link management unit 120 of the base station 10 and the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 control the start / stop of secondary links by exchanging Awake transition request signals / Doze transition notification signals. Here, "link start" corresponds to the case where the operation is set to active mode, and "link stop" corresponds to the case where the operation is set to idle mode.

[0150] Furthermore, in the wireless system 1 according to the implementation method, the start / stop of the secondary link is determined based on the amount of data buffered. For example, when the amount of data buffered is large, high-speed data communication utilizing multiple links constituting a multi-link system is performed. On the other hand, when the amount of data buffered is small, only one link (the primary link) constituting the multi-link system is set to active mode, while the other links (secondary links) are set to inactive mode. In this case, the multi-link system essentially performs data communication in the same state as a single link.

[0151] As described above, the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment uses a multi-link setting that prioritizes performance when the data buffer size is large, and a multi-link setting that prioritizes power saving when the data buffer size is small. As a result, the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment can suppress traffic stagnation and suppress the power consumption of the terminal 20.

[0152] <4> Variations of the implementation method

[0153] The execution conditions and utilization methods for link start / stop processing described in the embodiments are merely examples. The wireless system 1 according to the first to fifth variations of the embodiments will now be described.

[0154] <4-1> First Variation Example

[0155] Figure 18 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for the link startup process in the first variation of the implementation. Figure 18 The flowchart shown has Figure 13 Step S40 in the flowchart shown is replaced with the structure of step S60.

[0156] In step S60, either link management unit 120 or 220 monitors the remaining battery level of terminal 20 and confirms whether the remaining battery level exceeds a predetermined threshold (step S60). If the remaining battery level is greater than the predetermined threshold (YES in step S60), the process proceeds to step S41, where link startup processing is performed. On the other hand, if the remaining battery level is not greater than the predetermined threshold (NO in step S60), the process proceeds to step S43.

[0157] Figure 19 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for the link stop processing in the first variation of the implementation. Figure 19 The flowchart shown has Figure 14 The flowchart shown is replaced by the structure of step S50.

[0158] In step S61, either link management unit 120 or 220 monitors the remaining battery level of terminal 20 and confirms whether the remaining battery level is lower than a predetermined threshold (step S61). If the remaining battery level is less than the predetermined threshold (YES in step S61), the process proceeds to step S51, where link termination is performed. On the other hand, if the remaining battery level is not less than the predetermined threshold (NO in step S61), the process proceeds to step S53. The other structures and operations of the wireless system 1 involved in the first variation of the embodiment are the same as those in the embodiment.

[0159] As described above, the remaining battery capacity of terminal 20 can be used as the execution condition for link start / stop processing. In the first variation of the embodiment, when terminal 20 has a large remaining battery capacity, a multi-link setting that prioritizes performance is used; when terminal 20 has a small remaining battery capacity, a multi-link setting that prioritizes power saving is used. The wireless system 1 according to the first variation of the embodiment thus suppresses the power consumption of terminal 20 by changing the number of links used based on the remaining battery capacity of terminal 20.

[0160] Furthermore, in the link initiation and link termination processes described above, the specified threshold used in the link initiation process is set to be greater than or equal to the specified threshold used in the link termination process. Thus, the specified threshold used in the link initiation process and the specified threshold used in the link termination process can be the same or different. The wireless system 1 provides a margin for these thresholds, thereby suppressing frequent occurrences of link initiation and link termination processes when the remaining battery level is near each threshold.

[0161] <4-2> Second variation

[0162] Figure 20 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for the link startup process in the second variation of the implementation. Figure 20 The flowchart shown has Figure 13 Step S40 in the flowchart shown is replaced with the structure of step S70.

[0163] In step S70, link management units 120 and 220 monitor the total traffic value allocated to the multiple links (independent of TID) and confirm whether the traffic value exceeds a predetermined threshold (step S70). Furthermore, the traffic value to be monitored is not limited to the entire value; at least one specific TID can be selected. If the traffic value is greater than the predetermined threshold (YES in step S70), the process proceeds to step S41, where link initiation is performed. Conversely, if the traffic value is not greater than the predetermined threshold (NO in step S70), the process proceeds to step S43.

[0164] Figure 21 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for the link stop processing in the second variation of the implementation. Figure 21 The flowchart shown has Figure 14 The flowchart shown is replaced by the structure of step S71.

[0165] In step S71, link management units 120 and 220 monitor the traffic values ​​allocated to the multiple links and confirm whether the traffic values ​​are lower than a specified threshold (step S71). If the traffic value is less than the specified threshold (YES in step S71), the process proceeds to step S41, where link stopping is performed. On the other hand, if the battery level is not less than the specified threshold (NO in step S71), the process proceeds to step S53.

[0166] Furthermore, the "prescribed threshold" used in this variation is set for each traffic category, for example. In this case, the processes described in steps S70 and S71 are executed separately for each traffic category. For example, link management units 120 and 220 execute link initiation processing based on the determination result of step S70 corresponding to at least one traffic category among the plurality of traffic categories being "YES". Similarly, link management units 120 and 220 execute link termination processing based on the determination result of step S71 corresponding to at least one traffic category among the plurality of traffic categories being "YES". The other structures and operations of the wireless system 1 involved in the second variation of the embodiment are the same as those in the embodiment.

[0167] As described above, the traffic value can be used as the execution condition for link start / stop processing. In the second variation of the implementation, when the traffic value is large, a multi-link setting that prioritizes performance is used, and when the traffic value is small, a multi-link setting that prioritizes power saving is used. The wireless system 1 according to the second variation of the implementation thus achieves the same effect as the implementation method by changing the number of links used according to the traffic value.

[0168] Furthermore, in the link initiation and link termination processes described above, the specified threshold used in the link initiation process is set to be greater than or equal to the specified threshold used in the link termination process. Thus, the specified threshold used in the link initiation process and the specified threshold used in the link termination process can be the same or different. The wireless system 1 provides a margin for these thresholds to suppress frequent occurrences of link initiation and link termination processes when traffic values ​​are near each threshold.

[0169] <4-3> Third variation

[0170] Figure 22 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for the link startup process in the third variation of the implementation. Figure 22 The flowchart shown has Figure 13 The steps S40 and S42 in the flowchart shown are replaced with the structures of steps S80 and S82, respectively.

[0171] In step S80, link management units 120 and 220 respectively confirm whether the traffic accumulated in the multi-link is important traffic. If there is important traffic (YES in step S80), the process proceeds to step S41 to perform link initiation processing. Through the subsequent process in step S81, important traffic is sent using the awakened secondary link. On the other hand, if there is no important traffic (NO in step S80), the process proceeds to step S43.

[0172] Figure 23 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution conditions for the link stop processing in the second variation of the implementation. Figure 23 The flowchart shown has Figure 14 Steps S50 and S53 in the flowchart shown are replaced with the structures of steps S82 and S83, respectively.

[0173] In step S82, link management units 120 and 220 respectively confirm whether there is no important traffic among the traffic accumulated in the multi-link. If there is no important traffic (YES in step S82), the process proceeds to step S51, where link stopping is performed. On the other hand, if there is important traffic (NO in step S82), the important traffic is transmitted using secondary links through step S83.

[0174] Furthermore, the "critical traffic" used in this variation is, for example, defined as Low Latency (LL) traffic. Critical traffic can be any traffic requiring high reliability from the upper layer, and is not limited to LL traffic. Other examples of critical traffic include traffic containing settlement information and authentication information. The other structures and operations of the wireless system 1 involved in the third variation of the implementation are the same as in the implementation.

[0175] As described above, the presence or absence of important traffic can be used as the execution condition for link start / stop processing. In the third variation of the implementation, when there is important traffic, the secondary link is used only for transmitting important traffic; when there is no important traffic, a multi-link setting that prioritizes power saving is used. By using the secondary link in this way, the wireless system 1 according to the third variation of the implementation can improve the communication quality of important traffic.

[0176] <4-4> Fourth Variation Example

[0177] The fourth variation of the implementation describes a control method for a wireless system 1 in which the base station 10 establishes multiple links with multiple terminals 20. The following description uses the case where the base station 10 establishes multiple links with terminals 20A and 20B respectively as an example. In this example, the same channel is allocated to STA1 of terminal 20A and STA1 of terminal 20B, and the same channel is allocated to STA2 of terminal 20A and STA2 of terminal 20B.

[0178] Figure 24 This is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of the link start / stop processing of the wireless system 1 according to the fourth variation of the implementation. Furthermore, in the initial state of this example, in each of terminals 20A and 20B, STA1 is configured as the primary link and STA2 is configured as the secondary link. Additionally, STA1 and STA2 of terminal 20A are configured in Awake state and Doze state respectively, and STA1 and STA2 of terminal 20B are configured in Awake state.

[0179] like Figure 24 As shown, if the access point (AP) detects LL traffic, it sends a beacon signal containing information indicating LL traffic from terminal 20A. This beacon signal is received by the primary links (STA1) of terminals 20A and 20B. Then, STA1 of terminal 20A sends an Awake transition request signal to the access point (AP), and the access point (AP) sends an affirmative response back to STA1 of terminal 20A. Consequently, STA2 of terminal 20A changes from an inactive mode to an active mode, and STA2 of terminal 20A becomes capable of sending LL traffic.

[0180] Then, if the access point (AP) detects LL traffic at STA2 of terminal 20A, it sends a beacon signal containing information indicating LL traffic from terminal 20A. This beacon signal is received by the primary links (STA1) of both terminals 20A and 20B. STA1 of terminal 20B then sends a Doze notification signal to the AP, and the AP sends a positive response back to STA1 of terminal 20B. As a result, STA2 of terminal 20B changes from active mode to inactive mode.

[0181] As a result, STA2 of terminal 20B, which was competing with STA2 of terminal 20A for the channel, stops using it and enters a Doze state. Thus, STA2 of terminal 20A becomes able to exclusively use the allocated channel. The wireless system 1 according to the fourth variation of the embodiment thus exclusively uses the channel of the secondary link allocated LL traffic, thereby improving the communication quality of LL traffic.

[0182] Figure 25This illustrates a specific example of a wireless frame used in the link start / stop processing of the wireless system 1 according to the fourth variation of the implementation method, and... Figure 24 The beacon signal shown corresponds to this. For example... Figure 25 As shown, the Frame Body of a radio frame, which includes information indicating the presence or absence of LL traffic, includes, for example, the Terminal Identifier (AID), information indicating whether Low Latency is used, and the identifier of the target link.

[0183] For example, if the AID contained in the beacon signal is different from its own AID, the link management unit 220 of each terminal 20 checks whether "Low Latency (the presence or absence of LL traffic)" is being used. Furthermore, if "Low Latency" is detected, the link management unit 220 checks whether the channel corresponding to the "identifier of the target link" is consistent with the channel used in its own multi-link configuration. If the channels are consistent, the link management unit 220 performs link stopping processing, targeting the secondary link corresponding to that channel. Thus, the wireless system 1 can perform operations utilizing... Figure 24 The action described.

[0184] Furthermore, the above description illustrates a case where the channel of the secondary link used in the transmission of LL traffic is configured to exclusively utilize the LL traffic based on its presence or absence, but it is not limited to this. For example, other important traffic can be used instead of LL traffic. Figure 25 The set of information shown can contain multiple types in a single beacon signal.

[0185] <4-5> Fifth variation

[0186] The wireless system 1 involved in the fifth variation of the embodiment uses multiple channels (CH) contained in the same frequency band to create multiple links, the same as in the embodiment. The multiple link processing of the fifth variation of the embodiment is the same as the case where the channels used for multiple links are changed to multiple channels (CH) contained in the same frequency band, relative to the multiple link processing of the embodiment.

[0187] Figure 26 This illustrates an example of the frequency band used in the wireless communication of the wireless system 1 according to the fifth variation of the embodiment. For example... Figure 26 As shown, in wireless communication, frequency bands such as 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz are used. Each frequency band contains multiple channels. In this example, it is assumed that the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands each contain at least three channels, CH1, CH2, and CH3. Communication using each channel CH is achieved by establishing associated STA functions.

[0188] Figure 27 This illustrates an example of link management information 121 in the wireless system 1 according to the fifth variation of the implementation. For example... Figure 27 As shown, the link management information 121 of the fifth variation of the embodiment has a structure that adds information related to the channel ID of each frequency band compared to the link management information 121 of the embodiment. In addition, in this example, the same multi-link as in the embodiment is created using channel CH2 of “STA1” corresponding to the 6GHz frequency band and channel CH3 of “STA2” corresponding to the 6GHz frequency band.

[0189] As described above, each STA function of base station 10 and terminal 20 can use the same frequency band. Furthermore, multiple links between base station 10 and terminal 20 can be created by using multiple STA functions with the same frequency band. Specifically, multiple STA functions can, for example, use different channels (CH) in the 5 GHz frequency band to form multiple links. In this case, the wireless system 1 according to the fifth variation of the embodiment, like the embodiment, can achieve effective communication and suppress power consumption.

[0190] <5> Others

[0191] In the third variation of the implementation, an example is shown of allocating significant traffic to secondary links, but it is not limited to this. Figure 28 This illustrates an example of data allocation across multiple links in a wireless system according to the third variation of the implementation. In cases where significant traffic is detected, such as... Figure 28 As shown, various data can be allocated to primary and secondary links. Example 1 illustrates the case where the primary link is allocated the traffic up to this point, and the secondary link receives additional traffic. Example 2 illustrates the case where the primary link is allocated larger data volumes (e.g., TCP traffic), and the secondary link receives smaller data volumes (e.g., ACKs). Thus, in a multi-link system, the data allocation to the primary and secondary links can be appropriately configured based on the initiation of the secondary link.

[0192] The implementation methods and various modifications can be combined with each other. Figure 29 This illustrates an example of the execution conditions for link termination processing in wireless system 1 involving a combination of the implementation method and a first variation of the implementation method. For example... Figure 29As shown, firstly, the determination of step S50 described in the embodiment is executed. If the determination result of step S50 is "NO", the determination of step S61 described in the first variation of the embodiment can be executed. In this case, if the determination result of step S61 is "YES", then the process of step S51 is entered, for example. In this way, regarding the link start / stop process, more than two of the above embodiments and variations can be combined to obtain the combined effects of the embodiments and variations.

[0193] In this implementation, if the link cannot be maintained due to movement of the terminal 20, the corresponding link management unit can be notified of each STA function. Furthermore, the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 can change the status of more links with the link management unit 120 of the base station 10 based on the notification from the STA functions. Specifically, for example, the link management units 220 of the terminal 20 and 120 of the base station 10 can appropriately change the STA functions used in more links. When the status of multiple links is changed, the link management units 120 and 220 update the link management information 121 and 221, respectively. Additionally, the link management units 120 and 220 can update the association between traffic and STA functions based on the increase or decrease in the number of links.

[0194] In this implementation, an example is shown where terminal 20 requests the creation of multiple links from base station 10 during multi-link processing, but the implementation is not limited to this. For example, base station 10 may request the creation of multiple links from terminal 20 based on the fact that multiple links have been created between base station 10 and terminal 20. In this implementation and its variations, the "prescribed threshold" used in the link initiation process and the "prescribed threshold" used in the link termination process may be the same or different.

[0195] In this implementation, an example is shown where the primary and secondary links are set to active mode after multi-link processing, but this is not a limitation. When creating multiple links, at least the primary link needs to be set to active mode, while the secondary links can be set to either active mode or action-pause mode. The secondary links can switch between action-pause mode and active mode based on specified conditions.

[0196] The structure of the wireless system 1 described in this embodiment is merely an example, and other structures are also possible. For example, the example shown illustrates a case where both base station 10 and terminal 20 have three STA functions (wireless signal processing units), but it is not limited to this. It is sufficient that base station 10 has at least two wireless signal processing units. Similarly, it is sufficient that terminal 20 has at least two wireless signal processing units. Furthermore, the number of channels that each STA function can handle can be appropriately set according to the frequency band used. Wireless communication components 14 and 24 can each utilize multiple communication components to handle wireless communication across multiple frequency bands, or they can utilize a single communication component to handle wireless communication across multiple frequency bands.

[0197] Furthermore, the functional structures of the base station 10 and terminal 20 in the wireless system 1 described in this embodiment are merely one example. The functional structures of the base station 10 and terminal 20 can be named and grouped in any way that enables them to perform the operations described in each embodiment. For example, in the base station 10, the data processing unit 110 and the link management unit 120 can be collectively referred to as the data processing unit. Similarly, in the terminal 20, the data processing unit 210 and the link management unit 220 can be collectively referred to as the data processing unit.

[0198] Furthermore, in the wireless system 1 described in the embodiments, the CPUs included in the base station 10 and the terminal 20 can be other circuits. For example, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) can be used instead of a CPU. Additionally, the processes described in each embodiment can be implemented by dedicated hardware. The wireless system 1 described in each embodiment may contain a mixture of software-executed processes and hardware-executed processes, or only one of them may exist.

[0199] In each embodiment, the flowchart illustrating the actions is merely an example. The order of processing for each action described in the embodiments can be rearranged to the extent possible, and other processes can be added. Furthermore, the format of the wireless frame described in the above embodiments is merely an example. The wireless system 1 can use other wireless frame formats as long as it is able to perform the actions described in each embodiment.

[0200] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made during the implementation phase without departing from its spirit. Additionally, the embodiments can be appropriately combined, in which case combined effects can be obtained. Moreover, the above embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be derived by selecting and combining from a plurality of disclosed technical features. For example, even if the problem can be solved by deleting a few technical features from all the technical features shown in the embodiments, and the structure with the deleted technical feature can also be derived as an invention if the desired effect is obtained.

[0201] Explanation of the label

[0202] 1… Wireless System

[0203] 10…base stations

[0204] 20…terminal

[0205] 30… servers

[0206] 11, 21... CPU

[0207] 12, 22…ROM

[0208] 13, 23…RAM

[0209] 14, 24… wireless communication components

[0210] 15…Wired communication components

[0211] 25… monitor

[0212] 26… storage

[0213] 110, 210… Data Processing Department

[0214] 120, 220… Link Management Department

[0215] 121, 221… Link Management Information

[0216] 122, 222… Related Processing Department

[0217] 123, 223… Authentication Processing Department

[0218] 124…Data Classification Department

[0219] 125…Send queue

[0220] 126…CSMA / CA Implementation Department

[0221] 127…Data Conflict Management Department

[0222] 130, 140, 150, 230, 240, 250… Wireless Signal Processing Department

Claims

1. A terminal, wherein, The terminal has: The first wireless signal processing unit is configured to transmit and receive wireless signals using the first channel; and The second wireless signal processing unit is configured to transmit and receive wireless signals using a second channel different from the first channel. When the terminal establishes a multi-link with the base station using the first wireless signal processing unit and the second wireless signal processing unit, and the second wireless signal processing unit is in an operation pause mode where it does not receive signals from the base station, the first wireless signal processing unit receives information indicating that the second wireless signal processing unit should perform reception processing. The second wireless signal processing unit changes to an activation mode for receiving signals from the base station based on the information received in the first wireless signal processing unit. When the first wireless signal processing unit and the second wireless signal processing unit are associated with different TIDs, the first wireless signal processing unit and the second wireless signal processing unit communicate with the traffic for which the associated TID has been established.

2. A terminal, wherein, The terminal has: The first wireless signal processing unit is configured to transmit and receive wireless signals using the first channel; and The second wireless signal processing unit is configured to transmit and receive wireless signals using a second channel different from the first channel. When the terminal establishes multiple links with the base station using the first wireless signal processing unit and the second wireless signal processing unit, the first wireless signal processing unit is configured as the primary link for main use in the multiple links, and the second wireless signal processing unit is configured as the secondary link for auxiliary use. When the secondary link is in an operation pause mode where it does not receive signals from the base station, it receives information indicating that reception processing should be performed in the secondary link via the primary link. The second wireless signal processing unit changes to an activation mode for receiving signals from the base station based on the information received in the primary link. When the first wireless signal processing unit and the second wireless signal processing unit are associated with different TIDs, the first wireless signal processing unit and the second wireless signal processing unit communicate with the traffic for which the associated TID has been established.

Images