Communication device, communication method, and program

Abstract

To provide a mechanism for keeping power consumption down without increasing overhead.SOLUTION: A communication device capable of establishing multiple wireless links with a counterpart device and performing communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard communicates a wireless frame including information requesting that transmission of all types of traffic not be permitted over some of the multiple wireless links with the counterpart device over another wireless link of the multiple wireless links, and performs control so that no communication is performed while maintaining some of the wireless links by not permitting transmission of all types of traffic over some of the wireless links based on that wireless frame.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an operation technique for a communication device capable of using a plurality of links. [Background technology]

[0002] In response to the increasing demand for communication, wireless communication technologies such as wireless LAN (Local Area Network) are being developed. The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series is known as a major communication standard for wireless LAN. The IEEE 802.11 standard series includes standards such as IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be (see Patent Document 1). The IEEE 802.11be standard considers multi-link communication in which one access point (AP) establishes multiple wireless links with one station (STA) and communicates using the multiple wireless links in parallel. A communication device compatible with multi-link communication is called a Multi-Link Device (MLD). In addition, when it is necessary to distinguish between them, an MLD that functions as an AP is called an AP MLD, and an MLD that functions as an STA is called an STA MLD. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-052638 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The use of multi-link communication can improve communication throughput or reduce delay, but the presence of multiple wireless links configured to enable communication can increase power consumption. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention provides a technique for improving power efficiency in communication by a communication device capable of using multiple wireless links.

[0006] A communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a communication device capable of establishing multiple wireless links with a counterpart device and communicating in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard, and has a communication means for communicating with the counterpart device over other wireless links of the multiple wireless links using a wireless frame including information requesting that transmission of all types of traffic not be permitted over some of the multiple wireless links, and a control means for controlling the transmission of all types of traffic not to be permitted over some of the wireless links based on the wireless frame, thereby maintaining the some of the wireless links while preventing communication. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve power efficiency in communication by a communication device capable of using multiple wireless links. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a network configuration. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a communication device (AP or STA). [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a communication device (AP or STA). [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a message sequence between communication devices. [Diagram 5] 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the format of a TID-To-Link Mapping Request or Response frame. [Figure 6] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of processing executed in a communication device on a frame transmitting side for controlling the number of communicable links after connection. [Figure 7] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of processing executed in a communication device on a frame receiving side for controlling the number of communicable links after connection. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a message sequence between communication devices. [Figure 9] A figure showing an example of the format of a frame including a TID-To-Link Mapping Element. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a third example of a message sequence between communication devices. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0010] (Configuration of wireless communication system) 1 shows an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system according to this embodiment. The wireless communication system is a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) system, and includes an access point (AP100) and a station (STA101). The AP100 establishes a network 110, and the STA101 is located within the communication range of the network 110, and participates in the network 110 by establishing a connection with the AP100. In the following, the term "AP100 and STA101" refers to both the AP100 and the STA101, or one of them, unless otherwise specified.

[0011] Both the AP100 and the STA101 are wireless communication devices capable of performing wireless communication conforming to the IEEE802.11be standard (hereinafter referred to as the "be standard"). IEEE is an abbreviation for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The AP100 and the STA101 can communicate using frequency bands such as the 2.4 Hz band, the 3.6 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band. The AP100 and the STA101 can also communicate in frequency bands such as the 45 GHz band and the 70 GHz band, which are called millimeter waves. The frequency bands that can be used by each communication device are not limited to these, and a different frequency band such as the Sub1 GHz band may be used. In addition, each communication device can communicate using a bandwidth of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 170 MHz, 320 MHz, 540 MHz, 640 MHz, 1080 MHz, and 2170 MHz in each of the above-mentioned frequency bands. The bandwidths that can be used by each communication device are not limited to these, and a different bandwidth such as 240 MHz and 4 MHz may be used. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a communication control technique applied to the be standard will be described, but this communication control technique may also be applied to other IEEE 802.11 series standards that are defined after the be standard, for example.

[0012] The AP 100 and the STA 101 may support other standards in addition to the be standard. For example, the AP 100 and the STA 101 may support at least one of the IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / bn standards. The AP 100 and the STA 101 may have wireless communication functions conforming to other communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC, UWB, ZigBee, and MBOA in addition to wireless communication functions conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series standards. UWB stands for Ultra Wide Band, and MBOA stands for Multi Band OFDM Alliance. NFC stands for Near Field Communication. UWB includes wireless USB, wireless 1394, WiNET, and the like. The AP 100 and the STA 101 may support communication standards for wired communication such as wired LAN. The AP 100 may be, for example, a wireless LAN router or a personal computer (PC), but is not limited thereto. The AP 100 may be an information processing device such as a wireless chip capable of performing wireless communication conforming to the be standard. The STA 101 may be, for example, a camera, a tablet, a smartphone, a PC, a mobile phone, a video camera, etc., but is not limited to these. The STA 101 may be an information processing device such as a wireless chip capable of performing wireless communication conforming to the be standard. Although only one AP and one STA are shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of simplicity, there may be a plurality of APs and STAs, and their arrangement is not limited to the pattern shown in FIG. 1.

[0013] The AP 100 and the STA 101 can perform multi-user (MU) communication in which signals of multiple users are multiplexed by using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) conforming to the be standard. In OFDMA communication, a Resource Unit (RU) is defined, which is configured by a portion of a large number of orthogonal subcarriers arranged over the entire available frequency band. Then, each AP / STA is assigned a non-overlapping RU, and each AP / STA can communicate using the assigned RU. This allows the AP / STA to communicate in parallel with multiple other APs / STAs within a specified bandwidth. For example, an AP can communicate in parallel with multiple STAs by assigning separate RUs to each of the multiple STAs. Also, for example, multiple APs can transmit data to one STA using separate RUs.

[0014] Moreover, the AP100 and the STA101 may be configured to be able to perform Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication. In this case, the AP100 and the STA101 each have multiple antennas. In MIMO, multiple data streams are transmitted and received in parallel in the same frequency channel and time period using the transmission path characteristics between each of the multiple antennas on the transmitting side and each of the multiple antennas on the receiving side. For example, radio signals corresponding to different data streams are transmitted from the multiple antennas on the transmitting side in the same frequency channel, and a radio signal in which the radio signals are mixed is received by the multiple antennas on the receiving side. Then, in the communication device on the receiving side, the multiple data streams transmitted from the radio signal are separated and extracted based on the transmission path characteristics between each of the transmitting antennas and each of the receiving antennas. Note that this is just one example, and for example, multiple signals obtained by primary modulation of multiple data streams may be weighted and added based on the above-mentioned transmission path characteristics to form a radio signal to be transmitted from each of the multiple transmitting antennas. By performing MIMO communication, the AP100 and the STA101 can perform communication with higher frequency utilization efficiency.

[0015] In this embodiment, the AP 100 and the STA 101 are assumed to be Multi-Link Devices (MLDs) capable of performing multi-link communication in which multiple wireless links are established to perform communication. The AP 100 and the STA 101 establish multiple wireless links using different frequency channels to perform communication. The STA 101 may establish, for example, a first link 120 using the 5 GHz band and a second link 121 using the 6 GHz band with the AP 100. However, this is only an example, and three or more links may be established, or a combination of frequency bands other than the combination of the 5 GHz band and the 6 GHz band may be used. For example, a third link may be established between the AP 100 and the STA 101 in addition to the first link 120 and the second link 121. Also, the frequency channels used in the multiple wireless links may be multiple different frequency channels included in the same frequency band. For example, the first link 120 may use 36ch in the 5 GHz band, and the second link 121 may use 161ch in the 5 GHz band. Note that "ch" indicates "channel". When three or more wireless links are formed, links using the same frequency band and links using different frequency bands may be mixed. For example, in addition to a first link 120 using ch 5 in the 6 GHz band and a second link 121 using ch 213 in the 6 GHz band, a third link using ch 6 in the 2.4 GHz band may be established. By establishing a plurality of connections using different frequency channels, even if sufficient communication quality cannot be obtained on one of the frequency channels due to congestion or the like, communication with good communication quality can be performed using other frequency channels. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in communication throughput and an increase in communication delay.

[0016] A wireless link is assigned an identifier (Link ID) for identifying the link. For example, when a first link 120 in the 5 GHz band and a second link 121 in the 6 GHz band are configured between the AP 100 and the STA 101, the first link 120 may be assigned a Link ID=1, and the second link 121 may be assigned a Link ID=2. Note that these values ​​are merely examples, and other values ​​may be assigned. A Link ID may be assigned for each network in which a wireless link is established. That is, a Link ID=1 may be assigned to a network constructed by the AP 100 in the 5 GHz band in which the first link 120 is established. In this case, when another STA establishes a wireless link with the AP 100 via the 5 GHz network, the Link ID=1 is used in that link. That is, in one network, a separate Link ID may be assigned to each STA, or a common Link ID may be assigned to multiple STAs.

[0017] In this embodiment, as described above, multi-link communication is available in which multiple wireless links are established between the AP 100 and the STA 101. If multiple wireless links are always available, the power consumption of the AP 100 and the STA 101 will increase. In particular, while there are provisions for the power saving function of the STA 101 in the existing standards, there are no special provisions for the AP 100. Although it is possible to suppress power consumption by increasing or decreasing the number of wireless links between the AP 100 and the STA 101, a procedure such as key exchange is required each time a link is added, and the overhead due to control communication increases. In this embodiment, a mechanism for suppressing power consumption without increasing overhead is provided.

[0018] (AP and STA configuration) Fig. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of AP 100 and STA 101. AP 100 and STA 101 have a storage unit 201, a control unit 202, a function unit 203, an input unit 204, an output unit 205, a communication unit 206, and antennas 207 to 209. Note that these are only examples, and AP 100 and STA 101 may have further configurations not shown in Fig. 2, and some or all of the configurations shown in Fig. 2 may be replaced with other configurations having similar functions.

[0019] The storage unit 201 includes one or more memories such as a ROM and a RAM. The storage unit 201 stores various information such as computer programs for performing various operations described below and communication parameters for wireless communication. ROM stands for Read Only Memory, and RAM stands for Random Access Memory. The storage unit 201 may include storage media such as a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, and a DVD, in addition to memories such as a ROM and a RAM. The storage unit 201 may include storage media such as a plurality of memories.

[0020] The control unit 202 includes one or more processors such as a CPU or an MPU. The CPU stands for Central Processing Unit, and the MPU stands for Micro Processing Unit. The control unit 202 executes a computer program stored in the storage unit 201 to control the entire device (AP100 or STA101). The control unit 202 may control the entire device in cooperation with the computer program stored in the storage unit 201 and an operating system. The control unit 202 generates data and signals (wireless frames) to be transmitted in communication with other communication devices. The control unit 202 may include multiple processors such as multi-core processors, and the AP100 and STA101 may be controlled as a whole by the multiple processors.

[0021] Furthermore, the control unit 202 controls the functional unit 203 to execute predetermined processes such as wireless communication, image capture, printing, and projection. The functional unit 203 is configured to include hardware for the AP 100 or the STA 101 to execute predetermined processes. If the device (AP 100 or STA 101) is a printer, the functional unit 203 is a printing device that prints image data acquired via the communication unit 206, for example. If the device is a scanner, the functional unit 203 is a reading device that outputs image data generated by scanning to the outside, for example, via the communication unit 206. If the device is a camera, the functional unit 203 is configured to include an image sensor and a lens, and outputs image data captured by the camera to the outside, for example, via the communication unit 206.

[0022] The input unit 204 includes, for example, a touch panel, hard keys, buttons, etc., and accepts various operations from a user. The output unit 205 includes a display, a speaker, etc., and performs various outputs to a user. Here, the output by the output unit 205 may be a screen display output on a display, or a voice output by a speaker. The output unit 205 may also include a vibrator, and may perform information output by vibration output. Note that both the input unit 204 and the output unit 205 may be implemented by one module, such as a touch panel display. Also, the input unit 204 and the output unit 205 may be built into the device (AP100 or STA101), or may be implemented by an external input / output device. In this case, the device has an input / output interface for connecting to the input / output device.

[0023] The communication unit 206 executes control for performing wireless communication conforming to the be standard. The communication unit 206 may also control wireless communication conforming to other IEEE802.11 series standards in addition to the be standard, and control wired communication such as a wired LAN. The communication unit 206 controls the antennas 207 to 209 to transmit and receive signals for wireless communication generated by the control unit 202. For example, the AP 100 communicates data such as image data, document data, and video data with the STA 101 via the communication unit 206. Note that, if the AP 100 or the STA 101 supports the NFC standard or the Bluetooth standard in addition to the be standard, the communication unit 206 may control wireless communication conforming to these communication standards. If the AP 100 or the STA 101 is capable of performing wireless communication conforming to a plurality of communication standards, a communication unit and an antenna corresponding to each of these communication standards may be provided separately.

[0024] The antennas 207 to 209 are antennas capable of detecting and emitting radio waves in, for example, the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band, respectively. The antennas 207 to 209 may be configured to be capable of communication in the same frequency band. In this case, the antennas 207 to 209 may be, for example, multi-band antennas capable of communication in a plurality of frequency bands. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the AP 100 and the STA 101 have three antennas (the antennas 207 to 209), but two or less antennas may be used, or four or more antennas may be used. When the AP 100 and the STA 101 have a plurality of antennas, they may have a communication unit 206 corresponding to each antenna. The antennas 207 to 209 may be provided separately from the communication unit 206, or may be configured together with the communication unit 206 as one module.

[0025] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the AP 100 and the STA 101. The AP 100 and the STA 101 have, as their functional configuration, for example, a link count control unit 301, a data frame processing unit 302, and a communication frame transmission / reception unit 303. These functions can be implemented, for example, by the control unit 202 executing a program stored in the storage unit 201 of the AP 100 and the STA 101. However, this is just one example, and dedicated hardware for implementing each function may be prepared.

[0026] The link number control unit 301 controls the number of wireless links that are available for communication between the AP 100 and the STA 101 based on information such as the presence or absence of data to be transmitted and received, the amount of the data, and the frequency of data transmission and reception. Furthermore, when limiting the number of links, the link number control unit 301 controls which link associated with which Link ID is to be made unavailable for communication. The data frame processing unit 302 executes a predetermined process on a data frame to be transmitted or a received data frame. The data frame processing unit 302 generates a data frame (wireless frame) including data to be transmitted, and when a data frame addressed to the device itself is received, the data frame is processed to extract data. By executing the above-mentioned process, the data frame processing unit 302 obtains information such as the presence or absence of data to be transmitted and received, the amount of the data, and the frequency of data transmission and reception, and provides the information to the link number control unit 301. The link number control unit 301 executes the above-mentioned control process of the number of links based on the provided information. The communication frame transmitting and receiving unit 303 transmits and receives control frames, management frames, and data frames. The control frames include, for example, a Trigger frame, a Request To Send (RTS) frame, and a Clear To Send (CTS) frame. The management frames include a Beacon frame, an Association frame, and a Block ACK (BA) frame.

[0027] (Processing flow) Next, some examples of the flow of processes executed by the AP 100 and the STA 101 as described above will be described.

[0028] <Processing example 1> FIG. 4 shows an example of the flow of communication according to this processing example. In this processing example, AP100 and STA101 establish two wireless links, Link ID=1 and Link ID=2, and use a TID-To-Link Mapping frame to control the number of links that can be communicated. Hereinafter, the wireless link with Link ID=1 is called Link 1, and the wireless link with Link ID=2 is called Link 2. In this processing example, for example, AP100 requests STA101 not to use some links, and sets the link specified by the request to an unavailable state (Disable state). In this request, a Traffic Identifier (TID) is used as an example. In multi-link communication, a TID is used to specify the type of data communicated on each link. Here, by not allocating this TID to a certain link, the link can be set to a Disable state in which the link is not used for communication. In the example of FIG. 4, AP100 requests STA101 not to allocate a TID to the link, and STA101 allows this to set the established link to a Disable state. Thereafter, STA 101 requests that a TID be assigned to the link in the Disabled state, and the link is put into a usable state (Enable state).

[0029] In Fig. 4, AP100 transmits a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame to STA101 requesting that link 2 be put into a disabled state (F401). At this time, if AP100 is unable to simultaneously transmit and receive on multiple links, it defines a primary link, which is the main link for data transmission, and a non-primary link, which is a subordinate link. For example, AP100 sets only the non-primary link to a disabled state. An AP that is unable to simultaneously transmit and receive on multiple links is called a Non-Simultaneous Transmission and Reception (NSTR) AP MLD.

[0030] Here, an example of a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame transmitted by the AP 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame is a type of Action frame. This wireless frame includes, for example, a Category field 501, a Protected EHT Action field 502, and a TID-To-Link Mapping field 503.

[0031] The Category field 501 stores a value indicating the type of the Action frame. In this embodiment, the value "37" is stored in the Category field 501, which indicates that this frame is a Protected EHT Action frame. The Protected EHT Action field 502 stores a value indicating the type of the Protected EHT Action frame. In this embodiment, the value "0" is stored in this field, which indicates that this frame is a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame. The TID-To-Link Mapping field 503 is a field that indicates information on TID-To-Link Mapping using a TID-To-Link Mapping Element. This field may not be included in this frame, or multiple fields may be included. For example, one TID-To-Link Mapping field 503 may be provided for each of the downlink (link in the direction from the AP 100 to the STA 101) and the uplink (link in the direction from the STA 101 to the AP 100).

[0032] The TID-To-Link Mapping Element includes an Element ID field 511, a Length field 512, and an Element ID Extension field 513. The TID-To-Link Mapping Element also includes a TID-To-Link Mapping Control field 514 and a Link Mapping Of TID field 515. The Element ID field 511 and the Element ID Extension field 513 store values ​​indicating the type of this Element. In this embodiment, the Element ID field 511 and the Element ID Extension field 513 store values ​​of 255 and 109, respectively, as values ​​indicating that this is a TID-To-Link Mapping Element. The Length field 512 stores a value indicating the length of this Element.

[0033] The TID-To-Link Mapping Control field 514 includes a Direction field 521 and a Default Link Mapping field 522. The TID-To-Link Mapping Control field 514 also includes a Link Mapping Size field 523 and a Link Mapping Presence Indicator field 524.

[0034] The Direction field 521 stores a value indicating the direction of communication (at least one of downlink and uplink). When only downlink communication is indicated, "0" is stored in this field. When only uplink communication is indicated, "1" is stored in this field. When both communication are indicated, "2" is stored in this field. The Default Link Mapping field 522 stores a value indicating whether or not the TID-To-Link Mapping is set to the default state. When the default state is used, "1" is stored in this field. Here, the default state is a state in which all TIDs are assigned to all established links and any communication is possible. When any other state is used, "0" is stored in this field. For example, when a certain link is not used for communication, "0" is stored in this field. For example, when link 2 is set to a Disable state, "0" is stored in this field. The Link Mapping Size field 523 stores a value indicating the length of the Link Mapping Of TID field 515 arranged after the TID-To-Link Mapping Control field 514. For example, storing a value of "1" indicates that the length of the Link Mapping Of TID field 515 is one octet. Also, storing a value of "0" indicates that the length of the Link Mapping Of TID field 515 is two octets. The Link Mapping Presence Indicator field 524 is a bitmap for indicating whether the Link Mapping Of TID field 515 exists for each TID. For example, when the first bit corresponds to TID=0 and this bit is set to "1", it indicates that the corresponding Link Mapping Of TID 0 field 515-0 exists. Note that when the Default Link Mapping field 522 is set to "1", this field is omitted. In this embodiment, for example, in order to set the link 2 to a disabled state, the Default Link Mapping field 522 is set to "0".For this reason, the Link Mapping Presence Indicator field 524 exists, and all bits in the bitmap are set to "1" to disable link 2 for all TIDs.

[0035] The Link Mapping Of TID field 515 is a field prepared for each TID, and there are a maximum of eight. The Link Mapping Of TID n field 515-n for the n-th (0≦n≦7) TID is configured by a bit string that specifies the link that allows communication of traffic of the TID. For example, each bit of the bit string corresponds to a Link ID, and by setting a bit corresponding to a specific Link ID to "1", it is indicated that communication of traffic of the TID is permitted on that link. For example, by setting the Link Mapping Of TID 1 field 515-1 to "101", it is indicated that transmission of traffic of TID=1 is permitted on links with Link IDs 1 and 3. On the other hand, in this case, transmission of traffic of TID=1 is not permitted on the link with Link ID 2. In this way, for example, by setting the bit corresponding to Link ID=2 to "0" in all TIDs, the link with Link ID=2 can be disabled.

[0036] In FIG. 4, the AP 100 uses the frame configuration described above to request the STA 101 to disable, for example, the link 2.

[0037] When the STA 101 receives the request from the AP 100, it responds by using a TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame to approve or reject the request (F402). The configuration of this frame will also be described with reference to Fig. 5. Note that a description of the same points as in the TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame will be omitted.

[0038] In the TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame, a value of "1" is stored in the Protected EHT Action field 502. A Status Code field (not shown) is inserted between the Dialog Token field and the TID-To-Link Mapping field 503. The Status Code field indicates whether the content requested in the TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame is approved or not. When the Status Code field stores a value of "0", it indicates that the request of AP100 is approved. On the other hand, when the Status Code field stores a value of "133", it indicates that the request of AP100 is rejected. When the Status Code field stores a value of "134", it indicates that the STA101 presents content different from the request from AP100. When the Status Code field stores a value of "134", the TID-To-Link Mapping field 503 is inserted. Then, as in the case of the request from AP100 described above, the proposal from STA101 is notified to AP100 by including information specifying the link to which the transmission of traffic of each TID should be permitted. On the other hand, if the value "134" is not stored in the Status Code field, the TID-To-Link Mapping field 503 is omitted.

[0039] When the AP 100 and the STA 101 confirm that they have mutually disabled link 2, they stop supplying power to the antenna assigned to link 2 (F403, F404). This makes it possible to reduce power consumption related to communication of link 2 while maintaining link 2.

[0040] After that, for example, a large amount of transmission data occurs in STA101, and it becomes necessary to add a link. In this case, STA101 transmits an unsolicited TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame to AP100 on link 1 (F405). That is, STA101 transmits a TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame without receiving a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame. The frame transmitted here has the format of a TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame with the value "134" stored in the Status Code field described above. This frame includes, for example, a TID-To-Link Mapping field 503 indicating that transmission on link 2 should be permitted for at least one TID. When AP100 receives the unsolicited TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame, it transmits a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame on link 1 (F406). The TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame transmitted here has the configuration described above. This frame may include, for example, the same TID-To-Link Mapping field 503 as the unsolicited TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame transmitted by the STA 101. The AP 100 may include a TID-To-Link Mapping field 503 different from the unsolicited TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame in this frame. That is, the AP 100 may not accept the proposal from the STA 101 and may transmit a different proposal to the STA 101. In addition, in F405 and F406, the value "1" may be stored in the Default Link Mapping field 522, thereby indicating that transmission of traffic of all TIDs is permitted on all links.When the STA 101 receives the TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame, it transmits a TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame in response (S407). As an example, when the AP 100 and the STA 101 confirm that at least one TID traffic is transmitted on the link 2, the link 2 is set to the Enable state, and power supply to the antenna assigned to the link 2 is resumed.

[0041] In this manner, in this processing example, the state of a specific link is transitioned between the Disabled state and the Enable state by specifying the link through which traffic of each TID is permitted to be transmitted. This allows communication through the link to be stopped while maintaining the link, and communication through the link to be resumed without performing any new configuration processing.

[0042] Next, an example of the process flow when transmitting and receiving a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame and a TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame will be described. FIG. 6 shows an example of the process flow of a communication device that requests a transition between an Enable state and a Disable state of a specific link. FIG. 7 shows an example of the process flow of a communication device that receives the request. The AP100 and the STA101 are configured to be able to execute both of these processes. That is, the AP100 and the STA101 can operate both as a side that requests a transition between an Enable state and a Disable state of a specific link and as a side that receives the request. For this reason, in the following description, the entity that performs the process is called a "communication device," which can be either the AP100 or the STA101.

[0043] In FIG. 6, the communication device first checks whether there is data to be communicated (S601). If there is data to be communicated (YES in S601), the communication device proceeds to S602, and if there is no data to be communicated (NO in S601), the communication device proceeds to S606. Note that the communication device may determine YES in S601 when it is expected that data to be communicated will be generated more than a predetermined threshold, and may determine NO in S601 when it is not expected that data to be communicated will be generated more than the predetermined threshold. Also, the communication device may determine YES in S601 when the communication frequency is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and may determine NO in S601 when the communication frequency is less than the threshold. Also, the communication device may determine NO in S601 when the remaining battery level of the communication device becomes less than a threshold, and may determine YES in S601 when the remaining battery level is equal to or greater than the threshold. Also, the communication device may determine NO in S601 when the radio wave reception strength or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in a certain link is less than a threshold, and may determine YES in S601 when the radio wave reception strength or SNR is equal to or greater than a threshold. Furthermore, the communication device may determine YES in S601 when, for example, the STA101 is running a specific application, and may determine NO in S601 when such a specific application is not running. Also, the communication device may determine YES in S601 when, for example, a communication boost mode is enabled by a setting via a user interface (UI), and may determine NO in S601 when the mode is disabled. In this way, the communication device may proceed to either S602 or S606 depending on whether various conditions are satisfied in S601.

[0044] In S602, the communication device determines whether or not it is necessary or possible to add an Enable Link to enable communication. If it is not necessary or possible to add an Enable Link (NO in S602), the communication device proceeds to S605. For example, the communication device may determine that it is possible to add an Enable Link when there is a link that is established and in a Disabled state. If it is necessary to add an Enable Link and it is possible to add it (YES in S602), the communication device supplies power to an antenna or an RF circuit corresponding to the link in a Disabled state (S603). This enables the communication device to transmit and receive data using that link. Thereafter, the communication device performs a negotiation TID-To-Link Mapping process to change the link in a Disabled state to an Enable state (S604). This corresponds to the processes of F405 to F407 in FIG. 4.

[0045] When the communication device is the AP100, the communication device transmits a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame to the STA101. Then, the communication device receives a TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame and determines whether the STA101 has approved the change of the TID-To-Link Mapping. If the change is not approved, the communication device may, for example, change the configuration of the TID-To-Link Mapping and resend the TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame to the STA101. If the change is not approved, the communication device may determine that the current state is not to be changed and stop the power supply to the antenna or the like that was started in S603. With this process, the change of the TID-To-Link Mapping is approved, and the negotiation in S604 is completed.

[0046] When the communication device is the STA101, the communication device transmits an unsolicited TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame to the AP100. After that, the communication device receives a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame from the AP100. Then, when the configuration of TID-To-Link Mapping specified in the TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame is the same as that requested by the communication device, the communication device may determine that the request has been approved. When the request has been approved or when the configuration of TID-To-Link Mapping specified by the AP101 is acceptable, the communication device transmits a TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame approving the contents to the AP100. Note that when the communication device rejects the configuration of TID-To-Link Mapping specified by the AP101, the communication device may transmit a TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame proposing, for example, an acceptable configuration to the AP100. In this case, the Status Code field set to the value "134" and the configuration of TID-To-Link Mapping may be included in the TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame. In addition, if the communication device maintains the current state, the communication device may transmit a TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame to the AP100 indicating that the configuration of TID-To-Link Mapping specified by the AP101 is rejected. In this case, the Status Code field set to the value "133" may be included in the TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame. In one example, the communication device may perform a TID-To-Link Mapping proposal a predetermined number of times (e.g., five times) and, if the proposal is still not accepted by the other device, may disconnect the connection with the other device. In addition, the communication device may decide to continue communication in the current state if the proposal is continuously rejected a predetermined number of times.

[0047] In the above example, the power supply to the antenna of the link to be added is started (S603), and then negotiation for transition to the Enable state is performed (S604). However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, S603 and S604 may be performed in the reverse order, or may be performed in parallel. The communication device then executes data communication with the other device (S605). After that, the communication device determines whether or not to disconnect the connection with the other device (S609). If the communication device determines to disconnect the connection (YES in S609), it ends the process, and if the communication device determines not to disconnect the connection (NO in S609), it returns the process to S601.

[0048] In S606, the communication device determines whether to add a link in the Disable state. If the communication device has already set some links to the Disable state and there is only one link in the Enable state, the communication device determines not to add a link in the Disable state (NO in S606) because the link cannot be set to the Disable state. In this case, the communication device advances the process to S609. If the communication device determines to add a link in the Disable state (YES in S606), it executes a negotiation TID-To-Link Mapping process (S607). This process corresponds to the processes of F401 and F402 in FIG. 4. In this case, the communication device negotiates to set some links to the Disable state by specifying a TID-To-Link Mapping that does not permit transmission of traffic of all TIDs in the links. Note that, in the case where the AP 100 is an NSTR AP MLD and the connection form in which the primary link is determined, this negotiation is executed so that the primary link is not set to the Disable state. Among the multiple links, a link that operates on a channel where a beacon is transmitted and received is a primary link, and a link that operates on a channel where a beacon is not transmitted and received is a non-primary link. For the link that is determined to be in a disabled state by the negotiation TID-To-Link Mapping process (S607), the communication device stops power supply to the corresponding antenna and RF circuit (S608) and transitions to a power saving mode. Thereafter, the communication device proceeds to the process of S609. The process of S609 is as described above, and therefore will not be described again.

[0049] In FIG. 7, the communication device waits to receive a proposal for TID-To-Link Mapping from the other device while the link established with the other device is not disconnected (NO in S711) (S701). Then, when the communication device receives the proposal (YES in S701), it checks whether the proposal is a request to add a link in an Enable state (S702). When the communication device determines that the addition of a link in an Enable state is requested (YES in S702), it resumes power supply to the antenna and RF circuit corresponding to the link to be enabled (S703). Then, the communication device continues the negotiation TID-To-Link Mapping procedure started in response to receiving the proposal in S701 (S704). The procedure here corresponds to F405 to F407 in FIG. 4. The communication device transmits and receives traffic of the TID in the link to be enabled according to the TID-To-Link Mapping and the TID that is permitted to be transmitted in the link (S705). Note that power supply to the antenna, etc. (S703) may be executed after the negotiation (S704). For example, the communication device may reject the proposal or may need to enable a link other than the link requested to be enabled. In this case, when it is determined through the negotiation in S704 that another link should be enabled, the communication device may resume power supply to the antenna, etc. corresponding to that link. Also, when it is determined through the negotiation in S704 that the current state is to be maintained, the communication device does not execute the process of S703.

[0050] On the other hand, when the communication device determines that the proposal received in S701 is not a request to add a link in an enabled state (NO in S702), it checks whether the proposal is a request to add a link in a disabled state (S706). When the communication device determines that the addition of a link in a disabled state has been requested (YES in S706), it continues the negotiation TID-To-Link Mapping procedure (S707). This procedure corresponds to F401 and F402 in FIG. 4. When the link to be disabled is determined by the negotiation TID-To-Link Mapping procedure, the communication device stops supplying power to the antenna and RF circuit corresponding to the link (S708). This allows the communication device to reduce power consumption. Note that when the addition of a link in an enabled state or a link in a disabled state has not been requested, the communication device continues the negotiation TID-To-Link Mapping procedure (S709). Then, the communication device transmits and receives traffic of a TID on a link in an Enable state according to the TID-To-Link Mapping, in accordance with the TID for which transmission is permitted on the link (S710).

[0051] The communication device continues to execute the above-mentioned process until the connection with the partner device is cut off (S711).

[0052] As described above, the communication device dynamically updates the TID-To-Link Mapping to switch the link state between the Enable state and the Disable state. This achieves power saving for the communication device by maintaining an established link while setting it to not be used, and eliminates the need to perform a complicated procedure such as a new key exchange when resuming use of the link. In addition, this procedure makes it possible to reduce power consumption not only in the STA 101 but also in the AP 100, since it is no longer necessary to feed power to the antenna or RF circuit corresponding to the link in the Disable state or to wait for signal reception.

[0053] In addition, in FIG. 4, an example is shown in which the procedure for adding a Disable Link is started by transmitting a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame from the AP 100, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the procedure for adding a Disable Link may be started by transmitting an unsolicited TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame from the STA 101. Also, an example is described in which the procedure for adding a link in an Enable state is started by transmitting an unsolicited TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame from the STA 101, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the procedure for adding a link in an Enable state may be started by transmitting a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame from the AP 100.

[0054] <Processing example 2> In this processing example, when establishing a connection between the AP 100 and the STA 101, negotiations are performed on the link to be in a disabled state using TID-To-Link Mapping. The communication device can reduce power consumption by not supplying power to the antenna or RF circuit in the link that is in a disabled state at the time of connection.

[0055] 8 shows an example of the flow of communication according to this processing example. In this processing example, STA101 adds a TID-To-Link Mapping Element to an Association Request frame that it transmits to establish a connection. STA101 specifies the proposed TID-To-Link Mapping in this TID-To-Link Mapping Element and transmits it to AP100 (F801). Then, AP100 transmits an Association Response frame to STA101 that accepts or rejects the TID-To-Link Mapping, or includes a proposal different from the one proposed by STA101 (F802).

[0056] The Association Request frame and Association Response frame transmitted here have a configuration including a TID-To-Link Mapping Element 901, for example, as shown in FIG. 9. The contents of the TID-To-Link Mapping Element 901 are the same as those described with reference to FIG. 5, and therefore will not be described again here. In this processing example, for example, the STA101 proposes to the AP100 a TID-To-Link Mapping in which transmission and reception of traffic of all TIDs is not permitted on the link 2 in order to disable the link 2. If the AP100 accepts the proposal, it sets the TID-To-Link Mapping according to the proposal. The AP100, for example, disables the link 2 according to the proposal of the STA101. Then, the AP100 and the STA101 stop supplying power to the antenna and the RF circuit corresponding to the disabled link 2 (F803, F804).

[0057] When the AP 100 and the STA 101 resume the use of the link that has been put into the Disabled state, the AP 100 performs the same process as the procedure shown in the Processing Example 1. For example, the AP 100 may transmit a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame to the STA 101 on the link 1 (F805). In response to this, the STA 101 returns a TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame to the AP 100 (F806). This resumes communication on the link 2 that has been in the Disabled state. Note that, although FIG. 8 shows an example in which the AP 100 transmits a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame to start negotiation TID-To-Link Mapping, this is not limiting. That is, as in FIG. 4, the STA 101 may transmit an unsolicited TID-To-Link Mapping Response to start this procedure.

[0058] In addition, the link to be disabled immediately after connection may be determined by adding a TID-To-Link Mapping Element to the Association Response frame transmitted by the AP 100. Also, although an example in which the TID-To-Link Mapping is set using an Association Request frame or an Association Response frame has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the setting may be performed using a ReAssociation Request frame or a ReAssociation Response frame used for reconnection between the AP 100 and the STA 101.

[0059] In this way, when establishing multiple links, the AP 100 and the STA 101 can determine which links are to be disabled immediately after connection and control the reception standby state. This allows the AP 100 and the STA 101 to keep multiple links available at any time, while preventing an increase in power consumption by disabling the link if there is no plan to use the link immediately after connection establishment.

[0060] <Processing example 3> In this processing example, the AP 100 adds a TID-To-Link Mapping Element to a Beacon or Probe Response frame transmitted by the AP 100, and notifies all STAs that can connect to the AP 100 of the link to be in a disabled state. Note that the "link" here corresponds to the network (frequency channel) on which the link is established. FIG. 10 shows an example of a communication flow according to this processing example. The AP 100 transmits a Beacon frame on link 1. The Beacon frame transmitted here includes a TID-To-Link Mapping Element as shown in FIG. 9. The AP 100 then indicates in the TID-To-Link Mapping Element of this Beacon frame that no traffic of any TID is permitted to be transmitted on link 2 (F1001, F1004). This indicates that link 2 is in a disabled state in the AP 100. The AP 100 stops supplying power to the corresponding antenna and RF circuit for link 2 that has been disabled (F1002). Furthermore, the STA 101 confirms that link 2 is in the disabled state by decoding the received Beacon frame, and stops supplying power to the antenna and RF circuit corresponding to that link 2 (F1003). This eliminates the need for the AP 100 and the STA 101 to transmit signals unnecessarily or to wait for reception of those signals, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0061] After that, it is assumed that the AP 100 decides to change the link 2 that was in the Disabled state to the Enable state. In this case, the AP 100 resumes power supply to the antenna and RF circuit corresponding to the link 2. The AP 100 also transmits a Beacon including a TID-To-Link Mapping Element that has been modified to indicate that transmission of traffic of at least one TID is permitted in the link 2 (F1005). This causes the link 2 to enter the Enable state. Upon receiving this Beacon, the STA 101 checks the updated TID-To-Link Mapping and resumes power supply to the antenna and RF circuit corresponding to the link 2.

[0062] In this way, the AP 100 can dynamically switch the states of some of the links between the Enable state and the Disable state, and the STA 101 can identify the state by the received Beacon frame. Then, power supply to the antenna and RF circuit corresponding to the link in the Disable state is stopped, so that power consumption in the AP 100 and the STA 101 can be reduced.

[0063] When the AP 100 receives a Probe Request frame from the STA 101, the AP 100 can notify the STA 101 of the state of each link by a Probe Response frame, which is a response to the Probe Request frame. That is, by including a TID-To-Link Mapping Element in the Probe Response frame and transmitting it, it can be indicated whether each link that can be established is in a Disabled state or an Enable state. This can also reduce power consumption in the AP 100 and the STA 101.

[0064] The above-mentioned process examples 1 to 3 may be used in any combination. For example, the AP 100 may enable a link that has been notified of being in a disabled state as in the process example 3 only between the AP 100 and a specific STA 101. In this case, the AP 100 may transmit TID-To-Link Mapping to the STA 101 by unicast using, for example, the process example 1. In this case, the AP 100 can also reduce power consumption by disabling link 2 between all STAs except when using link 2 for communication with the specific STA 101. In addition, when the STA 101 uses link 2 only for a specific period, the STA 101 can also reduce power consumption by stopping power supply to an antenna or the like related to link 2 during other periods.

[0065] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which each link is switched between an Enable state and a Disable state by using TID-To-Link Mapping. However, this is just one example, and other methods may be used. For example, instead of maintaining a specific link and setting it to a Disable state, the specific link may be deleted. In this case, when the use of the specific link is resumed, a procedure for adding the link is performed.

[0066] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0067] (Summary of the embodiment) At least some of the above-described embodiments can be summarized as follows. (Item 1) A communication device capable of establishing multiple wireless links with a counterpart device and performing communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard, a communication means for communicating a wireless frame including information requesting that transmission of all types of traffic be not permitted in a part of the wireless links with the other wireless links of the plurality of wireless links; a control means for performing control to disable transmission of all types of traffic through the part of the wireless links based on the wireless frame, thereby causing the part of the wireless links to be maintained while no communication is being performed; A communication device comprising: (Item 2) The communication device according to item 1, characterized in that, when the communication means transmits the wireless frame to the counterpart device and receives a response from the counterpart device approving not to permit transmission of any type of traffic over the part of the wireless links, the control means performs control to maintain the part of the wireless links while preventing communication. (Item 3) The communication device according to item 1 or 2, characterized in that the communication means transmits a wireless frame including a first request indicating that transmission of all types of traffic is not permitted in some wireless links of the plurality of wireless links, and if the first request is rejected by the other device, transmits to the other device a wireless frame including a second request indicating that transmission of all types of traffic is not permitted in some wireless links other than the some wireless links of the plurality of wireless links. (Item 4) the communication means transmits a wireless frame including a first request indicating that transmission of all types of traffic is not permitted in some wireless links of the plurality of wireless links, and when the communication means receives from the other device a wireless frame including a second request indicating that transmission of all types of traffic is not permitted in some wireless links other than the some wireless links of the plurality of wireless links, the communication means further comprises a determination means for determining whether to approve the second request; when the determination means approves the second request, the control means performs control to make the communication state in which no communication is performed while maintaining the other part of the wireless links in accordance with the second request. 4. The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 3, (Item 5) 5. The communication device according to item 4, characterized in that, when the determination means does not approve the second request, the communication means transmits to the counterpart device a wireless frame including a third request indicating that transmission of all types of traffic is not permitted on a wireless link different from the second request. (Item 6) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 5, characterized in that the communication means transmits to the counterpart device a wireless frame including information requesting that transmission of all types of traffic not be permitted over some of the multiple wireless links, on condition that at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: there is no data to be communicated, the amount of data to be communicated is less than a threshold, the communication frequency is less than a threshold, or a remaining battery charge of the communication device is less than a threshold. (Item 7) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 6, further comprising a determination means for determining whether to approve a first request when the communication means receives a wireless frame from the other device, the first request including a first request indicating that transmission of all types of traffic is not permitted on some of the wireless links among the plurality of wireless links. (Item 8) if the determination means determines that the first request is approved, the communication means transmits a response indicating the approval to the other device; The communication device according to item 7, characterized in that the control means performs control to maintain the part of the wireless links indicated by the first request while preventing communication based on the transmission of the response. (Item 9) The communication device described in item 7 or 8, characterized in that when the determination means determines that the first request is not approved, the communication means transmits to the other device a response including a second request indicating that transmission of all types of traffic is not permitted on the some wireless links and another some wireless links among the multiple wireless links. (Item 10) 9. The communication device according to item 7 or 8, characterized in that, when the determination means determines that the first request is not approved, the communication means transmits a response to the other device indicating that the first request is not approved. (Item 11) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 10, characterized in that the communication means communicates with the counterpart device a second wireless frame including information requesting that the part of the wireless links, which do not allow the transmission of any type of traffic, be changed to a state allowing the transmission of at least any type of traffic. (Item 12) 12. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the wireless frame is a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame. (Item 13) 11. The communication device according to any one of items 8 to 10, wherein the response is a TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame. (Item 14) 14. The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 13, wherein the wireless frame is a Beacon frame or a Probe Response frame. (Item 15) 15. The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 14, wherein the wireless frame is an Association Request frame. (Item 16) 11. The communication device according to any one of items 8 to 10, wherein the response is an Association Response frame. (Item 17) A control method executed by a communication device capable of establishing a plurality of wireless links with a counterpart device and performing communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard, comprising: communicating a wireless frame including information requesting that transmission of all types of traffic not be permitted through some of the wireless links with the counterpart device through other of the wireless links; performing control to prevent transmission of any type of traffic through the part of the wireless links based on the wireless frame, thereby causing the part of the wireless links to be maintained while no communication is being performed; A control method comprising: (Item 18) A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means possessed by the communication device according to any one of items 1 to 16.

[0068] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 100: AP, 101: STA, 301: link number control unit, 302: data frame processing unit, 303: communication frame transmission / reception unit

Claims

1. A communication device capable of establishing a plurality of wireless links with a counterpart device and performing communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard, a communication means for communicating a wireless frame including information requesting that transmission of all types of traffic be not permitted in a part of the wireless links with the other wireless links of the plurality of wireless links; a control means for performing control to disable transmission of all types of traffic through the part of the wireless links based on the wireless frame, thereby causing the part of the wireless links to be maintained while no communication is being performed; A communication device comprising:

2. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the communication means transmits the wireless frame to the counterpart device and receives a response from the counterpart device acknowledging that transmission of all types of traffic is not permitted over the some of the wireless links, the control means performs control to maintain the some of the wireless links while preventing communication.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the communication means transmits a wireless frame including a first request indicating that transmission of all types of traffic is not permitted on some of the multiple wireless links, and if the first request is rejected by the other device, transmits to the other device a wireless frame including a second request indicating that transmission of all types of traffic is not permitted on some of the multiple wireless links and another wireless link.

4. the communication means transmits a wireless frame including a first request indicating that transmission of all types of traffic is not permitted in some wireless links of the plurality of wireless links, and when the communication means receives from the other device a wireless frame including a second request indicating that transmission of all types of traffic is not permitted in some wireless links other than the some wireless links of the plurality of wireless links, the communication means further comprises a determination means for determining whether to approve the second request; and when the determination means approves the second request, the control means performs control to put the communication device into a state in which no communication is performed while maintaining the other part of the wireless links in accordance with the second request.

2. The communication device according to claim 1 .

5. 5. The communication device according to claim 4, characterized in that, when the determination means does not approve the second request, the communication means transmits to the other device a wireless frame including a third request indicating that transmission of all types of traffic is not permitted on a wireless link different from the second request.

6. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the communication means transmits to the counterpart device a wireless frame including information requesting that transmission of all types of traffic not be permitted over some of the multiple wireless links, when at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: there is no data to be communicated, the amount of data to be communicated is less than a threshold, the communication frequency is less than a threshold, or a remaining battery charge of the communication device is less than a threshold.

7. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a determination means for determining whether to approve a first request when the communication means receives a wireless frame from the other device, the first request including a first request indicating that transmission of all types of traffic is not permitted over some of the plurality of wireless links.

8. When the determination means determines that the first request is approved, the communication means transmits a response indicating the approval to the other device; 8. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein the control means performs control to place the communication device in a state in which no communication is performed while maintaining the part of the wireless links indicated by the first request, based on the transmission of the response.

9. The communication device according to claim 7, characterized in that when the determination means determines that the first request is not approved, the communication means transmits a response to the other device including a second request indicating that transmission of all types of traffic is not permitted on the part of the wireless links and another part of the wireless links among the plurality of wireless links.

10. 8. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein when the determination means determines that the first request is not approved, the communication means transmits a response indicating that the first request is not approved to the other device.

11. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the communication means communicates with the counterpart device a second wireless frame including information requesting that the part of the wireless links, which do not allow the transmission of any type of traffic, be changed to a state that allows the transmission of at least any type of traffic.

12. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless frame is a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame.

13. 9. The communication device according to claim 8, wherein the response is a TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame.

14. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless frame is a beacon frame or a probe response frame.

15. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless frame is an association request frame.

16. The communication device according to claim 8 , wherein the response is an Association Response frame.

17. A control method executed by a communication device capable of establishing a plurality of wireless links with a counterpart device and performing communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard, comprising: communicating a wireless frame including information requesting that transmission of all types of traffic not be permitted through some of the wireless links with the counterpart device through other of the wireless links; performing control to prevent transmission of any type of traffic through the part of the wireless links based on the wireless frame, thereby causing the part of the wireless links to be maintained while no communication is being performed; A control method comprising:

18. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means included in the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

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