Communication apparatus, communication method, and program

Abstract

To enable the channel state to be received from an appropriate device when the channel state is received using frames transmitted to a plurality of communication networks.SOLUTION: A frame transmitted from a communication apparatus 100 to a plurality of communication networks 101 to 103, and transmitted from a plurality of communication apparatuses 107 and 108 by the communication apparatus 100 to receive channel status information, which includes at least a set of AID of each of the plurality of communication apparatus 107, 108 and identification information of the communication network to which the communication apparatus 107 and 108 belongs, or the MAC address of each of the plurality of communication apparatus 107 and 108 is transmitted, and the communication apparatus 100 receives the channel state from the plurality of communication apparatus 107 and 108 that has received the transmitted frame.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device that performs wireless communication. [Background technology]

[0002] The IEEE802.11 standard series is known as the main communication standard for wireless LANs (Local Area Networks). IEEE stands for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the IEEE802.11 standard series includes standards such as IEEE802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax.

[0003] In IEEE802.11ax described in Patent Document 1, in addition to high peak throughput, technology for improving communication speeds under congested conditions is standardized. The standardization of IEEE802.11be (hereinafter referred to as 11be) is being carried out as the successor standard to IEEE802.11ax.

[0004] In 11be, technology is being considered that will enable improved throughput by having multiple APs (Access Points) work in cooperation with each other to communicate data with STAs (Station).

[0005] An example of cooperative operation of multiple APs is distributed MIMO technology, which is based on MIMO (Multi-Input Multi-Output) technology, which uses multiple transmitting and receiving antennas at the same time and on the same channel. In distributed MIMO, in an environment where multiple APs and multiple STAs exist, the multiple APs share information about the communication status and the status of each AP, and data is sent from the AP to the STA at the same time. By cooperatively operating in this way, the number of spatial streams can be increased compared to when communication is performed by a single AP, and improved throughput is expected.

[0006] This type of communication technology in which multiple APs operate in cooperation is called Multi-AP communication, and APs are classified into one master AP that manages the other APs, and slave APs that operate under the management of the master AP. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-50133 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] To perform distributed MIMO, the master AP needs to perform sounding to obtain CSI indicating the channel state from STAs that have established a connection with the master AP and from STAs that have not established a connection with the master AP but have established a connection with a slave AP. Here, CSI stands for Channel State Information. To obtain CSI from each STA, the master AP designates the STA to transmit CSI based on the AID (Association ID), which is the identification information of the STA. However, since the AID is identification information assigned to each communication network, there is a possibility that the same AID may be assigned to a STA assigned in the first communication network and a STA assigned in the second communication network. If the AIDs overlap, multiple STAs respond to one AID to the master AP, which may prevent proper sounding and prevent the STA from receiving CSI from the desired STA.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to receive channel conditions from an appropriate device when receiving channel conditions from a plurality of devices using frames transmitted to a plurality of communication networks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention has a transmitting means for transmitting a first frame including a pair of an AID (Association ID) of the first other communication device and the BSSID of the first communication network, and a pair of an AID of the second other communication device and the BSSID of the second communication network, when communicating with a first other communication device belonging to a first communication network corresponding to a first BSSID, and a second other communication device belonging to a second communication network corresponding to a second BSSID, and a receiving means for receiving a response to the first frame from the other communication device indicated by the pair included in the first frame transmitted by the transmitting means. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, when channel conditions are received from a plurality of devices using frames transmitted to a plurality of communication networks, it becomes possible to receive the channel conditions from an appropriate device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a network to which a communication device 100 belongs. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of communication devices 100, 104 to 106. [Diagram 3] A diagram showing the frame format of an NDPA frame. [Figure 4] A diagram showing the frame format of an NDPA frame. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the frame format of a trigger frame. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a frame format of a polling signal. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the communication device 100. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing a process executed by a STA. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram in which the communication device 100 acquires CSI from the STA. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the configurations shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated configurations.

[0014] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a communication network constructed by a communication device 100 according to this embodiment. The communication device 104 is an access point (hereinafter referred to as AP) having a role of constructing the wireless communication network 101. The communication device 105 is an AP having a role of constructing the wireless communication network 102, and the communication device 106 is an AP having a role of constructing the wireless communication network 103. The communication devices 107 and 108 are stations (hereinafter referred to as STA) having a role of participating in the wireless communication networks 101, 102, and 103. In this embodiment, the communication device 100 functions as a master AP that manages the other APs, and the communication devices 104 to 106 are slave APs that operate under the management of the master AP.

[0015] The communication devices 100, 104 to 108 can perform wireless communication in compliance with the IEEE802.11be standard. IEEE is an abbreviation for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The communication devices 100, 104 to 108 can communicate in the frequency bands of 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz. The communication devices 100, 104 to 108 can also communicate using bandwidths of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, and 320 MHz.

[0016] The communication devices 100, 104 to 108 form one group as AP devices performing Multi-AP communication, and the communication device 100, as the master AP, possesses information on each of the communication devices 104 to 108. The information possessed by the communication device 100 includes information for identifying STAs to which each of the communication devices 104 to 108 has established a connection. Each of the communication devices 104 to 108 recognizes the communication device 100 as the master AP. A communication device other than itself among the communication devices 104 to 108 may be recognized as a slave AP. Here, the master AP may be called a sharing AP and the slave AP may be called a shared AP.

[0017] The communication devices 100, 104 to 108 can realize multi-user (MU) communication in which signals of multiple users are multiplexed by performing OFDMA communication conforming to the IEEE802.11be standard. OFDMA is an abbreviation for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access. In OFDMA communication, a part of the divided frequency band (RU, Resource Unit) is assigned to each STA so as not to overlap with each other, and the carrier waves of each STA are orthogonal. Therefore, the AP can communicate with multiple STAs in parallel.

[0018] Although the communication devices 100, 104 to 108 are described as being compatible with the IEEE802.11be standard, they may also be compatible with a legacy standard that is a standard that precedes the IEEE802.11be standard. Specifically, the communication devices 100, 104 to 108 may be compatible with at least one of the IEEE802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax standard and a successor standard. In addition to the IEEE802.11 series standard, they may also be compatible with other communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC, UWB, ZigBee, and MBOA. 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. They may also be compatible with a communication standard for wired communication such as wired LAN.

[0019] Specific examples of the communication devices 100, 104 to 106 include, but are not limited to, a wireless LAN router and a personal computer (PC). The communication devices 104 to 106 may be information processing devices such as a wireless chip capable of performing wireless communication conforming to the IEEE802.11be standard. Specific examples of the communication devices 107 to 108 include, but are not limited to, a camera, a tablet, a smartphone, a PC, a mobile phone, and a video camera. The communication devices 107 to 108 may be information processing devices such as a wireless chip capable of performing wireless communication conforming to the IEEE802.11be standard. The wireless network in FIG. 1 is configured with three APs and two STAs, but the number of APs and STAs is not limited to this.

[0020] 2 shows the hardware configuration of communication devices 100, 104 to 106 in this embodiment. Communication device 100 includes a storage unit 201, a control unit 202, a function unit 203, an input unit 204, an output unit 205, a communication unit 206, and an antenna 207. Note that communication devices 104 to 106 also include the same hardware configuration as communication device 100.

[0021] The storage unit 201 is composed of memories such as ROM and RAM, and 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. Note that, in addition to memories such as ROM and RAM, storage media such as flexible disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, and DVDs may be used as the storage unit 201. Furthermore, the storage unit 201 may include multiple memories.

[0022] The control unit 202 is configured with one or more processors such as a CPU or an MPU, and controls the entire communication device 104 by executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 201. CPU stands for Central Processing Unit, and MPU stands for Micro Processing Unit. The control unit 202 may control the entire communication device 100 in cooperation with the computer program stored in the storage unit 201 and an OS (Operating System). The control unit 202 also generates data and signals to be transmitted in communication with other communication devices. The control unit 202 may also include multiple processors such as multi-core processors, and the entire communication device 104 may be controlled by the multiple processors.

[0023] Furthermore, the control unit 202 controls the functional unit 203 to execute predetermined processes such as wireless communication, imaging, printing, projection, etc. The functional unit 203 is hardware that enables the communication device 100 to execute predetermined processes.

[0024] The input unit 204 receives various operations from the user. The output unit 205 outputs various types of information to the user via a monitor screen or a speaker. Here, the output by the output unit 205 may be a display on a monitor screen, a voice output by a speaker, a vibration output, or the like. Note that both the input unit 204 and the output unit 205 may be realized by one module, such as a touch panel. Also, the input unit 204 and the output unit 205 may be integrated with the communication device 104, or may be separate from it.

[0025] The communication unit 206 controls wireless communication conforming to the IEEE802.11be standard. The communication unit 206 may also control wireless communication conforming to other IEEE802.11 series standards in addition to the IEEE802.11be standard, and control wired communication such as a wired LAN. The communication unit 206 controls the antenna 207 to transmit and receive wireless signals generated by the control unit 202 for wireless communication.

[0026] If the communication device 100 supports the NFC standard, Bluetooth standard, etc. in addition to the IEEE802.11be standard, the communication device 100 may control wireless communication in accordance with these communication standards. If the communication device 100 can execute wireless communication in accordance with a plurality of communication standards, the communication device 100 may have a communication unit 206 and an antenna 207 that support each communication standard. The communication device 100 communicates data such as image data, document data, and video data with the communication devices 107 and 108 via the communication unit 206.

[0027] 3 shows an example of the format of an NDPA frame in this embodiment. The NDPA frame in this embodiment is transmitted so that the AP transmitting the frame notifies surrounding APs and STAs of the transmission of an NDP frame. Here, NDPA stands for Null Data Packet Announcement, and the NDPA frame is a frame that complies with the IEEE802.11 series standard. Also, NDP stands for Null Data Packet, and the NDP frame is a frame that complies with the IEEE802.11 series standard.

[0028] The first two bits in the Sounding Dialog Token 301 field are a VHT / HE / EHT304 field that indicates the supported standard. When the VHT / HE / EHT304 field is 10, it means that the frame is an EHT NDPA frame that complies with the IEEE802.11be standard.

[0029] In the NDPA frame, information on the STA to which the NDPA frame is to be transmitted (destined) is included in the STA Info302 field. Therefore, the number of STA Info302 fields is the same as the number of STAs to which the NDPA frame is to be transmitted. The STA Info field includes an AID306 field and a BSSID307 field. The AID306 field includes identification information that is assigned when the AP and the STA establish a connection, and the BSSID307 field includes identification information of the communication network that the AP that has established a connection with the relevant STA builds. Here, AID stands for Association ID, and BSSID stands for Basic Service Set ID. The AID306 field is represented by 11 bits. Here, when the AID assigned when establishing a connection is stored in the AID306 field, the lower 11 bits of the AID are stored. Therefore, in Figs. 3 and 4, it is clearly indicated as an AID11 subfield. Since the AID is identification information assigned for each communication network, the same AID may be assigned to a STA assigned in the first BSS and a STA assigned in the second BSS. However, by including BSSID information, which is the identification information of the network, in addition to the AID in the NDPA frame, it is possible to indicate that the NDPA frame is sent to a specific STA. When the STA that receives the NDPA frame has its own AID and the BSSID of the network in which the STA participates match the AID306 field and the BSSID307 field of any of the STA Info fields, the STA transmits CSI to the target AP. Here, CSI stands for Channel State Information, and is information that indicates the characteristics of the transmission path between the AP and the STA. Only the STA whose AID and BSSID match transmits CSI to the AP, so there is no risk of the AP acquiring CSI from multiple STAs. The AID and BSSID are shared, for example, when exchanging information between APs as a pre-processing for performing Multi-AP communication.

[0030] FIG. 4 shows an example of the format of the NDPA frame in this embodiment. The VHT / HE / EHT fields 401 to AID 406 in FIG. 4 are the same as 301 to 306 in FIG. 3. The STA Info 402 field of the NDPA frame shown in FIG. 4 includes a MAC address 407. If the STA Info of the frame includes a MAC address, the AID does not need to be included. Since the master AP recognizes in advance the MAC address of the destination AP or STA to which the NDPA frame is to be transmitted, the MAC address can be included in the MAC address 407 field of the NDPA frame. When the MAC address of the AP or STA that receives the NDPA frame matches the MAC address 407 field in any of the STA Info 402 fields, the AP or STA transmits a CSI report to the target AP after receiving the trigger frame. Although the MAC address is information specific to the communication device, the MAC address can be changed by the user. Therefore, by combining the AID and MAC address, an AP or STA that receives an NDPA frame can reliably determine that the NDPA frame is addressed to that device.

[0031] Fig. 5 shows an example of the format of a trigger frame in this embodiment. The trigger frame in this embodiment instructs the STA to transmit CSI estimated from the NDP frame. Fields / subfields shown as 501 to 508 in Fig. 5 conform to the format defined in IEEE802.11ax. Trigger Type 509 in the Common Info 505 field specifies the type of trigger by the trigger frame. Furthermore, Length 510 indicates a communication period common to all communication devices.

[0032] Table 1 shows an example of the correspondence between the Trigger Type subfield value in Trigger Type 509 and the trigger type.

[0033] [Table 1]

[0034] Trigger Type 509 is represented by 4 bits. In this embodiment, when the Trigger Type subfield value is 8, it instructs the STA to transmit the CSI inferred from the NDP frame to the AP that transmitted the NDP frame.

[0035] The User Info 506♯1 to 506♯N fields include an AID (Association ID) 511, a BSSID (Basic Service Set ID) 512, an RU Allocation 513, and the like, which are identifiers. The AID 511 is represented by 12 bits. When the AID, which is identification information given when a connection is established, is stored in the AID 511, the lowest 12 bits of the AID are stored. Therefore, in FIG. 5, the subfield in the AID 511 is clearly indicated as the AID12 subfield. The BSSID 512 includes identification information of the communication network constructed by the AP that has established a connection with the corresponding STA. The MAC address field may be used instead of the BSSID 512 field.

[0036] The User Info 506 field includes information about the STA that is the destination for the AP that transmits the trigger frame. Therefore, the User Info 506 field includes the same number of STAs that instruct the communication device 100 to transmit the CSI estimated by the STA.

[0037] FIG. 6 shows an example of a frame format of a polling signal in this embodiment. The fields / subfields shown in 601-609 conform to the format defined in IEEE802.11ax. When the value of the Category 607 field is 32, it indicates that it is an EHT action frame. Also, when the Value 610 field is 0, it indicates that it is a polling signal in this embodiment. The polling signal in this embodiment is a signal for transmitting an NDP frame and changing the AP that receives CSI. Also, the AP ID 611 field includes the ID of the slave AP that transmits the polling signal to the master AP or receives the polling signal from the master AP.

[0038] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing carried out by control unit 202 executing a program stored in storage unit 201 of communication device 100, which is the master AP.

[0039] The flowchart starts when a start frame is transmitted in response to an instruction to start Multi-AP communication from a user or an application, or when the amount of data that the communication device 100 wishes to communicate with a partner device reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold. The communication device 104 that receives the start frame temporarily suspends data exchange with the STA that has established a connection with the communication device 104. In S701, the communication device 104 transmits an NDPA frame, which is a notification frame that notifies the STA that an NDP frame will be transmitted, to the STA. The NDPA frame includes the BSSID or MAC address in addition to the AID.

[0040] In S702, the communication device 100 transmits an NDP frame to the STA. The NDP frame is a frame used by the STA to estimate CSI. In S703, the communication device 100 transmits an instruction frame instructing to transmit CSI estimated from information of the NDP frame. Next, in S704, the STA receives the estimated CSI. Next, in S705, it is determined whether there is a slave AP that has not received CSI from the STA with which a connection has been established. If it is determined in S705 that there is a slave AP that has not received a CSI report frame, in S706, the communication device 100 transmits a polling signal to the slave AP determined in S705 to have not received a CSI report frame. By transmitting the polling signal, the slave AP is given the transmission right to transmit an NDPA frame. In S707, a polling signal indicating the end is received from the AP that has finished receiving the CSI report. If there is no slave AP that has not received CSI from the STA with which a connection has been established in S705, the process ends.

[0041] The NDPA frame after transmitting the start frame may be transmitted not only to the STA but also to the slave AP. When obtaining the CSI of the slave AP, the master AP also transmits an NDPA frame to the slave AP. The slave AP can also obtain the CSI by receiving the CSI obtained by the master AP from the STA.

[0042] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing carried out by control unit 202 executing a program stored in storage unit 201 of a communication device that is an STA.

[0043] The flowchart begins by receiving a start frame transmitted by communication device 100 in response to a user or application instruction to start Multi-AP communication, or when the amount of data that communication device 100 wishes to communicate exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0044] In S801, an NDPA frame transmitted by the communication device 100, which is the master AP, is received. The NDPA frame includes the AID that is assigned when the STA establishes a connection, as well as the BSSID or MAC address that is the identification information of the network. Next, in S802, an NDP frame is received. The NDP frame includes transmission power information of the NDP frame, and the STA estimates the CSI by comparing the transmission power information with the reception strength of the NDP frame received by the STA. In S803, it is determined whether the NDPA frame is a frame addressed to the device itself. The determination of whether the frame is addressed to the device itself is performed based on whether the AID and BSSID or MAC address stored in the NDPA frame match the AID and BSSID or MAC address of the device itself. If it is determined in S803 that the NDPA frame is addressed to the device itself, then in S804, the CSI is estimated from the NDP frame received in S802. If it is determined in S803 that the frame is not addressed to the device itself, the process ends. In S805, a trigger frame is received that instructs the device to transmit the estimated CSI. When the trigger frame is received in S804, the CSI estimated from the NDP frame in S805 is transmitted to the AP that transmitted the NDPA frame in S806, and the process ends. Note that, in this embodiment, the CSI is estimated only when the identification information included in the NDPA frame matches the information of the own device, but the communication device that received the NDP frame may estimate the CSI and transmit the CSI when it is determined that it is the own device from the identification information of the trigger frame.

[0045] 9 shows a sequence in which the communication device 100, which is a master AP, and the communication device 104, which is a slave AP, acquire CSI from a STA that has established a connection with the communication device 100 and a STA that has established a connection with the communication device 104. M1 -STA MN STAs that have established a connection with the communication device 100, S1 -STA SN is a STA that has established a connection with the communication device 104.

[0046] In M9011, the communication device 100 transmits a start frame for starting acquisition of CSI to the communication device 104. Then, in M9012, the communication device 100 transmits a start frame for starting acquisition of CSI to the communication device 104. M1 -STA MN and S.T.A. S1 -STA SN In this embodiment, the NDPA frame includes the BSSID or MAC address in addition to the AID.

[0047] When a time period of SIFS (Short InterFrame Space) has elapsed after transmitting the NDPA frame, the communication device 100, which is the master AP, transmits an NDP frame (M9013). The NDP frame is a frame that is transmitted so that a STA receiving the NDP frame can estimate CSI by measuring the reception strength of the NDP frame and comparing it with the transmission output included in the NDP frame.

[0048] When SIFS has elapsed after transmitting the NDP frame, the communication device 100 M1 -STA MN and S.T.A. S1 -STA SN A trigger frame is sent to (M9014). The trigger frame is transmitted to instruct the STA to transmit the CSI inferred from the NDP frame to the communication device 100. When the AID306 field and the BSSID307 field of the NDPA frame match the AID of the own device and the BSSID of the network in which the own device participates, the STA that received the trigger frame transmits the CSI to the communication device 100 (M9015). When the NDPA frame received by the STA is the frame shown in FIG. 4, when the AID406 field and the MAC address 407 field match the AID of the own device and the MAC address of the own device, the STA transmits the CSI to the communication device 100. Instead of the BSSID or MAC address, the ID or BSS color of the slave AP may be used. For example, an ID unique to the communication device is assigned to the slave AP in advance, and whether or not to transmit the CSI report is determined based on the ID and AID of the slave AP that has established a connection with the STA.

[0049] After the communication device 100 receives a CSI report from the STA, in M9016, the communication device 100 transmits a polling signal to the communication device 104. By transmitting the polling signal, the communication device 100 is given the right to transmit an NDPA frame to the communication device 104. In other words, the polling signal here can be said to be an instruction to cause the communication device 104 to transmit an NDPA frame. After receiving the polling signal, the communication device 104 executes M9017 to M9021 in the same manner as M9012 to M9016.

[0050] If there are slave APs other than the communication device 104, the master AP transmits a polling signal to the slave APs in turn and obtains the CSI report in a similar procedure.

[0051] According to this embodiment, the communication device 100, which is the master AP, can obtain channel information from an appropriate device even when STAs with overlapping AIDs exist. Furthermore, by appropriately performing sounding, the master AP can obtain channel information from the slave AP or STA, and therefore, it becomes possible to obtain information necessary for cooperative operation using distributed MIMO.

[0052] In this embodiment, an example has been shown in which the master AP acquires CSI from a STA that has established a connection with the master AP and a STA that has established a connection with the slave AP, but an NDPA frame may also be transmitted to the slave AP to acquire CSI from the slave AP. For example, the master AP can determine that the slave AP cannot function as an AP based on the acquired CSI information of the slave AP, and control not to transmit data to the slave AP that is not functioning as an AP.

[0053] A recording medium on which the program code of the software for realizing the above-mentioned functions is recorded may be supplied to the system or device, and the computer (CPU, MPU) of the system or device may read and execute the program code stored in the recording medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium will realize the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments, and the storage medium on which the program code is stored will constitute the above-mentioned device.

[0054] Examples of storage media for supplying the program code include flexible disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, ROMs, and DVDs.

[0055] In addition, the above-mentioned functions may be realized not only by the computer executing the read program code, but also by the OS running on the computer performing all or part of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code. OS is an abbreviation for Operating System.

[0056] Furthermore, the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided on a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Then, based on instructions in the program code, a CPU provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit may carry out some or all of the actual processing to realize the above-mentioned functions.

[0057] 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. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 201 Storage section 202 Control section 203 Functional Department 204 Input section 205 Output section 206 Communications Department 207 Antenna

Claims

1. 1. A communication device, comprising: a transmitting means for transmitting a first frame including a pair of an AID (Association ID) of the first other communication device and a BSSID of the first communication network, and a pair of an AID of the second other communication device and a BSSID of the second communication network, when communicating with a first other communication device belonging to a first communication network corresponding to a first BSSID, and a second other communication device belonging to a second communication network corresponding to a second BSSID; a receiving means for receiving a response to the first frame from another communication device indicated by the pair included in the first frame transmitted by the transmitting means; A communication device comprising:

2. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the communication device is an access point that configures a communication network.

3. the communication device transmits the frame to the first communication network and the second communication network; 3. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a control means for controlling other access points that constitute at least one of the first communication network and the second communication network.

4. 4. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein the control means issues an instruction to cause the other access point to transmit a second frame including a pair of an AID and a BSSID of the other communication device.

5. 5. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein the second frame is a Null Data Packet Announcement (NDPA) frame conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series standard.

6. the communication device operates as a master access point device that controls a slave access point device; a determination means for determining whether there is a slave access point that has not received channel state information from a station device with which a connection has been established; The communication device according to claim 4, characterized in that when it is determined that there is a slave access point from which the channel state information has not been received, the communication device grants the slave access point the right to transmit the second frame by sending a polling signal to the slave access point.

7. A communication device, comprising: a first receiving means for receiving a first frame including a pair of an Association ID (AID) of the communication device and a Basic Service Set ID (BSSID) of a first communication network to which the communication device belongs, and a pair of an Association ID of another communication device and a BSSID of a second communication network to which the other communication device belongs; a transmitting means for transmitting information of the communication device to the other communication device in response to the received first frame; A communication device comprising:

8. second receiving means for receiving a second frame used to estimate a channel condition; and estimating means for estimating the channel state based on information included in the second frame received by the second receiving means, 8. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein the transmitting means transmits information about the channel state estimated by the estimating means to the other communication device.

9. 9. The communication device according to claim 8, wherein the second frame is a Null Data Packet (NDP) frame conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series standard.

10. 10. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first frame is a Null Data Packet Announcement (NDPA) frame conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series standard or a trigger frame.

11. 11. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the response to the first frame includes CSI (Channel State Information).

12. The first frame is a Null Data Packet Announcement (NDPA) frame, 12. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first frame includes a pair of a BSSID and an AID in the STA Info field for each station.

13. the first frame is a trigger frame, 13. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first frame includes a pair of a BSSID and an AID for each station in the User Info field.

14. A communication method in a communication device, comprising: a transmission step in which, when communicating with a first other communication device belonging to a first communication network corresponding to a first Basic Service Set ID (BSSID) and a second other communication device belonging to a second communication network corresponding to a second BSSID, the communication device transmits a frame including a combination of an AID (Association ID) of the first other communication device and a BSSID of the communication network to which the first other communication device belongs, and a combination of an AID of the second other communication device and a BSSID of the second communication network; a receiving step in which the communication device receives a response to the first frame from another communication device indicated by the pair included in the frame transmitted in the transmitting step; A communication method comprising:

15. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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