Communication device, control method for communication device, and program

Abstract

To define efficient means for indicating whether a packet number or a replay counter is for normal data or for low latency data.SOLUTION: A communication device includes generating means for generating a MAC frame having a header and payload that conforms to the IEEE 802.11 standard, and transmitting means for transmitting the MAC frame generated by the generating means, and information indicating whether data included in the payload of the generated MAC frame is data that requires low-latency communication is included in the header of the MAC frame.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device that performs wireless communication, a control method for the communication device, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] As communication standards related to wireless LAN (Local Area Network), the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 series of standards are known. The IEEE 802.11 series of standards include standards such as IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be. In the IEEE 802.11be standard and its successor standards, it has been studied to improve communication efficiency and throughput and reduce latency by having a plurality of access point devices (hereinafter, also simply referred to as APs) operate in cooperation.

[0003] Also, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique called R-TWT (Restricted Target Wake Time) that provides a period available for communication of data that requires low latency and transmits data that requires low latency during that period.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the above-described R-TWT technology, it is possible to reduce the latency when transmitting data that occurs constantly during a scheduled period.

[0006] On the other hand, data that requires low latency may be generated outside the aforementioned scheduled period. In order to transmit this data with low latency, it is necessary to use a technology different from R-TWT to achieve prioritized transmission.

[0007] Then, in 11bn, which is being considered as a successor standard to 11be, or in the Ultra High Reliability (UHR) standard, the technology of preemption, which performs a process of interrupting data that requires low latency into normal data that does not require low latency, is being discussed. As one of the preemption technologies, when transmitting data that requires low latency, it is conceivable to use a dedicated packet number or replay counter to process the data that requires low latency before normal data.

[0008] As described above, by having a dedicated packet number and replay counter for data that requires low latency, distinct from normal data, it becomes possible to process the data promptly. However, there was no means to identify whether the packet number and replay counter were for normal data or for data that requires low latency.

[0009] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to define an effective means for indicating whether a packet number or a replay counter is for normal data or for low-latency data.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] To achieve the above object, a communication device of the present invention includes a generating means for generating a MAC frame having a header and a payload compliant with the IEEE802.11 standard, and a transmitting means for transmitting the MAC frame generated by the generating means, and is characterized in that information indicating whether data included in the payload of the generated MAC frame is data for which low-latency communication is required is included in the header of the MAC frame.

Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to notify whether the packet number and replay counter in the wireless frame to be transmitted and received are for data with low latency requirements.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments 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] <First Embodiment> (Configuration of Wireless Communication System) FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a wireless network according to the present invention. The wireless network 101 is constructed by an access point device (hereinafter, also simply referred to as AP or access point) 102, and a station device (hereinafter, also simply referred to as STA or station) 103 participates in the wireless network 101.

[0015] AP 102 and STA 103 are configured to be able to perform wireless communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11bn standard, which is a successor standard to IEEE 802.11be targeting a maximum transmission speed of 46.08 Gbps.

[0016] Note that IEEE is an abbreviation for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. IEEE 802.11bn features high-reliability communication, low-latency communication, and throughput improvement during congestion. A wireless frame communicating using the successor standard is also referred to as a UHR (Ultra High Reliability) PPDU. PPDU is an abbreviation for physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit.

[0017] Note that the names "IEEE802.11bn" and "UHR standard" are provided for convenience based on the goals to be achieved by the successor standard and the prominent features of the standard, and may be changed to other names when the standard formulation is completed. On the other hand, it should be noted that this specification and the appended claims are essentially the successor standard of the 802.11be standard and applicable to all successor standards.

[0018] Note that the wireless network in FIG. 1 is composed of one AP and one STA, but the number of APs and STAs is not limited to this. For example, there may be one more STA. At this time, the frequency band and bandwidth of the established link are not limited. Also, although AP102 and STA103 are assumed to comply with the communication of UHR PPDU compliant with the IEEE802.11bn standard, it is not limited to this. In addition, they may comply with the IEEE802.11 standard prior to the IEEE802.11bn standard. Specifically, AP102 and STA103 may be configured to comply with the communication of PPDU such as the IEEE802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be standards.

[0019] Furthermore, in addition to the IEEE802.11 standard series, AP102 and STA103 may comply with other communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC, UWB, ZigBee, and MBOA. Note that UWB is the abbreviation of Ultra Wide Band, MBOA is the abbreviation of Multi Band OFDM Alliance, and NFC is the abbreviation of Near Field Communication. UWB includes wireless USB, wireless 1394, WiNET, etc. Also, they may comply with the communication standards of wired communication such as wired LAN.

[0020] Specific examples of the AP102 and STA include, but are not limited to, a wireless LAN router, a personal computer (PC), etc. Further, the AP102 may be an information processing device such as a wireless chip capable of performing wireless communication compliant with the IEEE802.11bn standard. Specific examples of the STA103 include, but are not limited to, a camera, a tablet, a smartphone, a PC, a mobile phone, a video camera, a headset, etc. Further, the STA103 may be an information processing device such as a wireless chip capable of performing wireless communication compliant with the IEEE802.11bn standard.

[0021] The AP102 and STA103 can communicate at frequencies in the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band. The frequency band used by each communication device is not limited to this, and different frequency bands such as the 60 GHz band may be used. Also, the AP102 and STA103 can communicate with bandwidths such as 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, and 640 MHz.

[0022] (Configuration of AP and STA) FIG. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the communication devices (AP and STA) in the present embodiment. As an example, the communication device has a storage unit 201, a control unit 202, a functional unit 203, an input unit 204, an output unit 205, a communication unit 206, and an antenna 207. Note that the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0023] The storage unit 201 is composed of one or more memories such as ROM and RAM, and stores computer programs for performing various operations described later, as well as various information such as communication parameters for wireless communication. ROM is the abbreviation of Read Only Memory, and RAM is the abbreviation of Random Access Memory. In addition to memories such as ROM and RAM, storage media such as flexible disks, hard disks, SSDs (Solid State Drives), 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. Also, the storage unit 201 may include a plurality of memories and the like.

[0024] The control unit 202 is composed of one or more processors such as a CPU or an MPU, for example, and controls the entire AP102 by executing the computer program stored in the storage unit 201. Note that the control unit 202 may control the entire AP102 by cooperating with the computer program stored in the storage unit 201 and the OS (Operating System). Also, the control unit 202 generates data and signals (wireless frames) to be transmitted in communication with other communication devices. Note that CPU is the abbreviation of Central Processing Unit, and MPU is the abbreviation of Micro Processing Unit. Also, the control unit 202 may include a plurality of processors such as a multi-core processor, and control the entire communication device by the plurality of processors.

[0025] Also, the control unit 202 controls the functional unit 203 to execute predetermined processes such as wireless communication, imaging, printing, and projection. The functional unit 203 is hardware for the communication device to execute predetermined processes.

[0026] The input unit 204 receives various operations from the user. The output unit 205 performs various outputs to the user via a monitor screen or a speaker. Here, the output by the output unit 205 may be a display on the monitor screen, an audio output by the 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 or separate from it, respectively.

[0027] The communication unit 206 controls wireless communication compliant with the IEEE802.11bn standard. In addition to the IEEE802.11bn standard, the communication unit 206 may control wireless communication compliant with other IEEE802.11 series standards or wired communication such as a wired LAN. The communication unit 206 controls the antenna 207 to transmit and receive signals for wireless communication generated by the control unit 202.

[0028] Note that when the communication device complies with standards such as the NFC standard and the Bluetooth standard in addition to the IEEE802.11bn standard, it may control wireless communication compliant with these communication standards. Also, when the communication device can execute wireless communication compliant with a plurality of communication standards, it may have a communication unit and an antenna compliant with each communication standard separately. The communication device communicates data such as image data, document data, and video data with other communication devices via the communication unit 206. Note that the antenna 207 may be configured separately from the communication unit 206 or may be configured as one module together with the communication unit 206.

[0029] The antenna 207 is an antenna capable of communication in the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band. The communication device may have one or a plurality of antennas. Also, it may have different antennas for each frequency band. Also, when the AP102 has a plurality of antennas, it may have a communication unit 206 compliant with each antenna.

[0030] Next, the functional configuration of the communication devices (AP102, STA103) will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the communication devices in the present embodiment.

[0031] The communication devices include a wireless LAN control unit 301, a frame generation unit 302, a frame analysis unit 303, and a UI control unit 304.

[0032] The wireless LAN control unit 301 controls the communication unit 206 and the antenna 207 for transmitting and receiving wireless signals to and from other wireless LAN devices. Specifically, the wireless LAN control unit 301 collaborates with the frame generation unit 302 and the frame analysis unit 303 to perform communication control of wireless frames in accordance with the IEEE802.11 standard series.

[0033] The frame generation unit 302 generates a wireless control frame to be transmitted by the wireless LAN control unit 301. The wireless frame is composed of a preamble field and a data field. The data field stores MAC (Medium Access Control) frames such as management frames, control frames, and data frames. It may also be changed according to user settings from the UI control unit 304.

[0034] The information of the generated frame is sent to the wireless LAN control unit 301 and transmitted externally by the communication unit 206 and the antenna 207. Also, the information of the frame received through the cooperation of the communication unit 206, the antenna 207, and the wireless LAN control unit 301 is passed to the frame analysis unit 303 for analysis. Although details will be described in the explanations after FIG. 5, the frame analysis unit 303 analyzes the MAC header and CCMP header of the received frame and determines whether the received data is data for which low latency is required. Further, it analyzes the packet number in the CCMP header and performs a replay check using a replay counter. Note that a replay counter for data for which low latency is required and a replay counter for normal data for which low latency is not required are prepared. Then, when data for which low latency is required is received, a replay check is performed by comparing the value of the replay counter for data for which low latency is required with the packet number of the received data.

[0035] The UI control unit 304 includes hardware related to a user interface such as a touch panel or buttons for receiving operations from a user (not shown) on the AP 102 to the STA 103 and programs for controlling them. Note that the UI control unit 304 also has a function for presenting information such as display of an image or voice output to the user.

[0036] (Notification Method and Communication Control Method for Data Requiring Low Latency) First, when the AP 102 transmits data to the STA 103, a method for indicating whether the data is data for which low latency is required (hereinafter also referred to as Low Latency data) will be described with reference to FIG. 4. In this embodiment, for the sake of explanation, it is assumed that the AP 102 transmits data to the STA 103, but it is not limited to this. For example, when the STA 103 transmits data to the AP 102, the same method may be applied.

[0037] AP102 determines whether a data transmission opportunity has arrived using an access method such as EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access) (S401). If a data transmission opportunity has arrived, the data accumulated in the transmission buffer can be transmitted at that time (S402).

[0038] If the data transmission opportunity has not arrived yet, AP102 checks with the upper application whether the data to be transmitted has arrived (S403). When transmission data arrives from the upper application, first, the data is classified by TID (Traffic Identifier) (S404).

[0039] Then, according to S405, it is determined whether the transmission data is Low Latency data. At this time, the determination of whether the transmission data is Low Latency data may be made, for example, according to the type of the application, or the application may notify an identifier indicating that it is Low Latency data, but it is not limited to these.

[0040] If the transmission data is non-Low Latency data (hereinafter also referred to as non-Low Latency data), in S406, information indicating that the transmission data is non-Low Latency data is included in the MAC header.

[0041] Specifically, values other than those indicating Low Latency data are set in the Type subfield 602 and Subtype subfield 603 included in the Frame Control field 601 in the MAC header shown in FIG. 6. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, by setting "10" in the Type subfield and "0000" in the Subtype subfield in binary notation, it can be indicated that the transmission data is non-Low Latency data.

[0042] In the IEEE 802.11 standard, the part from the Frame Control field 601 to the HT Control field 604 shown in FIG. 6 is defined as the MAC header. Further, the part from the Frame Control field 601 to the FCS field 606 in FIG. 6 is defined as the MAC frame. In this specification, the part of the MAC frame excluding the MAC header and the FCS field 606 is called the payload.

[0043] After that, in S407, the value of the packet number (hereinafter also simply referred to as PN) is set. Specifically, the values of the PN0 field 801, PN1 field 802, PN2 field 803, PN3 field 804, PN4 field 805, and PN5 field 806 included in the CCMP (Counter mode with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol) header shown in FIG. 8 are used to set the value of the packet number (PN). The value of PN is set to be 1 increased from the PN of the previous non-Low Latency data. Note that the CCMP header is located after the MAC header.

[0044] Subsequently, encryption is performed by CCMP (S408), and the generated MSDU (MAC Service Data Unit) is placed at the end of the transmission buffer as transmission data in S409.

[0045] On the one hand, if the data in the payload is Low Latency data in S405, in accordance with S410, information indicating that the transmission data is Low Latency data is included in the MAC header. Specifically, values indicating Low Latency data are set in the Type subfield 602 and Subtype subfield 603 included in the Frame Control field 601 of the MAC header shown in FIG. 6. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, by setting "10" in the Typ subfield and "0001" in the Subtype subfield in binary notation, it is possible to newly indicate that the transmission data is Low Latency data compared to the conventional method.

[0046] Then, in S411, using the PN0 field 801, PN1 field 802, PN2 field 803, PN3 field 804, PN4 field 805, and PN5 field 806 included in the CCMP header shown in FIG. 8, values of PN dedicated to Low Latency data are set. At this time, the PN dedicated to Low Latency data is set independently of the PN of non-Low Latency data. That is, a value increased by 1 from the PN of the previous Low Latency data is set. Also, the value of the first PN may overlap with the PN for non-Low Latency data, or a value that does not overlap with non-Low Latency data may be set. When not overlapping, for example, for the PN for Low Latency data, a value with the most significant bit of the PN set to 1 may be assigned.

[0047] After setting the PN, encryption is performed by CCMP in S412 to generate an MSDU. Then, the transmission data is arranged in the transmission buffer before non-Low Latency data and at the end of Low Latency data (S413).

[0048] After data is stored in the transmission buffer, if necessary, the MPDU (MAC Protocol Data Unit) of the buffer may be aggregated to form an A-MPDU (Aggregate MPDU) (S414, S415).

[0049] Regarding the processing from S413 to S415, for example, S413 may be executed each time Low Latency data arrives, or the data may be sorted immediately before S415 after the data is stored in the buffer in the order of arrival as shown in FIG. 11. Further, the buffer may be divided in advance into a non-Low Latency data buffer and a Low Latency data buffer, and the respective buffers may be combined immediately before S415. Then, the processing may be performed so that the Low Latency data comes before the non-Low Latency data.

[0050] Next, when STA103 receives data from AP102, it is determined whether the data is Low Latency data, and the operation when transmitting the received data to the upper application will be described with reference to FIG. 5. In this embodiment, it is assumed for the sake of explanation that AP103 has received data from AP102, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the same operation may be applied when AP102 receives data from STA103.

[0051] When STA103 receives data (S501), first, if the received data is an A-MPDU, it is separated into MPDU units (S502).

[0052] Here, at S503, first check the header of each MPDU to confirm whether each MPDU is Low Latency data. If it is a Low Latency data MPDU, rearrange it to the top of the processing order so that it is preferentially processed. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, from a state where Low Latency data and non-Low Latency data are mixed after separation of A-MPDU, it may be rearranged so that Low Latency data comes first and non-Low Latency data comes later. Also, prepare separate buffers for non-Low Latency data and Low Latency data, and re-stack while rearranging. By this process, Low Latency data can be promptly notified to the upper layer. Note that if the A-MPDU is configured such that Low Latency data is always at the front on the transmission side, S503 may be omitted.

[0053] After finishing the rearrangement of MPDUs, start processing from the top MPDU.

[0054] First, STA103 checks whether the data in the payload is Low Latency data (S504). The determination of whether it is Low Latency data is made by examining the values of the Type sub-field 602 and Subtype sub-field 603 included in the Frame Control field 601 in the MAC header of the received data. Since the specific values are the same as those described above, the description is omitted.

[0055] If it is determined that the received data is non-Low Latency data, perform a replay check on the non-Low Latency data (S505). In this replay check, for example, remember the maximum value of the PN of the non-Low Latency data received so far, and check whether the PN of the non-Low Latency data received this time exceeds the remembered maximum value. And if it exceeds the maximum value, it can be treated as a successful replay check.

[0056] On the other hand, if it is determined in S504 that the received data is Low Latency data, replay check for Low Latency data is performed (S506). In the replay check for Low Latency data, a replay counter independent of that for non-Low Latency data is prepared, and it can be realized by comparing the value of the replay counter with the PN for Low Latency data. Whether the PN of the received data is for Low Latency or not is determined by whether the values of the Type subfield 602 and Subtype subfield 603 included in the MAC header confirmed in S504 indicate Low Latency data. If the values of these fields indicate Low Latency data, it is determined that the PN indicated by the PN field in the CCMP header is also for Low Latency data.

[0057] If this replay check is successful, next, CCMP decryption is performed (S508), and then the MIC (Message Integrity Code) is verified (S509). If the verification of the MIC is successful, the received data is transmitted to the upper layer (S510).

[0058] On the other hand, if the replay check fails or the verification of the MIC fails, the received data is discarded (S512).

[0059] Thereafter, the operations are repeated until all processing for the received data is completed.

[0060] Fig. 6 shows an example of the format of the MAC frame used in this embodiment. The MAC header starts with Frame Control 601, followed by fields such as Duration / ID, Address1. Since the fields after Duration / ID conform to the conventional 802.11 standard, the description thereof is omitted. Frame Control 601 is further composed of several sub-fields, and in order from the beginning, fields such as Protocol Version, Type 602, Subtype 603, ToDS follow. Since the fields after ToDS conform to the conventional 802.11 standard, the description thereof is omitted.

[0061] The setting of whether the transmission data is Low Latency data is performed by storing predetermined values in the Type and Subtype of the MAC header. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, by storing "10" representing Data in Type 602 and "0001" representing Low Latency Data in Subtype 603, a frame for transmitting Low Latency Data can be newly defined.

[0062] Note that in this embodiment, it is shown that by setting "10" in the Type sub-field and "0001" in the Subtype sub-field, it can be indicated that the transmission data is Low Latency data, but it is not limited to this.

[0063] For example, the Type sub-field can be set to "10", and the Subtype sub-field can be set to "0010", "0011", "0101", "0110", "0111", "1101", etc.

[0064] <Modification Example 1> In the embodiment described above, as a method of notifying that the transmission data is Low Latency data, a method of including information indicating Low Latency data in the MAC header is shown. However, it is not limited to this, and it is also possible to include in the CCMP header that it is Low Latency data.

[0065] As an example, the Reserved field existing in the CCMP header of FIG. 8 may be used to indicate that the transmission data is Low Latency data. In that case, for example, 1 bit out of the Reserved field 807 is allocated to a bit for Low Latency identification. At that time, it may be set such that if the value of the bit is 0, it represents non-Low Latency data, and if the value is 1, it represents Low Latency data.

[0066] Alternatively, instead of determining whether it is Low Latency data or non-Low Latency data, multiple levels of priorities may be set according to the degree of Low Latency requirement for each data. For example, it is determined that 1 byte of the Reserved field 807 is a field for notifying the priority of Low Latency. It may be set such that if the value is 0, it is non-Low Latency data, and the larger the value, the more it indicates data that requires lower latency. In this case, when storing the transmission data in the transmission buffer, those with higher priority may be stored closer to the head of the buffer. Further, the replay counter on the receiving side may be managed independently for the number of priorities.

[0067] <Modification Example 2> In the above-described embodiment, the frame type indicating that it is Low Latency data is defined using the Type subfield 602 and the Subtype subfield 603 included in the Frame Control 601 of the MAC header. However, it is not limited to this, and it is also possible to indicate that the transmission data is Low Latency data on the MAC header.

[0068] For example, it is possible to indicate whether it is Low Latency data using the HT Control field 604 of FIG. 6. This will be specifically described below.

[0069] To indicate that the frame is Low Latency data for the 11bn standard, the HE Variant in the HT Control field is used. The Control Information subfield included in the HE Variant is configured as shown in FIG. 9, but Control ID 10: UHR operating mode is added here. An example of the Control Information subfield of the UHR operating mode is shown in FIG. 10. Among the UHR operating modes, Rx NSS Extension, Channel Width Extension, and Tx NSTS Extension are fields that can be used to indicate PPDU characteristics in the UHR standard and indicate information such as bandwidth. Low Latency1001 is a field that indicates whether the transmitted data is Low Latency data. For example, if this value is 0, it indicates non-Low Latency data, and if the value is 1, it indicates Low Latency data.

[0070] The operation of the transmitting side when notifying whether it is Low Latency data according to the UHR operating mode is the same as that in FIG. 4. However, the location where it is set to indicate that it is Low Latency data in S410 becomes the Low Latency field of the UHR operating mode data.

[0071] Also, the operation of the receiving side is the same as that in FIG. 5. However, the location to be checked when determining whether it is Low Latency data in S504 becomes the Low Latency field of the UHR operating mode data. The index for determining whether the PN is for Low Latency data or non-Low Latency data also becomes the Low Latency field of the UHR operating mode.

[0072] (Other embodiments) Alternatively, a recording medium storing the program code of software for realizing the above-described functions may be supplied to a system or apparatus, and a computer (CPU, MPU) of the system or apparatus may read and execute the program code stored in the recording medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the above-described apparatus.

[0073] As the recording medium for supplying the program code, for example, 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, a ROM, a DVD, or the like can be used.

[0074] Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the above-described functions are realized, but also based on the instructions of the program code, the OS running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing to realize the above-described functions. The OS is an abbreviation for Operating System.

[0075] Furthermore, the program code read from the storage medium is written into the memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Then, based on the instructions of the program code, the CPU provided in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing to realize the above-described functions.

[0076] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for realizing one or more functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0077] The disclosure of this specification includes the configurations described in the following items.

[0078] (Item 1) A communication device, generating means for generating a MAC frame having a header and a payload compliant with the IEEE802.11 standard, transmitting means for transmitting the MAC frame generated by the generating means, and having, A communication device, characterized in that information indicating whether data included in the payload of the generated MAC frame is data requiring low-latency communication is included in the header of the MAC frame.

[0079] (Item 2) The communication device according to item 1, wherein the header is a MAC header, and information indicating whether the data is data requiring low-latency communication is included in the Frame Control field of the MAC header.

[0080] (Item 3) The communication device according to item 2, wherein information indicating whether the data is data requiring low-latency communication is included in the Type subfield and the Subtype subfield of the Frame Control field.

[0081] (Item 4) The communication device according to item 1, wherein the header is a CCMP header, and information indicating whether the data is data requiring low-latency communication is included in one field included in the CCMP header.

[0082] (Item 5) The communication device according to item 4, wherein the CCMP header is located behind the MAC header.

[0083] (Item 6) The communication device according to item 1, wherein the header is a MAC header, and information indicating whether the data is data requiring low-latency communication is included in the HT Control field of the MAC header.

[0084] (Item 7) In the Control ID of the HT Control field, when a value related to a standard after the IEEE802.11be standard is set, the Control Information subfield includes information indicating whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required, according to the communication device described in item 6.

[0085] (Item 8) The MAC frame includes information on the packet number used for processing data for which low-latency communication is required, according to the communication device described in any one of items 1 to 7.

[0086] (Item 9) A communication device, Receiving means for receiving a MAC frame having a header and a payload compliant with the IEEE802.11 standard, Determining means for determining whether the received data is data for which low-latency communication is required based on the information of the header of the received MAC frame, having characterized by a communication device.

[0087] (Item 10) When the received data is determined by the determining means to be data for which low-latency communication is required, The communication device described in item 9, characterized in that the received data is processed prior to data for which low-latency communication is not required.

[0088] (Item 11) The header is a MAC header, and the Frame Control field of the MAC header includes information indicating whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required, according to the communication device described in item 9.

[0089] (Item 12) The communication device according to item 11, wherein it is indicated whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required by the Type sub-field and the Subtype sub-field of the Frame Control field.

[0090] (Item 13) The communication device according to item 9, wherein the header is a CCMP header, and information indicating whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required is included in one field included in the CCMP header.

[0091] (Item 14) The communication device according to item 9, wherein the header is a MAC header, and information indicating whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required is included in the HT Control field of the MAC header.

[0092] (Item 15) The communication device according to item 14, wherein when a value related to a standard after the IEEE802.11be standard is set for the Control ID of the HT Control field, information indicating whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required is included in the Control Information sub-field.

[0093] (Item 16) The communication device according to any one of items 9 to 15, wherein the MAC frame includes information on a packet number used for processing data for which low-latency communication is required.

[0094] (Item 17) A control method for a communication device, comprising: A generation step of generating a MAC frame having a header and a payload compliant with the IEEE802.11 standard; A transmission step of transmitting the MAC frame generated by the generation step. A control method characterized by including, in a header of the MAC frame, information indicating whether data included in a payload of the generated MAC frame is data for which low-latency communication is required.

[0095] (Item 18) A control method for a communication device, a receiving step of receiving a MAC frame having a header and a payload compliant with the IEEE802.11 standard, a determining step of determining, based on information in the header of the received MAC frame, whether the received data is data for which low-latency communication is required, characterized by having a control method.

[0096] (Item 19) A program for operating a computer as the communication device according to any one of Items 1 to 16.

Description of Signs

[0097] 201 Storage unit 202 Control unit 203 Functional unit 204 Input unit 205 Output unit 206 Communication unit

Claims

1. A communication device, generating means for generating a MAC frame having a header and a payload compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard, transmitting means for transmitting the MAC frame generated by the generating means, and characterized in that information indicating whether data included in the payload of the generated MAC frame is data for which low-latency communication is required is included in the header of the MAC frame.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the header is a MAC header, and information indicating whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required is included in the Frame Control field of the MAC header.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein information indicating whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required is included in the Type subfield and the Subtype subfield of the Frame Control field.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the header is a CCMP header, and information indicating whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required is included in one field included in the CCMP header.

5. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein the CCMP header is located after the MAC header.

6. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the header is a MAC header, and information indicating whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required is included in the HT Control field of the MAC header.

7. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein when a value related to a standard after the IEEE 802.11be standard is set in the Control ID of the HT Control field, information indicating whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required is included in the Control Information subfield.

8. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the MAC frame includes information on a packet number used for processing data for which low-latency communication is required.

9. A communication device, receiving means for receiving a MAC frame having a header and a payload compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard, Determination means for determining whether the received data is data for which low-latency communication is required based on the information in the header of the received MAC frame; having; A communication device characterized by this.

10. When the received data is determined by the determination means to be data for which low-latency communication is required, The communication device according to claim 9, characterized in that the received data is processed prior to data for which low-latency communication is not required.

11. The communication device according to claim 9, characterized in that the header is a MAC header, and the Frame Control field of the MAC header includes information indicating whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required.

12. The communication device according to claim 11, characterized in that it is indicated whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required by the Type subfield and the Subtype subfield of the Frame Control field.

13. The communication device according to claim 9, characterized in that the header is a CCMP header, and one field included in the CCMP header includes information indicating whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required.

14. The communication device according to claim 9, characterized in that the header is a MAC header, and the HT Control field of the MAC header includes information indicating whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required.

15. When the Control ID of the HT Control field is set to a value related to a standard after the IEEE802.11be standard, the Control Information subfield includes information indicating whether the data is data for which low-latency communication is required. The communication device according to claim 14, characterized by this.

16. The communication device according to claim 9, characterized in that the MAC frame includes information on a packet number used for processing data for which low-latency communication is required.

17. A control method for a communication device, comprising: A generation step of generating a MAC frame having a header and a payload compliant with the IEEE802.11 standard; A transmission step of transmitting the MAC frame generated by the generation step. A control method characterized by including, in a header of the MAC frame, information indicating whether data included in a payload of the generated MAC frame is data for which low-latency communication is required.

18. A control method for a communication device, comprising: a receiving step of receiving a MAC frame having a header and a payload compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard; a determination step of determining, based on information in the header of the received MAC frame, whether the received data is data for which low-latency communication is required; characterized by comprising: a control method.

19. A program for operating a computer as the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

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