Communication apparatus, communication method, and program

Abstract

To provide a mechanism for communicating information indicating allocation of DRUs used for radio communication between an access point device and a station device.SOLUTION: In a communication device for performing wireless communication, a frame including information for specifying a dRU to be used is communicated between an access point device and a station device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a mechanism for communicating the types and allocation of resource units used in wireless communication between an access point device and a station device. [Background technology]

[0002] With the recent increase in data traffic, development of communication technologies such as wireless local area networks (WLANs) is progressing. The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series is known as the main WLAN communication standard. The IEEE 802.11 standard series includes IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be. To further improve communication reliability, the IEEE 802.11bn standard is being developed as the successor to the IEEE 802.11be standard. The IEEE 802.11 Working Group (WG), which is formulating the IEEE 802.11bn standard, is defining the goals and scope of the standard in the UHR SG, and the TGbn will specify the detailed technical content to be included in the standard. UHR SG is an abbreviation for Ultra High Reliability Study Group. TGbn is also an abbreviation for Task Group bn. The name UHR was chosen for convenience, reflecting the goals and key features of the successor standard, and may be replaced by a different name once the standard is fully developed. Similarly, the name IEEE 802.11bn may be replaced by a different name once the standard is fully developed. However, this specification and the accompanying claims are essentially applicable to all successor standards to the 802.11be standard.

[0003] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2023-47755 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) discloses communication using orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA). In OFDMA communication, an access point (AP) allocates frequency domains (subchannels) to stations (STAs) in units of resource units (RUs).

[0004] An RU is a division unit of a channel used for communication, and contains multiple subcarriers (also called tones). The method of division into RUs (RU size and range) is defined for each frequency bandwidth channel of 20 / 40 / 80 / 160 / 320MHz. If the multiple subcarriers that make up one RU are contiguous in the frequency domain, they are also called rRU (regular RU).

[0005] JP-A-2024-516188 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 2) discloses a communication method using a distributed tone resource unit (dRU) that uses distributed subcarriers as subcarriers that constitute a single RU. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-47755 [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 2024-516188 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a mechanism for communicating the types and allocation of resource units used in wireless communication between an access point device and a station device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A communication device as one aspect of an embodiment is a communication device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE802.11 series standard, and has a communication means for communicating a frame including a field indicating an allocation of subcarriers for the wireless communication and a value corresponding to identification information of a Resource Unit (RU), which is a group of the subcarriers, and the range of values ​​corresponding to the identification information of a regular RU (rRU) does not overlap with the range of values ​​corresponding to the identification information of a distributed tone RU (dRU).

[0009] A communication device as one aspect of an embodiment is a communication device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE802.11 series standard, and has a communication means for communicating a trigger frame including a first field indicating a value corresponding to identification information of a Resource Unit (RU) used for communication, and a second field indicating the type of the RU, and the second field is included in a User info field of the trigger frame and is positioned before the first field.

[0010] A communication device as one aspect of an embodiment is a communication device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE802.11 series standard, and has a communication means for communicating a trigger frame including a first field indicating a value corresponding to identification information of a Resource Unit (RU) used for communication, and a second field indicating the type of the RU, wherein the second field is included in a User info field of the trigger frame and is positioned after the PS160 subfield of the trigger frame.

[0011] A communication device as one aspect of an embodiment is a communication device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE802.11 series standard, and has a communication means for communicating a trigger frame including a field indicating a value corresponding to identification information of a Resource Unit (RU) used for communication, and the trigger frame can be set to a value indicating that communication is to be performed using a distributed tone RU as the value of a Trigger type field indicating the type of the trigger frame. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the above configuration, it is possible to communicate information indicating the type and allocation of resource units used in wireless communication between the access point device and the station device. For example, it is possible to indicate that the resource unit type is dRU and indicate the dRU to be used to the other device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a communication device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a communication device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] Conceptual diagram of OFDMA communication using dRU. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 shows an example of the configuration of a dRU in a 20 MHz bandwidth. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 shows an example of the configuration of a dRU in a 40 MHz bandwidth. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 shows an example of the configuration of a dRU in an 80 MHz bandwidth. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing communication processing executed in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a trigger frame format that an AP transmits to a STA in the first embodiment. [Figure 10]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing examples of values ​​of the RU Allocation subfield and corresponding RU indexes in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing executed by an AP in the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing executed by an STA in the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a trigger frame format that an AP transmits to a STA in the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing examples of values ​​of the RU type subfield and the RU Allocation subfield and corresponding RU indexes in the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the format of a Common info field included in a trigger frame number transmitted from an AP to a STA in the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the format of a Common info field included in a trigger frame number transmitted from an AP to a STA in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the claimed invention. Although the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined in any desired manner.

[0015] (Network configuration) Fig. 1 shows an example of a network configuration according to this embodiment. The communication device according to this embodiment performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE802.11 series of standards. Fig. 1 shows a configuration including one access point 102 and three stations 103-105 as a communication device performing wireless LAN communication in accordance with the IEEE802.11bn standard. Hereinafter, the access point may be referred to as an AP. Furthermore, the stations 103 to 105 may be collectively referred to as STA.

[0016] 1, the AP 102 constitutes a network 101. The STAs 103-105 can transmit and receive signals transmitted and received by the AP 102. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the AP 102 and the STAs 103-105 are communication devices that perform wireless LAN communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11bn standard, but this is not limiting. The AP 102 and the STAs 103-105 may also be communication devices that comply with the IEEE 802.11 standard series, which is later than the IEEE 802.11bn standard.

[0017] Furthermore, other communication devices performing other wireless LAN communication may exist within or outside the network 101. The other communication devices may be communication devices performing wireless LAN communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11bn standard, or may be so-called legacy devices that do not comply with the IEEE 802.11bn standard but comply with the IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be standard or the like.

[0018] The AP 102 and the STAs 103-105 can also be configured to support wireless communication based on other communication standards, such as Bluetooth®, NFC, and Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE). NFC stands for Near Field Communication. The AP 102 and the STAs 103-105 can also be configured to support wired communication using an Ethernet cable or wired communication using optical fiber. The AP 102 and the STAs 103-105 can also be configured to support cellular wireless communication, such as 5G and LTE (Long Term Evolution). Specific examples of the AP 102 include, but are not limited to, a wireless LAN router and a personal computer (PC). The AP 102 and the STAs 103-105 may also be information processing devices, such as wireless chips that support PPDU transmission and reception. In this case, various controls can be performed by hardware circuits within the wireless chip. Various processes can also be performed by a processor, memory, and hardware circuits, such as an ASIP, working together within the wireless chip. ASIP stands for Application-Specific Instruction Set Processor.

[0019] Examples of the STAs 103-105 include, but are not limited to, cameras, tablets, smartphones, PCs, mobile phones, video cameras, smart glasses, wearable devices such as HMDs (head-mounted displays), etc. In the following description, the AP 102 and the STAs 103-105 will be used as examples.

[0020] (AP and STA configuration) 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the AP 102 and the STAs 103 to 105. Here, the AP 102 and the STAs 103 to 105 include a wireless LAN control unit 201, a wireless frame generation unit 202, a wireless frame processing unit 203, a UI control unit 204, and a storage unit 205.

[0021] The wireless LAN control unit 201 includes an antenna and circuitry for transmitting and receiving wireless signals to and from other communication devices, as well as a program for controlling them. The wireless LAN control unit 201 controls wireless LAN communications based on frames generated by a frame generation unit in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series. The wireless frame generation unit 202 generates frames to be transmitted by the wireless LAN control unit 201. The UI control unit 204 includes hardware related to a user interface, such as a touch panel or buttons, for accepting AP operations from a user using the AP, and a program for controlling these hardware. The UI control unit 204 also has a function for presenting information to the user, such as displaying images or outputting audio. The memory control unit 205 controls the writing and reading of data to and from memory units, such as ROM and RAM, that store programs and data running on the AP.

[0022] 3 shows the hardware configuration of the AP 102 and STAs 103-105 according to this embodiment. The AP and STAs each include, as an example of their hardware configuration, a storage unit 301, a control unit 302, a function unit 303, an input unit 304, an output unit 305, a communication unit 306, and a wireless antenna 307.

[0023] The storage unit 301 is configured with one or more memories such as ROM and / or RAM, and stores various information such as programs for performing various operations described below and communication parameters for wireless communication.

[0024] ROM, RAM, etc. may be used as the storage unit 301. Other storage media such as a flexible disk, a hard disk, an SSD (Solid State Drive), an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, and a DVD may also be used as the storage unit 301.

[0025] The control unit 302 is configured by, for example, one or more processors such as a CPU or MPU, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc. Here, CPU is an acronym for Central Processing Unit, and MPU is an acronym for Micro Processing Unit. The control unit 302 controls the entire device by executing a program stored in the storage unit 301. Note that the control unit 302 may control the device in cooperation with the program stored in the storage unit 301 and an OS (Operating System). The control unit 302 also controls the function unit 303 to perform predetermined processes such as imaging, printing, and projection.

[0026] The functional unit 303 is hardware that enables the AP or STA to execute predetermined processing. For example, if the AP or STA is a camera, the functional unit 303 is an imaging unit that performs imaging processing. Also, for example, if the AP or STA is a printer, the functional unit 303 is a printing unit that performs printing processing. Also, for example, if the AP or STA is a projector, the functional unit 303 is a projection unit that performs projection processing. The data processed by the functional unit 303 may be data stored in the storage unit 301, or may be data communicated with another communication device via the communication unit 306, which will be described later.

[0027] The input unit 304 receives various operations from the user. The output unit 305 outputs various types of information to the user. Here, the output by the output unit 305 includes at least one of display on a screen, audio output by a speaker, vibration output, and the like. Note that both the input unit 304 and the output unit 305 may be implemented by a single module, such as a touch panel. Furthermore, the input unit 304 and the output unit 305 may be integrated with the AP or STA, respectively, or may be separate units.

[0028] The communication unit 306 includes a so-called wireless LAN chip and controls wireless communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series and IP communication. In this embodiment, the communication unit 306 can execute processing compliant with at least the IEEE 802.11bn standard. The communication unit 306 is a processing device that generates UHR PPDUs (physical layer (PHY) Protocol Data Units) defined in the IEEE 802.11bn standard. The communication unit 306 may also have a function for generating PPDUs of types defined in earlier standards. The communication unit 306 also controls the wireless antenna 307 to transmit and receive wireless signals for wireless communication. The AP and STA communicate content such as image data, document data, and video data with other communication devices via the communication unit 306. The wireless antenna 307 may be physically configured with two or more antennas to achieve MIMO (Multi-Input and Multi-Output) transmission and reception. The wireless antenna 307 may be configured separately from the communication unit 306, or may be configured together with the communication unit 306 as a single module. The wireless antenna 307 is an antenna capable of communication in at least one of the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, 45 GHz, and 60 GHz bands. While the communication device in FIG. 3 has one antenna, the communication device may have two or more antennas. Alternatively, a different antenna may be provided for each frequency band. While the example in FIG. 3 has only one communication unit 306, a separate communication unit may be provided for each of the multiple wireless antennas. The AP 102 may be any communication device having the configurations in FIGS. 2 and 3, and may be a so-called AP-only communication device such as a wireless LAN router, or a communication device with AP functionality such as a smartphone, camera, or printer.

[0029] (Processing flow) Next, several embodiments will be described, including the flow of the processes executed by the AP and STA as described above, and sequences in a wireless communication system.

[0030] First Embodiment 4 shows how AP 102 performs uplink multi-user OFDMA (UL MU OFDMA), which is multi-user communication using dRUs with STAs 103-105. STAs 103-105 transmit data to the AP at the same time using MU OFDMA communication. That is, the STAs transmit data to the AP so that at least part of the time periods during which each STA transmits overlap.

[0031] In OFDMA communications, the AP allocates frequency domains (subchannels) to STAs in units of RUs (Resource Units). An RU is a group of subcarriers (also called tones or subcarriers) used for transmission. RUs include groups of 26, 52, 106, 242, 484, 996, or 2 x 996 subcarriers. In other words, an RU is a division unit of a channel used for communications, and includes multiple subcarriers. The method of division into RUs (RU size and range) is defined for each of the frequency bandwidths of 20 / 40 / 80 / 160 / 320 MHz.

[0032] In this embodiment, an RU obtained by dividing a channel so that one RU contains subcarriers that are consecutive on the frequency axis among those available for wireless communication between an AP and a STA is called an rRU (regular RU). Alternatively, this RU may be called a Consecutive Resource Unit (CRU). Hereinafter, an rRU may be referred to as a first type of RU. The subcarriers that make up one rRU are consecutive on the frequency axis. However, there are also rRUs that include a group of subcarriers that omit a specific unused frequency range so that the frequency range is not included. An rRU is an RU obtained by dividing the frequency domain so that one RU contains subcarriers that are consecutive in the frequency domain among those available.

[0033] Note that subcarriers that are consecutive on the frequency axis may be subcarriers with consecutive subcarrier indices included in the OFDM symbols that make up the PPDU. Also, subcarriers that are consecutive on the frequency axis may be subcarriers with consecutive subcarrier indices, excluding subcarrier indices assigned as unused subcarriers. Note that, when information identifying each subcarrier, such as a subcarrier index, is not assigned, subcarriers that are consecutive on the frequency axis may be a set of subcarriers arranged at predetermined intervals from low to high frequencies or from high to low frequencies. Also, subcarriers that are consecutive on the frequency axis may be a set of subcarriers arranged from low to high frequencies or from high to low frequencies according to a predetermined rule. In the following description, an RU formed by multiple subcarriers arranged so that they are consecutive on the frequency axis may be referred to as an rRU, and an RU formed by multiple subcarriers arranged so that at least some of the subcarriers are discontinuous on the frequency axis may be referred to as a dRU.

[0034] A dRU is an RU consisting of subcarriers distributed over a certain bandwidth. A dRU is an RU in which a channel is divided so that at least some of the subcarriers that are contiguous in the frequency domain among the subcarriers available for wireless communication between an AP and a STA are distributed among multiple RUs. A dRU is an RU that maintains the number of subcarriers constituting the RU, but is distributed over a bandwidth wider than the frequency bandwidth in which the subcarriers included in an rRU are distributed, and is composed of subcarriers at least some of which are not contiguous on the frequency axis. This RU may also be called an Enhanced RU. Hereinafter, a dRU may be referred to as a second type of RU.

[0035] With rRUs, reducing the PSD requires suppressing transmission power, which poses challenges such as a reduced communication area and reduced communication speed. By using dRUs, it is possible to increase the transmission power of each subcarrier at the same PSD compared to rRUs, thereby expanding the communication area and improving communication speed. In other words, if the RU size (number of subcarriers) and transmission power are the same, the dRU will have a lower PSD than the rRU. Transmission power density is the transmission power per unit frequency, and is sometimes referred to as power spectral density (PSD).

[0036] The subcarriers of a dRU may be arranged regularly within the band, or may be irregularly arranged with some subcarriers contiguous. It is sufficient that at least some of the subcarriers are arranged discontinuously, and when one RU contains the same number of subcarriers and the same transmission power is applied, the PSD is lower than that of transmission by an rRU. However, the subcarriers of a dRU are configured so that the subcarriers constituting each dRU do not overlap on the frequency axis.

[0037] In this embodiment, an example will be described in which each of the STAs 103-105 transmits data using a dRU that has been allocated in advance by the AP 102.

[0038] Spectrum 404 is the spectrum of the signal received by the AP 102. The horizontal axis represents the frequency axis. The solid and dotted lines extending vertically represent subcarriers. Subcarriers are sometimes called tones.

[0039] dRU spectrum 401-403 indicates the spectrum of the dRU assigned to each STA. Contiguous subcarriers in spectrum 404, which is the spectrum of the signal received by AP 102, are distributed to each dRU spectrum. To suppress PSD in a specific frequency region, the subcarriers are specified to be distributed within the communication band along the frequency axis.

[0040] Spectrum 404 of the signal received by AP 102 represents the sum of dRU spectra 401-403 of STAs 103-105. Because the subcarriers of each dRU are configured so as not to overlap on the frequency axis, the transmitted signals are received by AP 102 without interference. Note that the subcarrier pattern of the dRU shown in Figure 4 is shown for convenience, and the actual number of subcarriers and distribution pattern used may differ.

[0041] Before the STAs 103-105 transmit data to the AP, the AP 102 transmits a frame called a trigger frame, which includes data transmission timing and transmission parameters, to the STAs 103-105. This trigger frame includes a field for notifying the allocation of a dRU to be used for communication.

[0042] Each subcarrier allocation pattern of a dRU is assigned an index, which is shared in advance among wireless communication devices. The AP notifies each STA of the dRU it will use by including an index for allocating the dRU in the trigger frame it transmits.

[0043] Figures 5 to 7 show examples of dRU configurations. The dRU configuration is specified for each band used. An index (RU index) is assigned to each dRU. The RU index is identification information used to identify each RU. The subcarriers included in the RU indicated by the RU index are specified based on the RU size and bandwidth used. The arrangement of the subcarriers included in each dRU is represented using a subcarrier index (also called a tone index). The subcarrier index is identification information in which consecutive integers are assigned to the subcarriers included in the band used, starting with the lowest frequency subcarrier.

[0044] In this embodiment, the dRU patterns include 26-tone dRU, 52-tone dRU, 106-tone dRU, 242-tone dRU, and 484-tone dRU. The number of subcarriers included in one dRU is 26, 52, 106, 242, or 484, respectively.

[0045] Figure 5 shows an example of the configuration of a dRU with a 20 MHz bandwidth. For example, if one dRU contains 26 subcarriers (26-tone dRU), the subcarriers with subcarrier indices -121 to 121 are divided into nine dRUs. However, it is not necessary to assign all subcarriers from -121 to 121 to an RU. The example in Figure 5 illustrates an example using subcarriers from -120 to 120. Each dRU is assigned an index of dRU1 to dRU9. For example, dRU1 includes subcarriers -120, -111, -102, -93, -84, -75, -66, -57, -48, -39, -30, -21, -12, 6, 15, 24, 33, 42, 51, 60, 69, 78, 87, 96, 105, and 114. In the example table in Figure 5, this is expressed as [-120:9:-12,6:9:114], which means that subcarriers are selected at intervals of 9 from the subcarriers from -120 to -12, and subcarriers are selected at intervals of 9 from the subcarriers from 6 to 114.

[0046] For example, if one dRU includes 52 subcarriers (52-tone dRU), the subcarriers with subcarrier indices from -121 to 121 are divided into four dRUs. However, it is not necessary to assign all subcarriers from -121 to 121 to an RU. Each dRU is assigned an index of dRU1 to dRU4. In this embodiment, the 52-tone dRU is configured by combining 26-tone dRUs as a base. For example, dRU1 consists of 26-tone dRU1 and 26-tone dRU2. That is, dRU1 includes 52 subcarriers with the following subcarrier indices: -120, -116, -111, -107, -102, -98, -93, -89, -84, -80, -75, -71, -66, -62, -57, -53, -48, -44, -39, and -35. -30. -26. -21. -17. -12. -8. 6. 10. 15. 19. 24. 28. 33. 37. 42. 46. 51. 55. 60. 64. 69. 73. 78. 82. 87. 91. 96. 100. 105. 109. 114. 118.

[0047] For example, if one dRU contains 106 subcarriers (106-tone dRU), the subcarriers with subcarrier indices -121 to 121 are divided between two dRUs. However, it is not necessary to assign all subcarriers from -121 to 121 to an RU. Each dRU is assigned an index of dRU1 and dRU2. dRU1 includes the subcarriers shown in dRU1 to dRU4 in the 26-tone dRU1 row, as well as the subcarriers with subcarrier indices -3 and 3.

[0048] Figure 6 shows the configuration of a dRU for a 40 MHz bandwidth. In a 40 MHz bandwidth, subcarriers from -244 to 244 are allocated to each dRU. Figure 7 shows the configuration of a dRU for an 80 MHz bandwidth. In an 80 MHz bandwidth, subcarriers from -500 to 500 are allocated to each dRU. Although not shown, subcarriers may be allocated to each dRU in a similar manner for 160 MHz and 320 MHz bandwidths. For example, in a 160 MHz bandwidth, subcarriers from -1012 to 1012 are allocated to each dRU.

[0049] In this embodiment, the dRU is configured with the same number of subcarriers as the rRU, regularly spaced across the entire band, but the number of subcarriers constituting the dRU is not limited to this. The dRU may be configured with fewer or more subcarriers than the rRU, or the subcarriers may be irregularly spaced. However, it is sufficient that the subcarriers are distributed across the entire communication band and reduce the PSD more than conventional rRUs.

[0050] Furthermore, the dRU size supported in communication in each bandwidth is not limited to the examples shown in Figures 6 to 8. For example, a 26-tone dRU may be used for communication in an 80 MHz bandwidth, and a dRU may be used for communication in a 160 MHz bandwidth.

[0051] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which subcarriers are arranged across the entire band to form a dRU, but a dRU may also be formed from subcarriers within a range of a portion of the communication bandwidth.

[0052] Alternatively, the bandwidth used for communications may be divided into two band regions, and a dRU may be configured with subcarriers within each band. For example, in the case of an 80 MHz bandwidth, the 80 MHz bandwidth may be divided into two 40 MHz band regions, and a dRU may be configured with subcarriers within each 40 MHz band.

[0053] Alternatively, by dividing the bandwidth used for communication into two regions, one region can be used by the rRU and the other by the dRU, and communication can be performed using both the rRU and the dRU.

[0054] The number of subcarriers constituting the dRU used in this embodiment and the allocation pattern are not limited to those described above and multiple allocation patterns are possible. The AP and STAs share allocation patterns in advance, and the AP 102 can assign a dRU pattern appropriate for the communication to be performed to each STA.

[0055] The above describes a mechanism for identifying subcarriers included in a dRU from its dRU index. Similarly, for an rRU, by referring to a table (not shown), it is possible to identify subcarriers included in that RU index based on the bandwidth, tone size, and RU index used.

[0056] FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing in which the AP 102 performs uplink multi-user OFDMA (UL MU OFDMA), which is multi-user communication using the STAs 103-105 and the dRU.

[0057] First, the AP 102 sends a Buffer Status Report Poll (BSRP) 801 to the STAs 103-105. Next, the STAs 103-105 send a Buffer Status Report (BSR) 802 to the AP 102 to notify it of the amount of data they have buffered for transmission. The BSRP and BSR communications are steps performed by the AP to determine the amount of data each STA has buffered for transmission, and may be omitted if not necessary.

[0058] The AP 102 determines the RU to be assigned to each STA based on the amount of transmission data buffered by each STA. This RU may consist of only a dRU, a combination of an rRU and a dRU, or only an rRU. One example of RU assignment is a method in which the ratio of the amount of transmission data buffered by each STA to the ratio of the number of subcarriers constituting each STA's assigned RU is proportional. The decision of whether to use a dRU or an rRU for communication may be based on the distance between the AP and the STA or the capabilities of the STA. For example, a method may be used in which a dRU is used for STAs far from the AP and an rRU is used for STAs close to the AP. If the number of STAs far from the AP is greater than a predetermined value, a dRU may be used for all STAs, and if the number of STAs close to the AP is greater than a predetermined value, an rRU may be used for all STAs. Furthermore, if there is even one STA far from the AP, a dRU may be used for all STAs. To determine whether the distance between the AP and the STA is long or short, a method may be used in which the amount of radio wave attenuation based on the received power is used. The amount of radio wave attenuation, i.e., the distance between the AP and the STA, may be determined based on whether the received power at the AP exceeds a predetermined value. The AP may also determine whether the distance between the AP and the STA is long or short by acquiring the received power at the STA. If the AP has the function of acquiring location information of the STA, it may set a threshold value for the distance from the AP itself and use the dRU or rRU accordingly. When using an RU based on the capabilities of the STA, the determination is made based on whether the STA is using a standard that supports communication using the dRU or a legacy standard that does not support communication using the dRU. In an environment where the number of STAs that only support the legacy standard exceeds a predetermined value, or where there are many STAs that only support the legacy standard compared to STAs that can support communication using the dRU, the following determination may be made. That is, a determination may be made to prioritize the use of the rRU to enable communication with a large number of STAs. Whether to use the dRU or the rRU for communication may also be determined based on the communication quality between the AP and the STA.For example, if the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) between the AP and the STA is lower than a predetermined value, or if the communication error rate is higher than a predetermined value, the dRU may be used.

[0059] The AP 102 transmits a trigger frame 803 containing the determined dRU allocation information to the STAs 103-105. Figure 9 shows an example of the frame format of a trigger frame containing dRU allocation information. This trigger frame format is based on the format specified in the IEEE 802.11 series of standards. The specific configuration of the trigger frame format is explained below.

[0060] The Frame control field 901 includes a Type subfield and a Subtype subfield that indicate the frame type. The STA indicates that the frame is a trigger frame by setting the Type subfield to "01," which indicates a Control frame, and the Subtype subfield to "0010," which indicates a Trigger. The Duration field 902, RA field 903, and TA field 904 conform to the contents of the MAC header of a trigger frame, which is a control frame defined in the IEEE802.11ax standard. MAC stands for Medium Access Control.

[0061] RA stands for Receiver Address, and the MAC address of the destination device is stored in the RA field. TA stands for Transmitter Address, and the MAC address of the source device is stored in the TA field. Note that the RA field of the trigger frame is assumed to store a broadcast address.

[0062] Next, the Common Info field 905 is a field that stores information common to each STA. The User Info List field 906 stores one Special User Info field (not shown) and one or more User Info fields 909. The Special User Info field is a field that stores information to be shared that does not fit in the Common Info field, and is not present if the relevant information does not exist. The User Info field 909 is a field that stores information that identifies the other party with which a TXOP (transmission opportunity) is shared, information indicating the period, information for specifying the bandwidth to be shared, etc. The Padding field 907 is a field that stores padding data. The FCS field 908 is a field that stores information used in the FCS (Frame Check Sequence) that checks whether a frame has been corrupted during transmission.

[0063] The configuration of the User Info field 909 will be explained in detail below. First, the AID12 subfield 910 stores information that identifies the destination of the corresponding User Info field. The AID is generally an ID assigned to a STA when the AP and STA connect, and the AID uniquely identifies the STA.

[0064] The RU Allocation subfield 911 is a subfield that indicates the RU allocated to the corresponding STA. The RU allocation subfield is a field that indicates a value for identifying a resource unit (RU) used for wireless communication. The RU allocation subfield is a field that indicates a value corresponding to an RU index, which is RU identification information. For example, the RU Allocation subfield indicates allocation information of the RU index used for communication in decimal notation. As described above with reference to Figures 5 to 7, the value expressed by the RU Allocation subfield and the corresponding RU index are shared in advance between communication devices. The STA can identify the allocation of the RU to be used for communication based on the value notified by the AP in the RU Allocation subfield and the bandwidth used. The bandwidth used is determined by the UL BW subfield in the Common Info field included in the trigger frame. In this embodiment, the same RU Allocation subfield is used regardless of whether an rRU or a dRU is used. In this embodiment, the value of the RU Allocation subfield differs between when the RU used for wireless communication is a regular RU (rRU) and when it is a distributed tone RU (dRU), given the same bandwidth and RU size. Hereinafter, an rRU may be referred to as a first type RU, and a dRU may be referred to as a second type RU. The name of the RU Allocation subfield 911 is not limited to this. A different name may be used as the name of the field indicating the value for identifying an RU.

[0065] An example of a table of RU Allocation subfield values ​​and corresponding RU indexes is shown in Figure 10. The RU Allocation subfield values ​​and corresponding rRU or dRU indexes are defined. By referring to the RU index of the row corresponding to the value included in the RU Allocation subfield 911, it is possible to identify the RU size and RU index of the RU used for wireless communication.

[0066] In this embodiment, when the value of the RU Allocation subfield is any value from 0 to 68, communication is assumed to be performed using an rRU, and an rRU is allocated. Furthermore, when the value of the RU Allocation subfield is any value from 69 to 108, communication is assumed to be performed using a dRU, and a dRU is allocated. For example, when the value of the RU Allocation subfield is 0 and the UL BW subfield indicates a 20 MHz band, the RU to be used can be identified as 26-tone RU1 (rRU). Furthermore, when the value of the RU Allocation subfield is 69 and the UL BW subfield indicates a 20 MHz band, the RU to be used can be identified as 26-tone dRU1. The RU index here corresponds to the example of the RU subcarrier configuration described in FIG. 5.

[0067] In this way, when the value of the RU Allocation subfield is 68 or earlier, this value indicates that the RU used for communication is an rRU. Also, when the value of the RU Allocation subfield is 69 or later, this value indicates that the RU used for communication is a dRU. For the same bandwidth and the same RU size, different values ​​are used for the RU Allocation subfield when an rRU and a dRU are used for wireless communication.

[0068] The RU Allocation subfield is followed by a UL FEC Coding Type subfield 912, a UL EHT-MCS subfield 913, and a Reserved field 914. Further, an SS Allocation subfield 915, a UL Target Receive Power subfield 916, and a PS 160 subfield 917 follow.

[0069] The User Info field may be an extended version of the EHT variant User Info field, or a newly defined UHR variant User Info field for UHR may be used.

[0070] The STAs 103-105 transmit TB PPDU 804 to the AP 102 via UL MU OFDMA based on the RU allocation information included in the received trigger frame 803. The AP 102 transmits a Multi-STA Block Ack 805 to the STAs 103-105, which includes acknowledgement information for the TB PPDU 804. The AP 102 may transmit a Block Ack frame to the STAs 103-105 via OFDMA communication.

[0071] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by an AP in this embodiment. For example, the control unit 302 of the AP executes a program stored in the storage unit 301 to execute the processing shown in FIG.

[0072] The flowchart shown in FIG. 11 shows the processing executed when the STAs 103-105 perform UL MU OFDMA communication with the AP 102.

[0073] In S1101, the AP transmits a BSRP to the STAs to collect information on the transmission data accumulation status of each STA. In S1102, the AP determines whether to perform UL MU OFDMA communication based on the transmission data accumulation status of each STA collected in S1101. In S1103, the AP determines the RU to be used by each STA. This determination is made appropriately depending on the STA and communication environment, as explained above, including the transmission data accumulation status of each STA, the distance to each STA, the number of STAs to communicate with, and the number of legacy STAs. In S1104, the AP broadcasts a trigger frame to each STA. In S1105, the AP sets physical layer reception parameters based on the RU allocation status so that the transmitted radio waves from the STA can be properly received. In S1106, the AP receives and interprets the TB PPDU transmitted from each STA. In S1107, the AP transmits a Multi-STA Block Ack frame to each STA to notify each STA of whether or not it was able to receive the TB PPDU. If the AP determines in S1102 that it will not perform communication, it proceeds to S1108, where it determines whether to stop communication. If it determines that communication will be stopped, it ends the communication processing. If communication will not be stopped, it performs communication other than UL MU OFDMA communication in S1109. An example of communication other than UL MU OFDMA communication is SU (single user) communication on UL (uplink) or DL ​​(downlink).

[0074] 12 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed in the STA in this embodiment. For example, the control unit 302 of the STA executes a program stored in the storage unit 301 to execute the processing shown in FIG.

[0075] The flowchart shown in FIG. 12 shows the processing executed when STA 103-105 performs UL MU OFDMA communication, starting from the point when STA 103-105 receives a BSRP from AP 102. In S1201, the STA transmits a BSR including information on the transmission data accumulation status to the AP. In S1202, the STA receives a trigger frame from the AP. In S1203, the STA identifies the RU to use from the RU allocation information included in the trigger frame. In S1204, if the identified RU is a dRU, the STA performs the processing of S1205. If the identified RU is not a dRU (if it is an rRU), the STA performs the processing of step S1206. In S1205, if the RU to be used is a dRU, the STA sets physical layer transmission parameters corresponding to the dRU to be used. In S1206, if the RU to be used is an rRU, the STA sets physical layer transmission parameters corresponding to the rRU to be used. In S1207, the STA transmits a TB PPDU to the AP. In S1208, if the STA receives a Multi-STA Block Ack, it proceeds to S1209. The STA saves the data that the AP was unable to receive from the transmitted data in a retransmission buffer and ends the process. In S1208, if the STA was unable to receive a Multi-STA Block Ack, it ends the process.

[0076] Through the series of processes described above, an AP such as AP 102 can perform multi-user communication with STAs such as STAs 103-105 using dRUs. STAs 103-105 can communicate with AP 102 via the assigned RUs. AP 102 can communicate with each STA via the RU assigned to each STA. AP 102 can communicate with STAs 103 to 105 in parallel using OFDMA communication. Parallel communication means that communication is performed so that at least a portion of the communication time zones between the AP and each STA overlap.

[0077] According to this embodiment, it is possible to communicate information indicating the type and allocation of resource units used for wireless communication between an access point device and a station device. For example, it is possible to indicate that the resource unit type is dRU, and indicate the dRU to be used to the other device.

[0078] According to this embodiment, the communication devices (AP and STA) can identify the RU index from information included in the RU allocation 911 of the trigger frame. Furthermore, the subcarriers included in the RU can be identified from the RU index and information on the bandwidth used for communication. In this way, the dRU allocation used for wireless communication can be communicated between the access point device and the station device.

[0079] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to specify whether the RU to be used is an rRU or a dRU by referring to the value included in the RU allocation subfield 911. Therefore, in addition to the RU allocation subfield, there is no need to newly define a field that includes information for specifying whether the RU to be used is an rRU or a dRU.

[0080] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which rRU and dRU are identified as RU types, but this is not limiting. This embodiment can be applied to identifying the type of RU and the identification information of the RU to be used for communication from among multiple RUs of different types.

[0081] <Second embodiment> In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the AP allocates either an rRU or a dRU to the STA using only the RU Allocation subfield in the User info field included in the trigger frame transmitted to the STA.

[0082] In this embodiment, an example of notifying RU allocation is shown using a field (second field) indicating which type of RU to use, either rRU or dRU, and an RU Allocation subfield (first field).

[0083] The trigger frame in this embodiment will be explained below. The configuration of the trigger frame used in this embodiment is shown in Fig. 13. Explanation of the fields 1301 to 1308 explained in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0084] In this embodiment, the User info field 1309 has an RU type subfield 1311. The RU type subfield 1311 contains information indicating whether an rRU or a dRU is to be used in ODFMA communication after transmission of a trigger frame. In this embodiment, the RU allocation pattern indicated by the value of the RU Allocation subfield 1312 changes depending on the value of the RU type subfield 1311. For example, 0 means communication using only an rRU. Also, for example, 1 means communication using a dRU or communication using a combination of a dRU and an rRU. The correspondence between the values ​​and their meanings is merely an example, and a different correspondence may be used. For example, 1 may mean communication using only an rRU, and 0 may mean communication using a dRU or communication using a combination of a dRU and an rRU. Also, different values ​​may be associated with communication using a dRU and communication using a combination of a dRU and an rRU. For example, 0 may mean communication using only an rRU, 1 may mean communication using a dRU, and 2 may mean communication using a combination of a dRU and an rRU. The name of this field is not limited to RU type. Names such as dRU enable or dRU allocation may also be used. For convenience, the field may be referred to as a predetermined sub-field, a second field, or the like.

[0085] If the value of the RU type subfield 1311 is 0, the RU is identified based on the value stored in the RU Allocation subfield 1312 and the information in the RU allocation table for rRUs. The RU allocation table for rRUs will be described later with reference to FIG. 14(a).

[0086] If the value of the RU type subfield 1311 is 1, the RU is identified based on the value stored in the RU Allocation subfield 1312 and the information in the RU allocation table for the dRU. The RU allocation table for the dRU will be described later with reference to FIG. 14(b).

[0087] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b), a plurality of tables are used in which the RU index associated with the value of the RU Allocation subfield differs depending on the value of the RU type subfield.

[0088] 14(a) and (b) are tables used to identify the RU index of the RU to be used from the information included in the trigger frame.

[0089] The RU type subfield in Figures 14(a) and (b) is information for identifying whether the RU index indicated in the table is an RU index of an rRU or an RU index of a dRU. In this embodiment, when the value of the RU type subfield 1311 is 0, the table shown in Figure 14(a) (first table) is referenced. Also, when the value of the RU type subfield 1311 is 1, the table shown in Figure 14(b) (second table) is referenced.

[0090] The value of the RU Allocation subfield in Figures 14(a) and (b) corresponds to the value of the RU Allocation subfield 1312. Figures 14(a) and (b) show cases where the value of the RU type subfield is 0 or 1, but this is not limited to this. For example, in addition to the tables in Figures 14(a) and (b), a table showing the allocation of RU indexes when rRUs and dRUs are used in combination may be provided. The RU type in this table may be set to 2, for example. Alternatively, a table with the value of the RU type subfield of 1 may show the allocation of RU indexes when rRUs and dRUs are used in combination, in addition to when dRUs are used.

[0091] By referring to the RU index of the row corresponding to the value included in the RU Allocation subfield 1312, the RU size and RU index of the RU used for wireless communication can be identified.

[0092] The identification of subcarriers included in the RU indicated by the RU index is the same as that described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7 in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

[0093] Furthermore, the flow of communication processing using a trigger frame between the AP and the STA is the same as that described in the first embodiment with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, and therefore will not be described again.

[0094] According to this embodiment, communication devices (AP and STA) can identify the RU index from the information included in the RU type subfield 1311 and RU allocation 1312 of the trigger frame. Furthermore, they can identify the subcarriers included in the RU from the RU index and information about the bandwidth used for communication.

[0095] According to this embodiment, the number of bits in the RU Allocation subfield may be smaller than when the range of values ​​expressed by the RU Allocation subfield is expanded when dRU is used as in the first embodiment.

[0096] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13 , the RU type subfield 1311 can be included in the User info field 1309 and arranged before the RU allocation 1312. By referencing the value included in the RU type subfield 1311, it is possible to identify which of the allocation tables shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b) should be referenced. Then, in the identified table, it is possible to identify the RU index by referencing the information of the row corresponding to the value included in the RU allocation 1312. In this way, when the RU type subfield 1311 is arranged before the RU allocation 1312, the following effects can be obtained. That is, after acquiring the value of the RU allocation 1312, the STA can immediately identify the RU index by referencing the already identified allocation table. Furthermore, if the STA does not support communication using a dRU, when the RU type subfield 1311 indicates the use of a dRU, the STA can discard the contents of the fields following the RU type subfield 1311. In such a case, it is possible to reduce the amount of processing on the STA side.

[0097] Alternatively, in this embodiment, the RU type subfield 1311 may be arranged after the UL EHT-MCS subfield 1314. For example, the RU type subfield 1311 may use the Reserved subfield 1315 in the User info field of the trigger frame as the RU type subfield. Alternatively, the RU type subfield 1311 may be arranged after the PS 160 subfield 1318. For example, the Reserved subfield 1322 in the Trigger Dependent User info subfield may be used as the RU type subfield.

[0098] Here, the RU Allocation subfield specifies the location and size of the RU or MRU according to the UL BW subfield, UL BW Extension subfield, and PS160 subfield. The UL BW subfield is included in the Common Info field, and the UL BW Extension subfield is included in the Special User Info field. The RU Allocation mapping is specified according to the values ​​of the RU Allocation subfield and the PS160 subfield. The channel to which the RU allocation applies is specified by the value set in PS160 and the RU size.

[0099] By placing the RU type subfield 1311 after the PS 160 subfield 1318, the STA can determine whether to communicate via an rRU or a dRU, with the channel to which the RU allocation applies specified.

[0100] When the channel width used for communication is changed, a delay (switching delay) may occur due to switching the operating state of the circuits and hardware used for communication. According to this modification, the RU type subfield 1311 is located after the PS160 subfield. Therefore, it is possible to start communication using an rRU or dRU after the operating state of the circuits and hardware used for communication is set to a ready state in accordance with the specified channel width. In this way, communication using an rRU or dRU can be started without incurring a switching delay.

[0101] Alternatively, the Common info field of the trigger frame may include a field indicating the type of RU to be used. By referring to the value of this field, it is possible to identify which of the allocation tables shown in Figures 14(a) and 14(b) should be referenced.

[0102] Figure 15 shows an example of a Common info field that includes a field indicating the use of either an rRU or a dRU. The Common info field includes the following fields: Trigger Type subfield 1501, UL Length subfield 1502, More TF subfield 1503, CS Required subfield 1504, UL BW subfield 1505, GI And HE / EHT / UHR-LTF Type / Triggered TXOP Sharing Mode subfield 1506, Reserved subfield 1507, Number Of HE / EHT / UHR-LTF Symbols subfield 1508, Reserved subfield 1509, LDPC Extra Symbol Segment subfield 1510, AP Tx Power subfield 1511, Pre-FEC Padding Factor subfield 1512, PE Disambiguity subfield 1513, UL Spatial Reuse subfield 1514, Reserved subfield 1515, and HE / EHT / UHRP160 subfield 1516. Special User Info Field Flag subfield 1517. Reserved subfield 1518. And Trigger Dependent Common info subfield 1519. The Common Info field may be an extension of the EHT variant Common Info field, or a new UHR variant Common Info field for UHR may be defined and used.

[0103] Table 1 shows the relationship between the value indicated by the Trigger Type subfield 1501 included in the Common info field and the type of trigger frame.

[0104] [Table 1]

[0105] When the value of the Trigger Type subfield is 9, it indicates that the trigger frame is a dRU trigger frame. The name of the Trigger Type subfield is not limited to this and may be another name. Furthermore, the name of the trigger frame variant corresponding to subfield value 9 in Table 1 is not limited to dRU and may be another name. For example, a name such as dRU enable may be used. Any name indicating that a dRU is used for communication may be used. As described above, according to this modification, the value of the Trigger type field indicating the type of trigger frame can be set to a value indicating that communication is performed using a distributed tone RU. By referring to the value of this subfield, it is possible to identify which of the allocation tables shown in Figures 14(a) and 14(b) should be referenced. That is, when the value of the Trigger Type subfield is 0, the first allocation table (rRU allocation table) shown in Figure 14(a) is referenced. When the value of the Trigger Type subfield is 9, the second allocation table (dRU allocation table) shown in Figure 14(b) is referenced. By referring to the allocation table, the AP or STA can identify the identification information (RU index) of the RU to be used for communication.

[0106] When the AP transmits a dRU trigger frame to a STA, UL MU OFDMA communication using the dRU is then initiated. The dRU used by each STA is identified from the value of the RU Allocation subfield in the User info field corresponding to the STA and a table similar to that shown in Figure 14. When the value of the Trigger Type subfield is set to 0, communication using the rRU is performed, as in the current standard.

[0107] An example of the Common info field is shown in Figure 16. The fields included in the Common info field of the trigger frame shown in Figure 16 are listed below: Trigger Type subfield 1601. UL Length subfield 1602. More TF subfield 1603. CS Required subfield 1604. UL BW subfield 1605. GI And HE / EHT / UHR-LTF Type / Triggered TXOP Sharing Mode subfield 1606. Reserved subfield 1607. Number Of HE / EHT / UHR-LTF Symbols subfield 1608. Reserved subfield 1609. LDPC Extra Symbol Segment subfield 1610. AP Tx Power subfield 1611. Pre-FEC Padding Factor subfield 1612. PE Disambiguity subfield 1613. UL Spatial Reuse subfield 1614. Reserved subfield 1615. HE / EHT / UHR P160 subfield 1616. Special User Info Field Flag subfield 1617. dRU subfield 1618. Reserved subfield 1619. Trigger Dependent Common info subfield 1620.

[0108] A value of 0 in the Trigger Type subfield indicates that the trigger frame is a Basic Trigger frame. A value of 0 in the dRU subfield 1618 indicates that the RU used for communication is an rRU, and a value of 1 indicates that the RU used for communication is a dRU. UL MU OFDMA communication is performed after the AP transmits a trigger frame to the STA, and the RU used by each STA at this time is indicated in the RU Allocation subfield indicated in the User info field corresponding to each STA. The STA can learn the RU information allocated by the AP to use for communication from the dRU subfield 1618 and User info field, and can perform UL MU OFDMA communication.

[0109] In this embodiment, the sequence of UL MU OFDMA communication using a dRU and the processing executed by the AP and STA are similar to those described in the first embodiment using FIGS. 11 and 12, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0110] Through the series of processes described above, an AP such as AP 102 can perform UL MU OFDMA communication using a dRU with STAs such as STAs 103-105.

[0111] According to this embodiment, it is possible to communicate information indicating the type and allocation of resource units used for wireless communication between an access point device and a station device. For example, it is possible to indicate that the resource unit type is dRU, and indicate the dRU to be used to the other device.

[0112] According to this embodiment, the communication device (AP and STA) can identify the RU type from the information included in the RU type subfield or the information included in the Trigger Type subfield. The communication device can determine the RU allocation table to refer to based on the identified RU type. The communication device can identify the RU index of the RU to use from the determined RU allocation table and the RU allocation value. The communication device can then identify the subcarriers included in the RU from the RU index and information about the bandwidth used for communication. In this way, the dRU allocation to be used for wireless communication can be communicated between the access point device and the station device.

[0113] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which rRU and dRU are identified as RU types, but this is not limiting. This embodiment can be applied to identifying the type of RU and the identification information of the RU to be used for communication from among multiple RUs of different types.

[0114] (Other embodiments) It is also possible to provide a system or device with a recording medium on which program code for software that realizes the above-described functions is recorded, and have the computer (CPU, MPU) of the system or device read and execute the program code stored on the recording medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the recording medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the recording medium on which the program code is stored constitutes the above-described device.

[0115] Examples of storage media that can be used to supply 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.

[0116] In addition, not only can the above-mentioned functions be realized by the computer executing the program code it has read, but the OS running on the computer can also perform some or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code to realize the above-mentioned functions.

[0117] Furthermore, the program code read from the storage medium may be written to a memory provided on a function expansion board inserted into a computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, and a CPU provided on the function expansion board or function expansion unit may then perform some or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code to realize the above-mentioned functions.

[0118] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0119] 101 Network 102 AP 103, 104, 105 STA

Claims

1. A communication device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard, a communication means for communicating a frame including a field indicating a value corresponding to identification information of a Resource Unit (RU), which is an allocation of a group of subcarriers for the wireless communication; A communication device, characterized in that a range of values ​​corresponding to the identification information of a regular RU (rRU) and a range of values ​​corresponding to the identification information of a distributed tone RU (dRU) do not overlap.

2. The rRU is an RU obtained by dividing a channel so that consecutive subcarriers on a frequency axis among available subcarriers are included in one RU, The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the dRU is an RU including subcarriers distributed over a bandwidth wider than the frequency bandwidth in which the subcarriers included in the rRU are distributed.

3. The rRU is an RU obtained by dividing a frequency domain so that consecutive subcarriers on a frequency axis among usable subcarriers are included in one RU, The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the dRU is an RU in which the frequency domain is divided so that at least a portion of the subcarriers that are consecutive on the frequency axis among the available subcarriers are distributed to a plurality of RUs, and the dRU is an RU configured to have a lower Power Spectral Density than communication by the rRU of the same size using the same transmission power.

4. The communication device is a communication device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard, 2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the frame is a trigger frame and the field is an RU Allocation subfield.

5. The communication device described in claim 1, characterized in that when the value of the field is a value before 68, the value indicates that the RU used for the wireless communication is an rRU, and when the value of the field is a value after 69, the value indicates that the RU used for the wireless communication is a dRU.

6. The communication device is an access point device, The communication means transmits the frame to a station device, and 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication means receives information transmitted from the station device via the rRU or the dRU assigned to the station device in the frame.

7. The communication device is a station device, The communication means receives the frame from an access point device, and 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit transmits information to the access point device via the rRU or the dRU assigned to the station device in the frame.

8. The value of the field identifies the RU index of the RU, The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the subcarriers included in the RU indicated by the RU index are identified based on the RU size and bandwidth to be used and the identified RU index.

9. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein a value indicating that communication is performed using both rRU and dRU can be set as the value of the field.

10. A communication device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard, a communication means for communicating a trigger frame including a first field indicating a value corresponding to identification information of a Resource Unit (RU), which is an allocation of a group of subcarriers for the wireless communication, and a second field indicating a type of the RU; The communication device, wherein the second field is included in a User info field of the trigger frame and is arranged before the first field.

11. A communication device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard, a communication means for communicating a trigger frame including a first field indicating a value corresponding to identification information of a Resource Unit (RU), which is an allocation of a group of subcarriers for the wireless communication, and a second field indicating a type of the RU; The communication device, characterized in that the second field is included in a User info field of the trigger frame and is arranged after a PS160 subfield of the trigger frame.

12. The communication device according to claim 11 , wherein the second field is a subfield included in a Trigger Dependent User info field of the trigger frame.

13. A communication device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard, a communication means for communicating a trigger frame including a field indicating a value corresponding to identification information of a Resource Unit (RU), which is an allocation of a group of subcarriers for the wireless communication; The communication device, wherein the trigger frame can set a value indicating that communication is to be performed using a distributed tone RU as a value of a Trigger type field indicating a type of the trigger frame.

14. A communication method in a communication device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard, a communication step of communicating a frame including a field indicating a value corresponding to identification information of a Resource Unit (RU), which is a group of subcarriers for the wireless communication; A communication method, characterized in that a range of values ​​corresponding to the identification information of a regular RU (rRU) and a range of values ​​corresponding to the identification information of a distributed tone RU (dRU) do not overlap.

15. A communication method in a communication device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard, a communication step of communicating a trigger frame including a first field indicating a value corresponding to identification information of a Resource Unit (RU), which is an allocation of a group of subcarriers for the wireless communication, and a second field indicating a type of the RU; The communication method, wherein the second field is included in a User info field of the trigger frame and is arranged before the first field.

16. 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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