Communication apparatus, communication method, and storage medium

Abstract

To provide a technique for efficiently notifying information associated with repeated data in a communication method for repeatedly transmitting data.SOLUTION: A communication device that executes communication conforming to the IEEE802. 11 standard series transmits, to a partner device, a control frame including information regarding repetition for transmitting a wireless frame including date repeated on a time axis, and receives a wireless frame from the partner device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for efficiently notifying information associated with repeated data in a communication method for repeatedly transmitting data. [Background technology]

[0002] The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series of standards is known as a communication standard for wireless local area networks (LANs). The IEEE 802.11 series of standards includes IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be, etc. In formulating the IEEE 802.11be standard and its successors, it is being considered to improve communication efficiency and throughput and reduce latency by having multiple access point (AP) devices work together.

[0003] In particular, for the IEEE802.11bn standard, which is being considered as a successor to the IEEE802.11be standard, discussions are underway on methods for improving communication reliability. The IEEE802.11bn standard is also known as the Ultra High Reliability (UHR) standard. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for transmitting the same data in parallel via multiple frequency channels as one method for improving communication reliability. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-103805 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention provides a technique for efficiently notifying information associated with repeated data in a communication method in which data is repeatedly transmitted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a communication device that performs communication in accordance with the IEEE802.11 standard series, and has a transmitting means for transmitting to the other device a control frame containing information regarding repetition so that the other device can transmit a wireless frame containing data repeated on a time axis, and a receiving means for receiving the wireless frame from the other device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, in a communication method for repeatedly transmitting data, it is possible to efficiently notify information associated with the repeated data. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a communication device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a functional configuration of a communication device. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a radio frame including data repeated on the time axis. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a first example of the format of a trigger frame. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of operation when an AP transmits a trigger frame. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of operation when a STA receives a trigger frame. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second example of the format of a trigger frame. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0010] (System Configuration) 1 shows an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system according to this embodiment. This wireless communication system includes, for example, one access point (AP) 101 and three non-AP stations (Non-AP STAs, hereinafter referred to as STAs) 102 to 104. The STAs 102 to 104 may be collectively referred to as STA 110. A network 105 formed by the AP 101 indicates the range in which the AP 101 and the STAs 102 to 104 can communicate. That is, within the range of the network 105, the STAs 102 to 104 can receive signals transmitted by the AP 101, and signals transmitted by the STAs 102 to 104 can be received by the AP 101. The AP 101 and the STAs 102 to 104 are communication devices capable of wireless communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, including the IEEE 802.11bn standard. IEEE stands for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE802.11bn standard is a successor to the IEEE802.11be standard, which aims for a maximum transmission speed of 46.08 Gbps. The IEEE802.11bn standard lists high-reliability communication, low-latency communication, and improved throughput during congestion as its main features. The IEEE802.11bn standard may also be referred to as the UHR standard. UHR may be an abbreviation for Ultra High Reliability. Wireless frames communicated according to the IEEE802.11bn standard may be referred to as UHR (Ultra High Reliability) PPDUs. PPDUs stand for Physical Layer (PHY) Protocol Data Units. In this embodiment, wireless frames communicated based on the IEEE802.11 series standards may be referred to as PPDUs. PPDUs may include UHR PPDUs. The names IEEE 802.11bn and UHR are chosen for convenience, reflecting the goals and key features of the standards. Therefore, the standards may be named differently once they are fully developed. However, this specification and the accompanying claims are essentially applicable to any standards that may succeed the IEEE 802.11be standard.

[0011] The IEEE 802.11 series of standards may include the IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be standards. These standards may be referred to as legacy standards. That is, the AP 101 and the STAs 102 to 104 may support one or more legacy standards in addition to the IEEE 802.11bn standard. The AP 101 and the STAs 102 to 104 may also support other communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC, UWB, ZigBee, and MBOA in addition to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards. UWB stands for Ultra Wide Band, and MBOA stands for Multi-Band OFDM Alliance. NFC stands for Near Field Communication. UWB includes wireless USB, wireless 1394, WiNET, and the like. The AP 101 and the STAs 102 to 104 may also support wired communication standards such as wired LAN.

[0012] While FIG. 1 illustrates a state in which one AP 101 and three STAs 102 to 104 exist, the number of STAs 110 may be one or four or more, and there may be multiple APs. In this case, multiple STAs may be connected to one AP, or one STA may be connected to multiple APs. The AP 101 may be, but is not limited to, a wireless LAN router or a personal computer (PC). The STA 110 may be, but is not limited to, any electronic device, such as a smartphone, tablet, mobile phone, PC, video camera, headset, printer, or display. The AP 101 and the STA 110 may be information processing devices, such as wireless chips, capable of performing wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11bn standard. In this embodiment, the AP 101 and the STAs 102 to 104 may be referred to as communication devices 100 without distinction.

[0013] The communication device 100 may communicate using radio signals in frequency bands such as the 2.4 GHz band, the 3.6 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, the 6 GHz band, and the 45 GHz band and 60 GHz band, which are known as millimeter waves. The frequency bands used by the communication device 100 are not limited to these bands and may include, for example, the sub-1 GHz band. The communication device 100 may also communicate using bandwidths of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, 540 MHz, 640 MHz, 1080 MHz, and 2160 MHz. The bandwidths used by the communication device 100 are not limited to these bands and may include, for example, 240 MHz and 4 MHz. The IEEE 802.11 series of standards specifies a frequency channel using a 20 MHz bandwidth as the basic channel in frequency bands such as the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands. The standards also define multiple available channels in each of the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands. In this standard, communication device 100 can use a channel in combination with other adjacent channels. This use of a channel in combination with other adjacent channels can be called channel bonding.

[0014] The IEEE 802.11 series of standards specifies an OFDMA function that divides a channel into multiple resource units (RUs) on the frequency axis and performs multiple access. OFDMA is an abbreviation for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access. For example, when multiple STAs are connected to the AP 101, the AP 101 divides a channel used by the AP 101 into multiple RUs and assigns them to each STA. As an example, when two STAs 102 and 103 are connected to the AP 101, the AP 101 transmits one PPDU using a single 20 MHz channel. In this case, the AP 101 arranges two different RUs in one PPDU on the frequency axis. Each RU may have a bandwidth of 10 MHz. Furthermore, the RUs may be arranged so as not to overlap each other on the frequency axis. The AP 101 transmits downlink data to the STAs 102 and 103 using the RUs assigned to the STAs 102 and 103. STA102 and STA103 receive data transmitted to their own devices in the RUs assigned to them. For example, STA102 and STA103 can identify the RUs assigned to their own devices by referring to information about the location and allocation of RUs stored in the preamble of the PPDU. In this way, by using the OFDMA function, AP101 can transmit data to multiple STAs in parallel. Also, for example, when STA102 to STA104 transmit uplink data to AP101, AP101 first transmits a Trigger frame. The Trigger frame can indicate information about the location and allocation of RUs for uplink transmission. That is, STA102 to STA104 can identify the RUs that their own devices should use for uplink transmission by referring to the Trigger frame, and transmit uplink data using those RUs.

[0015] The IEEE 802.11bn standard considers repeated data transmission. For example, a transmitting communication device 100 can replicate the original portion of data in a single wireless frame and repeatedly transmit the data. The receiving communication device 100 can then decode the data using multiple pieces of data, including the replicated data, thereby increasing the probability of successful reception. However, constantly repeating data transmission reduces the utilization efficiency of frequency resources. On the other hand, when the AP 101 transmits a control frame, such as a trigger frame, to instruct the STA 110 to transmit data on the uplink, the STA 110 may not be able to properly process the data transmission because it has no means of recognizing that the data should be repeatedly transmitted.

[0016] In consideration of these circumstances, the communication device 100 in this embodiment notifies the counterpart communication device 100 (partner device) of information regarding repetition when the communication device 100 desires to transmit a wireless frame in which data is repeated on a time axis according to communication conditions. As an example, the communication device 100 may include information regarding the repetition included in the wireless frame to be transmitted in a control frame such as a trigger frame. Meanwhile, the counterpart device receiving the control frame determines whether repeated data should be included in the wireless frame to be transmitted, and transmits the wireless frame in which data is repeated on a time axis based on the result. After transmitting the control frame, the communication device 100 may receive a wireless frame including repeated data from the counterpart device and combine multiple pieces of data to decode the data. Furthermore, the communication device 100 may combine multiple pieces of received data after weighting them based on their respective received powers. Note that the communication device 100 does not necessarily use all of the received data for decoding. For example, the communication device 100 may measure the received power, etc., of each piece of received data and combine data that exceeds a predetermined threshold. As described above, according to the present embodiment, when a wireless frame including data repeated on a time axis is transmitted to a partner device, a means for notifying and specifying information related to the repetition is provided, which allows the communication device 100 to flexibly increase reliability by using data repetition according to the communication situation, etc.

[0017] (Device configuration) FIG. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the communication device 100 (AP 101 and STA 110) in this embodiment. The communication device 100 includes a storage unit 201, a control unit 202, a function unit 203, an input unit 204, an output unit 205, a communication unit 206, and an antenna 207. Note that the communication device 100 may include multiple antennas. The storage unit 201 is configured with one or more memories, such as a ROM or RAM, and stores computer programs for performing various operations described below and various information, such as communication parameters for wireless communication. ROM and RAM are abbreviations for Read Only Memory and Random Access Memory, respectively. Note that the storage unit 201 may be a storage medium, such as a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, or a DVD, in addition to memories such as a ROM or RAM. Also, the storage unit 201 may include multiple memories.

[0018] The control unit 202 is configured with one or more processors, such as a CPU or an MPU, and controls the entire communication device 100 by executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 201. The control unit 202 may control the entire communication device 100 in cooperation with the computer program stored in the storage unit 201 and an OS (Operating System). The control unit 202 also generates data and signals (wireless frames) to be transmitted in communication with other communication devices. The CPU is an abbreviation for Central Processing Unit, and the MPU is an abbreviation for Micro Processing Unit. The control unit 202 may also include multiple processors, such as multi-core processors, and the entire communication device 100 may be controlled by the multiple processors. The control unit 202 also controls the functional unit 203 to perform predetermined processes, such as wireless communication, imaging, printing, and projection. The functional unit 203 is hardware that enables the communication device 100 to perform predetermined processes.

[0019] The input unit 204 receives various operations from the user. The output unit 205 outputs various types of information to the user via a monitor screen or a speaker. Here, the output from the output unit 205 may be a display on a monitor screen, an audio output from a speaker, a vibration output, or the like. Note that both the input unit 204 and the output unit 205 may be implemented by a single module, such as a touch panel. Furthermore, the input unit 204 and the output unit 205 may be integrated with the communication device 100 or may be separate units.

[0020] The communication unit 206 controls wireless communications compliant with the IEEE 802.11bn standard. The communication unit 206 may also control wireless communications compliant with other IEEE 802.11 series standards in addition to the IEEE 802.11bn standard, or wired communications such as a wired LAN. The communication unit 206 controls the antenna 207 to transmit and receive signals for wireless communications generated by the control unit 202. If the communication device 100 supports standards such as the NFC standard and Bluetooth in addition to the IEEE 802.11bn standard, the communication unit 206 may control wireless communications compliant with these communication standards. If the communication device 100 can perform wireless communications compliant with multiple communication standards, the communication device 100 may be configured with separate communication units and antennas compatible with each communication standard. The communication device 100 communicates data such as image data, document data, and video data with a destination communication device via the communication unit 206. The antenna 207 may be configured separately from the communication unit 206, or may be configured together with the communication unit 206 as a single module.

[0021] Antenna 207 is an antenna capable of communication in the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 6 GHz band, etc. In this embodiment, there may be two or more antennas, and when communication unit 206 is configured with multiple communication units, there may be an antenna corresponding to each communication unit. Alternatively, there may be a different antenna for each frequency band.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the communication device 100 (AP 101 and STA 110) according to this embodiment. The communication device 100 may include a wireless LAN control unit 301, a frame generation unit 302, a frame analysis unit 303, a UI control unit 304, and a storage unit 305. 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. For example, the wireless LAN control unit 301 cooperates with the frame generation unit 302 and the frame analysis unit 303 to control wireless frame communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series. When the wireless LAN control unit 301 is implemented by the control unit 202, the wireless LAN control unit 301 may determine whether data is to be repeated on the time axis and the number of repetitions. The wireless LAN control unit 301 may also notify the frame generation unit 302 of information regarding the determined data repetition and instruct the frame generation unit 302 to generate a control frame based on the information. Furthermore, the wireless LAN control unit 301 can perform control to notify the other communication device of specific information for identifying whether or not data is repeated on the time axis in the wireless frame to be transmitted by the other communication device, the number of repetitions, etc. The specific information regarding repetition can be, for example, information that repeated data is included in the wireless frame, the number of repetitions included, the total number including the original, and information that identifies each repeated data.

[0023] The frame generation unit 302 generates wireless frames including MAC frames such as management frames, control frames, and data frames. A MAC frame is also called a MAC Protocol Data Unit (MPDU) or an Aggregate MAC Protocol Data Unit (A-MPDU). A wireless frame consists of a preamble field and a data field. A MAC frame such as a management frame, control frame, or data frame is stored in the data field. The content of wireless control by each MAC frame generated by the frame generation unit 302 may be restricted by settings stored in the storage unit 305. The frame generation unit 302 may accept settings from a user via the UI control unit 304. The wireless frames generated by the frame generation unit 302 are sent to the wireless LAN control unit 301 and may be transmitted to the outside via the communication unit 206 or the antenna 207.

[0024] The frame analysis unit 303 analyzes wireless frames received through cooperation between the communication unit 206, the antenna 207, and the wireless LAN control unit 301. When analyzing wireless frames, the frame analysis unit 303 can determine the analysis method based on the settings stored in the storage unit 305. The frame analysis unit 303 analyzes the received control frame and can identify whether or not data is to be repeated on the time axis in the RU assigned to the device itself, the number of repetitions, etc.

[0025] The UI control unit 304 is configured to include hardware related to a user interface, such as a touch panel or buttons, for accepting operations by a user (not shown) on the AP 101 or the STA 110, and a program for controlling these. The UI control unit 304 also has a function for presenting information to the user, such as displaying images or outputting audio.

[0026] The storage unit 305 is a storage device that can be configured with a ROM, a RAM, etc., for storing programs and data that the communication device operates on.

[0027] (frame format) FIG. 4 shows an example of a radio frame including data repeated on the time axis, used by the communication device 100 in this embodiment. The AP 101 transmits a trigger frame (410) including information about repetition, which is used by the STA 110 to transmit a radio frame including data repeated on the time axis. The radio frame transmitted by the STA 110 is also called a TB (Trigger Based) PPDU or UHR TB PPDU. This TB PPDU is a PPDU transmitted by each STA 110 and may include a preamble 411, data for the STA 110 (412 to 417) transmitted in RUs divided on the frequency axis, and PEs (418, 419). PE stands for Packet Extension, and is a field that provides the AP 101, which receives the TB PPDU, with time to process the TB PPDU. A signal extension or padding field may be stored instead of PE. For example, suppose that three RUs divided on the frequency axis are assigned to the STAs 102 to 104 from the top. In this case, for example, the TB PPDU transmitted by STA102 includes a preamble 411, original data 412, two pieces of repeated data (data 413 and data 414), and PE 418, with the same data being transmitted three times on the time axis. Also, the TB PPDU transmitted by STA103 includes only preamble 411 and original data 415, which does not include any repeated data. For example, the TB PPDU transmitted by STA104 includes a preamble 411, original data 416, one piece of repeated data (data 417), and PE 419, with the same data being transmitted twice on the time axis.

[0028] FIG. 5 shows an example of the format of a Trigger frame used by the communication device 100 in this embodiment. As described above, the AP 101 can use the Trigger frame to notify the STA 110 of allocation information of the RUs allocated to it. For example, the Trigger frame is a Basic Trigger frame. The Trigger frame may also be an extended version of the Basic Trigger frame for standards after IEEE 802.11bn. The Trigger frame includes a Frame Control field 501, a Duration field 502, an RA field 503, and a TA field 504. The Trigger frame also includes a Common Info field 505, a User Info List field 506, a Padding field 507, and an FCS field 508. The Frame Control field 501 indicates the type of frame. The Frame Control field 501 includes a Type subfield and a Subtype subfield. For example, setting the Type subfield to a value of "01" can indicate that this frame is a Control frame. Setting the Subtype subfield to a value of "0010" can indicate that this frame is a Trigger frame. The Duration field 502 may be set with the time estimated to be required for exchanging data and an acknowledgment. The RA field 503 may be set with the MAC address of the communication device that is the destination of this frame. In the case of a Basic Trigger frame, a broadcast address may be set in the RA field 503. RA stands for Receiver Address. The TA field 504 may store the MAC address of the communication device that is the sender of this frame. In the case of a Basic Trigger frame, the TA field 504 may be set with the MAC address and BSSID of the AP 101. TA stands for Transmitter Address. The Common Info field 505 includes information that is commonly used for the STAs 110 that receive this frame.The User Info List field 506 includes one or more User Info fields 509. Each User Info field 509 can be used to notify user information (information for each STA) that should receive this frame. For example, the User Info field 509 can include information that identifies the communication device that will share the TXOP set by this frame, information indicating the TXOP duration, information for identifying the bandwidth to be used, information on the transmission conditions of the communication device that will transmit the TB PPDU, etc. The User Info List field 506 can also include one Special User Info field. The Special User Info field can include shared information that is not included in the Common Info field. The Special User Info field can be omitted if there is no corresponding shared information. The Padding field 507 can include padding data. The FCS field 508 can include information that the STA uses to check whether this frame has been received correctly.

[0029] The AP 101 may notify the STA 110 of RU allocation using the User Info field 509. The User Info field 509 may include an AID12 subfield 510, an RU Allocation subfield 511, a UL FEC Coding Type subfield 512, and a UL UHR-MCS subfield 513. The User Info field 509 may also include a Repetition subfield 514 and a Number of Repetition subfield 515, which are information regarding data repetition. The User Info field 509 may also include an SS Allocation subfield 516 and a UL Target Receive Power subfield 517. The User Info field 509 may also include a PS160 subfield 518, a DRU subfield 519, and a Trigger Dependent User Info subfield 520. The AID12 subfield 510 is set with information identifying the STA 110 that is the target of this User Info field 509. For example, the AID assigned to the target STA 110 may be set. The AID is an identifier assigned to the STA 110 when the AP 101 and the STA 110 establish a connection, and the AID is assigned so that the STA 110 can be uniquely identified. AID is an abbreviation for Association Identifier. The STA 110 can recognize from this subfield that the User Info field 509 includes information intended for the STA 110. The RU Allocation subfield 511 indicates the RU allocated to the STA 110 that is the target of the User Info field 509. For example, the RU Allocation subfield 511 can include information indicating an RU size and an RU index. For example, the RU Allocation subfield 511 can indicate a combination of the RU size and the RU index in decimal notation. The UL FEC Coding Type subfield 513 indicates the type of coding used for data communication.The UL UHR-MCS subfield 513 indicates the MCS used for data transmitted in the allocated RU. MCS is an abbreviation for Modulation and Coding Scheme. For example, if 32 types of MCS are to be identified, the UL UHR-MCS subfield 513 is composed of 5 bits. The Repetition subfield 514 indicates whether data is to be transmitted repeatedly on the time axis in the allocated RU. For example, a value of 0 in the Repetition subfield 514 may indicate that data is not repeated, and a value of 1 may indicate that data is repeated. The Repetition subfield may be named differently, for example, it may be named a Replication subfield. The Number of Repetition subfield 515 indicates the number of repetitions on the time axis of data to be transmitted in the allocated RU. For example, a value of 3 in the Number of Repetition subfield 515 indicates that the TB PPDU transmitted in the allocated RU contains three data repetitions. That is, in this case, the TB PPDU contains four identical pieces of data, including the original (source) data and the three replicated data. When the number of repetitions is specified as 0 to 7, the number of bits in the Number of Repetition subfield 515 may be 3 bits, or 4 bits or more if a larger number of repetitions is required, or 2 bits or less if a smaller number of repetitions is sufficient. The Number of Repetition subfield may have a different name, for example, it may be called the Number of Replication subfield. When the number of repetitions specified in the Number of Repetition subfield 515 is 1 or more, the value of the Repetition subfield 514 is set to 1. The SS Allocation subfield 516 indicates the number of spatial streams to be used by the STA 110 targeted by this User Info field 509.The UL Target Receive Power subfield 517 indicates the expected received power at the antenna of the AP 101. The PS 160 subfield 518 may be used to indicate the band of the allocated RU. For example, the PS 160 subfield 518 may be used in conjunction with the RU Allocation subfield 511 to indicate the band allocated to the STA 110. The Trigger Dependent User Info subfield 520 is an optional field provided depending on the type of Trigger frame.

[0030] The DRU subfield 519 indicates whether or not to use a DRU (Distributed Tone Resource Unit) in OFDMA communication following this Trigger frame. For example, the AP 101 may indicate that OFDMA communication using a DRU will be performed by setting the value of this subfield to a specific value. Furthermore, the AP 101 may indicate that OFDMA communication using a Regular RU will be performed by not setting the value of this subfield to a specific value. An RU configured with multiple subcarriers arranged contiguously on the frequency axis is called a Regular RU, and an RU configured with multiple subcarriers arranged distributed on the frequency axis is called a DRU. Note that the contents of the User Info field 509 and the like are merely examples and are not limited to these. For example, the UL UHR-MCS subfield may have 6 or more bits. The arrangement of the subfields constituting the User Info field is not limited to the example in FIG. 5 and may be arranged in a different order. Furthermore, the User Info field does not need to include all of the subfields shown in FIG. 5 and may include only some of the subfields. Furthermore, the User Info field may include additional subfields different from the subfields shown in FIG. 5.

[0031] (Processing flow) Next, the flow of processing executed by the AP 101 and the STA 110 as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 shows an example of the operation when the AP 101 transmits a Trigger frame to the STA 110 and receives a TB PPDU containing data repeated on the time axis from the STA 110. FIG. 7 shows an example of the operation when the STA 110 receives a Trigger frame from the AP 101 and transmits a TB PPDU containing data repeated on the time axis to the AP 101. Each process shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 7 is executed by the processor of the control unit 202 of the AP 101 or the STA 110 executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 201. Some of the processes in FIGS. 6 and 7, such as transmission, modulation, reception, and decoding, are realized by the processor of the control unit 202 of each communication device in cooperation with the communication unit 206, the ASIC, DSP, FPGA, etc. of the control unit 202. Note that when clearly indicating the entity of processing, the functional unit described in FIGS. 2 and 3 is used as the subject.

[0032] First, the operation of transmitting a Trigger frame by AP 101 will be described with reference to FIG. 6(A). For example, the control unit 202 in AP 101 executes the transmission operation in cooperation with other functional units. AP 101 first determines the STA 110 to which it will transmit the TB PPDU (S601). For example, when transmitting the TB PPDU as shown in FIG. 4, three STAs (STA 102 to STA 104) will be determined. AP 101 may determine the STA 110 to which it will transmit the TB PPDU based on information about the amount of transmission buffer space in STA 110, which is notified to AP 101 in advance by STA 110.

[0033] Next, the AP 101 determines whether the User Info fields of all the STAs determined in S601 have been set (S602). The User Info fields are set in order to generate the Trigger frame that the AP 101 transmits.

[0034] If the AP 101 determines that the User Info field of all STAs has not been set (NO in S602), it selects a STA for which the User Info field has not been set (S603). The AP 101 then acquires the communication quality of communication with the selected STA (S604). The communication quality may be determined using the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or signal to noise ratio (SNR) from the selected STA.

[0035] Next, the AP 101 determines whether the data included in the TB PPDU needs to be repeated on the time axis based on the communication quality obtained in S604 (S605). For example, the AP 101 may determine that data needs to be repeated if the communication quality is below a predetermined threshold. For example, the AP 101 may use the communication quality measured in past communications, or may estimate and use the communication quality for future communications. When estimating the communication quality for future communications, an inference result can be obtained by inputting the measured communication quality into a trained model obtained by learning using known supervised learning, deep learning, or the like. In this case, the AP 101 may determine whether data needs to be repeated based on the probability obtained as the inference result.

[0036] When the AP 101 determines that data repetition is necessary (YES in S605), the AP 101 may set a repetition number of 1 or more according to the communication quality in the Number of Repetition subfield of the User Info field of the Trigger frame (S606). For example, the AP 101 may determine the number of data repetitions so that the probability of success when decoding using multiple pieces of data exceeds a predetermined threshold. As an example, the AP 101 determines the number of repetitions required for the SNR to exceed a predetermined threshold. Note that the method by which the AP 101 determines the number of data repetitions is not limited to this. For example, the AP 101 may calculate RSSI using received signals from STAs and determine the number of repetitions required for the total RSSI to exceed a predetermined threshold. In addition, the AP 101 may set the Repetition subfield of the User Info field of the Trigger frame to 1 to indicate that repetition is being performed.

[0037] If the AP 101 determines that data repetition is not necessary (NO in S605), it may set the Number of Repetition subfield of the User Info field of the Trigger frame to 0 (S607). It may also set the Repetition subfield of the User Info field of the Trigger frame to 0 to indicate that no repetition is being performed.

[0038] Next, AP 101 sets appropriate values ​​for other subfields included in the User Info field of the selected STA (S608). For example, it may set the UL FEC Coding Type subfield or the UL UHR-MCS subfield based on the communication quality acquired in S604. After that, it returns to the processing of S602, and if there are any STAs remaining that have not set their User Info fields, it selects the STA and continues the setting processing.

[0039] If AP101 determines that the User Info fields of all STAs have been set (YES in S602), it uses frame generation unit 302 to appropriately set the other fields of the Trigger frame to generate and transmit the Trigger frame (S609), and then terminates the processing.

[0040] Next, referring to FIG. 6B, the operation of the AP 101 when receiving a TB PPDU from the STA 110 after transmitting a Trigger frame will be described. For example, the control unit 202 in the AP 101 performs the receiving operation in cooperation with other functional units. First, the AP 101 receives TB PPDUs from all STAs specified in the Trigger frame and determines whether the data included in the TB PPDUs has been decoded (S610). If the AP 101 determines that the TB PPDU data has not been decoded from all STAs (NO in S610), it acquires the TB PPDU transmitted by the specific STA specified in the Trigger frame (S611). Then, the AP 101 determines whether the acquired TB PPDU contains data repeated on the time axis (S612). For example, the AP 101 may determine whether the TB PPDU contains repeated data based on whether the value of the Repetition subfield in the User Info field of the specific STA was set to 1 or the value of the Number of Repetition subfield was set to 1 or greater in the Trigger frame.

[0041] If the AP 101 determines that the TB PPDU contains repeated data (YES in S612), it acquires the data contained in the TB PPDU sequentially from the beginning (S613) and performs processing for decoding using the multiple pieces of data. First, the AP 101 determines the reception quality of the acquired data (S614). For example, the AP 101 may measure the RSSI or SNR of the data using the frame analysis unit 303, and determine that the reception quality is acceptable if the measurement result is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. If the reception quality of the data is acceptable (YES in S614), the AP 101 stores the data in the storage unit 305 as a combination target (S615). On the other hand, if the reception quality of the data is unacceptable (NO in S614), the STA 102 does not include the data in the combination targets (S616). In this case, the data is not stored in the storage unit 305. The AP 101 may discard the data. The AP 101 determines whether or not it has acquired the data for the number of repetitions (S618). If it has not acquired all the data (NO in S618), it returns to S613, acquires the next data included in the TB PPDU, and continues processing. The AP 101 may make this determination based on, for example, whether it has acquired the number of data set in the Number of Repetition subfield of the User Info field of the Trigger frame. On the other hand, if it has acquired the data for the number of repetitions (YES in S618), it decodes the data using one or more data stored in the storage unit 305 (S619). For example, the AP 101 may combine multiple pieces of data and decode the data. Alternatively, the AP 101 may combine multiple pieces of received data after weighting them based on their respective reception powers. On the other hand, if it has determined in S612 that the received TB PPDU does not contain data repeated on the time axis (NO in S612), the AP 101 decodes the data independently and stores it in the storage unit 305 (S617).

[0042] In S614 to S616, instead of including data with unacceptable reception quality in the combination, AP 101 may store each piece of data together with its reception quality in storage unit 305. Then, in S619, each piece of data stored in storage unit 305 may be subjected to processing such as weighting based on the reception quality and interference removal before being used for combining. By performing processing based on the reception quality on each piece of data before using it for decoding, it becomes possible to effectively utilize received signals.

[0043] Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the operation of the STA 110 when it receives a Trigger frame from the AP 101 and transmits a TB PPDU including data repeated on the time axis to the AP 101 will be described. First, the STA 110 receives the Trigger frame transmitted from the AP 101 via the communication unit 206 (S701). Next, the STA 110 uses the frame analysis unit 303 to analyze the AID12 subfield included in the User Info field of the Trigger frame and determines whether a value matching its own AID is included (S702). If the STA 110 determines that a value matching its own AID is included (YES in S702), the STA 110 determines whether the User Info field includes information indicating that data repeated on the time axis needs to be included in the TB PPDU. For example, the STA 110 may determine whether data repetition is necessary based on whether the value of the Repetition subfield in the User Info field is set to 1 or whether the value of the Number of Repetition subfield is set to 1 or greater. If it is determined that the User Info field contains information indicating that data repetition is required (YES in S703), the STA 110 replicates the data by the number of times specified in the User Info field (S704). The number of replications can be specified by the Number of Repetition subfield included in the User Info field. On the other hand, if it is determined that the User Info field does not contain information indicating that data repetition is required (NO in S703), the STA 110 does not replicate the data (S705). Finally, the STA 110 uses the RU allocated in the Trigger frame to generate a TB PPDU containing the original data and, if necessary, replicated data, and transmits it to the AP 101 (S706).

[0044] If STA110 determines that the AID12 subfield contained in the User Info field of the Trigger frame does not contain a value that matches its own AID (NO in S702), it determines that it cannot allocate an RU and terminates processing without transmitting a TB PPDU.

[0045] As described above, in this embodiment, AP 101 determines whether to repeat data in the TB PPDU on the time axis and the number of repetitions based on factors such as the quality of communication with STA 110, and notifies STA 110 of this determination using a Trigger frame. STA 110 then determines whether to repeat data included in the TB PPDU on the time axis based on the information on whether repetition is performed and the number of repetitions included in the received Trigger frame. AP 101 then decodes the data using the repeated data included in the TB PPDU transmitted from STA 110. This enables data to be decoded with a higher probability using the repeated data.

[0046] (Variation 1) FIG. 8 shows another example of the format of the Trigger frame. In the example of FIG. 5, one User Info field is used to indicate to one STA 110 that repeated data is included in the TB PPDU. FIG. 8 shows an example in which multiple User Info fields are used to indicate that repeated data is included in the TB PPDU. For example, if the STA 110 is to transmit original data and one repeated piece of data, two User Info fields (801, 802) are used. Each User Info field includes a Repetition subfield 811, a Number of Repetitions subfield 812, and a Repetition ID 813 subfield. In FIG. 8, the subfields other than the Repetition ID subfield have the same configuration as the User Info field in FIG. 5, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. The Repetition ID subfield 813 is identification information for uniquely identifying data from among the original data and one or more repeated pieces of data repeated on the time axis. For example, the User Info field corresponding to the original data 416 in FIG. 4 may be 801, the Number of Repetition subfield may store a value of 1, and the Repetition ID subfield may store a value of 0. Also, the User Info field corresponding to the first repetition data 417 in FIG. 4 may be 802, the Number of Repetition subfield may store a value of 1, and the Repetition ID subfield may store a value of 1. In other words, the number of User Info fields is the number of repetitions plus 1, and the Repetition ID subfield of the User Info field corresponding to the Nth repetition may store a value of N, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The Repetition ID subfield may be used to manage received data in the AP 101's TB PPDU reception operation. For example, the AP 101 may store the Repetition ID subfield of the data included in the received TB PPDU in association with the reception quality.When decoding data using multiple pieces of data, the AP 101 can identify the data to be used based on the identifier. For example, the AP 101 stores each piece of received data separately from its reception quality, and creates a table that associates the identifier of each piece of data with its reception quality. When decoding data, the AP 101 can identify data corresponding to reception quality equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold based on the table. This configuration can improve the efficiency of management of data stored in the AP 101 and the decoding process.

[0047] (Variation 2) AP101 may notify information about data repetition using the UL UHR-MCS subfield included in the User Info field instead of notifying information about data repetition using the Repetition subfield or Number of Repetition subfield of the User Info field included in the Trigger frame. Table 1 shows an example of notifying information about data repetition to STA 110 using the UL UHR-MCS subfield.

[0048] [Table 1]

[0049] Generally, the MCS subfield is used to indicate the combination of modulation scheme and coding rate used in communication. In Table 1, in addition to the modulation scheme and coding rate, a value for the UL UHR-MCS subfield is set to indicate the number of repetitions of data included in the TB PPDU. For example, in Table 1, if the UL UHR-MCS subfield value is 16, the TB PPDU corresponding to the User Info field containing this UL UHR-MCS subfield indicates that two identical data sets, including the original data and one repeated data set, are transmitted using BPSK modulation and coding rate 1 / 2. If the UL UHR-MCS subfield value is 17, two repeated data sets are transmitted, and if the UL UHR-MCS subfield value is 18, three repeated data sets are transmitted. Furthermore, if the UL UHR-MCS subfield value is 19 to 21, dual carrier modulation, which repeats data on the frequency axis to transmit the same data twice, is combined with data repetition on the time axis. For example, when the value of the UL UHR-MCS subfield is 19, in addition to Dual Carrier Modulation, one piece of repeated data is transmitted on the time axis, so that the same data is transmitted four times by combining the frequency axis and the time axis. The UL UHR-MCS subfield values ​​and the association of each parameter in Table 1 are merely examples and are not limited to these. For example, each of the UL UHR-MCS subfield values ​​shown in Table 1 may be associated with a parameter set different from the parameter set shown in Table 1. In this way, information related to the repeated data is notified to STA 110 using the UL UHR-MCS subfield, so that information required for processing the repeated data can be notified to STA 110 without making any changes to the previous frame format, such as adding a Repetition subfield or a Number of Repetition subfield.

[0050] The AP 101 may transmit a Trigger frame by performing operations similar to those described above in the description of Fig. 6. In this example, as described above, the AP 101 generates a Trigger frame that includes a UL UHR-MCS subfield indicating whether the corresponding data is repeated data or the number of repetitions, instead of the Repetition subfield or the Number of Repetition subfield. The STA 110 may obtain information about the repeated data from the received Trigger frame by performing operations similar to those described above in the description of Fig. 7, and transmit a TB PPDU including the repeated data. The AP 101 that receives the TB PPDU may then decode the data using the repeated data included in the TB PPDU.

[0051] As described above, the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment can notify the other device of information regarding repetition when the other device wishes to transmit a wireless frame in which data is repeated on the time axis according to the communication conditions. Based on this, the other device determines whether or not to include repeated data in the wireless frame to be transmitted, and based on the result, can transmit the wireless frame in which data is repeated on the time axis. This enables the communication device to flexibly use data repetition according to the communication conditions, etc., to improve the reliability of communication.

[0052] 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.

[0053] (Summary of the embodiment) At least some of the above-described embodiments can be summarized as follows.

[0054] (Item 1) A communication device that performs communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series, a transmitting means for transmitting a control frame to a counterpart device, the control frame including information on repetition for the counterpart device to transmit a wireless frame including data repeated on a time axis; receiving means for receiving the wireless frame from the other device; A communication device comprising:

[0055] (Item 2) The control frame is a Trigger frame. 2. The communication device according to item 1,

[0056] (Item 3) The Trigger frame includes a field indicating User information, and the field indicating User information includes information regarding the repetition. 3. The communication device according to item 2.

[0057] (Item 4) The information about repetition includes information indicating whether or not data is repeated on the time axis. 4. The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 3,

[0058] (Item 5) The information about the repetition includes information indicating the number of repetitions of data on the time axis. 5. The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 4,

[0059] (Item 6) The information about the repetition includes information that identifies the order of repetition of the data on the time axis. 6. The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 5,

[0060] (Item 7) The field indicating the user information includes a field indicating a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS), and the field indicating the MCS includes a value that identifies the number of repetitions of data on the time axis. 4. The communication device according to item 3,

[0061] (Item 8) a decoding unit that combines at least two pieces of repetitive data included in the wireless frame received by the receiving unit and decodes the data. 8. The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 7, wherein:

[0062] (Item 9) The communication device is an access point (AP) device, and the other device is a non-AP station device. 9. The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 8, wherein:

[0063] (Item 10) A communication device that performs communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series, a receiving means for receiving, from a counterpart device, a control frame including information regarding repetition for the communication device to transmit a wireless frame including data repeated on a time axis; a transmitting means for transmitting the wireless frame to the other device; A communication device comprising:

[0064] (Item 11) The control frame is a Trigger frame. 11. The communication device according to item 10.

[0065] (Item 12) The Trigger frame includes a field indicating User information, and the field indicating User information includes information regarding the repetition. Item 12. A communication device according to item 11.

[0066] (Item 13) The information about repetition includes information indicating whether or not data is repeated on the time axis. 13. The communication device according to any one of items 10 to 12.

[0067] (Item 14) The information about the repetition includes information indicating the number of repetitions of data on the time axis. 14. The communication device according to any one of items 10 to 13,

[0068] (Item 15) The information about the repetition includes information that identifies the order of repetition of the data on the time axis. 15. A communication device according to any one of items 10 to 14.

[0069] (Item 16) The field indicating the user information includes a field indicating a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS), and the field indicating the MCS includes a value that identifies the number of repetitions of data on the time axis. Item 13. A communication device according to item 12.

[0070] (Item 17) The other device is an access point (AP) device, and the communication device is a non-AP station device. 17. A communication device according to any one of items 10 to 16, characterized in that:

[0071] (Item 18) A communication method in a communication device that performs communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series, comprising: a transmission step of transmitting to a counterpart device a control frame including information regarding repetition for transmitting a wireless frame including data repeated on a time axis from the counterpart device; a receiving step of receiving the wireless frame from the other device. A communication method comprising:

[0072] (Item 19) A communication method in a communication device that performs communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series, comprising: a receiving step of receiving, from a counterpart device, a control frame including information regarding repetition for the communication device to transmit a wireless frame including data repeated on a time axis; a transmitting step of transmitting the wireless frame to the other device. A communication method comprising:

[0073] (Item 20) A program for causing a computer to operate as the communication device according to any one of items 1 to 9.

[0074] (Item 21) A program for causing a computer to operate as the communication device according to any one of items 10 to 17.

[0075] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 101 AP 102 Station 301 Wireless LAN control unit 302 Frame Generation Unit 303 Frame Analysis Unit 304 UI ​​control section 305 Storage section

Claims

1. A communication device that performs communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series, a transmitting means for transmitting a control frame to a counterpart device, the control frame including information on repetition for the counterpart device to transmit a wireless frame including data repeated on a time axis; receiving means for receiving the wireless frame from the other device; A communication device comprising:

2. The control frame is a Trigger frame 2. The communication device according to claim 1.

3. The Trigger frame includes a field indicating User information, and the field indicating User information includes information regarding the repetition.

3. The communication device according to claim 2.

4. The information about repetition includes information indicating whether or not data is repeated on the time axis.

2. The communication device according to claim 1.

5. The information about the repetition includes information indicating the number of repetitions of data on the time axis.

2. The communication device according to claim 1.

6. The information about the repetition includes information that identifies the order of repetition of the data on the time axis.

2. The communication device according to claim 1.

7. The field indicating the user information includes a field indicating a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and the field indicating the MCS includes a value identifying the number of repetitions of data on the time axis.

4. The communication device according to claim 3.

8. a decoding means for combining at least two pieces of repetitive data included in the radio frame received by the receiving means and decoding the combined data.

2. The communication device according to claim 1.

9. The communication device is an access point (AP) device, and the other device is a non-AP station device.

2. The communication device according to claim 1.

10. A communication device that performs communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series, a receiving means for receiving, from a counterpart device, a control frame including information regarding repetition for the communication device to transmit a wireless frame including data repeated on a time axis; a transmitting means for transmitting the wireless frame to the other device; A communication device comprising:

11. The control frame is a Trigger frame 11. The communication device according to claim 10.

12. The Trigger frame includes a field indicating User information, and the field indicating User information includes information regarding the repetition.

12. The communication device according to claim 11.

13. The information about repetition includes information indicating whether or not data is repeated on the time axis.

11. The communication device according to claim 10.

14. The information about the repetition includes information indicating the number of repetitions of data on the time axis.

11. The communication device according to claim 10.

15. The information about the repetition includes information that identifies the order of repetition of the data on the time axis.

11. The communication device according to claim 10.

16. The field indicating the user information includes a field indicating a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and the field indicating the MCS includes a value identifying the number of repetitions of data on the time axis.

13. The communication device according to claim 12.

17. The other device is an access point (AP) device, and the communication device is a non-AP station device.

11. The communication device according to claim 10.

18. A communication method in a communication device that performs communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series, comprising: a transmission step of transmitting to a counterpart device a control frame including information regarding repetition for transmitting a wireless frame including data repeated on a time axis from the counterpart device; a receiving step of receiving the wireless frame from the other device. A communication method comprising:

19. A communication method in a communication device that performs communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series, comprising: a receiving step of receiving, from a counterpart device, a control frame including information regarding repetition for the communication device to transmit a wireless frame including data repeated on a time axis; a transmitting step of transmitting the wireless frame to the other device. A communication method comprising:

20. A program for causing a computer to operate as the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

21. A program for causing a computer to operate as the communication device according to any one of claims 10 to 17.

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