Communication apparatus, communication method, and storage medium

Abstract

To provide a technique for improving performance obtained by using multi-link communication in a system in which multi-link communication is performed.SOLUTION: A communication device that communicates with another communication device connected to an access point via the access point that performs communication in accordance with a communication method defined in the IEEE802. 11 standard series performs first communication with the access point using either single link communication or multi-link communication, acquires predetermined information regarding second communication performed between the other communication device and the access point, and executes control to perform the first communication using either the single link communication or the multi-link communication on the basis of the predetermined information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a link control technique in a communication device that can use multiple links in parallel. [Background technology]

[0002] With the recent increase in the amount of data being transmitted, development of communication technologies such as wireless LANs (Local Area Networks) is progressing. The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series is known as the main communication standard for wireless LANs. The IEEE 802.11 standard series includes standards such as IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be.

[0003] For example, the IEEE 802.11be standard defines multi-link communication, in which an access point (AP) establishes multiple links with a single station (STA) using multiple different frequencies and communicates using these links in combination. APs and STAs that support multi-link communication are called AP MLDs (Multi-Link Devices) and non-AP MLDs. Non-AP MLDs are also called STA MLDs. In multi-link communication, the multiple wireless communication interfaces of a single MLD are coordinated and used effectively to establish links using each wireless communication interface. For example, when establishing a link between an AP MLD and a non-AP MLD, associating each traffic type with a link is expected to improve throughput, frequency utilization efficiency, and communication latency. The identifier used to classify traffic types is called a traffic ID (TID). The identifier used to identify a link is called a link ID. For example, by linking these identifiers (TID-to-Link Mapping), traffic types and links can be associated with each other. Note that TIDs can be used to assign priorities to different traffic types when transmitting multiple types of traffic. That is, transmission priorities can be assigned and associated with each TID. Patent Document 1 describes a technique for setting links used for multi-link communication between AP MLD and Non-AP MLD. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7169465 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When two STAs connected to a single AP communicate with each other via the AP, the overall performance of the communication between the STAs may be degraded due to differences in the communication status established between the AP and each STA. The present invention provides a link control technology for improving the performance of communication between a communication device capable of performing multi-link communication and another communication device via the AP. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a communication device that communicates with other communication devices connected to an access point via the access point, which communicates in accordance with a communication method specified in the IEEE802.11 standard series, and has: a communication means for conducting a first communication with the access point using either single-link communication or multi-link communication; an acquisition means for acquiring specified information regarding a second communication conducted between the other communication device and the access point; and a control means for controlling, based on the specified information, whether single-link communication or multi-link communication will be used to conduct the first communication. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] A communication device capable of performing multi-link communication can improve the performance of communication with other communication devices via an AP. [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. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation when a STA communicates with another STA via an AP. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an Action frame requesting link information. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an Action frame that provides link information. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation flow when a STA performs link control. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence between an AP and a STA. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation when a STA communicates with another STA via an AP. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a data frame requesting link information. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a data frame that provides link information. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation flow when a STA performs link control. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence between an AP and a STA. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation flow when a STA performs link control. 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 invention according to the claims. 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) FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system according to this embodiment. This wireless communication system includes, for example, an access point (AP) 101 and stations (STAs) 111 and 112. The AP 101 configures a wireless network 131. The STAs 111 and 112 participate in the wireless network 131. That is, the wireless network 131 indicates a range (communication range) in which the AP 101 can wirelessly communicate with other communication devices. In this embodiment, the STAs 111 and 112 are located within the communication range of the AP 101. The STAs 111 and 112 may be referred to as STAs 110 without distinction. The AP 101 and STAs 110 may be referred to as communication devices 100 without distinction. The AP 101 may include, but is not limited to, a wireless LAN router, a personal computer (PC), etc. The STAs 111 and 112 may include, but are not limited to, a camera, a tablet, a smartphone, a PC, a mobile phone, a video camera, a printer, etc. The AP 101 and the STAs 110 may be information processing devices such as wireless chips capable of performing wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE802.11be standard. While the wireless network in Fig. 1 is configured with one AP 101 and two STAs 110, the number and arrangement of the APs 101 and STAs 110 are not limited to this. For example, one or three or more STAs 110 may be connected to the AP 101, and there may be two or more APs 101.

[0011] The communication device 100 is a wireless communication device capable of performing wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series. The IEEE 802.11 standard series may include the IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be / bn standards. That is, the communication device 100 may support at least one of these standards, including the IEEE 802.11be standard. IEEE stands for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The communication device 100 may also support other communication standards, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC, UWB, ZigBee, and MBOA, in addition to the IEEE 802.11 standard series. 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 communication device 100 may also support wired communication standards, such as wired LAN.

[0012] Communication device 100 can communicate using frequencies in the 2.4 Hz band, 3.6 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 6 GHz band, and the 45 GHz band and 60 GHz band known as millimeter waves. The frequency bands used by communication device 100 are not limited to these, and other frequency bands, such as the sub-1 GHz band, can also be used. Communication device 100 can 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 communication device 100 are not limited to these, and other bandwidths, such as 240 MHz and 4 MHz, can also be used.

[0013] STA 110 establishes a connection with AP 101 and performs communication. STA 111 performs communication with AP 101 (first communication) using a first connection 121 established between AP 101 and STA 111. STA 112 performs communication with AP 101 (second communication) using a second connection 122 established between AP 101 and STA 112. STA 111 performs communication with STA 112 via AP 101. That is, STA 111 performs communication with STA 112 via the first connection 121 and the second connection 122. Note that the first connection 121 and the second connection 122 may be referred to as connection 120 without distinction. Each of the first communication and the second communication may be performed using either single-link communication or multi-link communication. That is, each of the first connection 121 and the second connection 122 may be configured by one or more links. For example, if AP 101 is an AP MLD and STA 110 is a non-AP MLD, the connection between them may be established as a connection between AP MLD and non-AP MLD. Meanwhile, links may be established between each of the multiple wireless communication interfaces of each MLD. In this way, a connection consisting of multiple links may be established between MLDs. Here, if at least one of a pair of communication devices (e.g., AP 101 and STA 111 or AP 101 and STA 112) is not an MLD, the connection between these communication devices is formed by a single link. In this case, communication between these communication devices is single-link communication. Meanwhile, even if each of a pair of communication devices is an MLD, there are cases where only one link is used between these communication devices. For example, when multiple links are established between MLDs, some of the links may be deleted or disabled, resulting in a single link. In addition, when multiple links are established between MLDs, a single link may be established by assigning only one link to a specific type of traffic or by transitioning some links to the DOZE state.In this embodiment, communication performed between MLDs using such a connection is also called single-link communication.

[0014] In multi-link communication, communication is performed using multiple links with different frequencies. One or more links constituting the first connection 121 may use frequencies in the same frequency band, or at least some of the links may use frequencies in different frequency bands. For example, one or more links constituting the first connection 121 may use frequencies in a frequency band such as 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. Similarly, one or more links constituting the second connection 122 may use frequencies in the same frequency band, or at least some of the links may use frequencies in different frequency bands. Note that the frequencies used by each link may belong to a frequency band other than those mentioned above.

[0015] The multilink between the AP 101 and the STA 110 may be established in a procedure when the STA 110 establishes a connection 120 with the AP 101. For example, the STA 110 may detect the presence of the AP 101 by receiving a Beacon frame periodically transmitted by the AP 101. The Beacon frame transmitted by the AP 101 may include information indicating that the AP 101 is capable of performing multilink communication. For example, the AP 101 may indicate that it is capable of performing multilink communication by transmitting a Beacon frame including a predetermined information element. For example, the predetermined information element may be a Multi-Link IE. IE is an abbreviation for Information Element. The Multi-Link IE may be referred to as an ML element. The ML element may include information about each link used by the AP 101 in multilink communication. For example, the information about each link may be included in a Per-STA Profile subelement corresponding to each link. The method by which the STA 110 obtains information about each link from the AP 101 is not limited to receiving a Beacon frame. For example, the STA 110 may transmit a multilink probe request frame including an ML element to the detected AP 101. The STA 110 may use the multilink probe request frame to request that the AP 101 provide information on each link used for multilink communication. The STA 110 may also request information by specifying some of the links used by the AP 101 for multilink communication. The AP 101 may respond to the information request from the STA 110 using a multilink probe response frame including an ML element. In the multilink probe response frame, the AP 101 may provide information on each link used by the AP 101 for multilink communication and information on the link requested by the STA 110. The STA 110 may then transmit a multilink association request frame including an ML element to establish a connection 120 with the AP 101.In a multilink association request frame, the STA 110 may specify the link to be used in multilink communication between the STA 110 and the AP 101. In response to the received multilink association request frame, the AP 101 may transmit a multilink association response frame including an ML element. In the multilink association response frame, the AP 101 may specify the link to be used in multilink communication with the STA 110. When the STA 110 receives the multilink association response frame, a connection 120 is established between the AP 101 and the STA 110, and the link to be used in multilink communication between the AP 101 and the STA 110 is specified.

[0016] Identification information used to identify each link used by the AP 101 when performing multilink communication is called a Link ID. Because the wireless communication interface of the AP 101 is associated with each link, the Link ID may be an identifier that uniquely identifies the wireless communication interface of the AP 101. The Link ID may be an integer value ranging from 0 to 14. For example, the AP 101 may associate a Link ID with information about each link used by the AP 101 when performing multilink communication and notify the information using a Beacon frame or the like. The STA 110 may notify the AP of one or more links it requests to use in multilink communication by transmitting a multilink association frame including one or more Link IDs. In this way, the AP 101 may use a common Link ID in multilink communication performed with each of the multiple STAs 110. For example, if links with the same Link ID are used in the connection 121 between the AP 101 and the STA 111 and the connection 122 between the AP 101 and the STA 112, these links are configured using the same wireless communication interface in the AP 101. Therefore, communications using these links may be performed at the same frequency. Note that AP 101 may perform multi-link communications with STA 111 and STA 112 using different links. That is, even if a multi-link is established in each of connection 121 between AP 101 and STA 111 and connection 122 between AP 101 and STA 112, the number of links constituting these may be different. Also, for example, the wireless communication interface of AP 101 used to configure the multi-link in connection 121 may be different from the wireless communication interface of AP 101 used to configure the multi-link in connection 122.

[0017] Each link used in multi-link communication may be used for a different purpose or for the same purpose. For example, different types of traffic may be associated with each link. Alternatively, all types of traffic may be associated with all links. For example, in the IEEE 802.11 standard series, an identifier that can identify the type of traffic is assigned to the traffic being communicated. The identifier assigned to each traffic type is called a TID (Traffic Identifier). TIDs are integers ranging from 0 to 7. For example, TID0 and TID3 are associated with Best Effort type traffic. TID1 and TID2 are associated with Background type traffic. TID4 and TID5 are associated with Video type traffic. TID6 and TID7 are associated with Voice type traffic. Each TID is assigned a priority. For example, the priority may be assigned so that TID1 has the lowest priority, followed by TID2, TID0, TID3, TID4, TID5, TID6, and TID7 in ascending order. A TID may then be associated with each link used in multilink communication. For example, according to the IEEE 802.11be standard, all TIDs are associated with all links used in multilink communication between AP 101 and STA 110 as a default. Meanwhile, one or more specific links may be associated with each TID through negotiation between AP 101 and STA 110. The association between a link and a TID may be performed by associating a Link ID with a TID. This association may be referred to as a TID-To-Link Mapping (TTLM). AP 101 may perform multilink communication with STA 111 and STA 112 using different TTLMs. That is, even if multilink communication consisting of the same links is performed in connection 121 and connection 122, the types of traffic communicated on each link may be different.

[0018] As described above, independent connections 121 and 122 are established between AP 101 and STA 111 and STA 112, respectively. For example, connections 121 and 122 may differ in whether single-link communication or multi-link communication is used, the number of links constituting the multi-link communication, the frequency used, the type of traffic communicated on each link, and so forth. Furthermore, when STA 111 establishes connection 121 with AP 101, no means is provided for grasping the connection status of connection 122 between AP 101 and STA 112. Therefore, when STA 111 communicates with STA 112 via AP 101, the overall performance of the communication between STA 111 and STA 112 may be degraded depending on the settings and status of one of the connections. For example, assume that multi-link communication is used in the second communication between AP 101 and STA 112, and single-link communication is used in the first communication between AP 101 and STA 111. In this case, since the communication speed of the first communication is likely to be lower than the communication speed of the second communication, the communication speed of the entire communication between STA111 and STA112 may be limited by the communication speed of the first communication. As an example, if STA111 is a PC and STA112 is a printer, if the communication speed of the first communication is low and it takes a long time to send print data, the printing time may be extended and the user experience may be degraded. Similarly, even if multi-link communication is performed in each of the first communication and the second communication, if the number of links used in the first communication and the second communication is different, the communication speed of the communication using the fewer links may limit the communication speed of the entire communication. In this way, differences in settings and states between connection 121 and connection 122 may degrade the performance of the entire communication, resulting in a degraded user experience.

[0019] In consideration of these circumstances, in this embodiment, when STA 111 communicates with STA 112 via AP 101, STA 111 controls the first communication between the AP and the STA 112 based on predetermined information related to the second communication between the AP and STA 112. For example, STA 111 controls whether the first communication is to be performed using single-link communication or multi-link communication based on predetermined information related to the second communication. For example, STA 111 may control the first communication to be performed using single-link communication based on the fact that the second communication is performed using single-link communication. Furthermore, STA 111 may control the first communication to be performed using multi-link communication based on the fact that the second communication is performed using multi-link communication. This configuration makes it possible to avoid a difference in communication speed between the first communication and the second communication, which occurs when one communication uses single-link communication and the other uses multi-link communication.

[0020] Note that, based on the fact that the first communication is being performed using single-link communication, STA 111 may execute control to perform the first communication using single-link communication or multi-link communication. Furthermore, STA 111 may execute the first communication using more links than the number of links established in the second communication. In these cases, it is possible to avoid a difference in communication speed caused by the number of links used in the first communication being fewer than the number of links used in the second communication. In this way, by controlling the first communication based on information regarding the second communication, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of a difference in communication speed between the first communication and the second communication. This makes it possible to avoid a degradation in overall communication performance due to a low communication speed in one communication. Below, an example of the configuration of each communication device operating as described above and an example of information exchanged between each communication device will be described.

[0021] (Hardware configuration of communication device) FIG. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a communication device 100 (AP 101, STA 111, and STA 112) 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. The storage unit 201 is configured with one or more memories such as a ROM or a RAM, and stores various information such as computer programs for performing various operations described below and 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 a RAM. The storage unit 201 may also include multiple memories.

[0022] The control unit 202 is configured with one or more processors such as a CPU or 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 (radio frames) to be transmitted in communication with other communication devices. The CPU and MPU are abbreviations for Central Processing Unit and Micro Processing Unit. The control unit 202 may also include multiple processors such as a multi-core processor, and the entire communication device 100 may be controlled by the multiple processors.

[0023] The control unit 202 also controls the functional unit 203 to execute predetermined processes such as wireless communication, image capture, printing, and projection. The functional unit 203 is hardware that enables the communication device 100 to execute predetermined processes. If the functional unit 203 is a printer, it prints image data acquired via the communication unit 206. If the functional unit is a scanner, it transmits image data generated by scanning with the scanner to an external device via the communication unit 206. If the functional unit is a camera, it transmits image data captured by the camera to an external device via the communication unit 206.

[0024] The input unit 204 receives various operations from the user. For example, it may be configured with a touch panel, hard keys, a keyboard, a mouse, buttons, etc. The output unit 205 outputs various types of information to the user via a monitor screen, a speaker, an LED, etc. Here, the output by the output unit 205 may be a display on a monitor screen, an audio output by a speaker, a vibration output, etc. 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.

[0025] The communication unit 206 controls wireless communications compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard. The communication unit 206 may have multiple wireless communication interfaces for multi-link communication. Each wireless communication interface forms a link with a counterpart communication device. The communication unit 206 may also control wireless communications compliant with other IEEE 802.11 standards in addition to the IEEE 802.11be 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. Note that if the communication device 100 supports standards such as the NFC standard and Bluetooth in addition to the IEEE 802.11 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 unit 206 and antenna 207 may be configured to support each communication standard. The communication device 100 communicates data such as image data, document data, and video data with a counterpart communication device via the communication unit 206. The antenna 207 may be configured as a separate unit from the communication unit 206, or may be configured together with the communication unit 206 as a single module.

[0026] Antenna 207 is an antenna capable of communication in the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 6 GHz band, etc. Although FIG. 2 shows an example in which communication device 100 has one antenna, communication device 100 may have two or more antennas. Alternatively, communication device 100 may have a different antenna for each frequency band. Furthermore, if communication device 100 has multiple antennas, it may have a communication unit 206 corresponding to each antenna.

[0027] (Functional configuration of communication device) FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the communication device 100 (AP 101, STA 111, and STA 112) in this embodiment. This functional configuration can be realized, for example, by having one or more processors in the control unit 202 execute programs stored in one or more memories in the storage unit 201. The communication device 100 may have processing units other than those shown in FIG. 3. In the following description, when the operation of the AP 101 and the STA 110 (STA 111 and STA 112) differs, it will be described for each communication device. The other processing units can operate in common. The communication device 100 can be configured to include a power supply unit 301, a display unit 302, an operation unit 303, a control unit 304, a storage unit 305, a wireless LAN control unit 306, a link control unit 307, a link information communication unit 308, and a function unit 309.

[0028] The power supply unit 301 supplies power to each processing unit. For example, the power supply unit 301 obtains power from an AC power source or a battery included in the communication device 100 and supplies the power to each processing unit. The display unit 302 displays various information as an interface for the user. The display unit 302 displays information using, for example, an LCD panel, LEDs, or the like of the output unit 205. The operation unit 303 receives various operations as an interface for the user. For example, the operation unit 303 receives various operations input using a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, button, or the like of the input unit 204. The display unit 302 and the operation unit 303 can also function as an interface with an upper layer within the communication device 100. That is, the display unit 302 outputs to an application in the upper layer, and the operation unit 303 can receive input from the application in the upper layer. The control unit 304 controls the entire communication device 100 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 201. The storage unit 305 stores programs and various information for performing various processes, which will be described later.

[0029] The wireless LAN control unit 306 controls the wireless LAN in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards and the Wi-Fi standard, and transmits and receives radio waves. The wireless LAN control unit 306 performs communication using either single-link communication or multi-link communication, for example, based on control by the link control unit 307. When performing multi-link communication, the wireless LAN control unit 306 performs communication using the link and TLM set by the link control unit 307. The wireless LAN control unit 306 in the AP 101 uses the communication unit 206 and the antenna 207 to communicate with STAs connected to the AP 101 as an access point in infrastructure mode under the IEEE 802.11 standard. The wireless LAN control unit 306 in the STA 110 uses the communication unit 206 and the antenna 207 to communicate with other STAs via the AP as a terminal station (STA) in infrastructure mode under the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0030] The link control unit 307 controls the link between the communication device 100 and the other communication device. The link control unit 307 of the AP 101 establishes a connection with the STA 110 and configures the link in that connection in response to a request from the STA 110. For example, the link control unit 307 may perform switching between single-link communication and multi-link communication, configuration of links to be used for multi-link communication, and association (TTLM) of each link with a traffic type (TID). The link control unit 307 of the STA 111 establishes a connection with the AP 101 and controls the link in the connection between the AP 101 and the STA 111 based on the connection between the AP 101 and the STA 112. For example, the link control unit 307 may perform switching between single-link communication and multi-link communication, configuration of links to be used for multi-link communication, and requests to the AP 101 for a TTLM, etc. The link control unit 307 of the STA 112 establishes a connection with the AP 101 and controls the link in that connection.

[0031] The link information communication unit 308 exchanges information about the connection between the AP 101 and the STA 110 with other communication devices. The link information communication unit 308 of the STA 111 requests information about the connection between the AP 101 and the STA 112 from the AP 101 or the STA 112. For example, information that can identify whether single-link communication or multi-link communication is being performed in this connection, information that can identify the number of established links, information that can identify the correspondence between each link and traffic type (TTLM), etc. may be requested. The link information communication units 308 in the AP 101 and the STA 112 provide information about the connection between the AP 101 and the STA 112 in response to a request from the STA 111.

[0032] The functional unit 309 executes functions specific to each communication device 100. For example, if the STA 111 is a PC, the functional unit 309 of the STA 111 can execute functions related to printing instructions. Functions related to printing instructions include, for example, checking the printer status and generating a job (print job) to print on the printer. Also, if the STA 112 is a printer, the functional unit 309 of the STA 112 can execute functions related to printing execution. Functions related to printing execution include, for example, accepting a print job and printing processing on a print medium such as paper. The printing processing can use a printer head, its drive device, ink, etc. that the functional unit 203 has to print image data. The functional unit 309 of the AP 101 can execute functions such as LAN management.

[0033] (Processing flow) The above-mentioned operation flow by the STA 111 and the sequences between the AP 101 and the STA 111 and STA 112 will be explained using some processing examples.

[0034] (Processing flow in STA111) First, an example of the operation when the STA 111 communicates with the STA 112 via the AP 101 will be described. FIG. 4 shows an example of the operation flow executed by the STA 111. In this example, the STA 111 is a PC, and the STA 112 is a printer. Note that the STA 111 may also be referred to as the PC 111, and the STA 112 as the printer 112. Also, it is assumed that a connection 121 between the AP 101 and the STA 111 and a connection 122 between the AP 101 and the STA 112 have already been established. In this example, it is assumed that a user inputs an instruction to print document data, image data, etc., in the PC 111, and a print job is generated. If the printer 112 is registered as the output destination of the print job on the PC 111, the PC 111 starts communication with the printer 112 based on the generation of the print job. For example, the PC 111 performs IPP-compliant communication with the printer 112, thereby determining the printer 112 as the printer that will execute the print job (S401). IPP is an abbreviation for Internet Printing Protocol. In this example, we will explain the case where print data is communicated between PC 111 and printer 112, but the communication device operating as an STA and the data communicated are not limited to this, and the operation of this example can be applied to various types of communication devices and communication data.

[0035] When the PC 111 starts communication with the printer 112 via the AP 101, it acquires information about the communication between the AP 101 and the printer 112 from the AP 101. For example, the PC 111 requests information about the connection 122 from the AP 101 (S402) and acquires it (S403). This information may be called link information. The request and acquisition of the link information may be performed by the link information communication unit 308 in each of the PC 111 and the AP 101 using an Action frame. The configuration of the Action frame will be described later. The link information about the connection 122 may be, for example, information that can identify whether single-link communication or multi-link communication is being performed in the connection 122. Furthermore, if multi-link communication is being performed in the connection 122, the link information may be information that can identify the number of links that make up the multi-link, or information (e.g., a TTLM) that can identify the association between each link and the type of traffic.

[0036] The PC 111 executes control of the connection 121 between its own device and the AP 101 based on the link information of the connection 122 acquired from the AP 101 (S404). For example, the PC 111 controls whether to use communication using a single link or multi-link communication in the connection 121. For example, the PC 111 may control the connection 121 to use single-link communication based on the fact that single-link communication is being performed in the connection 122. The PC 111 may also control the connection 121 to use multi-link communication based on the fact that single-link communication is being performed in the connection 122. The PC 111 may also control the connection 121 to use multi-link communication based on the fact that single-link communication is being performed in the connection 122. The PC 111 may also control the number of links to be used in the multi-link of the connection 121 based on the link information of the connection 122. For example, the PC 111 may control the connection 121 to perform multi-link communication using more links than the number of links used in the connection 122 based on the number of links used in the connection 122. For example, based on acquiring link information indicating that multilink communication using two links is being performed in connection 122, PC 111 may control connection 121 to perform multilink communication using two or more links. This allows multilink communication to be performed in connection 121 using more links than the number of links used in connection 122, thereby reducing the possibility that the communication speed of connection 122 will be lower than the communication speed of connection 122. Note that when more links than the number of links used in connection 122 are available in connection 121, PC 111 may perform multilink communication using more links than the number of links used in connection 122.

[0037] The PC 111 transmits print data including a print job using the connection 121 (S405). The print data is transmitted to the printer 112 via the AP 101. IPP may be used for communicating the print data. The PC 111 terminates processing when printing is complete. If the PC 111 starts communication using multilink communication based on the link information of the connection 122, it may terminate the use of multilink communication when the communication ends. For example, the PC 111 may change the communication method used in the connection 121 from multilink communication to single link communication when the communication of the print data ends. By switching to single link communication, the PC 111 can reduce power consumption compared to multilink communication. For example, the PC 111 may use multilink communication when high-speed communication with the other communication device is desired, and use single link communication otherwise, thereby saving power consumption and enabling high-speed communication as needed. If the PC 111 starts communication using single link communication based on the link information of the connection 122, it may terminate the use of single link communication when the communication ends. For example, upon completion of communication of print data, the PC 111 may change the communication used in the connection 121 from single-link communication to multi-link communication. Furthermore, upon completion of communication with the printer 112, the PC 111 may change the number of links used for the multi-link communication in the connection 121 to the number of links used before communication with the printer 112.

[0038] Switching from single-link communication to multi-link communication in the connection 121 can be performed, for example, by adding a new link to the connection established with a single link. In this case, the PC 111 can request the addition of a link by transmitting a Link Reconfiguration Request frame to the AP 101. The Link Reconfiguration Request frame can include a Reconfiguration Multi-Link element including a Per-STA Profile subelement containing information identifying the link requested to be added. The information identifying the link requested to be added can be a Link ID. Furthermore, the PC 111 can perform single-link communication by enabling only one link in the connection 121 established with a multi-link and disabling the other links. In this case, the PC 111 can perform switching to multi-link communication by enabling the disabled link. Furthermore, the PC 111 can perform single-link communication by setting one link of the multi-links to an AWAKE state and the other links to a DOZE state. In this case, the PC 111 can perform switching to multi-link communication by transitioning the doze-state links to an AWAKE state. Furthermore, PC 111 may perform single-link communication by associating a predetermined type of traffic with only one link in the TTML and not associating other links with the predetermined type of traffic. In this case, PC 111 may switch to multi-link communication by modifying the TTML so that at least one other link is associated with the predetermined type of traffic. Note that if PC 111 has established connection 121 with a single link, it may switch to multi-link communication by re-establishing the connection using multi-link setup. In this case, PC 111 may establish connection 121 by transmitting a Reassociation Request frame including an ML element containing multiple Link IDs to AP 101.

[0039] Switching from multi-link communication to single-link communication in the connection 121 can be performed, for example, by deleting some links from the connection established in the multi-link. In this case, the PC 111 can request link deletion by transmitting a Link Reconfiguration Request frame to the AP 101. The Link Reconfiguration Request frame can include a Reconfiguration Multi-Link element including a Per-STA Profile subelement containing information identifying the link requested to be deleted. The information identifying the link requested to be deleted can be a Link ID. The PC 111 can also switch to single-link communication by leaving one link of the connection 121 established in the multi-link and disabling the other links. Furthermore, if multiple links in the connection 121 are in the AWAKE state, the PC 111 can switch to single-link communication by setting one of the links to the AWAKE state and the other links to the DOZE state. Furthermore, if a predetermined type of traffic is associated with multiple links in the TTML for the connection 121, the PC 111 may switch to single-link communication by making a change so that the predetermined type of traffic is associated with only one link. If the connection 121 was established using multiple links, the PC 111 may switch to single-link communication by re-establishing the connection using a single link. In this case, the PC 111 may establish the connection 121 by transmitting a Reassociation Request frame to the AP 101 without using a multilink Reassociation Request frame.

[0040] The number of links used in multilink communication in the connection 121 may be changed, for example, by adding a new link or reducing an established link. In this case, the PC 111 may request the addition or reduction of a link by transmitting a Link Reconfiguration Request frame to the AP 101. The PC 111 may also change the settings of each link to change the number of links used in multilink communication in the connection 121. For example, the PC 111 may enable a disabled link to increase the number of links used. The PC 111 may change a link in a doze state to an awake state to increase the number of links used. On the other hand, the PC 111 may disable an enabled link to reduce the number of links used. The PC 111 may change a link in an awake state to a doze state to reduce the number of links used. The PC 111 may also change the number of links used by changing the number of links associated with a specific type of traffic in the TTML to change the number of links used in multilink communication in the connection 121. The PC 111 may reconnect to the AP 101 to change the number of links used in multilink communication in the connection 121.

[0041] (Link control operation in STA111) An example of the operation of link control of connection 121 that is executed when STA 111 acquires link information of connection 122 will be described. In this example, an example will be described in which STA 111 controls whether to use single-link communication or multi-link communication for communication based on the link information of connection 122 acquired by STA 111 from AP 101. For example, the operation in this example can be executed in S402-S404 of FIG. 4.

[0042] FIG. 5 shows an example of a frame format used when the STA 111 requests link information of the connection 122 from the AP 101. This frame can be used in S402 of FIG. 4. The frame format shown in FIG. 5 shows an example of using an Action frame defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard series, but other frames may be used to request link information. The Action frame includes a MAC header 501, a frame body 502, and an FCS 503. FCS is an abbreviation for Frame Check Sequence. The frame body in an Action frame can be called an Action frame body. The Action frame body 502 can include a Category 504 and Action Details 505. The Category 504 is a field that indicates the type of Action frame. For example, if a value of 37 is set, this indicates that the Action frame is a Protected EHT Action frame. The Protected EHT Action frame is one of the Action frames defined in the IEEE 802.11be standard. The Action Details 505 is a field whose contents vary depending on the value of the Category 504. For example, the action details 505 may include a link information request 506, a length 507, and a target STA address 508. The action details 505 may include other information.

[0043] Link information request 506 indicates that this Protected EHT Action frame is an Action frame for a link information request. Length 507 indicates the length of the subsequent fields in this frame. Target STA address 508 includes information identifying the STAs that make up the connection corresponding to the link information desired to be obtained by this request. For example, the information identifying the STAs may be MAC addresses. For example, if STA 111 requests link information for connection 122, the MAC address of STA 112 is set. Note that in a situation where multiple STAs are connected to an AP, and link information is requested for each of the connections between the AP and the multiple STAs, multiple link information requests 506 may be included in the Protected EHT Action frame. In this case, the MAC address of each STA that makes up the connection for which link information is desired to be obtained may be specified in each link information request 506.

[0044] FIG. 6 shows an example of a frame format used when the AP 101 provides link information of the connection 122 to the STA 111. This frame can be used in S403 of FIG. 4. The frame format shown in FIG. 6 shows an example of using an Action frame defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard series, but other frames can be used to provide link information. In FIG. 6, the same components as those in FIG. 5 are given the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted. That is, the MAC header 501-Category 504 can be configured in the same way as in FIG. 5. The action details 505 can be configured to include a link information response 601, a length 602, and target STA link information 603. The link information response 601 indicates that this Protected EHT Action frame is an Action frame of the link information response. The length 602 indicates the length of the subsequent fields in this frame.

[0045] The target STA link information 603 may include a target STA address 604 and link information 605. The target STA address 604 indicates information identifying the STA that constitutes the connection corresponding to the link information provided by the subsequent link information 605. The information identifying the STA may be, for example, a MAC address. For example, if STA 111 requests link information for connection 122, the target STA address in the link information response 601 that responds to this request indicates the MAC address of STA 112. The link information 605 indicates the link information of the connection provided by this link information response. For example, the link information 605 may include information indicating whether single-link communication or multi-link communication is being performed in the target connection. The link information 605 may also include information indicating the number of links established in the target link. The information provided as the link information may be other than these. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the TTLMS for the target connection are provided as link information. That is, the link information 605 may include TID0 information 606-TID7 information 608. TID0 information 606 is information indicating a link associated with TID0. Furthermore, TID7 information 608 is information indicating a link associated with TID7. In this way, link information 605 may include eight pieces of TID information corresponding to TID0-TID7, respectively. Each piece of TID information may include a Direction 609 and a Link Mapping 610. Direction 609 indicates whether the subsequent Link Mapping 610 relates to downlink or uplink communication. For example, Direction 609 may be set to a value indicating downlink (from AP to STA), uplink (from STA to AP), or both (both AP to STA and STA to AP). Link Mapping 610 indicates the link over which traffic of each TID is communicated. In other words, Link Mapping 610 may indicate the TLM for the target connection. Link Mapping 610 may indicate the TLM using, for example, a bitmap representation.In this case, each bit constituting Link Mapping 610 indicates whether or not each link is associated with the TID. For example, Link Mapping 610 may be associated with each of Links 0-14 using two octets of bits. Each bit may be set to a value of 1 if used for communicating traffic for that TID, and set to a value of 0 if not used for communicating traffic for that TID. The method of indicating the TLM in Link Mapping 610 may be other than a bitmap.

[0046] As described above, the link information may provide information that can identify whether single-link communication or multi-link communication is being used in connection 122. This configuration can significantly reduce the amount of information required to indicate the link information compared to when a TTLM is provided. Furthermore, the link information may provide the number of links established in connection 122 or the number of links being used. This configuration can reduce the amount of information required to indicate the link information compared to when a TTLM is provided, and also enable STA 111 to identify the number of links to be used in multi-link communication. For example, STA 111 can be controlled to perform multi-link communication for connection 121 using more links than the number of links being used in connection 122.

[0047] FIG. 7 shows an example of an operational flow of link control of the connection 121 in the STA 111. This operational flow may be executed in S404 of FIG. 4. That is, this operational flow may be executed, for example, based on the STA 111 receiving an Action frame including Link Mapping 610 from the AP 101. First, the STA 111 analyzes link information of the connection 122 acquired from the AP 101 (S701). For example, the STA 111 assumes that the acquired link information indicates whether single-link communication or multi-link communication is being used for communication in the connection 122. In this case, the STA 111 uses this information to determine whether single-link communication or multi-link communication is being used for communication in the connection 122. Note that the analysis of the link information by the STA 111 may differ depending on the subsequent processing. For example, when determining whether single-link communication or multi-link communication is to be used for the connection 121 in the subsequent processing, the STA 111 may determine whether single-link communication or multi-link communication is being used for the connection 122. In this case, the link information may be information indicating whether the connection 122 is performing single-link communication or multi-link communication, or may be a TTL. For example, the STA 111 may determine that multi-link communication is being performed based on the fact that multiple bits corresponding to different links in the TTL. In the subsequent process, when determining the number of links to be used in the connection 121, the STA 111 may determine the number of links being used in the connection 122 by identifying the number of different links corresponding to the bits set to 1 in the TTL. The STA 111 may also obtain information indicating the number of links being used as the link information of the connection 122.

[0048] STA111 may perform analysis targeting the TID of traffic used in communication with STA112. For example, even if multi-link communication is performed over connection 122, the TID of the traffic used by STA111 in communication with STA112 may be associated with only one link. In this case, STA111 may determine that communication is performed over connection 122 using single-link communication. For example, if the acquired link information is a TTLM, STA111 uses the TTLM included in Link Mapping 610 to determine the link associated with the TID of the traffic used by its own device in communication with STA112. For example, assume that STA111 communicates print data with STA112 and the print data traffic is associated with TID5. In this case, STA111 determines that the link corresponding to the bit set to 1 in Link Mapping 610 corresponding to TID5 is the link used for communication of this traffic. Then, if only one of the bits corresponding to TID5 is set to 1, STA111 may determine that communication is performed over connection 122 using single-link communication. Furthermore, if multiple bits corresponding to a TID are set to 1, STA 111 may determine that connection 122 is communicating using multi-link communication. Similarly, STA 111 may determine the number of links to be used in connection 121 based on the number of links used in connection 122, targeting the TID of the traffic used in communication with STA 112. In the above case, STA 111 may determine, for example, the number of bits corresponding to TID5 in the acquired TTLM for connection 122 that are set to a value of 1 as the number of links used in connection 122.

[0049] The STA 111 determines the communication status of the connection 122 based on the analysis result (S702). For example, the STA 111 determines whether the connection 122 is performing single-link communication or multi-link communication (S702). If it is determined that the connection 122 is performing multi-link communication (YES in S702), the STA 111 may change the connection 121 to perform multi-link communication. For example, the STA 111 requests the AP 101 to add a link to be used. On the other hand, if it is determined that the connection 122 is performing single-link communication (NO in S702), the STA 111 maintains the settings of the connection 121 and continues communication. The STA 111 then communicates with the STA 112 (S704). For example, the STA 111 sends print data to the STA 112 to execute a print job. After completing communication with the STA 112, the STA 111 may return the connection 121 to the state it was in before control for performing multi-link communication was performed (S705). For example, the STA 111 may request the AP 101 to delete the link it is using.

[0050] (Example of a sequence between AP101 and STA110) An example of a frame exchange sequence executed between the AP 101 and each STA 110 when the STA 111 operates as described above will be described. FIG. 8 shows an example of a frame exchange sequence executed between the AP 101 and each STA 110. In this example, it is assumed that a second communication is being performed between the AP 101 and the STA 112 using multi-link communication (F801). It is also assumed that a first communication is being performed between the AP 101 and the STA 111 using single-link communication (F802). The STA 111 starts communication with the STA 112 based on an input from a user, for example. For example, the STA 111 executes a printer search according to IPP based on an input command to start a print process (F803). The printer search can be executed using the connection 121 and the connection 122 established between the AP 101 and the STA 111 and the STA 112, respectively. It is assumed that the STA 111 determines the STA 112 as the destination of the print job based on a response from the STA 112.

[0051] The STA 111 requests link information for the connection 122 from the AP 101 (F804). For example, the STA 111 may request link information for the connection 122 between the AP 102 and the STA 112 by specifying the STA 112 in the link information request. Upon receiving the link information request from the STA 111 (F804), the AP 101 transmits a link information response providing the link information for the connection 122 (F805). For example, the AP 101 provides the link information for the connection 122 by transmitting a response including information indicating the TLM. The STA 111 performs link control based on the acquired link information for the connection 122. For example, the STA 111 may request the AP 101 to switch to multi-link communication based on determining that the connection 122 is performing multi-link communication (F806). For example, the STA 111 may notify the AP 101 of a frame requesting the addition of a new link, the activation of a disabled link, or the transition of a doze link to the awake state. The AP 101 changes the settings of the connection 121 in response to a request from the STA 111. For example, the AP 101 notifies the STA 111 of a frame to add a new link to the connection 121, enable a disabled link, or transition a DOZE state link to an AWAKE state. This allows multi-link communication to be used in the connection 121.

[0052] The STA 111 communicates with the AP 101 using multilink communication and transmits print data to the STA 112 (F807). The STA 112 executes a print job based on the received print data. The STA 111 terminates the multilink communication on the connection 121 based on the completion of communication with the STA 112 (F808). For example, the STA 111 requests the AP 101 to switch the connection 121 to single-link communication. For example, the STA 111 may notify the AP 101 of a frame requesting the deletion of an added link, the invalidation of an enabled link, or the transition of a link that has transitioned to the AWAKE state to the DOZE state. The AP 101 changes the settings of the connection 121 in response to the request from the STA 111. For example, the AP 101 notifies the STA 111 of a frame requesting the deletion of an added link on the connection 121, the invalidation of an enabled link, or the transition of a link that has transitioned to the AWAKE state to the DOZE state. This terminates the multilink communication on the connection 121.

[0053] (Variation 1) The above description uses an example in which STA 111 obtains link information for connection 122 from AP 101. Here, for STA 111 to obtain link information for connection 122 from AP 101, both AP 101 and STA 111 must be capable of exchanging link information. For example, AP 101 and STA 111 must be able to communicate using the frames shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Therefore, for example, if AP 101 does not have this capability, STA 111 cannot perform the above-mentioned link control. Therefore, in this example, an example in which STA 111 obtains link information for connection 122 from STA 112 will be described. As a result, even if AP 101 does not have the capability to provide link information for connection 122 to STA 111, STA 111 can perform link control for connection 121 based on the link information for connection 122 by obtaining this information from STA 112. In this example, the operation by STA 111 to obtain link information for connection 122 differs from the above example. Therefore, the flow of operations in the STA 111 will be described first, followed by an example of a frame format used when the STA 111 obtains link information from the STA 112. Other operations can be executed in the same manner as described above.

[0054] Fig. 9 shows an example of an operational flow executed in STA 111. Operations similar to those in Fig. 4 are assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted. That is, in Fig. 9, PC 111 determines printer 112 as the printer that will execute a print job (S401), and upon starting communication with printer 112, acquires link information related to connection 122 from printer 112. That is, PC 111 requests link information for connection 122 from printer 112 (S901), and acquires the link information for connection 122 from printer 112 (S902). Then, based on the acquired link information, PC 111 performs link control for connection 121, communication for executing the print job, and the like (S404-S406).

[0055] FIG. 10 shows an example of a frame format used when STA 111 requests link information for connection 122 from STA 112. This frame may be used in S901 of FIG. 9. The frame format shown in FIG. 10 shows an example using a data frame defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard series, but other frames may be used to request link information. In FIG. 10, the same components as those in FIG. 5 are assigned the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted. That is, the data frame includes a MAC header 501, a frame body 502, and an FCS 503, similar to the Action frame in FIG. 5. The frame body in the data frame may be referred to as a data frame body. The data frame body 502 may include an IP header 1001 and a payload 1002. The IP header includes the IP address of the destination communication device, the IP address of the source communication device, etc. The payload 1002 may include a TCP header 1003 and a payload 1004. The TCP header 1003 includes a destination port number, a destination port number, a sequence number, etc. Payload 1004 may be configured to include link information request 1005. Link information request 1005 indicates that this TCP packet is a request for link information. For example, link information request 1005 may be transferred to an upper layer (such as an application layer) of printer 112 and processed in that upper layer. For example, the upper layer of printer 112 may acquire link information for connection 122 from its own link control unit 307 based on a request from PC 111. Note that link information request 1005 may include information for identifying the sender.

[0056] FIG. 11 shows an example of a frame format used when the STA 112 provides link information for the connection 122 to the STA 111. This frame can be used in S902 of FIG. 9. The frame format shown in FIG. 11 shows an example using a data frame conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard, but other frames can be used to provide the link information. In FIG. 11, the same components as those in FIGS. 5, 6, and 10 are assigned the same reference numerals and will not be described again. That is, the MAC header 501-FCS 503 can be configured in the same way as in FIG. 5. The data frame body 502 can be configured in the same way as in FIG. 10. The payload 1004 can be configured to include link information 605. The link information 605 can include information capable of identifying the TLM for the connection 122, as in FIG. 6. That is, the upper layer of the printer 112 can generate a TCP packet payload using the link information for the connection 122 acquired from the link control unit 307 of the printer 112, and transmit the payload to the PC 111 as a data frame. For example, this process may be performed using the link information communication unit 308 of the printer 112. The link information 605 may include information indicating that this TCP packet is a link information response. The link information 605 may also include information that can identify the communication device that is the destination of this TCP packet and the communication device that is the sender. Note that if the link information request 1005 received by the printer 112 includes information that can identify a series of communications (for example, dialogue information), the link information 605 may include the same dialogue information. This allows the PC 111 to identify that this is a response to a link information request that it sent.

[0057] (Variation 2) The above describes an example in which STA 111 controls whether single-link communication or multi-link communication is used in communication over connection 121, and controls the number of links to be used in multi-link communication, based on link information for connection 122. In this example, when multi-link communication is performed over both connection 121 and connection 122, STA 111 controls the TLM for connection 121 based on link information for connection 122. For example, even if multi-link communication is performed over connection 121 and connection 122 using the same number of links, if the frequencies or frequency bands used on each link are different, the difference in communication speed between the connections may be significant. Therefore, by using the same frequency or frequency band for each link, it is possible to prevent a large difference in communication speed between the connections. For example, STA 111 can identify a link associated with a specific TID by acquiring the TLM for connection 122. By identifying a link associated with a specific TID, STA 111 can identify the frequency or frequency band used on that link. For example, STA111 identifies the TTLM for connection 122 using the acquired link information for connection 122. If there is a difference between the TTLM for connection 121 and the TTLM for connection 122, STA111 changes the TTLM for connection 121. This enables STA111 to further reduce the difference in communication speed between connection 121 and connection 122 in communication with STA112. In this example, the operation after STA111 acquires the link information for connection 122 differs from the above example. Therefore, an example of the link control operation after STA111 acquires the link information for connection 122 will be described. Other operations can be executed in the same way as above.

[0058] FIG. 12 shows an example of an operational flow of link control in STA 111. This operational flow can be executed in S404 of FIG. 4 or FIG. 9. That is, this operational flow can be executed, for example, based on STA 111 receiving a TLM from AP 101 or STA 112 as link information for connection 122. First, STA 111 analyzes the acquired link information for connection 122 (S1201). For example, STA 111 uses the acquired TLM to identify a link associated with a TID of a predetermined type of traffic used by its own device to communicate with STA 112. For example, if STA 111 communicates print data with STA 112 and the print data traffic is associated with TID 5, STA 111 identifies the link associated with TID 5.

[0059] The STA 111 determines whether the identified link is the same as or different from the link associated with the TID of a predetermined type of traffic in the TTLM of the multi-link communication in the connection 121 (S1202). For example, the STA 111 determines whether the bitmap in the TTLM of the connection 121 and the bitmap in the TTLM of the connection 122 are the same for a predetermined TID. In other words, the STA 111 determines whether the Link IDs associated with the predetermined TID are the same. If the links associated with the predetermined TID are different (YES in S1202), the STA 111 changes the TTLM of the connection 121 so that the links associated with the predetermined TID are the same (S1203). For example, the STA 111 can request a change in the TTLM by transmitting a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame to the AP 101. Furthermore, if the links associated with the predetermined TID are the same (NO in S1202), the STA 111 maintains the TTLM of the connection 121. Then, STA 111 executes communication with STA 112 (S1204). For example, STA 111 transmits print data to STA 112 to execute a print job. When communication with STA 112 is completed, STA 111 may return the TTLM of connection 121 to the state before the above control was performed (S1205). For example, STA 111 may request a change in the TTLM of connection 121 by retransmitting a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame to AP 101. Note that if STA 111 has not changed the TTLM of connection 121 based on the link information of connection 122, it may skip S1205.

[0060] STA 111 may determine whether the TTLM for connection 122 is the same as the TTLM for connection 121 for each of two or more TIDs, and change the TTLM for connection 121 so that the TTLMs for the respective TIDs match. For example, STA 111 may change the TTLM for connection 121 so that the links associated with some or all of the TIDs in the TTLM for connection 122 and the TTLM for connection 121 are the same. In this case, after changing the TTLM for connection 121, STA 111 may associate a predetermined type of traffic to be communicated with STA 112 with any TID. For example, STA 111 may associate a predetermined type of traffic with a TID associated with a link with a high communication speed. This allows STA 111 to communicate with STA 112 using the link with a high communication speed.

[0061] 13 shows an example of a frame exchange sequence executed between the AP 101 and each STA 110 when the STA 111 performs the operation shown in FIG. 12. In this example, it is assumed that multilink communication is taking place between the AP 101 and the STA 112 (F1301). It is also assumed that multilink communication is taking place between the AP 101 and the STA 111 (F1302). The STA 111 starts communication with the STA 112 based on an input from a user, etc. For example, the STA 111 executes a printer search according to IPP based on input of a print processing instruction (F1303). The printer search can be executed using the connections 121 and 122 established between the AP 101 and the STA 111 and the STA 112, respectively. It is assumed that the STA 111 determines the STA 112 as the destination of the print job based on a response from the STA 112.

[0062] The STA 111 requests link information for the connection 122 from the AP 102 (F1304). Upon receiving the link information request from the STA 111 (F1304), the AP 101 transmits a link information response providing the link information for the connection 122 (F1305). For example, the AP 101 transmits a response including information indicating the TTLM for the connection 122. The STA 111 performs link control based on the acquired TTLM for the connection 122. For example, the STA 111 determines whether a link associated with a specific TID in the TTLM for the connection 122 is the same as a link associated with a specific TID in the TTLM for the connection 121. If the STA 111 determines that these links are different, it may request the AP 101 to change the TTLM for the connection 121 so that these links become the same (F1306). For example, the STA 111 may request a change in the TTLM by transmitting a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame to the AP 101. The AP 101 changes the TTLM of the connection 121 in response to a request from the STA 111 (F1306). For example, the AP 101 transmits a TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame. When this frame is received by the STA 111, the TTLM of the connection 121 is changed. The STA 111 then communicates with the STA 112 via the connections 121 and 122 (F1307). For example, the STA 111 transmits print data to the STA 112 via the AP 101. The STA 112 executes a print job based on the received print data. The STA 111 may restore the TTLM of the connection 121 based on the completion of communication with the STA 112 (F1308). For example, the STA 111 transmits a TID-To-Link Mapping Request frame to the AP 101 again. The AP 101 again changes the TTLM of the connection 121 in response to the request from the STA 111. For example, AP 101 retransmits the TID-To-Link Mapping Response frame, which restores the TLM on connection 121.

[0063] (Variation 3) In this example, a case will be described in which STA 111 acquires a value indicating the communication speed of connection 122 as link information for connection 122. That is, STA 111 controls the first communication in connection 121 to use multi-link communication based on the fact that the communication speed of the second communication performed in connection 122 is high. On the other hand, STA 111 can control the first communication to use single-link communication based on the fact that the communication speed of the second communication is low.

[0064] The value indicating the communication speed may be, for example, a statistical value such as the maximum, average, or minimum value of the throughput actually measured in the connection 122, or may be a value determined from communication parameters used in the AP 101 or the STA 112 or a combination thereof. The communication parameters may be, for example, the number of MIMO spatial streams, frequency bandwidth, number of subcarriers, MCS, guard interval length, etc. MIMO is an abbreviation for Multiple Input, Multiple Output. MCS may be an abbreviation for Modulation and Coding Scheme. The communication parameters may include other parameters.

[0065] The STA 111 may determine that the communication speed of the connection 122 is high when the value indicating the communication speed of the connection 122 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and may determine that the communication speed of the connection 122 is low when the value indicating the communication speed of the connection 122 is below the predetermined value. The predetermined value may be a fixed value determined in advance, or may be a value determined based on the communication status and settings of the connection 121. For example, the STA 111 may determine the value indicating the communication speed of the connection 121 using the same method as when determining the value indicating the communication speed of the connection 122, and use the determined value or a value calculated based on that value (such as a value to which a predetermined offset value has been added) as the predetermined value.

[0066] The following describes an operation performed by the STA 111 when the STA 111 performs link control of the connection 121 based on a value indicating the communication speed of the connection 122. FIG. 14 shows an example of an operational flow of link control in the STA 111. This operational flow can be executed in S404 of FIG. 4 or FIG. 9. That is, this operational flow can be executed, for example, based on the STA 111 acquiring a value indicating the communication speed as link information of the connection 122 from the AP 101 or the STA 112. First, the STA 111 analyzes the acquired link information of the connection 122 (S1401). For example, the STA 111 determines whether the value indicating the communication speed of the connection 122 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (S1402). Note that the STA 111 may make this determination by acquiring a value indicating the communication speed acquired from the AP 101 or the STA 112, or may make this determination by generating a value indicating the communication speed based on information acquired from the AP 101 or the STA 112. That is, the STA 111 may acquire measurement values ​​or communication parameters for generating a value indicating the communication speed from the AP 101 or the STA 112. If the STA 111 determines that the value indicating the communication speed of the connection 122 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (YES in S1402), it changes the connection 121 to use multi-link communication (S1403). For example, the STA 111 requests the AP 101 to add a link to be used. On the other hand, if the STA 111 determines that the value indicating the communication speed of the connection 122 is less than a predetermined value (NO in S1402), it maintains the settings of the connection 121 and continues communication. The STA 111 then communicates with the STA 112 (S1404). For example, the STA 111 transmits print data to the STA 112 to execute a print job. When the communication with the STA 112 is completed, the STA 111 may return the connection 121 to the state before control for performing multi-link communication was performed (S1405). For example, the STA 111 may request the AP 101 to delete the link it is using.

[0067] As described above, according to this embodiment, when a communication device communicates with another communication device via an AP, the communication device controls whether to use single-link communication or multi-link communication between the communication device and the AP based on information regarding communication between the AP and the other communication device. For example, the communication device controls multi-link communication between the communication device and the AP based on the fact that multi-link communication is being performed between the AP and the other communication device. Furthermore, the communication device performs single-link communication between the communication device and the AP based on the fact that single-link communication is being performed between the AP and the other communication device. Alternatively, the communication device performs single-link communication or multi-link communication between the communication device and the AP based on the fact that single-link communication is being performed between the AP and the other communication device. With this configuration, in an environment in which the communication device can perform multi-link communication, a difference in communication speed between the communication device and the AP and the communication between the other communication device and the AP is less likely to occur. This makes it possible to avoid the communication performance of the entire communication being limited by the communication speed of one communication. Furthermore, when another communication device is performing single-link communication with an AP, the communication device may perform multi-link communication, thereby preventing the communication device from wasting power. Thus, this embodiment makes it possible to provide a power-saving product by appropriately utilizing single-link communication while providing high communication performance to users through multi-link communication.

[0068] 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.

[0069] (Summary of the embodiment) At least some of the above-described embodiments can be summarized as follows. (Item 1) A communication device that communicates with another communication device connected to an access point via the access point, the communication method being specified in the IEEE 802.11 standard series, a communication means for performing a first communication with the access point using either single-link communication or multi-link communication; an acquisition means for acquiring predetermined information regarding a second communication performed between the other communication device and the access point; and a control means for controlling whether to use single-link communication or multi-link communication for the first communication based on the predetermined information. A communication device comprising: (Item 2) the predetermined information includes information that can identify whether the second communication is performed using single-link communication or multi-link communication, The control means executing the control to perform the first communication using single link communication based on the second communication being performed using single link communication; and executing the control to perform the first communication using multilink communication based on the second communication being performed using multilink communication. 2. The communication device according to item 1, (Item 3) the predetermined information includes information that can identify whether the second communication is performed using single-link communication or multi-link communication, The control means executing the control to perform the first communication using single link communication or multi-link communication based on the second communication being performed using single link communication; and executing the control to perform the first communication using multilink communication based on the second communication being performed using multilink communication. 2. The communication device according to item 1, (Item 4) the predetermined information includes information capable of identifying the number of links established in the second communication, When more than the number of links are available for use in the first communication, the control means executes the control to perform the first communication using more than the number of links. 2. The communication device according to item 1, (Item 5) the predetermined information includes information capable of further identifying a frequency band of a link used for communication of a predetermined type of traffic among the links used for the second communication, The control means performs the control so that a link having the same frequency band as a link used for communication of the predetermined type of traffic in the second communication, among the links used for the first communication, is used for communication of the predetermined type of traffic in the first communication. 5. The communication device according to item 4, (Item 6) the predetermined information includes information capable of identifying a link used for communication of a predetermined type of traffic among the links used for the second communication, The control means executes the control so that, in the first communication, the communication of the predetermined type of traffic is performed using links equal to or greater than the number of links used for communication of the predetermined type of traffic. 2. The communication device according to item 1, (Item 7) the predetermined information includes information indicating a value related to a communication speed of the second communication, The control means executing the control to perform the first communication using single link communication based on the value related to the communication speed being less than a predetermined value; and executing the control to perform the first communication using multi-link communication based on the value related to the communication speed being equal to or greater than a predetermined value. 2. The communication device according to item 1, (Item 8) The acquisition means acquires the predetermined information from the access point. 8. The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 7, (Item 9) The acquisition means acquires the predetermined information using an Action frame. 9. The communication device according to item 8, (Item 10) The acquisition means acquires the predetermined information from the other communication device. 8. The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 7, (Item 11) The acquisition means acquires the predetermined information using a data frame. 11. The communication device according to item 10. (Item 12) When the first communication is started using multilink communication based on the predetermined information, the control means executes the control to terminate the use of the multilink communication based on the termination of communication with the other communication device. 12. The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 11, (Item 13) A communication method executed by a communication device that performs first communication using either single-link communication or multi-link communication with an access point that communicates in accordance with a communication method defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard series, and communicates with another communication device connected to the access point via the access point, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring predetermined information regarding a second communication performed between the other communication device and the access point; and a control step of controlling whether to use single-link communication or multi-link communication to perform the first communication based on the predetermined information. A communication method comprising: (Item 14) A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means possessed by the communication device according to any one of items 1 to 12.

[0070] 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]

[0071] 101:AP, 111:STA, 112:STA

Claims

1. A communication device that communicates with another communication device connected to an access point via the access point, the communication method being specified in the IEEE 802.11 standard series, a communication means for performing a first communication with the access point using either single-link communication or multi-link communication; an acquisition means for acquiring predetermined information regarding a second communication performed between the other communication device and the access point; and a control means for controlling whether to use single-link communication or multi-link communication for the first communication based on the predetermined information. A communication device comprising:

2. the predetermined information includes information that can identify whether the second communication is performed using single-link communication or multi-link communication, The control means executing the control to perform the first communication using single link communication based on the second communication being performed using single link communication; and executing the control to perform the first communication using multi-link communication based on the second communication being performed using multi-link communication.

2. The communication device according to claim 1.

3. the predetermined information includes information that can identify whether the second communication is performed using single-link communication or multi-link communication, The control means executing the control to perform the first communication using single link communication or multi-link communication based on the second communication being performed using single link communication; and executing the control to perform the first communication using multi-link communication based on the second communication being performed using multi-link communication.

2. The communication device according to claim 1.

4. the predetermined information includes information capable of identifying the number of links established in the second communication, When more than the number of links are available for use in the first communication, the control means executes the control to perform the first communication using more than the number of links.

2. The communication device according to claim 1.

5. the predetermined information includes information capable of further identifying a frequency band of a link used for communication of a predetermined type of traffic among the links used for the second communication, The control means performs the control so that a link having the same frequency band as a link used for communication of the predetermined type of traffic in the second communication, among the links used for the first communication, is used for communication of the predetermined type of traffic in the first communication.

5. The communication device according to claim 4.

6. the predetermined information includes information capable of identifying a link used for communication of a predetermined type of traffic among the links used for the second communication, The control means executes the control so that, in the first communication, the communication of the predetermined type of traffic is performed using links equal to or greater than the number of links used for communication of the predetermined type of traffic.

2. The communication device according to claim 1.

7. the predetermined information includes information indicating a value related to a communication speed of the second communication, The control means executing the control to perform the first communication using single link communication based on the value related to the communication speed being less than a predetermined value; and executing the control to perform the first communication using multi-link communication based on the value relating to the communication speed being equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

2. The communication device according to claim 1.

8. The acquisition means acquires the predetermined information from the access point.

2. The communication device according to claim 1.

9. The acquisition means acquires the predetermined information using an Action frame.

9. The communication device according to claim 8.

10. The acquisition means acquires the predetermined information from the other communication device.

2. The communication device according to claim 1.

11. The acquisition means acquires the predetermined information using a data frame.

11. The communication device according to claim 10.

12. When the first communication is started using multi-link communication based on the predetermined information, the control means executes the control to terminate the use of the multi-link communication based on the termination of communication with the other communication device.

2. The communication device according to claim 1.

13. A communication method executed by a communication device that performs first communication using either single-link communication or multi-link communication with an access point that communicates in accordance with a communication method defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard series, and communicates with another communication device connected to the access point via the access point, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring predetermined information related to a second communication performed between the other communication device and the access point; and a control step of controlling whether to use single-link communication or multi-link communication to perform the first communication based on the predetermined information. A communication method comprising:

14. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means included in the communication device according to claim 1.

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