Communication control device

Abstract

The present invention provides a communication control device that suppresses the exponential increase in terminal waiting time during communication and improves the reliability of communication. [Solution] The communication control device of the present disclosure includes a first wireless communication unit included in a first communication device, which controls the first wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with a second communication device on one or more access channels, and the first control unit controls the first wireless communication unit to receive a first signal from the second communication device that identifies a plurality of frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain, to transmit a second signal to the second communication device using a portion or all of the selected frequency resources from the plurality of frequency resources, and to receive a third signal transmitted by the second communication device in response to the second signal, which includes information indicating permission for the first communication device to transmit or to request transmission.

Description

Technical Field

[0004] , , ,

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a communication control device.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, applications that handle low-latency traffic such as XR (Cross Reality) and communication within a factory have emerged. When communicating low-latency traffic using Wi-Fi, a mechanism called EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access) is used to prioritize the transmission of low-latency traffic while avoiding communication collisions among multiple terminals. In EDCA, traffic is divided into categories such as low-latency or other, and a waiting time (backoff time) is randomly selected and set from different ranges of values. For low-latency traffic, by setting the waiting time from a small range of values, terminals handling low-latency traffic can preferentially acquire access rights.

Prior Art Documents

[0005] The aforementioned public submission proposes an extension to EDCA that performs a two-stage process. Multiple terminals set waiting times based on the normal EDCA, and multiple terminals that gain access transmit specific signals (such as DS signals and Short signals). These terminals then perform a second random waiting time, which is completed while other terminals are waiting, reducing the possibility of the same waiting time being selected before transmitting. However, the two-stage EDCA process is completed on the transmitting side, and the surrounding situation, such as the receiving terminal, is not checked. This makes it impossible to address the so-called hidden terminal problem, and communication may fail.

[0006] Furthermore, the aforementioned publicly available report describes a method in which, after a specific signal is sent, the Access Point (AP) sends a signal to allocate multiple time slots, and the AP then allocates communication resources to terminals that have sent a specific signal to a particular time slot. However, the specific signals sent for each time slot are not synchronized between terminals, which can cause timing discrepancies for the AP and potentially lead to communication failures. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Therefore, in view of these issues, this disclosure provides a communication control device that suppresses the exponential increase in terminal waiting time during communication and improves the reliability of communication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The communication control device of this disclosure includes a first wireless communication unit included in a first communication device, and a first control unit that controls the first wireless communication unit which performs wireless communication with a second communication device on one or more access channels, wherein the first control unit controls the second wireless communication unit to receive a first signal from the second communication device that identifies a plurality of frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain, to transmit a second signal to the second communication device using some or all of the selected frequency resources from the plurality of frequency resources, and to receive a third signal transmitted by the second communication device in response to the second signal, which includes information indicating permission for the first communication device to transmit or to request transmission. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] An example of the overall configuration of the wireless communication system in the first embodiment is shown. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram of a communication device equipped with a communication control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is an example of a sequence diagram of a wireless communication system in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This is an example of a frame format for a control signal in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This is an example of the frame format of the control signal in the first embodiment, example 2. [Figure 6] This is an example of the frame format of the control signal in the first embodiment, example 3. [Figure 7] This is an example of the frame format of the first signal in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] This is an example of a flowchart showing how Non-AP1 is allocated communication resources from AP100 in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart showing how AP100 allocates communication resources to Non-AP1 in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] This is an example of a sequence diagram of a wireless communication system in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] This is an example of a sequence diagram of a wireless communication system in the third embodiment. [Figure 12] This is an example of a sequence diagram of a wireless communication system in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 13] This is an example of a frame format of the first signal in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that executes a series of processes according to the first to fourth embodiments by a program. [Figure 15] This is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a smartphone to which the first to fourth embodiments are applied. [Figure 16] This is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an in-vehicle device to which the first to fourth embodiments are applied. [Figure 17] This is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a wireless AP to which the first to fourth embodiments are applied.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. The drawings are drawn in a simplified manner, and it is assumed that appropriate configurations necessary for implementation are provided in addition to those shown in the drawings. In addition, when terms such as "first", "second", etc. are used in this specification or claims, they do not represent any order or importance unless otherwise specified, and are used to distinguish one configuration from another.

[0011] In addition, in the present disclosure, there are descriptions using "more than" and "less than", which can be read as "greater than" and "less than", respectively.

[0012] (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of a wireless communication system in the first embodiment.

[0013] The wireless communication system includes AP100, Non-AP1, and Non-AP2. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system may include Non-AP3 and Non-AP4. Non-AP3 is located at a position where the signals of AP100, Non-AP1, and Non-AP2 can be detected, and Non-AP4 is located at a position where the signals of Non-AP1 and Non-AP2 cannot be detected. That is, Non-AP4 is in a hidden terminal state in the wireless communication system. Also, each Non-AP communicates with AP100 using a link formed between the Non-AP and AP100. Also, the link is an example of an access channel.

[0014] AP100 is a communication device equivalent to a base station. Non-AP1 to Non-AP4 are communication devices equivalent to terminals. Note that each device may be an MLD (Multi-Link Device) corresponding to MLO. That is, AP100 may be an AP MLD, and Non-AP1 to Non-AP4 may be Non-AP MLDs. For example, when a Non-AP is a Non-AP MLD, the Non-AP forms and communicates via a plurality of links with an AP-MLD. Also, AP100 and Non-AP1 to Non-AP4 are examples of communication devices, and for the sake of explanation, AP100 may also be referred to as the first communication device, and Non-AP1 to Non-AP4 may also be referred to as the second communication devices.

[0015] AP100 and Non-AP1 to Non-AP4 may also operate as a base station and a terminal of a wireless LAN according to the IEEE 802.11 standard such as IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be / bn or their successor standards, except for the operations described in this embodiment. For example, AP100 and Non-AP1 to Non-AP4 perform operations based on CSMA / CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) as the basic access method, and AP100 may transmit beacon signals at regular time intervals (periodically).

[0016] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a communication device equipped with a communication control device in the first embodiment. In Figure 2, an example is described in which AP100 has x APs (where x is an integer of 2 or more) and operates as an AP MLD. For non-AP1 to 4, APx can be read as STAx and AP MLD Entity as STA MLD Entity. Also, although Figure 2 uses MLD as an example, for APs that are not MLDs and Non-AP MLDs, x can be read as 1 and the main configuration is the same.

[0017] The communication device mainly consists of a communication unit 110 (communication control unit 111, communication storage unit 112, data processing unit (individual data processing unit 121, common data processing unit 113), signal processing unit 122, wireless interface unit 123, amplification unit 124, control unit 130, storage unit 140, and antenna 150). In this diagram, one AP is illustrated and explained among multiple APs.

[0018] The communication control unit 111 controls the operation of each part and the transmission of information between them. It also controls the transfer of control information and management information to be notified to other communication devices to each data processing unit.

[0019] The communication storage unit 112 stores information used by the communication control unit 111. The communication storage unit 112 also stores data to be transmitted and data to be received.

[0020] During transmission, the data processing unit performs sequence management of data held in the communication storage unit 112 and control and management information received from the communication control unit 111, generates data units through encryption processing, performs channel access operations based on carrier sense, adds MAC (Media Access Control) headers and error detection codes to the data to be transmitted, and performs multiple data unit linking operations. During reception, it performs MAC header unlinking operations of the received data units, analysis and error detection, retransmission request operations, data unit decryption and reordering operations. The data processing unit may consist of individual data processing units 121 that perform operations necessary for communication in a single frequency band, and a common data processing unit 113 that is connected to multiple individual data processing units 121 and performs operations common to communication in multiple frequency bands.

[0021] Furthermore, AP100 does not necessarily have a common data processing unit 113; in this case, processing is performed by the common data processing unit 113 of another communication device. Even if AP100 has a common data processing unit 113, it may operate in a way that processing is performed by the common data processing unit 113 of another communication device rather than the common data processing unit 113 within AP100 itself.

[0022] The signal processing unit 122 includes a transmit signal processing unit and a receive signal processing unit. The transmit signal processing unit performs encoding, interleaving, and modulation of data units, adds a physical header (PHY Header), and generates a symbol stream. Note that spatial separation may not be performed, and an arbitrary delay amount (hereinafter referred to as cyclic shift delay CSD) may be applied to each antenna. The receive signal processing unit analyzes the physical header, performs demodulation, deinterleaving, and decoding of the symbol stream, and generates data units. It also performs complex channel characteristic estimation and spatial separation processing as needed. In this embodiment, the signal processing unit 122 is also referred to as the PHY unit.

[0023] The wireless interface unit 123 includes a transmitting wireless interface unit and a receiving wireless interface unit. The transmitting wireless interface unit performs digital-to-analog signal conversion, filtering, upconversion, and phase control on the symbol stream to generate a transmission signal. The receiving wireless interface unit performs downconversion, filtering, and analog-to-digital signal conversion on the received signal to generate a symbol stream.

[0024] The amplification unit 124 includes a transmit amplification unit and a receive amplification unit. The transmit amplification unit amplifies the signal input from the transmit wireless interface unit. The receive amplification unit amplifies the signal input from the antenna. Part of the amplification unit may be an external component of the communication unit. Also, part of the amplification unit may be incorporated into the wireless interface unit. In this embodiment, the wireless interface unit and the amplification unit 124 are collectively referred to as the RF unit.

[0025] The control unit 130 controls the communication unit 110 and the communication control unit 111. It may also perform some of the operations of the communication control unit 111. The communication control unit 111 and the control unit 130 may be configured as a single block. The communication control device according to this disclosure is, for example, a chip implemented by one or more LSIs. The control unit of the communication control device according to this disclosure corresponds, for example, to the communication control unit 111, or to at least one of the communication unit 110 and the communication control unit 111. The communication control device according to this disclosure includes, for example, the communication control unit 111 and may also include at least one of the other components, for example, APx.

[0026] The storage unit 140 holds information used by the control unit 130 and the communication unit 110. It may also perform some operations of the communication storage unit 112. The storage unit 140 and the communication storage unit 112 may be configured as a single block.

[0027] The wireless interface unit 123, the amplification unit 124, and the antenna 150 may be considered as one set, and two or more sets may constitute components of the communication device. Alternatively, the data processing unit and the signal processing unit may be considered as one set, and two or more sets may be connected to one wireless interface unit 123.

[0028] The communication unit 110 can be implemented by one or more LSIs. The configuration of the communication unit 110 is merely an example and is not limited thereto. For example, it may consist of three or more blocks. Furthermore, if it consists of three or more blocks, some of these blocks may share the same antenna via an antenna switch.

[0029] In the following, the APx included in AP100 will also be referred to as the first wireless communication unit, and the APx included in Non-AP1~4 will also be referred to as the second wireless communication unit. Furthermore, the control unit included in AP100 will also be referred to as the first control unit, and the control units included in Non-AP1~4 will also be referred to as the second control unit.

[0030] Figure 3 is an example of a sequence diagram of a wireless communication system in the first embodiment.

[0031] In this embodiment, AP100 allocates communication resources to a single Non-AP based on a two-stage random selection process in the time and frequency axes by multiple Non-APs. Specifically, multiple Non-APs attempting to acquire access rights wait for a random backoff time in the time axis determined by EDCA, and then perform one more random selection in the frequency axis based on information provided by AP100 to attempt communication at that frequency. AP100 then allocates communication resources to a single Non-AP based on the results of these random selections.

[0032] Before executing this sequence, a capability check may be performed between AP100 and Non-AP1, AP100 and Non-AP2, AP100 and Non-AP3, and AP100 and Non-AP4 to confirm that they support the resource allocation function shown in this embodiment. In addition, Non-AP1 and Non-AP2 may decide whether or not to perform the communication resource allocation operation in this embodiment based on at least one of the following: the amount of data held by their own terminal, the length of the signal to be transmitted at once (PPDU length, number of data aggregations, number of data bits, etc.), whether or not the length exceeds a predetermined threshold described later, the access category (also called AC), the request delay, and QoS information.

[0033] The following sequence is carried out based on the control of the control unit of AP100 and the control units of Non AP1~4. For example, the control unit 130 controls the communication unit 110 and the communication control unit 111 to realize the transmission, reception, and resource allocation of each signal.

[0034] In this sequence diagram, Non-AP1~4, having confirmed that the channel is idle, first initiate random backoff based on EDCA. That is, Non-AP1~4 randomly selects a backoff counter from the range of the backoff window corresponding to the access category of the data held by their device, and decrements this counter at predetermined intervals. Non-AP1~4 begins transmitting when the counter reaches zero. The diamonds in the sequence diagram indicate the number of counters, and as you move to the right on the time axis, the counters are decremented. Also, in this diagram, Non-AP1 and Non-AP2 have the same number of counters selected.

[0035] Non-AP1 and 2, whose backoff counters have reached zero, send a control signal (hereinafter also referred to as the Initial Control frame) to AP100 to perform random selection on the frequency axis, in order to acquire access rights. The control signal includes information indicating that it is a control signal. For example, this information may be included in the PHY Header. The control signal may also include information indicating the transmission suppression period. This information may be, for example, the NAV (Network Allocation Vector) value. The control signal may also include information indicating a request for the transmission of the first signal, which will be described later. The control signal may be, for example, a signal including A-Control as defined in IEEE 802.11, or a signal including MU RTS Trigger.

[0036] Upon receiving the control signal, AP100 transmits a first signal to Non-AP1 and Non-AP2. In this sequence diagram, the Initial Control response is used as the first signal for explanation. The first signal may be transmitted by broadcast. The first signal includes information indicating the transmission suppression period. In addition to information indicating that it is the first signal, the first signal includes information indicating the range of a frequency resource composed of multiple frequency resources. For example, the range of a frequency resource may be indicated by presenting multiple frequency resources. A frequency resource may be a Resource Unit (RU), and the range of a frequency resource may be indicated by presenting the RU with the highest frequency and the RU with the lowest frequency among multiple RUs. Alternatively, the range of a frequency resource may be a list of the frequencies of multiple RUs. Furthermore, the multiple frequency resources do not have to exist in a continuous frequency domain; for example, there may be resources within a certain frequency resource range that are not used as frequency resources. The information indicating the range of a frequency resource only needs to be information that can identify multiple frequency resources included in a given frequency domain.

[0037] Furthermore, the first signal may include information regarding a request to transmit the second signal, which is described later, using one of the multiple frequency resources indicated in the first signal as a Non-AP.

[0038] A frequency resource may be a subcarrier asset composed of multiple OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing) subcarriers. The range of a frequency resource may also be a list of subcarrier sets. A frequency resource may be defined by resources with a narrower frequency bandwidth than OFDM subcarriers, or by a different waveform than that of OFDM subcarriers.

[0039] If the frequency bandwidth of the frequency resource and the frequency bandwidth used to transmit the control signal are different, the frequency resource may transmit subsequent signals in a frequency bandwidth that is narrower than the frequency bandwidth of the frequency resource and the frequency bandwidth used to transmit the control signal.

[0040] Furthermore, the first signal may include information about the transmission parameters used by the Non-AP when communication resources are allocated to the Non-AP. For example, the first signal may include a Null Data Packet Feedback Report Poll (NFRP) Trigger frame in IEEE 802.11.

[0041] Furthermore, AP100 does not need to receive multiple control signals simultaneously from multiple Non-APs; it may perform the above operations based on multiple control signals received within a certain range of synchronization deviation or a predetermined time deviation. AP100 may also determine whether it has received multiple control signals based on whether it was able to demodulate the received power of the received control signals or a part of the control signal (such as the PHY Header) or the entirety of the control signal (such as the PHY Header and MAC frame). For example, AP100 could determine whether it has received control signals based on information obtained when it receives some signal and is able to demodulate at least the PHY Header.

[0042] Furthermore, if AP100 determines that it has received a control signal from only one Non-AP, it may omit the transmission of the second and third signals described later and allow the Non-AP that is the source of the control signal to transmit a data signal.

[0043] Furthermore, other Non-APs that receive the control signal set a transmission suppression period on their own terminals based on the information indicating the transmission suppression period and perform transmission suppression. In this sequence diagram, Non-AP3 (dotted line in the diagram), which receives the control signal, sets a transmission suppression period on its own terminals based on the information indicating the transmission suppression period received from Non-AP1 or 2.

[0044] Non-AP1 and Non-AP2 receive a first signal from AP100 after transmitting a control signal. Non-AP1 and Non-AP2 select one of the frequency resources from the range of frequency resources indicated by the first signal and transmit a second signal. When transmitting the second signal, Non-AP randomly selects a frequency resource. Non-AP may also transmit the second signal using a portion of the frequency band of the selected frequency resource.

[0045] The entire second signal may be transmitted using a frequency resource randomly selected from the frequency resources indicated by the first signal. Alternatively, a portion of the second signal, such as a portion of the PHY Header, may be transmitted using the entire frequency band used to transmit the control signal or the entire range of frequency resources indicated by the first signal, while the remaining portion is transmitted using a frequency resource randomly selected from the frequency resources indicated by the first signal. In this sequence diagram, the vertical axis of the signal represents the frequency axis, and the first half of the second signal is transmitted using the entire range of frequency resources, while the second half of the signal (shown as Feedback in the diagram) is transmitted using a frequency resource randomly selected from the range of frequency resources. In this example, for the second half of the second signal, Non-AP1 is transmitted using a higher frequency resource than Non-AP2.

[0046] Furthermore, although this sequence diagram is shown for convenience as a diagram of the transmission of the second signal using RU, when the second signal is transmitted using a subcarrier set composed of multiple OFDM subcarriers, the latter part of the signal is shown as being transmitted using multiple resources or all resources.

[0047] In the second signal, a portion randomly selected from the frequency resources (in this example, the latter half of the second signal) contains information about the transmitting terminal identifier. This portion may also contain information about the transmission parameters used when allocating communication resources. The second signal may also be a TB PPDU (Trigger-Based Physical Layer Convergence Protocol Data Unit) as defined in IEEE 802.11.

[0048] Furthermore, other Non-APs that receive the first signal set a transmission suppression period on their own terminals based on information indicating the transmission suppression period and perform transmission suppression. In this sequence diagram, Non-AP4 (the dashed line in the diagram) that receives the first signal sets a transmission suppression period on its own terminals based on information indicating the transmission suppression period received from AP100.

[0049] After receiving the second signal, AP100 checks whether the second signal is being transmitted using a frequency resource arbitrarily selected from among the multiple frequency resources indicated by the first signal (in this embodiment, one frequency resource is selected). If the second signal is being transmitted using the frequency resource selected by AP100, AP100 decides to allocate a communication resource to the Non-AP that transmitted the second signal. This sequence diagram shows an example where the second signal transmitted by Non-AP1 is being transmitted using the frequency resource selected by AP100.

[0050] The number of frequency resources to be set from among the multiple frequency resources indicated by the first signal is not limited to one, but may be any number. For example, the number of frequency resources to be set may be determined according to the number of frequency resources indicated by the first signal, the number of Non-APs connected to AP100, the type of traffic being handled, the number of other Non-APs present around AP100, and the radio wave usage or congestion status.

[0051] For example, in a communication system, if a large number of Non-APs are connected to AP100 and a large number of control signals and second signals are expected to be transmitted, AP100 may set the number of frequency resources selected from the multiple frequency resources indicated by the first signal to be small, or it may set to be large. Specifically, the number of frequency resources may be determined such that it is the reciprocal of the number of Non-APs transmitting control signals and second signals (for example, if there are two Non-APs, then 1 / 2) relative to the number of frequency resources indicated by the first signal.

[0052] After AP100 determines which Non-AP to allocate communication resources to, it transmits a third signal to that Non-AP. In this sequence diagram, AP100 has decided to allocate communication resources to Non-AP1, and therefore transmits a third signal to Non-AP1. The third signal may include communication resource information indicating the communication resources to be allocated to Non-AP1. The communication resource information may include information about frequency resources, spatial streams, transmit power, modulation coding schemes, and other communication parameters. The third signal may also include solicit information requesting Non-AP1 to transmit a subsequent signal, such as a Basic Trigger frame in IEEE 802.11.

[0053] Furthermore, the third signal may include, for example, an ICR (Initial Control Response) equivalent to CTS (Clear to Send). In this case, the third signal does not need to include communication resource information indicating the communication resources to be allocated to Non-AP1, but simply needs to include information indicating permission for Non-AP1 to transmit the subsequent signal. Alternatively, the third signal may include an ICR equivalent to Ack, such as Multi-STA Block Ack. In this case as well, the third signal does not need to include communication resource information indicating the communication resources to be allocated to Non-AP1, but needs to include information indicating acknowledgment of receipt of the second signal and information indicating permission for Non-AP1 to transmit the subsequent signal. The third signal is not limited to these examples, and various signals can be used as long as they include information requesting Non-AP1 to transmit the subsequent signal or information indicating permission to transmit.

[0054] The third signal causes the Non-AP to be allocated a communication resource, which it then uses to transmit a data signal. In this example, Non-AP1 is allocated a communication resource, and Non-AP1 uses this resource to transmit a data signal to AP100. Upon receiving the data signal from Non-AP1, AP100 sends a delivery acknowledgment signal to Non-AP1. The delivery acknowledgment signal may be sent, for example, as a Block ACK (BA).

[0055] The transmission and reception of the signals described above may be performed at predetermined time intervals. In this sequence diagram, SIFS (Short Inter Frame Space) is provided as a predetermined time interval. For example, SIFS is provided between the transmission of the control signal and the start of transmission of the first signal, between the transmission of the first signal and the start of transmission of the second signal, between the transmission of the second signal and the start of the third signal, and between the transmission of the third signal and the start of the delivery acknowledgment signal.

[0056] Figure 4 shows an example of the control signal frame format 1 in the first embodiment.

[0057] The PHY Header corresponds to the PHY Header described above and contains information regarding the PHY settings for this signal and information indicating the transmission suppression period. Information indicating that it is a control signal may also be included in the PHY Header. For example, if this information is included in the PHY Header, it is indicated by a specific bit in the UHR SIG.

[0058] The Payload is the main body of the signal and stores the MAC frame. The Payload includes Frame Control, Duration, Address 1-3, Sequence Control, HT Control, Frame Body, and FCS. The HT Control also contains A-Controls, which store multiple pairs of Control IDs and Control Information. In this example, padding is used to adjust the length of the A-Control fields. The Control Information may also include ACI Bitmap, Queue Size, Delay Boundary, and Preferred Resource.

[0059] Frame Control contains information about the MAC frame's configuration, and Duration contains information about the MAC frame's length. Address1-3 contains information about the source and destination addresses, respectively, and Sequence Control contains information about the frame's sequence number.

[0060] The Control ID contains information about the type of Control field being stored, and information indicating that it is a control signal may be included in the Control ID.

[0061] Among the Control Information, the ACI Bitmap contains information about the Access Category of the data transmitted by the terminal, and the Queue Size contains information about the amount of buffered data belonging to the Access Category indicated by the ACI Bitmap. Additionally, the Delay Boundary contains information about the upper limit of delay for data belonging to the Access Category indicated by the ACI Bitmap, and the Preferred Resource contains information about the frequency resources that are preferable to use for communication.

[0062] The Frame Body stores the main data. However, in the control signal of this embodiment, this field may be set to QoS Null, and no information may be stored. The FCS stores information related to error detection.

[0063] Figure 5 shows an example of the control signal frame format 2 in the first embodiment.

[0064] Unlike Figure 4, this frame format includes a Two-Stage EDCA Request in the Payload section. In addition to the Two-Stage EDCA Request, this Payload also includes Frame Control, Duration, Address1-2, ACI Bitmap, Queue Size, Delay Boundary, Preferred Resource, and FCS.

[0065] The Two-Stage EDCA Request contains information regarding the implementation of the two-stage random selection communication resource allocation operation in this embodiment, namely, the operation of communication resource allocation based on random selection in the time axis and random selection in the frequency axis by EDCA. Information indicating that it is a control signal may also be included in this field.

[0066] Figure 6 shows example 3 of the control signal frame format in the first embodiment.

[0067] Unlike Figure 4, this frame format includes the Trigger in the Payload section. In addition to the Trigger, this Payload also includes Frame Control, Duration, Address 1-2, and FCS. The Trigger is the Trigger frame itself and includes Common Info and User Info List.

[0068] Common Info contains information common to all sending terminals, including the Two-Stage EDCA Request mentioned above. Similarly, information indicating that it is a control signal may also be included in this field. This information may be indicated by the Trigger Type subfield. Common Info may also include the ACI Bitmap, Queue Size, Delay Boundary, and Preferred Resource.

[0069] The User Info List contains information for each sending device. This field may also be empty. The User Info List may also include ACI Bitmap, Queue Size, Delay Boundary, and Preferred Resource.

[0070] Figure 7 shows an example of the frame format of the first signal in the first embodiment.

[0071] The PHY Header is the part corresponding to the PHY Header mentioned above, and contains information regarding the PHY settings of this signal and information indicating the transmission suppression period.

[0072] The Payload is the main body of the signal and stores the MAC frame. The Payload includes Frame Control, Duration, Address 1-2, Trigger, and FCS.

[0073] Frame Control contains information about the MAC frame settings, and Duration contains information about the MAC frame length. Address1 and Address2 contain information about the source and destination addresses, respectively, and Trigger contains Common Info and User Info List.

[0074] Common Info contains information common to all receiving terminals, and information indicating that it is the first signal is included in this field.

[0075] The User Info List includes Feedback Type and Resource Information. Feedback Type includes a request to transmit a second signal using the frequency resource indicated in Resource Information, and Resource Information includes information indicating the range of frequency resources, including multiple frequency resources. If terminals are assigned to different frequency resources, terminal information is stored for each frequency resource.

[0076] The FCS stores information related to error detection.

[0077] Figure 8 is an example of a flowchart showing how Non-AP1 is allocated communication resources from AP100 in the first embodiment.

[0078] This flowchart describes the operation of AP100 allocating communication resources to Non-AP1, following the sequence diagram described above.

[0079] In step S1, Non-AP1 confirms that the channel is idle and then initiates random backoff based on EDCA. At this time, Non-AP1 randomly selects a backoff counter from the range of the backoff window corresponding to the access category of the data held by its device and decrements this counter at predetermined intervals. Non-AP1 also checks at these predetermined intervals whether the backoff counter is zero or not. If the backoff counter is zero (Yes in step S1), in step S2, Non-AP1 sends a control signal to AP100 to perform a random selection on the frequency axis.

[0080] In step S3, Non-AP1 checks whether it has received the first signal from AP100 at predetermined intervals. There may be an upper limit on the number of checks or the total elapsed time. For example, if the number of checks or the total elapsed time reaches the upper limit, Non-AP1 may determine that it has not received the first signal (No in step S3) and terminate the process. If the first signal is received in step S3, in step S4, Non-AP1 randomly selects a frequency resource from the range of frequency resources indicated in the first signal and transmits the second signal to AP100 using that frequency band.

[0081] In step S5, Non-AP1, after transmitting the second signal, checks at predetermined intervals whether it has received the first signal from AP100 again during that time. The operation at this time is the same as in step S3. If Non-AP1 receives the first signal from AP100 again at this timing (Yes in step S5), it returns to step 4, randomly selects a frequency resource from the range of frequency resources indicated by this first signal, and transmits the second signal to AP100 using that frequency band. If Non-AP1 did not receive the first signal from AP100 in step S5 (No in step S5), in step S6, Non-AP1 checks at predetermined intervals whether it has received the third signal from AP100. The operations in steps S6 and S5 may be performed in parallel.

[0082] If Non-AP1 receives the third signal in step S6 (Yes in step S6), in step S7, Non-AP1 starts communication using the communication resource indicated by the third signal. If Non-AP1 does not receive the third signal in step S6 (No in step S6), Non-AP1 terminates processing without starting communication.

[0083] Furthermore, in step S1, if the backoff counter is not zero (No in step S1), in step S8, Non-AP1 checks at a predetermined timing whether other Non-APs have received control signals from, for example, Non-AP2, or a first signal intended for other Non-APs, while the backoff counter is being decremented. If Non-AP1 receives a control signal transmitted from another Non-AP or a first signal intended for another Non-AP transmitted from AP100 (Yes in step S8), in step S9, transmission suppression is performed for the period specified in these signals. After the transmission suppression period ends, the process returns to step S1 and the backoff counter is decremented again. If Non-AP1 does not receive a control signal transmitted from another Non-AP or a first signal intended for another Non-AP transmitted from AP100 in step S8 (No in step S8), the process returns to step S1 and the backoff counter is decremented again.

[0084] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing how AP100 allocates communication resources to Non-AP1 in the first embodiment.

[0085] This flowchart describes the operation of AP100 allocating communication resources to Non-AP1, following the sequence diagram described above. In other words, within this flowchart, AP100 is assumed to have received control signals from Non-AP1 and Non-AP2.

[0086] In step S21, AP100 checks whether it has received a control signal from a Non-AP present in the wireless communication system. This check is performed, for example, at predetermined intervals. If AP100 has received a control signal from one or more Non-APs in step S1 (Yes in step S21), in step S22, AP100 sends a first signal to the Non-AP that is the source of the control signal, including information indicating the range of the frequency resources. The first signal may also be transmitted by broadcast. In this example, the control signals are sent from Non-AP1 and Non-AP2, and AP100 sends the first signal to these Non-APs.

[0087] In step S23, AP100 checks whether it has received a second signal from one or more Non-APs using the frequency resource indicated by the first signal. If AP100 has received a second signal (Yes in step S23), in step S24, AP100 determines whether to transmit the first signal again. This could be the case, for example, if there are two or more Non-APs that have transmitted a second signal using a frequency resource set from within the range of frequency resources. If AP100 decides to transmit the first signal again (Yes in step S24), it returns to step S22, and AP100 again sets an arbitrary frequency resource from within the range of frequency resources and transmits the first signal.

[0088] If AP100 determines that it will not transmit the first signal again (No in step S24), in step S25, AP100 decides to allocate a communication resource to Non-AP that transmitted the second signal using the frequency resource set from among the multiple frequency resources indicated by the first signal. In step S26, AP100 transmits a third signal to Non-AP1 to which the communication resource is to be allocated.

[0089] In step S27, AP100 initiates communication with Non-AP100 using the relevant communication resources and performs data transmission, etc.

[0090] If AP100 does not receive the second signal in step S23 (No in step S23), the process moves to step S26, where the third signal is sent again to the Non-AP, which has already been assigned a communication resource.

[0091] In this embodiment, an example was described in which AP100 allocates communication resources to multiple Non-APs based on a two-stage random selection in the time axis and frequency axis by multiple Non-APs. However, it is also possible to switch between the communication resource allocation operation based on normal EDCA-based random backoff (first mode) and the operation described in this embodiment (second mode).

[0092] Before the Non-AP transmits the control signal, for example, AP100 and each Non-AP may perform the Capability check described above to determine which mode each communication device will use for processing. If the Capability check determines that the communication resource allocation operation will be performed using random backoff based on the normal EDCA, AP100 will decide not to transmit the first signal described above to the Non-AP. On the other hand, the Non-AP will decide not to transmit the second signal described above. This switching may be performed not only by the Capability check but also by various other communications.

[0093] According to this embodiment, AP100 allocates communication resources to a single Non-AP based on a two-stage random selection process using multiple Non-APs in the time and frequency axes. This eliminates the need to implement a waiting time twice the original waiting time even if a communication collision occurs, as is the case when communication resources are allocated using only the time axis, thus preventing the terminal waiting time from increasing exponentially.

[0094] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, even if a communication collision occurs, the wireless communication system does not need to impose a waiting time twice the original waiting time on Non-APs that hold data in a high-priority access category. Therefore, it is possible to prevent other Non-APs attempting to transmit data in a lower-priority access category from interrupting during the waiting time, allocating communication resources to these Non-APs, and thus disrupting communication.

[0095] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the wireless communication system can suppress transmission even to Non-APs that cannot be detected by the Non-AP that sent the control signal by broadcasting a first signal from AP100, thereby addressing the hidden problem. This improves the reliability of communication.

[0096] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, AP100 does not need to receive multiple control signals simultaneously from Non-AP. Even if the signal is received within a certain range of synchronization deviation or a predetermined time deviation, as long as information indicating that it is a control signal is decoded, subsequent processing can proceed, thereby improving the reliability of communication.

[0097] (Second Embodiment) Figure 10 is an example of a sequence diagram of a wireless communication system in the second embodiment.

[0098] In this embodiment, AP100 allocates communication resources to multiple Non-APs based on a two-stage random selection process in the time and frequency axes by multiple Non-APs. Specifically, multiple Non-APs attempting to acquire access rights wait for a random backoff time in the time axis determined by EDCA, and then perform one more random selection in the frequency axis based on information provided by AP100, and attempt to communicate at that frequency. AP100 then allocates communication resources to the multiple Non-APs based on the results of these random selections. Furthermore, this embodiment will mainly describe aspects that differ from the first embodiment.

[0099] Before executing this sequence, AP100 and Non-AP1, and AP100 and Non-AP2, may exchange information regarding the frequency resources they wish to use for communication. This information may, for example, be included in the control signal. The control signal may also be transmitted using the frequency resources indicated in this information.

[0100] Unlike the first embodiment, in this sequence diagram, AP100 allocates communication resources to Non-AP1 and Non-AP2. Since AP100 allocates communication resources to multiple Non-APs, the first signal may include information regarding the number of terminals to which communication resources are allocated, or the upper limit of the number of terminals.

[0101] The number of Non-APs to which communication resources are allocated may be determined based on information regarding desirable frequency resources for communication, which is included in the information exchange and control signals prior to the execution of this sequence. For example, if Non-AP1 and Non-AP2 each provide different frequency resources as information regarding desirable frequency resources for communication, AP100 may allocate the frequency resources that are desirable for each terminal to Non-AP1 and Non-AP2 as communication resources.

[0102] Furthermore, when exchanging preferred frequency resources for communication between Non-AP and AP100, AP100 may, when transmitting the first signal, select a range of frequency resources that includes the preferred frequency resources for each Non-AP, and transmit this information along with the signal.

[0103] Furthermore, if the range of frequency resources has been selected so that the first signal includes the desired frequency resources for each Non-AP, Non-AP1 and Non-AP2 will transmit the second signal using the frequency resources that each Non-AP desires to use for communication within the presented range of frequency resources.

[0104] This sequence diagram shows how Non-AP1 and Non-AP2 each select different frequency resources and transmit a second signal to AP100. AP100 decides to allocate communication resources to Non-APs (Non-AP1 and Non-AP2 in this example) that have arbitrarily selected multiple frequency resources from among the multiple frequency resources shown in the first signal and transmitted a second signal using these frequency resources.

[0105] After AP100 decides to allocate communication resources, it sends a third signal to Non-AP1 and Non-AP2. Upon receiving the third signal, Non-AP1 and Non-AP2 communicate with AP100 using their respective allocated communication resources. For example, Non-AP1 and Non-AP2 send data signals to AP100. Upon receiving the data signals from Non-AP1 and Non-AP2, AP100 sends a delivery acknowledgment signal to these Non-APs. In this sequence diagram, the delivery acknowledgment signal is shown as Multi-STA BA.

[0106] According to this embodiment, the wireless communication system allocates communication resources to multiple Non-APs based on a first signal transmitted by AP100 and a second signal transmitted by multiple Non-APs. By allocating communication resources to multiple Non-APs, efficient traffic control can be achieved.

[0107] (Third embodiment) Figure 11 is an example of a sequence diagram of a wireless communication system in the third embodiment.

[0108] In this embodiment, AP100 allocates communication resources to a single Non-AP based on a two-stage random selection process in the time and frequency axes by multiple Non-APs. In this embodiment, random selection in the frequency axis is performed multiple times. Specifically, multiple Non-APs attempting to acquire access rights wait for a random backoff time in the time axis determined by EDCA, and then perform multiple random selections in the frequency axis based on information provided by AP100 to attempt communication at that frequency. AP100 then allocates communication resources to a single Non-AP based on the results of these random selections. Furthermore, this embodiment will mainly describe aspects that differ from the first embodiment.

[0109] AP100 may predetermine the number of times to allow Non-APs to perform random selection on the frequency axis. For example, the number of random selections may be a predetermined fixed value, or it may be determined based on network conditions, the number of connected terminals, or the traffic handled by connected terminals. AP100 may, for example, notify each Non-AP of the number of random selections on the frequency axis by storing it in a beacon signal. AP100 may also determine the number of random selections on the frequency axis for Non-APs through other communications.

[0110] The second signal may include an upper limit on the number of random selections performed on the frequency axis for Non-AP. The second signal may also include information about the remaining number of selections, information indicating that there are still random selections remaining, information indicating that it is the last random selection, and information indicating which number selection it is currently.

[0111] This sequence diagram shows how Non-APs perform two random selections on the frequency axis. In the first transmission of the second signal, Non-AP1 and Non-AP2 transmit the second signal using the same frequency resources. In other words, these signals will collide. AP100, having received the first second signal, transmits the first signal again. This first signal may be sent only to the Non-APs that transmitted the second signal the first time, i.e., Non-AP1 and Non-AP2, or it may be broadcast.

[0112] Upon receiving the first signal, Non-AP1 and Non-AP2 transmit a second signal to AP100 based on this information. The second transmission of the second signal may use a different frequency resource than the one used for the first transmission of the second signal.

[0113] Upon receiving the second signal, AP100 checks whether those second signals were transmitted using a frequency resource arbitrarily set from the range of frequency resources indicated by AP100 when it transmitted the second first signal. If there is only one Non-AP that transmitted the second signal using the frequency resource set by AP100, AP100 decides to allocate the communication resource to that Non-AP.

[0114] The transmission of the first signal by AP100 and the subsequent transmission of the second signal by Non-AP1 and Non-AP2 are repeated until the maximum number of transmissions is reached, or until a single Non-AP is identified that transmits the second signal using the frequency resource set by AP100. In other words, if multiple Non-APs transmit the second signal using the same frequency resource and a collision occurs, or if any Non-AP transmits the second signal without using the frequency resource set by AP100, the signal transmission will be repeated.

[0115] Furthermore, the Non-AP to which communication resources are allocated may be determined based on the number of times the second signal has been transmitted. For example, AP100 may preferentially allocate communication resources to Non-APs that have been allocated communication resources at least once among those that have transmitted the second signal. AP100 may also allocate communication resources to Non-APs that have been allocated communication resources multiple times if it is known that such Non-APs have been allocated communication resources multiple times. Additionally, if the second signal is broadcast, and the Non-APs allocating communication resources can be identified step by step by repeatedly transmitting the second signal, communication resources may be allocated to Non-APs that transmit the second signal using the set frequency resources.

[0116] According to this embodiment, AP100 performs multiple random selections on the frequency axis for Non-APs and allocates communication resources to multiple Non-APs. This allows AP100 to more reliably allocate communication resources to each Non-AP, thereby improving the reliability of communication.

[0117] (Fourth Embodiment) Figure 12 is an example of a sequence diagram of a wireless communication system in the fourth embodiment.

[0118] In this embodiment, in addition to random selection by multiple Non-APs over time, AP100 allocates communication resources to a single Non-AP based on the UORA (Uplink OFDMA Random Access) mechanism. Specifically, multiple Non-APs attempting to acquire access rights wait for a random backoff time set up by EDCA, and then AP100 allocates communication resources to the Non-AP using the UORA mechanism. Furthermore, this embodiment will mainly describe the parts that differ from the first embodiment.

[0119] AP100 may decide whether or not to perform the operations described in this embodiment depending on the number of terminals that support UORA. Alternatively, AP100 may decide whether or not to perform the operations described in this embodiment by determining whether or not the size of the traffic it handles is a size that can be transmitted by the UORA resource.

[0120] AP100 may store the UORA parameter set element in the beacon signal and notify each Non-AP. The UORA parameter set element contains information about the range of values ​​to be selected as the OBO Counter. Non-AP may select the OBO Counter in advance based on the information contained in the UORA parameter set element and store it in its own device.

[0121] In this sequence, Non-AP transmits a control signal to AP100 after the backoff time has elapsed. Upon receiving the control signal, AP100 transmits a first signal to Non-AP1 and 2. The first signal may be transmitted by broadcast. The first signal includes information indicating the transmission suppression period. The first signal also includes information indicating the frequency resource allocated for UORA and that it is a frequency resource allocated for UORA. The first signal may also include information indicating that it is a frequency resource allocated for UORA for the terminal that transmitted the control signal. As in the embodiments described above, the frequency resource may be a RU. The first signal may also include information including a Basic Trigger frame or a BSR (Buffer Status Report) Poll Trigger frame in IEEE 802.11.

[0122] This sequence diagram uses a Basic Trigger frame as the first signal, and shows an example where a Non-AP transmits a data signal in response, but it is not limited to this example. For example, a BSR Poll Trigger frame may be used as the first signal, and a signal containing a BSR may be transmitted in response.

[0123] After the transmission of the control signal, Non-AP1 and Non-AP2, upon receiving the first signal, use information indicating that it is a control signal, the frequency resource allocated for UORA, information indicating that it is a frequency resource allocated for UORA, and information indicating that it is a frequency resource allocated for UORA for the terminal that transmitted the control signal, to determine whether or not to transmit and which frequency resource to use for transmitting the data signal, based on the UORA mechanism.

[0124] In the UORA mechanism, for example, each Non-AP subtracts the number of frequency resources allocated for UORA from a randomly selected counter value called the OBO Counter. Non-APs whose subtraction result is zero or less are permitted to transmit. At this time, the Non-AP determines the frequency resource to use for transmitting the data signal from the absolute value of the difference between the number of frequency resources allocated for UORA and the internally held OBO Counter. For example, if the OBO Counter value allocated to Non-AP1 is 2 and the number of frequency resources allocated for UORA is 4, the difference is -2, which is a value less than or equal to zero. On the other hand, if the range of frequency resources allocated is 1 to 7, and frequency resources 4 to 7 are allocated for UORA, Non-AP1 will randomly select a frequency resource from these UORA-allocated frequency resources and transmit the data signal.

[0125] Figure 13 shows an example of the frame format of the first signal in the fourth embodiment.

[0126] This section will primarily explain the differences between this frame format and the example in Figure 7. In this frame format, the Trigger includes Common Info and User Info List.

[0127] Common Info may include information indicating that the frequency resource is allocated for UORA. This information may also be indicated by the Trigger Type subfield.

[0128] The User Info List includes AID12, SS, and Allocation / RA-RU Information. The User Info List may also include information regarding communication parameters (such as frequency resources, MCS, and transmit power). In this case, the frequency resources allocated for UORA are also included in the communication parameters.

[0129] AID12 includes information indicating that it is a frequency resource allocated for UORA, such as a value like 0 or 2025, and information indicating that it is a frequency resource allocated for UORA for the terminal that sent the control signal, such as a value that is Reserve among the AID subfield encodings assigned to AID12 (e.g., 2044).

[0130] SS Allocation / RA-RU Information contains information about frequency resources allocated for UORA. This information includes, for example, the total number of frequency resources allocated for UORA and information indicating that there are still frequency resources allocated for UORA.

[0131] According to this embodiment, in addition to random selection on the time axis by EDCA, the Non-AP uses the UORA mechanism to determine the frequency resources that the Non-AP will use to transmit data signals. This eliminates the need to set a waiting time twice the original waiting time even if a communication collision occurs, as is the case when communication resources are allocated using only the time axis, thus preventing the terminal waiting time from increasing exponentially.

[0132] <Example of computer configuration> The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware or by software. When the series of processes are executed by software, the programs that make up the software are installed from a program storage medium onto a computer that is built into dedicated hardware, or a general-purpose personal computer.

[0133] Figure 14 is a block diagram showing an example of a computer hardware configuration in which the series of processes described above are executed by a program.

[0134] The CPU (Central Processing Unit) 801, ROM (Read Only Memory) 802, and RAM (Random Access Memory) 803 are interconnected by a bus 804.

[0135] An input / output interface 805 is further connected to the bus 804. An input unit 806 consisting of a keyboard, mouse, etc., and an output unit 807 consisting of a display, speakers, etc. are connected to the input / output interface 805. In addition, a storage unit 808 consisting of a hard disk, non-volatile memory, etc., a communication unit 809 consisting of a network interface, etc., and a drive 810 that drives removable media 811 are connected to the input / output interface 805.

[0136] In a computer configured as described above, the CPU 801 performs the aforementioned series of processes by loading a program stored in the memory unit 808 into the RAM 803 via the input / output interface 805 and the bus 804 and executing it. For example, the CPU 801 may execute a processing program corresponding to the flowcharts in Figures 8 and 9 of this technology.

[0137] The program executed by the CPU 801 is recorded on removable media 811, for example, or provided via a wired or wireless transmission medium such as a local area network, the internet, or digital broadcasting, and installed in the storage unit 808.

[0138] The programs executed by the computer may be programs that are processed chronologically in the order described herein, or they may be programs that are processed in parallel or at necessary times, such as when a call is made.

[0139] <Application Examples> This technology can be applied to a variety of products. For example, the communication device may be implemented as a mobile device such as a smartphone, tablet PC (Personal Computer), notebook PC, portable game console, or digital camera; a fixed device such as a television receiver, projector, printer, digital scanner, or network storage; or an in-vehicle terminal such as a car navigation system or dashcam. The communication device may also be implemented as an M2M (Machine To Machine Communication) terminal or an IoT (Internet of Things) terminal such as a smart meter, vending machine, remote monitoring device, or POS (Point of Sale) terminal. Furthermore, the communication device may be implemented as a terminal requiring low latency and high reliability, such as an XR (Extended Reality / Cross Reality) device. In addition, the communication device may be a wireless communication module (for example, an integrated circuit module consisting of a single die) mounted on these terminals.

[0140] On the other hand, for example, the communication device may be implemented as a wireless LAN AP (wireless base station) with or without router functionality. Alternatively, the communication device may be implemented as a mobile wireless LAN router. Furthermore, the communication device may be implemented as a cellular communication base station and / or femtocell. In addition, the communication device may be a wireless communication module (for example, an integrated circuit module consisting of a single die) mounted on these devices.

[0141] <Example of smartphone configuration> Figure 15 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a smartphone 900 to which this technology is applied. Although Figure 15 is shown as an example of the configuration of a smartphone 900, it is not limited to this and may also be an example of the configuration of various devices and functions described above.

[0142] The smartphone 900 includes a processor 901, memory 902, storage 903, an external connection interface 904, a camera 906, a sensor 907, a microphone 908, an input device 909, and a display device 910. The smartphone 900 also includes a speaker 911, a wireless communication interface 913, an antenna switch 914, an antenna 915, a bus 917, a battery 918, and an auxiliary controller 919. The smartphone 900 may include all of the above features, or some of them.

[0143] The processor 901 may be, for example, a CPU or a SoC (System on Chip), and controls the functions of the application layer and other layers of the smartphone 900.

[0144] Memory 902 includes RAM and ROM and stores programs and data executed by processor 901.

[0145] Storage 903 includes a storage medium such as semiconductor memory or a hard disk.

[0146] External connection interface 904 is an interface for connecting external devices such as memory cards or USB (Universal Serial Bus) devices to the smartphone 900.

[0147] The camera 906 has an image sensor, such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and generates an image.

[0148] Sensor 907 includes, for example, a group of sensors such as a positioning sensor, a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor, and an accelerometer.

[0149] Microphone 908 converts the audio input to smartphone 900 into an audio signal.

[0150] The input device 909 includes, for example, a touch sensor that detects touches on the screen of the display device 910, a keypad, a keyboard, a button, or a switch, and accepts operation or information input from the user.

[0151] The display device 910 has a screen such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, or a quantum dot (QD) display, and displays the output image of the smartphone 900.

[0152] Speaker 911 converts the audio signal output from smartphone 900 into sound.

[0153] The wireless communication interface 913 supports one or more wireless LAN standards, such as IEEE 802.11a, 11b, 11g, 11ac, 11ad, 11ax, 11ay, 11be, 11bn, and their successors, and performs wireless communication.

[0154] In infrastructure mode, the wireless communication interface 913 communicates with other devices via the wireless LAN access point (AP). In ad-hoc mode or direct communication modes such as Wi-Fi Direct, the wireless communication interface 913 communicates directly with other devices.

[0155] In Wi-Fi Direct, unlike ad-hoc mode, one of the two devices acts as the access point (AP), but communication takes place directly between those devices.

[0156] The wireless communication interface 913 typically includes a baseband processor, RF (Radio Frequency) circuitry, and a power amplifier. The wireless communication interface 913 may also be a single-chip module integrating memory for storing a communication control program, a processor for executing the program, and associated circuitry.

[0157] The wireless communication interface 913 may support other types of wireless communication methods in addition to the wireless LAN method, such as short-range wireless communication methods like Bluetooth, proximity wireless communication methods like NFC, or 3GPP cellular communication methods such as 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, and 6G. The wireless communication interface 913 may be a single-chip module that supports multiple wireless communication methods, or it may be a combination of modules that support some of the wireless communication methods.

[0158] The antenna switch 914 switches the destination of the antenna 915 among multiple circuits included in the wireless communication interface 913 (for example, circuits for different wireless communication methods, or transmitting and receiving circuits).

[0159] Antenna 915 has one or more antenna elements (for example, multiple antenna elements that make up a MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) antenna, or multiple antenna elements that make up an array antenna) and is used for transmitting and receiving radio signals via wireless communication interface 913.

[0160] Note that the smartphone 900 is not limited to the example in Figure 15 and may have multiple antennas (for example, an antenna for wireless LAN, an antenna for proximity wireless communication, and an antenna for cellular communication). In that case, the antenna switch 914 may be omitted from the configuration of the smartphone 900.

[0161] Bus 917 connects the processor 901, memory 902, storage 903, external connection interface 904, camera 906, sensor 907, microphone 908, input device 909, display device 910, speaker 911, wireless communication interface 913, and auxiliary controller 919 to each other.

[0162] The battery 918 supplies power to each block of the smartphone 900 shown in Figure 15 via power supply lines partially shown by dashed lines in the figure. The auxiliary controller 919 operates the minimum necessary functions of the smartphone 900, for example, in sleep mode. The battery 918 may also be charged via the external connection interface 904. The battery 918 may also have a function that allows reading of information regarding the remaining power, cumulative power supply time, or cumulative power supply amount, and the processor 901, wireless communication interface 913, or auxiliary controller 919 may control any of the functions of the above embodiments based on the information read from the battery 918.

[0163] In the smartphone 900 shown in Figure 15, for example, the control unit 130 and the communication control unit 111 in Figure 2 may be implemented in the wireless communication interface 913. For example, the processing program corresponding to the flowcharts in Figures 8 and 9 may be executed in the wireless communication interface 913. Furthermore, at least some of these functions may be implemented in the processor 901 or the auxiliary controller 919.

[0164] The smartphone 900 may also operate as a wireless AP (software AP) by having the processor 901 execute AP functions at the application level. Alternatively, the wireless communication interface 913 may have wireless AP functionality. Furthermore, the processor 901 or the wireless communication interface 913 may have a tethering function using both wireless LAN and cellular communication methods, and may transmit payload data received via cellular communication using the wireless LAN method, or transmit payload data received via wireless LAN using the cellular communication method. The smartphone 900 may also enable the tethering function through user input.

[0165] Furthermore, the smartphone 900 may be equipped with a biometric authentication unit (fingerprint authentication, palm print authentication, voice authentication, vascular authentication, facial authentication, iris authentication, retinal authentication). In this case, the wireless communication interface 913 on which the control unit 130 and communication control unit 111 shown in Figure 2 are implemented is configured to receive power from the same battery 918 as at least one of the display device 910, speaker 911, and biometric authentication unit.

[0166] Furthermore, in the smartphone 900, information is displayed from at least one of the display device 910 and the speaker 911 based on communication with an external device via the wireless communication interface 913. In this case, information related to this technology may be output from at least one of the display device 910 and the speaker 911.

[0167] <Example of in-vehicle device configuration> Figure 16 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of an in-vehicle device 920 to which this technology is applied. Although Figure 16 is shown as an example of the configuration of the in-vehicle device 920, it is not limited to this and may be an example of the configuration of various devices and functions described above.

[0168] The in-vehicle device 920 is configured to include a processor 921, memory 922, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) module 924, sensor 925, data interface 926, content player 927, and storage medium interface 928. The in-vehicle device 920 is also configured to include an input device 929, display device 930, speaker 931, wireless communication interface 933, antenna switch 934, antenna 935, and battery 938. The in-vehicle device 920 may include all of the above, or some of them.

[0169] The processor 921 may be, for example, a CPU or a SoC, and controls the navigation and other functions of the in-vehicle device 920. The processor 921 can also control the vehicle's drivetrain, such as the brakes, accelerator, or steering, based on information obtained through communication based on this technology.

[0170] Memory 922 includes RAM and ROM and stores programs and data executed by processor 921.

[0171] The GNSS module 924 uses GNSS signals received from GNSS satellites to measure the position (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the on-board device 920.

[0172] Sensor 925 includes, for example, a group of sensors such as a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, a millimeter-wave radar, a camera (image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS), and a barometric pressure sensor.

[0173] The data interface 926 is connected to the in-vehicle network 941, for example, via terminals (not shown), and acquires data generated on the vehicle side, such as vehicle-side data.

[0174] The content player 927 plays content stored on a storage medium (e.g., a CD or DVD) inserted into the storage medium interface 928, or content received via the wireless communication interface 933.

[0175] The input device 929 includes, for example, a touch sensor, button, or switch that detects touches on the screen of the display device 930, and accepts operations or information input from the user. For example, the input device 929 may also accept confirmation or response to information output from at least one of the display device 930 and the speaker 931.

[0176] The display device 930 has a screen such as an LCD, OLED, or QD display and displays information such as navigation functions or images of content being played. The processor 921 controls the display of the display device 930 based on information received via a link between AP100 and Non-AP and the user's operation of the input device 929.

[0177] Speaker 931 outputs audio for navigation functions or the content being played.

[0178] Note that in the in-vehicle device 920, the navigation function and the functions provided by the content player 927 are optional. The navigation function and the content player 927 may be omitted from the configuration of the in-vehicle device 920.

[0179] The wireless communication interface 933 supports one or more wireless LAN standards, such as IEEE 802.11a, 11b, 11g, 11n, 11ac, 11ad, 11ax, 11ay, 11be, 11bn, and their successors, and performs wireless communication.

[0180] In infrastructure mode, the wireless communication interface 933 communicates with other devices via the wireless LAN access point (AP). In ad-hoc mode or direct communication modes such as Wi-Fi Direct, the wireless communication interface 933 communicates directly with other devices.

[0181] In Wi-Fi Direct, unlike ad-hoc mode, one of the two devices acts as the access point (AP), but communication takes place directly between those devices.

[0182] The wireless communication interface 933 typically includes a baseband processor, RF circuitry, and power amplifiers. The wireless communication interface 933 may also be a single-chip module integrating a memory for storing a communication control program, a processor for executing the program, or related circuitry.

[0183] The wireless communication interface 933 may support other types of wireless communication methods in addition to the wireless LAN method, such as short-range wireless communication methods like Bluetooth, proximity wireless communication methods like NFC, or 3GPP cellular communication methods such as 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, and 6G. The wireless communication interface 933 may be a single-chip module that supports multiple wireless communication methods, or it may be a combination of modules that support some of the wireless communication methods.

[0184] The antenna switch 934 switches the destination of the antenna 935 among multiple circuits included in the wireless communication interface 933 (for example, circuits for different wireless communication methods, or transmitting and receiving circuits).

[0185] Antenna 935 has one or more antenna elements (for example, multiple antenna elements that make up a MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) antenna, or multiple antenna elements that make up an array antenna) and is used for transmitting and receiving radio signals via wireless communication interface 933.

[0186] Note that the in-vehicle device 920 is not limited to the example in Figure 16, and may include multiple antennas 935 (for example, an antenna for wireless LAN, an antenna for proximity wireless communication, and an antenna for cellular communication). In that case, the antenna switch 934 may be omitted from the configuration of the in-vehicle device 920.

[0187] Battery 938 supplies power to each block of the on-board device 920 shown in Figure 16 via the power supply lines partially shown by dashed lines in the figure. Battery 938 may also store power supplied from the vehicle. Alternatively, the on-board device 920 may not have a battery and may utilize power supplied from the vehicle via a voltage regulator or capacitor.

[0188] In the in-vehicle device 920 shown in Figure 16, for example, the control unit 130 and the communication control unit 111 in Figure 2 may be implemented in the wireless communication interface 933. For example, the processing program corresponding to the flowcharts in Figures 8 and 9 may be executed in the wireless communication interface 933. Furthermore, at least some of these functions may be implemented in the processor 921.

[0189] Furthermore, the wireless communication interface 933 may operate as the communication device described above and provide wireless connectivity to terminals held by users in the vehicle. For example, the wireless communication interface 933 may connect the in-vehicle device 920 to other peripheral devices, and the in-vehicle device 920 may utilize CarPlay® or Android Auto®. The wireless communication interface 933 may also connect the in-vehicle device 920 to other peripheral devices using a short-range wireless communication method, infrastructure mode, or a Wi-Fi Direct wireless LAN method.

[0190] The in-vehicle device 920 may also operate as a wireless AP (software AP) by having the processor 921 execute AP functions at the application level. Alternatively, the wireless communication interface 933 may have wireless AP functionality. Furthermore, the processor 921 or the wireless communication interface 933 may have a tethering function using both wireless LAN and cellular communication methods, and may transmit payload data received via cellular communication using the wireless LAN method, or transmit payload data received via wireless LAN using the cellular communication method. The tethering function of the in-vehicle device 920 may be enabled by user input.

[0191] Furthermore, this technology may be implemented as an in-vehicle system (or vehicle) 940 including one or more blocks of the above-described in-vehicle device 920, an in-vehicle network 941, and a vehicle-side module 942. The vehicle-side module 942 may generate vehicle-side data such as vehicle speed information, engine speed information, vehicle-side battery information, or fault information, and output the generated data to the in-vehicle network 941. The processor 921 or wireless communication interface 933 may control any of the functions of the above embodiments based on the vehicle-side data acquired via the in-vehicle network 941.

[0192] <Example of Wireless AP Configuration> Figure 17 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a wireless AP950 to which this technology is applied. Although Figure 17 is shown as an example of the configuration of a wireless AP950, it is not limited to this, and may also be an example of the configuration of various devices and functions described above.

[0193] The wireless AP950 includes a controller 951, memory 952, input device 954, display device 955, network interface 957, wireless communication interface 963, antenna switch 964, and antenna 965. The wireless AP950 may include all of the above, or some of them.

[0194] The controller 951 may be, for example, a CPU or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) and operates various functions of the wireless AP 950 at the IP (Internet Protocol) layer and higher layers (e.g., access restriction, routing, encryption, firewall, and log management).

[0195] Memory 952 includes RAM and ROM and stores programs executed by controller 951, as well as various control information (e.g., terminal list, routing table, encryption key, security settings, and logs).

[0196] The input device 954 includes, for example, buttons and switches, and accepts user input. For example, the input device 954 may accept confirmation or response to information output from the display device 955. The input device 954 may also accept user input such as switching the wireless function on / off, and switching between router function and access point function.

[0197] The display device 955 includes an LED lamp and displays information such as the operating status of the wireless AP 950. The display device 910 may also be configured as a projector that projects output images onto a screen. A processor (not shown) controls the display of the display device 955 based on information received via the first or second link and user operation of the input device 954. The processor may also be implemented within the controller 951.

[0198] The network interface 957 is a wired communication interface for the wireless AP 950 to connect to the wired communication network 958. The network interface 957 may have multiple connection terminals. The network interface 957 may output payload data included in the wireless signal input from the wireless communication interface 963 as a wired signal, or it may receive payload data output as a wireless signal from the wireless communication interface 963 as a wired signal, or it may input and output wired signals in parallel with or independently of the wireless communication interface 963's input and output of wireless signals. The wired communication network 958 may be a LAN such as Ethernet®, or a WAN (Wide Area Network).

[0199] The wireless communication interface 963 supports one or more wireless LAN standards, such as IEEE 802.11a, 11b, 11g, 11n, 11ac, 11ad, 11ax, 11ay, 11be, 11bn, and their successors, and provides wireless connectivity as an AP to nearby terminals. Furthermore, when the wireless AP 950 is mounted on a cellular communication base station and femtocell, the wireless communication interface 963 may support other types of wireless communication methods in addition to wireless LAN, such as 3GPP cellular communication methods including 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, and 6G. The wireless communication interface 963 may be a single-chip module supporting multiple wireless communication methods, or a combination of modules supporting some of the wireless communication methods.

[0200] The wireless communication interface 963 typically includes a baseband processor, RF circuitry, and power amplifiers, among others.

[0201] The wireless communication interface 963 may be a single-chip module integrating a memory for storing a communication control program, a processor for executing the program, or related circuits.

[0202] The antenna switch 964 switches the destination of the antenna 965 among multiple circuits included in the wireless communication interface 963 (for example, circuits for different wireless communication methods, or transmitting and receiving circuits).

[0203] Antenna 965 has one or more antenna elements (for example, multiple antenna elements that make up a MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) antenna, or multiple antenna elements that make up an array antenna) and is used for transmitting and receiving radio signals via wireless communication interface 963.

[0204] In the wireless AP950 shown in Figure 17, for example, the control unit 130 and the communication control unit 111 in Figure 2 may be implemented in the wireless communication interface 963. For example, the processing program corresponding to the flowcharts in Figures 8 and 9 may be executed in the wireless communication interface 963. Furthermore, at least some of these functions may be implemented in the controller 951.

[0205] The above-described embodiments are merely examples of how to realize this technology, and there is a corresponding relationship between the matters in the embodiments and the inventive features in the claims. Similarly, there is a corresponding relationship between the inventive features in the claims and the matters in the embodiments of this technology that bear the same name. However, this technology is not limited to the embodiments and can be realized by making various modifications to the embodiments without departing from the gist of the technology.

[0206] Furthermore, some or all of the communication device described in the above embodiments may be implemented as, for example, a semiconductor chip (IC (Integrated Circuit)) having wireless communication control functionality. Alternatively, it may be implemented as a single semiconductor chip equipped with multiple functions, such as an SoC (System on Chip), or as a combination of multiple semiconductor chips having a single function, such as a processor. Moreover, multiple SoCs may be combined, or a single-function semiconductor chip may be combined with an SoC. Furthermore, each part may be implemented as a dedicated semiconductor chip such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or as a combination of a general-purpose processor and software or firmware, or as a semiconductor chip such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0207] Furthermore, the processing procedure described in the above-described embodiment may be considered as a method comprising these steps, or as a program or recording medium that stores such a program for causing the computer to execute these steps.

[0208] For example, CDs (Compact Discs), MDs (MiniDiscs), DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), memory cards, and Blu-ray Discs (Blu-ray® Discs) can be used as recording media.

[0209] In this specification, a system refers to a collection of multiple components (devices, modules (parts), etc.), regardless of whether all components are located in the same enclosure. Therefore, multiple devices housed in separate enclosures and connected via a network, and a single device containing multiple modules within a single enclosure, are both considered systems.

[0210] Furthermore, the effects described herein are merely illustrative and not limiting, and other effects may also occur.

[0211] The embodiments of this technology are not limited to those described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of this technology.

[0212] For example, this technology can be configured as cloud computing, where a single function is shared and processed collaboratively by multiple devices via a network.

[0213] Furthermore, each step described in the flowchart above can be performed by a single device, or it can be divided and performed by multiple devices.

[0214] Furthermore, if a single step includes multiple processes, those processes can be executed by a single device or shared among multiple devices.

[0215] This embodiment may also have the following configuration. [Note] [Item 1] A first wireless communication unit included in a first communication device, comprising a first control unit that controls the first wireless communication unit which performs wireless communication with a second communication device via one or more access channels, The first control unit controls the first wireless communication unit, A first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain is received from the second communication device, Using some or all of the selected frequency resources from among the multiple frequency resources, the second signal is transmitted to the second communication device. Control to receive a third signal transmitted by the second communication device in response to the second signal, which includes information indicating permission to transmit by the first communication device or a request to transmit. Communication control device. [Item 2] The communication control device according to item 1, wherein the third signal includes communication resource information indicating a communication resource to be determined based on the second signal and allocated to the first communication device. [Item 3] The first control unit controls the first wireless communication unit, Controls the transmission of a control signal relating to obtaining access rights to transmit a data signal containing predetermined data, before the reception of the first signal and after the elapsed of a backoff time set based on the data. The communication control device described in item 1. [Item 4] The first control unit randomly selects one of the multiple frequency resources and uses it to transmit the second signal, as described in items 1 and 2. [Item 5] The aforementioned frequency resource is a Resource Unit (RU) or a subcarrier asset containing multiple Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, as described in items 1 to 3 of the communication control device. [Item 6] The first control unit controls the first wireless communication unit. Control to transmit the data signal using the communication resource indicated in the communication resource information. The communication control device described in item 2. [Item 7] The communication control device according to items 1 to 5, wherein the first control unit further includes control for repeatedly receiving the first signal and transmitting the second signal according to an upper limit number of times. [Item 8] The communication control device described in item 3, wherein the control signal includes information indicating the period of transmission suppression. [Item 9] The communication control device according to item 3 or 8, wherein the first control unit determines whether or not to transmit the second signal based on communication with the second communication device before transmitting the control signal. [Item 10] The communication control device according to item 3 or 8, wherein the control signal includes at least one of the following: information relating to the implementation of the communication resource allocation operation; information relating to the access category of data transmitted by the first communication device; information relating to the amount of data belonging to the access category; information relating to the upper limit of the delay of data belonging to the access category; and information relating to frequency resources that are desirable to use for communication. [Item 11] A second wireless communication unit included in a second communication device, comprising a second control unit that controls the second wireless communication unit which performs wireless communication with one or more first communication devices via one or more access channels, The second control unit controls the second wireless communication unit, Receiving a control signal for acquiring access rights from one or more of the First Communication Devices, A first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain is transmitted to one or more of the first communication devices. Control one or more of the first communication devices to receive a second signal using a portion or all of the selected frequency resources from among the plurality of frequency resources. Furthermore, the second control unit makes a decision to permit or request transmission from one or more of the first communication devices based on the frequency resources used to transmit each of the second signals. Communication control device. [Item 12] The second control unit is, A decision is made to permit or request transmission from one or more of the first communication devices that have transmitted the second signal using a portion or all of one or more predetermined frequency resources among the plurality of frequency resources included in the frequency domain. The communication control device described in item 11. [Item 13] The communication control device according to items 11 to 12, wherein the second control unit further includes control to transmit a third signal to one or more first communication devices, which includes information indicating that transmission is permitted or requested, after the second control unit has determined which of the first communication devices permits transmission or requests transmission. [Item 14] The communication control device according to item 13, wherein the third signal includes communication resource information indicating a communication resource to be determined based on the second signal and allocated to the first communication device. [Item 15] The aforementioned frequency resource is a subcarrier asset including a RU or multiple OFDM subcarriers, as described in items 11-13, for the communication control device. [Item 16] The communication control device described in items 11 to 15, wherein the first signal includes information indicating the period of transmission suppression. [Item 17] The communication control device according to items 11 to 16, further comprising control of the second control unit to repeatedly transmit the first signal and receive the second signal according to the upper limit number of times. [Item 18] The second control unit controls the second wireless communication unit, If it is determined that the control signal has been received from only one of the first communication devices, The first communication device is controlled to omit the transmission of the second signal and allow the transmission of the data signal. Communication control devices as described in items 11-17. [Item 19] The second control unit controls the second wireless communication unit, If it is determined that the control signal has been received from only one of the first communication devices, Control to omit the transmission of the third signal. The communication control device described in item 13. [Item 20] The communication control device according to items 11 to 19, wherein the second control unit determines whether or not to transmit the first signal to one or more first communication devices based on communication with the first communication device before receiving the control signal. [Item 21] Processor and An input device that accepts input from the user, Display device and, The first antenna element and Furthermore, The processor controls a plurality of first wireless communication units included in the first communication device to receive information and, based on the operation, controls the display of the display device. A communication control device as described in any one of items 1 through 10. [Item 22] Speakers and, An external connection interface for connecting to a memory card or USB (Universal Serial Bus) device, A second antenna element that, together with the first antenna element, constitutes a MIMO antenna, The control unit, the processor, the input device, the display device, the and second antenna elements, and the power sharing unit that supplies power to the external connection interface, A communication control device as described in item 21, further comprising the features described therein. [Item 23] A content player that plays content stored on an external storage medium connected via an external connection interface. A communication control device as described in item 21, further comprising the features described therein. [Item 24] The display device is an LED lamp that displays the operating status of the communication device. The communication control device described in item 21. [Item 25] A first wireless communication unit included in a first communication device mounted on a vehicle, comprising a first control unit that controls the first wireless communication unit which performs wireless communication with a second communication device via one or more access channels, The first control unit comprises the first wireless communication unit, A first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain is received from the second communication device, Using some or all of the selected frequency resources from among the multiple frequency resources, the second signal is transmitted to the second communication device. Control to receive a third signal transmitted by the second communication device in response to the second signal, which includes information indicating permission to transmit by the first communication device or a request to transmit. vehicle. [Item 26] A first wireless communication unit included in a first communication device, which controls the first wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with a second communication device via one or more access channels, includes a first control method for controlling the first wireless communication unit. The first control method includes the first wireless communication unit, A first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain is received from the second communication device, Using some or all of the selected frequency resources from among the multiple frequency resources, the second signal is transmitted to the second communication device. Control to receive a third signal transmitted by the second communication device in response to the second signal, which includes information indicating permission to transmit by the first communication device or a request to transmit. Communication control method. [Item 27] A first wireless communication unit included in a first communication device, which controls the first wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with a second communication device via one or more access channels, includes a first control method for controlling the first wireless communication unit. The first control method includes the first wireless communication unit, A first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain is received from the second communication device, Using some or all of the selected frequency resources from among the multiple frequency resources, the second signal is transmitted to the second communication device. Control to receive a third signal transmitted by the second communication device in response to the second signal, which includes information indicating permission to transmit by the first communication device or a request to transmit. A program that causes a computer to execute communication control methods. [Item 28] A first wireless communication unit included in a first communication device, which controls the first wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with a second communication device via one or more access channels, includes a first control method for controlling the first wireless communication unit. The first control method includes the first wireless communication unit, A first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain is received from the second communication device, Using some or all of the selected frequency resources from among the multiple frequency resources, the second signal is transmitted to the second communication device. Control to receive a third signal transmitted by the second communication device in response to the second signal, which includes information indicating permission to transmit by the first communication device or a request to transmit. A non-temporary, readable medium on which a program that causes a computer to execute a communication control method is recorded. [Item 29] A second wireless communication unit included in a second communication device, comprising a second control method for controlling the second wireless communication unit which performs wireless communication with one or more first communication devices via one or more access channels, The second control method includes the second wireless communication unit, Receiving a control signal for acquiring access rights from one or more of the First Communication Devices, A first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain is transmitted to one or more of the first communication devices. Control one or more of the first communication devices to receive a second signal using a portion or all of the selected frequency resources from among the plurality of frequency resources. Furthermore, the second control unit makes a decision to permit or request transmission from one or more of the first communication devices based on the frequency resources used to transmit each of the second signals. Communication control method. [Item 30] A second wireless communication unit included in a second communication device, comprising a second control method for controlling the second wireless communication unit which performs wireless communication with one or more first communication devices via one or more access channels, The second control method includes the second wireless communication unit, Receiving a control signal for acquiring access rights from one or more of the First Communication Devices, A first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain is transmitted to one or more of the first communication devices. Control one or more of the first communication devices to receive a second signal using a portion or all of the selected frequency resources from among the plurality of frequency resources. Furthermore, the second control unit makes a decision to permit or request transmission from one or more of the first communication devices based on the frequency resources used to transmit each of the second signals. A program that causes a computer to execute communication control methods. [Item 31] A second wireless communication unit included in a second communication device, comprising a second control method for controlling the second wireless communication unit which performs wireless communication with one or more first communication devices via one or more access channels, The second control method includes the second wireless communication unit, Receiving a control signal for acquiring access rights from one or more of the First Communication Devices, A first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain is transmitted to one or more of the first communication devices. Control one or more of the first communication devices to receive a second signal using a portion or all of the selected frequency resources from among the plurality of frequency resources. Furthermore, the second control unit has a non-temporary readable medium on which a program is recorded that causes a computer to execute a communication control method that makes a decision to permit or request transmission from one or more of the first communication devices based on the frequency resources used to transmit each of the second signals. [Item 32] A wireless communication system comprising one or more first and second communication devices, One or more first wireless communication units included in one or more first communication devices, one or more first control units that control one or more first wireless communication units that perform wireless communication with a second communication device via one or more access channels, The second communication device includes a second wireless communication unit which controls the second wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with one or more of the first communication devices and one or more access channels, Each of the one or more of the first control units comprises the first wireless communication unit, A first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain is received from the second communication device, Using some or all of the selected frequency resources from among the multiple frequency resources, the second signal is transmitted to the second communication device. The second control unit controls the second wireless communication unit to receive a third signal transmitted by the second communication device in response to the second signal, which includes information indicating permission for the first communication device to transmit or a request for transmission. Receiving a control signal for acquiring access rights from one or more of the First Communication Devices, A first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain is transmitted to one or more of the first communication devices. Control one or more of the first communication devices to receive a second signal using a portion or all of the selected frequency resources from among the plurality of frequency resources. Furthermore, the second control unit makes a decision to permit or request transmission from one or more of the first communication devices based on the frequency resources used to transmit each of the second signals, in a wireless communication system. [Item 33] The communication control device according to item 3 or 8, wherein the control signal is A-Control or MU RTS. [Item 34] The first signal is an NFRP Trigger frame, as described in items 1 to 20 of the communication control device. [Item 35] The second signal is TB PPDU, as described in items 1-20 of the communication control device. [Item 36] The third signal is a Basic Trigger frame, as described in items 1 to 10 of the communication control device. [Item 37] A first wireless communication unit included in a first communication device, comprising a first control unit that controls the first wireless communication unit which performs wireless communication with a second communication device via one or more access channels, The first control unit controls the first wireless communication unit, After the backoff time has elapsed, a control signal regarding the acquisition of access rights is transmitted to the second communication device. Control the second communication device to receive a first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain. Furthermore, the first control unit determines, based on the result of subtracting the counter value from the number of frequency resources, which frequency resource from the plurality of frequency resources will be used for transmitting the data signal. Communication control device. [Item 38] A second wireless communication unit included in a second communication device, comprising a second control unit that controls the second wireless communication unit which performs wireless communication with one or more first communication devices via one or more access channels, The second control unit controls the second wireless communication unit. After the backoff time has elapsed, the system receives a control signal for acquiring access rights from one or more of the First Communication Devices. A first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain is transmitted to the first communication device. Control to receive a data signal using some or all of the frequency resources determined based on the first signal from among the multiple frequency resources. Communication control device. [Item 39] A wireless communication system comprising one or more first and second communication devices, One or more first wireless communication units included in one or more first communication devices, one or more first control units that control one or more first wireless communication units that perform wireless communication with a second communication device via one or more access channels, The second communication device includes a second wireless communication unit which controls the second wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with one or more of the first communication devices and one or more access channels, Each of the one or more of the first control units comprises the first wireless communication unit, After the backoff time has elapsed, a control signal regarding the acquisition of access rights is transmitted to the second communication device. Control the second communication device to receive a first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain. Furthermore, each of the first control units determines, based on the subtraction result of the counter value and the number of the frequency resources, the frequency resources to be used for transmitting a data signal among the plurality of the frequency resources. The second control unit controls the second wireless communication unit. After the elapse of the backoff time, the second control unit receives a control signal regarding acquisition of an access right from one or more of the first communication devices. The second control unit transmits a first signal specifying a plurality of frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency region to the first communication device. The second control unit controls to receive a data signal using a part or all of the frequency resources determined based on the first signal among the plurality of the frequency resources. A wireless communication system. [Item 40] The control signal includes at least one of information regarding implementation of the operation of the communication resource allocation, information regarding an access category of data transmitted by the first communication device, information regarding the amount of data of the data belonging to the access category, information regarding the upper limit of delay of the data belonging to the access category, and information regarding frequency resources that are desirable to be used for communication. The communication control device according to Items 11 to 20.

Explanation of Signs

[0216] 1, 2, 3, 4 Non-AP 100 AP 110 Communication unit 111 Communication control unit 112 Communication storage unit 113 Common data processing unit 121 Individual data processing unit 122 Signal processing unit 123 Wireless interface unit 124 Amplification unit 130 Control unit 140 Storage unit 150 Antenna 160 Backhaul communication unit 801 CPU 802 ROM 803 RAM 804 Bus 805 Input / Output Interface 806 Input Section 807 Output section 808 Storage section 809 Communications Department 810 Drive 811 Removable Media 900 Smartphones 901 Processor 902 memory 903 Storage 904 External connection interface 906 Camera 907 Sensor 908 Microphone 909 Input Devices 910 Display Devices 911 speaker 913 Wireless communication interface 914 Antenna Switch 915 Antenna 917 Bus 918 Battery 919 Auxiliary Controller 920 On-vehicle equipment 921 Processor 922 memory 924 GNSS module 925 Sensor 926 Data Interface 927 Content Player 928 Storage media interface 929 Input Devices 930 Display Devices 931 Speaker 933 Wireless communication interface 934 Antenna Switch 935 Antenna 938 Battery 940 In-vehicle systems (or vehicles) 941 In-vehicle network 942 Vehicle-side module 951 Controller 952 memory 954 Input Devices 955 Display Devices 957 Network Interface 958 Wired communication network 963 Wireless communication interface 964 Antenna Switch 965 Antenna

Claims

1. A first communication device includes a first wireless communication unit, which controls the first wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with a second communication device over one or more access channels, The first control unit controls the first wireless communication unit, A first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain is received from the second communication device, Using some or all of the selected frequency resources from among the multiple frequency resources, the second signal is transmitted to the second communication device. Control to receive a third signal transmitted by the second communication device in response to the second signal, which includes information indicating permission to transmit by the first communication device or a request to transmit. Communication control device.

2. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the third signal includes communication resource information indicating a communication resource to be determined based on the second signal and allocated to the first communication device.

3. The first control unit controls the first wireless communication unit, Controls the transmission of a control signal for acquiring access rights to transmit a data signal containing predetermined data, before the reception of the first signal and after the elapsed of a backoff time set based on the data. The communication control device according to claim 1.

4. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the first control unit randomly selects one of the plurality of frequency resources and uses it for transmitting the second signal.

5. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the frequency resource is a Resource Unit (RU) or a subcarrier asset including a plurality of Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers.

6. The first control unit controls the first wireless communication unit. Control to transmit a data signal containing predetermined data using the communication resource indicated in the communication resource information. The communication control device according to claim 2.

7. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the first control unit further includes control for repeatedly receiving the first signal and transmitting the second signal according to an upper limit number of times.

8. The communication control device according to claim 3, wherein the control signal includes information indicating the period of transmission suppression.

9. The communication control device according to claim 3, wherein the first control unit determines whether or not to transmit the second signal based on communication with the second communication device before transmitting the control signal.

10. The communication control device according to claim 3, wherein the control signal includes at least one of the following: information relating to the implementation of a communication resource allocation operation; information relating to the access category of data to be transmitted by the first communication device; information relating to the amount of data belonging to the access category; information relating to the upper limit of the delay of data belonging to the access category; and information relating to frequency resources that are desirable to be used for communication.

11. A second communication device includes a second wireless communication unit, which controls the second wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with one or more first communication devices via one or more access channels, The second control unit controls the second wireless communication unit, Receiving a control signal for acquiring access rights from one or more of the first communication devices, A first signal that identifies multiple frequency resources included in a predetermined frequency domain is transmitted to one or more of the first communication devices. Control one or more of the first communication devices to receive a second signal using a portion or all of the selected frequency resources from among the plurality of frequency resources. Furthermore, the second control unit makes a decision to permit or request transmission from one or more of the first communication devices based on the frequency resources used to transmit each of the second signals. Communication control device.

12. The second control unit is, A decision is made to permit or request transmission from one or more first communication devices that have transmitted the second signal using a portion or all of one or more predetermined frequency resources among a plurality of frequency resources included in the frequency domain. The communication control device according to claim 11.

13. The second control unit controls the second wireless communication unit, The communication control device according to claim 11, which controls the transmission of a third signal to one or more of the first communication devices, including information indicating that transmission is permitted or that transmission is requested, after the first communication device has determined whether to permit or request transmission.

14. The communication control device according to claim 13, wherein the third signal includes communication resource information indicating a communication resource to be determined based on the second signal and allocated to the first communication device.

15. The communication control device according to claim 11, wherein the frequency resource is a subcarrier asset including a RU or a plurality of OFDM subcarriers.

16. The communication control device according to claim 11, wherein the first signal includes information indicating the period of transmission suppression.

17. The communication control device according to claim 11, further comprising control of the second control unit to repeatedly transmit the first signal and receive the second signal according to the upper limit number of times.

18. The second control unit controls the second wireless communication unit, If it is determined that the control signal has been received from only one of the first communication devices, The first communication device is controlled to omit the transmission of the second signal and allow the transmission of the data signal. The communication control device according to claim 11.

19. The second control unit controls the second wireless communication unit, If it is determined that the control signal has been received from only one of the first communication devices, Control to omit the transmission of the third signal. The communication control device according to claim 13.

20. The communication control device according to claim 11, wherein the second control unit determines whether or not to transmit the first signal to one or more first communication devices based on communication with the first communication device before receiving the control signal.

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