Communication Equipment

Abstract

To provide a communication apparatus and a communication method that realize more efficient communication in accordance with a utilization situation of frequency bands.SOLUTION: A wireless LAN (Local Area Network) system is configured with a plurality of networks (BSS: Basic Service Set) including base stations (AP: Access Point) and subordinate terminals (STA: Station) connected to the base stations. A base station AP1 and subordinate terminals STA1a and STA1b connected to the base station AP1 configure a network BSS1. The base station includes a control section configured to determine whether or not an existing standard-compliant terminal is connected to the base station in a usage frequency band that is a frequency band to be used by the base station on the basis of existing terminal connection information that indicates whether or not the existing standard-compliant terminal is connected to the base station in a predetermined frequency band received from another base station.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This technology is Communication Equipment In particular, it is possible to realize more efficient communication. Communication Equipment Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of wireless LAN (Local Area Network) systems, various countries are considering allocating new frequency bands in addition to the existing frequency bands of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.

[0003] When formulating standards for new frequency bands, it is also expected that a mechanism for coexistence with existing standard terminals compatible with standards formulated for existing frequency bands will be incorporated. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses technology related to compatibility with existing standard terminals. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2017-535107 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, when allocating a new frequency band in a wireless LAN system, a technique for realizing more efficient communication is required.

[0006] The present technology has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and makes it possible to realize more efficient communication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This technology one aspect The communication device is a base station, and receives a predetermined frequency band from another base station. and band identification information for identifying the predetermined frequency band Based on existing terminal connection information indicating whether or not an existing standard terminal is connected in , and the frequency band used Determine whether the existing standard terminal is connected in Based on the result of the determination of the frequency band to be used, a first operation is controlled in which the existing standard terminal using the frequency band to be used is not present, and a second operation is controlled in which the existing standard terminal using the frequency band to be used is present. Equipped with a control unit When the control unit determines a frequency band not used by the other base station as the utilization frequency band, the control unit controls the first operation using the determined utilization frequency band; when the control unit determines a frequency band not used by the other base station or used by the other base station in the first operation as the utilization frequency band, the control unit controls the first operation using the determined utilization frequency band; when the control unit determines a frequency band not used by the other base station or used by the other base station in the second operation as the utilization frequency band, the control unit controls the second operation using the determined utilization frequency band; when the control unit determines a frequency band not used by the other base station or used by the other base station in the second operation as the utilization frequency band, the control unit controls the second operation using the determined utilization frequency band; and when the control unit determines a frequency band used by the other base station in the first operation or used by the other base station in the second operation as the utilization frequency band, the control unit repeats selection of a frequency band to be used as the utilization frequency band until a bandwidth required for the utilization frequency band is secured, and sequentially adds the selected frequency band to the utilization frequency band. It is a communication device.

[0009] This technology one aspect of Communication Equipment In the case of a predetermined frequency band received from another base station, and band identification information for identifying the predetermined frequency band Based on existing terminal connection information indicating whether or not an existing standard terminal is connected in The above The frequency band used by the base station , and the frequency band used In The above Determines whether existing standard terminals are connected or not Based on the result of the determination of the frequency band to be used, a first operation in which the existing standard terminal using the frequency band is not present and a second operation in which the existing standard terminal using the frequency band is present are controlled. Also, when a frequency band not used by the other base station is determined as the frequency band to be used, the first operation using the determined frequency band to be used is controlled, when a frequency band not used by the other base station or used by the other base station in the first operation is determined as the frequency band to be used, the first operation using the determined frequency band to be used is controlled, when a frequency band not used by the other base station or used by the other base station in the second operation is determined as the frequency band to be used, the second operation using the determined frequency band to be used is controlled, and when a frequency band used by the other base station in the first operation or used by the other base station in the second operation is determined as the frequency band to be used, the second operation using the determined frequency band to be used is controlled. Furthermore, the selection of the frequency band to be used as the frequency band to be used is repeated until a necessary bandwidth is secured as the frequency band to be used, and the selected frequency bands are successively added to the frequency band to be used.

[0013] This technology one aspect The communication device may be an independent device or an internal block constituting a single device. Effect of the Invention

[0014] This technology one aspect According to this, more efficient communication can be realized.

[0015] Note that the effects described herein are not necessarily limited to those described herein, and may be any of the effects described in this disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an embodiment of a communication device to which the present technology is applied. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a PPDU format defined in the IEEE 802.11ax standard. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing a PPDU format defined in the IEEE802.11a standard. [Diagram 5] A diagram showing the format of Greenfield PPDU. [Figure 6] 11 is a diagram showing a first example of the format of a frame storing 6 GHz band utilization status information. FIG. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a first example of a GFO utilization band determination process for the 6 GHz band. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between Sub Channel ID and Legacy Present Flag. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a determination made by base station AP2 based on information from base stations AP1 and AP3. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a second example of a GFO utilization band determination process for the 6 GHz band. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of the configuration of a wireless communication system. [Figure 12] 11 is a diagram showing a second example of the format of a frame storing 6 GHz band utilization status information. FIG. [Figure 13] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a 6 GHz band utilization status information reporting process. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of another configuration of an embodiment of a communication device to which the present technology is applied. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of another configuration of an embodiment of a communication device to which the present technology is applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present technology will be described with reference to the drawings. The description will be given in the following order.

[0018] 1. Embodiments of the present technology 2. Variations

[0019] <1. Embodiment of the present technology>

[0020] (Example of wireless communication system configuration) FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system.

[0021] In FIG. 1, the wireless communication system is a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) system consisting of a base station (AP: Access Point) and multiple networks (BSS: Basic Service Set) consisting of subordinate terminals (STA: Station) connected to the base station.

[0022] A network BSS1 is formed by the base station AP1 and the subordinate terminals STA1a and STA1b connected to the base station AP1. The dotted lines connecting the base station AP1 and the subordinate terminals STA1a and STA1b indicate that they are connected. Although not shown, the subordinate terminals STA are also connected to the base stations AP2 to AP4 in the same way as the base station AP1, forming networks BSS2 to BSS4, respectively.

[0023] The solid circle with each base station AP at its center indicates the communication range of each base station AP, that is, the signal arrival range and the signal detection range. The communication ranges of each base station AP may overlap. For example, in FIG. 1, the communication range of base station AP2 includes base stations AP1 and AP3.

[0024] It should be noted that the configuration of the wireless communication system shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and the numbers and arrangements of the base station AP, the terminals STA, and the network BSS are not limited to this.

[0025] (Example of communication device configuration) FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an embodiment of a communication device (wireless communication device) to which the present technology is applied.

[0026] A communication device 10 shown in FIG. 2 is configured as a base station AP or a subordinate terminal STA in the wireless communication system of FIG.

[0027] 2, the communication device 10 includes a control unit 101, a data processing unit 102, a communication unit 103, and a power supply unit 104. The communication unit 103 includes a modulation / demodulation unit 111, a signal processing unit 112, a channel estimation unit 113, wireless interface units 114-1 to 114-N (N: an integer equal to or greater than 1), and amplifier units 115-1 to 115-N (N: an integer equal to or greater than 1). In the communication device 10, antennas 116-1 to 116-N (N: an integer equal to or greater than 1) are provided for the communication unit 103 (the amplifier units 115-1 to 115-N).

[0028] The control unit 101 is configured with a processor such as a microprocessor, and controls the operation of each unit. The control unit 101 also transfers information (data) between each block.

[0029] The control unit 101 also schedules packets in the data processing unit 102, and sets parameters in the modulation / demodulation unit 111 and signal processing unit 112 of the communication unit 103. The control unit 101 also sets parameters and controls transmission power in the wireless interface units 114-1 to 114-N and the amplifier units 115-1 to 115-N.

[0030] When data is input from a higher protocol layer during transmission, the data processing unit 102 generates a packet for wireless communication from the input data, performs processing such as adding a header for media access control (MAC) and an error detection code, and outputs the resulting processed data to the communication unit 103 (its modulation / demodulation unit 111).

[0031] In addition, when data is received from the communication unit 103 (its modulation / demodulation unit 111), the data processing unit 102 performs processing on the input data such as analyzing the MAC header, detecting packet errors, and reordering, and outputs the resulting processed data to the upper protocol layer.

[0032] The communication unit 103 performs processing related to wireless communication under the control of the control unit 101 .

[0033] During transmission, the modem unit 111 performs processing such as encoding, interleaving, and modulation on the input data received from the data processing unit 102 based on the coding and modulation method set by the control unit 101, and outputs the resulting data symbol stream to the signal processing unit 112.

[0034] In addition, during reception, the modem unit 111 performs the opposite process to that performed during transmission on the data symbol stream input from the signal processing unit 112, i.e., demodulation, deinterleaving, decoding, and other processes based on the coding and demodulation method set by the control unit 101, and outputs the resulting processed data to the control unit 101 or the data processing unit 102.

[0035] During transmission, the signal processing unit 112 performs signal processing such as spatial separation as necessary on the data symbol stream input from the modem unit 111, and outputs the resulting one or more transmission symbol streams to the wireless interface units 114-1 to 114-N, respectively.

[0036] In addition, during reception, the signal processing unit 112 performs processing such as signal processing for spatial decomposition of the stream on the received symbol streams input from each of the wireless interface units 114-1 to 114-N as necessary, and outputs the resulting data symbol stream to the modulation / demodulation unit 111.

[0037] The channel estimation unit 113 calculates complex channel gain information of the propagation path from the preamble portion and the training signal portion of the input signal from each of the wireless interface units 114-1 to 114-N. The complex channel gain information calculated by the channel estimation unit 113 is used for demodulation processing in the modem unit 111 via the control unit 101 and spatial processing in the signal processing unit 112.

[0038] During transmission, the wireless interface unit 114-1 converts the transmission symbol stream input from the signal processing unit 112 into an analog signal, performs processing such as filtering and up-conversion to a carrier frequency, and outputs (sends) the resulting transmission signal to the amplifier unit 115-1 or the antenna 116-1.

[0039] In addition, during reception, the wireless interface unit 114-1 performs processing on the received signal input from the amplifier unit 115-1 or the antenna 116-1 that is the opposite of that performed during transmission, i.e., processing such as down-conversion, and outputs the resulting received symbol stream to the signal processing unit 112.

[0040] During transmission, amplifier 115-1 amplifies a transmission signal (analog signal) input from wireless interface unit 114-1 to a predetermined power and sends it to antenna 116-1. During reception, amplifier 115-1 amplifies a reception signal (analog signal) input from antenna 116-1 to a predetermined power and outputs it to wireless interface unit 114-1.

[0041] It should be noted that wireless interface units 114-2 to 114-N are configured in the same manner as wireless interface unit 114-1, amplifier units 115-2 to 115-N are configured in the same manner as amplifier unit 115-1, and antennas 116-2 to 116-N are configured in the same manner as antenna 116-1, and therefore their explanations are omitted here.

[0042] In addition, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between wireless interface units 114-1 to 114-N, they will be referred to as wireless interface unit 114, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between amplifier units 115-1 to 115-N, they will be referred to as amplifier unit 115, and when there is no need to particularly distinguish between antennas 116-1 to 116-N, they will be referred to as antennas 116.

[0043] Furthermore, at least one of the functions (at least a part of the functions) of the amplifier unit 115 during transmission and reception may be included in the wireless interface unit 114. At least one of the functions (at least a part of the functions) of the amplifier unit 115 during transmission and reception may be an external component of the communication unit 103. Furthermore, the wireless interface unit 114, the amplifier unit 115, and the antenna 116 may form one or more sets as components.

[0044] The power supply unit 104 is formed of a battery power supply or a fixed power supply, and supplies power to each unit of the communication device 10 .

[0045] The communication device 10 configured as above is configured as a base station AP (or a subordinate terminal STA) in the wireless communication system of Fig. 1, and in order to realize more efficient communication when allocating a new frequency band (for example, 6 GHz band), the control unit 101 has, for example, the following functions: That is, although the details will be described later, the control unit 101 searches for a new frequency band (for example, 6 GHz band) based on information from the surrounding base stations AP, and controls the operation of each unit so that operation is performed using the determined band.

[0046] (Decision on 6GHz band usage through information sharing between base stations) Incidentally, in recent years, with the spread of wireless LAN systems, various countries (such as the United States and European countries) are considering opening up the 6 GHz band to unlicensed uses, including wireless LAN, following the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. In addition, in order to ensure the acquisition of this band, the IEEE802.11 standardization organization has announced that it will allow the IEEE802.11ax standard, which is currently being formulated, to be used in the 6 GHz band as is.

[0047] The IEEE802.11ax standard, which has been under development since 2014, was developed for use in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, and therefore includes a mechanism for coexistence with existing standard terminals already in use in these bands.

[0048] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a PPDU format defined in the IEEE802.11ax standard.

[0049] In the PPDU (PPDU: PLCP Protocol Data Unit, PLCP: Physical Layer Convergence Protocol) in Figure 3, L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, HE-SIG-A, HE-STF, HE-LTF, and HE-LTF are added to the data signal (Data).

[0050] The L-STF (Legacy Short Training Field), L-LTF (Legacy Long Training Field), and L-SIG (Legacy Signal Field) are added so that when a terminal that complies with existing standards prior to IEEE802.11ax (for example, a terminal compliant with the IEEE802.11ac standard) receives the corresponding PPDU, it recognizes that it is a signal that complies with the IEEE802.11 standard and refrains from transmitting interfering signals.

[0051] The RL-SIG (L-SIG repetition) following the L-SIG is added so that an IEEE802.11ax-compliant terminal can recognize when receiving the corresponding PPDU that it is a signal that complies with the IEEE802.11ax standard, not a signal that complies with a standard prior to IEEE802.11ax.

[0052] In addition to the PPDU format shown in Figure 3, the IEEE802.11ax standard also includes many mechanisms for coexistence with existing standard terminals.

[0053] For example, control information (e.g., Control Frame, Management Frame, etc.) exchanged within a network (BSS) must be transmitted in a PPDU format as shown in Fig. 4 so that all terminals within the network (BSS), including existing standard terminals, can understand it. In the PPDU in Fig. 4, L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG are added to the data signal (Data).

[0054] On the other hand, even though there are no terminals using standards earlier than IEEE802.11ax in the newly allocated 6GHz band, the IEEE802.11ax standard, which still includes overhead for coexistence with existing standard terminals, is made available in the 6GHz band. By preparing an operational standard in advance, it is possible to assert to the regulator that when a new frequency band (6GHz band) is allocated, the band can be used immediately without any blank periods.

[0055] Furthermore, because the mechanism for coexistence with existing standard terminals in the 6 GHz band would result in unnecessary overhead, it is expected that the successor standard to IEEE802.11ax will consider greenfield operation (GFO), which would eliminate the need for this overhead.

[0056] Here, Greenfield (GF) means that there are no existing standard terminals (legacy terminals), and operation in which there are no existing standard terminals is called Greenfield operation (GFO). On the other hand, in the following description, operation in which there are existing standard terminals (legacy terminals) is called non-Greenfield operation (non-GFO) to distinguish it from other types of operation. Note that Greenfield operation (GFO) is also called the first operation, and non-Greenfield operation (non-GFO) is also called the second operation.

[0057] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the format of a Greenfield PPDU (hereinafter, also referred to as a GF PPDU).

[0058] In the GF PPDU in Fig. 5, VHE-STF, VHE-LTF, VHE-SIG, and VHE-LTF are added to the data signal (Data). That is, it is assumed that a new GF PPDU having only the minimum necessary signal area will be defined by omitting signal areas such as L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG as shown in Fig. 5. In addition, in Fig. 5, "VHE" is an abbreviation for Very High Efficiency, and is a provisional name meaning the successor standard to IEEE802.11ax.

[0059] Here, when a terminal (an IEEE802.11ax standard-compliant terminal) that can only recognize PPDUs with L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, and RL-SIG defined in the IEEE802.11ax standard receives this GF PPDU, it may not be able to correctly recognize its existence, which may induce a packet collision.

[0060] Therefore, this technology realizes efficient operation of Green Field Operation (GFO) by sharing information between base stations (APs). Specifically, neighboring base stations (APs) notify each other of the availability of existing standard terminals (in this case, IEEE802.11ax standard compliant terminals) in the 6 GHz band by using a frame as shown in Figure 6.

[0061] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a first example of a format of a frame that stores 6 GHz band utilization status information.

[0062] In FIG. 6, the frame storing the 6 GHz band usage status information includes Frame Type, Duration, Receiver Address, Transmitter Address, Body, and FCS.

[0063] Frame Type stores information about the type of this frame. For example, if the frame is transmitted as a Beacon Frame, information indicating that the frame is a Beacon is stored.

[0064] Information about the length of this frame is stored in Duration. Information about the destination address of this frame is stored in Receiver Address. For example, if this frame is to be transmitted by broadcast, Broadcast Address is stored.

[0065] The Transmitter Address field contains information about the address of the sender of this frame. The Body field contains specific information that is transmitted by this frame. For example, the Body field contains Channel Utility Info. The FCS (Frame Check Sequence) field contains information about error detection and correction.

[0066] The Channel Utility Info includes a Sub Channel ID and a Legacy Present Flag. Here, the Sub Channel ID and the Legacy Present Flag are paired, and one or more pairs are included in the Channel Utility Info.

[0067] Sub Channel ID stores band identification information for identifying a specific band (frequency band) for each specific bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz, 40 MHz, etc.) in the 6 GHz band. Legacy Present Flag stores existing terminal connection information indicating the presence or absence of a connection of an existing standard terminal in the band (frequency band) identified by the Sub Channel ID. The band identification information and existing terminal connection information configure 6 GHz utilization band status information.

[0068] In this way, each base station AP can send a frame containing 6 GHz utilization band status information to other (neighboring) surrounding base stations AP, thereby notifying them for each of multiple bands whether they are compatible with existing standard terminals, i.e., whether Greenfield Operation (GFO) is enabled.

[0069] Then, when a base station AP receives a frame from another base station AP in the vicinity, it will, based on the 6 GHz utilization band status information, perform green field operation (GFO) by avoiding bands in which existing standard terminals exist, or, if an existing standard terminal is connected to itself (the base station AP), accommodate the existing standard terminal in the same band as the other surrounding base stations APs, thereby making effective use of the band.

[0070] (First example of flow of 6GHz GFO usage band determination process) Next, with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 7, a flow of a first example of a process of determining a GFO utilization band in the 6 GHz band executed by (the control unit 101 of) the communication device 10 configured as the base station AP will be described.

[0071] In step S101, the control unit 101 acquires 6 GHz band status information from the surrounding base stations AP.

[0072] For example, the base station AP2 (control unit 101) receives 6 GHz band status information (a frame containing the information (FIG. 6)) transmitted from the neighboring base stations AP1 and AP3, and acquires the 6 GHz band status information. This 6 GHz band status information includes band identification information (Sub Channel ID) and existing terminal connection information (Legacy Present Flag).

[0073] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the Sub Channel ID and the Legacy Present Flag.

[0074] As shown in Fig. 8, in the 6 GHz band, a Sub Channel ID is assigned to each bandwidth, for example, 20 MHz. Each base station AP transmits to other base stations AP 6 GHz usage band status information including a Sub Channel ID that identifies a specific band and a Legacy Present Flag that indicates whether or not a terminal conforming to the existing standard is connected in that band.

[0075] This Legacy Present Flag is set to "1" when an existing standard terminal is connected to the band identified by the Sub Channel ID, and is set to "0" when no existing standard terminal is connected.

[0076] In addition, in FIG. 8, a case where a Sub Channel ID is assigned for each 20 MHz bandwidth is illustrated as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a Sub Channel ID may be assigned for each 40 MHz bandwidth of the two channels, and a Legacy Present Flag may be associated with the Sub Channel ID.

[0077] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 7, in step S102, the control unit 101 determines whether or not there is a 6 GHz band that is not being used by any of the surrounding base stations AP, based on the acquired 6 GHz utilization band status information.

[0078] In step S102, if the determination for the determination condition is positive ("YES" in S102), the process proceeds to step S103.

[0079] In step S103, the control unit 101 controls the operation of each unit so that the 6 GHz band that is not used by the surrounding base stations AP is used in greenfield operation (GFO).

[0080] Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, it is assumed that base station AP2 (its control unit 101) determines the GFO utilization band in the 6 GHz band based on 6 GHz utilization band status information acquired from base stations AP1 and AP3 installed in the vicinity.

[0081] In this case, when the A band shown in Fig. 9 exists as a 6 GHz candidate band, the 6 GHz band is unused by the base stations AP1 and AP3, so the base station AP2 (its control unit 101) determines that the unused 6 GHz band is the band to be used by the base station AP2 (used frequency band, hereinafter also referred to as the used band).Then, the base station AP2 (its control unit 101) performs greenfield operation (GFO) using the determined used band (unused 6 GHz band) ("YES" in S102, S103).

[0082] Furthermore, in step S102, if the determination for the determination condition is negative ("NO" in S102), the process proceeds to step S104.

[0083] In step S104, the control unit 101 determines, based on the acquired 6 GHz utilization band status information, whether or not there is a 6 GHz band that is not being utilized by a surrounding base station AP or is being utilized in greenfield operation (GFO).

[0084] In step S104, if the determination for the determination condition is positive ("YES" in S104), the process proceeds to step S105.

[0085] In step S105, the control unit 101 uses, in greenfield operation (GFO), the 6 GHz band that is not being used by the surrounding base stations AP or is being used in greenfield operation (GFO).

[0086] Here, for example, when band B (6 GHz candidate band) shown in FIG. 9 exists, it is the 6 GHz band that is not in use by base station AP1 and is in use by base station AP3 for greenfield operation (GFO), so base station AP2 (its control unit 101) will use the 6 GHz band to perform greenfield operation (GFO) ("YES" in S104, S105).

[0087] At this time, together with the base station AP3, the base station AP2 may perform greenfield operation (GFO) using the 6 GHz band that the base station AP1 uses for greenfield operation (GFO).

[0088] Furthermore, in step S104, if the determination for the determination condition is negative ("NO" in S104), the process proceeds to step S106.

[0089] In step S106, the control unit 101 determines, based on the acquired 6 GHz utilization band status information, whether or not there is a 6 GHz band that is not being used by a surrounding base station AP or is being used in non-Greenfield operation (non-GFO).

[0090] In step S106, if the determination for the determination condition is positive ("YES" in S106), the process proceeds to step S107.

[0091] In step S107, the control unit 101 uses, in non-Greenfield operation (non-GFO), the 6 GHz band that is not being used by the surrounding base stations AP or is being used in non-Greenfield operation (non-GFO).

[0092] Here, for example, when the C band (6 GHz candidate band) shown in FIG. 9 exists, it is the 6 GHz band that is not in use by base station AP1 and is in use by base station AP3 for non-Greenfield operation (non-GFO), so base station AP2 (its control unit 101) will use the 6 GHz band to perform non-Greenfield operation (non-GFO) ("YES" in S106, S107).

[0093] At this time, together with the base station AP3, the base station AP2 may perform non-greenfield operation (non-GFO) using the 6 GHz band that the base station AP1 uses for non-greenfield operation (non-GFO).

[0094] Furthermore, in step S106, if the determination for the determination condition is negative ("NO" in S106), the process proceeds to step S108.

[0095] In step S108, the control unit 101 selects a band to be used from the 6 GHz candidate band, and uses the selected band (used band) in non-Greenfield operation (non-GFO).

[0096] Here, for example, when the D band (6 GHz candidate band) shown in FIG. 9 exists, the 6 GHz band is used by base station AP1 for greenfield operation (GFO) and by base station AP3 for non-greenfield operation (non-GFO), so base station AP2 (its control unit 101) will use the 6 GHz band to perform non-greenfield operation (non-GFO) ("NO" in S106, S108).

[0097] When the process of step S103, S105, S107, or S108 ends, the process shown in FIG. 7 ends.

[0098] The above describes the flow of the first example of the 6 GHz band GFO utilization band determination process executed by the communication device 10 configured as the base station AP.

[0099] In this first example of the 6 GHz band GFO utilization band determination process, a target base station AP (e.g., base station AP2) that has acquired 6 GHz utilization band status information from surrounding base station APs (e.g., base stations AP1 and AP3) searches for an available 6 GHz band that is not being used by any of the surrounding base stations APs, and if an available band is found ("YES" in S102), it uses that band in greenfield operation (GFO) (S103).

[0100] Furthermore, when all 6 GHz bands (6 GHz candidate bands) are being used by at least one surrounding base station AP (e.g., base station AP3) ("NO" in S102), the target base station AP (e.g., base station AP2) searches for a 6 GHz band that is not being used by the surrounding base station APs or is being used in greenfield operation (GFO), and if such a 6 GHz band is found ("YES" in S104), it uses that band in greenfield operation (GFO) (S105).

[0101] Furthermore, when at least one surrounding base station AP (e.g., base station AP3) in all 6 GHz bands (6 GHz candidate bands) supports existing standard terminals ("YES" or "NO" in S106), the target base station AP (e.g., base station AP2) cannot execute green field operation (GFO) itself (S107, S108) in consideration of the possibility that an existing standard terminal exists in that band. In other words, when an existing standard terminal exists in the band being used, the target base station AP operates in a mode compatible with the existing standard terminal (operates compatible).

[0102] At this time, when the target base station AP (e.g., base station AP2) executes non-Greenfield operation (non-GFO), it also affects surrounding base stations APs that are executing Greenfield operation (GFO) in the target band (because it is not desirable for GFO and non-GFO to coexist), so it is preferable for the target base station AP to select a band in which the surrounding base stations APs are not executing Greenfield operation (GFO) ("YES" in S106, S107).

[0103] Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, in the successor standard to IEEE802.11ax, the mechanism for coexistence with existing standard terminals in the 6 GHz band will result in unnecessary overhead, so it is expected that green field operation (GFO) will be implemented to eliminate this, as the successor standard will require.

[0104] In contrast, in the above-mentioned 6 GHz band GFO utilization band determination process, information (6 GHz utilization band status information) on whether or not an existing standard terminal (an IEEE 802.11ax standard compliant terminal) is present (and, if an existing standard terminal is present, on which channel it is present) is shared between adjacent base stations AP, and channels (6 GHz candidate bands) where there are as few existing standard terminals (IEEE 802.11ax standard compliant terminals) as possible are found so that greenfield operation (GFO) can be performed.

[0105] As a result, even when using a PPDU that does not include the L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, and RL-SIG defined in IEEE802.11ax and adopts the GF PPDU format shown in Figure 5, Green Field Operation (GFO) is performed in a channel (6 GHz candidate band) where no existing standard terminals (IEEE802.11ax standard-compliant terminals) exist. This makes it possible to avoid, for example, an incident in which an IEEE802.11ax standard-compliant terminal that cannot correctly recognize the GF PPDU receives the GF PPDU and induces a packet collision.

[0106] As a result, when allocating a new frequency band (e.g., the 6 GHz band) in a wireless LAN system, it is possible to realize efficient communication by eliminating unnecessary coexistence signal areas (e.g., L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, and RL-SIG defined in IEEE802.11ax that are not added to the GF PPDU).

[0107] (Flow of the second example of the 6 GHz band GFO usage band determination process) FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a second example of the 6 GHz band GFO utilization band determination process executed by (the control unit 101 of) the communication device 10 configured as the base station AP.

[0108] In step S201, similarly to step S101 in FIG. 7, 6 GHz band status information is acquired from surrounding base stations AP.

[0109] In steps S202 to S208, similar to steps S102 to S108 in FIG. 7, a determination process is performed based on 6 GHz utilization band status information acquired from surrounding base stations AP, and a utilization band to be used by Greenfield operation (GFO) or non-Greenfield operation (non-GFO) is determined from the 6 GHz candidate bands. However, in the second example, not only one band (6 GHz candidate band), but multiple bands (6 GHz candidate bands) are selected as the utilization band.

[0110] That is, when the process of step S203, S205, S207, or S208 ends, the process proceeds to step S209. In step S209, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the necessary bandwidth has been secured in the 6 GHz band added by the process of step S203, S205, S207, or S208.

[0111] If it is determined in step S209 that the necessary bandwidth has not been secured, the process returns to step S202, and the processes of steps S202 to S208 are repeated.

[0112] Here, the processing of steps S202 to S208 is repeated, so that, for example, if a bandwidth of 40 MHz needs to be secured, when a bandwidth of 20 MHz is secured in the first loop, the remaining bandwidth of 20 MHz is added in the second loop, thereby securing the missing 6 GHz band.

[0113] The loop process of steps S202 to S208 is repeated until the necessary bandwidth has been secured. At that time, for example, the additional band selected in the second or subsequent loops may be selected according to a predetermined condition, such as preferentially selecting a band close to the band initially selected in the first loop (the band already selected).

[0114] If it is determined in step S209 that the necessary bandwidth has been secured, the process proceeds to step S210.

[0115] In step S210, the control unit 101 controls the operation of each unit so that the available bandwidth secured by the loop processing of steps S202 to S208 is used in greenfield operation (GFO) or non-greenfield operation (non-GFO).

[0116] When the process of step S210 ends, the process shown in FIG. 10 ends.

[0117] The above describes the flow of the second example of the 6 GHz band GFO utilization band determination process executed by the communication device 10 configured as the base station AP.

[0118] (Reporting 6GHz band usage status information by subordinate terminals) For example, in FIG. 11, it is assumed that the subordinate terminal STA1 is connected to the base station AP2 but not to the base station AP4.

[0119] In this case, when the subordinate terminal STA1 receives (intercepts) 6 GHz utilization band status information from a base station AP4 to which it is not connected, it can transmit (report) the received 6 GHz utilization band status information to the base station AP2 to which it is connected.

[0120] Contrary to the above description, when the subordinate terminal STA1 receives (intercepts) 6 GHz utilization band status information from the base station AP2 to which it is connected, it may transmit (report) the 6 GHz utilization band status information to a base station AP4 to which it is not connected.

[0121] In this way, even if information cannot be exchanged directly between the base stations AP2 and AP4, 6 GHz utilization band status information can be exchanged between the base stations AP2 and AP4 by utilizing the subordinate terminal STA1 that is located in a position where it can connect to the base stations AP2 and AP4.

[0122] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a second example of the format of a frame storing information regarding compatibility with 6 GHz existing standard terminals.

[0123] In Fig. 12, the frame storing the 6 GHz band status information includes Frame Type, Duration, Receiver Address, Transmitter Address, Body, and FCS. Note that the Frame Type, Duration, Receiver Address, Transmitter Address, and FCS are the same as those in the frame in Fig. 6 described above, so the description thereof will be omitted here as appropriate.

[0124] However, in the Frame Type, information on the type of this frame, for example, information indicating that it is an Action when it is transmitted as an Action Frame that is a Radio Measurement Report, is stored. Also, in the Receiver Address, information on the address of the destination of this frame, for example, the address of the base station AP (Associated AP) to which the report is to be sent, is stored.

[0125] The Body contains Measured AP and Channel Utility Info. Measured AP contains information stored in the base station AP. Channel Utility Info contains Sub Channel ID, which contains band identification information, and Legacy Present Flag, which contains existing terminal connection information. The 6 GHz band usage status information is composed of this band identification information and existing terminal connection information.

[0126] In this way, when a subordinate terminal STA (e.g., subordinate terminal STA1), which is a terminal station, receives (intercepts) a beacon frame (e.g., the frame in FIG. 6) including 6 GHz band utilization status information from a base station AP (e.g., base station AP4) to which it is not connected, it can generate a report frame (e.g., the frame in FIG. 12) including the 6 GHz band utilization status information based on the information stored in the received frame, and report it to the base station AP (e.g., base station AP2) to which it is connected.

[0127] In this manner, as shown in FIG. 12, a subordinate terminal STA (e.g., subordinate terminal STA1), which is a terminal station, transmits a frame to a base station AP (e.g., base station AP2) to which it is connected, in order to report 6 GHz utilization band status information of a non-connected base station AP (e.g., base station AP4). This makes it possible for the base stations AP (e.g., base stations AP2 and AP4) to obtain (acquire) each other's 6 GHz utilization band status information via the subordinate terminal STA even when they are unable to communicate directly with each other.

[0128] Next, with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 13, a flow of 6 GHz band utilization status information reporting processing executed by (the control unit 101 of) the communication device 10 configured as a subordinate terminal STA will be described.

[0129] In step S301, the control unit 101 determines whether or not 6 GHz band utilization status information (a beacon frame including the information) has been received (intercepted) from a non-connected base station AP.

[0130] If it is determined in step S301 that the 6 GHz band status information has been received (intercepted), the process proceeds to step S302.

[0131] In step S302, the control unit 101 transmits (reports) the received 6 GHz band utilization status information (a report frame including the information) to the connected base station AP.

[0132] When the process of step S302 is completed, the process shown in Fig. 13 is terminated. Note that, if it is determined in step S301 that the 6 GHz band status information has not been received (intercepted), the process of step S302 is skipped, and the process shown in Fig. 13 is terminated.

[0133] The flow of the 6 GHz band usage status information reporting process executed by the communication device 10 configured as a subordinate terminal STA has been described above.

[0134] <2. Modifications>

[0135] (Examples of other configurations) In the above explanation, in the communication device 10 (FIG. 2), the control unit 101 (FIG. 2) performs control for efficient communication when allocating a new frequency band (e.g., 6 GHz band), but this control function may be possessed by the communication unit 103 configured as a communication device such as a communication module or a communication chip.

[0136] 14 and 15 are block diagrams showing examples of other configurations of an embodiment of a communication device (wireless communication device) to which the present technology is applied.

[0137] 14, the communication device 20 is provided with a communication unit 203 instead of the communication unit 103 compared to the communication device 10 shown in FIG. 2. This communication unit 203 includes a communication control unit 201 in addition to the modulation / demodulation unit 111 to the amplifier unit 115. The communication control unit 201 has, among the functions of the control unit 101 (FIG. 2), a control function for performing efficient communication when allocating the above-mentioned new frequency band. Note that the control unit 101 in FIG. 14 has, among the functions of the control unit 101 (FIG. 2), functions other than the control function for performing efficient communication when allocating the above-mentioned new frequency band.

[0138] 15, the communication device 30 is different from the communication device 10 shown in FIG. 2 in that the control unit 101 is removed and a communication unit 303 is provided instead of the communication unit 103. This communication unit 303 further includes the control unit 301 in addition to the components from the modem unit 111 to the amplifier unit 115. The control unit 301 has the same functions as the control unit 101 (FIG. 2) (all functions including the control function for performing efficient communication when allocating the above-mentioned new frequency band).

[0139] The communication device 10, the communication device 20, and the communication device 30 may be configured as a part of a device (for example, a communication module or a communication chip) constituting a base station AP or a subordinate terminal STA. The subordinate terminal STA may be configured as an electronic device having a wireless communication function, such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a mobile phone, a personal computer, a digital camera, a game machine, a television receiver, a wearable terminal, or a speaker device.

[0140] In the above description, communication may refer not only to wireless communication, but also to a mixture of wireless communication and wired communication, that is, wireless communication in one section and wired communication in another section. Furthermore, communication from one device to another device may be performed by wired communication, and communication from the other device to one device may be performed by wireless communication.

[0141] Furthermore, in the above description, an example has been shown in which channels are assigned at the same level, but when assigning channels, they may be assigned in a subordinate relationship, such as primary and secondary.

[0142] The embodiments of the present technology are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present technology.

[0143] The present technology can also be configured as follows.

[0144] (1) A base station, A control unit is provided that determines whether or not an existing standard terminal is connected in a utilization frequency band, which is a frequency band used by the base station, based on existing terminal connection information indicating whether or not an existing standard terminal is connected in a predetermined frequency band received from another base station. Communications equipment. (2) The control unit determines the frequency band to be used and whether or not the existing standard terminal is connected to the frequency band to be used, based on band identification information for identifying the predetermined frequency band and the existing terminal connection information received from the other base station. The communication device according to (1). (3) The control unit controls a first operation, which is an operation in which the existing standard terminal does not exist and which uses the utilized frequency band, based on a result of the determination. The communication device according to (2). (4) When the control unit determines a frequency band that is not used by the other base station as the utilization frequency band, the control unit controls the first operation using the determined utilization frequency band. The communication device according to (3). (5) When the control unit determines, as the utilization frequency band, a frequency band that is not utilized by the other base station or that is utilized in the first operation by the other base station, the control unit controls the first operation utilizing the determined utilization frequency band. The communication device according to (3) or (4). (6) The control unit controls a second operation, which is an operation in which the existing standard terminal using the utilized frequency band exists, based on a result of the determination. A communication device according to any one of (3) to (5). (7) When the control unit determines, as the utilization frequency band, a frequency band that is not utilized by the other base station or that is utilized in the second operation by the other base station, the control unit controls the second operation utilizing the determined utilization frequency band. The communication device according to (6). (8) When the control unit determines, as the frequency band to be used, a frequency band that is used by the other base station in the first operation or that is used by the other base station in the second operation, the control unit controls the second operation using the determined frequency band to be used. The communication device according to (6) or (7). (9) The control unit repeats the selection of a frequency band to be used as the frequency band to be used until a necessary bandwidth is secured as the frequency band to be used, and sequentially adds the selected frequency band to the frequency band to be used. A communication device according to any one of (2) to (8). (10) When selecting a frequency band to be used as the utilization frequency band, the control unit preferentially selects a frequency band close to a previously selected frequency band. The communication device according to (9). (11) The band identification information and the existing terminal connection information are included in a beacon frame broadcast from the other base station. A communication device according to any one of (2) to (10). (12) The beacon frame stores one or more pairs of the band identification information and the existing terminal connection information. The communication device according to (11). (13) The predetermined frequency band is included in a frequency band to be newly assigned in the wireless communication system. A communication device according to any one of (1) to (12). (14) The control unit controls transmission of the band identification information and the existing terminal connection information in the base station to the other base station. A communication device according to any one of (2) to (12). (15) The communication device of the base station Based on existing terminal connection information indicating whether or not an existing standard terminal is connected in a predetermined frequency band received from another base station, a determination is made as to whether or not the existing standard terminal is connected in a utilization frequency band, which is a frequency band used by the base station. Communication methods. (16) A subordinate terminal connected to a base station, A control unit that controls transmission of existing terminal connection information, which indicates whether or not an existing standard terminal is connected in a predetermined frequency band and is received from another base station, to the base station Communications equipment. (17) The control unit controls transmission of band identification information for identifying the predetermined frequency band and the existing terminal connection information received from the other base station to the base station. The communication device according to (16). (18) the band identification information and the existing terminal connection information are included in a report frame transmitted to the base station, The report frame stores one or more pairs of the band identification information and the existing terminal connection information. The communication device according to (17). (19) the band identification information and the existing terminal connection information are received in a beacon frame broadcast from the other base station, The beacon frame stores one or more pairs of the band identification information and the existing terminal connection information. The communication device according to (17) or (18). (20) The communication device of the subordinate terminal connected to the base station Controls transmission of existing terminal connection information, which indicates whether or not an existing standard terminal is connected in a predetermined frequency band received from another base station, to the base station. Communication methods. [Explanation of symbols]

[0145] 10, 20, 30 communication device, 101 control unit, 102 data processing unit, 103 communication unit, 104 power supply unit, 111 modulation / demodulation unit, 112 signal processing unit, 113 channel estimation unit, 114, 114-1 to 114-N radio interface unit, 115, 115-1 to 115-N amplifier unit, 116, 116-1 to 116-N antenna, 201 communication control unit, 203 communication unit, 301 control unit, 303 communication unit, AP base station, BSS network, STA subordinate terminal

Claims

1. A base station, determining a utilization frequency band, which is a frequency band utilized by the base station, and whether or not the existing standard terminal is connected to the utilization frequency band, based on band identification information for identifying a predetermined frequency band received from another base station, and existing terminal connection information indicating whether or not an existing standard terminal is connected to the predetermined frequency band; Based on the result of the determination of the frequency band to be used, a first operation which is an operation in which the existing standard terminal using the frequency band to be used is not present, and a second operation which is an operation in which the existing standard terminal using the frequency band to be used is present are controlled. A control unit is provided, The control unit is When a frequency band not used by the other base station is determined as the utilization frequency band, the first operation using the determined utilization frequency band is controlled; When a frequency band that is not used by the other base station or that is used by the other base station in the first operation is determined as the utilization frequency band, the first operation using the determined utilization frequency band is controlled; When a frequency band that is not used by the other base station or that is used by the other base station in the second operation is determined as the utilization frequency band, the second operation using the determined utilization frequency band is controlled; When a frequency band that is being used by the other base station in the first operation or that is being used by the other base station in the second operation is determined as the utilization frequency band, controlling the second operation using the determined utilization frequency band; The control unit repeats the selection of a frequency band to be used as the frequency band to be used until a necessary bandwidth is secured as the frequency band to be used, and sequentially adds the selected frequency band to the frequency band to be used. Communications equipment.

2. When selecting a frequency band to be used as the utilization frequency band, the control unit preferentially selects a frequency band close to a previously selected frequency band. The communication device according to claim 1 .

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