Communication method and non-legacy communication terminal

Abstract

A communication method and a non-legacy communication terminal that suppress interference in a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) are provided. [Solution] In a transmission process 1000 by an NG60 (next generation 60 GHz)_PCP (personal BSS control point) / AP (access point), the NG60_PCP / AP defines true allocations in an NG60_ESE (extended scheduling element) and a legacy ESE. Specifically, the NG60_PCP / AP determines time-frequency resources to be assigned to STAs associated with itself, and generates an NG60_ESE or legacy ESE using the determined resources as a true allocation. Then, the NG60_PCP / AP creates a virtual allocation in the legacy ESE that corresponds to the true allocation in the NG60_ESE. The NG60_PCP / AP transmits a DMG (directional multi-gigabit) beacon including the legacy ESE and the NG60_ESE.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication method and a non-legacy communication terminal, and more particularly, to a communication method and a non-legacy communication terminal for suppressing interference in a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network).

Background Art

[0002] There is an increasing interest in license-free 60 GHz millimeter wave networks. WirelessHD technology is the first industry standard for 60 GHz millimeter waves and enables multi-gigabit wireless streaming of high-definition audio, video, and data among home appliances, personal computers, and portable products.

[0003] In addition, as another multi-gigabit wireless communication technology operating in the 60 GHz millimeter wave frequency band, there is WiGig (Wireless Gigabit) technology. WiGig technology is standardized by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) as the IEEE 802.11ad standard (see Non-Patent Document 1). WiGig technology can provide a PHY (Physical Layer) data rate of up to 6.7 Gbps using a wide channel bandwidth of 2.16 GHz.

[0004] The MAC (Media Access Control) layer of WiGig supports centralized network architectures such as infrastructure BSS (Basic Service Set) and PBSS (Personal BSS). In this architecture, a central coordinator (e.g., an AP (Access Point) or a PCP (Personal BSS Control Point), hereinafter referred to as PCP / AP) transmits a DMG (Directed Multi-Gigabit) beacon to synchronize all STAs (Stations) in the network.

[0005] Also, in the WiGig MAC layer, a so-called PCP / AP clustering mechanism is introduced to perform spatial multiplexing and interference mitigation with other BSSs using the same channel. In PCP / AP clustering, transmissions are scheduled so that the PCP / APs supporting clustering, which are members of the cluster, transmit during periods that do not overlap with other members within the same cluster.

[0006] In PCP / AP clustering, scheduling information regarding channel time allocation is included in the ESE (Extended Scheduling Element). The PCP / AP transmits a DMG beacon including one or more ESEs in a time-division manner.

[0007] As a technology with a higher data rate than existing WiGig (hereinafter referred to as legacy WiGig) devices, a technology called NG60 (Next Generation 60 GHz) WiGig (hereinafter referred to as NG60_WiGig) has been developed. In order for NG60_WiGig to achieve a maximum PHY data rate of several tens of Gbps, a technology that supports MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) transmission and variable channel bandwidth while maintaining backward compatibility with legacy WiGig devices is desirable.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0008]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0009] In the NG60_WiGig network, the PCP / AP of NG60_WiGig, which is a coordinator communication device (hereinafter referred to as NG60_PCP / AP), can coexist with adjacent legacy WiGig PCP / APs (hereinafter referred to as legacy PCP / APs) within the same or different PCP / AP clusters due to backward compatibility.

[0010] On the other hand, since the ESE of NG60_WiGig (hereinafter referred to as NG60_ESE) has a different format from the ESE of legacy WiGig (hereinafter referred to as legacy ESE), it is difficult to decrypt the NG60_ESE transmitted by the NG60_PCP / AP. Since it is difficult to decrypt the NG60_ESE, it is difficult for the legacy PCP / AP to obtain the scheduling information included in the NG60_ESE. Therefore, it is difficult for the legacy PCP / AP to reschedule its channel time allocation or perform any other appropriate operation.

[0011] Therefore, one aspect of the present disclosure provides a communication method and a communication device for generating an ESE (Extended Scheduling Element) for rescheduling channel time allocation or performing any other appropriate operation in an environment where a communication device of legacy WiGig and a communication device of NG60_WiGig coexist.

[0012] The communication method of the present disclosure generates a first scheduling element used by at least one first communication device and a second scheduling element used by at least one second communication device, and transmits the first scheduling element and the second scheduling element to at least one first communication device and at least one second communication device. The second scheduling element includes at least one second allocation indicating time-frequency resources allocated to at least one second communication device. The first scheduling element includes at least one first virtual allocation that is a copy of at least one second allocation and at least one first allocation indicating time-frequency resources allocated to at least one first communication device. At least one first communication device communicates by a first communication method using a first frequency band, and the second communication device communicates by a second communication method using the first communication method or a second frequency band including the first frequency band. This is a communication method of a coordinator communication device.

[0013] The communication method of the present disclosure receives a beacon including a first scheduling element used by at least one first communication device and a second scheduling element used by at least one second communication device, which are transmitted from a coordinator communication device, generates a first virtual allocation that is a copy of the second allocation included in the second scheduling element, adds the first virtual allocation to the second scheduling element, and transmits the second scheduling element and the first scheduling element to which the first virtual allocation is added to at least one first communication device and a second communication device other than the self-communication device. The first scheduling element includes a first allocation indicating time-frequency resources allocated to at least one first communication device, the second scheduling element includes a second allocation indicating time-frequency resources allocated to at least one second communication device, at least one first communication device communicates by a first communication method using a first frequency band, at least one second communication device communicates by a second communication method using the first communication method or a second frequency band including the first frequency band, and the coordinator communication device is a communication method of the second communication device that allocates time-frequency resources to the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0014] Note that these general or specific aspects may be implemented in a system, method, and computer program, or may be implemented in any combination of a system, device, method, and computer program.

[0015] According to the present disclosure, by replicating the scheduling information included in NG60_ESE and including it in the legacy ESE, in an environment where a communication device of legacy WiGig and a communication device of NG60_WiGig coexist, an ESE (extended scheduling element) can be generated for rescheduling channel time allocation or performing any other appropriate operation. In the communication device of NG60_WiGig, an ESE (extended scheduling element) can be generated for rescheduling channel time allocation or performing any other appropriate operation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] (Background Leading to the Present Disclosure) First, the background leading to the present disclosure will be described. The present disclosure relates to a communication method for generating an ESE (Extended Scheduling Element) and a non-legacy communication terminal in an environment where a legacy WiGig communication device and an NG60_WiGig communication device coexist.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of PCP / AP clustering by legacy WiGig. The PCP / AP cluster 100 has PCP / APs 102, 104, and 106 corresponding to clustering operating on the same channel. In FIG. 1, the PCP / AP 102 is an S-PCP / S-AP (Synchronous PCP / Synchronous AP) 102, and the PCP / APs 104 and 106 are member PCP / APs 104 and 106. Also, the PCP / AP cluster 100 has STAs (not shown) associated with each PCP / AP.

[0019] FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of the operation of each PCP / AP in the PCP / AP clustering shown in FIG. 1. The PCP / APs 102, 104, and 106 transmit DMG beacons using a time-division method. FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a configuration example of a DMG beacon frame. The DMG beacon 1400 includes one MAC header 1410, at least one non-IE (Non-Information Element) 1411, at least one IE (Information Element) 1412, and an FCS (FCS: Frame Check Sequence) 1413. In the IEEE802.11ad standard, multiple types of IEs are defined, and each IE includes an element ID 1402, a length 1404, and a body 1406. One type of IE is an ESE (Extended Scheduling Element). The DMG beacon includes at least one ESE. The ESE includes scheduling information regarding channel time allocation. Although multiple types of IEs are defined, each IE includes an element ID 1402, a length 1404, and a body 1406. One type of IE is an ESE (Extended Scheduling Element). The DMG beacon includes at least one ESE. The ESE includes scheduling information regarding channel time allocation.

[0020] Note that in FIG. 2A, S-PCP / S-AP102 performs scheduling during the period from beacon transmission interval (BTI) 202 to BTI 204 transmitted by S-PCP / S-AP104, and member PCP / AP104 performs scheduling during the period from BTI 204 to BTI 206 transmitted by member PCP / AP106.

[0021] S-PCP / S-AP102 transmits a DMG beacon during the BTI (beacon transmission interval) 202 period in beacon interval 220. Member PCP / APs 104 and 106 receive the DMG beacon transmitted by S-PCP / S-AP102 during the BTI 202 period during the Rx (reception interval) 212 period (standby state).

[0022] Member PCP / AP104 transmits a DMG beacon during the BTI 204 period provided after a predetermined time interval (denoted as "Cluster Time Offset (n = 2)") from Rx212. PCP / AP106 transmits a DMG beacon during the BTI 206 period provided after a predetermined time interval (denoted as "Cluster Time Offset (n = 3)") from Rx212. MG beacon is transmitted.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2A, in PCP / AP clustering, by assigning different offsets to each PCP / AP from the start point of the DMG beacon transmitted from PCP / AP102, each PCP / AP can start transmitting its own DMG beacon based on the assigned offset.

[0024] Since member PCP / APs 104 and 106 can directly receive the DMG beacon from S-PCP / S-AP102, they can receive the ESE from S-PCP / S-AP102.

[0025] Also, while it is difficult for a member PCP / AP (e.g., member PCP / AP 106) to directly receive a DMG beacon transmitted from another member PCP / AP (e.g., member PCP / AP 104), it can receive an ESE through an STA associated with itself. Specifically, the STA associated with member PCP / AP 106 receives a DMG beacon including an ESE from member PCP / AP 104 and transmits one or more frames including the received ESE to member PCP / AP 106.

[0026] Furthermore, a PCP / AP belonging to PCP / AP cluster 100 can receive an ESE from a clustering-corresponding PCP / AP not belonging to PCP / AP cluster 100 directly or through an STA associated with itself. The PCP / AP receives an ESE from another clustering-corresponding PCP / AP and, as an attempt to suppress interference with the transmission indicated by the received ESE, performs re-scheduling of its own allocation in the beacon interval, change of the BTI, change of the cluster time offset, or other appropriate operations. It can do so.

[0027] A common use of WiGig technology is to replace cables in a wired digital interface. For example, using WiGig technology, a wireless USB (Universal Serial Bus) link for initial synchronization between smartphones and tablets or a wireless HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) (registered trademark) link for video streaming can be implemented. The latest wired digital interfaces (e.g., USB 3.5, HDMI 1.3) enable data speeds of up to several tens of Gbps, and thus WiGig technology also needs to evolve to match these. It is necessary to make it so.

[0028] A technology called NG60 (next generation 60 GHz) WiGig (hereinafter referred to as NG60_WiGig) is being developed as a technology for achieving PHY data speeds of up to several tens of Gbps.

[0029] Here, there is a difference in format between the ESE by legacy WiGig (i.e., legacy ESE) and the NG60_ESE by the conventional technology. First, the format of the legacy ESE will be explained.

[0030] 3 is a diagram showing the format of an ESE according to legacy WiGig (i.e., a legacy ESE). The format of the legacy ESE includes an element ID field 302, a length field 304, and a number of allocation fields 306.

[0031] The element ID field 302 uniquely identifies the legacy ESE. The length field 304 specifies the number of octets in the multiple allocations field 306.

[0032] Allocation field 306 is related to channel time allocation. The allocation field 306 includes an allocation control field 312, a beamforming (BF) control field 314, a source AID (association identifier) ​​field 316, a destination AID field 318, an allocation start field 320, an allocation block duration field 322, a number of blocks field 326, and an allocation block period field 328.

[0033] The quota control field 312 includes a quota ID field 332, a quota type field 334, a pseudo-static field 336, a truncatable field 338, It has an extendable field 340 and so on.

[0034] The allocation type field 334 indicates whether the channel access mechanism at the time of allocation is either CBAP (Contention-Based Access Period) or SP (Service Period).

[0035] The source AID field 316 designates the STA that starts channel access at the time of SP or CBAP allocation. Alternatively, the source AID field 316 is set to the broadcast AID if, in the case of CBAP allocation, all STAs are permitted to transmit at the time of CBAP allocation.

[0036] The destination AID field 318 designates the STA that is predicted to communicate with the source STA at the time of allocation. Alternatively, the destination AID field 318 is set to the broadcast AID if all STAs are predicted to communicate with the source STA at the time of allocation.

[0037] When the allocation ID field 332 is set to a value other than 0, it identifies the airtime allocation from the source AID to the destination AID. The allocation ID field 332 is set to 0 in the case of CBAP allocation using the broadcast source AID and the broadcast destination AID.

[0038] Except for the case of CBAP allocation using the broadcast source AID and the broadcast destination AID, the tuple (source AID, destination AID, allocation ID) uniquely identifies the allocation.

[0039] The pseudo-static field 336 indicates whether the allocation is semi-static. The pseudo-static allocation is repeated at the same time offset and for the same duration in several beacon intervals following the last received ESE that includes the pseudo-static allocation. The truncatable field 338 and the extensible field 340 indicate whether the source STA and the destination STA can respectively request truncation of the SP (service period) and extension of the SP.

[0040] The allocation start field 320 indicates the timing at which the SP or the CBAP starts. The allocation block duration field 322 indicates the duration of the time block in which the SP allocation or the CBAP allocation is performed and that does not exceed the boundary of the beacon interval.

[0041] The block number field 326 includes the number of time blocks that make up the allocation. The allocation block period field 328 includes the time between the beginnings of two consecutive time blocks belonging to the same allocation. The allocation start field 320, the allocation block duration field 322, the block number field 326, and the allocation block period field 328 cooperate to specify the position of the allocation in the time domain.

[0042] Next, the format of the NG60_ESE according to the prior art will be described.

[0043] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the format of the NG60_ESE described in Reference 1. The format of the NG60_ESE has an element ID field 402, a length field 404, and a plurality of allocation fields 406 (Reference 1: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0177543).

[0044] The element ID field 402 uniquely identifies the NG60_ESE. The length field 404 specifies the number of octets in the plurality of allocation fields 406. That is, the element ID field 402 and the length field 404 are the same as the element ID field 302 and the length field 304 shown in FIG. 3.

[0045] The allocation field 406 is a field that indicates scheduling information related to channel time allocation. The allocation field 406 has a bandwidth parameter field 412 and an information field 414. The bandwidth parameter field 412 indicates the channel bandwidth of each allocation. The information field 414 includes information or data or both that are specified to be included in the allocation field 306 in the legacy ESE shown in FIG. 3.

[0046] That is, the format of the NG60_ESE shown in FIG. 4 is different from the format of the legacy ESE shown in FIG. 3 in that it has a bandwidth parameter field 412.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the format of the NG60_ESE is different from the format of the legacy ESE. For this reason, the legacy PCP / AP cannot decode the NG60_ESE and it is difficult to recognize the allocations included in the NG60_ESE. Therefore, it is difficult for the legacy PCP / AP to reschedule its own channel time allocation or perform any other appropriate operation.

[0048] In view of such circumstances, the present disclosure has been made by focusing on the difference in the formats of the legacy ESE and the NG60_ESE.

[0049] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that each of the embodiments described below is an example, and the present disclosure is not limited by these embodiments. Also, in the following description, detailed descriptions of known functions and structures incorporated in this specification are omitted for the sake of clarity and brevity of the description.

[0050] (Embodiment) FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of PCP / AP clustering in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The PCP / AP cluster 500 includes clustering-compatible NG60_PCP / APs 502 and 504 and a clustering-compatible legacy PCP / AP 506. In FIG. 5, NG60_PCP / AP 502 is an S-PCP / S-AP (synchronized PCP / synchronized AP), and NG60_PCP / AP 504 and legacy PCP / AP 506 are member PCP / APs.

[0051] The PCP / AP cluster 500 also includes STAs 512a, 512b, 514a, and 514b associated with NG60_PCP / AP 504. STAs 512a, 512b, 514a, and 514b are either NG60_WiGig STAs (hereinafter referred to as NG60_STAs) or legacy WiGig STAs (hereinafter referred to as legacy STAs).

[0052] The legacy PCP / AP 506 transmits a beacon including a legacy ESE. The NG60_PCP / APs 502 and 504 transmit a DMG beacon including both NG60_ESE and legacy ESE.

[0053] The legacy ESE specifies an allocation for transmission related to a legacy STA. That is, in the case of an allocation in the legacy ESE, at least one of the source AID and the destination AID specifies a legacy STA. In other words, at least the other of the source AID and the destination AID may specify an NG60_STA. This is due to the backward compatibility of the NG60_STA.

[0054] The NG60_ESE defines an allocation for transmission related to an NG60_STA. That is, in the case of an allocation in the NG60_ESE, both the source AID and the destination AID specify an NG60_STA.

[0055] When a legacy STA is not associated with the NG60_PCP / APs that transmit DMG beacons, an allocation where at least one of the source AID and the destination AID is a broadcast AID may be defined in the NG60_ESE. Otherwise, such an allocation may be specified in the legacy ESE.

[0056] The allocations defined in the legacy ESE correspond to transmissions with a channel bandwidth of 2.16 GHz. On the other hand, the allocations specified in the NG60_ESE correspond to transmissions with variable channel bandwidths (e.g., 2.16 GHz, 4.32 GHz, 6.48 GHz, or 8.64 GHz).

[0057] As described above, the allocations for transmissions related to the NG60_STA can be included in both the legacy ESE and the NG60_ESE. Therefore, an NG60_STA associated with the NG60_PCP / AP usually needs to analyze both the NG60_ESE and the legacy ESE after receiving a DMG beacon including the NG60_ESE and the legacy ESE from the NG60_PCP / AP to recognize the allocations for transmissions related to itself. The NG60_PCP / AP according to the present disclosure transmits an NG60_ESE that allows the NG60_STA to recognize the allocations for transmissions related to itself by analyzing the NG60_ESE.

[0058] Specifically, the NG60_PCP / AP generates a copy of a part of the allocations in the legacy ESE that are for transmissions related to both the NG60_STA and the legacy STA, and includes the copy in the NG60_ESE.

[0059] Here, the allocation in NG60_ESE and legacy ESE in this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a first example of the allocation of NG60_ESE622 and legacy ESE624 in an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 shows the channel time allocation indicated by the allocation field included in NG60_ESE (i.e., time-frequency resources) and the time-frequency resources indicated by the allocation field included in the legacy ESE. In FIG. 6, the vertical axis and the horizontal axis in the allocation of NG60_ESE622 indicate the same frequency and the same time as the vertical axis and the horizontal axis in the allocation of legacy ESE624, respectively.

[0060] The allocation in the legacy ESE624 in FIG. 6 has allocations 616 and 618 that are true allocations. Allocation 616 includes information regarding a legacy WiGig communication device (e.g., a legacy STA), and allocation 618 also includes information regarding an NG60_WiGig communication device (e.g., an NG60_STA).

[0061] The allocation in the NG60_ESE622 in FIG. 6 has allocations 602, 604, 606, and 608. Allocations 602, 604, and 606 are true allocations, and allocation 608 is a virtual allocation. The true allocations indicate the time-frequency resources that any of the NG60_STAs that have received the NG60_ESE use in actual communication. The virtual allocation indicates the time-frequency resources that the NG60_STAs that have received the NG60_ESE do not use in actual communication but are used by other devices (e.g., legacy STAs).

[0062] Since NG60_WiGig supports communication with a variable channel bandwidth, allocation 602 in NG60_ESE622 has a different channel bandwidth from allocations 604 and 606. On the other hand, allocations 616 and 618 in the legacy ESE624 have a channel bandwidth of 2.16 GHz.

[0063] The virtual allocation 608 is replicated using the allocation 618 included in the allocation in the legacy ESE 624.

[0064] The NG60_ESE shown in FIG. 6 includes all allocations for transmissions related to the NG60_STA. As a result, after the NG60_STA associated with the NG60_PCP / AP502 or 504 receives the DMG beacon including the NG60_ESE and the legacy ESE from the NG60_PCP / AP502 or 504, it only needs to analyze the NG60_ESE instead of both the NG60_ESE and the legacy ESE. Therefore, the NG60_STA can reduce power consumption.

[0065] Also, in the present disclosure, in order to maximize the performance of the BSS, an SPSH (Spatial Multiplexing) mechanism can be adopted. According to the SPSH mechanism, two or more SP allocations belonging to different STAs in the same spatial vicinity can be scheduled simultaneously on the same channel. In this case, two or more SP allocations under SPSH may partially or completely overlap in the time domain.

[0066] For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the allocations 604 and 606 in the NG60_ESE622 are the allocations for communication between STA512a and STA512b and the allocation for communication between STA514a and STA514b, respectively. In the allocation under SPSH, the allocations 604 and 606 partially overlap in the time domain. overlap.

[0067] In the above description, a configuration in which the NG60_PCP / AP creates a replicated allocation (virtual allocation) in the NG60_ESE for the true allocation in the legacy ESE has been described. Next, a configuration in which the NG60_PCP / AP creates a replicated allocation (virtual allocation) in the legacy ESE for the true allocation in the NG60_ESE will be described.

[0068] FIG. 7A is a diagram showing a second example of allocation by NG60_ESE and legacy ESE in an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing the second example shown in FIG. 7A in another format. In FIGS. 7A and 7B, the vertical axis and the horizontal axis in the allocation of NG60_ESE 722 indicate the same frequency and the same time as the vertical axis and the horizontal axis in the allocation of legacy ESE 724, respectively. Also, the allocation in NG60_ESE 722 is the same as the allocation in NG60_ESE 622 shown in FIG. 6.

[0069] The virtual allocation 712 in the legacy ESE 724 is a virtual allocation of one true allocation 702 in the NG60_ESE 722, and the virtual allocation 714 is a virtual allocation of two true allocations 704 and 706 under SPSH.

[0070] Note that the virtual allocation 712 indicates a different frequency bandwidth from the true allocation 702. This is due to the fact that the NG60_ESE has a bandwidth parameter field while the legacy ESE does not have a bandwidth parameter field. However, if the legacy STA or the legacy PCP / AP can recognize the time width of the true allocation 702 in the NG60_ESE, it can reschedule the channel time allocation for interference suppression or perform any other appropriate operation. Therefore, the virtual allocation 712 in the legacy ESE indicates the time width of the allocation 702 without using the bandwidth parameter field so that the time width of the true allocation 702 can be recognized when the legacy ESE is decoded.

[0071] According to the configuration of the legacy ESE shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, a legacy STA or a legacy PCP / AP that has difficulty decoding the NG60_ESE can recognize the virtual allocation corresponding to the true allocation in the NG60_ESE by decoding the legacy ESE. Thereby, the legacy STA or the legacy PCP / AP can reschedule the channel time allocation or perform any other appropriate operation.

[0072] Also, according to the configuration of the legacy ESE shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, by creating one virtual assignment (e.g., virtual assignment 714) from a plurality of true assignments (e.g., assignment 704 and assignment 706), the system overhead generated can be reduced compared to the case of creating a virtual assignment from one true assignment.

[0073] The virtual assignment (e.g., virtual assignment 714) in the legacy ESE completely overlaps in the time domain with the corresponding true assignments (e.g., assignment 704 and assignment 706) in the NG60_ESE. That is, the virtual assignment 714 in the legacy ESE has the same assignment start timing as the corresponding true assignments 704 and 706 in the NG60_ESE, and in addition, the duration of the entire assignment is at least the same.

[0074] Note that the method of creating a virtual assignment (e.g., virtual assignment 712) in the legacy ESE from one true assignment (e.g., assignment 702) in the NG60_ESE is performed such that the information fields related to the timing of the assignment in the assignment field (i.e., assignment start, assignment block duration, number of blocks, and assignment block period) are the same for the virtual assignment 712 and the corresponding true assignment 702. Thereby, the virtual assignment 712 completely overlaps with the corresponding true assignment 702 in the time domain.

[0075] Also, when creating a virtual assignment (e.g., virtual assignment 714) in the legacy ESE from a plurality of true assignments (e.g., assignment 704 and 706) in the NG60_ESE, the information fields of the virtual assignment 714 related to the timing of the assignment (i.e., assignment start, assignment block duration, number of blocks, and assignment block period) are appropriately adapted from the information fields of the corresponding true assignments 704 and 706 by the following first to third methods, etc. The assignment start field of the virtual assignment 714 is set to be the same as the assignment that starts earliest among the corresponding plurality of true assignments (e.g., assignment 704).

[0076] As a first method, two of the allocation block duration field, the number of blocks field, and the allocation block period field of the virtual allocation 714 are set to be the same as the true allocation 704. The remaining field is set appropriately so that the entire duration of the corresponding true allocations 704 and 706 is completely covered.

[0077] As a second method, any one of the allocation block duration field, the number of blocks field, and the allocation block period field of the virtual allocation 714 is set to be the same as the true allocation 704. The remaining two fields are set appropriately so that the entire duration of the corresponding true allocations 704 and 706 is completely covered.

[0078] As a third method, all of the allocation block duration field, the number of blocks field, and the allocation block period field of the virtual allocation 714 are set appropriately so that the entire duration of the corresponding true allocations 704 and 706 is completely covered.

[0079] When creating a virtual allocation in the legacy ESE from one or more true allocations in the NG60_ESE, one or both of the information fields of the virtual allocation related to the identification information of the allocation (i.e., the source AID and the destination AID) may be set to a specific value that uniquely indicates the virtual allocation. In this case, the NG60_STA or the NG60_PCP / AP can easily identify the virtual allocation in the received legacy ESE.

[0080] Note that NG60_PCP / AP does not have to create virtual assignments in the legacy ESE for each true assignment in NG60_ESE. For example, for a non-pseudo-static true assignment in NG60_ESE, NG60_PCP / AP may disable the creation of the corresponding virtual assignment in the legacy ESE. Whether the true assignment is pseudo-static or not is determined by the pseudo-static field included in the assignment field. By this method, the occurrence of extra system overhead can be suppressed.

[0081] Also, when NG60_PCP / AP recognizes that the adjacent BSS does not include a legacy PCP / AP and a legacy STA, it may completely disable the creation of virtual assignments in the legacy ESE. By this method, the occurrence of extra system overhead can be suppressed.

[0082] Also, the assignment in NG60_ESE722 shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B includes a virtual assignment 708 corresponding to the assignment 718 in the legacy ESE724. However, the assignment in the NG60_ESE of the present disclosure does not have to include a virtual assignment corresponding to the assignment in the legacy ESE.

[0083] Here, the format of the NG60_ESE in the present embodiment will be described.

[0084] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the format of the NG60_ESE in the embodiment of the present disclosure. The format of the NG60_ESE shown in FIG. 8 has an element ID field 802, a length field 804, and a plurality of assignment fields 806. The assignment field 806 includes a bandwidth parameter field 812, a virtual assignment instruction field 814, and an information field 816. The element ID field 802 and the length field 804 are the same as the element ID field 402 and the length field 404 shown in FIG. 4.

[0085] The bandwidth parameter field 812 indicates the channel bandwidth of each allocation. The virtual allocation indication field 814 indicates whether there is a virtual allocation to the legacy ESE for each allocation. The information field 816 includes any information or data or both specified to be included in the allocation field in the legacy ESE shown in FIG. 3.

[0086] The virtual allocation indication field 814 is used to identify the channel bandwidth of the allocation when the NG60_STA needs to analyze both the NG60_ESE and the legacy ESE. For example, the NG60_STA can identify the channel bandwidth by confirming the match of the allocation ID of the allocation included in the legacy ESE and the allocation ID of the allocation included in the NG60_ESE, and checking the flag (presence or absence of virtual allocation) in the virtual allocation indication field 814. Thereby, the NG60_STA does not need to analyze other fields of the NG60_ESE.

[0087] In the present embodiment, as a method of including (encapsulating) the virtual allocation corresponding to the true allocation in the NG60_ESE in the legacy ESE, for example, the following method can be adopted.

[0088] In the first method, the virtual allocation created from the true allocation in the NG60_ESE is encapsulated in the legacy ESE together with the true allocation. For example, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the legacy ESE includes the virtual allocations 712 and 714 together with the true allocations 716 and 718.

[0089] In the second method, the virtual allocation created from the true allocation in the NG60_ESE is encapsulated in a legacy ESE dedicated to virtual allocation. This second method will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0090] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a third example of allocation by NG60_ESE and legacy ESE in an embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 9, the allocation in NG60_ESE 922 is the same as the allocation in NG60_ESE 622 shown in FIG. 6.

[0091] Also, in FIG. 9, allocations 916 and 918 are true allocations. Virtual allocation 912 is a virtual allocation of one true allocation 902 in NG60_ESE 922, and virtual allocation 914 is a virtual allocation of two true allocations 904 and 906.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 9, legacy ESE 924 includes true allocations 916 and 918, while legacy ESE 926 includes virtual allocations 912 and 914 as a legacy ESE dedicated to virtual allocations.

[0093] In comparison, in the first method, the number of legacy ESEs is smaller than that in the second method. However, in the second method, the processing of the receiver in NG60_STA is simplified. This will be described in detail later.

[0094] Next, the operations of the legacy PCP / AP, legacy STA, NG60_PCP / AP, and NG60_STA in the embodiment described above will be described respectively. When a legacy PCP / AP (e.g., 506) directly receives a DMG beacon including NG60_ESE and legacy ESE from an NG60_PCP / AP (e.g., 504), it analyzes the received legacy ESE. The virtual allocation in the received legacy ESE completely overlaps in the time domain with the true allocation corresponding to each of the virtual allocations in the received NG60_ESE. Therefore, the legacy PCP / AP 506 can reschedule its own allocation or perform any other appropriate operation in an attempt to suppress interference with the transmission indicated by the received NG60_ESE and legacy ESE.

[0095]

[0096] ​ When a legacy STA receives a DMG beacon containing NG60_ESE and legacy ESE from an NG60_PCP / AP (e.g., NG60_PCP / AP504) associated with itself, it analyzes the received legacy ESE and identifies the true assignment by checking the tuple (assignment ID, source AID, destination AID). Note that since the format of NG60_ESE is different from that of legacy ESE, the legacy STA does not decrypt the received NG60_ESE.

[0097] When a legacy STA associated with a legacy PCP / AP (e.g., legacy PCP / AP506) receives a DMG beacon containing NG60_ESE and legacy ESE from an NG60_PCP / AP (e.g., NG60_PCP / AP504), it simply sends one or more frames containing the received legacy ESE to the legacy PCP / AP506. Since the virtual assignment in the received legacy ESE completely overlaps with the corresponding true assignment in the NG60_ESE in the time domain, the legacy PCP / AP506 can reschedule its assignment or perform any other appropriate operation in an attempt to suppress interference with the transmission of NG60_ESE and legacy ESE.

[0098] When a legacy STA associated with an NG60_PCP / AP (e.g., NG60_PCP / AP502) receives a DMG beacon containing NG60_ESE and legacy ESE from another NG60_PCP / AP (e.g., NG60_PCP / AP504), it simply sends one or more frames containing the received legacy ESE to the NG60_PCP / AP502. Since the virtual assignment in the received legacy ESE completely overlaps with the corresponding true assignment in the NG60_ESE in the time domain, the NG60_PCP / AP502 can reschedule its assignment or perform any other appropriate operation in an attempt to suppress interference with the transmission indicated by NG60_ESE and legacy ESE.

[0099] When NG60_PCP / AP (e.g., NG60_PCP / AP502) directly receives a DMG beacon including NG60_ESE and legacy ESE from another NG60_PCP / AP (e.g., NG60_PCP / AP504), it analyzes the received NG60_ESE and legacy ESE. NG60_PCP / AP502 needs to identify and ignore the virtual allocations in the received legacy ESE. Then, in an attempt to suppress interference with the transmissions indicated by the received NG60_ESE and legacy ESE, NG60_PCP / AP502 can reschedule its own allocations or perform any other appropriate operations.

[0100] When NG60_STA receives a DMG beacon including NG60_ESE and legacy ESE from the NG60_PCP / AP (e.g., NG60_PCP / AP504) associated with itself, it analyzes the received NG60_ESE to identify the true allocation. NG60_STA needs to analyze the received legacy ESE to identify the true allocation and discard the virtual allocation. When the virtual allocation is encapsulated within a legacy ESE dedicated to virtual allocation cases, NG60_STA can stop analyzing the dedicated legacy ESE when it identifies the virtual allocation in the dedicated legacy ESE.

[0101] When the NG60_STA associated with the legacy PCP / AP (e.g., legacy PCP / AP506) receives a DMG beacon containing NG60_ESE and legacy ESE from the NG60_PCP / AP (e.g., NG60_PCP / AP504), it can send one or more frames containing the received legacy ESE to the legacy PCP / AP506. Alternatively, such an NG60_STA can analyze the received NG60_ESE and, at its own discretion, create a virtual assignment corresponding to a true assignment without a virtual assignment in the received legacy ESE, and send one or more frames containing the received legacy ESE to the legacy PCP / AP506. Since the virtual assignment in the received legacy ESE completely overlaps in the time domain with the corresponding true assignment in the NG60_ESE, the legacy PCP / AP506 can reschedule its assignment or perform any other appropriate operation in an attempt to suppress interference with the transmissions indicated by the NG60_ESE and legacy ESE.

[0102] When the NG60_STA associated with the NG60_PCP / AP (e.g., NG60_PCP / AP502) receives a DMG beacon containing NG60_ESE and legacy ESE from another NG60_PCP / AP (e.g., NG60_PCP / AP504), it sends one or more frames containing the received NG60_ESE and legacy ESE to the NG60_PCP / AP502. The NG60_PCP / AP502 needs to identify and ignore the virtual assignments in the received legacy ESE. Then, the NG60_PCP / AP502 can reschedule its assignment or perform any other appropriate operation in an attempt to suppress interference with the transmissions indicated by the NG60_ESE and legacy ESE.

[0103] When generating a virtual allocation (e.g., virtual allocation 712) in the legacy ESE from one true allocation (e.g., allocation 702) in the NG60_ESE, other information fields of the virtual allocation 712, excluding the information fields related to the timing of the allocation (i.e., allocation start, allocation block duration, number of blocks, and allocation block period) and the identification information of the allocation (i.e., source AID and destination AID), can be set the same as the corresponding true allocation 702. As a result, the legacy PCP / AP or NG60_PCP / AP can, by utilizing such information, determine, based on the received legacy ESE, how to reschedule its own allocation or perform any other appropriate operation in an attempt to mitigate interference with the transmission indicated by the NG60_ESE.

[0104] When generating a virtual allocation (e.g., virtual allocation 714) in the legacy ESE from multiple true allocations (e.g., allocations 704 and 706) in the NG60_ESE, other information fields of the virtual allocation 714, excluding the information fields related to the timing of the allocation (i.e., allocation start, allocation block duration, number of blocks, and allocation block period) and the identification information of the allocation (i.e., source AID and destination AID), can be set the same as the allocation that starts earliest among the corresponding multiple true allocations (e.g., allocation 704). As a result, the legacy PCP / AP or NG60_PCP / AP can, by utilizing such information, determine, based on the received legacy ESE, how to reschedule its own allocation or perform any other appropriate operation in an attempt to suppress interference with the transmission indicated by the NG60_ESE.

[0105] Here, the configurations and processes of the NG60_PCP / AP and NG60_STA according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0106] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the transmission process 1000 of ESE by NG60_PCP / AP in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0107] The transmission process 1000 by NG60_PCP / AP starts at step S1002. At step S1004, NG60_PCP / AP (e.g., NG60_PCP / AP504) defines true allocations in NG60_ESE and legacy ESE. Specifically, NG60_PCP / AP determines the time-frequency resources to be allocated to the STAs associated with itself, and generates NG60_ESE or legacy ESE with the determined resources as true allocations.

[0108] At step S1006, NG60_PCP / AP504 creates a virtual allocation corresponding to the true allocation in NG60_ESE in the legacy ESE according to its own judgment, such as the first - third methods described above. At step S1008, NG60_PCP / AP504 transmits a DMG beacon including the legacy ESE and NG60_ESE. At step S1010, this method (transmission process 1000) ends.

[0109] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the transmission process 1100 of ESE by NG60_STA in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0110] The transmission process 1100 for transmitting scheduling information by NG60_STA starts at step S1102. At step S1104, the NG60_STA associated with the legacy PCP / AP (e.g., legacy PCP / AP506) receives a DMG beacon including NG60_ESE and legacy ESE from NG60_PCP / AP (e.g., NG60_PCP / AP504).

[0111] In step S1106, NG60_STA creates a virtual allocation corresponding to the true allocation in the received NG60_ESE in the received legacy ESE based on its own judgment, such as the first to third methods described above. In step S1108, NG60_STA transmits one or more frames including the received legacy ESE to legacy PCP / AP506. In step S1110, this method (transmission process 1100) ends.

[0112] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of NG60_PCP / AP according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0113] The NG60_PCP / AP shown in FIG. 12 includes a controller 1202, a scheduler 1204, a message processor 1206, a message generator 1208, a PHY processor 1210, and a plurality of antennas 1212.

[0114] The controller 1202 is a MAC protocol controller and controls general MAC protocol operations.

[0115] The scheduler 1204 schedules channel time allocation under the control of the controller 1202.

[0116] The message generator 1208 receives scheduling information from the scheduler 1204 and generates corresponding control messages, data messages, or management messages such as DMG beacons.

[0117] The PHY processor 1210 performs PHY processing such as modulation on transmission data such as corresponding control messages, data messages, or management messages including legacy ESE and NG60_ESE. The plurality of antennas 1212 transmit the transmission data on which the PHY processing has been performed.

[0118] ​Also, antenna 1212 receives the received data, and PHY processor 1210 performs PHY processing such as demodulation on the received data.

[0119] Message processor 1206 analyzes the received messages and provides them to controller 1202. The received messages include DMG beacons. The DMG beacon includes NG60_ESE and legacy ESE, and the legacy ESE includes a virtual allocation corresponding to the true allocation in NG60_ESE.

[0120] The NG60_PCP / AP shown in FIG. 12 executes the transmission process 1000 shown in FIG. 10 as follows.

[0121] Scheduler 1204 defines true allocations in NG60_ESE and legacy ESE as scheduling. Specifically, scheduler 1204 determines the time-frequency resources to be allocated to the STAs associated with itself, and generates NG60_ESE or legacy ESE with the determined resources as true allocations.

[0122] Message generator 1208 receives the true allocation information (i.e., the information of the determined resources) from scheduler 1204, and creates a virtual allocation corresponding to the true allocation in NG60_ESE in the legacy ESE. The legacy ESE including the virtual allocation is included in the DMG beacon together with NG60_ESE.

[0123] PHY processor 1210 performs PHY processing such as modulation on the DMG beacon including legacy ESE and NG60_ESE. A plurality of antennas 1212 transmit the transmission data on which the PHY processing has been performed.

[0124] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of NG60_STA according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The NG60_STA shown in FIG. 13 includes a controller 1302, a message generator 1304, a message processor 1306, a PHY processor 1308, and a plurality of antennas 1310.

[0125] The controller 1302 is a MAC protocol controller and controls general MAC protocol operations.

[0126] The message generator 1304 generates control messages, data messages, or management messages under the control of the controller 1302.

[0127] The messages generated by the message generator 1304 include frames containing NG60_ESE received from NG60_PCP / AP and legacy ESE. The NG60_STA generates a virtual assignment corresponding to the true assignment in the received NG60_ESE for the legacy ESE.

[0128] The PHY processor 1308 performs PHY processing such as modulation on the messages generated by the message generator 1304. The antenna 1310 transmits the transmission data on which the PHY processing has been performed.

[0129] Also, the antenna 1310 receives received data, and the PHY processor 1308 performs PHY processing such as demodulation on the received data.

[0130] The message processor 1306 analyzes the received control messages, data messages, or management messages under the control of the controller 1302 and provides them to the controller 1302.

[0131] The NG60_STA shown in FIG. 13 executes the process 1100 shown in FIG. 11 as follows.

[0132] Antenna 1310 receives a DMG beacon including NG60_ESE and legacy ESE from an NG60_PCP / AP (e.g., NG60_PCP / AP504), and PHY processor 1308 performs PHY processing such as demodulation on the received beacon. Message processor 1306 analyzes NG60_ESE and legacy ESE and provides them to controller 1302.

[0133] Message generator 1304 generates a virtual allocation corresponding to the true allocation in the received NG60_ESE for the received legacy ESE. The generated legacy ESE and the received NG60_ESE are transmitted via antenna 1310 after PHY processing such as modulation by PHY processor 1308.

[0134] Note that each configuration shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 can be realized by hardware such as an LSI circuit. Also, the method of integrating into a circuit is not limited to LSI, and it may be realized by a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. After manufacturing the LSI, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) that can be programmed, or a reconfigurable mable processor that can reconfigure the connection and setting of circuit cells inside the LSI may be used.

[0135] Also, in the above embodiment, the case where the present disclosure is configured by hardware has been described as an example, but the present disclosure can also be realized by software.

[0136] According to the embodiment described above, a legacy STA or legacy PCP / AP that has difficulty decrypting NG60_ESE can recognize a virtual allocation corresponding to the true allocation in NG60_ESE by decrypting the legacy ESE. As a result, the legacy STA or legacy PCP / AP can reschedule the channel time allocation or execute any other appropriate operation.

Industrial Applicability

[0137] The communication method and non-legacy communication terminal according to the present disclosure are suitable for use in millimeter-wave network communication.

Explanation of Signs

[0138] 100,500 PCP / AP Cluster 102 S-PCP / S-AP (Synchronous PCP / Synchronous AP) 104,106 Member PCP / AP 202,204,206 BTI (Beacon Transmission Interval) 212 Rx (Receiving Interval) 220 Beacon Interval 302,402,802 Element ID Field 304,404,804 Length Field 306,406,806 Allocation Field 312 Allocation Control Field 314 BF (Beamforming) Control Field 316 Source AID (Association Identifier) Field 318 Destination AID Field 320 Allocation Start Field 322 Allocation Block Duration Field 326 Block Number Field 328 Allocation Block Period Field 332 Allocation ID Field 334 Allocation Type Field 336 Pseudo-Static Field 338 Truncatable Field 340 Extendable Field 412,812 Bandwidth Parameter Field 414,816 Information Field 502,504 NG60_PCP / AP 506 Legacy PCP / AP 512a,512b,514a,514b STA 602, 604, 606, 616, 618, 702, 704, 706, 716, 718, 902, 904, 906, 916, 918 True Allocation 608, 708, 712, 714, 908, 912, 914 Virtual Allocation 622, 722, 922 NG60_ESE 624, 724, 924, 926 Legacy ESE 814 Virtual Allocation Instruction Field 1202, 1302 Controller 1204 Scheduler 1206, 1306 Message Processor 1208, 1304 Message Generator 1210, 1308 PHY Processor 1212, 1310 Antenna 1400 DMG Beacon 1402 Element ID 1404 Length 1406 Body 1410 MAC Header 1411 non-IE 1412 IE 1413 FCS

Claims

Claim 1 A method of operating a central coordinator, the method comprising: generating a frame, the frame comprising: a first extended schedule element (ESE) having a first format, the first ESE being for including a first allocation which is a true allocation for indicating a first time resource allocated to a first communication terminal; a second ESE having a second format, the second ESE being for including a second allocation which is a virtual allocation for providing information related to the first allocation to a second communication terminal, the second allocation being for indicating a second time resource including the first time resource; wherein the first format is for supporting a variable channel bandwidth and the second format is for supporting a single channel bandwidth, or the second format is for supporting a variable channel bandwidth and the first format is for supporting a single channel bandwidth; transmitting the frame. Claim 2 The method according to claim 1, wherein the second format is a Wireless Gigabit (WiGig) format and the first format is a Next Generation 60 Gigahertz (NG60) WiGig format, or the first format is a Wireless Gigabit (WiGig) format and the second format is a Next Generation 60 Gigahertz (NG60) WiGig format. Claim 3 The method according to claim 1, wherein the first format supports a variable channel bandwidth and the second format supports a single channel bandwidth. Claim 4 The method according to claim 3, wherein the first ESE further includes a third allocation for indicating a third time resource allocated to the first communication terminal, the third time resource at least partially overlapping the first time resource, and the second time resource further includes the third time resource. Claim 5 The method according to claim 3, wherein the first allocation includes a bandwidth field for indicating a channel bandwidth of a frequency resource allocated to the first communication terminal. Claim 6 The method according to claim 3, wherein the channel bandwidth includes approximately a 4.32 gigahertz (GHz) bandwidth, a 6.48 GHz bandwidth, or an 8.64 GHz bandwidth.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the second allocation is associated with a 2.16 GHz bandwidth.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second format supports a variable channel bandwidth and the first format supports one channel bandwidth.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the central coordinator is an access point (AP) or a personal basic service set control point (PCP).

10. A coordinator communication device, A scheduler for generating scheduling information, A message generator coupled to the scheduler for receiving the scheduling information and generating a frame, the frame including: A first extended schedule element (ESE) having a first format, the first ESE including a first allocation that is a true allocation for indicating a first time resource allocated to a first communication terminal. A second ESE having a second format, the second ESE including a second allocation that is a virtual allocation for providing information related to the first allocation to a second communication terminal, the second allocation being for indicating a second time resource that includes the first time resource. The first format is for supporting a variable channel bandwidth and the second format is for supporting one channel bandwidth, or the second format is for supporting a variable channel bandwidth and the first format is for supporting one channel bandwidth. A message generator and a physical layer (PHY) processor for processing the frame for transmission via one or more antennas.

11. The coordinator communication device according to claim 10, wherein the second format is a Wireless Gigabit (WiGig) format and the first format is a Next Generation 60 gigahertz (NG60) WiGig format, or the first format is a Wireless Gigabit (WiGig) format and the second format is a Next Generation 60 gigahertz (NG60) WiGig format.

12. The coordinator communication device according to claim 10, wherein the first format supports a variable channel bandwidth and the second format supports one channel bandwidth.

13. The coordinator communication device according to claim 12, wherein the first ESE further includes a third allocation for indicating a third time resource assigned to the first communication terminal, the third time resource at least partially overlaps with the first time resource, and the second time resource further includes the third time resource.

14. The coordinator communication device according to claim 12, wherein the first allocation includes a bandwidth field for indicating a channel bandwidth of a frequency resource assigned to the first communication terminal.

15. The coordinator communication device according to claim 12, wherein the channel bandwidth includes approximately a 4.32 gigahertz (GHz) bandwidth, a 6.48 GHz bandwidth, or an 8.64 GHz bandwidth.

16. The coordinator communication device according to claim 15, wherein the second allocation is associated with a 2.16 GHz bandwidth.

17. The coordinator communication device according to claim 10, wherein the second format supports a variable channel bandwidth and the first format supports one channel bandwidth.

18. The coordinator communication device according to claim 11, wherein the coordinator communication device includes an access point (AP) or a Personal Basic Service Set Control Point (PCP).

19. A first communication terminal, Receiving a message via one or more antennas, the message including a frame, the frame including a first Extended Schedule Element (ESE) having a first format, the first ESE being for including a first allocation which is a true allocation for indicating a first time-frequency resource allocated to the first communication terminal a second ESE having a second format, the second ESE being for including a second allocation which is a virtual allocation for providing information related to the first allocation to a second communication terminal, the second allocation being for indicating a second time resource including a first time resource associated with the first time-frequency resource, and having a second ESE the first format being for supporting a variable channel bandwidth and the second format being for supporting one channel bandwidth A first communication terminal comprising circuitry for processing the first ESE to identify the first time-frequency resource allocated to the first communication terminal.

20. The first communication terminal according to claim 19, wherein the second format is a Wireless Gigabit (WiGig) format and the first format is a Next Generation 60 gigahertz (NG60) WiGig format.

21. The first communication terminal according to claim 19, wherein the first ESE further includes a third allocation for indicating a third time resource allocated to the first communication terminal, the third time resource at least partially overlapping the first time resource, and the second time resource further including the third time resource.

22. The first communication terminal according to claim 19, wherein the first allocation includes a bandwidth field for indicating a channel bandwidth of the frequency resource allocated to the first communication terminal.

23. The first communication terminal according to claim 19, wherein the channel bandwidth includes approximately a 4.32 gigahertz (GHz) bandwidth, a 6.48 GHz bandwidth, or an 8.64 GHz bandwidth.

24. The first communication terminal according to claim 23, wherein the second allocation is associated with a 2.16 GHz bandwidth.

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