Communication device and communication method thereof, information processing device and control method thereof, and program

Abstract

To prevent, when a communication device receives a radio frame conforming to a standard not designed for the communication device, the communication device from unnecessarily continuing reading of the radio frame.SOLUTION: A communication device has generation means that generates a physical layer (PHY) frame including a preamble, and transmission means that transmits the PHY frame. The preamble includes a first signal field, a short training field (STF), and a long training field (LTF). The first signal field is arranged before the STF, and includes a field indicating the version of the PHY frame. The field is constituted of three bits, and when 0 is set to the field using the three bits, extremely high throughput (EHT) is indicated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , ,

[0005] , , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to communication control technology in a wireless LAN.

Background Art

[0002] As a communication standard for a wireless LAN (Wireless Local Area Network), the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard is known. In the IEEE 802.11ax standard, which is the latest standard in the IEEE 802.11 standard series, by using OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access), in addition to high peak throughput, improvement in communication speed under congested conditions is realized (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Currently, for further throughput improvement, as a successor standard to IEEE 802.11ax, a Study Group called IEEE 802.11EHT (Extremely High Throughput) has been formed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [[ID=--]] [[ID=--]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] [[ID=--]] As has been the case with numerous standards being established so far, it is assumed that new standards will also appear in the future. On the other hand, a communication device compliant only with an old - generation standard has to keep reading frames until it becomes clear that the wireless frame is a frame of a standard that the device does not support for new - standard - compliant wireless frames, resulting in increased power consumption. [[ID=--]] [[ID=--]]

[0006] [[ID=--]] The present invention provides a technology to prevent a communication device from unnecessarily continuing to read a wireless frame that conforms to a standard it does not support. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A communication device according to one aspect of the present invention has communication means for transmitting or receiving a wireless frame having a physical layer (PHY) preamble and a data field, wherein the preamble is The first SIG (SIGNAL field) and, The first SIG is located after the first SIG STF (S (hort Training Field) and The first SIG is located after the first SIG LTF (L Including the Long Training Field, and the aforementioned First SIG The standard to which the aforementioned wireless frame conforms. version This indicates First Sub Includes fields The first SIG further includes an UL / DL (Uplink / Downlink) subfield and a BSS (Basic Service Set) Color subfield, and the first subfield, the Uplink / Downlink subfield, and the BSS Color subfield are included within the first 14 bits of the first SIG. It is characterized by the following: [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, when a communication device receives a wireless frame that conforms to a standard it does not support, it is possible to prevent the device from unnecessarily continuing to read that wireless frame. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of a network configuration. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the functional configuration of a communication device. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of a communication device. [Figure 4] This diagram shows an example of the processing flow performed in a communication device. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the PHY frame structure for EHT SU PPDU. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the PHY frame structure of EHT ER PPDU. [Figure 7]This figure shows an example of the PHY frame structure for EHT MU PPDU. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the PHY frame structure for EHT TB PPDU. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any way. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, identical or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0011] (Network configuration) Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of the wireless communication network of this embodiment. This wireless communication network consists of one access point (AP) and three stations (STAs). AP102 and STA103 comply with IEEE802.11EHT (Extremely High Throughput) and are configured to perform wireless communication in accordance with standards established before the IEEE802.11EHT standard. STA104 is an STA that complies with the IEEE802.11ax standard but does not comply with IEEE802.11EHT. Furthermore, STA105 is an STA that complies with a communication standard later than IEEE802.11EHT. The name IEEE802.11EHT is provided for convenience and may be renamed once the standard is finalized, but this specification and the attached claims are intended to cover all standards that can support the processing described later. Hereafter, when not referring to a specific device, the access point may be referred to as "AP" and the station (terminal) as "STA" without a reference number. Figure 1 shows a wireless communication network including one AP and three STAs as an example, but the number of these communication devices may be more or less than shown. In one example, if communication occurs between STAs, an AP may not be present. In Figure 1, the communication range of the network formed by AP 102 is shown by circle 101. This communication range may cover a wider area or only a narrower area. EHT may be understood as an acronym for Extreme High Throughput.

[0012] (Device configuration) Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a communication device (AP and STA). As an example of its hardware configuration, the communication device includes a storage unit 201, a control unit 202, a functional unit 203, an input unit 204, an output unit 205, a communication unit 206, and an antenna 207.

[0013] The storage unit 201 is composed of either both ROM and RAM, or one of them, and stores programs for performing various operations described later, and various information such as communication parameters for wireless communication. Note that as the storage unit 201, in addition to memories such as ROM and RAM, storage media such as flexible disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, and DVDs may also be used.

[0014] The control unit 202 is composed of, for example, one or more processors such as a CPU or MPU, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc. Here, CPU is the initialism of Central Processing Unit, and MPU is the initialism of Micro Processing Unit. The control unit 202 controls the entire device by executing the programs stored in the storage unit 201. Note that the control unit 202 may control the entire device by collaborating with the programs stored in the storage unit 201 and the OS (Operating System).

[0015] Also, the control unit 202 controls the functional unit 203 to execute predetermined processes such as imaging, printing, and projection. The functional unit 203 is the hardware for the device to execute predetermined processes. For example, when the device is a camera, the functional unit 203 is an imaging unit and performs imaging processing. Also, for example, when the device is a printer, the functional unit 203 is a printing unit and performs printing processing. Also, for example, when the device is a projector, the functional unit 203 is a projection unit and performs projection processing. The data processed by the functional unit 203 may be the data stored in the storage unit 201, or may be the data communicated with other APs or STAs via the communication unit 206 described later.

[0016] The input unit 204 receives various operations from the user. The output unit 205 performs various outputs to the user. Here, the output by the output unit 205 includes, for example, at least one of display on a screen, voice output by a speaker, vibration output, etc. Note that both the input unit 204 and the output unit 205 may be realized by one module such as a touch panel.

[0017] The communication unit 206 controls wireless communication compliant with the IEEE802.11 standard series and controls IP communication. The communication unit 206 is a so-called wireless chip and may itself include one or more processors and memories. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 206 can execute at least processing compliant with the IEEE802.11ax standard. Also, the communication unit 206 controls the antenna 207 to transmit and receive wireless signals for wireless communication. The device communicates contents such as image data, document data, video data, etc. with other communication devices via the communication unit 206. The antenna 207 is an antenna capable of transmitting and receiving at least any one of, for example, the sub-GHz band, 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band. Note that the frequency band (and its combination) supported by the antenna 207 is not particularly limited. The antenna 207 may be a single antenna or a set of two or more antennas for performing MIMO (Multi-Input and Multi-Output) transmission and reception. Also, in FIG. 2, a single antenna 207 is shown, but it may include two or more (two sets or more) antennas each capable of corresponding to different frequency bands.

[0018] FIG. 3 shows a functional configuration example of a communication device (AP and STA). As an example, the communication device has a wireless LAN control unit 301, a frame analysis unit 302, a frame generation unit 303, a UI control unit 304, a storage unit 305, and an antenna 306.

[0019] The wireless LAN control unit 301 includes circuits for transmitting and receiving wireless signals with other wireless LAN devices (e.g., other APs or STAs) using the antenna 306, and a program to control them. The wireless LAN control unit 301 performs wireless LAN communication control, such as transmitting frames generated by the frame generation unit 303 and receiving wireless frames from other wireless LAN devices, in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series. The frame analysis unit 302 analyzes the wireless frames received via the wireless LAN control unit 301. This analysis is performed by reading the wireless frame from the beginning. The frame analysis unit 302 can, as described later, analyze the physical layer (PHY) preamble of the wireless frame to discard wireless frames for standards (versions) that the communication device does not conform to. This allows the communication device to interrupt the analysis of wireless frames of types it does not conform to at an early stage, thereby reducing power consumption. The frame generation unit 303 generates wireless frames containing data to be transmitted to other APs or STAs, for example. The frame generation unit 303 generates wireless frames that comply with standards enabling communication between the device and the other device, according to the standards that the device itself complies with, and, in some cases, according to the standards that the other device complies with. For example, if the communication device complies with IEEE 802.11EHT and the other device complies with IEEE 802.11ax, wireless frames compliant with IEEE 802.11ax are generated and transmitted / received. The UI control unit 304 includes hardware related to a user interface (UI), such as a touch panel or buttons, for accepting operations on the communication device by a user (not shown) of the communication device, and programs that control them. The UI control unit 304 also has functions for presenting information to the user, such as displaying images or outputting audio. The storage unit 305 includes storage devices such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory) for storing programs executed by the communication device and various data.

[0020] (Process flow) Next, the processing flow performed by the communication device described above will be explained. Figure 4 shows an example of the processing flow performed by a communication device (AP and STA) compliant with IEEE802.11EHT according to this embodiment. First, the communication device determines the operating frequency band (S401). This determination of the operating frequency band is performed by the AP. That is, if the communication device is an AP, the operating frequency band is determined by user operation of the communication device, etc., and if the communication device is an STA, it is decided that it will operate in the operating frequency band determined by the AP to which it is connected. The operating frequency band can be, for example, 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6GHz, but if there is another usable frequency band, that frequency band may also be used. In the following, it will be assumed that the 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequency band, which can also be used by communication devices compliant with older generation communication standards, will be used.

[0021] Subsequently, when transmitting a wireless frame, the communication device determines the standard that the wireless frame should conform to. In this example, the communication device determines whether the standard is IEEE 802.11EHT (S402). The communication device determines the communication standard to use based, for example, on the standards that it conforms to and the standards that the other device conforms to. For example, if both the communication device and the other device conform to IEEE 802.11EHT, the communication device decides to use IEEE 802.11EHT. Also, if one of the communication device and the other device conforms to a successor standard to IEEE 802.11EHT, and the other conforms to IEEE 802.11EHT but not to its successor standard, the communication device decides to use IEEE 802.11EHT. Furthermore, if one of the communication device and the other device conforms to IEEE 802.11EHT, but the other conforms only to an older generation standard, the communication device decides to use the older generation standard. For example, in communication between AP102 and STA103, since both comply with IEEE802.11EHT, it is decided to use IEEE802.11EHT. Similarly, in communication between AP102 and STA104, although AP102 complies with IEEE802.11EHT, STA104 complies only with IEEE802.11ax, so it is decided to use IEEE802.11ax. Furthermore, in communication between AP102 and STA105, although STA105 complies with the successor standard to IEEE802.11EHT, AP102 does not, so it is decided to use IEEE802.11EHT. Note that "successor standard" here includes, for example, Wave2 of IEEE802.11EHT. In other words, in this embodiment, different versions of IEEE802.11EHT that have been further improved after the IEEE802.11EHT standard using the wireless frames discussed below was established are also treated as successor standards.

[0022] If the communication device decides to use IEEE 802.11EHT (YES in S402), it sets a field indicating the type of standard (for example, the Version subfield described later) in the wireless frame and sets a value indicating EHT in that field (S403). Alternatively, if the communication device decides to use a standard later than IEEE 802.11EHT, it may prepare a field indicating the type of standard and set a value indicating the standard to be used in that field. In this case, in S402, the communication device determines whether or not a standard later than IEEE 802.11EHT is used, and if so, it may set an appropriate value in the field indicating the type of standard. The communication device then generates a wireless frame (PPDU) containing such a field indicating the type of standard. PPDU is an acronym for Physical Layer (PHY) Protocol Data Unit. On the other hand, if the communication device decides to use an older generation standard (legacy standard) prior to IEEE 802.11EHT (NO in S402), it generates a wireless frame (PPDU) according to that older generation standard. The communication device then transmits the generated wireless frame (S404). Note that the transmission of the wireless frame here also includes the transmission of a Beacon. That is, when the communication device is an AP, for example, the communication device generates and transmits a Beacon according to the communication standard to which it conforms. Note that if the communication device does not transmit a wireless frame itself but only receives a wireless frame from the other device, the processing in S402 to S404 may be omitted.

[0023] Next, we will explain the processing when a signal is received. The communication device receives a wireless frame from the other device (S405). Here, the other device refers to the other device with which direct wireless communication is performed. For example, if the communication device is an STA, the other device is the connected AP, and if the communication device is an AP, the other device is the STA connected to its own device. The communication device determines whether the received wireless frame is a legacy standard wireless frame (S406). Here, legacy standards refer to the IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ax standards. If the communication device determines that it has received a legacy standard wireless frame (YES in S406), it reads the entire wireless frame (S407). On the other hand, if the communication device determines that it has received a wireless frame of a standard later than the IEEE 802.11ax standard, i.e., a standard later than IEEE 802.11EHT (NO in S406), it reads the field indicating the type of standard as described above (S408). The communication device then determines whether it supports the type of standard indicated by the value set in the read field (whether it is capable of operating in accordance with that standard) (S409). For example, a communication device compliant with IEEE 802.11EHT will determine whether the value set in that field corresponds to the value of IEEE 802.11EHT. If the communication device supports the type of standard of the wireless frame (YES in S409), it continues to analyze the wireless frame and reads the entire wireless frame (S410). Once the communication device has finished reading the wireless frame, it continues to analyze the data stored in the data field as a MAC (Media Access Control) layer frame. On the other hand, if the communication device does not support the type of standard of the wireless frame (NO in S409), it discards the wireless frame without further analysis (S411). This prevents the communication device from unnecessarily continuing to read wireless frames of unsupported standards, thus preventing wasted power consumption of the communication device. Furthermore, if the communication device only transmits wireless frames and does not receive wireless frames, the processing from S405 onwards may be omitted.

[0024] In Figure 4, as an example, the AP generates and sends a Beacon frame containing information indicating the standards its device conforms to. The STA then sends a Probe Request frame based on that Beacon frame. The AP then determines whether the Probe Request frame is a legacy frame, and if not, whether it was generated according to the standards its device supports. If the Probe Request frame is a legacy frame or a frame generated according to the standards its device supports, the AP performs analysis at the MAC layer. Through this MAC layer analysis, the AP recognizes that this frame is a Probe Request frame and can send a Probe Response frame. On the other hand, if the Probe Request frame was generated according to a standard that the device does not support, the AP discards the frame. Note that the AP discards the frame without performing MAC layer analysis, and therefore does not recognize that this frame is a Probe Request frame. For this reason, the AP does not send a Probe Response frame. Thus, the communication device may perform the signal transmission process S402-S404 and the signal reception process S405-S411 at separate communication opportunities, or it may perform these processes as a series of processes at a single communication opportunity.

[0025] Here, examples of wireless frame configurations compliant with IEEE 802.11 EHT are shown in Figures 5 to 8. Figure 5 shows an example of an EHT SU (Single User) PPDU for single-user communication, and Figure 6 shows an example of an EHT MU (Multi User) PPDU for multi-user communication. Figure 7 shows an example of an EHT ER (Extended Range) PPDU for long-distance transmission, and Figure 8 shows an example of an EHT TB (Trigger Based) PPDU sent from an STA in response to a trigger frame sent from an AP. The EHT ER PPDU is used when the communication range needs to be extended in communication between an AP and a single STA.

[0026] The PPDU includes the fields STF (Short Training Field), LTF (Long Training Field), and SIG (Signal Field). As shown in Figure 5, the beginning of the PPDU has L(Legacy)-STF501, L-LTF502, and L-SIG503 to ensure backward compatibility with the IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ax standards. The frame formats in Figures 6 to 8 also include L-STF (L-STF601, 701, 801), L-LTF (L-LTF602, 702, 802), and L-SIG (L-SIG603, 703, 803). Note that L-LTF is placed immediately after L-STF, and L-SIG is placed immediately after L-LTF. Furthermore, in the configurations shown in Figures 6 to 8, an RL-SIG (Repeated L-SIG, RL-SIG504, 604, 704, 804) is included immediately after the L-SIG. The RL-SIG field transmits the contents of the L-SIG repeatedly. The RL-SIG allows the receiver to recognize that the PPDU conforms to standards later than IEEE 802.11ax, and may be omitted in IEEE 802.11EHT in some cases. Alternatively, a field may be provided to allow the receiver to recognize that the PPDU conforms to IEEE 802.11EHT instead of the RL-SIG.

[0027] L-STF is used for detecting PHY frame signals, automatic gain control (AGC), and timing detection. L-LTF is used for high-precision synchronization of frequency and time, and acquisition of channel state information (CSI). L-SIG is used to transmit control information including data transmission rate and PHY frame length information. Legacy equipment conforming to IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ax standards can decode the above various legacy fields.

[0028] Each PPDU further includes an EHT-SIG (EHT-SIG-A505, 605, 705, 805, and EHT-SIG-B606) for transmitting control information for the EHT, located immediately after the RL-SIG. Each PPDU also has an STF (EHT-STF506, 607, 706, 806) and an LTF (EHT-LTF507, 608, 707, 807) for the EHT. Each PPDU also has data fields 508, 609, 708, 808 and Packet extension fields 509, 610, 709, 809 following these control fields. The fields from L-STF to EHT-LTF in each PPDU are called the PHY preamble. Note that the fields in a PPDU do not necessarily have to be in the order shown in Figures 5-8, and may include new fields not shown in Figures 5-8.

[0029] Figures 5 to 8 show an example of a PPDU that ensures backward compatibility. However, if backward compatibility is not required, legacy fields may be omitted, for example. In this case, EHT-STF or EHT-LTF may be used instead of L-STF and L-LTF to establish synchronization. In this case, one of the EHT-STF or EHT-LTF fields following the EHT-SIG field may be omitted.

[0030] EHT-SIG-A505 and EHT-SIG-A705, included in EHT SU PPDU and EHT ER PPDU, include EHT-SIG-A1 and EHT-SIG-A2, which are necessary for receiving the PPDU, as shown in Tables 1 and 2 below. Similarly, EHT-SIG-A605 in the EHT MU PPDU in Figure 6 includes EHT-SIG-A1 and EHT-SIG-A2, which are necessary for receiving the PPDU, as shown in Tables 3 and 4 below. Furthermore, EHT-SIG-A805 in the EHT TB PPDU in Figure 8 includes EHT-SIG-A1 and EHT-SIG-A2, which are necessary for receiving the PPDU, as shown in Tables 5 and 6 below. In this embodiment, in all frame configurations, the "Version" subfield, which indicates which standard the wireless frame is generated according to, is included in the first 3 bits of EHT-SIG-A1.

[0031] [Table 1]

[0032] [Table 2]

[0033] [Table 3]

[0034] [Table 4]

[0035] [Table 5]

[0036] [Table 6]

[0037] For example, if a wireless frame is generated according to the IEEE 802.11EHT standard, 0 is stored in this "Version" subfield. If a wireless frame is generated according to a successor standard immediately following the IEEE 802.11EHT standard, or a successor version of the standard after modifications, 1 is stored in this "Version" subfield. Similarly, as the number of standards increases, different values ​​such as 2, 3, ..., 7 are defined as the values ​​to be set in the Version subfield for each standard. As shown in Tables 1 to 6 above, by using a predetermined number of bits at the beginning of EHT-SIG-A as the Version subfield, communication devices can determine early whether or not they support the standard to which the wireless frame conforms. As a result, communication devices can terminate the reading (decoding) of wireless frames generated according to standards they do not support early, and power consumption related to reading wireless frames can be suppressed.

[0038] Note that in the examples in Tables 1 to 6, the Version subfield is defined as a 3-bit field, but it is not limited to this. For example, a field of 4 bits or more, or 2 bits or less, may be provided as the Version subfield. Also, this Version information may be notified at a position other than the 0th to 2nd bits of the EHT-SIG-A1 field. Furthermore, although the examples in Tables 1 to 6 show an example where the Version subfield is provided in EHT-SIG-A1, this subfield may be provided in a different location. For example, an additional signal field may be provided before the above-mentioned EHT-SIG-A (for example, immediately after the L-LTF field or L-SIG field), and this field may newly include the Version subfield. In one example, the new field may be placed before the RL-SIG field. This makes it possible to determine the type of frame standard at an earlier stage, eliminating the need to analyze subsequent frames. This reduces the computation time and power consumption required to analyze frames.

[0039] Although the above description described the wireless frame of IEEE 802.11EHT, a similar configuration can be adopted for successor standards after IEEE 802.11EHT. That is, for example, a configuration in which a predetermined number of bits at the corresponding position in the field corresponding to EHT-SIG-A above store information indicating the type (version) of the standard can be adopted in wireless frames corresponding to new communication standards. Similarly, a configuration in which a new field is provided after L-SIG (or RL-SIG) in which information indicating the type of standard is set can be adopted in wireless frames corresponding to new communication standards. This allows a communication device, upon receiving a wireless frame, to proceed with decoding the wireless frame up to the information indicating the type of standard, and then discard the wireless frame based on the fact that it was generated by a standard that the device does not support. In addition to communication devices such as AP102 and STA103~105, the present invention can also be implemented by an information processing device (e.g., a wireless chip) that generates the above-mentioned PHY preamble.

[0040] <<Other Embodiments>> The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0041] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 102: AP, 103-105: STA, 301: Wireless LAN control unit, 302: Frame analysis unit, 303: Frame generation unit, 304: UI control unit, 305: Memory unit

Claims

1. It has communication means for transmitting or receiving wireless frames having a physical layer (PHY) preamble and data field, The preamble includes a first SIG (Signal Field), a first STF (Short Training Field) located after the first SIG, and a first LTF (Long Training Field) located after the first SIG. The first SIG includes a first subfield indicating the version of the standard to which the wireless frame conforms, The first SIG further includes a UL / DL (Uplink / Downlink) subfield and a BSS (Basic Service Set) Color subfield, The first subfield, the Uplink / Downlink subfield, and the BSS Color subfield are included within the first 14 bits of the first SIG. A communication device characterized by the following features.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first subfield is assigned the first three bits of the first SIG.

3. The aforementioned wireless frame is The communication device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an L-STF positioned before the first SIG, an L-LTF positioned before the first SIG, and an L-SIG positioned before the first SIG.

4. The wireless frame is The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a second SIG which is positioned after the first SIG and before the first LTF.

5. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the first subfield consists of three bits, and when the first subfield is set to 0 using the three bits, Extremely High Throughput (EHT) in the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series is indicated.

6. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first subfield consists of three bits, and when the three bits are used to set the first subfield to 1, it indicates a specific successor version of Extremely High Throughput (EHT) in the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series.

7. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the wireless frame is a physical layer (PHY) frame, and the first subfield indicates a version of the PHY frame.

8. The first SIG further comprises a bandwidth field indicating bandwidth and an MCS field indicating Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS), The bandwidth field and the MCS field are positioned after the first subfield. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by the following:

9. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the communication device is a station device that communicates with an access point.

10. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the communication device is an access point device.

11. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the communication device is a communication device compliant with the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series.

12. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the wireless frame is a communication device compliant with the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series.

13. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that when the communication means receives the radio frame which includes the first subfield which indicates a version not supported by the communication device, it decodes the first subfield and then discards the radio frame.

14. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that when the communication means receives the radio frame which includes the first subfield indicating the version to which the communication device supports, it decodes the entire radio frame.

15. It has generation means for generating a wireless frame having a physical layer (PHY) preamble and data field, The preamble includes a first SIG (Signal Field), a first STF (Short Training Field) located after the first SIG, and a first LTF (Long Training Field) located after the first SIG. The first SIG includes a first subfield indicating the version of the standard to which the wireless frame conforms, The first SIG further includes a UL / DL (Uplink / Downlink) subfield and a BSS (Basic Service Set) Color subfield, The first subfield, the Uplink / Downlink subfield, and the BSS Color subfield are included within the first 14 bits of the first SIG. An information processing device characterized by the following:

16. The first subfield is assigned the first three bits of the first SIG, The information processing apparatus according to feature 15.

17. The wireless frame is The information processing apparatus according to claim 15 or 16, further comprising an L-STF positioned before the first SIG, an L-LTF positioned before the first SIG, and an L-SIG positioned before the first SIG.

18. The wireless frame is The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 17, further comprising a second SIG which is positioned after the first SIG and before the first LTF.

19. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that the first subfield consists of three bits, and when the first subfield is set to 0 using the three bits, Extremely High Throughput (EHT) in the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series is indicated.

20. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 19, characterized in that the first subfield consists of three bits, and when the three bits are used to set the first subfield to 1, it indicates a specific successor version of Extremely High Throughput (EHT) in the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series.

21. The information processing device according to any one of claims 15 to 20, characterized in that the information processing device is an information processing device compliant with the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series.

22. The information processing device according to any one of claims 15 to 21, characterized in that the wireless frame is a communication device compliant with the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series.

23. A communication method performed by a communication device, The communication process includes transmitting or receiving a radio frame having a physical layer (PHY) preamble and data fields, The preamble includes a first SIG (Signal Field), a first STF (Short Training Field) located after the first SIG, and a first LTF (Long Training Field) located after the first SIG. The first SIG includes a first subfield indicating the version of the standard to which the wireless frame conforms, The first SIG further includes a UL / DL (Uplink / Downlink) subfield and a BSS (Basic Service Set) Color subfield, The first subfield, the Uplink / Downlink subfield, and the BSS Color subfield are included within the first 14 bits of the first SIG. A communication method characterized by the following features.

24. The first subfield is assigned the first three bits of the first SIG, The communication method according to feature 23.

25. The wireless frame is The communication method according to claim 23 or 24, further comprising an L-STF positioned before the first SIG, an L-LTF positioned before the first SIG, and an L-SIG positioned before the first SIG.

26. The wireless frame is The communication method according to any one of claims 23 to 25, further comprising a second SIG positioned after the first SIG and before the first LTF.

27. ​​The communication method according to any one of claims 23 to 26, characterized in that the first subfield consists of three bits, and when the first subfield is set to 0 using the three bits, Extremely High Throughput (EHT) in the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series is indicated.

28. The communication method according to any one of claims 23 to 27, characterized in that the first subfield consists of three bits, and when the first subfield is set to 1 using the three bits, it indicates a specific successor version of Extremely High Throughput (EHT) in the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series.

29. The communication method according to any one of claims 23 to 28, characterized in that the communication device is a station device that communicates with an access point.

30. The communication method according to any one of claims 23 to 28, characterized in that the communication device is an access point device.

31. The communication method according to any one of claims 23 to 30, characterized in that the communication device is a communication device compliant with the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series.

32. The communication method according to any one of claims 23 to 31, characterized in that the wireless frame is a communication device compliant with the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series.

33. A control method performed by an information processing device, The process includes a generation step of generating a wireless frame having a physical layer (PHY) preamble and data fields, The preamble includes a first SIG (Signal Field), a first STF (Short Training Field) located after the first SIG, and a first LTF (Long Training Field) located after the first SIG. The first SIG includes a first subfield indicating the version of the standard to which the wireless frame conforms, The first SIG further includes a UL / DL (Uplink / Downlink) subfield and a BSS (Basic Service Set) Color subfield, The first subfield, the Uplink / Downlink subfield, and the BSS Color subfield are included within the first 14 bits of the first SIG. A control method characterized by the following:

34. A program for causing a computer to function as a communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 14 or an information processing device according to any one of claims 15 to 22.

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