Base stations and terminals

Abstract

To provide a base station that allows the power consumption of a wireless terminal to be reduced.SOLUTION: In a wireless communication system, a base station (10) includes first and second wireless signal processing units (130 and 140) and a link management unit (120). The link management unit sets a multi-link to a first state or a second state. In the first state, a first link using the first wireless signal processing unit and a second link using the second wireless signal processing unit are each in an active mode in which communication is possible. In the second state, the first link is in the active mode or an intermittent operation mode in which it operates intermittently, and the second link is in a dormant operation mode in which power consumption is lower than in the intermittent operation mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments relate to base stations and terminals.

Background Art

[0002] As a wireless system for wirelessly connecting a base station and a terminal, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) is known.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The problem is to suppress the power consumption of a wireless terminal.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The base station of the embodiment is a base station that communicates with a terminal, and includes a first radio signal processing unit and a second radio signal processing unit. The first radio signal processing unit establishes a first link with the terminal. The second radio signal processing unit establishes a second link different from the first link with the terminal. Data transmitted using the multi-link composed of the first link and the second link is associated with at least one of the first link or the second link based on the TID information of the data, and when the terminal cannot receive the data in the link with which the data is associated, the data is stored. If TID information is associated with both the first and second links, the system will indicate whether data is stored in each of the first and second links for that TID information, and will specify a predetermined link from which the data should be retrieved.A beacon signal containing information is transmitted to the terminal using at least one of the first or second link, and the first or second radio signal processing unit operating on a predetermined link transmits the data. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The base station of this embodiment can suppress the power consumption of wireless terminals. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a wireless system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a frequency band used for wireless communication in the wireless system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the format of a wireless frame in the wireless system according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a base station included in the wireless system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the functions of a base station equipped with the wireless system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal in a wireless system according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the functions of a terminal in the wireless system according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a detailed function of the link management unit of a base station equipped with a wireless system according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a table showing an example of link management information in a wireless system according to this embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of multilink processing in a wireless system according to an embodiment. [Figure 11]Figure 11 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a method for outputting a beacon signal at a base station of a wireless system according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a beacon signal including multilink capability information in a wireless system according to an embodiment. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a data transmission method during multilink operation in a wireless system according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a table showing an example of the changes in link management information when multilink power saving is applied in the wireless system according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a base station in a wireless system according to this embodiment when it is in multilink mode. [Figure 16] Figure 16 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a beacon signal including a PVB (Partial Virtual Bitmap) in a wireless system according to the embodiment. [Figure 17] Figure 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a terminal in a wireless system according to this embodiment during multilink power saving. [Figure 18] Figure 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the start operation of multilink power saving in a wireless system according to this embodiment. [Figure 19] Figure 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the termination operation of multilink power saving in a wireless system according to this embodiment. [Figure 20] Figure 20 is a flowchart showing an example of a communication method during multilink power saving in a wireless system according to the embodiment. [Figure 21] Figure 21 is a flowchart showing an example of a communication method during multilink power saving in a wireless system according to the embodiment. [Figure 22] Figure 22 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a beacon signal including a PVB (Partial Virtual Bitmap) in a wireless system according to the embodiment.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] The wireless system 1 according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiment exemplifies devices and methods for embodying the technical idea of the invention. The drawings are schematic or conceptual. Dimensions, ratios, etc. in each drawing are not necessarily the same as those in reality. The technical idea of the present invention is not specified by the shape, structure, arrangement, etc. of the components. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0009] <1> Configuration of Wireless System 1 <1-1> Overall Configuration of Wireless System 1 FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless system 1 includes, for example, a base station 10, a terminal 20, and a server 30.

[0010] The base station 10 is connected to the network NW and is used as an access point for a wireless LAN. For example, the base station 10 can wirelessly distribute the data received from the network NW to the terminal 20. Also, the base station 10 can be connected to the terminal 20 using one type of band or a plurality of types of bands. In this specification, wireless connection using a plurality of types of bands between the base station 10 and the terminal 20 is referred to as "multi-link". The communication between the base station 10 and the terminal 20 is based on, for example, the IEEE802.11 standard.

[0011] The terminal 20 is a wireless terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet PC, for example. The terminal 20 can transmit and receive data to and from the server 30 on the network NW via the wirelessly connected base station 10. Note that the terminal 20 may be other electronic devices such as a desktop computer or a laptop computer. The terminal 20 only needs to be a device that can communicate with at least the base station 10 and can execute the operations described later.

[0012] Server 30 is capable of holding various types of information, for example, it holds content data targeted to terminal 20. Server 30 is configured to be connected to a network NW via a wired connection and to be able to communicate with base station 10 via the network NW. It is sufficient that server 30 can communicate with at least base station 10. In other words, communication between base station 10 and server 30 may be wired or wireless.

[0013] In the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment, data communication between the base station 10 and the terminal 20 is based on the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) reference model. In the OSI reference model, communication functions are divided into seven layers (Layer 1: Physical Layer, Layer 2: Data Link Layer, Layer 3: Network Layer, Layer 4: Transport Layer, Layer 5: Session Layer, Layer 6: Presentation Layer, Layer 7: Application Layer).

[0014] The data link layer includes, for example, the LLC (Logical Link Control) layer and the MAC (Media Access Control) layer. The LLC layer adds headers such as DSAP (Destination Service Access Point) and SSAP (Source Service Access Point) to data input from a higher-level application to form an LLC packet. The MAC layer adds a MAC header to the LLC packet to form a MAC frame.

[0015] (Regarding the frequency bands used for wireless communication) Figure 2 shows an example of frequency bands used for wireless communication in the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, for example, the 2.4GHz band, 5GHz band, and 6GHz band are used for wireless communication. Each frequency band contains multiple channels. In this example, each of the 2.4GHz band, 5GHz band, and 6GHz band contains at least three channels CH1, CH2, and CH3. Communication using each channel CH is realized by the STA function described later.

[0016] Furthermore, wireless system 1 may use frequency bands other than the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands for wireless communication. Each frequency band only needs to have at least one channel CH configured. For multilink, channels CH from the same frequency band may be used, or channels CH from different frequency bands may be used.

[0017] (Regarding the wireless frame format) Figure 3 shows a specific example of the format of a wireless frame used for communication between a base station 10 and a terminal 20 in a wireless system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the wireless frame includes, for example, a Frame Control field, a Duration field, an Address1 field, an Address2 field, an Address3 field, a Sequence Control field, other control information fields, a Frame Body field, and an FCS (Frame Check Sequence) field.

[0018] The Frame Control field and other control information fields correspond to, for example, the MAC header included in the MAC frame. The Frame Body field corresponds to, for example, the MAC payload included in the MAC frame. The FCS field stores the error detection code between the MAC header and the Frame Body field and is used to determine whether or not there is an error in the wireless frame.

[0019] The Frame Control field displays various control information, including, for example, the Type value, Subtype value, To DS (To Distribution System) value, and From DS value. The Type value indicates the frame type of the wireless frame. For example, a Type value of "00" indicates that the wireless frame is a management frame. A Type value of "01" indicates that the wireless frame is a control frame. A Type value of "10" indicates that the wireless frame is a data frame.

[0020] The content of a wireless frame changes depending on the combination of Type and Subtype values. For example, "00 / 1000 (Type value / Subtype value)" indicates that the wireless frame is a beacon signal. The meaning of the To DS value and From DS value differs depending on their combination. For example, "00 (To DS / From DS)" indicates that the data is between terminals within the same IBSS (Independent Basic Service Set). "10" indicates that the data frame is directed from an external source to the DS (Distribution System). "01" indicates that the data frame is destined to go outside the DS. "11" is used when configuring a mesh network.

[0021] The Duration field indicates the planned duration of use of the wireless connection. Multiple Address fields indicate the BSSID, source address, destination address, sender terminal address, receiver terminal address, etc. The Sequence Control field indicates the sequence number of the MAC frame and the fragment number for fragments. Other control information fields include, for example, Traffic Type (TID) information. TID information may be inserted at other locations within the wireless frame. The Frame Body field contains information specific to the frame type. For example, the Frame Body field stores data when it corresponds to a data frame.

[0022] <1-2> Configuration of base station 10 Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of a base station 10 included in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the base station 10 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a wireless communication module 14, and a wired communication module 15.

[0023] The CPU 11 is a circuit capable of executing various programs and controls the overall operation of the base station 10. The ROM 12 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory that holds programs and control data for controlling the base station 10. The RAM 13 is, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and is used as a workspace for the CPU 11. The wireless communication module 14 is a circuit used for transmitting and receiving data via wireless signals and is connected to an antenna. The wireless communication module 14 also includes, for example, multiple communication modules corresponding to multiple frequency bands. The wired communication module 15 is a circuit used for transmitting and receiving data via wired signals and is connected to a network NW.

[0024] Figure 5 shows an example of the functional configuration of a base station 10 included in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the base station 10 includes, for example, a data processing unit 110, a link management unit 120, and wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150. The processing of the data processing unit 110, the link management unit 120, and the wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 is realized, for example, by a CPU 11 and a wireless communication module 14.

[0025] The data processing unit 110 can perform LLC layer processing and higher layer (layers 3 to 7) processing on the input data. For example, the data processing unit 110 outputs data input from the server 30 via the network NW to the link management unit 120. Also, the data processing unit 110 transmits data input from the link management unit 120 to the server 30 via the network NW.

[0026] The link management unit 120 performs, for example, part of the MAC layer processing on the input data. The link management unit 120 also manages the link with the terminal 20 based on notifications from the radio signal processing units 130, 140, and 150. The link management unit 120 includes link management information 121. The link management information 121 is stored, for example, in RAM 13 and includes information about the terminal 20 that is wirelessly connected to the base station 10. The link management unit 120 also includes an association processing unit 122 and an authentication processing unit 123. The association processing unit 122 executes an association protocol when it receives a connection request from the terminal 20 via any of the radio signal processing units 130, 140, and 150. The authentication processing unit 123 executes an authentication protocol following the connection request.

[0027] Each of the wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 transmits and receives data between the base station 10 and the terminal 20 using wireless communication. For example, each of the wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 adds a preamble, PHY header, etc., to the data input from the link management unit 120 to create a wireless frame. Then, each of the wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 converts the wireless frame into a wireless signal and distributes the wireless signal via the base station 10's antenna. Also, each of the wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 converts the wireless signal received via the base station 10's antenna into a wireless frame. Then, each of the wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 outputs the data contained in the wireless frame to the link management unit 120.

[0028] Thus, each of the wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 can perform, for example, part of the MAC layer processing and the first layer processing on the input data or wireless signal. For example, the wireless signal processing unit 130 handles wireless signals in the 2.4 GHz band. The wireless signal processing unit 140 handles wireless signals in the 5 GHz band. The wireless signal processing unit 150 handles wireless signals in the 6 GHz band. The wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 may or may not share the antenna of the base station 10.

[0029] <1-3> Configuration of terminal 20 Figure 6 shows an example of the configuration of a terminal 20 included in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, the terminal 20 includes, for example, a CPU 21, ROM 22, RAM 23, a wireless communication module 24, a display 25, and storage 26.

[0030] The CPU 21 is a circuit capable of executing various programs and controls the overall operation of the terminal 20. The ROM 22 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory that holds programs and control data for controlling the terminal 20. The RAM 23 is, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and is used as the working area for the CPU 21. The wireless communication module 24 is a circuit used for sending and receiving data via wireless signals and is connected to an antenna. The wireless communication module 24 also includes, for example, multiple communication modules corresponding to multiple frequency bands. The display 25 displays, for example, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) corresponding to application software. The display 25 may also function as an input interface for the terminal 20. The storage 26 is a non-volatile storage device that holds, for example, the system software of the terminal 20. Note that the terminal 20 does not necessarily have a display. For example, in an IoT terminal, the display 25 may be omitted.

[0031] Figure 7 shows an example of the functional configuration of a terminal 20 in a wireless system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 7, the terminal 20 includes, for example, a data processing unit 210, a link management unit 220, wireless signal processing units 230, 240 and 250, and an application execution unit 260. The processing of the data processing unit 210, the link management unit 220, and the wireless signal processing units 230, 240 and 250 is realized, for example, by a CPU 21 and a wireless communication module 24.

[0032] The data processing unit 210 can perform processing at the LLC layer and processing at higher layers (layers 3 to 7) on the input data. For example, the data processing unit 210 outputs data input from the application execution unit 260 to the link management unit 220. Also, the data processing unit 210 outputs data input from the link management unit 220 to the application execution unit 260.

[0033] The link management unit 220 performs, for example, part of the MAC layer processing on the input data. The link management unit 220 also manages the link with the base station 10 based on notifications from the radio signal processing units 230, 240, and 250. The link management unit 220 includes link management information 221. The link management information 221 is stored, for example, in RAM 23 and includes information about the base station 10 that is wirelessly connected to the terminal 20. The link management unit 220 also includes an association processing unit 222 and an authentication processing unit 223. The association processing unit 222 executes an association protocol when it receives a connection response from the base station 10 via any of the radio signal processing units 230, 240, and 250. The authentication processing unit 223 executes an authentication protocol following the connection response.

[0034] Each of the wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 transmits and receives data between the base station 10 and the terminal 20 using wireless communication. For example, each of the wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 adds a preamble, PHY header, etc., to the data input from the link management unit 220 to create a wireless frame. Then, each of the wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 converts the wireless frame into a wireless signal and distributes the wireless signal via the antenna of the terminal 20. In addition, each of the wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 converts the wireless signal received via the antenna of the terminal 20 into a wireless frame. Then, each of the wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 outputs the data contained in the wireless frame to the link management unit 220.

[0035] Thus, each of the wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 can perform, for example, part of the MAC layer processing and the first layer processing on the input data or wireless signal. For example, the wireless signal processing unit 230 handles wireless signals in the 2.4 GHz band. The wireless signal processing unit 240 handles wireless signals in the 5 GHz band. The wireless signal processing unit 250 handles wireless signals in the 6 GHz band. The wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 may or may not share the antenna of the terminal 20.

[0036] The application execution unit 260 executes an application that can utilize the data input from the data processing unit 210. For example, the application execution unit 260 can display application information on the display 25. Furthermore, the application execution unit 260 can operate based on the operation of the input interface.

[0037] In the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment described above, the wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 of the base station 10 are configured to be connectable to the wireless signal processing units 230, 240, and 250 of the terminal 20, respectively. That is, wireless connection between wireless signal processing units 130 and 230 can be made using the 2.4GHz band. Wireless connection between wireless signal processing units 140 and 240 can be made using the 5GHz band. Wireless connection between wireless signal processing units 150 and 250 can be made using the 6GHz band. In this specification, each wireless signal processing unit may be referred to as an "STA function". That is, the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment has multiple STA functions.

[0038] <1-4> About Link Management Department 120 Figure 8 shows details of the channel access function in the link management unit 120 of the base station 10 of the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. Note that the function of the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 is the same as that of the link management unit 120 of the base station 10, for example, so its description is omitted. As shown in Figure 8, the link management unit 120 includes, for example, a data categorization unit 124, transmission queues 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D and 125E, CSMA / CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) execution units 126A, 126B, 126C, 126D and 126E, and a data collision management unit 127.

[0039] The data categorization unit 124 categorizes the data input from the data processing unit 110. Examples of data categories include "LL (Low Latency)", "VO (Voice)", "VI (Video)", "BE (Best Effort)", and "BK (Background)". LL is applied to data requiring low latency. Therefore, it is preferable that LL data be processed with priority over any of the VO, VI, BE, and BK data.

[0040] The data categorization unit 124 then inputs the categorized data into one of the transmission queues 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, and 125E. Specifically, LL data is input into transmission queue 125A, VO data into transmission queue 125B, VI data into transmission queue 125C, BE data into transmission queue 125D, and BK data into transmission queue 125E. The data of each category that is input is then stored in the corresponding transmission queue 125A to E.

[0041] Each of the CSMA / CA execution units 126A, 126B, 126C, 126D, and 126E waits for a time specified by pre-configured access parameters, while confirming through carrier sensing that no other terminals are transmitting wireless signals in CSMA / CA. Then, each of the CSMA / CA execution units 126A, 126B, 126C, 126D, and 126E retrieves data from the transmission queues 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, and 125E, respectively, and outputs the retrieved data to at least one of the wireless signal processing units 130, 140, and 150 via the data collision management unit 127. The wireless signal containing this data is then transmitted by the wireless signal processing unit (STA function) for which transmission rights have been acquired by CSMA / CA.

[0042] CSMA / CA execution unit 126A performs CSMA / CA on the LL data held in the transmission queue 125A. CSMA / CA execution unit 126B performs CSMA / CA on the VO data held in the transmission queue 125B. CSMA / CA execution unit 126C performs CSMA / CA on the VI data held in the transmission queue 125C. CSMA / CA execution unit 126D performs CSMA / CA on the BE data held in the transmission queue 125D. CSMA / CA execution unit 126E performs CSMA / CA on the BK data held in the transmission queue 125E.

[0043] Access parameters are assigned in the order of priority for radio signal transmission, for example, LL, VO, VI, BE, BK. Access parameters include, for example, CWmin, CWmax, AIFS, and TXOPLimit. CWmin and CWmax represent the minimum and maximum values ​​of the Contention Window, which is the transmission waiting time for collision avoidance. AIFS (Arbitration Inter Frame Space) represents a fixed transmission waiting time set for each access category for collision avoidance control with priority control functionality. TXOPLimit represents the upper limit of TXOP (Transmission Opportunity) corresponding to the channel occupancy time. For example, for transmit queue 125, the shorter the CWmin and CWmax, the easier it is to obtain transmission rights. The priority of transmit queue 125 is higher as the AIFS is smaller. The amount of data transmitted in a single transmission right is greater as the value of TXOPLimit is larger.

[0044] The data collision management unit 127 prevents data collisions when multiple CSMA / CA execution units 126 acquire transmission rights for the same STA function. Specifically, the data collision management unit 127 adjusts the transmission timing of data from different categories that have acquired transmission rights for the same STA function, and transmits data from the category with higher priority to the STA function first. For example, an STA function that has acquired transmission rights through CSMA / CA in transmission queue 125A of LL may be the same as an STA function that has acquired transmission rights through CSMA / CA in any of the other transmission queues 125B to 125E. In this case, the data collision management unit 127 prioritizes transmitting the data stored in transmission queue 125A to the STA function. Similarly, in other combinations of transmission queues 125, data is transmitted in an order based on the priority set for each category. This prevents collisions between data that have been assigned to transmit to the same STA function.

[0045] In this embodiment, the link management unit implements the channel access function, but each STA function may also implement the channel access function. When the link management unit implements the channel access function, each STA function detects the state of the radio channel (idle / busy) on the corresponding link, and the link management unit determines whether or not to transmit data (which link to use for transmission, etc.). On the other hand, when each STA function implements the channel access function, each STA function can independently perform carrier sensing and transmit data. In this case, channel access when multiple links are used simultaneously may be performed by commonizing access parameters through communication between multiple STA functions, or by commonizing access parameters by the link management unit. The base station 10 and terminal 20 can use multiple links simultaneously by transmitting data between multiple STA functions based on common access parameters.

[0046] <1-5> About Link Management Information 121 Figure 9 shows an example of link management information 121 in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. Note that the link management information 221 of the terminal 20 contains similar information to the link management information 121 of the base station 10, so its explanation is omitted. As shown in Figure 9, the link management information 121 includes information such as STA function, frequency band, channel ID, link destination ID, multilink, and TID.

[0047] In this example, “STA1” corresponds to the STA function using the 6GHz frequency band, i.e., the wireless signal processing unit 150 or 250. “STA2” corresponds to the STA function using the 5GHz frequency band, i.e., the wireless signal processing unit 140 or 240. “STA3” corresponds to the STA function using the 2.4GHz frequency band, i.e., the wireless signal processing unit 130 or 230. Hereafter, STA1, STA2, and STA3 will also be referred to as Link #1, Link #2, and Link #3, respectively.

[0048] The channel ID corresponds to the identifier of the channel used in the configured frequency band. The link destination ID corresponds to the identifier of terminal 20 in link management information 121 and to the identifier of base station 10 in link management information 221. In this example, a multilink is established using STA1, STA2, and STA3. When a multilink is established, link management units 120 and 220 each transmit data input from the upper layer using the link of at least one STA function associated with the multilink.

[0049] The base station 10 sets one of its multiple STA functions as the anchor link. In this example, STA1 is set as the anchor link. The anchor link is set by the link management unit 120 of the base station 10. In addition to sending and receiving assigned data, the anchor link sends and receives control information related to the operation of the multilink. Note that the combination of links constituting the multilink may differ among the multiple terminals 20, each of which has established a multilink with the base station 10.

[0050] The “TID” in the link management information 121 indicates the association between an STA function and TID information. Each STA function sends and receives data corresponding to the assigned TID information. For example, TID#1 to 4 each correspond to one of LL, VO, VI, BE, or BK. One STA function may be associated with one traffic, i.e., one TID information, or multiple STA functions may be associated with it. In this example, TID#1 is assigned to both STA1 and STA2. TID#2 is assigned to STA1. TID#3 is assigned to STA2. TID#4 is assigned to STA3.

[0051] Traffic flows corresponding to such associations between traffic and STA functions are pre-configured during the setup of the multilink between the base station 10 and the terminal 20. For example, the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 determines the association between traffic and STA functions and requests it from the link management unit 120 of the base station 10. The base station 10 then responds to the request, thereby confirming the association between traffic and STA functions.

[0052] Furthermore, traffic is set to be evenly distributed across multiple links that constitute a multilink, for example. However, it is not limited to this, and similar types of traffic (e.g., priority / non-priority) may be grouped together on one of the links that constitute the multilink. In addition, as for the association between STA functions and traffic, for example, audio may be associated with the 2.4GHz frequency band, and video with 5G. In this way, it is preferable that the frequencies used for transmission and reception are allocated according to the type of information and data capacity being handled.

[0053] <2> Operation of Wireless System 1 The following describes some examples of various operations related to multilink in the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment. For the sake of brevity, in the following description, STA1, STA2, and STA3 of the base station 10 will also be referred to as "access point APs". The transmission of radio signals from STA1, STA2, and STA3 of the terminal 20 to the access point APs corresponds to the transmission of radio signals to STA1, STA2, and STA3 of the base station 10, respectively. When STA1, STA2, and STA3 are mentioned individually, they refer to the STA functions of the terminal 20.

[0054] <2-1> Multilink Processing Figure 10 shows an example of the multilink processing flow in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, in the multilink processing, for example, steps S10 to S16 are executed in order. The following describes the processes of steps S10 to S16 using the case where a multilink is formed using three STA functions as an example.

[0055] In step S10, terminal 20 sends a probe request to base station 10. The probe request is a signal to confirm whether or not base station 10 is present in the vicinity of terminal 20. The Frame Control field of the probe request contains, for example, “00 / 0100 (Type value / Subtype value)”. When base station 10 receives the probe request, it executes the process in step S11.

[0056] In step S11, the base station 10 sends a probe response to the terminal 20. The probe response is a signal that the base station 10 uses to respond to a probe request from the terminal 20. The Frame Control field of the probe response contains, for example, “00 / 0101 (Type value / Subtype value)”. When the terminal 20 receives the probe request, it executes the process in step S12.

[0057] In step S12, terminal 20 sends a multilink association request to base station 10 via at least one STA function. The multilink association request is a signal requesting base station 10 to establish a multilink. For example, the multilink association request is generated by the link management unit 220 of terminal 20. The Frame Control field of the multilink association request contains, for example, “00 / xxxx(Type value / Subtype value (xxxx is a predetermined number))”. When the link management unit 120 of base station 10 receives the multilink association request, it executes the process in step S13.

[0058] In step S13, the link management unit 120 of the base station 10 performs a multilink association process using one STA function. Specifically, the base station 10 first performs the association process of the first STA function with the terminal 20. Then, once a wireless connection (link) is established with the first STA function, the link management unit 120 of the base station 10 uses the first STA function, which has an established link, to perform the association processes of the second STA function and the third STA function. In other words, an STA function with an established link is used for the association process of an STA function for which a link has not yet been established. Once the association processes of at least two STA functions are completed, the base station 10 establishes a multilink and performs the process in step S14.

[0059] In step S14, the link management unit 120 of the base station 10 updates the link management information 121. In this example, step S14 is executed after two links have been established, but the link management information 121 may be updated each time the link status is updated, or it may be updated when a multilink is established. Once a multilink is established and the link management information is updated, the base station 10 executes step S15.

[0060] In step S15, the base station 10 sends a multilink establishment response to the terminal 20. The multilink establishment response is a signal used by the base station 10 to respond to a multilink request from the terminal 20. The Frame Control field of the multilink association request contains, for example, “00 / 0001 (Type value / Subtype value)”. The link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 recognizes that a multilink has been established with the base station 10 based on the receipt of the multilink establishment response. Upon receiving the multilink establishment response, the terminal 20 executes the process in step S16.

[0061] In step S16, the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 updates the link management information 221. That is, the terminal 20 records in the link management information 221 that a multilink has been established with the base station 10. As a result, the multilink processing in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment is completed, and data communication using the multilink becomes possible between the base station 10 and the terminal 20.

[0062] Furthermore, the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment may establish a multilink when establishing a link in the first STA function. In this case, the terminal 20 receives a multilink-related beacon signal from the base station 10 before the multilink association request in step S12. This operation will be explained below with reference to Figures 11 and 12.

[0063] Figure 11 shows an example of a method for outputting a beacon signal at a base station 10 of the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. In this example, link #1 of links #1 to #3 is set as the anchor link. As shown in Figure 11, the base station 10 intermittently transmits the beacon signal using link #1, which is set as the anchor link. On the other hand, the transmission of beacon signals using links #2 and #3, which are not set as anchor links, is omitted. The beacon signal may be transmitted using links that are not set as anchor links, and it is sufficient that it is transmitted using at least the anchor link.

[0064] Figure 12 shows a specific example of a beacon signal containing multilink capability information in a wireless system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 12, the beacon signal includes, for example, multilink capability information, operational information for link #1, operational information for link #2, and operational information for link #3. This information is generated by the link management unit 120 of the base station 10.

[0065] The multilink capability information indicates whether base station 10 is capable of multilink. For example, if the multilink capability information is "0", it indicates that multilink is not possible. If the multilink capability information is "1", it indicates that multilink is possible. The link operation information (operational parameters) indicates the parameters for performing data transmission, etc., on links that may be used in multilink. For example, the operation information for link #1 indicates the EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access) access parameters for performing transmission control on that link.

[0066] When terminal 20 receives a beacon signal as explained with reference to Figure 12, it checks the multilink capability information and operational information for each link to be included in the multilink from the beacon signal. Then, the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 notifies the link management unit 120 of base station 10 of information such as the links to be included in the multilink when a multilink association request is made. As a result, the link management unit 120 of base station 10 can perform the association of multiple links specified by the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 all at once and establish a multilink with terminal 20.

[0067] Furthermore, if the beacon signal described above is transmitted only over the anchor link, the beacon signal does not need to have a field indicating the anchor link. On the other hand, if the beacon signal is transmitted over both the anchor link and other links, the beacon signal may have a field indicating the anchor link and a field indicating the other links. The base station 10 may also add the information contained in the beacon signal described above to the probe response. In this case, the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 can send a multilink association request specifying the link to be used to the base station 10 without receiving the beacon signal. The base station 10 and the terminal 20 may also perform an authentication process when establishing a multilink.

[0068] <2-2> Data transfer during multilink Figure 13 shows an example of a data transmission method in multilink mode at a base station 10 of the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 13, when the base station 10 acquires data from the upper layer, it sequentially executes the processes in steps S20 to S22. The processes in steps S20 to S22 are described below.

[0069] In step S20, the link management unit 120 acquires TID information corresponding to the data. In other words, the link management unit 120 associates the data with the TID by referring to control information such as a header attached to the data acquired from a higher layer.

[0070] In step S21, the link management unit 120 acquires the STA function corresponding to the confirmed TID information. At this time, the link management unit 120 confirms the association between the TID information and the STA function by referring to the link management information 121. The number of STA functions acquired by the link management unit 120 in step S21 may be one or multiple.

[0071] In step S22, the link management unit 120 outputs data to the acquired STA function. If one STA function is associated with the output data (traffic), the data is transmitted serially using that one STA function. On the other hand, if multiple STA functions are associated with the traffic, the data is transmitted in parallel using multiple STA functions.

[0072] Furthermore, when a single traffic is transmitted in parallel, data distribution and reordering are performed between the link management unit 120 of the base station 10 and the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20. Data distribution is performed by the link management unit on the transmitting side, and data reordering is performed by the link management unit on the receiving side. For example, the link management unit on the transmitting side adds a flag indicating that it is a multilink and an identification number to the radio frame. The link management unit on the receiving side reorders the data based on the added flag and identification number.

[0073] Furthermore, in the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment, the link management unit may perform aggregation by combining multiple data received from a higher layer. Aggregation in multilink may be used as an optional function that can be selected by the user.

[0074] <2-3> Multilink Power Save In the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment, multiple operating modes are provided for each STA function. Examples of operating modes for the STA function include active mode, intermittent operation mode, and operation pause mode. Active mode corresponds to a state in which the STA function of terminal 20 maintains an Awake state, enabling the continuous transmission and reception of wireless signals. Intermittent operation mode corresponds to a state in which the STA function of terminal 20 operates intermittently by repeatedly switching between an Awake state and a Doze state. Operation pause mode corresponds to a state in which the STA function of terminal 20 maintains a Doze state, making it impossible to transmit or receive wireless signals.

[0075] In this specification, "Awake state" corresponds to a state in which wireless signals can be transmitted and received. "Dose state" corresponds to a state in which wireless signals cannot be transmitted and received. In the "Doze state," the power supply to the circuit related to the STA function is appropriately cut off. Therefore, the power consumption of the STA function decreases in the order of active mode, intermittent operation mode, and operation pause mode. In addition, there may be links that can be used for communication by the base station 10 or terminal 20 but are not included in the multilink link set between them (disabled links). In the following, for the sake of brevity, links in active mode or intermittent operation mode, i.e., links that can communicate, will be referred to as "STA function (link) in Awake state." Links in operation pause mode, i.e., links in a power-saving state in which communication is not possible, will be referred to as "STA function (link) in Dose state."

[0076] In the multilink configuration of the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment, the anchor link is set to either an active mode or an intermittent operation mode. On the other hand, links other than the anchor link are set to either an active mode, an intermittent operation mode, or an operation pause mode. For example, the terminal 20 can operate in a power-saving manner by setting links other than the anchor link to the operation pause mode when using multilink.

[0077] In the following, the multilink state in which the anchor link is set to intermittent operation mode and all other links are set to operation pause mode will be referred to as "multilink power save." Note that if, in multilink power save mode, all links other than the anchor link also receive beacon signals, those links will be set to active mode or intermittent operation mode.

[0078] Figure 14 shows an example of the changes in link management information 121 when multilink power saving is applied in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. The upper and lower tables in Figure 14 correspond to the cases when multilink power saving is not applied and when it is applied, respectively. As shown in Figure 14, the link management information 121 further includes information on the operating mode.

[0079] As shown in the upper part of Figure 14, when multilink power saving is not applied, the operating modes of STA1, STA2, and STA3 are set to active mode. The other parameters of the link management information 121 when multilink power saving is not applied in this example are the same as those of the link management information 121 shown in Figure 9.

[0080] As shown in the lower part of Figure 14, when multilink power saving is applied, the operating modes of STA1, STA2, and STA3 are set to intermittent operation mode, operation pause mode, and operation pause mode, respectively. Other parameters of the link management information 121 when multilink power saving is applied are the same as when multilink power saving is not applied.

[0081] Multilink power saving is turned on or off by the Doze transition notification signal ("disable") and the Awake transition request signal ("enable"), respectively. For example, if terminal 20 sends a Doze transition notification signal to base station 10 after multilink has been configured, terminal 20 will be set to multilink power saving. If terminal 20 is set to multilink power saving, and base station 10 sends an Awake transition request signal to terminal 20, the multilink power saving setting on terminal 20 will be canceled.

[0082] Furthermore, the Awake transition request signal and the Doze transition notification signal may be transmitted from either the base station 10 or the terminal 20. The Awake transition request signal is transmitted using the anchor link or other active links. The Doze transition notification signal is transmitted using the anchor link or a link that is being shut down (a link that is transitioning to dormant mode). Multilink power saving may also be applied when a multilink is established. Multilink power saving only needs to be at least more power-efficient than when multilink power saving is not applied. For example, in multilink power saving, the anchor link may be set to active mode and the other links may be set to dormant mode.

[0083] (Operation of base station 10 during multilink power saving) Figure 15 shows an example of the operation of a base station 10 in a multilink configuration according to an embodiment of the wireless system 1. As shown in Figure 15, the link management unit 120 of the base station 10 checks the multilink status when buffer data is available (step S30). Buffer data is data received by the base station 10 via the network NW, and refers to data stored in the transmission queue 125, for example. The link management unit 120 of the base station 10 then checks whether the link associated with the buffer data is in intermittent operation mode or operation pause mode (step S31).

[0084] If the link associated with the buffered data is in intermittent operation mode or operation pause mode (step S31, YES), the link management unit 120 of the base station 10 transmits a beacon signal including a PVB (Partial Virtual Bitmap) for each TID to the terminal 20 (step S32). The creation of the beacon signal may be performed by the link management unit 120 or by the STA function of the anchor link. If the link associated with the buffered data is not in intermittent operation mode or operation pause mode (step S31, NO), the link management unit 120 of the base station 10 transmits the data to the destination terminal 20 (step S33).

[0085] Figure 16 shows a specific example of a beacon signal including a PVB in a wireless system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 16, the beacon signal includes, for example, a terminal identifier and a PVB of multiple TIDs.

[0086] The terminal identifier includes, for example, the Association Identifier (AID) between base station 10 and terminal 20. The PVB for multiple TIDs includes, for example, the PVB for TID#1, the PVB for TID#2, the PVB for TID#3, and the PVB for TID#4. For example, if the PVB for TID#1 is "0", it indicates that no traffic for TID#1 has been accumulated. If the PVB for TID#1 is "1", it indicates that traffic for TID#1 has been accumulated. The combination of bits assigned to the PVB and whether or not traffic has been accumulated can be changed arbitrarily. In addition, the number of PVBs for multiple TIDs included in the beacon signal can be changed based on the number of TIDs set.

[0087] (Operation of terminal 20 during multilink power saving) Figure 17 shows an example of the operation of terminal 20 in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment during multilink power saving. As shown in Figure 17, during multilink power saving, for example, the anchor link of terminal 20, which is in intermittent operation mode, receives a beacon signal (step S40). Then, the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 checks the AID included in the beacon signal and the PVB of each TID to check whether or not there is buffer data addressed to its own station (step S41).

[0088] If there is no buffer data addressed to the terminal (step S41, NO), terminal 20 terminates this operation. If there is buffer data addressed to the terminal (step S41, YES), the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 checks whether the link associated with the buffer data is in the Awake state, that is, whether it is in active mode or intermittent operation mode (step S42).

[0089] If the link associated with the buffered data is in the Awake state (step S42, YES), the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 requests the base station 10 to transmit the data (step S43). If the link associated with the buffered data is not in the Awake state (step S42, NO), the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 first wakes up the link associated with the buffered data, i.e., transitions it from the Doze state to the Awake state. After that, the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 requests the base station 10 to transmit the data (step S43).

[0090] Terminal 20 performs the operations described above each time the anchor link receives a beacon signal. The link management unit 220 of terminal 20 transitions the link back to the Doze state when the buffer data destined for the woken link runs out. The timing at which the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 transitions the woken link to the Doze state can be set to any arbitrary timing. For example, the timing at which the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 transitions the woken link to the Doze state may be when the buffer data destined for the link runs out, or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the buffer data destined for the link ran out.

[0091] (Specific example of the start operation for multilink power saving) Figure 18 shows an example of the flow of the multilink power save initiation operation in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 18, at the start of this operation, STA1, STA2, and STA3 are each in an active state. The access point AP transmits a beacon signal to STA1 of terminal 20, i.e., the anchor link (step S50). This beacon signal contains information, for example, indicating that the traffic of STA1, STA2, and STA3 is empty.

[0092] The STA1 of terminal 20 transmits a radio signal to the access point AP to notify it of the start of multilink power saving, for example, depending on whether the traffic is empty (step S51). The data frame of the radio signal notifying the start of multilink power saving includes a PM (Power Management) bit containing, for example, "1". Upon receiving the "PM=1" signal, the access point AP transmits a radio signal (Data ACK) to the STA1 of terminal 20 to notify it that it has received the signal (step S52).

[0093] When terminal 20's STA1 receives a Data ACK for sending a data frame containing "PM=1", terminal 20's link management unit 220 transitions STA1 (anchor link) to intermittent operation mode (Awake state) and STA2 and STA3 to operation pause mode (Doze state) (step S53). As a result, the total power consumption of STA1, STA2, and STA3 that constitute the multilink becomes lower than before using multilink power save. Note that in the process of step S53, it is sufficient that at least one STA function among the multiple STA functions that constitute the multilink is set to the Doze state.

[0094] After sending a Data ACK for receiving "PM=1", the access point AP transmits a beacon signal including PVB to the terminal 20's STA1 (anchor link) (step S54). At this time, STA1 in the Awake state can receive the beacon signal. On the other hand, STA2 and STA3 in the Doze state do not receive the beacon signal and maintain a lower power consumption state than STA1.

[0095] As described above, in the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment, terminal 20 transitions to multilink power save mode depending on the traffic state to suppress multilink power consumption. Based on the fact that terminal 20 has transitioned to multilink power save mode, base station 10 intermittently transmits a beacon signal including PVB to notify the data buffer status using the anchor link, which is in the awake state. Details of the communication method between base station 10 and terminal 20 during multilink power save mode will be described later.

[0096] (Specific example of how multilink power save terminates) Figure 19 shows an example of the flow of the multilink power save termination operation in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 19, at the start of this operation, STA1 is in the Awake state, and STA2 and STA3 are in the Doze state. The access point AP transmits a beacon signal to STA1 of terminal 20, i.e., the anchor link (step S60). This beacon signal contains information, for example, requesting terminal 20 to terminate multilink power save.

[0097] Upon receiving the beacon signal, the STA1 of terminal 20 transmits a radio signal to the access point AP notifying it of the end of multilink power saving (step S61). The data frame of the radio signal notifying it of the end of multilink power saving includes a PM bit containing, for example, "0". Upon receiving the "PM=0" signal, the access point AP transmits a radio signal (Data ACK) to the STA1 of terminal 20 notifying it that it has received the signal (step S62).

[0098] When terminal 20's STA1 receives a Data ACK for sending a data frame containing "PM=0", the terminal 20's link management unit 220 transitions STA1 from intermittent operation mode (Awake state) to active mode, and transitions STA2 and STA3 from doze mode (Doze state) to active mode (step S53). As a result, each of the STA1, STA2, and STA3 constituting the multilink becomes capable of receiving radio signals from base station 10.

[0099] After sending a Data ACK for receiving "PM=0", the access point AP transmits a beacon signal to the terminal 20's STA1 (anchor link) (step S54). This beacon signal contains various information elements necessary for communication.

[0100] As described above, the base station 10 in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment can transition an STA function set to intermittent operation mode or operation pause mode within the multilink to active mode, and set multiple STA functions constituting the multilink to a state where they can communicate. In the above description, the example given is when multilink power saving ends based on a beacon signal from the base station 10, but it is not limited to this. For example, the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 may notify the link management unit 120 of the base station 10 of the end of multilink power saving based on user operation or application control.

[0101] (Specific examples of operation during multilink power saving) Figures 20 and 21 show an example of the operation flow during multilink power saving in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment. Figure 20 corresponds to the operation when the access point AP receives data with TID#2. Figure 21 corresponds to the operation when the access point AP receives data with TID#3. In this example, the TIDs assigned to each link are the same as the link management information 121 explained using Figure 14.

[0102] First, using Figure 20, we will explain the operation when an access point AP receives data for TID#2 assigned to STA1 (anchor link) during multilink power saving. As shown in Figure 21, when an access point AP receives data for TID#2 from the network NW, it stores the data in the transmission queue 125 of the link management unit 120, for example. Then, the access point AP sends a beacon signal to STA1 that includes a PVB indicating that the buffer status of the TID#2 data is "1" (step S70).

[0103] The beacon signal received by STA1 of terminal 20 is then forwarded to the link management unit 220. The link management unit 220 then refers to the beacon signal to check for the presence or absence of buffered data for each TID. Here, the link management unit 220 confirms that the data for TID#2 is buffered and that the STA1 associated with the data for TID#2 is in the Awake state. Based on this confirmation, the link management unit 220 sends a PS-Poll (Power Save-Poll) frame requesting data transmission to the access point AP via STA1 (step S71).

[0104] When the access point AP receives a PS-Poll frame from the STA1 of terminal 20, it sends a Data ACK containing TID#2 data to the STA1 of terminal 20 (step S72). This allows the STA1 of terminal 20 to receive data intended for its own station that has been stored on the access point AP.

[0105] Once the transmission of TID#2 data is complete and the TID#2 data in the transmission queue 125 is cleared, the access point AP sends a beacon signal including a PVB indicating that the buffer status of TID#2 data is "0" to the STA1 of the terminal 20 (step S73). In other words, the access point AP notifies the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 via the STA1 that the transmission of TID#2 data is complete.

[0106] Next, using Figure 21, we will explain the operation when an access point AP receives data for TID#3 assigned to STA2 during multilink power saving. As shown in Figure 21, when an access point AP receives data for TID#3 from the network NW, it stores the data in the transmission queue 125 of the link management unit 120, for example. Then, the access point AP sends a beacon signal to STA1 that includes a PVB indicating that the buffer status of the data for TID#3 is "1" (step S80).

[0107] The beacon signal received by STA1 of terminal 20 is then forwarded to the link management unit 220. The link management unit 220 then refers to the beacon signal to check for the presence or absence of buffered data for each TID. Here, the link management unit 220 confirms that the data for TID#3 is buffered and that STA2, which is associated with the data for TID#3, is in the Doze state. Based on this confirmation, the link management unit 220 wakes up STA2, i.e., transitions it from the Doze state to the Awake state (step S81).

[0108] Subsequently, the link management unit 220 sends a PS-Poll (Power Save-Poll) frame requesting the transmission of TID#3 data to the access point AP via STA2 (step S82). When the access point AP receives the PS-Poll frame from the terminal 20's STA2, it sends a Data ACK containing the TID#3 data to the terminal 20's STA2 (step S83). As a result, the terminal 20's STA2 can receive the data intended for its own station that has been stored on the access point AP.

[0109] Once the transmission of TID#3 data is complete and the TID#3 data in the transmission queue 125 is cleared, the access point AP sends a beacon signal containing a PVB indicating that the buffer status of TID#3 data is "0" to the STA1 of the terminal 20 (step S84). In other words, the access point AP notifies the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 via STA1 that the transmission of TID#3 data is complete. This beacon signal may also be received by STA2.

[0110] Then, the link management unit 220 transitions STA2 from the Awake state to the Doze state based on the received beacon signal (step S85). In other words, during multilink power saving, all links among the multiple links constituting the multilink, except for the anchor link, are set back to the Doze state based on the completion of data transmission.

[0111] As described above, the base station 10 in the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment can transmit data to the terminal 20 using multilink power save. In the above description, the case in which the base station 10 receives data of the TID assigned to STA2 during multilink power save has been described, but the description is not limited to this. STA3 can also wake up from the Doze state and receive data, similar to STA2.

[0112] Furthermore, although the example illustrates the case where data is transmitted for each STA function, data may be transmitted in parallel to each of the multiple STA functions that constitute a multilink. For example, if the buffer status of STA1 and STA2 is "1", the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 may instruct STA1 and STA2 to transmit PS-Poll frames to the access point AP. If the TID is associated with multiple links in the Doze state, the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 can wake up multiple links. In other words, the link management unit 220 of terminal 20 can wake up links in the Doze state and receive data according to the data buffer status, regardless of the number of links that constitute the multilink.

[0113] Furthermore, if a TID is associated with multiple links in the Doze state, the access point AP can wake up some of those links. To do this, the access point AP specifies the links to be woken up, in addition to the AID and TID, and notifies data buffer information. Figure 22 shows an example of a beacon signal transmitted from the access point AP in this example. As shown in Figure 22, in the PVB of a TID associated with multiple links, the presence or absence of buffer data may be notified for each link associated with the TID. For example, the PVB of TID#1 may include the PVB of link #1 associated with TID#1 and the PVB of link #2 associated with TID#1.

[0114] <3> Effects of the Embodiment According to the wireless system 1 of the embodiment described above, the power consumption of the terminal 20 during multilink operation can be suppressed. The effects of the wireless system 1 of the embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0115] Base stations and terminals using wireless LANs may have multiple STA functions, each provided for a specific frequency band, such as 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz. In such wireless systems, a wireless connection is established and data communication between the base station and terminal is performed by selecting one of the multiple STA functions. In this case, the wireless system will not use any STA functions that are not selected, even if there is a base station corresponding to the frequency band of that STA function.

[0116] In contrast, the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment establishes a multilink between the base station 10 and the terminal 20 by utilizing multiple STA functions provided by each of the base station 10 and the terminal 20. Multilink data communication can use multiple bandwidths simultaneously and fully utilize the functions provided by the wireless LAN device. As a result, the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment can achieve efficient communication and improve communication speed. On the other hand, the power consumption of multilink is higher than that of singlelink because multiple STA functions are used by both the base station 10 and the terminal 20.

[0117] Therefore, the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment sets the multilink to multilink power save mode when traffic is low, etc. In multilink power save mode, for example, at least one of the multiple STA functions that constitute the multilink is set to the normal state (Awake state), and the other STA functions are set to a power-saving state (Doze state). The STA function in the Awake state can receive beacon signals from the base station 10, for example. The STA function in the Doze state is stopped, for example, in the Disable state. For this reason, the power consumption of the STA function in the Doze state is lower than that of the STA function in the Awake state.

[0118] In multilink power saving mode, an STA function in the awake state receives a beacon signal containing information corresponding to multiple STA functions that make up the multilink. For example, if data for an STA function in the doze state is input from the network NW to the base station 10, the base station 10 notifies the terminal 20 that data is being stored via the awake state STA function (link). The STA function of the terminal 20 then forwards this notification to the link management unit 220, which wakes up the STA function in the doze state. As a result, the woken STA function can acquire data from the base station 10 by transmitting a PS-Poll frame.

[0119] As described above, the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment can suppress the power consumption of the terminal 20 by utilizing multilink power saving. Furthermore, the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 can appropriately wake up the STA function in the Doze state based on the beacon signal received by the STA function in the Awake state when multilink power saving is enabled. As a result, data communication between the base station 10 and the terminal 20 can be realized even when multilink power saving is enabled. Consequently, the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment can suppress latency delays when multilink power saving is enabled.

[0120] <4> others In the above embodiment, each STA function may notify the corresponding link management unit if the link cannot be maintained due to the movement of the terminal 20 or the like. The link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 may also change the multilink status with the link management unit 120 of the base station 10 based on the notification from the STA function. Specifically, for example, the link management unit 220 of the terminal 20 and the link management unit 120 of the base station 10 may appropriately change the STA function used for multilink. When the multilink status is changed, the link management units 120 and 220 update the link management information 121 and 221, respectively. The link management units 120 and 220 may also update the association between traffic and STA functions in accordance with the increase or decrease in the number of links.

[0121] The configuration of the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment is merely an example, and other configurations are possible. For example, the example given is one in which each of the base station 10 and the terminal 20 is equipped with three STA functions (wireless signal processing units), but it is not limited to this. The base station 10 only needs to be equipped with at least two wireless signal processing units. Similarly, the terminal 20 only needs to be equipped with at least two wireless signal processing units. The number of channels that each STA function can process can be appropriately set according to the frequency band used. Each of the wireless communication modules 14 and 24 may support wireless communication on multiple frequency bands using multiple communication modules, or it may support wireless communication on multiple frequency bands using a single communication module.

[0122] Furthermore, the functional configurations of the base station 10 and terminal 20 in the wireless system 1 according to this embodiment are merely examples. The functional configurations of the base station 10 and terminal 20 may be named and grouped in other ways, as long as they are capable of performing the operations described in each embodiment. For example, in the base station 10, the data processing unit 110 and the link management unit 120 may be collectively referred to as the data processing unit. Similarly, in the terminal 20, the data processing unit 210 and the link management unit 220 may be collectively referred to as the data processing unit.

[0123] Furthermore, in the wireless system 1 according to the embodiment, the CPUs included in the base station 10 and the terminal 20 may be other circuits. For example, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) or the like may be used instead of a CPU. Also, each of the processes described in each embodiment may be implemented by dedicated hardware. The wireless system 1 according to each embodiment may have a mixture of processes executed by software and processes executed by hardware, or it may have only one or the other.

[0124] The flowcharts used to describe the operation in each embodiment are merely examples. The order of the operations described in the embodiments may be rearranged to the extent possible, and other operations may be added. Furthermore, the wireless frame format described in the above embodiments is merely an example. The wireless system 1 may use other wireless frame formats as long as it is capable of performing the operations described in each embodiment.

[0125] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified in various ways during implementation without departing from its essence. Also, each embodiment may be combined as appropriate, and in that case, the combined effects can be obtained. Moreover, the above embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by selecting combinations from the multiple disclosed constituent elements. For example, if the problem can be solved and effects obtained even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiment, then the configuration with these deleted constituent elements can be extracted as an invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0126] 1… Wireless system 10...Base station 20… Terminal 30… Server 11,21…CPU 12,22…ROM 13,23…RAM 14,24… Wireless communication module 15…Wired communication module 25…Display 2 hours… storage 110,210…Data Processing Unit 120,220… Link Management Department 121,221… Link management information 122,222… Association Processing Unit 123,223… Authentication Processing Unit 124...Data Categorization Department 125... Send queue 126…CSMA / CA Execution Department 127...Data Conflict Management Department 130, 140, 150, 230, 240, 250… Wireless signal processing unit

Claims

1. A base station that communicates with terminals, A first wireless signal processing unit that establishes a first link with the terminal, The system includes a second wireless signal processing unit that establishes a second link different from the first link with the terminal, Data transmitted using a multilink consisting of the first link and the second link is associated with at least one of the first link or the second link based on the TID information of the data. If the terminal is unable to receive the data on the link to which the data is associated, the data is stored, and if the TID information is associated with both the first and second links, a beacon signal is transmitted to the terminal using at least one of the first or second links, including information indicating whether the data is stored on each of the first and second links and specifying a predetermined link from which the data should be retrieved. The first wireless signal processing unit or the second wireless signal processing unit that operates on the predetermined link transmits the data. Base station.

2. The beacon signal includes information indicating whether or not data assigned to the first link has been stored, and information indicating whether or not data assigned to the second link has been stored. The base station according to claim 1.

3. A terminal that communicates with a base station, A first radio signal processing unit that establishes a first link with the base station, The system includes a second radio signal processing unit that establishes a second link different from the first link with the base station, Data transmitted using a multilink consisting of the first link and the second link is associated with at least one of the first link or the second link based on the TID information of the data. If the data cannot be received on the link to which the data is associated, the base station stores the data, and if the TID information is associated with both the first and second links, a beacon signal is received by the terminal using at least one of the first or second links, which includes information indicating whether the data is stored on each of the first and second links and specifying a predetermined link from which the data should be retrieved. The first wireless signal processing unit or the second wireless signal processing unit that operates on the predetermined link acquires the data. Terminal.

4. The beacon signal includes information indicating whether or not data assigned to the first link has been stored, and information indicating whether or not data assigned to the second link has been stored. The terminal according to claim 3.

5. A base station that communicates with terminals, A first wireless signal processing unit that establishes a first link with the terminal, The system includes a second wireless signal processing unit that establishes a second link different from the first link with the terminal, Data transmitted using a multilink consisting of the first link and the second link is associated with at least one of the first link or the second link based on the TID information of the data. If the terminal is unable to receive the data on the link to which the data is associated, the data is stored, and if the TID information is associated with both the first and second links, a beacon signal is transmitted to the terminal using at least one of the first or second links, including information indicating whether the data is stored on each of the first and second links and specifying a predetermined link from which the data should be retrieved. The first wireless signal processing unit or the second wireless signal processing unit that operates on the predetermined link transmits the data. The system further comprises a PVB which is a buffer associated with the TID information, The PVB includes a link-specific PVB, which is a link-specific buffer associated with the first link and the second link, respectively. Base station.

6. A terminal that communicates with a base station, A first radio signal processing unit that establishes a first link with the base station, The system includes a second radio signal processing unit that establishes a second link different from the first link with the base station, Data transmitted using a multilink consisting of the first link and the second link is associated with at least one of the first link or the second link based on the TID information of the data. If the data cannot be received on the link to which the data is associated, the base station stores the data, and if the TID information is associated with both the first and second links, a beacon signal is received by the terminal using at least one of the first or second links, which includes information indicating whether the data is stored on each of the first and second links and specifying a predetermined link from which the data should be retrieved. The first wireless signal processing unit or the second wireless signal processing unit that operates on the predetermined link acquires the data. The system further comprises a PVB which is a buffer associated with the TID information, The PVB includes a link-specific PVB, which is a link-specific buffer associated with the first link and the second link, respectively. Terminal.

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