Communication device and communication method

Abstract

A first communication device according to the present invention comprises: a control circuit that controls communication via a first link between a second communication device and a third communication device which is connected to the first communication device; and a communication circuit that transmits, to the third communication device, information which instructs communication via the first link.

Description

Communication device and communication method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication device and a communication method.

[0002] The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is currently studying the IEEE 802.11be (hereinafter also referred to as "11be") standard for next-generation wireless local area networks (LANs), which will be the successor standard to the IEEE 802.11ax (hereinafter also referred to as "11ax"). Discussions are also underway regarding the successor standard to 11be (for example, Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] In 11be and its successor standards, in addition to communication between an access point (also called a "base station," hereafter referred to as "AP (Access Point)") and a terminal (also called a non-AP STA (Station), hereafter referred to as "STA"), communication between multiple terminals is also being considered.

[0004] IEEE 802.11-22 / 0046r1, Next 802.11 generation after 11be, January 11, 2022IEEE 802.11-22 / 0059r0, Beyond 'be', January 17, 2022Draft P802.11be / D2.0, May 2022IEEE 802.11-22 / 0039r3, January 10, 2022Draft P802.11ax / D8.0, October 2020

[0005] However, there is room for improvement in the performance of communication between terminals.

[0006] Non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure contribute to providing a communication device and a communication method that can improve the performance of communication between terminals.

[0007] A communication device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first communication device, a control circuit for controlling communication in a first link between a second communication device and a third communication device connected to the first communication device, and a communication circuit for transmitting information instructing communication in the first link to the third communication device.

[0008] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the performance of communication between terminals can be improved.

[0010] Further advantages and benefits of one embodiment of the present disclosure will become apparent from the specification and drawings. Such advantages and / or benefits may be provided by some embodiments and features described in the specification and drawings, respectively, but not necessarily all of them may be provided to obtain one or more identical features.

[0011] Figure showing an example of a Trigger frame Figure showing the Type and Subtype fields included in the Frame Control of Figure 1 Figure showing an example of the configuration of the Common Info field shown in Figure 1 Figure showing the Trigger type specified in the Trigger Type subfield in the Common Info field shown in Figure 3 Figure showing the TXOP Sharing Mode field considered in 11be Figure showing an example of the configuration of the User Info field included in the User Info List shown in Figure 1 Sequence showing an example of the operation of TXOP Sharing Mode 2 User Info in MU-RTS TXS TF considered in Figure 11be FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a field. Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a part of an AP according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a part of an STA according to an embodiment. Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an AP according to an embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of arrangement 1 of communication devices according to an embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of P2P communication control. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a first example of operation of communication control in an embodiment. Block diagram showing another example of the configuration of an STA according to an embodiment. Block diagram showing another example of the configuration of an STA according to an embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of arrangement 2 of communication devices according to an embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of operation of SR in an embodiment.

[0012] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Discussions are underway on 11be, the successor standard to 11ax, and a successor standard to 11be. 11ax is also known as High Efficiency (HE), and 11be is also known as Extreme High Throughput (EHT). Discussions are also underway on a successor standard to 11be (hereinafter referred to as "beyond 11be") (see, for example, Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0014] In 11be and beyond 11be, it is being considered that an AP will control communication between multiple STAs in addition to communication between the AP and the STAs. Communication between multiple STAs may be called Direct Link (DiL) or peer-to-peer (hereinafter referred to as "P2P") communication.

[0015] In 11be, for example, it is being considered that an AP instructs one STA to use TXOP sharing (TXS) using a trigger frame that specifies Multi-User Request-To-Send (MU-RTS) as the trigger frame type (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 3). Note that the type of trigger frame is referred to, for example, as a "Trigger Type." Furthermore, a trigger frame that specifies MU-RTS as the trigger frame type is referred to as an "MU-RTS TXS TF." Furthermore, TXOP is an abbreviation for Transmission Opportunity. For example, TXOP may be considered as the channel occupation time. In other words, MU-RTS TXS TF instructs one STA to share a transmission opportunity (for example, the channel occupation time). In other words, the AP uses the MU-RTS TXS TF to allocate at least a portion of the TXOP acquired by the AP to the STA.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a Trigger frame. As shown in FIG. 1, the Trigger frame includes a "Frame Control field," a "Common Info field," and a "User Info List field." In the following description, the notation "field" may be omitted. In the following description, the notation "field" and the notation "subfield" may be interchangeable.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the Type and Subtype fields included in the Frame Control of Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, when the Type field included in the Frame Control is "01" and the Subtype field is "0010", it indicates a Trigger frame (see Non-Patent Document 5).

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1, the Trigger frame includes, for multiple terminals that are frequency-multiplexed, a field including information common to multiple terminals and a field called a User Info List. Note that the field including information common to multiple terminals may be called a "Common Info field."

[0019] The User Info List includes one or more fields containing information specific to the terminal. Note that a field containing information specific to the terminal may be referred to as a "User Info field."

[0020] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the Common Info field shown in Fig. 1. The Common Info field includes a "Trigger Type subfield" and a "GI And HE / EHT-LTF Type / Triggered TXOP Sharing Mode subfield."

[0021] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the trigger types specified in the Trigger Type subfield in the Common Info field shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 shows the correspondence between the value set (or specified) in the Trigger Type subfield ("Trigger Type subfield value" in Fig. 4) and the trigger type ("Trigger frame variant" in Fig. 4).

[0022] 5 is a diagram showing a TXOP Sharing Mode field considered in 11be. The TXOP Sharing Mode field considered in 11be is, for example, the "GI And HE / EHT-LTF Type / Triggered TXOP Sharing Mode subfield" included in FIG. 3.

[0023] 5 shows the correspondence between the value set in the TXOP Sharing Mode subfield ("TXOP Sharing Mode subfield value" in FIG. 5) and the content indicated by that value ("Description" in FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 5, when the TXOP Sharing Mode subfield value=1, the STA can communicate only with the AP connected to the STA, and when the TXOP Sharing Mode subfield value=2, the STA can communicate with the AP connected to the STA (associated AP) and one other terminal. The mode when the TXOP Sharing Mode subfield value=1 may be referred to as TXOP Sharing Mode 1, and the mode when the TXOP Sharing Mode subfield value=2 may be referred to as TXOP Sharing Mode 2.

[0024] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a User Info field included in the User Info List shown in FIG.

[0025] Fig. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of TXOP Sharing Mode 2. The horizontal direction in Fig. 7 indicates the time direction. The operation example shown in Fig. 7 is an operation example when, in a Trigger frame, the Trigger Type subfield in the Common Info field is set to Trigger Type subfield value = 3 as shown in Fig. 4, and the TxOP Sharing Mode field is set to TxOP Sharing Mode subfield value = 2 as shown in Fig. 5 (see Non-Patent Document 3). A Trigger frame with Trigger Type subfield value = 3 is a Trigger frame in which "MU-RTS" is specified as the Trigger type, i.e., "MU-RTS TXS TF."

[0026] 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the User Info field in the MU-RTS TXS TF considered in 11be (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 4). The User Info field includes an AID12 subfield. The AID12 subfield includes an Association ID (also called AID). The AID may be identification information that specifies a terminal.

[0027] 7 shows a "TXOP" and a period called "Time allocated in MU-RTS TXS TF." "Time allocated in MU-RTS TXS TF" is an allocated period corresponding to a part of the TXOP.

[0028] As shown in Figure 7, in "Time allocated in MU-RTS TXS TF", a terminal specified by the Association ID indicated by the AID12 subfield in the User Info field (in the example of Figure 7, Non-AP STA 1) transmits a wireless frame to the AP to which it connects (AP in Figure 7) or to another terminal (in the example of Figure 7, Non-AP STA 2).

[0029] As mentioned above, specifying TXOP Sharing Mode 2 in the MU-RTS TXS TF (for example, by setting the TxOP Sharing Mode subfield value to 2) enables P2P (Peer to Peer) communication for the STA specified by the AID. P2P communication here refers to communication between the STA specified by the AID and another STA. Note that the link that performs P2P communication is referred to as a P2P link.

[0030] However, there is room for improvement in the performance of P2P communication between STAs. For example, if a link for P2P communication ("P2P link") is included, the AP may not be able to perform appropriate scheduling. If appropriate scheduling is not possible, resource utilization efficiency will decrease, resulting in a decrease in throughput. Furthermore, for example, a method for an AP to instruct multiple STAs to perform P2P communication through scheduling has not been fully studied.

[0031] In a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, an example of a method for controlling an AP when multiple terminals perform P2P communication will be described.

[0032] [Configuration of Wireless Communication System] The wireless communication system according to this embodiment may include, for example, AP 100 and STA 200. AP 100 may have the functions of both a sharing AP and a shared AP, or may have the functions of only one of them. Furthermore, AP 100 may be configured to be capable of operating as STA 200. Furthermore, STA 200 may be configured to be capable of operating as AP 100.

[0033] 9A and 9B are block diagrams illustrating exemplary configurations of a portion of an AP 100 and an STA 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] The AP 100 shown in Fig. 9A is an example of a first communication device. In the AP 100 shown in Fig. 9A, a control unit 110 (corresponding to an example of a control circuit) controls communication over a first link (e.g., a P2P link between two STAs 200) between a second communication device (e.g., STA 200) and a third communication device (e.g., a STA 200 other than the STA 200 corresponding to the second communication device) connected to the first communication device (e.g., AP 100). A wireless transceiver unit 101 (corresponding to an example of a transmission circuit) transmits information instructing communication over the first link to the third communication device.

[0035] 9B is an example of a communication device (e.g., a third communication device). In the terminal 200 shown in FIG. 9B, the wireless transceiver 201 receives information instructing communication over a first link (e.g., a P2P link between two STAs 200) from a first communication device (e.g., AP 100). The control unit 210 performs communication over the first link based on the received information.

[0036] (One Embodiment) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an example will be described in which at least three STAs are deployed and control a plurality of communications including P2P communications.

[0037] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of STA 200 according to one embodiment. STA 200 includes a radio transceiver 201, a transmission packet generator 202, a received packet decoder 203, a reception quality measurer 204, and a control signal generator 205. Transmission packet generator 202, received packet decoder 203, reception quality measurer 204, and control signal generator 205 may be included in control unit 210.

[0038] The transmission packet generating section 202 generates a transmission packet from the input data and the control information output from the control signal generating section 205 , and outputs the transmission packet to the wireless transmitting / receiving section 201 .

[0039] The wireless transmitting / receiving unit 201 converts the transmission packets generated by the transmission packet generating unit 202 into wireless signals and transmits the converted wireless signals. The wireless transmitting / receiving unit 201 receives the wireless signals and outputs the received wireless signals to the received packet decoding unit 203 and the reception quality measuring unit 204.

[0040] The received packet decoding unit 203 decodes the radio signal into packets and outputs output data from the decoded packets. The received packet decoding unit 203 also extracts control information from the decoded packets and outputs the control information to the control signal generating unit 205 and the reception quality measuring unit 204.

[0041] The reception quality measuring section 204 measures the reception quality of the received signal based on the received signal output from the radio transmitting / receiving section 201 and the control information output from the received packet decoding section 203 .

[0042] Control signal generation section 205 generates control information based on at least a part of the input data, the control information output from received packet decoding section 203, the reception quality measured by reception quality measurement section 204, and the internal state, and outputs the generated control information to transmission packet generation section 202. Note that the internal state may be, for example, the capabilities of STA 200 (e.g., Capability) and / or the settings of STA 200 (e.g., STA Configuration, values ​​of MIB (Management Information Base) variables (also called MIB attributes)).

[0043] [AP Configuration] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example configuration of AP 100 according to one embodiment. AP 100 includes a wireless transceiver 101, a transmission packet generator 102, a reception packet decoder 103, a reception quality measurer 104, a control signal generator 105, and a scheduler 106. Transmission packet generator 102, reception packet decoder 103, reception quality measurer 104, control signal generator 105, and scheduler 106 may be included in a controller 110.

[0044] The transmission packet generation section 102 generates a transmission packet from the input data and the control information output from the control signal generation section 105 , and outputs the transmission packet to the radio transmission / reception section 101 .

[0045] The wireless transmitting / receiving unit 101 converts the transmission packets generated by the transmission packet generating unit 102 into wireless signals and transmits the converted wireless signals. The wireless transmitting / receiving unit 101 receives the wireless signals and outputs the received wireless signals to the received packet decoding unit 103 and the reception quality measuring unit 104.

[0046] The received packet decoder 103 decodes the radio signal into packets and outputs output data from the decoded packets. The received packet decoder 103 also extracts control information from the decoded packets and outputs the control information to the control signal generator 105, the reception quality measurement unit 104, and the scheduler 106.

[0047] The reception quality measuring section 104 measures the reception quality of the received signal based on the received signal output from the radio transmitting / receiving section 101 and the control information output from the received packet decoding section 103 .

[0048] The control signal generating unit 105 generates control information based on at least a part of the input data, the control information output from the received packet decoding unit 103 and the scheduling unit 106, the reception quality measured by the reception quality measuring unit 104, and the internal state, and outputs the generated control information to the transmission packet generating unit 102. Note that the internal state may be, for example, the capabilities of the AP 100 (e.g., Capability) and / or the settings of the STA 200 (e.g., STA Configuration, MIB variable values).

[0049] The scheduling unit 106 performs scheduling based on at least a part of the input data, the control information output from the received packet decoding unit 103, the reception quality measured by the reception quality measurement unit 104, and the internal state. The scheduling unit 106 controls the transmission of the input data generated by the transmission packet generation unit 102 based on the scheduling results. The scheduling unit 106 also outputs control information including the scheduling results to the control signal generation unit 105. Here, scheduling may include, for example, determining resources related to signal transmission to the STA 200, and / or determining resources to be used by the STA 200 for signal transmission, determining a communication method to be used for communication with the STA 200, etc.

[0050] Example 1 Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an arrangement example 1 of communication devices according to this embodiment. Fig. 12 shows one AP and four STAs, STA1 to STA4.

[0051] In the first embodiment, as shown in Fig. 12, an example will be described in which STA1 and STA4 associate with an AP, STA1 and STA3 perform P2P communication, and STA1 and STA2 perform P2P communication. The P2P link between STA1 and STA3 will be referred to as "P2P link1," and the P2P link between STA1 and STA2 will be referred to as "P2P link2." Furthermore, the association of a STA with an AP may correspond to the STA connecting to the AP, the STA being able to communicate with the AP, and the STA being under the control of the AP.

[0052] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, in the method of specifying an STA by the AID of the AID12 subfield in the User Info field, if STA1 is included in P2P link1 and P2P link2, as shown in Figure 12, even if STA1 is specified by the AID, STA1 cannot identify P2P link1 or P2P link2.

[0053] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of P2P communication control. For example, between the AP and STA1 in Fig. 12, as shown in Fig. 13, after association (Fig. 13a) and P2P link registration (Fig. 13b) are performed, P2P communication (Fig. 13c) is performed.

[0054] 13, for example, an Association Request and an Association Response defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard may be sent between the AP and the STA. Note that the AID assigned by the AP to the STA may be notified in the Association Response.

[0055] Furthermore, a STA may establish a P2P link connection (also referred to as P2P link setup) with another STA. The P2P link connection procedure may be initiated by a STA associated with an AP, or may be initiated by a STA not associated with an AP. A STA associated with an AP may be referred to as an associated STA. When the P2P link connection procedure is initiated by an associated STA, the associated STA becomes the initiator. A STA not associated with an AP may be referred to as an unassociated STA. When the P2P link connection procedure is initiated by an unassociated STA, the unassociated STA becomes the initiator. A STA that participates in the connection procedure but is not the initiator may be referred to as a responder.

[0056] In the P2P link registration (which may also be referred to as register, registration, notification, or the like) shown in FIG. 13 , a STA registers a P2P link with an AP. The registration method is not particularly limited. For example, as a registration method, the STA may send a P2P Register Request to the AP, and the AP may send a P2P Register Response to the STA in response to the P2P Register Request. In this case, the P2P Register Request may include information identifying the link to be registered. The information identifying the link may be information identifying the STA at the other end of the P2P communication. The information identifying the STA at the other end of the P2P communication may be, for example, the AID of the STA at the other end of the P2P communication, a combination of the AID and BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) ​​of the STA at the other end of the P2P communication, or the MAC (media access control) address of the STA at the other end of the P2P communication. The P2P Register Request may also include information indicating the type of information identifying the STA at the other end of the P2P communication (address type). The P2P Register Request may include information indicating whether the STA at the other end of the P2P communication is an STA associated with the AP, and / or information indicating whether the STA is an STA associated with the AP.

[0057] The AP may notify the STA of identification information (e.g., an identifier) ​​for identifying the P2P link in a P2P Register Response. The identifier for identifying the P2P link is hereinafter referred to as a P2P ID. The value of the P2P ID may be selected by the AP exclusively with the value of the AID in the AID space. For example, the AP selects a value not used as an AID from the range of 1 to 2007 available as AID values ​​as the value for the P2P ID, and the AP does not use the value for the P2P ID (which may also be referred to as an AID value for the P2P ID) as the AID assigned to an individual STA. In other words, the AP may assign identification information for identifying the P2P link and identification information for identifying an individual STA from a common range (e.g., a range available as an AID value).

[0058] In this way, by selecting the P2P ID value exclusively with the AID value assigned to an individual STA, the AP can control the P2P link using the P2P ID. For example, in the method of notifying the AID value assigned for the P2P ID, the field that indicates the individual STA can also be used to indicate the P2P link. The field that indicates the individual STA may be, for example, the AID12 subfield of the Trigger frame such as MU-RTS TXS.

[0059] In the P2P communication shown in Fig. 13 (Fig. 13c), transmission and reception are performed between STAs included in the P2P link and between the STAs included in the P2P link and the AP. In this case, the AP may control the P2P communication. For example, the AP may control transmission and reception using a P2P ID.

[0060] In this way, by using the P2P ID, the AP can identify the P2P link and control the P2P communication.

[0061] The following describes an example of an operation in which spatial reuse (hereinafter referred to as SR) is performed in communication over P2P link 1 and communication between the AP and STA4 under control of the AP in the example arrangement shown in FIG. 12 and the example operation sequence shown in FIG. 14 . The communication over P2P link 1 corresponds to P2P communication between STA1 and STA3. SR corresponds to communication in which time-frequency resources are spatially reused. Note that, for example, when SR is performed between communication over P2P link 1 and communication between the AP and STA4, the same time-frequency resources are used in the communication over P2P link 1 and communication between the AP and STA4. Note that the use of the same time-frequency resources in two communications may correspond to at least a portion of the time being the same between the two communications, and at least a portion of the frequency band being the same between the two communications.

[0062] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a first operation example of communication control in this embodiment. In Fig. 14, STA1 receives a Beacon transmitted from an AP in wireless transceiver 201, and performs reception processing of the Beacon in received packet decoder 203 (S101 in Fig. 14). STA1 performs transmission processing of Association Request information generated in control signal generator 205 in transmission packet generator 202, and transmits the information to the AP via wireless transceiver 201 (S102). The Association Request information may be simply referred to as an Association Request.

[0063] The AP receives the Association Request in the wireless transceiver unit 101, and performs reception processing of the Association Request in the received packet decoder unit 103. The AP performs transmission processing of the Association Response information generated in the control signal generator unit 105 in the transmission packet generator unit 102, and transmits the information to STA1 via the wireless transceiver unit 101 (S103). The Association Response information may simply be referred to as the Association Response.

[0064] The information in the Association Response sent from the AP to STA1 may include the AID (for example, AID=1) assigned to STA1 by AP1.

[0065] Like STA1, STA4 receives a Beacon from the AP (S104) and transmits an Association Request to the AP (S105). The AP, having received the Association Request from STA4, transmits an Association Response to STA4 (S106). The information in the Association Response transmitted from the AP to STA4 may include the AID assigned to STA4 (e.g., AID=2).

[0066] Next, STA1 establishes a P2P link connection with STA3 (S107).

[0067] Note that the present disclosure does not limit the connection method of the P2P link. For example, the P2P link may be set using Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS), or may use a BSS type other than an infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS), such as an Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS) (so-called ad hoc mode). Alternatively, for example, a method in which one side of P2P communication serves as a control station, such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) Direct and / or a Personal Basic Service Set (PBSS), may be used to connect the P2P link. Furthermore, a communication device (e.g., an STA) may join (associate) with a BSS managed by the AP to connect to the AP, and the communication device (e.g., an STA) may also function as an AP and operate a BSS (which may be an infrastructure BSS, IBSS, or PBSS) other than the BSS managed by the AP, thereby operating STA-to-STA communication corresponding to the P2P link. Here, the BSS other than the BSS managed by the AP may be, for example, any of an infrastructure BSS, an IBSS, and a PBSS other than the BSS managed by the AP.

[0068] The function of an AP performed by a communication device (e.g., a STA) may be referred to as an agent AP, a secondary AP, a mobile AP, a multi-AP participating AP, etc. In this case, the P2P Register Request and the P2P Register Response may instead be referred to as an AP registration request and an AP registration response, respectively. For example, when an AP receives an AP registration request from a secondary AP (e.g., STA1 performing the function of an AP), the AP may determine a mapping between the value of the AID managed by the secondary AP (which may correspond to the link between STA1 and STA2, for example) and the P2P ID managed by the AP (which may correspond to the value of the AID managed by the AP).

[0069] In addition, the AP may notify the communication device (e.g., STA) of the range of P2P ID values ​​that the communication device (e.g., STA) can use, and when the communication device (e.g., STA) sets up a P2P link, it may determine the value of the AID corresponding to the P2P link within the range of P2P ID values ​​notified by the AP.

[0070] When TDLS is used for a P2P link, both of the two STAs that make up the P2P link may be associated with the same AP.

[0071] When a BSS (e.g., IBSS, PBSS, or P2P Group) separate from the BSS managed by the AP is configured for the P2P link, at least one STA configuring the P2P link belongs to both the AP's infrastructure BSS and the BSS for the P2P link. In this case, a STA belonging to both the AP's infrastructure BSS and the BSS for the P2P link may participate in both BSSs using the same MAC address. Alternatively, a device for a STA belonging to the AP's infrastructure BSS may also use a STA in a logically separate BSS for the P2P link as a co-located STA. In this case, two STAs within the same device may use different MAC addresses.

[0072] When Wi-Fi Direct is used for a P2P link and one of the two communication devices (e.g., STAs) constituting the P2P link is not associated with an AP, the other STA associated with the AP may also serve as a Group Owner (GO) to control the P2P link and instruct the other STA to issue a TXOP within the range of the TXOP instructed by the AP. The STA to which the STA associated with the AP instructs a TXOP is a STA not associated with the AP. In this case, the MAC address of the STA and the P2P interface address of the GO used as the MAC address in the P2P link may be different, and the AP may be notified of the P2P interface address of the GO and the other STA's P2P interface address as P2P link information. STAs not associated with the AP may be referred to as P2P clients. In this case, the STA associated with the AP may notify the AP of the P2P interface address of the GO and the P2P interface address of the P2P client as P2P link information.

[0073] Although the above example shows an operation in which the STA establishes a P2P link connection after associating with the AP, the STA may establish a P2P link connection before associating with the AP.

[0074] After establishing a P2P link connection with STA3, STA1 performs transmission processing on the P2P Register Request generated in the control signal generating unit 205 in the transmission packet generating unit 202 and transmits the P2P Register Request to the AP via the wireless transceiver unit 201 (S108 in Figure 14).

[0075] The AP receives the P2P Register Request transmitted from STA1 in wireless transceiver unit 101, and performs reception processing of the P2P Register Request in received packet decoding unit 103. The AP performs transmission processing of the P2P Register Response generated in control signal generating unit 105 in transmission packet generating unit 102, and transmits the P2P Register Response to STA1 via wireless transceiver unit 101 (S109).

[0076] The information in the P2P Register Response sent from the AP to STA1 may include the P2P ID or AID assigned to P2P link 1. For example, as described above, if the AID assigned by the AP to STA1 is AID=1 and the AID assigned by the AP to STA4 is AID=2, the AP may assign an AID (e.g., AID=3) different from AID=1 and AID=2 to P2P link 1.

[0077] Similar to the P2P link between STA1 and STA3 (i.e., P2P link1), after STA1 establishes a P2P link connection with STA2 (after S110 in FIG. 14), it sends a P2P Register Request to the AP (S111 in FIG. 14) and receives a P2P Register Response from the AP (S112 in FIG. 14).

[0078] The information in the P2P Register Response sent from the AP to STA1 may include the P2P ID or AID assigned to P2P link 2. For example, as described above, if the AID assigned by the AP to STA1 is AID=1, the AID assigned by the AP to STA4 is AID=2, and the AID assigned by the AP to P2P link 1 is AID=3, the AP may assign an AID (e.g., AID=4) different from SID=1, 2, and 3 to P2P link 2.

[0079] The AP may control communication between the AP and the STA and P2P communication between the STAs based on the reception quality.

[0080] For example, the AP may notify the scheduling unit 106 of the reception quality between the AP and the STA measured by the reception quality measurement unit 104. The measured reception quality may include the reception quality between the AP and the STA associated with the AP, and the reception quality between the AP and the STA not associated with the AP. The reception quality may be represented by, for example, a received power value, a path loss, or interference impact information.

[0081] STA1 may transmit to the AP, for example, the reception quality between STA1 and another STA (including the AP) measured by the reception quality measurement unit 204, and the reception quality of the P2P link, via the transmission packet generation unit 202 and the wireless transceiver unit 201. Note that the reception quality of the P2P link in STA1 may be the reception quality between STA1 and another STA (e.g., STA3) that forms a P2P link with STA1. The measured reception quality may also include the reception quality between the STA and another STA that does not form a P2P link with the STA, and the reception quality between the STA and the AP. In this case, the AP may notify the scheduler 106 of the reception quality decoded by the wireless transceiver unit 101 and the received packet decoding unit 103.

[0082] The AP may control the STAs that transmit and receive and the P2P communication based on the reception quality in the scheduling section 106 .

[0083] For example, the arrangement of the AP and STAs shown in FIG. 12 is an arrangement in which the interference effect between the STAs included in P2P link 1 (i.e., STA1 and STA3) and STA4 is relatively small. In this case, the reception quality acquired by the AP indicates that the interference effect on STA4 caused by signals transmitted by the STAs included in P2P link 1 is relatively small. For example, a relatively small interference effect corresponds to the interference effect being below a predetermined level. Based on this reception quality, the AP may determine that downlink (DL) transmission from the AP to STA4 and transmission using SR (hereinafter, SR transmission) between P2P communication on P2P link 1 are possible.

[0084] Furthermore, for example, the arrangement shown in FIG. 12 is an arrangement in which the influence of interference between STAs included in P2P link 2 (i.e., STA1 and STA2) and STA4 is relatively large. In this case, the reception quality acquired by the AP indicates that the influence of interference on STA4 caused by signals transmitted by STAs included in P2P link 2 is relatively large. For example, a relatively large influence of interference corresponds to an influence of interference greater than a predetermined level. Based on this reception quality, the AP may determine not to perform SR transmission between the transmission and reception between the AP and STA4 and the P2P communication on P2P link 2. In this case, the AP may notify the control signal generating unit 105 of an instruction to perform DL transmission from the AP to STA4 and P2P communication on P2P link 2 on different frequency bands. The instruction to perform DL transmission from the AP to STA4 and P2P communication on P2P link 2 on different frequency bands may be, for example, an instruction to perform DL transmission and P2P communication using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA).

[0085] When the AP performs SR (when the scheduling unit 106 instructs the AP to perform SR), the control signal generating unit 105 and the transmission packet generating unit 102 generate an MU-RTS TXS TF having one User Info field (see FIG. 8 ), and output the generated MU-RTS TXS TF to the wireless transceiver unit 101. When generating the MU-RTS TXS TF, AID12 in the User Info field may be the AID assigned to P2P link1 (e.g., AID=3). In other words, when generating the MU-RTS TXS TF, the User Info field, which is a field containing information individual (or unique) to the STA, may contain information about the P2P link. In this case, the identification information identifying the P2P link (e.g., the AID assigned to P2P link1) may be transmitted in the same format (e.g., the User Info field) as the identification information identifying the STA.

[0086] The AP transmits MU-RTS TXS TF to the STA (for example, STA1) associated with the AP in the wireless transmission / reception unit 101 (S113 in FIG. 14).

[0087] STA1 receives the MU-RTS TXS TF in wireless transceiver 201 and outputs it to control signal generator 205 via received packet decoder 203. Control signal generator 205 detects that the value of AID12 included in the User Info field in the received MU-RTS TXS TF is P2P link1 (e.g., AID=3). Control signal generator 205 outputs to transmission packet generator 202 either or both of the control information generated based on the internal state and the transmission control information included in the MU-RTS TXS TF (e.g., transmission frequency band information according to RU Allocation included in the corresponding User Info field).

[0088] The transmission packet generated by the transmission packet generation unit 202 is transmitted in the transmission frequency band specified by the transmission control information to STA3. This transmission to STA3 is performed by P2P communication (S114 in FIG. 14).

[0089] In response to a transmission from STA1 to STA3, STA3 may transmit data and / or control information to STA1, for example, in the same frequency band as the transmission frequency band used for the transmission from STA1 to STA3. In this case, the transmission and reception periods of STA1 and STA3 may be limited to the TXOP specified in the MU-RTS TXS TF.

[0090] When the AP performs SR (when the scheduling unit 106 instructs the AP to perform SR), the control signal generating unit 105 and the transmission packet generating unit 102 transmit the MU-RTS TXS TF, and then provide a non-transmission interval of, for example, a Short Interframe Space (SIFS). After the SIFS, the AP generates a transmission packet for STA4 based on the transmission data and / or control information for STA4. The control information may be generated by, for example, the control signal generating unit 105. Then, the AP transmits in the wireless transceiver unit 101 using the same transmission frequency band as the RU Allocation included in the User Info field for P2P link1 in the MU-RTS TXS TF (S115 in FIG. 14). In other words, P2P communication on P2P link1 between STA1 and STA3 (S114 in FIG. 14) and DL transmission between the AP and STA4 (S115 in FIG. 14) are performed using the same transmission frequency band.

[0091] In this way, by using P2P IDs for control, the AP can control P2P communication and DL communication. For example, if the AP can use SR for P2P communication and DL communication, the AP can control P2P communication and DL communication simultaneously in the same frequency band, thereby improving system throughput.

[0092] In the above example, SR is used in a combination of P2P communication and DL communication. However, SR may be applied to a combination other than P2P communication and DL communication. For example, SR may be applied to a combination of P2P communication and P2P communication, or to a combination of P2P communication and UL (Uplink) communication, or to a combination of three or more communications. For example, three or more communications may be P2P communication and UL communication (or DL ​​communication) on two different P2P links, or P2P communication on three different P2P links. In this case, the MU-RTS TXS TF may include multiple User Info fields. For example, in the case of a combination of P2P communication and UL communication, AID12 in each User Info field may specify the STA that transmits the UL communication and the P2P ID that performs the P2P communication. Furthermore, to indicate SR, the RU Allocation in each User Info field may be the same value (i.e., the same frequency band).

[0093] Although an example of operation in which SR is performed under the control of the AP has been shown, a method other than SR may be used. For example, in the example arrangement shown in FIG. 12 , OFDMA may be performed between DL transmission from the AP to STA4 and P2P communication on P2P link2. In this case, as described above, transmission and reception may be specified in the same manner as in the MU-RTS TXS TF for P2P link1. For example, AID12 in the User Info field may be set to the AID assigned to P2P link2 (e.g., AID=4). Furthermore, after a non-transmission interval of SIFS, a signal for STA4 (DL communication signal) is transmitted in a transmission frequency band different from the RU Allocation included in the User Info field for P2P link2 in the MU-RTS TXS TF. For example, OFDMA transmission can be performed by transmitting the signal for STA4 and the signal for P2P communication on P2P link2 in different transmission frequency bands.

[0094] Although an example of operation using OFDMA in a combination of P2P communication and DL communication has been described, OFDMA may also be applied to a combination other than the combination of P2P communication and DL communication. For example, OFDMA may be applied to a combination of P2P communication and P2P communication, or to a combination of P2P communication and UL communication, or to a combination of three or more communications. Alternatively, OFDMA and SR may be used in combination. For example, in a combination of P2P communications over three different P2P links (e.g., P2P linkA, P2P linkB, and P2P linkC), SR may be applied between the P2P communication over P2P linkA and the P2P communication over P2P linkB, and OFDMA may be applied between the P2P communication over P2P linkA and the P2P communication over P2P linkC.

[0095] In addition, whether or not a STA included in a P2P link can transmit to an AP may be specified for the STA included in the P2P link. For example, when SR is applied between two P2P links, specifying whether or not transmission can be performed can prevent collisions of transmissions from the STA included in the P2P link to the AP.

[0096] Whether a STA can transmit to the AP may be specified, for example, using an unused bit in the User Info field, or may be specified by a combination of the Common Info field and the User Info field. For example, an unused area (e.g., 3) of the TXOP Sharing Mode shown in FIG. 5 may be specified as allowing only P2P communication (transmission to the AP is not permitted). That is, when TXOP Sharing Mode=3, it may be specified that STAs included in each P2P link cannot transmit to the AP. Also, for example, when TXOP Sharing Mode=2 (i.e., P2P communication and transmission to the AP are permitted), it may be specified that only STAs included in a P2P link assigned to a User Info field at a specific position (e.g., the beginning) of the User Info List can transmit to the AP.

[0097] In this way, by controlling the AP using the P2P ID, it is possible to individually specify P2P link1 and P2P link2 shown in Fig. 12. Furthermore, since operation applying SR and OFDMA becomes possible between P2P communication and other communications (e.g., DL communication, UL communication, and P2P communication), appropriate scheduling can be performed and throughput can be improved.

[0098] Although the above description shows an example in which a P2P link is registered for each pair of STAs, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, a link including three or more STAs may be registered as a single P2P link. For example, if STA1, STA2, and STA3 shown in FIG. 12 cooperate to transmit and receive data, a P2P ID may be assigned to a single P2P link that combines P2P link1 and P2P link2.

[0099] In this way, by registering a link including three or more STAs as one P2P link, the STA can perform registration according to the state of the P2P link.

[0100] The AP may also specify the primary channel of a P2P link. For example, the AP may specify the same primary channel for two P2P links capable of SR, and specify different primary channels for two P2P links not capable of SR. The AP may also specify the same primary channel for a P2P link capable of SR with DL communication, and specify a different primary channel for a P2P link not capable of SR with DL communication. This makes it easier to assign SR-enabled P2P links to the same frequency band.

[0101] Although an example of operation using MU-RTS TXS TF has been shown for communication control including P2P communication control, the present disclosure is not limited to this. Signals (e.g., frames) other than MU-RTS TXS TF may also be used for communication control including P2P communication control.

[0102] For example, a Basic TF may be used instead of the MU-RTS TXS TF. The Basic TF is, for example, a Trigger frame in which the Trigger Type subfield value is set to 0, as shown in Fig. 4. The Trigger frame may be abbreviated as Trigger.

[0103] 4, in a Buffer Status Report Poll (BSRP) TF with the Trigger Type subfield value set to 4, the P2P ID may be notified in the User Info field of the BSRP TF. In this case, for example, the STA that sent the P2P Register Request (e.g., STA1 in FIG. 12) may notify the AP of the data accumulation status in the buffers of the STAs included in the P2P link identified by the P2P ID specified by the AP. This enables the AP to perform scheduling that takes into account the data accumulation status of each STA included in the P2P link corresponding to the P2P ID, thereby improving throughput.

[0104] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, in an NDP Feedback Report Poll (NFRP) TF with the Trigger Type subfield value set to 7, the P2P ID may be notified in the User Info field of the NFRP TF. In this case, for example, the STA that sent the P2P Register Request may notify the AP of the reception quality of each STA included in the P2P link corresponding to the specified P2P ID. The notified reception quality may be represented by, for example, a received power value, a path loss, or interference impact information. This enables the AP to perform scheduling taking into account the reception quality of each STA included in the P2P link corresponding to the P2P ID, thereby improving throughput.

[0105] Note that the STA that responds to the Trigger (e.g., the STA that notifies the data accumulation status and / or reception quality in response to the Trigger) is not limited to the STA that sent the P2P Register Request. A STA included in the P2P link that did not send the P2P Register Request may also respond to the Trigger. For example, a predetermined STA within the P2P link may send the notification in response to the Trigger. By predetermining the STA that notifies the AP in this way, duplicate transmission (or overlapping transmission) of the same information (e.g., information on the data accumulation status and / or reception quality) from multiple STAs can be avoided, and transmission collisions due to duplicate transmissions and duplication of the same information at the AP can be prevented.

[0106] Furthermore, information indicating whether each of the above-mentioned triggers can be used in a P2P link (for example, whether a P2P ID can be specified in the User Info field) may be specified. The specification of whether a trigger can be used in a P2P link may be performed, for example, by a STA in a P2P Register Request. For example, information indicating whether a P2P ID can be specified in the User Info field of each of the above-mentioned MU-RTS TXS TF, Basic TF, BSRP TF, and NFRP TF may be specified in a P2P Register Request transmitted by the STA. For example, the P2P Register Request transmitted by the STA may specify that a P2P ID can be specified in the User Info field of the MU-RTS TXS TF, but that a P2P ID cannot be specified in the User Info field of each of the Basic TF, BSRP TF, and NFRP TF. This allows the AP to determine the triggers that can be used in a P2P link.

[0107] Furthermore, in a signal (e.g., a P2P Register Request) transmitted from a STA included in a P2P link to an AP, information regarding whether or not the AP can control P2P communication in the P2P link may be notified to the AP in advance. This notification allows the AP to determine whether or not to control the P2P link, and the AP can appropriately control P2P communication in the P2P link.

[0108] For example, the UL Target Receive Power in the User Info field shown in FIG. 6 includes information regarding transmit power control for the STA corresponding to the User Info field (e.g., the STA specified by AID12). For example, the validity or invalidity of the UL Target Receive Power in the User Info field shown in FIG. 6 (i.e., whether transmit power control is possible) for the STA included in the P2P link may be notified to the AP by, for example, a P2P Register Request. For example, if transmit power control for the STA included in the P2P link is possible, the AP may specify OFDMA for P2P communication between the two STAs and for UL communication between the STA and the AP. This prevents decoding errors due to received power fluctuations that occur when a STA that cannot control transmit power receives an OFDMA-transmitted signal. Preventing decoding errors also improves throughput.

[0109] Although the above description has been given of a control method using a P2P ID to indicate a P2P link, the present disclosure is not limited to this. STAs included in a P2P link may be identified by a method other than the P2P ID.

[0110] For example, a combination of P2P links may be specified using several unused bits (e.g., two bits) in the User Info field shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. Here, the combination of P2P links is, for example, a combination of P2P link1 and P2P link2 in the example of FIG. 12. For example, in the format of the User Info field shown in FIG. 6, one reserved bit may be used as a P2P link designation flag indicating whether a P2P link is designated. When the P2P link designation flag indicates that a P2P link is designated, the P2P link may be designated using two bits of an area that becomes unused when a P2P link is designated (e.g., UL HE-MCS in FIG. 6), or may be designated using, for example, two reserved bits in the format shown in FIG. 8. The case where the P2P link designation flag indicates that a P2P link is designated may be when the P2P link designation flag is valid.

[0111] As a method other than the method using the User Info field described above, for example, two User Info fields may be used to identify the STAs included in the P2P link by AID12 in each User Info field. In this case, Reserved (1 bit) in the first User Info field may be used as a P2P link designation flag indicating whether or not a P2P link is designated. Then, if the P2P link designation flag is enabled, the User Info field following the first User Info field may be configured to designate the second STA included in the P2P link. By using Reserved (1 bit) in the first User Info field as a P2P link designation flag, it is possible to identify that the STA designated in the first User Info field and the STA designated in the second User Info field are STAs included in the P2P link.

[0112] [Configuration Example of STA that Communicates with AP and STA (P2P)] The above describes an example of an operation in which an STA having the configuration shown in Fig. 10 performs communication between the STA and AP and P2P communication between STAs. Communication between an STA and AP will be referred to as inter-AP communication hereinafter. An STA that performs inter-AP communication and P2P communication between STAs corresponds to, for example, STA1 shown in Fig. 12.

[0113] The STA may have a configuration in which inter-AP communication and P2P communication are separated. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of an STA according to this embodiment. For example, the STA 200 shown in Fig. 15 has an inter-AP communication control unit 206a, a P2P communication control unit 206b, and a wireless transceiver unit 201.

[0114] The inter-AP communication control unit 206a has a transmission packet generation unit 202a, a control signal generation unit 205a, a received packet decoding unit 203a, and a reception quality measurement unit 204a.

[0115] The P2P communication control unit 206b has a transmission packet generation unit 202b, a control signal generation unit 205b, a received packet decoding unit 203b, and a reception quality measurement unit 204b.

[0116] Note that transmission packet generation unit 202a, control signal generation unit 205a, received packet decoding unit 203a, and reception quality measurement unit 204a may be similar to transmission packet generation unit 202, control signal generation unit 205, received packet decoding unit 203, and reception quality measurement unit 204, except that they respectively control transmission and reception of signals related to inter-AP communication and do not control transmission and reception of signals related to P2P communication. Also, transmission packet generation unit 202b, control signal generation unit 205b, received packet decoding unit 203b, and reception quality measurement unit 204b may be similar to transmission packet generation unit 202, control signal generation unit 205, received packet decoding unit 203, and reception quality measurement unit 204, except that they respectively control transmission and reception of signals related to P2P communication and do not control transmission and reception of signals related to inter-AP communication.

[0117] FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing another example of the configuration of an STA according to this embodiment. Similar to FIG. 12, FIG. 16 shows an example in which STA1 associates with an AP to perform inter-AP communication and P2P communication with STA3. As shown in FIG. 16, STA1, which performs inter-AP communication and P2P communication between STAs, may have an MLD (multi-link device) configuration. In this case, STA1 may include an STA (e.g., STA1_1) that associates with the AP and an STA (e.g., STA1_2) that performs P2P communication with STA3. STA1 may be a non-AP MLD, and STA1_1 and STA1_2 may be configured to be affiliated with STA1 (non-AP MLD). As an example, STA1_1 and STA1_2 may each be a non-AP STA, or STA1 may be a non-AP MLD. In another example, STA1_1 may be a non-AP STA, and STA1_2 may be an AP (e.g., an AP that communicates with STA3). Furthermore, STA1_1 and STA1_2 may have different STA identification information (e.g., addresses). In this case, STA1_2 may be configured to be affiliated with STA1_1. STA1 having an MLD configuration may be a communication device that includes STA1_1 and STA1_2 within a single device. Alternatively, STA1 having an MLD configuration may be considered to be logically a single communication device. When STA1 is considered logically as a single communication device, STA1_1 and STA1_2 included in STA1 may be physically separate devices. An STA (e.g., STA1) having an MLD configuration may be configured to be physically separate communication devices and operate logically as a single device.

[0118] Also, while FIG. 16 illustrates an example in which a STA has an MLD configuration, an AP may also have an MLD configuration. An AP having an MLD configuration may be referred to as an AP MLD. For example, an AP MLD may have an AP associated with STA1 (e.g., STA1_1) and an AP associated with a STA different from STA1 as different devices. In other words, an AP MLD may have identification information (e.g., addresses) of multiple APs. In this case, an AP having an MLD configuration may be physically a single communication device. Alternatively, an AP having an MLD configuration may be physically composed of multiple communication devices and logically operate as a single communication device.

[0119] This allows separate settings to be made for inter-AP communication and P2P communication. For example, in a configuration related to inter-AP communication (e.g., the inter-AP communication control unit 206a in FIG. 15 or STA1_1 in FIG. 16), capabilities and the like based on association with an AP can be specified. Also, in a configuration related to P2P communication (e.g., the P2P communication control unit 206b in FIG. 15 or STA1_2 in FIG. 16), capabilities and the like based on P2P link connection can be specified.

[0120] [Format Example] As described above, the STA transmits a P2P Register Request to the AP and receives a P2P Register Response from the AP. The formats of the P2P Register Request and the P2P Register Response are not particularly limited. For example, a new P2P frame may be added as a format including the P2P Register Request and the P2P Register Response.

[0121] For example, in Figure 2, Type = 01 and Subtype = 0001 are indicated as reserved, but this Type = 01 and Subtype = 0001 may be defined as a P2P frame, and P2P Register Request and P2P Register Response may be specified as Types included in the P2P frame format.

[0122] The P2P Register Request frame may include P2P link capabilities. P2P link capabilities are an example of information indicating the capabilities related to communication in the P2P link. P2P link capabilities include, for example, at least one of available channel information, maximum and minimum transmission power values, information on whether transmission power control is possible, and information on whether triggers can be used. The P2P link capabilities allow the AP to perform control corresponding to the functions (e.g., capabilities) of the STAs included in the P2P link.

[0123] Although an example has been shown in which the P2P Register Request frame includes the P2P link capability, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the P2P link capability or a portion of the P2P link capability may be included in a P2P frame different from, for example, the P2P Register Request and P2P Register Response. In this case, the P2P frame including the P2P link capability or a portion of the P2P link capability may be specified by a type included in the P2P frame format. In other words, the type of the P2P frame including at least a portion of the P2P link capability may be specified as a type of P2P frame different from the P2P Register Request and P2P Register Response. This allows, for example, when at least a portion of the P2P link capability has changed, to notify only the corresponding frame (a P2P frame including at least a portion of the P2P link capability).

[0124] Furthermore, the P2P Register Request frame or a frame containing P2P link capability may include the IDs (e.g., MAC addresses) of the STAs included in the P2P link. For example, in FIG. 12 , STA1 notifies the IDs of STA1 and STA2 in a P2P Register Request for P2P link2. This notification prevents STA2 from re-registering P2P link2 after STA1 has sent a P2P Register Request for P2P link2. Specifically, the P2P Register Request sent by STA1 has already notified the AP of the IDs of STA1 and STA2 included in P2P link2. In this case, the AP can determine that P2P link2 has been registered when STA2 registers P2P link2. The time when STA2 registers P2P link2 corresponds, for example, to the time when STA2 sends a P2P Register Request for P2P link2.

[0125] When an AP receives a P2P Register Request frame for a registered P2P link, the AP may notify the AP of a P2P Register Response frame including the P2P ID assigned to the registered P2P link. Alternatively, when an AP receives a P2P Register Request frame for a registered P2P link, the AP may reject the registration and return a P2P Register Response including information indicating that the P2P link is already registered. Note that the information indicating that the P2P link is already registered may be represented by a Status code.

[0126] This prevents a STA whose registration of a P2P link is denied from transmitting information about the denied P2P link to the AP, thereby preventing duplicated control (for example, TXOP requests) for the same P2P link.

[0127] Furthermore, by using P2P frames, for example, an STA having a configuration for controlling inter-AP communication and a configuration for controlling P2P communication can aggregate information related to P2P communication notified between the respective configurations in a P2P frame, as shown in Fig. 15. Furthermore, by using P2P frames, for example, when STA1 is divided into STA1-1 that performs inter-AP communication and STA1-2 that performs P2P communication, information related to P2P communication notified between STA1-1 and STA1-2 can be aggregated in a P2P frame, as shown in Fig. 16.

[0128] Although an example using a P2P frame, a P2P Register Request, and a P2P Register Response has been shown, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Instead of the P2P Register Request and the P2P Register Response, an Association Request and an Association Response may be used, respectively. Alternatively, instead of the P2P Register Request and the P2P Register Response, a part of the Association Request and a part of the Association Response may be used, respectively.

[0129] Second Embodiment Hereinafter, as a second embodiment, an example of operation will be described in which the AP and STAs configured as shown in the first embodiment execute SR by referring to the transmission power modes of the STAs included in the P2P link.

[0130] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing a second example of arrangement of communication devices according to this embodiment. Fig. 17 shows one AP and four STAs, STA1 to STA4.

[0131] In the second embodiment, STA1 and STA3 associate with the AP as shown in Fig. 17. Also, as shown in Fig. 17, the P2P link between STA1 and STA2 is described as "P2P link1," and the P2P link between STA3 and STA4 is described as "P2P link2."

[0132] For example, a STA that registers a P2P link may notify the AP of a transmission power mode according to the transmission power control of the STA included in the P2P link. The method for notifying the transmission power mode is not particularly limited, but for example, the STA may notify the transmission power mode using a P2P Register Request.

[0133] The transmission power mode may include a mode in which the transmission power is fixed (hereinafter referred to as "Static") and a mode in which the transmission power may be varied for each packet (hereinafter referred to as "Dynamic"). Note that in the Static mode, the transmission power may be adjusted depending on the movement of the STA, etc.

[0134] 17, if STA1 and STA2 included in P2P link1 have a "transmission power mode = static", STA1 notifies the AP that P2P link1 has a "transmission power mode = static". If at least one of STA1 and STA2 included in P2P link1 has a "transmission power mode = dynamic", STA1 may notify the AP that P2P link1 has a "transmission power mode = dynamic".

[0135] The AP notifies the STAs included in other P2P links of the transmission power mode of each P2P link. The STA to which the AP notifies the transmission power mode may be, for example, the STA that registered the P2P link. The STA that receives the notification from the AP notifies other STAs in the P2P link, including itself, of the transmission power mode of each P2P link notified by the AP.

[0136] The STA included in each P2P link determines whether the interference power of an interfering signal received from a P2P link with "Transmission Power Mode = Static" is equal to or less than the allowable interference power when receiving a signal from the communication partner. This determination is hereinafter referred to as "SR feasibility determination." The STA notifies the AP of the result of the SR feasibility determination. Note that the timing of the SR feasibility determination is not particularly limited. For example, the SR feasibility determination may be performed after sending and receiving a P2P Register Request and a P2P Register Response, or may be performed before data communication on the P2P link.

[0137] 17 , the AP may notify STA3 included in P2P link2 of information indicating the transmission power mode of P2P link1, and may notify STA1 included in P2P link1 of information indicating the transmission power mode of P2P link2. STA3 may notify STA4 included in P2P link2 of information indicating the transmission power mode of P2P link1, and STA1 may notify STA2 included in P2P link1 of information indicating the transmission power mode of P2P link2.

[0138] When the transmission power mode of P2P link1 is static (when "transmission power mode = static"), STA3 and STA4 measure the interference power due to the interference signals (e.g., packets) received from the STAs (STA1 and STA2) included in P2P link1, and perform an SR determination based on the interference power.

[0139] Note that STA3 and STA4 may each perform an SR feasibility determination on the interference power due to an interference signal received from STA1, and may perform an SR feasibility determination on the interference power due to an interference signal received from STA2. Hereinafter, an SR feasibility determination on the interference power due to an interference signal received from a certain STAx will be referred to as an SR feasibility determination for STAx. If the four determinations made by STA3 on STA1, the SR feasibility determination made by STA3 on STA2, the SR feasibility determination made by STA4 on STA1, and the SR feasibility determination made by STA4 on STA2 all result in a determination that SR is possible, STA3 may notify the AP that the result of the SR feasibility determination for P2P link1 is that SR is possible.

[0140] Furthermore, similarly to P2P link1, when the transmission power mode of P2P link2 is static (when "transmission power mode = static"), STA1 and STA2 may each perform an SR feasibility determination for the interference power due to the interference signal received from STA3, and may also perform an SR feasibility determination for the interference power due to the interference signal received from STA4. Then, based on the SR feasibility determinations for STA3 and STA4 made by STA1 and STA2, respectively, STA1 may notify the AP of the result of the SR feasibility determination for P2P link2.

[0141] The notification of the transmission power mode from the AP to the STA and the notification of the result of the SR availability determination from the STA to the AP may use a new format added as a P2P frame format.

[0142] Furthermore, the STAs included in each P2P link may set a color (also called BSS color) included in the preamble of the packet they transmit to a value unique to the P2P link. Color is an example of information that identifies a BSS. Color is also an example of information that identifies a link for communication or information that identifies a communication partner. For example, even if multiple communications are interfering with each other on the same channel, the effects of the mutual interference may be ignored (or reduced) if the colors of the packets sent and received are different. The color unique to the P2P link may be specified by the AP or may be defined in advance.

[0143] This allows each STA included in a P2P link to determine the P2P link based on the color of the received packet, and to determine whether SR is possible for the corresponding P2P link based on the maximum received power value for the same color. For example, when STA3 determines whether SR is possible for STA1 and STA3 determines whether SR is possible for STA2, STA1 and STA2 have the same color, so the SR determination can be made without distinguishing between STA1 and STA2. Furthermore, by making the determination based on color, the STA only needs to decode the preamble, reducing the decoding process of the STA.

[0144] The color of each P2P link may also be specified by the AP in a P2P Register Response, for example.

[0145] The AP may transmit a trigger frame (e.g., MU-RTS TXS TF) instructing SR or OFDMA transmission using the result of the SR feasibility determination notified by the STA. For example, the trigger frame (e.g., MU-RTS TXS TF) may be transmitted by the scheduler 106, the control signal generator 105, the transmission packet generator 102, and the wireless transceiver 101 shown in FIG. 11 .

[0146] 17, if the SR availability determination result for P2P link1 notified from STA3 and the SR availability determination result for P2P link2 notified from STA1 both indicate that SR is available, the AP may determine that SR transmission is available because the effect of interference is small in each P2P link. In this case, the AP may notify STA1 and STA3 of an MU-RTS TXS TF that specifies SR transmission between P2P link1 and P2P link2.

[0147] On the other hand, if at least one of the SR availability determination results for P2P link1 notified by STA3 and the SR availability determination results for P2P link2 notified by STA1 indicates that SR is not possible, the AP determines that SR transmission is not possible due to the large influence of interference on the P2P links corresponding to the SR availability determination results. In this case, the AP may notify STA1 and STA3 of an MU-RTS TXS TF specifying OFDMA transmission between P2P link1 and P2P link2. Alternatively, in this case, the AP may specify the transmission method individually to STA1 and STA3. For example, in this case, the AP may notify STA1 individually of the P2P communication method for P2P link1 and notify STA3 individually of the P2P communication method for P2P link2.

[0148] In this way, by using the transmission power mode of each P2P link and the result of the SR possibility determination corresponding to the transmission power mode, SR can be performed between two P2P links, for example, without measuring the path loss between a STA included in a certain P2P link and a STA included in a P2P link different from the said P2P link, and without notifying the AP of the measured path loss. In other words, SR can be performed using a simpler determination method without measuring the path loss and notifying the path loss.

[0149] In the above example, the transmission power mode is static or dynamic, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. Modes other than static and dynamic may be added to the transmission power mode.

[0150] For example, when each STA in a P2P link can specify either static or dynamic, the transmission power mode of the P2P link may be set to “transmission power mode=select.” Note that the specification of static or dynamic may be performed by the AP.

[0151] For example, if it is notified that a certain P2P link (hereinafter referred to as "P2P link x") has "transmission power mode=select", the AP may specify the transmission power mode depending on the P2P links around the AP.

[0152] For example, if a P2P link (hereinafter referred to as "P2P link y") that is capable of SR with P2P link x exists in the vicinity of the AP, the AP may specify the transmission mode of P2P link x as Static. Note that whether or not a P2P link that is capable of SR with P2P link x exists may be determined based on an SR possibility determination performed by a STA included in the P2P link in the vicinity of the AP.

[0153] By specifying the transmission mode of P2P link x as Static, SR can be specified between P2P link x and P2P link y, thereby improving the throughput.

[0154] Also, for example, if there is no P2P link in the vicinity of the AP that is capable of SR with P2P link x, the AP may specify the transmission mode of P2P link x as Dynamic. Specifying the transmission mode of P2P link x as Dynamic allows the STAs included in P2P link x to select the optimal transmission power. This prevents a decrease in throughput that occurs when the transmission power mode is specified as Static.

[0155] In addition, when the transmission power mode of the STA is select, the transmission power mode specification from the AP to the STA (specifying static or dynamic) may use a new format added as a P2P frame format, or a portion of the unused area (e.g., 1 bit) of the trigger frame (e.g., MU-RTS TXS TF) may be allocated.

[0156] Furthermore, if each STA in a P2P link is an STA whose transmission power value can be designated by the AP, the transmission power mode of the P2P link may be set to "transmission power mode = designated." In this case, information regarding the amount of transmission power compensation available may be added to the result of the SR feasibility determination. The amount of transmission power compensation available may indicate, for example, the difference between the interference power measured by the STA and the interference power tolerance of the STA.

[0157] When the AP acquires information about the compensation amount from the STA, the AP may control each transmission power in the P2P link so that it is within the compensation amount range of the STA. This increases the possibility of specifying an SR, thereby improving throughput by using an SR. Note that when "transmission power mode = designated," the STA may notify the AP of the range in which the STA's transmission power can be specified. The range in which the STA's transmission power can be specified may be expressed, for example, by the maximum and minimum values ​​of the STA's transmission power.

[0158] Although the above describes an example of control when the transmission power modes of two P2P links are both static, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, when one of the two P2P links has a "transmission power mode = dynamic," control similar to the control when the transmission power modes of the two P2P links are both static may be applied.

[0159] For example, in FIG. 17 , if P2P link 1 is in "transmission power mode = dynamic" and P2P link 2 is in "transmission power mode = static," STA1 and STA2 included in P2P link 1 may each perform SR feasibility determination and notify the AP of the determination result. For example, STA1 may perform SR feasibility determination based on equations (1) and (2) using the received power value measured by STA1, the transmission power values ​​of STA3 and STA4 notified by the AP, and the allowable interference power values ​​for STA3 and STA4 during SR. Similarly, STA2 may perform SR feasibility determination based on equations (1) and (2) using the received power value measured by STA2, the transmission power values ​​of STA3 and STA4 notified by the AP, and the allowable interference power values ​​for STA3 and STA4 during SR.

[0160] Allowable transmission power candidate (n) = transmission power value of STA(n) - received power value by STA(n) + allowable interference power of STA(n) (1) Allowable transmission power value = minimum value of allowable transmission power candidate (n) (2)

[0161] In equation (1), n ​​is an index that identifies the STA that is the target of the SR feasibility determination. For example, in the example of FIG. 17, when STA1 and STA2 perform SR feasibility determination, the STAs that are the target of the SR feasibility determination are STA3 and STA4, so n = 3, 4. When n = 3 in the example of FIG. 17, the transmission power value of STA(n) in equation (1) indicates the transmission power value of STA3, and the received power value by STA(n) indicates the received power value (also referred to as the "received power value of the signal received from STA(n)") measured at the STA (e.g., STA1 or STA2) that receives the signal transmitted by STA3. Also, when n = 3 in the example of FIG. 17, the allowed transmission power candidate (n) indicates a candidate transmission power value that is allowed for STA3 by the STA (e.g., STA1 or STA2) that receives the signal transmitted by STA3.

[0162] When allowable transmission power candidates (n) are calculated based on Equation (1) for multiple STAs that are the targets of SR feasibility determination, the minimum value of the allowable transmission power candidates (n) indicates the allowable transmission power value for the multiple STAs that are the targets of SR feasibility determination. The allowable transmission power value may be, in other words, the upper limit of the transmission power value. In the example of Figure 17, Equation (2) indicates that the minimum transmission power value among the allowable transmission power value candidates for STA3 and the allowable transmission power value candidates for STA4 is the allowable transmission power value for STA3 and STA4.

[0163] For example, a case will be described in which STA1 calculates the allowable transmission power value for n=3 based on Equations (1) and (2). In this case, "the transmission power value of STA(n) minus the received power value of the signal received from STA(n)" in Equation (1) indicates the difference between the transmission power value of STA3 and the received power value of the signal transmitted from STA3 and received by STA1. In other words, "the transmission power value of STA(n) minus the received power value of the signal received from STA(n)" in Equation (1) corresponds to the path loss between STA3 and STA1. In other words, Equation (1) indicates that the power value obtained by adding the path loss value between STA3 and STA1 and the allowable interference power of STA3 is a candidate for the allowable transmission power value for STA3. Furthermore, when STA1 performs SR enable / disable determination for n=4, Equation (1) indicates that the power value obtained by adding the path loss value between STA4 and STA1 and the allowable interference power of STA4 is a candidate for the allowable transmission power value for STA4.

[0164] STA1 determines that the minimum value of the two permitted transmission power candidates is the permitted transmission power value of STA1.

[0165] STA2, like STA1, determines that the minimum value among the candidates for the transmission power value allowed for STA3 and the candidates for the transmission power value allowed for STA4 is the allowable transmission power value for STA2.

[0166] STA1 and STA2 may determine that SR is possible when their allowable transmission power values ​​are equal to or greater than the minimum transmission power that can be received by the destination STA. For example, if the allowable transmission power value of STA1 is equal to or greater than the minimum transmission power that can be received by STA2, and if the allowable transmission power value of STA2 is equal to or greater than the minimum transmission power that can be received by STA1, it may be determined that SR is possible between P2P link1 and P2P link2.

[0167] Based on the result of the SR feasibility determination, the AP specifies a transmission method (e.g., SR transmission or OFDMA transmission) for the P2P link. For example, the transmission method may be specified by notifying STA1 and STA3 of the MU-RTS TXS TF. Note that when SR transmission is specified by the MU-RTS TXS TF, the transmission power of STAs (e.g., STA1 and STA2) with "Transmission Power Mode = Dynamic" may be limited to a value equal to or less than the allowable transmission power value.

[0168] For example, when one of two P2P links has "transmission power mode=Dynamic", control similar to that when the transmission power modes of the two P2P links are both Static may be applied.

[0169] Although an example of control when one of two P2P links has "Transmission Power Mode = Dynamic" has been shown, the P2P link with "Transmission Power Mode = Dynamic" may be replaced with a link between an AP and a STA. In other words, control similar to that when one of two P2P links has "Transmission Power Mode = Dynamic" may be applied to control between a P2P link and a link between an AP and a STA. This makes it possible to specify that SR be performed even when one P2P link has "Transmission Power Mode = Dynamic" or when the link is between an AP and a STA, thereby improving throughput.

[0170] <Example 3> Figure 18 is a diagram showing an example of SR operation in this embodiment. In 11ax, as shown in Figure 18, PSRR PPDU spatial reuse is shown, which determines whether SR is possible and calculates the transmission power during SR based on the received power value of a trigger frame (PSRR PPDU (Parameterized Spatial Reuse Reception PLCP Protocol Data Unit) in Figure 18) (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 5). Note that PLCP is an abbreviation for Physical Layer Convergence Protocol. PPDU may also be called a packet, PHY packet, PHY frame, PHY signal, or radio signal (radio transmission signal / radio reception signal). Furthermore, when a PPDU mainly contains data frames, the PPDU may also be called a data packet, transmission data / reception data, or data signal.

[0171] Fig. 19 is a diagram showing a third arrangement example of communication devices according to the present embodiment. Fig. 19 shows one AP and three STAs, STA1 to STA3. In Fig. 19, STA1 and STA3 are associated with the AP. Also in Fig. 19, STA1 and STA2 perform P2P communication.

[0172] As an example, the following describes an example in which SR is performed in an arrangement in which the AP and STAs having the configuration shown in the first embodiment are configured such that STA1 and STA3 are associated with the AP and STA1 and STA2 communicate via P2P, as shown in Fig. 19. The P2P link between STA1 and STA2 is referred to as P2P link1.

[0173] Fig. 20 is a diagram showing a first operation example for performing SR in the arrangement shown in Fig. 19. The horizontal axis in Fig. 20 represents the time axis. Fig. 20 shows the operation of each of the AP, STA1, STA2, and STA3 transmitting or receiving a signal (e.g., a frame or a packet). Note that the AP, STA1, STA2, and STA3 in Fig. 20 are arranged as shown in Fig. 19.

[0174] As shown in the operation example of Figure 20, an example is described in which SR is performed in a manner similar to PSRR PPDU spatial reuse using the received power values ​​of transmission packets (e.g., CTS (Clear To Send)) of STA1 and STA2 included in the P2P link.

[0175] The AP and STA1 perform P2P link registration after STA1 associates with the AP, as in the first embodiment. For example, a unique color may be specified for the P2P link by the P2P Register Response.

[0176] The AP transmits a Trigger frame (for example, MU-RTS TXS TF) that instructs P2P communication on P2P link 1 (see "MU-RTS TXS" in FIG. 20).

[0177] STA1 and STA2 transmit a CTS in response to the MU-RTS TXS TF, and then perform P2P communication. For example, in Fig. 20, STA1 transmits a CTS in response to the MU-RTS TXS TF, and STA2, having received the CTS transmitted by STA1, transmits a CTS in response to the CTS transmitted by STA1.

[0178] 20 illustrates an example in which STA2 transmits a CTS in response to the CTS from STA1, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, STA1 and STA2 may transmit a CTS simultaneously. Also, while FIG. 20 illustrates data transmission from STA1 to STA2 as P2P communication, transmission from STA2 to STA1 may also be included.

[0179] After receiving the MU-RTS TXS TF, STA3 receives the CTS sent by STA1 and STA2. Based on the received power value of the CTS, STA3 determines whether SR is possible and calculates the transmission power for SR.

[0180] For example, if SR is possible, SR is applied to data transmission from STA1 to STA2 and data transmission from STA3 to the AP shown in Figure 20. In other words, if SR is possible, data transmission from STA1 to STA2 and data transmission from STA3 to the AP may be performed using the same wireless resource (e.g., the same transmission frequency band). In this case, STA3 may transmit data to the AP using the calculated transmission power.

[0181] In this way, a STA receives a CTS transmitted by another STA and determines whether SR is possible based on the received power value of the CTS, thereby enabling SR and improving throughput.

[0182] Although an example of an operation in which the possibility of SR is determined based on the received power value of the CTS transmitted by the STA has been described, the present disclosure is not limited to this. The received power value used in determining the possibility of SR may be the received power value of a signal different from the CTS. For example, the STA may transmit a Trigger.

[0183] Fig. 21 is a diagram showing a second operation example for performing SR in the arrangement shown in Fig. 19. The horizontal axis in Fig. 21 represents the time axis. As in Fig. 20, Fig. 21 shows the operation of each of the AP, STA1, STA2, and STA3 transmitting or receiving a signal (e.g., a frame or a packet). Note that the AP, STA1, STA2, and STA3 in Fig. 21 are arranged as shown in Fig. 19.

[0184] For example, as shown in Fig. 21, STA1 may transmit a Trigger. As a result, STA3 can perform PSRR PPDU SR, similar to the example shown in Fig. 18, using the received power value measured upon receiving the Trigger transmitted by STA1 and the received power value measured upon receiving the signal transmitted by STA2 (Data transmitted from STA2 to STA1 in Fig. 21). Note that the signal transmitted by STA2 to be measured is not particularly limited. For example, the signal transmitted by STA2 to be measured may be data or control information.

[0185] The conditions under which a STA can send a Trigger may be limited. For example, the period during which a STA can send a Trigger may be limited to the TXOP period during which P2P communication is performed. The STA that can send a Trigger may also be limited to the STA that made the P2P Register Request. The STA that can send a Trigger may also be selected, for example, by negotiation among the STAs included in the P2P link when the P2P link is connected. In this case, the STA that makes the P2P Register Request may notify the AP in the P2P Register Request of information indicating the STAs that can send a Trigger. In this case, the STA that made the P2P Register Request and the STA that can send a Trigger may be different from each other.

[0186] In this way, the STA can perform PSRR PPDU SR by transmitting a Trigger, and performing SR improves throughput.

[0187] In the above-described embodiment, an example in which SR control and / or OFDMA control is performed between P2P links and an example in which SR control and / or OFDMA control is performed between a P2P link and an AP-STA is described, but the present disclosure is not limited to these. For example, a control different from the SR and OFDMA control may be performed between P2P links. Furthermore, for example, a control different from the SR and OFDMA control may be performed between a P2P link and an AP-STA.

[0188] In the above-described embodiment, an example of a frame configuration has been described, but the information to be notified is not limited to the information shown in the above-described embodiment, and for example, other information may be added, or at least part of the defined information may be deleted.

[0189] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the terms frame, element, field, and subfield are regions (ranges or configurations) included in a signal, and are examples of names for regions (ranges or configurations) in which information is set. These terms may be interpreted interchangeably.

[0190] Furthermore, the names of frame, element, field, subfield, and the like in the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described examples.

[0191] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiments have been described based on the 11be format as a non-limiting example, the format to which an embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied is not limited to the 11be format. An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to, for example, IEEE 802.11bd (NGV (Next Generation V2X)), a next-generation standard of IEEE 802.11p, which is an in-vehicle standard.

[0192] The present disclosure can be realized by software, hardware, or software in conjunction with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of the above embodiments may be partially or entirely realized as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit, and each process described in the above embodiments may be partially or entirely controlled by a single LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be composed of individual chips, or may be composed of a single chip that includes some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may have data input and output. Depending on the degree of integration, the LSI may also be called an IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI.

[0193] The integrated circuit method is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a dedicated processor. Also, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed after LSI manufacturing, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connections and settings of circuit cells within the LSI, may be used. The present disclosure may be realized as digital processing or analog processing.

[0194] Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSI emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, it is natural that such technology may be used to integrate functional blocks. The application of biotechnology, etc. is also a possibility.

[0195] The present disclosure may be implemented in any type of apparatus, device, or system (collectively referred to as a communications apparatus) that has a communications function. The communications apparatus may include a radio transceiver and processing / control circuitry. The radio transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, or both functions. The radio transceiver (transmitter and receiver) may include a radio frequency (RF) module and one or more antennas. The RF module may include an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, or the like. Non-limiting examples of communication devices include telephones (e.g., cell phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, notebooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (e.g., digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smartwatches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine devices, communication-enabled vehicles or mobile transportation (e.g., cars, airplanes, ships), and combinations of the above devices.

[0196] The communication devices are not limited to portable or mobile devices, but also include any kind of non-portable or fixed equipment, devices, and systems, such as smart home devices (such as home appliances, lighting equipment, smart meters or measuring devices, control panels, etc.), vending machines, and any other "things" that may exist on an IoT (Internet of Things) network.

[0197] Communications include data communications via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, communication satellite systems, and the like, as well as data communications via combinations of these.

[0198] A communications apparatus also includes devices such as controllers and sensors connected or coupled to a communications device that performs the communications functions described in this disclosure, such as controllers and sensors that generate control and data signals used by the communications device to perform the communications functions of the communications apparatus.

[0199] The communication apparatus also includes infrastructure facilities, such as base stations, access points, and any other apparatus, device, or system that communicates with or controls the various apparatuses listed above, but are not limited to these.

[0200] A communication device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first communication device, a control circuit for controlling communication in a first link between a second communication device and a third communication device connected to the first communication device, and a communication circuit for transmitting information instructing communication in the first link to the third communication device.

[0201] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the information instructing communication in the first link includes information identifying the second communication device and the third communication device that constitute the first link.

[0202] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication circuit receives information from the third communication device requesting registration of the first link, and the control circuit registers identification information that identifies the first link.

[0203] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit assigns identification information identifying the first link and identification information identifying the third communication device from a common range that can be set for the identification information identifying the first link and the identification information identifying the third communication device.

[0204] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication circuitry receives information from the third communication device indicating capabilities related to communication over the first link.

[0205] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication circuit notifies the identification information identifying the first link in the same format as the identification information identifying the third communication device.

[0206] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit assigns a color to each of the first links individually.

[0207] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication circuitry receives information regarding a transmit power on the first link.

[0208] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit controls communication between the first link and a second link different from the first link, the second link utilizing the same time-frequency resource, based on information regarding the transmission power of the first link.

[0209] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit determines whether to conduct communication using the same time-frequency resources between the first link and a third link between a fourth communication device connected to the first communication device and the first communication device.

[0210] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit determines whether to perform communication using the same time-frequency resources between the first link and the third link based on the received power of signals transmitted by the second communication device and the third communication device and received by the fourth communication device.

[0211] A communication method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first communication device controlling communication in a first link between a second communication device and a third communication device connected to the first communication device, and transmitting information instructing communication in the first link to the third communication device.

[0212] The disclosures of the specification, drawings and abstract contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-110552, filed on July 8, 2022, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0213] One embodiment of the present disclosure is useful in wireless communication systems.

[0214] 100 AP 101, 201, 201a, 201b Wireless transmission / reception unit 102, 202, 202a, 202b Transmission packet generation unit 103, 203, 203a, 203b Received packet decoding unit 104, 204, 204a, 204b Reception quality measurement unit 105, 205, 205a, 205b Control signal generation unit 106 Scheduling unit 110, 210 Control unit 206a Inter-AP communication control unit 206b P2P communication control unit 200 STA

Claims

1. A first communication device, A control circuit that controls communication in the first link between a second communication device and a third communication device connected to the first communication device, A communication circuit that transmits information instructing communication in the first link to at least the third communication device, A communication device equipped with the following features.

2. The first communication device is an access point (AP), The second communication device is a Non-AP STA, The third communication device is a Non-AP STA, The control circuit allocates at least a portion of the transmission opportunities acquired by the first communication device to communication on the first link. The information instructing communication in the first link includes identification information assigned to the first link. The communication device according to claim 1.

3. The information instructing communication in the first link includes information identifying the second and third communication devices that constitute the first link. The communication device according to claim 2.

4. The communication circuit receives information from the third communication device requesting an instruction for the first link. The control circuit provides identification information for identifying the first link. The communication device according to claim 2.

5. The communication circuit is Information instructing communication on the first link is transmitted to the second communication device and the third communication device. A response is received from one of the second communication device and the third communication device. The communication device according to claim 4.

6. The communication circuit is The response is received from the third communication device, and the response is not received from the second communication device. The communication device according to claim 4.

7. The control circuit assigns the identification information for identifying the first link and the identification information for identifying the third communication device from a common range that can be set for the identification information for identifying the first link and the identification information for identifying the third communication device. The communication device according to claim 4.

8. The communication circuit receives information from the third communication device indicating the capability for communication in the first link. The communication device according to claim 4.

9. The communication circuit notifies identification information for identifying the first link in the same format as identification information for identifying the third communication device. The communication device according to claim 4.

10. The control circuit specifies a color for each of the first links. The communication device according to claim 2.

11. The communication circuit receives information regarding the transmission power in the first link. The communication device according to claim 2.

12. The control circuit controls communication between the first link and a second link different from the first link, utilizing the same time-frequency resources, based on information regarding the transmission power in the first link. The communication device according to claim 11.

13. The control circuit determines whether to perform communication using the same time-frequency resources between the first link and the third link between the fourth communication device connected to the first communication device and the first communication device. The communication device according to claim 2.

14. The control circuit determines whether to perform communication between the first link and the third link using the same time-frequency resources, based on the received power of the signals transmitted by the second and third communication devices and received by the fourth communication device. The communication device according to claim 13.

15. The first communication device is Controlling communication in the first link between the second communication device and the third communication device connected to the first communication device, Information instructing communication on the first link is transmitted to at least the third communication device. Communication method.