Access point and terminal

Abstract

This access point has been authenticated for a high-priority communication operations and includes a management unit. The management unit transmits first information indicating whether or not to enable the high-priority communication operation, second information including a list of terminals to be subjected to the high-priority communication operation, and third information indicating a recommended channel and / or a recommended link to be used for data exchange by the terminal to be subjected to the high-priority communication operation. The access point performs high-priority communication data exchange using the terminal to be subjected to the high-priority communication operation and the recommended channel and / or the recommended link.

Description

Access points and terminals

[0001] The embodiments relate to an access point and a terminal.

[0002] The IEEE 802.11be standard, currently under development, is scheduled to specify EPCS (emergency preparedness communications service) priority access, a priority communication function for wireless LANs in emergencies. This EPCS priority access function prioritizes the transmission of safety confirmation information, emergency alerts, and other information in crowded environments such as evacuation shelters during disasters. In EPCS priority access, an access point (AP) and a terminal (STA) establish a communication connection by exchanging an EPCS Priority Access Enable Request frame / Response frame. During this frame exchange, a pre-authenticated AP queries an external network called a subscription service provider network (SSPN) via an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server to determine whether the STA exchanging the frame is an authenticated STA. As a result, the authenticated STA can perform high-priority communication using access parameters dedicated to EPCS.

[0003] IEEE P802.11beTM Draft4.1, “4.5.13 EPCS priority access”, p68, “9.6.35.6 EPCS Priority Access Enable Response frame format”, p324, “35.16.3 EPCS priority access procedure”, P656 - 658, September 2023

[0004] In EPCS priority access, only STAs that establish communication by exchanging frames with an authenticated AP are able to perform high-priority communication. In specific areas, such as exhibitions, offices, and factories, it is desirable to build a communication environment in which high-priority communication can be performed only by APs installed by the area owner and the STAs associated with those APs. If the EPCS priority access technology were applied as is to build such a communication environment, each STA that wishes to perform high-priority communication within the area would need to go through authentication procedures. Furthermore, if unnecessary STAs within the area were allowed to perform high-priority communication, the overall efficiency of communication would decrease. Therefore, it is important that STAs that can perform high-priority communication are properly managed.

[0005] The embodiments provide an access point and a terminal that can create a communication environment that can manage high-priority communication within a specific area through a simple procedure.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, an access point is an access point that has been authenticated for high-priority communication operation and includes a management unit. The management unit transmits first information indicating whether to enable the high-priority communication operation, second information including a list of terminals that are targets of the high-priority communication operation, and third information indicating recommended channels and / or recommended links that the terminals that are targets of the high-priority communication operation use for data exchange. The access point performs high-priority communication data exchange with the terminals that are targets of the high-priority communication operation using the recommended channels and / or recommended links.

[0007] According to the embodiment, an access point and a terminal are provided that can create a communication environment that can manage high-priority communication within a specific area through a simple procedure.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an AP. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a terminal. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an AP according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the format of a beacon frame transmitted before high priority communication is performed according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a terminal according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of an AP 10 including a high priority communication operation. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of a terminal 20 including a high priority communication operation.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 1 includes an access point (AP) 10, terminals 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, and 20-5, an AAA (authentication, authorization, accounting) server 30, and an SSPN (subscription service provider network) 40. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the AP 10 may be connected to a server other than the AAA server 30 via a network.

[0010] The AP 10 and the terminals 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, and 20-5 have wireless communication functions based on, for example, the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) reference model. In the OSI reference model, wireless communication functions are divided into seven layers (Layer 1: Physical Layer, Layer 2: Data Link Layer, Layer 3: Network Layer, Layer 4: Transport Layer, Layer 5: Session Layer, Layer 6: Presentation Layer, and Layer 7: Application Layer). The data link layer includes a Logical Link Control (LLC) sublayer and a Media Access Control (MAC) sublayer. In FIG. 1, the terminals 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, and 20-5 are located within the coverage area CA of the AP 10. Therefore, the AP 10 can communicate with each of the terminals 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, and 20-5. Although five terminals are shown in FIG. 1, the number of terminals is not limited to five.

[0011] Furthermore, the AP 10 and the terminals 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, and 20-5 support multi-link communication, which performs communication using two or more different wireless links. Therefore, the AP 10 includes an AP MLD and multiple affiliated APs. Furthermore, the terminals 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, and 20-5 each include a non-AP MLD and multiple affiliated STAs. The AP MLD is a multi-link device (MLD) in the AP 10, and is an entity configured to logically connect the terminals 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, and 20-5 wirelessly. The affiliated APs are entities configured to physically connect the terminals 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, and 20-5 wirelessly. In other words, the affiliated APs have a physical configuration for exchanging data via wireless links with the terminals. Furthermore, the non-AP MLD is a multi-link device (MLD) in the terminals 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, and 20-5, and is an entity configured to establish a logical wireless connection with the AP 10. The affiliated STA is an entity configured to establish a physical wireless connection with the affiliated AP. In other words, the affiliated STA has a physical configuration for exchanging data via a wireless link with the affiliated AP.

[0012] In the following description, terminals 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, and 20-5 have the same configuration. When there is no need to distinguish between terminals 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, and 20-5, they may be referred to as terminals 20.

[0013] Also, in FIG. 1 , AP 10 is connected to AAA server 30. The AAA server 30 and SSPN 40 are external networks for authenticating AP 10 as a managed AP, which is an area owner AP. In response to a request for authentication from AP 10, AAA server 30 queries SSPN 40 regarding whether authentication is possible. Then, AAA server 30 notifies SSPN 40 of the result of the query regarding whether authentication is possible. AP 10 authenticated by the managed AP can perform high-priority communication with terminals 20 within coverage area CA. Note that FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which AP 10 is authenticated by the managed AP using an EPCS priority access mechanism using the AAA server 30 and SSPN 40. Alternatively, AP 10 may be authenticated by the managed AP using other mechanisms, such as automated frequency coordination (AFC), which authenticates by connecting to an AFC system. In the following description, AP 10 is assumed to be authenticated by the managed AP. The AP 10 that has been authenticated by the management AP can perform high-priority communication in the coverage area CA, which will be described later.

[0014] Next, the hardware configuration of the AP and the terminal in the communication system according to the embodiment will be described.

[0015] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an AP 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the AP 10 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) 11, a read only memory (ROM) 12, a random access memory (RAM) 13, a wireless communication module 14, and a wired communication module 15.

[0016] The CPU 11 is a processing circuit that controls the overall operation of the AP 10. The ROM 12 is, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The ROM 12 stores programs and data for controlling the AP 10. The RAM 13 is, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory. The RAM 13 is used as a working area for the CPU 11. The wireless communication module 14 is a circuit used to send and receive data via wireless signals. The wireless communication module 14 is connected to an antenna. The wired communication module 15 is a circuit used to send and receive data via wired signals. The wired communication module 15 is connected to the AAA server 30.

[0017] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a terminal 20. As shown in Fig. 3, the terminal 20 includes, for example, a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, a wireless communication module 24, a display 25, and a storage 26. The terminal 20 is, for example, a wireless terminal such as a smartphone or a PC (personal computer).

[0018] The CPU 21 is a processing circuit that controls the overall operation of the terminal 20. The ROM 22 is, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The ROM 22 stores programs and data for controlling the terminal 20. The RAM 23 is, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory. The RAM 23 is used as a working area for the CPU 21. The wireless communication module 24 is a circuit used for transmitting and receiving data via wireless signals. The wireless communication module 24 is connected to an antenna. The display 25 is, for example, an LCD (liquid crystal display) or an EL (electro-luminescence) display. The display 25 displays a GUI (graphical user interface) corresponding to application software, etc. The storage 26 is a non-volatile storage device. The storage 26 stores system software, etc. of the terminal 20.

[0019] Next, the functional configuration of the AP and the terminal in the communication system according to the embodiment will be described.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an AP according to an embodiment. The AP 10 functions as a computer including a data processing unit 110, a frame processing unit 120, a management unit 130, and radio signal processing units 140, 150, and 160. The data processing unit 110 is a functional block that executes processing corresponding to the LLC sublayer of Layer 2 and Layers 3 to 7. The frame processing unit 120 and the management unit 130 are functional blocks that execute processing corresponding to the MAC sublayer of Layer 2. The radio signal processing units 140, 150, and 160 are functional blocks that execute processing corresponding to Layer 1. The data processing unit 110, the frame processing unit 120, and the management unit 130 can operate as an AP MLD. The frame processing unit 120 and the radio signal processing units 140, 150, and 160 can operate as an affiliated AP.

[0021] The data processing unit 110 outputs data input from a network (not shown) or the like via the LLC layer to the frame processing unit 120. The data processing unit 110 also outputs data input from the frame processing unit 120 via the LLC layer to the AAA server 30 or a network (not shown).

[0022] When data is input from the data processing unit 110 or the management unit 130, the frame processing unit 120 adds a MAC header to the input data to generate a MAC frame. The frame processing unit 120 then distributes the MAC frame to one of the radio signal processing units 140, 150, and 160. The frame processing unit 120 may determine the distribution destination of the MAC frame based on a traffic identifier (TID) associated with an access category. Furthermore, when a MAC frame is input from one of the radio signal processing units 140, 150, and 160, the frame processing unit 120 extracts data from the MAC frame and outputs the extracted data to the data processing unit 110 or the management unit 130 depending on the type of MAC frame. Specifically, when the MAC frame is a data frame, the frame processing unit 120 inputs the data to the data processing unit 110. When the MAC frame is a management frame or a control frame, the frame processing unit 120 inputs the data to the management unit 130.

[0023] The management unit 130 controls the logical wireless connection between the AP 10 and the terminal 20. For example, the management unit 130 executes wireless connection processing in response to an association request from the terminal 20. The wireless connection processing includes multi-link connection processing. The management unit 130 also generates, for example, beacon frames to notify the terminal 20 of information on whether the terminal 20 is a management STA that is the target of high-priority communication and information for specifying the channel and / or wireless link to be used by the management STA. A terminal 20 that is a management STA designated as the target of high-priority communication may communicate with the AP 10 with higher priority than other terminals 20 within the coverage area CA. For example, the management STA terminal 20 may communicate with the AP 10 with higher priority using access parameters dedicated to high-priority communication. The management unit 130 includes a beacon management unit 131 and a management STA list 132.

[0024] The beacon management unit 131 manages the generation and transmission of beacon frames to be notified to APs and terminals within the coverage area CA. The beacon frames generated in the embodiment include beacon frames for notifying information on whether the management STA is the target of high-priority communication as described above, and information for specifying the channel and / or wireless link to be used by the management STA. In addition, the beacon frames may include beacon frames for notifying multilink capabilities, access parameters, etc. for multilink connection processing.

[0025] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a format of a beacon frame transmitted before high-priority communication is performed in an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the example beacon frame includes a Managed Network field, a Managed STAs List field, a Recommended Channel field, and a Recommended Link ID field.

[0026] The Managed Network field is a field for storing information indicating whether high-priority communication operation is enabled. For example, when "disable" is stored in the Managed Network field, it indicates that high-priority communication operation is disabled, and when "enable" is stored, it indicates that high-priority communication operation is enabled. In other words, when "disable" is stored in the Managed Network field, it indicates that the AP 10 does not operate as a managed AP, and when "enable" is stored in the Managed Network field, it indicates that the AP 10 operates as a managed AP. "Disable" and "Enable" may be represented by numerical values ​​of 0 and 1, for example.

[0027] The Managed STAs List field is a field for storing the managed STA list 132. The managed STA list 132 will be described later.

[0028] The Recommended Channel field is a field for storing information on a recommended channel to be used for high-priority communication with the management STA terminal 20. When the management STA terminal 20 desires high-priority communication, it switches the connection channel with the AP 10 to the channel specified in the Recommended Channel field. Here, the Recommended Channel field may store information on two or more recommended channels.

[0029] The Recommended Link ID field is a field for storing information on the link ID of a recommended link to be used for high-priority communication with the management STA terminal 20. When the management STA terminal 20 desires high-priority communication, it switches to the wireless link specified in the Recommended Link ID field. Here, the Recommended Link ID field may store information on two or more recommended links.

[0030] The Recommended Channel field and the Recommended Link ID field do not necessarily have to both be included in the beacon frame, but as shown in FIG.

[0031] The management STA list 132 is a list of management STAs targeted for management of high-priority communications by the management AP, which is the AP of the area owner. The management STA list 132 includes information indicating the terminal 20 designated as the management STA. The information indicating the terminal 20 designated as the management STA may be the MAC address of each terminal 20 or a portion thereof, or a predetermined unique ID specific to each terminal 20. Furthermore, the information indicating the terminal 20 designated as the management STA may not directly indicate each terminal 20, but may instead be information indicating the device type of the terminal 20. The device type is information indicating the category to which the terminal 20 belongs. When the information indicating the terminal 20 designated as the management STA is given by device type, all terminals 20 having the same device type, such as smartphones, are identified as terminals 20 designated as the management STA. Here, the management STA list 132 may be created by the area owner, for example, when the management AP is installed.

[0032] The radio signal processing units 140, 150, and 160 generate radio frames by adding preambles and the like to the MAC frames input from the frame processing unit 120. The radio signal processing units 140, 150, and 160 convert the generated radio frames into radio signals. The radio signal processing units 140, 150, and 160 then radiate (transmit) the converted radio signals via antennas. The conversion process from radio frames to radio signals includes, for example, convolutional coding, interleaving, subcarrier modulation, inverse fast Fourier transform, OFDM modulation, and frequency conversion. The radio signal processing units 140, 150, and 160 also convert radio signals received via antennas into radio frames. The conversion process from radio signals to radio frames includes, for example, frequency conversion, OFDM demodulation, fast Fourier transform, subcarrier demodulation, deinterleaving, and Viterbi decoding. The radio signal processing units 140, 150, and 160 extract MAC frames from the converted radio frames. Then, the radio signal processing units 140, 150, and 160 output the extracted MAC frames to the frame processing unit 120. Here, the radio signal processing units 140, 150, and 160 are configured to transmit and receive radio signals using different frequency bands or channels. That is, the radio signal processing units 140, 150, and 160 can form different radio links with the terminal 20. Each radio link can be distinguished by a link ID.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a terminal according to an embodiment. The terminal 20 functions as a computer including a data processing unit 210, a frame processing unit 220, a management unit 230, radio signal processing units 240, 250, and 260, and an application execution unit 270. The data processing unit 210 is a functional block that executes processing corresponding to the LLC sublayer of layer 2 and layers 3 to 7. The frame processing unit 220 and the management unit 230 are functional blocks that execute processing corresponding to the MAC sublayer of layer 2. The radio signal processing units 240, 250, and 260 are functional blocks that execute processing corresponding to layer 1. Furthermore, the data processing unit 210, the frame processing unit 220, and the management unit 230 can operate as a non-AP MLD. The frame processing unit 220 and the radio signal processing units 240, 250, and 260 can operate as affiliated STAs.

[0034] The data processing unit 210 outputs data input from the application execution unit 270 via the LLC layer to the frame processing unit 220. The data processing unit 210 also outputs data input from the frame processing unit 220 to the application execution unit 270 via the LLC layer.

[0035] When data is input from the data processing unit 210 or the management unit 230, the frame processing unit 220 adds a MAC header to the input data to generate a MAC frame. The frame processing unit 220 then distributes the MAC frame to one of the radio signal processing units 240, 250, and 260. The frame processing unit 220 may determine the distribution destination of the MAC frame based on the TID associated with the access category. Furthermore, when a MAC frame is input from the radio signal processing units 240, 250, and 260, the frame processing unit 220 extracts data from the MAC frame and outputs the extracted data to the data processing unit 210 or the management unit 230 based on the type of the MAC frame. Specifically, when the MAC frame is a data frame, the frame processing unit 220 inputs the data to the data processing unit 210. When the MAC frame is a management frame or a control frame, the frame processing unit 220 inputs the data to the management unit 230.

[0036] The management unit 230 controls the logical wireless connection between the terminal 20 and the AP 10. For example, the management unit 230 generates an association request based on a beacon frame from the AP 10. The management unit 230 also manages the transition of the channel and / or the transition of the wireless link used for connection with the AP 10 based on the beacon from the AP 10. The management unit 230 includes a determination unit 231, a channel setting unit 232, and a link setting unit 233.

[0037] The determination unit 231 determines whether or not the received beacon frame is a beacon frame from the management AP based on the information stored in the Managed Network field of the beacon frame received from AP 10, and when it determines that the received beacon frame is a beacon frame from the management AP, it determines whether or not the own station is a management STA based on the management STA list 132 stored in the Managed STAs List field.

[0038] The channel setting unit 232 sets a channel to be used for wireless connection with the AP 10 based on whether the local station is a management STA. Specifically, if the local station is determined to be a management STA, the channel setting unit 232 sets the channel specified in the Recommended Channel field to be used for wireless connection with the AP 10. On the other hand, if the local station is determined not to be a management STA, the channel setting unit 232 sets a channel other than the channel specified in the Recommended Channel field to be used for wireless connection with the AP 10. Here, if there is no channel other than the channel specified in the Recommended Channel field, the channel setting unit 232 sets the channel to be used to be any of the channels specified in the Recommended Channel field.

[0039] The link setting unit 233 sets a wireless link to be used for wireless connection with the AP 10 based on whether the local station is a management STA. Specifically, if the local station is determined to be a management STA, the link setting unit 233 sets the wireless link with the link ID specified in the Recommended Link ID field to be used for wireless connection with the AP 10. On the other hand, if the local station is determined not to be a management STA, the link setting unit 233 sets the wireless link with the AP 10 to be used for wireless connection with the AP 10 other than the wireless link with the link ID specified in the Recommended Link ID field. Here, if there is no wireless link other than the wireless link with the link ID specified in the Recommended Link ID field, the link setting unit 233 sets the wireless link with any of the link IDs specified in the Recommended Link ID field to be used.

[0040] The radio signal processing units 240, 250, and 260 generate radio frames by adding preambles and the like to the MAC frames input from the frame processing unit 220. The radio signal processing units 240, 250, and 260 convert the generated radio frames into radio signals. The radio signal processing units 240, 250, and 260 then radiate (transmit) the converted radio signals via antennas. The conversion process from radio frames to radio signals includes, for example, convolutional coding, interleaving, subcarrier modulation, inverse fast Fourier transform, OFDM modulation, and frequency conversion. The radio signal processing units 240, 250, and 260 also convert radio signals received via antennas into radio frames. The conversion process from radio signals to radio frames includes, for example, frequency conversion, OFDM demodulation, fast Fourier transform, subcarrier demodulation, deinterleaving, and Viterbi decoding. The radio signal processing units 240, 250, and 260 extract MAC frames from the converted radio frames. Then, the radio signal processing units 240, 250, and 260 output the extracted MAC frames to the frame processing unit 220. The radio signal processing units 240, 250, and 260 are configured to transmit and receive radio signals using different frequency bands or channels. That is, the radio signal processing units 240, 250, and 260 may form different wireless links with the AP 10. Each wireless link may be distinguished by a link ID. For example, the radio signal processing unit 240 is configured to transmit and receive radio signals using the same frequency band or channel as the radio signal processing unit 140. The radio signal processing unit 250 is configured to transmit and receive radio signals using the same frequency band or channel as the radio signal processing unit 150. The radio signal processing unit 260 is configured to transmit and receive radio signals using the same frequency band or channel as the radio signal processing unit 160.

[0041] Next, a high-priority communication operation in the communication system according to the embodiment will be described. Prior to the following description, it is assumed that the AP 10 has been authenticated as a management AP by making an inquiry to the AAA server 30 and the SSPN 40.

[0042] 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the AP 10, including the high-priority communication operation. The process in FIG. 7 is executed repeatedly at regular intervals, for example.

[0043] In step S1, the beacon management unit 131 of the AP 10 transmits a beacon frame for high-priority communication. As shown in FIG. 5, the beacon frame includes a Managed Network field, a Managed STAs List field, a Recommended Channel field, and a Recommended Link ID field. The beacon management unit 131 stores "enable," which indicates that high-priority communication operation is enabled, in the Managed Network field of the beacon frame. The beacon management unit 131 also stores information contained in the currently managed STA list 132 in the Managed STAs List field. Furthermore, the beacon management unit 131 stores information indicating a recommended channel to be used for communication with the management STA in the Recommended Channel field and / or stores information indicating a link ID of a recommended link to be used for communication with the management STA in the Recommended Link ID field. The recommended channel and / or the recommended link is, for example, a channel and / or a wireless link with the greatest received signal strength indicator (RSSI). The recommended channel and / or the recommended link may be determined by any method, such as being fixedly determined in advance.

[0044] In step S2, the management unit 130 determines whether or not a connection request, i.e., an association request, has been received from the terminal 20. If it is determined in step S2 that a connection request has been received from the terminal 20, the process proceeds to step S3. If it is determined in step S2 that a connection request has not been received from the terminal 20, the process proceeds to step S4.

[0045] In step S3, the management unit 130 performs a connection process to establish a wireless link with the terminal 20 that has requested the connection. Details of the connection process will not be described here. Here, in step S3, the management unit 130 may establish a multi-link with the terminal 20.

[0046] In step S4, the management unit 130 determines whether or not to perform data exchange using a recommended channel or a recommended link. In the case of data exchange with a terminal 20 wirelessly connected via a recommended channel or a recommended link, i.e., a management STA, the management unit 130 determines that data exchange will be performed using a recommended channel or a recommended link. If it is determined in step S4 that data exchange will be performed using a recommended channel or a recommended link, the process proceeds to step S5. If it is determined in step S4 that data exchange will not be performed using a recommended channel or a recommended link, the process proceeds to step S6.

[0047] In step S5, the AP 10 performs prioritized data exchange with the terminal 20. The process of FIG. 7 then ends. In prioritized data exchange, data exchange is performed using access parameters dedicated to high-priority communication. The access parameters include CWmin, CWmax, arbitration interframe space (AIFS), and transmission opportunity (TXOP) limit. CWmin and CWmax indicate the minimum and maximum values ​​of the contention window, respectively. The contention window is a parameter used to calculate backoff, which is a transmission waiting time for collision avoidance. In other words, the smaller CWmin and CWmax tend to shorten the backoff time, thereby enabling prioritized data exchange. AIFS is a fixed transmission waiting time set for each access category of traffic. For example, in high-priority communication, it is set to the minimum transmission waiting time regardless of the access category. TXOP limit indicates the upper limit of TXOP, which is the channel occupation period. The larger the TXOPLimit, the more transmission opportunities are available, and therefore data exchange can be performed with priority. The access parameters dedicated to high-priority communication may be the same as the EPCS dedicated access parameters used in EPCS priority access.

[0048] Here, the access parameters may be included in the beacon frame in step S1 and notified to each terminal 20, or may be notified to the terminal 20 during the connection process in step S3.

[0049] In step S6, the management unit 130 determines whether or not to perform data exchange using a non-recommended channel or a non-recommended link. In the case of data exchange with a terminal 20 that is wirelessly connected via a channel or wireless link that is neither a recommended channel nor a recommended link, i.e., an STA that is not the management STA, the management unit 130 determines to perform data exchange using a non-recommended channel or a non-recommended link. If it is determined in step S6 that data exchange is to be performed using a non-recommended channel or a non-recommended link, the processing proceeds to step S7. If it is determined in step S6 that data exchange is not to be performed using a non-recommended channel or a non-recommended link, the processing of FIG. 7 ends.

[0050] In step S7, the AP 10 performs normal data exchange with the terminal 20. Then, the process in FIG. 7 ends. In the normal data exchange, data exchange is performed using normal access parameters. For example, the access parameters can be determined depending on the type of traffic to be exchanged.

[0051] 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the terminal 20, including the high-priority communication operation. The process of FIG. 8 is executed repeatedly at regular intervals, for example.

[0052] In step S21, the management unit 230 of the terminal 20 determines whether or not a beacon frame has been received. If it is determined in step S21 that a beacon frame has been received, the process proceeds to step S22. If it is determined in step S21 that a beacon frame has not been received, the process of FIG. 8 ends.

[0053] In step S22, the determination unit 231 determines whether the Managed Network field of the beacon frame is enabled. If it is determined in step S22 that the Managed Network field is enabled, the process proceeds to step S23. If it is determined in step S22 that the Managed Network field is disabled, the process proceeds to step S26.

[0054] In step S23, the determination unit 231 acquires the managed STA list 132 from the Managed STAs List field of the beacon frame, and determines whether or not the local station belongs to the managed STA list 132. If it is determined in step S23 that the local station belongs to the managed STA list 132, the process proceeds to step S24. If it is determined in step S23 that the local station does not belong to the managed STA list 132, the process proceeds to step S25.

[0055] In step S24, the channel setting unit 232 requests the AP 10 to connect to the channel specified in the Recommended Channel field. Alternatively, the link setting unit 233 requests the AP 10 to connect to the wireless link of the link ID specified in the Recommended Link ID field. Here, when information is stored in both the Recommended Channel field and the Recommended Link ID field, either the channel setting unit 232 or the link setting unit 233 may request the AP 10 to connect to a channel or wireless link that satisfies both conditions.

[0056] In step S25, the channel setting unit 232 requests the AP 10 to transition to a non-recommended channel other than the channel specified in the Recommended Channel field. Alternatively, the link setting unit 233 requests the AP 10 to transition to a non-recommended link other than the link ID specified in the Recommended Link ID field. Here, when information is stored in both the Recommended Channel field and the Recommended Link ID field, either the channel setting unit 232 or the link setting unit 233 may request the AP 10 to transition to a non-recommended link that does not satisfy either condition. Furthermore, the method for selecting the non-recommended channel or non-recommended link to transition to may be arbitrary. For example, the channel or wireless link with the largest RSSI among the non-recommended channels or non-recommended links may be selected.

[0057] In step S26, if it is necessary to belong to the AP 10, the channel setting unit 232 or the link setting unit 233 makes a connection request to the AP 10. Since the AP 10 is not a management AP, the terminal 20 can make a connection request to any link.

[0058] In step S27, the terminal 20 determines whether or not to exchange data with the AP 10. If it is determined in step S27 that data exchange with the AP 10 is to be performed, the process proceeds to step S28. If it is determined in step S27 that data exchange with the AP 10 is not to be performed, the process in FIG. 8 ends.

[0059] In step S28, the terminal 20 exchanges data with the AP 10. The processing of FIG. 8 then ends. Here, when the Managed Network field is enable, data exchange with the AP 10 is performed using the wireless link transitioned to in step S24 or step S25. For example, among the terminals 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, and 20-5 shown in FIG. 1, when only the terminals 20-1, 20-2, and 20-3 belong to the managed STA list 132, the terminals 20-1, 20-2, and 20-3 may exchange data using the recommended link designated by the AP 10. On the other hand, the terminals 20-4 and 20-5 may exchange data using a non-recommended link other than the recommended link designated by the AP 10. As described above, preferred data exchange using access parameters dedicated to high-priority communication may be performed on the recommended link. On the other hand, data exchange using normal access parameters may be performed on the non-recommended link.

[0060] As described above, in the embodiment, a pre-authenticated management AP manages terminals to which it grants permission for high-priority communication in the form of a management STA list, thereby enabling high-priority communication operations similar to EPCS priority access to be performed without the need for authentication procedures for each terminal. In this way, in the embodiment, a communication environment in which high-priority communication within a specific area can be managed through a simple procedure can be created. Therefore, the technology of the embodiment can be easily applied to specific areas such as exhibitions, offices, factories, etc., even in times of disaster.

[0061] Furthermore, terminals not belonging to the management STA list exchange data using non-recommended channels other than the recommended channels or non-recommended links other than the recommended links. This reduces interference to the recommended channels or recommended links caused by terminals not belonging to the management STA list. Furthermore, data exchange on the recommended channels and / or recommended links is performed using access parameters dedicated to high-priority communication. This allows for higher-priority communication between the management AP and the management STA.

[0062] (Modifications) Modifications of the embodiments will be described below. In the above-described embodiments, the AP 10 and the terminal 20 support multi-link, but the AP 10 and the terminal 20 do not necessarily support multi-link. In other words, the technology of the embodiments can also be applied to an AP and a terminal that support only single-link. In the case of single-link, for example, a terminal 20 that belongs to the coverage area CA of the AP 10 connects to the AP 10 using the same channel. On the other hand, the access parameters used for data exchange may differ depending on whether or not the terminal belongs as a management STA. Specifically, the management STA may exchange data using access parameters dedicated to high-priority communication. On the other hand, a STA that is not the management STA may exchange data using normal access parameters.

[0063] Furthermore, the next major standard of IEEE 802.11be is scheduled to define a multi-AP system in which one terminal establishes a wireless link with another AP to exchange data. The technology of the embodiment can also be applied to such a multi-AP system. In the case of a multi-AP system, the recommended channel and / or the recommended link can be set to include APs under the control of the management AP.

[0064] In the embodiment, an example is shown in which the Managed Network field, the Managed STAs List field, the Recommended Channel field, and the Recommended Link ID field as information for high-priority communication operations are stored in a beacon frame. This information for high-priority communication operations can be stored in various MAC frames other than beacon frames, such as a probe request, a probe response, an association request, and an association response.

[0065] The processes in the AP 10 and the terminal 20 can also be stored as programs that can be executed by a processor, which is a computer. Alternatively, they can be stored and distributed in a storage medium of an external storage device such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or semiconductor memory. The processors of the AP 10 and the terminal 20 can then load the programs stored in the storage medium of the external storage device and execute various processes by having their operations controlled by the loaded programs.

[0066] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments may be implemented in appropriate combinations, in which case the combined effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by combining selected elements from the disclosed elements. For example, if the problem can be solved and the desired effect can be obtained even if some elements are deleted from all elements shown in the embodiments, the configuration from which these elements are deleted can be extracted as an invention.

[0067] 1...Communication system 10...Access point (AP) 11...CPU 12...ROM 13...RAM 14...Wireless communication module 15...Wired communication module 20, 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, 20-5...Terminal 21...CPU 22...ROM 23...RAM 24...Wireless communication module 25...Display 26...Storage 30...AAA server 110...Data processing unit 120...Frame processing unit 130...Management unit 131...Beacon management unit 132...Managed STA list 140, 150, 160...Wireless signal processing unit 210...Data processing unit 220...Frame processing unit 230...Management unit 231...Discrimination unit 232...Channel setting unit 233...Link setting unit 240, 250, 260...Wireless signal processing unit 270...Application execution unit

Claims

1. An access point that has received authentication for high-priority communication operations, comprising: a management unit that transmits first information indicating whether to enable high-priority communication operations, second information including a list of terminals targeted for high-priority communication operations, and third information indicating a recommended channel and / or recommended link used by the terminals targeted for high-priority communication operations for data exchange; and the access point that performs data exchange for high-priority communication using the recommended channel and / or recommended link with the terminals targeted for high-priority communication operations.

2. The access point according to claim 1, wherein dedicated access parameters for high-priority communication are used in the data exchange for high-priority communication.

3. The access point according to claim 1, wherein the management unit stores and transmits the first information, the second information, and the third information in a beacon frame.

4. A terminal comprising: a determination unit that receives first information indicating whether to enable high-priority communication operations, second information including a list of terminals targeted for high-priority communication operations, and third information indicating a recommended channel and / or recommended link used by the terminals targeted for high-priority communication operations for data exchange, and determines whether the local station is a terminal targeted for high-priority communication operations based on the first information and the second information; and a setting unit that, when it is determined that the local station is a terminal targeted for high-priority communication operations, sets the local station to transition to the recommended channel and / or recommended link specified by the third information.

5. The terminal according to claim 4, wherein the setting unit sets the local station to transition to a channel and / or wireless link other than the recommended channel and / or recommended link specified by the third information when it is determined that the local station is not a terminal targeted for high-priority communication operations.

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