Wireless communication device, control method, and program

Abstract

A wireless communication device conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series standard determines whether or not a primary channel of a Basic Service Set (BSS) to which a wireless communication device belongs is in a busy state, transmits an occupancy request frame requesting securement of a transmission opportunity (TXOP) in one or more channels different from the primary channel when it is determined that the primary channel is in a busy state, and executes prescribed communication for transmitting data without using the primary channel depending on a response to the occupancy request frame. The occupancy request frame includes prescribed information with which it is identifiable that securement of the TXOP for the prescribed communication is requested.

Description

Wireless communication device, control method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless communication device, a control method, and a program that conform to the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0002] The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard is known as a communication standard for wireless local area networks (LANs). The IEEE 802.11be standard and its successor, the IEEE 802.11bn standard, are designed to reduce communication delays and improve channel utilization efficiency. Patent Document 1 describes a technique for performing communication using other channels when a primary channel (PCH) used to acquire a transmission opportunity is unavailable.

[0003] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 11,696,353

[0004] To initiate Non-Primary Channel (NPCH) communication that does not include the primary channel, a control signal is required to notify the receiving side of the communication and to confirm the status. In the conventional IEEE 802.11 standard, if a control signal is not detected on the primary channel but is detected on another channel, the receiving side often interprets this as an error. On the other hand, if a new frame is defined as in Patent Document 1, a frame for securing a transmission opportunity and a new frame must be transmitted, which can result in time overhead. Furthermore, it is necessary to confirm whether the wireless communication device on the other end can interpret the new frame, which can result in the transmission of an additional signal.

[0005] As described above, the problem is that it is not convenient to carry out communications that do not include the primary channel.

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the wireless communication device of the present invention is a wireless communication device compatible with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, and comprises: a determination means for determining whether a primary channel of a Basic Service Set (BSS) to which the wireless communication device belongs is busy; a transmission means for transmitting an occupation request frame in one or more channels different from the primary channel, when the determination means determines that the primary channel is busy, to request the reservation of a transmission opportunity (TXOP) in said channel; and a communication control means for executing a predetermined communication to transmit data without using the primary channel in response to the occupation request frame, wherein the occupation request frame includes predetermined information capable of identifying a request to reserve a TXOP for the predetermined communication.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the convenience of carrying out communications that do not include a primary channel.

[0008] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same or similar elements are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0009] The accompanying drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention, and together with the description are used to explain the principles of the present invention. A configuration diagram of a communication system according to this embodiment A hardware configuration diagram of a communication device according to this embodiment A software configuration diagram of a communication device according to this embodiment A diagram showing the relationship between the MAC layer and the PHY layer A diagram showing the arrangement of elements in a Beacon frame A diagram of the HT operation element A diagram of the structure of HT Operation Information A diagram of the VHT operation element A diagram of the structure of VHT Operation Information A diagram of the HE operation element A diagram of the EHT operation element Non-HT 1 is a diagram showing the structure of the SERVICE field of a PPDU; 2 is a diagram showing an example of setting the value of TXVECTOR; 3 is a diagram showing an example of setting the value of RXVECTOR; 4 is a diagram showing an example of setting the value of RXVECTOR for NPCH communication; 5 is a diagram showing an example of setting the value of RXVECTOR for NPCH communication; 6 is a sequence diagram showing a first embodiment; 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by an AP according to the first embodiment; 8 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by a wireless communication device on the transmitting side according to the first embodiment; 9 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by a wireless communication device on the receiving side (non-AP STA) according to the first embodiment; 10 is a diagram showing an example of processing performed by a wireless communication device on the receiving side (non-AP STA) according to the first embodiment;

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0011] <Explanation of Terms> Primary Channel (PCH): Refers to a 20 MHz channel that is required to be idle during transmission in standards up to the IEEE 802.11be standard.

[0012] Channel Wider: A concept introduced in the IEEE 802.11n standard when adjacent 20 MHz channels were bonded to create a 40 MHz bandwidth. In this case, the original 20 MHz is sometimes referred to as P20 (Primary 20), and the bonded channel is sometimes referred to as S20 (Secondary 20). Bandwidth is sometimes referred to as Channel Width.

[0013] Bandwidth Signaling: A bandwidth negotiation procedure introduced in the 802.11ac standard. The IEEE 802.11be standard allows for bandwidths up to 320 MHz.

[0014] Non-Primary Channel (NPCH) communication: Communication that occurs even if the PCH is busy (not idle). In NPCH communication, no bandwidth is reserved on the PCH.

[0015] SPCH (Secondary Primary Channel): A 20 MHz channel that takes the place of PCH during NPCH communication.

[0016] <Configuration of Communication System> The configuration of a wireless communication system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0017] The wireless communication system 1 includes access points (AP) 101 and 104 (hereinafter, may be referred to indistinguishably as APs), terminals (STA) 102, 103, 105, and 106 (hereinafter, may be referred to indistinguishably as STAs), and a distributed system (DS) 107.

[0018] APs 101 and 104 are wireless communication devices that communicate with terminals (STAs) that may be located within the areas indicated by circles in Fig. 1. In Fig. 1, the solid circle indicates the range (service area) in which communication with AP 101 is possible, and the dotted circle indicates the range in which communication with AP 104 is possible. Note that in the example of Fig. 1, STAs 102, 103, and 106 are located within the service area of ​​AP 101, and STAs 103, 105, and 106 are located within the service area of ​​AP 104, but the number of STAs is not limited. APs 101 and 104 manage Basic Service Sets (BSSs), and the BSS managed by AP 104 is an Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) for AP 101.

[0019] STAs 102, 103, 105, and 106 are wireless communication devices that connect to an AP and perform communication. The STAs are sometimes called non-access point terminals (non-AP STAs). In this embodiment, the STAs 102 and 103 are assumed to be connected to the AP 101, and the STAs 105 and 106 are assumed to be connected to the AP 104. In this embodiment, the STAs 102 and 104 are assumed to be hidden terminals. The AP 101 and the STAs 102 and 103 can exchange wireless frames conforming to the IEEE 802.11bn standard, which is the successor to the IEEE 802.11be standard and targets a maximum transmission speed of 46.08 Gbps, to perform data communication. The AP 104 and the STAs 105 and 106 can also exchange wireless frames conforming to the IEEE 802.11bn standard to perform data communication. IEEE 802.11bn, the successor standard to IEEE 802.11be, lists high-reliability communication, low-latency communication, and improved throughput during congestion as its main features. Wireless frames communicated under this successor standard are also called UHR (Ultra High Reliability) PPDU. PPDU stands for Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit. Note that the name UHR was established for convenience based on the goals to be achieved by the successor standard and the key features of the standard, and may be renamed once the standard is fully established. Similarly, the name IEEE 802.11bn may be renamed once the standard is fully established. However, it should be noted that this specification and the appended claims are essentially applicable to all successor standards to the 802.11be standard. Furthermore, although each device is described as supporting UHR PPDU communication (transmission and reception), it is also configured to support PPDU communication of legacy standards that predate the UHR standard. Specifically, the AP 101 and the STA 102 are configured to support PPDU transmission and reception of IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be standards, etc. Furthermore, in this embodiment, PPDUs corresponding to standards prior to the IEEE 802.11n standard (High Throughput standard) are referred to as non-HT PPDUs.

[0020] The DS 107 is a network device that provides the APs 101 and 104 with a distributed system access function (DSAF) and can connect to other BSSs and external networks in addition to the BSSs managed by the APs 101 and 104. This access function may be wired communication such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or a telephone line. Alternatively, this access function may be wireless communication such as LTE (Long-Term Evolution) or WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). Furthermore, it may be a wireless LAN conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard. In this case, the wireless channel used for communication between the DS 107 and the AP may be the same as or different from the wireless channel used for communication between the AP and the STA.

[0021] 2 shows a hardware configuration applicable to a wireless communication device including an AP and a STA according to this embodiment. The wireless communication device includes, as an example of the hardware configuration, a storage unit 201, a control unit 202, a function unit 203, an input unit 204, an output unit 205, a communication unit 206, and an antenna 207.

[0022] The storage unit 201 is configured with memories such as read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM), and stores various information such as programs for performing various operations described below and communication parameters for wireless communication. Note that the storage unit 201 may use storage media such as a flexible disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, magnetic tape, non-volatile memory card, and DVD instead of or in addition to memories such as ROM and RAM. The storage unit 201 may also be equipped with multiple memories such as those described above.

[0023] The control unit 202 is configured with, for example, a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessing unit (MPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. The control unit 202 controls the operation of the entire AP by executing a program stored in the storage unit 201. Note that the control unit 202 may control the operation of the entire AP in cooperation with the program stored in the storage unit 201 and an operating system (OS). The control unit 202 may also be equipped with multiple processors, such as a multi-core processor, and control the operation of the entire AP.

[0024] The control unit 202 also controls the function unit 203 to execute predetermined processes such as the AP function, the STA function, image capture, printing, and projection that the function unit 203 has.

[0025] The functional unit 203 is hardware that enables the AP or STA to execute predetermined processing. For example, the functional unit 203 may have functions such as an AP function, an STA function, an image capturing function, a printing function, and a projection function. If the wireless communication device has at least one of the image capturing function, the printing function, and the projection function, the wireless communication device may be a multifunction printer, a projector, or the like.

[0026] The input unit 204 has an input interface that receives various operations from the user. The output unit 205 has an output interface that outputs various types of information to the user. Here, the output by the output unit 205 includes at least one of display on a screen, audio output by a speaker, vibration output, etc. Note that the functions of both the input unit 204 and the output unit 205 may be realized by a single module, such as a touch panel.

[0027] The communication unit 206 controls wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series, wireless communication conforming to Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and IP (Internet Protocol) communication. Furthermore, the communication unit 206 controls the antenna 207 to transmit and receive wireless signals for wireless communication. That is, the communication unit 206 cooperates with the antenna 207 to transmit and receive wireless frames such as the UHR PPDU described above.

[0028] 2, for simplicity, the antenna 207 is illustrated as including one antenna, but may include multiple antennas. Generally, the antenna 207 includes antennas in a number corresponding to the number of spatial streams. Note that the communication unit 206 and the antenna 207 include radio frequency (RF) chains in a number corresponding to the corresponding frequency bands (2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 6 GHz band) and the corresponding number of streams.

[0029] 3 shows a software configuration diagram of the wireless communication device. The wireless communication device includes, as an example, a wireless LAN control unit 301, an NPCH communication control unit 302, a punctured communication control unit 303, a bandwidth control unit 304, a 20 MHz communication control unit 305, and a storage unit 306. The wireless communication device also includes a user interface (UI) control unit 307 and an antenna control unit 308.

[0030] The wireless LAN control unit 301 includes circuits for transmitting and receiving wireless signals to and from other wireless LAN devices (e.g., other APs or STAs) and programs for controlling these circuits. The wireless communication device uses the wireless LAN control unit 301 to perform wireless LAN communication control, such as frame generation and frame transmission, and reception of wireless frames from other wireless communication devices, in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series.

[0031] The NPCH communication control unit 302 attempts to control communication in the NPCH when the PCH is busy.

[0032] The punctured communication control unit 303 executes communication in a configuration in which no signal including a preamble exists in an adjacent 20 MHz channel in a certain bandwidth.

[0033] The bandwidth control unit 304 combines 20 MHz to perform communication. The 20 MHz communication control unit 305 performs NPCH communication when the bandwidth used for communication is 20 MHz.

[0034] The storage unit 306 includes a storage device such as a ROM or RAM that stores programs executed by the AP and various data.

[0035] The UI control unit 307 includes hardware related to a user interface (UI), such as a touch panel or buttons, for accepting user operations on the wireless communication device, and a program for controlling these. The UI control unit 307 may also have a function for presenting information to the user, such as displaying images or outputting audio. The antenna control unit 308 controls the antenna function.

[0036] FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the MAC layer and the PHY layer that constitute a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), which is a frame conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0037] Training Symbols 401 is a two-octet field that is a training symbol. Here, an octet indicates a data size similar to a byte, and one octet is eight bits. Header 402 is a two-octet field that is a physical layer (PHY) header. Details will be described later with reference to 406 to 411. Physical Service Data Unit (PSDU) 403 is a six-octet field that indicates a data unit of a service that the PHY provides to the upper layer (MAC layer).

[0038] Tail Bit 404 is a 0 or 6-octet field indicating the tail bits of the PDU. Padding 405 is a 0 or 6-octet field indicating the padding of the PPDU.

[0039] RATE 406 is a 4-bit field that stores data indicating the transmission speed of the frame. Reserved 407 is a reserved area (1 bit long). LENGTH 408 is a 12-bit field that indicates the frame length. Parity 409 is a 1-bit field that indicates a code that is calculated and added so that errors that occur during frame transmission can be detected. Tail 410 is a 6-bit field that is the tail bit of the PHY header. Service 411 is a 12-bit service field.

[0040] Next, we will explain the structure of the MAC frame stored in PSDU 403. Frame Control 412 is a two-octet frame control field that includes ten subfields and indicates the type (such as Management / Control / Data) and the transmission direction.

[0041] Duration 413 is a two-octet field that indicates the length of a predetermined period. For example, Duration 413 indicates the frame length or the length of the transmission opportunity (TXOP) requested by the frame. The most significant bit (MSB: B15) of Duration 413 is set to "1," and the remaining 15 bits indicate the length of time from 0 to 32767 microseconds.

[0042] Addresses 1 to 4 (414, 415, 416, 418) are 6-octet fields in which addresses such as the BSS identifier (BSSID), source terminal, and destination terminal are set depending on the type of MAC frame. Depending on the frame type, Addresses 2 to 4 may not be included in the frame. In the following explanation, Address 1 414, Address 2 415, Address 3 416, and Address 4 418 may be referred to as the Address field without distinction.

[0043] The Sequence Control 417 is a two-octet field used for sequence control. Depending on the frame type, the Sequence Control 417 may not be included in the frame.

[0044] QoS Control 419 is a 0 or 2-octet field for controlling the QoS of a data frame. The buffer status report (BSR) of the standard before IEEE 802.11ax is stored in QoS Control 419.

[0045] HT Control (HTC) 420 is a 0 or 4 octet field that contains control information related to high throughput HT or very high throughput (VHT).

[0046] The Frame Body 421 is a variable-length field that stores various information elements (IEs) when the type of the Frame Control 412 indicates a management frame, that is, a beacon or probe request / response.

[0047] The frame check sequence (FCS) 422 is a 4-octet field that stores a value for checking whether there are any errors in the MAC header or data portion.

[0048] TXVECTOR 423 and RXVECTOR 424 indicate how MAC frames are transmitted between the MAC layer and the PHY layer in the IEEE 802.11 standard. For example, the MAC layer indicates to the PHY layer how to transmit MAC frames using a parameter (TXVECTOR parameter). Conversely, the PHY layer indicates to the MAC layer how to receive frames using a parameter (RXVECTOR parameter). This parameter includes, for example, CH_BANDWIDTH, which indicates the bandwidth.

[0049] The PHY layer in Figure 4 has a different format for each standard, but here it shows the format of a non-High Throughput (HT) PPDU. The term "non-HT" indicates a format that predates the IEEE 802.11n standard (High Throughput standard). This non-HT format is used in control frames such as Request To Send (RTS), an exclusive request frame that requests the reservation of a transmission opportunity, and Clear To Send (CTS), an exclusive response frame to an exclusive request frame. In addition, in the case of a non-HT PPDU, the QoS Control 419 and HT Control 420 of the MAC layer are not present in the MAC frame.

[0050] Notification of PCH and Bandwidth will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 12A and 12B. These are indicated in a Basic Service Set (BSS) by an operation element in an IEEE 802.11 management frame.

[0051] Figure 5 shows the arrangement of elements in a beacon frame. Elements are also called information elements (IEs). "Order" indicates the order in the beacon frame body, and "Information" indicates the name of the information element. Among these elements, information about the operating channel has been distributed across several "Operation" elements as the IEEE 802.11 standard has evolved.

[0052] 6A and 6B show the configuration of an HT Operation element that complies with the IEEE802.11n standard.

[0053] Primary Channel 601 is a one-octet field indicating the channel number of the primary channel. HT Operation Information 602 is a five-octet field. Secondary channel offset 603 is a two-bit field indicating the relative frequency position of the secondary channel with respect to the primary channel, or whether a secondary channel exists. STA Channel Width 604 is a one-bit field indicating whether the bandwidth of the transmission PPDU is 20 MHz.

[0054] 7A and 7B show the structure of a Very High Throughput (VHT) Operation element of the IEEE 802.11ac standard, and Fig. 7B shows the structure of the VHT Operation Information field in Fig. 7A.

[0055] VHT Operation Information 701 is a three-octet field that contains information about the channel.

[0056] Channel Width 702 is a one-octet field indicating whether the bandwidth is 20 or 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz or 80 + 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80 + 80 MHz. Channel Center Frequency Segment 0 703 and Channel Center Frequency Segment 1 704 are each one-octet fields indicating the center frequency of the channel.

[0057] The IEEE 802.11ac standard allows transmission in a 160 MHz band, which is made up of two non-continuous 80 MHz bands. Therefore, the values ​​of Channel Center Frequency Segment 703 and 704 indicate center frequencies below 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80 + 80 MHz.

[0058] The IEEE 802.11ac standard also introduced bandwidth signaling using RTS. This is a procedure in which bandwidth information is included in the RTS, which is a non-HT PPDU format, and the TA (Transmitter Address, i.e., Address 2 415) of the RTS is used as the group address. Here, the bandwidth information is indicated by the bits corresponding to CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT and DYN_BANDWIDTH_IN_NOT_HT in the SERVICE field of the PHY header. Also, a group address is an address in which the Individual / Group bit in the MAC address structure is set to "1."

[0059] FIG. 8 shows a High Efficiency (HE) Operation element of the IEEE 802.11ax standard.

[0060] HE Operation Parameters 801 is a 3-octet field that stores HE operation parameters. VHT Operation Information 802 is a 0- or 3-octet field that stores VHT operation parameters. 6 GHz Operation Information 803 is a 0- or 5-octet field that stores information indicating channel information for the 6 GHz band that has become available since IEEE 802.11ax.

[0061] The presence or absence of VHT Operation Information 802 and 6 GHz Operation Information 803 is indicated by the corresponding field (1 bit) of HE Operation Parameters 801 .

[0062] Primary Channel 804 is a one-octet field indicating the primary channel in the 6 GHz band.

[0063] Control 805 is a one-octet field including Channel Width 808, Duplicate Beacon 809, and Regulatory Info 810, which will be described later.

[0064] Channel Center Frequency Segment 0 806 and 1 807 are one-octet fields that store information indicating the center frequency of the channel, similar to the fields present in VHT Operation.

[0065] Channel Width 808 is a 2-bit field indicating whether the channel width is 20 / 40 / 80 / 160 MHz. Duplicate Beacon 809 is a 1-bit field indicating whether beacon frames with the same BSSID are transmitted on different channels. Regulatory Info 810 is a 3-bit field indicating regulations and restrictions on wireless communication specifications in a specific region.

[0066] FIG. 9 shows the configuration of the EHT Operation element of the IEEE 802.11be standard (Draft 4.1).

[0067] The EHT Operation Information 901 is a 0, 3 or 5 octet field that stores Control 902, CCFS0 903, CCFS1 904, and Disabled Subchannel Bitmap 905.

[0068] Control 902 is a one-octet control field that stores Channel Width 906, which will be described later.

[0069] CCFS0 903 is a one-octet field that indicates the center frequency when the bandwidth is up to 80 MHz. When the bandwidth is 160 MHz, it indicates the center frequency of the primary channel at 80 MHz, and when the bandwidth is 320 MHz, it indicates the center frequency of the primary channel at 160 Hz. CCFS1 904 indicates the center frequency of the secondary channel when the bandwidth is 160 or 320 MHz.

[0070] The Disabled Subchannel Bitmap 905 is a two-octet field in which each of 16 bits indicates a 20 MHz channel that is not used (is in a punctured state) in a bandwidth up to 320 MHz.

[0071] Channel Width 906 is a 3-bit field that indicates either 20 / 40 / 80 / 160 / 320 MHz using 3 bits.

[0072] FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the SERVICE field of a non-HT PPDU and the TXVECTOR / RXVECTOR parameters, particularly CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT and DYN_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT.

[0073] Column 1001 shows the first seven bits of SERVICE 411 in non-HT PPDU. Of the first seven bits of SERVICE 411, column 1002 shows the four bits from bit 0 (B0) to bit 3 (B3), column 1003 shows bit 4 (B4), and column 1004 shows the two bits from bit 5 (B5) to bit 6 (B6).

[0074] Row 1005 shows the 7-bit configuration of TXVECTOR, that is, when transmitted from the MAC layer to the PHY layer, when CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT is present and DYN_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT is not present.

[0075] Row 1006 is the 7-bit configuration when CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT and DYN_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT are present for TXVECTOR.

[0076] Row 1007 is the 7-bit configuration when CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT and DYN_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT are present for RXVECTOR.

[0077] 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the 3-bit value of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT of TXVECTOR and the channel bandwidth (CBW). A value of 1 for CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT indicates 40 MHz (CBW40), a value of 2 indicates 80 MHz (CBW80), a value of 3 indicates 160 MHz (CBW160 or CBW80+80), and a value of 4 indicates 320 MHz (CBW320).

[0078] 12A and 12B show the relationship between the CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT and CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT_INDICATOR in the RXVECTOR. Figure 12A shows the value of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT for a VHT (802.11ac) STA or a HE (802.11ax) STA. Figure 12B shows the value of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT for an EHT (802.11be) STA.

[0079] 12A, column 1201 shows the values ​​of the CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT_INDICATOR field of the first 7 bits of the scramble sequence. Column 1202 shows the values ​​of dot11CurrentChannelCenterFrequencyIndex1. Column 1203 shows the values ​​of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT associated with the values ​​of columns 1201 and 1202.

[0080] 12A, when the value of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT_INDICATOR is 0, it indicates 20 MHz (CBW20), when the value is 1, it indicates 40 MHz (CBW40), and when the value is 2, it indicates 80 MHz (CBW80). When the value of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT_INDICATOR is 3, and when the value of dot11CurrentChannelCenterFrequencyIndex1 is 0, it indicates 160 MHz (CBW160). If the value of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT_INDICATOR is 3, if the value of dot11CurrentChannelCenterFrequencyIndex1 is not 0, it indicates 80 MHz + 80 MHz (CBW80 + 80).

[0081] 12B shows the values ​​of bits 0 and 1 of the CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT_INDICATOR field of the first 7 bits of the scramble sequence. Column 1212 shows the value of bit 2 of the CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT_INDICATOR field. Column 1213 shows the values ​​of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT associated with the values ​​of columns 1211 and 1212.

[0082] As shown in Figure 12B, when bits 0 and 1 of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT_INDICATOR have a value of 1, it indicates 40 MHz (CBW40). When bits 0 and 1 of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT_INDICATOR have a value of 2, it indicates 80 MHz (CBW80), and when the value is 3, it indicates 160 MHz (CBW160). When bits 0 and 1 of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT_INDICATOR have a value of 0 and bit 2 is 0, it indicates CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT is 20 MHz (CBW20). If the values ​​of bits 0 and 1 of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT_INDICATOR are 0 and bit 2 is 1, CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT indicates 320 MHz (CBW320).

[0083] 13A is a table showing the relationship between the 4-bit value of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT of TXVECTOR for NPCH communication and CBW (Channel Bandwidth). Columns 1101 to 1103 are the same as columns 1101 to 1103 described with reference to FIG. 11, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0084] Column 1301 shows bit 3 of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT_INDICATOR, which is set to "1" during NPCH communication. That is, in NPCH communication, bit 3, which is set to "0" and unused during PCH communication as shown in FIG. 11, is given meaning. That is, bit 3 of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT_INDICATOR is treated as information that can identify an RTS for NPCH communication. However, column 1302 shows the value of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT.

[0085] In the example of Fig. 13A, when the 4-bit value of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT is 8, the bandwidth is 20 MHz (CBW20), when the value is 9, the bandwidth is 40 MHz (CBW40), when the value is 10, the bandwidth is 80 MHz (CBW80), when the value is 11, the bandwidth is 160 MHz or 80 + 80 MHz (CBW160 or CBW80 + 80), and when the value is 12, the bandwidth is 320 MHz (CBW320).

[0086] 13B is a table showing the relationship between the 4-bit value of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT of RXVECTOR for NPCH communication and CBW (Channel Bandwidth). Columns 1211 to 1213 are the same as columns 1211 to 1213 described with reference to FIG. 12B, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0087] Column 1311 is bit 3 of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT_INDICATOR, which is set to "1" during NPCH communication. That is, in NPCH communication, bit 3, which is set to "0" and unused during PCH communication, has meaning, just like column 1301.

[0088] In the example of Fig. 13B, when the 4-bit value of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT is 8, the bandwidth is 20 MHz (CBW20), when the value is 9, the bandwidth is 40 MHz (CBW40), when the value is 10, the bandwidth is 80 MHz (CBW80), when the value is 11, the bandwidth is 160 MHz (CBW160), and when the value is 12, the bandwidth is 320 MHz (CBW320).

[0089] Fig. 14 shows an operation sequence of a first example according to the present embodiment, in which, in the configuration of Fig. 1, when AP 101 transmits to STA 103, AP 104 in the OBSS transmits an RTS to STA 105 and operates as a TXOP holder.

[0090] Channels 1401 to 1404 are each a schematic representation of a 20 MHz channel.

[0091] The AP 101 broadcasts in advance information about channels used by the BSS by including it in the Operation element 1405. In this embodiment, the primary channel is channel 1401, the bandwidth is 80 MHz, and channels 1401 to 1404 are used.

[0092] Next, the AP 104 transmits an RTS 1406 to the STA 105. This ensures a TXOP period 1407. In general, the length of the TXOP period 1407 corresponds to the time specified in the Duration field of the RTS 1406.

[0093] When AP 101 detects RTS 1406 transmitted from AP 104, AP 101 sets NAV (Network Allocation Vector) 1408. NAV is also called a transmission prohibition period, and transmission on channel 1401 is prohibited for the time specified in the Duration field of RTS 1406. STA 103 can also detect RTS 1406 transmitted from AP 104, and so sets NAV 1409 on channel 1401 in the same way as AP 101. If STA 102 is the receiving end of AP 101, STA 102 will not detect a signal from AP 104 in the terminal arrangement shown in FIG. 1 , i.e., STA 102 and AP 104 are in a hidden terminal relationship. For this reason, STA 102 does not set a NAV.

[0094] A description of the transmission and reception of frames after RTS 1406 in the OBSS, that is, frames after CTS transmitted from the STA 105, which is the TXOP responder, to the AP 104, will be omitted.

[0095] Following the NAV setting, the AP 101 decides to perform NPCH communication, selects one channel other than the PCH from the 80 MHz band, and initiates backoff (BO) counter control 1410. Here, the BO counter control 1410 is illustrated as being performed on channel 1402, but it may also be performed on other channels 1403 or 1404.

[0096] Assume that channel 1402 remains idle and channels 1403 and 1404 remain idle for priority inter-frame intervals (PIFS) 1411 and 1412 before the counter of BO counter control 1410 reaches zero. In this case, AP 101 transmits RTSs 1413 to 1415 for NPCH communication on channels 1402 to 1404, respectively.

[0097] Upon receiving RTS 1413-1415 from AP 101, STA 103 confirms that each channel is idle and then transmits CTS 1416-1418 to AP 101. In this embodiment, three channels are determined to be idle, but it may be determined that one of the channels is busy. In that case, CTS is not transmitted on the busy channel.

[0098] AP 101 determines Punctured Channel Information 1419 of the preamble according to the channel on which it received the CTS. As a result, the PHY header of the 80 MHz PPDU indicates that channel 1401 is in a punctured state 1420. Note that if a CTS corresponding to any of channels 1402 to 1404 is not returned, the channel on which no CTS was transmitted will also be in a punctured state. Following the preamble, AP 101 transmits PSDU 1421 of the PPDU.

[0099] Upon receiving the PSDU 1421, the STA 103 transmits a BlockAck (BA) 1422 to the AP 101 if the data can be successfully decoded.

[0100] As described above, even if the PCH is busy, the AP 101 can transmit data to the STAs in the BSS using the NPCH without using the PCH.

[0101] 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a BSS channel operation setting process executed by AP 101. In S1500, AP 101 starts BSS management frame processing. The BSS management frame processing is executed, for example, at predetermined time intervals. In the process of FIG. 15, AP 101 determines conditions related to operation, such as the channel and bandwidth to be used by the BSS, and broadcasts that information within the BSS using management frames such as beacon and action frames.

[0102] In S1501, the AP 101 determines a PCH. In S1502, the AP 101 determines a bandwidth to be used for communication. These determinations can be made based on settings made by an administrator of the AP 101 or setting values ​​stored in the storage unit 201.

[0103] In S1503, the AP 101 determines whether to permit NPCH communication within the BSS. In S1504, the AP 101 constructs an operational element and broadcasts it using a beacon. The beacon signal allows the AP 101 to notify non-access point terminals (Non-AP STAs) whether to permit NPCH communication.

[0104] In S1505, the AP 101 notifies information for NPCH communication. This information notification may be included in the element 505 of the beacon and notified, or may be notified by a newly defined action frame.

[0105] 16 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by a wireless communication device on the transmitting side. That is, the flowchart in FIG. 16 is common to both the AP and the STA. The process in FIG. 16 is executed when data to be transmitted is generated (S1600).

[0106] In step S1601, the wireless communication device detects that a terminal in the OBSS has become a TXOP holder for the primary channel. For example, when an RTS signal is detected in the primary channel from the terminal in the OBSS, the wireless communication device can determine that the terminal in the OBSS has become a TXOP holder for the primary channel.

[0107] In S1602, the wireless communication device sets a NAV for the BSS and starts a NAV timer. Note that in this embodiment, Spatial Reuse, which was introduced in IEEE 802.11ax, is not operated. Therefore, control using two types of NAV (basic NAV and intra-BSS NAV) is not performed, and the NAV set in S1602 is synonymous with basic NAV.

[0108] In S1603, the wireless communication device determines whether to attempt NPCH communication. In S1603, for example, if the PCH is busy, it may determine that NPCH communication is attempted. In another example, in S1603, it may determine that NPCH communication is attempted if an RTS from an OBSS is detected. If NPCH communication is attempted (Yes in S1603), the wireless communication device proceeds to S1604, where it determines a channel for transmitting an RTS to initiate NPCH communication. This process corresponds to 1410 in the sequence. On the other hand, if it is determined not to attempt NPCH communication (No in S1603), the wireless communication device proceeds to S1615, where it performs conventional communication control using the PCH.

[0109] In S1605, the wireless communication device constructs an RTS preamble and MAC frame for NPCH communication. This preamble reflects the TXVECTOR notified from the MAC layer to the PHY layer. Specifically, this preamble has bit 3 of the four bits corresponding to CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT set to "1." Furthermore, the RTS duration in NPCH communication is shorter than the NAV period set by the OBSS. This is because NPCH communication is considered to be communication permitted only during the NAV setting period set by the OBSS.

[0110] In S1606, the wireless communication device executes backoff control for transmitting an RTS requesting the reservation of a TXOP for NPCH communication, and determines whether one of the NPCH channels is idle until the backoff counter reaches zero. If the backoff counter reaches zero while one of the NPCH channels remains idle, the wireless communication device transmits an RTS on that channel (S1608). At the same time, the wireless communication device also transmits an RTS on the NPCH that was idle during the priority inter-frame space (PIFS) before the backoff counter reached zero. Here, the NPCH that transmits the RTS is specified by the channel width notified in the operation element.

[0111] Next, the wireless communication device receives a CTS, which is a response to the RTS transmitted in S1608 (S1608). As described above, the wireless communication device that receives the RTS transmits a CTS only on idle channels. Therefore, the wireless communication device receives a CTS from the NPCH that transmitted the RTS (S1608) and identifies the channel on which the CTS was received. The wireless communication device creates Punctured Channel Information that disables channels that did not receive a CTS, and constructs a PHY header for the transmission data (S1609). In Draft 4.1 of the IEEE 802.11be standard, the number of bits provided for transmitting Punctured Channel Information in the U-SIG of the PHY header is 5 bits. This 5-bit region may not be able to express a pattern in which any 20 MHz out of 320 MHz is punctured. In this case, a puncturing pattern that maximizes communication effectiveness on the channel receiving the CTS can be selected. The PPDU format can also be extended to indicate more flexible puncturing. In this case, the PPDU used for data communication is for Ultra High Reliability (UHR), and a new 16-bit field for transmitting puncturing information can be defined in the UHR-SIG, a PHY header specific to UHR. This 16-bit field can be a bitmap region that indicates whether each 20 MHz subband is valid or invalid.

[0112] Next, the wireless communication device transmits a PPDU including the constructed PHY header to the other wireless communication device (S1610). As described above, the channel on which the PPDU is transmitted is the NPCH channel on which the CTS was received. After transmitting the PPDU, the wireless communication device receives a BlockAck (BA) (S1611) and terminates the NPCH communication (S1612). The PPDU transmitted in S1610 is, for example, a UHR PPDU conforming to the IEEE 802.11bn standard. Note that this PPDU may also be an EHT (Extremely High Throughput) PPDU conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard.

[0113] 17A and 17B are flowcharts showing an example of processing executed by a non-AP STA operating as a receiving wireless communication device. The following processing is realized by the control unit 202 of the non-AP STA executing a program stored in the storage unit 201.

[0114] The control unit 202 waits for a signal from another wireless communication device at a predetermined timing. If the non-AP STA receives a Management frame including a Beacon or Action frame (Yes in S1701), the process proceeds to S1702. If the non-AP STA does not receive a Management frame including a Beacon or Action frame (No in S1701), the process proceeds to S1703.

[0115] In S1702, the control unit 202 acquires an operation element included in a beacon or action frame. The element to be acquired is the information element described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 9 and 18. In S1703, the control unit 202 determines whether or not an RTS compliant with a standard up to the IEEE 802.11n standard has been received. If it is determined that an RTS compliant with a standard up to the IEEE 802.11n standard has been received (Yes in S1703), the control unit 202 checks whether or not the channel on which the RTS was received is in an idle state (S1704). If the control unit 202 determines that the channel on which the RTS was received is in an idle state (Yes in S1704), the process proceeds to S1705. If it is determined that the channel is not in an idle state (No in S1704), the process proceeds to S1713. In S1705, the control unit 202 prepares to transmit a CTS that complies with standards up to the IEEE802.11n standard on the channel on which the RTS was received.

[0116] In S1706, the control unit 202 determines whether an RTS for conventional bandwidth control (Bandwidth Signaling) has been received. Here, "conventional" means "up to 802.11be Draft 4.1." That is, in S1706, the control unit 202 determines whether the RTS requests the reservation of a TXOP in one or more channels including the primary channel. If it is determined that an RTS for bandwidth control has been received (Yes in S1706), the control unit 202 proceeds to S1707. If it is determined that an RTS for bandwidth control has not been received (No in S1706), the control unit 202 proceeds to S1709.

[0117] In S1707, the control unit 202 determines whether the channel on which the RTS was received is in an idle state. If the control unit 202 determines that the channel on which the RTS was received is in an idle state (Yes in S1707), the process proceeds to S1708. If the control unit 202 determines that the channel on which the RTS was received is not in an idle state, the process proceeds to S1713.

[0118] In S1708, the control unit 202 prepares to transmit a CTS in response to the RTS for conventional bandwidth control on the channel on which the RTS was received.

[0119] In S1709, the control unit 202 determines whether an RTS for NPCH communication has been received. This determination is based on the RXVECTOR notified from the PHY layer to the MAC layer. Specifically, it is determined whether bit 3 of the four bits corresponding to CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT_INDICATOR is set to "1." In this embodiment, it is assumed that an RTS for NPCH communication is not transmitted on the PCH. If the control unit 202 determines in S1709 that an RTS for NPCH communication has been received (Yes in S1709), the process proceeds to S1710. If the control unit 202 determines that an RTS for NPCH communication has not been received (No in S1709), the process proceeds to S1712.

[0120] In S1710, the control unit 202 determines whether the channel on which the RTS for NPCH communication was received is in an idle state. If the control unit 202 determines that the channel on which the RTS for NPCH communication was received is in an idle state (Yes in S1710), the process proceeds to S1711. If the control unit 202 determines that the channel on which the RTS for NPCH communication was received is not in an idle state (No in S1710), the process proceeds to S1713. Note that in S1710, if the control unit 202 determines that at least one channel out of the multiple channels is in an idle state, the process proceeds to S1711. In S1711, the control unit 202 prepares to transmit a CTS for NPCH communication on the channel on which the RTS was received.

[0121] In S1712, the control unit 202 executes a process for receiving frames other than beacons or RTSs.

[0122] In S1713, the control unit 202 transmits the CTS prepared in S1705, S1708, or S1711 on each 20 MHz channel. For example, if a CTS is not prepared here, the control unit 202 may not transmit a CTS. In S1714, the control unit 202 receives a PPDU on the channel on which the CTS was transmitted. Note that, depending on the CTS return status, a PPDU without a PHY header may be received on one or more channels. The absence of a PHY header can be determined by the control unit 202 analyzing the Punctured Channel Information in the PHY header. If the PPDU reception has been completed successfully, the control unit 202 transmits a BA (S1715) and returns the process to S1701. In addition, in FIGS. 17A and 17B, when the receiving wireless communication device is an AP, instead of the processes of S1701 and S1702, the AP determines an Operation element and transmits it by including it in a Beacon.

[0123] In S1703 and S1706, it is determined that an RTS has been received on the condition that the RTS has been received on the PCH. Therefore, if an RTS conforming to the conventional standard is received but not on the PCH, it may be determined to be an error. On the other hand, in S1709, the receiving wireless communication device can recognize that an RTS is not transmitted on the PCH. Therefore, in S1709, the processing proceeds to S1710 on the condition that an RTS for NPCH communication is received on one or more channels other than the PCH.

[0124] As explained above, the RTS for NPCH communication is distinguished from the conventional RTS. Even if the receiving side determines that the PCH is idle and does not detect the RTS of the PCH, it is not judged as an error, which has the effect of stabilizing communication. Furthermore, since the time length of the control frame is not increased, there is the effect of increasing the medium utilization efficiency.

[0125] <Example 2> Example 1 was an example in which the transmitting side and the receiving side can transmit and receive RTS / CTS on a 20 MHz channel adjacent to the primary channel. Example 2 is an example in which the concept of 40 MHz coupling of IEEE 802.11n or the concept of wider channels of IEEE 802.11ac and later is not used. In this case, the wireless communication device needs to perform 20 MHz bandwidth communication on any channel unrelated to the PCH. Therefore, the transmitting side and the receiving side need to recognize the channel to be used by each other using operation element information other than HT / VHT / HE / EHT. The Non-Primary operation element shown in FIG. 18 is used for this recognition.

[0126] The Non-Primary Channel status 1801 is an 8-bit field, and the bits in the field have the following meanings.

[0127] Bit 0, when set to 1, indicates that NPCH communication is permitted. Bit 1, when set to 1, indicates that the control frame for NPCH communication is shared with the control frame for Bandwidth signaling. Bit 2, when set to 1, indicates that the control frame for Bandwidth signaling is not used to control NPCH communication. Bits 3 and onwards are unused (Reserved).

[0128] The number of aux primary channel 1802 is a one-octet field that indicates the number of this optional channel.

[0129] Information about non-primary channels is stored in aux primary channel 1803. The non-primary operation element includes aux primary channel 1803 in the number specified in number of aux primary channel 1802. Note that if number of aux primary channel 1802 is 0 (zero), there is no NPCH to be used for NPCH communication in the BSS, i.e., NPCH communication is not performed.

[0130] 14, if the receiving STA 103 does not detect the RTS 1406, the receiving STA 103 may not enter a state of waiting for an RTS on any channel. As described above, the channel that activates the NPCH communication can be controlled according to the characteristics of the receiving side, which has the effect of improving usability.

[0131] <Modification> In the above-described embodiment, an example was given in which information capable of identifying that the RTS is for NPCH communication is stored in the RTS transmitted on the secondary channel to perform NPCH communication. However, this is not limited to this. When an AP is about to start NPCH communication, for example, information capable of identifying that the RTS is for NPCH communication may be stored in the MU-RTS Trigger frame. In this case, the information capable of identifying that the RTS is for NPCH communication may also be stored in the PHY header portion of the frame. Furthermore, the information capable of identifying that the RTS is for NPCH communication may also be stored in another frame. The other frame may be, for example, a frame that triggers communication between devices. Specifically, when an AP starts NPCH communication, the information capable of identifying that the RTS is for NPCH communication may also be stored in a BSRP (Buffer Status Report Poll) Trigger frame or the like. In this case, the information capable of identifying that the RTS is for NPCH communication may also be stored in the PHY header portion of the frame.

[0132] <Other Embodiments> The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that realizes one or more functions. The disclosure of this embodiment also includes the following wireless communication device, its control method, and program.

[0133] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention.

[0134] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-006209, filed January 18, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0135] 101:AP、103:STA、104:AP、402:Header、403:PSDU、411:SERVICE、412:Frame Control、413:Duration / ID、414:Address1、415:Address2、501:HT Operation、502:VHT Operation、503:HE Operation、504:EHT Operation、505:Non Primary Operation、1005、1006:TXVECTOR、1007:RXVECTOR、1301:Value in bits 3 of CH_BANDWIDTH_IN_NON_HT

Claims

1. A wireless communication device compatible with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, comprising: determination means for determining whether the primary channel of the Basic Service Set (BSS) to which the wireless communication device belongs is in a busy state; transmission means for transmitting an occupancy request frame that requests to secure a transmission opportunity (TXOP) in one or more channels different from the primary channel when the determination means determines that the primary channel is in a busy state; and communication control means for executing a predetermined communication for transmitting data without using the primary channel in response to a response to the occupancy request frame, wherein the occupancy request frame includes predetermined information capable of specifying a request to secure a TXOP for the predetermined communication.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined information is stored in a service field included in a physical layer (PHY) header of the occupancy request frame.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising detection means for detecting a response to the occupancy request frame transmitted by the transmission means, wherein the communication control means transmits a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) in the channel in which the response is received among the one or more channels for which the occupancy request frame requests to secure a TXOP.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 3, wherein the transmission means transmits a plurality of occupancy request frames in a plurality of channels different from the primary channel, and the communication control means controls not to transmit the PPDU in the channels in which no response is detected by the detection means among the plurality of channels in which the transmission means transmits the plurality of occupancy request frames.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 4, wherein a physical layer (PHY) header of the PPDU includes information capable of specifying a channel in which the PPDU is not to be transmitted.

6. The transmitting means, before transmitting an occupancy request frame in the plurality of channels, executes backoff control in one of the plurality of channels, and in a channel other than the one channel among the plurality of channels, transmits the occupancy request frame in a channel where the channel was in an idle state during a priority frame interval (PIFS) before the backoff counter reaches zero. The wireless communication device according to claim 4 or 5.

7. The wireless communication device is an access point that manages the BSS, and further includes second transmitting means for transmitting parameters used for the predetermined communication included in an operation element. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The operation element includes information indicating whether to control the bandwidth in the occupancy request frame. The wireless communication device according to claim 7.

9. The operation element includes information indicating a channel in which the occupancy request frame can be transmitted. The wireless communication device according to claim 7 or 8.

10. A wireless communication device corresponding to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, including receiving means for receiving an occupancy request frame requesting to secure a transmission opportunity (TXOP) in one or more channels different from the primary channel of a Basic Service Set (BSS) to which the wireless communication device belongs, and when the occupancy request frame includes predetermined information that can specify that the TXOP for a predetermined communication for transmitting data without using the primary channel is requested, determining means for determining whether the one or more channels are in an idle state with respect to the occupancy request frame received by the receiving means, transmitting means for transmitting an occupancy response frame in a channel determined to be in an idle state by the determining means among the one or more channels, and communication control means for executing the predetermined communication in response to the occupancy response frame. A wireless communication device characterized by comprising.

11. The predetermined information is stored in a service field included in a physical layer (PHY) header of the occupancy request frame. The wireless communication device according to claim 10.

12. The receiving means detects a plurality of occupancy request frames on a plurality of channels different from the primary channel, and the transmitting means controls not to transmit the occupancy response frame on a channel determined to be in a busy state by the determination means among the plurality of channels on which the receiving means has received the plurality of occupancy request frames. The wireless communication device according to claim 10 or 11.

13. The wireless communication device is a non-access point terminal (Non AP STA) belonging to the BSS, and the receiving means determines a channel for detecting the occupancy request frame based on an operation element received from an access point. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 10 to 12.

14. The operation element includes information indicating whether to control the bandwidth in the occupancy request frame. The wireless communication device according to claim 13.

15. When the receiving means does not receive the occupancy request frame on the primary channel and the occupancy request frame received on a channel other than the primary channel does not include predetermined information that can specify a request to secure a TXOP for the predetermined communication, the transmitting means does not transmit the occupancy response frame for the occupancy request frame. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 10 to 14.

16. A control method executed by a wireless communication device compatible with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, including determining whether the primary channel of a Basic Service Set (BSS) to which the wireless communication device belongs is in a busy state; when it is determined that the primary channel is in a busy state, transmitting an occupancy request frame for requesting to secure a transmission opportunity (TXOP) on one or more channels different from the primary channel; and executing a predetermined communication for transmitting data without using the primary channel in response to a response to the occupancy request frame, wherein the occupancy request frame includes predetermined information that can specify a request to secure a TXOP for the predetermined communication. Control method.

17. A control method executed by a wireless communication device compatible with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, comprising: receiving an occupancy request frame requesting to secure a transmission opportunity (TXOP) in one or more channels different from the primary channel of a Basic Service Set (BSS) to which the wireless communication device belongs; determining whether the one or more channels are in an idle state for the received occupancy request frame when the occupancy request frame includes predetermined information that can specify that the occupancy request frame requests to secure a TXOP for a predetermined communication for transmitting data without using the primary channel; transmitting an occupancy response frame in a channel determined to be in an idle state among the one or more channels; and executing a predetermined communication for transmitting data without using the primary channel in response to the occupancy response frame. A control method characterized by including the above.

18. A program for causing a computer to function as the wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

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