Communication device, control method, and program

Abstract

This communication device operates as a station in compliance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series. When another communication device also operates as a station conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard series, the communication device executes a prescribed procedure for establishing a link with the other communication device without going through an access point conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard series. An execution means acquires identification information identifying whether the other communication device can use a plurality of links to execute multi-link communication for communicating between the stations, and establishes the plurality of links in a prescribed procedure on the basis of the fact that the identification information identifies that the other communication device can perform multi-link communication.

Description

Communication device, control method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a data communication technique in a communication device that can use multiple links in parallel.

[0002] With the recent increase in the amount of data being communicated, development of communication technologies such as wireless LANs (Local Area Networks) is progressing. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard series is known as a major communication standard for wireless LANs. The IEEE 802.11 standard series includes standards such as IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax. For example, the latest standard, IEEE 802.11ax, uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDMA) to achieve a high peak throughput of up to 9.6 gigabits per second (Gbps) and also includes technology to improve communication speeds under congested conditions. Incidentally, OFDMA is an abbreviation for Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for ensuring high frequency utilization efficiency while suppressing interference with other communication devices when using OFDMA.

[0003] In order to formulate a successor standard aimed at further improving throughput, improving frequency utilization efficiency, and improving communication latency, the IEEE 802.11 Working Group has launched a new Task Group to formulate the IEEE 802.11be standard. This Task Group is considering multi-link communication as one of the new functions to be specified in the IEEE 802.11be standard. In multi-link communication, a communication device called a multi-link device (MLD) uses multiple links in parallel by linking and coordinating multiple communication interfaces. For example, one access point (AP) communicates with one station (STA) via multiple communication links each associated with a different frequency channel. Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi Alliance, which develops authentication programs for wireless LAN devices, has developed the WFD standard, which defines procedures for establishing communication links between wireless LAN stations by exchanging communication parameters between them without going through an access point. WFD is an abbreviation for Wi-Fi Direct.

[0004] JP 2023-51567 A

[0005] The present invention provides a technique for efficiently establishing multiple links between station devices that can execute a procedure for establishing a communication link without going through an access point.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a communication device operates as a station conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, and has an execution means for executing a predetermined procedure for establishing a link with another communication device without going through an access point conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards when the other communication device also operates as a station conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, wherein the execution means acquires specific information in the predetermined procedure that specifies whether the other communication device is capable of performing multi-link communication in which stations communicate using multiple links, and establishes multiple links in the predetermined procedure based on the specific information indicating that the other communication device is capable of performing the multi-link communication.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently establish a multi-link between station devices that can execute a procedure for establishing a communication link without going through an access point.

[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.

[0023] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system.

[0024] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence between an AP and a STA when establishing a multi-link.

[0025] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a Reduced Neighbor Report element.

[0026] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence when establishing a link between STAs using WFD processing.

[0027] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a communication device.

[0028] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a communication device.

[0029] Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of an operation flow when an STA determines whether a remote STA supports multi-link communication in a WFD procedure.

[0029] Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a Probe Request.

[0030] Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a Probe Response.

[0031] Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a ServiceDiscovery Request.

[0032] Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a ServiceDiscovery Response.

[0033] Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a GO Negotiation Request. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a GO Negotiation Response. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an Invitation Request. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an Invitation Response. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a WPS Information element. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence when a multi-link is established between STAs using WFD processing.

[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] (System Configuration) FIG. 1 shows an example configuration of a wireless communication system according to this embodiment. This wireless communication system includes two or more communication devices. For example, this wireless communication system may include a communication device 101 and a communication device 102. The communication devices 101 and 102 may be referred to as communication device 100 without distinction. The communication device 100 may be a wireless communication device capable of performing wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, including the IEEE 802.11be standard. The communication device 100 may have the functionality of a station (STA) in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards. Note that the communication device 100 may also have the functionality of an access point (AP) in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards. Note that IEEE stands for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE 802.11be standard may also be referred to as the EHT standard. EHT may be an abbreviation for Extremely High Throughput. The IEEE 802.11 standard series may include the IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax standards. These standards may be referred to as legacy standards. That is, the communication device 100 may support one or more of the legacy standards in addition to the IEEE 802.11be standard. The network 110 formed by the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 indicates a range in which the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 can communicate. That is, within the range of the network 110, the communication device 102 can receive signals transmitted by the communication device 101, and signals transmitted by the communication device 102 can be received by the communication device 101. In addition to the IEEE 802.11 standard series, the communication device 100 may also support other communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC, UWB, ZigBee, and MBOA. UWB stands for Ultra Wide Band, and MBOA stands for Multi Band OFDM Alliance. NFC stands for Near Field Communication. UWB includes wireless USB, wireless 1394, WiNET, and the like. The communication device 100 may also support a wired communication standard such as a wired LAN.

[0012] Furthermore, the communication device 100 may have a function for establishing a communication link in accordance with the Wi-Fi Direct standard (WFD). For example, in an establishment procedure compliant with the WFD standard, one of the communication devices 101 and 102 may act as a Group Owner (GO) and the other as a Client (CL). In this embodiment, the communication device 101 serves as the GO and the communication device 102 serves as the CL. The communication device 101 serving as the GO may provide communication parameters to the communication device 102 and establish the network 110. Meanwhile, the communication device 102 serving as the CL may receive communication parameters from the communication device 101 and join the network 110. Note that the communication device 102 may serve as the GO and the communication device 101 may serve as the CL.

[0013] Although FIG. 1 illustrates a state in which two communication devices 100 (communication device 101 and communication device 102) exist, the network 110 may be configured with three or more communication devices 100. Furthermore, in this case, the communication devices 100 may be interconnected, or one communication device 100 may act as a hub and connect the other communication devices 100. For example, the network 110 may be configured based on communication parameters provided by the communication device 101 that serves as a group owner (GO), and multiple communication devices 100 that serve as group owners (CLs) may join the network 110. In this case, the communication device 101 may operate as a temporary AP. For example, the communication device 101 may notify other communication devices of its communication parameters by broadcasting a beacon. The communication device 100 may be any electronic device, such as a smartphone, tablet, mobile phone, PC, video camera, headset, printer, or display, but is not limited to these. The communication device 100 may also be an information processing device, such as a wireless chip, that can perform wireless communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard.

[0014] Multi-link communication is one of the new features established in the IEEE 802.11be standard. In the previous IEEE 802.11 standard series, a communication device 100 establishes a single link with a remote communication device and performs data communication. On the other hand, in multi-link communication, the communication device 100 can achieve improved throughput by performing data communication with a remote communication device using two or more links in parallel. Furthermore, the IEEE 802.11be standard is considering support for the 6 GHz band to expand the frequency bands available to communication devices. Specifically, the IEEE 802.11 standard series specifies the use of the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, and 60 GHz frequency bands, which can be used for multi-link communication. Multiple frequency channels are defined for each frequency band. For example, a channel using a 20 MHz bandwidth is defined as a frequency channel used for one wireless link. In the IEEE 802.11 standard series, adjacent frequency channels can be bonded together to enable a bandwidth of 40 MHz or more to be used in a single frequency channel. The communication device 101 and the communication device 102 can communicate using bandwidths of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, and 320 MHz. The bandwidth used by the communication device 100 is not limited to these, and different bandwidths, such as 240 MHz and 4 MHz, may be used. As an example, the communication device 100 may establish and communicate with a partner communication device via a link 121 using a first frequency channel in the 5 GHz band. The communication device 100 may also establish and communicate with a partner communication device via a second frequency channel in the 6 GHz band. In this case, the communication device 100 may maintain the link 121 using the first frequency channel while simultaneously performing multi-link communication using a second link 122 using the second frequency channel. In this manner, in this embodiment, the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 are configured to be able to perform multi-link communication using a plurality of links in the network 110 .

[0015] In FIG. 1 , three wireless links (links 121 to 123) are established between the communication devices. As described above, each wireless link may have a different frequency band. For example, communication device 101 and communication device 102 may concurrently establish link 121 using the 5 GHz band, link 122 using the 6 GHz band, and link 123 using the 2.4 GHz band. Furthermore, multiple wireless links may be configured using different frequency channels belonging to the same frequency band. For example, a multilink may be configured using two links: a link using channel 15 in the 6 GHz band and a link using channel 207 in the 6 GHz band. In this embodiment, "ch" is identification information used to identify a specific frequency channel. Furthermore, a multilink may include a mixture of multiple links belonging to the same frequency band and links belonging to a different frequency band. For example, a multi-link may be configured with a link 121 of 36ch in the 5 GHz band, a link 122 of 149ch in the 5 GHz band, and a link 123 of 15ch in the 6 GHz band. By establishing multiple links using different frequency channels between the AP 101 and the STA 102, even if one of the frequency channels is congested, communication can be performed using a link using another frequency channel. This makes it possible to avoid a decrease in throughput and an increase in delay.

[0016] A communication device capable of multi-link communication is called a multi-link device (MLD). A communication device that operates as an AP or STA conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard and has the functionality to operate as an MLD is called an AP MLD or STA MLD, respectively. STA MLD may also be called a non-AP MLD. Note that in this embodiment, the communication device 101 that plays the role of GO and operates as an MLD is sometimes referred to as an AP MLD for convenience. This is because, when the communication device 101 establishes the network 110, it performs functions such as providing communication parameters that are normally performed by an AP. The communication device 101 differs from an AP in the IEEE 802.11 standard series in that it does not constantly operate as an AP, but temporarily performs operations that an AP should provide through GO negotiation. On the other hand, when the communication device 102 that plays the role of CL operates as an MLD, it may be referred to as STA MLD for convenience. In AP MLD or STA MLD, the wireless interfaces (I / F) that constitute each link may be called Affiliated AP (A-AP) or Affiliated STA (A-STA), respectively. Affiliated STAs may also be called Affiliated non-AP STAs. A-APs are associated with AP MLDs and operate on different frequency channels. Furthermore, A-STAs are associated with STA MLDs and operate on different frequency channels. The states in which A-APs and A-STAs are associated with AP MLDs and STA MLDs, respectively, may be referred to as belonging to MLDs. In the following embodiment, a case where multi-link communication is performed using the IEEE 802.11be standard will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the following discussion can also be applied to multi-link communication that complies with other wireless communication standards or multi-link communication that uses multiple wired links.

[0017] 2 shows an example of a sequence for establishing a multi-link between an AP MLD and a STA MLD conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard. The AP MLD has Affiliated APs (A-AP) a 201 to A-AP c 203 as wireless I / Fs that operate on frequency channels corresponding to the respective links. The STA MLD also has Affiliated STAs (A-STA) a 204 to A-STA c 206 as wireless I / Fs that operate on frequency channels corresponding to the respective links. Information necessary to establish multi-link communication between the AP MLD and the STA MLD can be mutually communicated via a Basic Multi-Link element. For example, the AP MLD transmits a beacon and a probe response including a basic multi-link element via each of the A-APa 201 to A-APc 203 (F211 to F213). Note that the probe response can be transmitted in response to a probe request transmitted from the STA MLD (F214 to F219). Meanwhile, the STA MLD notifies the AP MLD of the basic multi-link element using an association request transmitted via the A-STA (described later). The STA MLD can receive the beacon and the probe response via each of the A-STAa 204 to A-STAc 206. The STA MLD can detect that the other communication device is an AP MLD by checking whether the received Beacon or Probe Response contains a Basic Multi-Link element. When the STA MLD detects that the other communication device is an AP MLD, it acquires information about each A-AP belonging to the AP MLD from the RNR element contained in the received Beacon or Probe Response. RNR is an abbreviation for Reduced Neighbor Report. Note that the RNR element can include information such as frequency bands and channels used by each A-AP belonging to the same AP MLD.Furthermore, the RNR element may include an identifier indicating that the AP MLD to which each A-AP belongs is the same, so that the STA MLD may detect that the other communication device is an AP MLD.

[0018] The STA MLD can establish a multi-link with the AP MLD using one of the A-STAs. For example, the STA MLD executes a procedure for establishing a multi-link with the A-APa 201 via the A-STAa 204. As a procedure for establishing a multi-link, the STA MLD requests the establishment of a multi-link by exchanging an Association Request, an Association Response, and the like with the AP MLD (F220 to F222). For example, the STA MLD can request the establishment of a multi-link to the AP MLD by transmitting an Association Request including a Basic Multi-Link element (F221). As an example, the STA MLD determines the frequency channel on which each A-STA operates based on the information on each A-AP acquired via the RNR element. The STA MLD then notifies the AP MLD of information such as the frequency channel on which each A-STA operates using the Basic Multi-Link element. The AP MLD acquires information such as the frequency channel on which each A-STA operates via the received Basic Multi-Link element. The AP MLD returns an Association Response, thereby establishing a multilink between the AP MLD and the STA MLD (F222). This Association Response may contain a Basic Multi-Link element containing information on the A-AP used for multilink communication. The STA MLD switches the operating frequency channel of each A-STA to the determined frequency channel. This allows comprehensive establishment of links between each A-AP and each A-STA without performing link establishment procedures individually for each link. After establishing the multi-link, the AP MLD and the STA MLD can exchange security information, etc., using a 4-way handshake procedure (F223). If the other communication device is not the AP MLD, the STA MLD can establish a connection using a single frequency channel.

[0019] 3 shows an example of an RNR element. The RNR element may include an Element ID 301, a Length 302, and Neighbor AP Information 303. The Element ID 301 indicates the type of this element. For example, in the case of an RNR element, a value of 201 may be stored. The Length 302 indicates the length of this element. The Neighbor AP Information 303 may be arranged in the same number as the number of APs to be reported. Each Neighbor AP Information 303 may include a TBTT Information Header 304, an Operation Class 305, and a Channel Number 306. Each Neighbor AP Information 303 may also include a TBTT Information Set 307. A TBTT Information Header 304 is header information indicating the length of each TBTT Information included in the TBTT Information Set 307. An Operation Class 305 is used together with a Channel Number 306 to indicate the start frequency of the primary channel used by the AP (reporting AP) associated with the Neighbor AP Information 303. The TBTT Information Set 307 may include a Neighbor AP TBTT Offset 308, a BSSID 309, a Short SSID 310, and BSS Parameters 311. The TBTT Information Set 307 may include a 20 MHz PSD 312 and MLD Parameters 313. The Neighbor AP TBTT Offset 308 indicates information regarding the timing of a beacon transmitted by the AP that is the target of the report. The BSSID 309 indicates the identifier of the network that the AP that is the target of the report constitutes. The Short SSID 310 indicates a value obtained by applying an SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​to a predetermined calculation formula. BSS Parameters 311 indicates parameters of the network that the AP to be reported constitutes.The MLD parameters 313 may include an MLD ID 314, a Link ID 315, a BSS parameters change count 316, an All updates included 317, and a Reserved 318. The MLD ID 314 indicates the identifier of the AP MLD to which the reporting AP belongs. If the reporting AP belongs to the same AP MLD as the AP transmitting the RNR element, the value of the MLD ID 314 may be set to 0. The Link ID 315 indicates the link identifier of the reporting AP. The BSS parameters change count 316 indicates the period until the network parameters are changed in the reporting AP. All Updates Included 317 is set to 1 if all updated elements were included in the most recent parameter update. Reserved 318 is a reserved field.

[0020] Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi Alliance has formulated the WFD standard, which defines a procedure for establishing a communication link between STAs by exchanging communication parameters between them without going through an AP. WFD is an abbreviation for Wi-Fi Direct. FIG. 4 shows an example of a sequence for establishing a communication link between STA 401 and STA 402 using the communication link establishment procedure in the WFD standard. STA 401 and STA 402 may be referred to as STA 400 without distinction. The communication link establishment procedure in the WFD standard may also be referred to as WFD processing. First, when STA 400 starts WFD processing, it executes P2P Discovery (F411). P2P Discovery may also be referred to as Device Discovery. In P2P Discovery, the STA 400 detects other STAs by repeatedly switching between a search state and a listen state. In the search state, the STA 400 transmits a probe request and waits for a probe response in response to the probe request. In the listen state, the STA 400 waits for a probe request from another STA, and upon receiving the probe request, transmits a probe response in response to the probe request. The STA 400 can detect the other STA by receiving a probe response while repeating these operations. Note that the STA 400 can transition between the search state and the listen state while changing the operating frequency channel among available frequency channels.

[0021] Next, the STA 401 and the STA 402 execute Service Discovery to mutually recognize each other's service information (F412). The STA 400 transmits a Service Discovery Request and receives a Service Discovery Response in response. By exchanging these wireless frames, each of the STAs can mutually recognize each other's service information. Note that Service Discovery may be skipped as an optional function.

[0022] Next, STA 401 and STA 402 perform a group formation procedure. STA 401 and STA 402 then perform Go Negotiation to determine their respective roles (F413). Through Go Negotiation, one of STAs 400 becomes the GO and the other becomes the CL. Go Negotiation can be performed by exchanging a Go Negotiation Request, a Go Negotiation Response, and a Go Negotiation Confirm.

[0023] Once the roles of STA401 and STA402 have been determined through Go Negotiation, a P2P Group Session is executed. For example, if STA401 assumes the role of GO, STA401 starts transmitting a beacon (F414). STA402 transmits an Authentication, and STA401 responds with an Authentication (F415). STA402 transmits an Association Request (F416), and STA401 responds with an Association Response (F417). Then, STA401 acts as the WSC Registrar and STA402 acts as the WSC Enrollee, and communication parameters are exchanged (F418). This exchange of communication parameters may be called WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), and may be performed by the STA 401 issuing authentication to the STA 402. For example, in WPS, communication parameters may be exchanged by exchanging an EAP Request and an EAP Response. Through this procedure, group formation is completed. EAP is an abbreviation for Extensible Authentication Protocol.

[0024] Once the group formation is complete, the STA401 and the STA402 establish a communication link. The STA401 periodically transmits a beacon (F419). The STA402 transmits an authentication, and the STA401 responds with an authentication (F420). The STA402 transmits an association request (F421), and the STA401 responds with an association response (F422). The STA401 and the STA402 may perform authentication using a 4-way handshake, etc. By performing such WFD processing, a communication link may be established between the STA401 and the STA402 without going through an AP.

[0025] In this way, when the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 support WFD processing, it becomes possible to establish a communication link between the communication devices without going through an access point. Furthermore, when the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 support a multi-link communication function, it becomes possible to perform multi-link communication by establishing multiple links. Here, because WFD processing is a procedure for establishing a single communication link, there is a possibility that unnecessary processing will occur before the multi-link is established. For example, in order to establish multiple links, it is necessary to form a group between each A-AP and A-STA. Since the IEEE 802.11be standard does not specify a procedure for forming a group between STAs, it may become necessary to perform WFD processing individually for each combination of A-AP and A-STA, and then establish the multi-link after the group is formed. In this case, the overall number of processes to be performed before the multi-link is established between the communication devices increases, and the required time may increase. For example, when a multi-link is established after the group formation of the WFD process is completed for each combination of A-AP and A-STA, the establishment of the link between the communication devices may not be completed because it takes time to form some groups. Also, if the roles of GO and CL are reversed between the communication devices in each link, the multi-link communication may not function properly.

[0026] In consideration of these circumstances, in this embodiment, the communication device 100 acquires specific information that identifies whether the other communication device is capable of multi-link communication in a predetermined procedure for establishing a link between STAs. Then, based on the specific information indicating that the other communication device is capable of multi-link communication, the communication device 100 establishes multiple links in the predetermined procedure. For example, this operation can be performed when the communication device 100 operates as an STA compliant with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards and the other communication device also operates as an STA compliant with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards. In this case, the predetermined procedure is performed without the intervention of an access point compliant with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards. Note that the multi-link communication between STAs may be, but is not limited to, multi-link communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, as long as the STAs communicate using multiple links. Furthermore, in a predetermined procedure for establishing links between STAs, communication device 100 notifies specific information that identifies whether or not the device itself can perform multi-link communication. Then, communication device 100 establishes multiple links in the predetermined procedure based on the fact that the device itself can perform multi-link communication.

[0027] For example, the communication device 100 may acquire the specific information by receiving a Reduced Neighbor Report (RNR) element included in a wireless frame used in a P2P Discovery procedure in the WFD process. The P2P Discovery procedure may be referred to as a Device Discovery procedure. For example, the wireless frame used in the P2P Discovery procedure may be a Probe Request or a Probe Response. Furthermore, the communication device 100 may acquire the specific information by receiving a Basic Multi-Link element included in the wireless frame used in the P2P Discovery procedure instead of or in addition to the RNR element. In the initial steps of WFD processing performed between communication devices, the communication devices mutually notify each other of whether the other communication device can perform multi-link communication, thereby enabling subsequent steps to be performed efficiently. For example, if the other communication device is capable of performing multi-link communication, the communication device 100 may execute subsequent steps collectively using only one of the A-APs or A-STAs belonging to the MLD, as described below. This allows processing by other A-APs or A-STAs to be omitted, reducing power consumption and shortening the time required for establishing a link between the communication devices.

[0028] (Device Configuration) FIG. 5 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the communication device 100 according to this embodiment. The communication device 100 includes a storage unit 501, a control unit 502, a function unit 503, an input unit 504, an output unit 505, a communication unit 506, and an antenna 507. Note that multiple antennas may be provided. The storage unit 501 is configured with one or more memories, such as a ROM or a RAM, and stores various information, such as computer programs for performing various operations described below and communication parameters for wireless communication. ROM and RAM are abbreviations for Read Only Memory and Random Access Memory, respectively. Note that the storage unit 501 may be a memory such as a ROM or RAM, or may be a storage medium such as a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, or a DVD. The storage unit 501 may also include multiple memories. The storage unit 501 can record setting information input by the user to the device itself, information about the state of the device itself, such as the remaining battery capacity of the device itself, and whether or not a power saving operation is being performed.

[0029] The control unit 502 is configured with one or more processors, such as a CPU or MPU, and controls the entire AP 101 or STA 102 by executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 501. The control unit 502 may also control the entire AP 101 or STA 102 in cooperation with the computer program stored in the storage unit 501 and an OS (Operating System). The control unit 502 also generates data and signals (wireless frames) to be transmitted in communication with other communication devices. The CPU and MPU are abbreviations for Central Processing Unit and Micro Processing Unit, respectively. The control unit 502 may also include multiple processors, such as multi-core processors, and the multiple processors may control the entire communication device 100. The control unit 502 also controls the function unit 503 to perform predetermined processes, such as wireless communication, image capture, printing, and projection. The functional unit 503 is hardware that enables the communication device 100 to execute predetermined processes.

[0030] The input unit 504 receives various operations from the user. The output unit 505 outputs various types of information to the user via a monitor screen or a speaker. Here, the output from the output unit 505 may be a display on the monitor screen, an audio output from a speaker, a vibration output, or the like. Note that both the input unit 504 and the output unit 505 may be implemented by a single module, such as a touch panel. Furthermore, the input unit 504 and the output unit 505 may be integrated with the communication device 100 or may be separate units.

[0031] The communication unit 506 controls wireless communications compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard. The communication unit 506 may also control wireless communications compliant with other IEEE 802.11 standards in addition to the IEEE 802.11be standard, or wired communications such as a wired LAN. The communication unit 506 controls the antenna 507 to transmit and receive signals for wireless communications generated by the control unit 502. The communication unit 506 may be configured with multiple communication circuits corresponding to multiple links. If the communication device 100 supports standards such as NFC and Bluetooth in addition to the IEEE 802.11be standard, the communication unit 506 may control wireless communications compliant with these communication standards. If the communication device 100 can perform wireless communications compliant with multiple communication standards, the communication unit 506 may be configured to have separate communication units and antennas corresponding to each communication standard. The communication device communicates data such as image data, document data, and video data with a partner communication device via the communication unit 506. The antenna 507 may be configured as a separate unit from the communication unit 506, or may be configured together with the communication unit 506 as a single module.

[0032] The antenna 507 is an antenna capable of communication in the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 6 GHz band, etc. In this embodiment, there may be two or more antennas, and if the communication unit 506 is configured with multiple communication units, there may be an antenna corresponding to each communication unit. Alternatively, there may be a different antenna for each frequency band.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the communication device 100 according to this embodiment. The communication device may include a multi-link establishment unit 601, a wireless I / F setting unit 602, a frame processing unit 603, a frame transmission / reception unit 604, a communication quality measurement unit 605, and a WFD control unit 606. The multi-link establishment unit 601 controls communication initiation processing for establishing one or more links used by the communication device for wireless communication with a partner communication device, control processing for functions related to multi-link, processing for adding and deleting links after communication has started, and communication termination processing for deleting all links. For example, the connection processing may include authentication processing, association processing, and 4-Way Hand Shake (4WHS) processing. The wireless I / F setting unit 602 performs communication settings for each link. For example, the wireless I / F setting unit 602 sets the frequency channels used by each wireless I / F and sets information about the wireless I / F of the partner communication device. The frame processing unit 603 generates a frame to be transmitted in accordance with the settings of the wireless I / F setting unit 602. For example, the frame processing unit 603 of the STA that is the GO generates a beacon and a probe response that include a basic multi-link element and an RNR element. Furthermore, the frame processing unit 603 of the STA that is the GO generates an authentication response, an association response, and the like. On the other hand, the frame processing unit 603 of the STA that is the CL generates a probe request and an association request that include a basic multi-link element and an RNR element. Furthermore, the frame processing unit 603 processes a frame received from the other communication device and acquires information. For example, the frame processing unit 603 acquires information indicating that multi-link communication is possible from the Basic Multi-Link element and RNR element of the received Probe Request, Probe Response, etc. The transmitting / receiving unit 604 transmits wireless frames including the Beacon, Probe Response frame, and data frame generated by the frame processing unit 603, and receives wireless frames from the other device, in accordance with instructions from the wireless I / F setting unit 602.The communication quality measurement unit 605 measures and calculates communication quality using beacons, probe response frames, and the like received by the frame transmission / reception unit 604. The WFD control unit 606 executes WFD processing with the other communication device. For example, the WFD control unit 606 can generate wireless frames used in WFD processing, determine the roles of GO and CL, and exchange communication parameters using WPS or DPP. DPP is an abbreviation for Device Provisioning Protocol.

[0034] (Processing Flow) Next, the processing flow executed by the communication device 100 as described above, the sequence in the wireless communication system, etc. will be described.

[0035] 7 shows an example of a flowchart for determining whether the communication device 100 performs multi-link communication during WFD processing. The communication device 100 starts WFD processing under the control of the WFD control unit 606 (S701). For example, the communication device 100 performs a P2P Discovery procedure, a Service Discovery procedure, a Group Formation procedure, or the like. At this time, the communication device 100 generates and transmits a wireless frame including specific information indicating that the communication device 100 is capable of performing multi-link communication during one or more of these procedures (S702). For example, the communication device 100 may generate a Probe Request or Probe Response in the P2P Discovery procedure that includes the specific information. For example, the communication device 100 may generate a Service Discovery Request and a Service Discovery Response in a Service Discovery procedure by including specific information. For example, the communication device 100 may generate a Go Negotiation Request, a Go Negotiation Response, and a Go Negotiation Confirm in a Group Formation procedure by including specific information. For example, the communication device 100 may generate an Invitation Request and an Invitation Response in a P2P Invitation procedure by including specific information. For example, the communication device 100 may generate an EAP Request and an EAP Response in the WPS procedure by including specific information. The communication device 100 may generate a Probe Request, a Probe Response, an Authentication, an Association Request, and an Association Response during a wireless connection by including specific information. The specific information may be, for example, an RNR element or a Basic Multi-Link element. The specific information is not limited to these, and may be, for example, a new information element indicating that multi-link communication is possible between STAs.

[0036] Then, the communication device 100 receives the specific information transmitted by the other communication device and determines whether the other communication device supports multi-link communication (S703). For example, if the communication device 100 detects a Basic Multi-Link element in the received wireless frame, it may determine that the other communication device supports multi-link communication. Furthermore, if the communication device 100 detects multiple RNR elements with MLD ID set to 0, it may determine that the other communication device supports multi-link communication. If the communication device 100 determines that the other communication device supports multi-link communication (YES in S703), it executes processing to establish a multi-link (S704). If the communication device 100 determines that the other communication device supports multi-link communication, it may execute WFD processing collectively, as described below. On the other hand, if the communication device 100 determines that the other communication device supports multi-link communication (NO in S703), it executes a process for establishing a single link (S705).

[0037] An example of information included in each frame used by the communication device 100 for WFD processing will be described below. Note that if the same information (such as Attribute) is included in multiple frames, the description will be omitted. Fig. 8A shows an example of information (Attributes) included in a Probe Request in a P2P Discovery procedure. The Probe Request may include a P2P Capability Attribute, a P2P Device ID Attribute, and a Listen Channel Attribute. The P2P Capability Attribute may be used to establish a P2P connection. For example, the communication device 100 may notify that it supports multilink communication using a Device Capability Bitmap included in the P2P Capability Attribute. As an example, the communication device 100 may determine that multilink communication is possible when it receives a frame including a P2P Capability Attribute in which the Reserved bit in the Device Capability Bitmap is set to 1. The P2P Device ID Attribute may include the P2P device address of the communication device 100. The Listen Channel Attribute may include information on the channel to listen on and the Operation Class. The Probe Request may also include an Extended Listen Timing Attribute, a P2P Device Info Attribute, and an Operating Channel Attribute. The Extended Listen Timing Attribute may be used to communicate the timing when the Listen state is available. The P2P Device Info Attribute may include information about the communication device 100. The Operating Channel Attribute may include information about the Operating Channel and the Operating Class.

[0038] Furthermore, the Probe Request may include a Service Hash Attribute and a Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute. The Service Hash Attribute may be used to check whether a P2P service is available in the paired communication device. The Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute may include all or part of the information included in the Reduced Neighbor AP Report element in FIG. 3. For example, the Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute may include information included in the Neighbor AP Information 303. For example, the Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute may include information such as Operation Class 305, Channel Number 306, and MLD Parameters 313. The Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute may include information corresponding to each of the A-APs and A-STAs included in the communication device 102. For example, the Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute transmitted from the communication device 102 may include information on each of A-STAa 204, A-STAb 205, and A-STAc 206. 8A, the ID of the Reduced Neighbor Report is shown as 29, but this is not limited to this and any value can be used. Also, instead of or in addition to the Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute, an Attribute corresponding to a Basic Multi-Link element may be included. The Attribute corresponding to a Basic Multi-Link element may be called a Basic Multi-Link Attribute or a Multi-Link Attribute. The Basic Multi-Link Attribute may include, for example, information indicating whether the device itself supports multi-link or parameters required for its operation. For example, this information may be called MLD Capabilities And Operations.Furthermore, the Basic Multi-Link Attribute may include information on each of the A-APs and A-STAs that constitute the link. This information may be referred to as STA Control, STA Info, or STA Profile. For example, the STA Control may include a Link ID that identifies the link of the target A-STA. The STA Info may include the MAC address of the target A-STA. The STA Profile may include functional parameters, operating parameters, etc. of the target A-STA. Note that the communication device 100 may notify information that directly indicates that the device is capable of performing multilink communication, instead of or in addition to the Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute. In this case, information about each A-AP or A-STA can be notified using other frames, Attributes, or the like.

[0039] 8B shows an example of information (Attributes) included in a Probe Response in a P2P Discovery procedure. The Probe Response may include a P2P Capability Attribute, an Extended Listen Timing Attribute, and a Notice of Absence Attribute. The Notice of Absence Attribute may be used to notify the GO of timings when it is unavailable due to power saving operation or the like. The Probe Response may also include a P2P Device ID Attribute and a P2P Group Info Attribute. The P2P Group Info Attribute may include information about CLs that are members of the P2P Group. The Probe Response may also include an Advertised Service Info and a Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute. The Advertised Service Info may identify a specific instance of the P2P service. The information included in the Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute in this example is the same as that in Fig. 8A. Also in this example, the Basic Multi-Link Attribute or information directly indicating that the own device is capable of performing multi-link communication can be applied.

[0040] 9A shows an example of information (fields) included in a service discovery request in a service discovery procedure. The service discovery request may include a length field, a service protocol type field, and a service transaction ID field. The length field may indicate the length of the query data field. The service protocol type field may store a value indicating the service protocol type. The service transaction ID field may be used to identify the service request. The Service Discovery Request may also include a Query Data Field and a Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute. The Query Data Field may include the type of service information. The information included in the Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute in this example is the same as that in FIG. 8A. In this example, the Basic Multi-Link Attribute or information directly indicating that the device itself is capable of performing multi-link communication may also be applied.

[0041] 9B shows an example of information (fields) included in a Service Discovery Response in a Service Discovery procedure. The Service Discovery Response may include a Length Field, a Service Protocol Type Field, and a Service Transaction ID Field. The Service Discovery Request may also include a Status Code Field, a Response Data Field, and a Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute. The Status Code Field may indicate the status of the requested service. The Response Data Field may include information about the corresponding service. The information included in the Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute in this example is the same as that in FIG. 8A. Also, in this example, the Basic Multi-Link Attribute or information directly indicating that the device itself is capable of performing multi-link communication may be applied.

[0042] 10A shows an example of information (Attributes) included in a Go Negotiation Request in a group formation procedure. The Go Negotiation Request may include a P2P Capability Attribute, a Group Owner Intent Attribute, and a Configuration Timeout Attribute. The Group Owner Intent Attribute may indicate an intention to become a Group Owner. The Configuration Timeout Attribute may include the time required for the communication device 100 to transition to GO or CL. The Negotiation Request may include a Listen Channel Attribute, an Extended Listen Timing Attribute, and an Intended P2P Interface Attribute. The Intended P2P Interface Attribute may include a wireless interface that the communication device 100 uses in the P2P Group. Furthermore, the Negotiation Request may include a Channel List Attribute and a P2P Device Info Attribute. The Channel List Attribute may include a list of Operating Class and channel pair information. The Negotiation Request may include an Operating Channel Attribute and a Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute. The information included in the Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute in this example is the same as that in FIG. 8A. Also in this example, the Basic Multi-Link Attribute or information directly indicating that the device itself is capable of multi-link communication may be applied.

[0043] 10B shows an example of information (Attributes) included in a Go Negotiation Response in a group formation procedure. The Go Negotiation Response may include a Status Attribute, a P2P Capability Attribute, and a Group Owner Intent Attribute. The Status Attribute may indicate a success or failure status and the reason for the success or failure. The Go Negotiation Response may also include a Configuration Timeout Attribute and an Operating Channel Attribute. Furthermore, the Negotiation Response may include an Intended P2P Interface Attribute, a Channel List Attribute, and a P2P Device Info Attribute. The Negotiation Response may also include a P2P Group Info Attribute and a Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute. The information included in the Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute in this example is the same as that in FIG. 8A. Also in this example, Basic Multi-Link Attribute or information directly indicating that the device itself is capable of performing multi-link communication can be applied.

[0044] 11A shows an example of information (Attributes) included in an Invitation Request in a P2P Invitation procedure. The P2P Invitation procedure may be used, for example, by a Group Owner (GO) in an existing P2P Group to invite a new STA to the P2P Group. The Invitation Request may include a Configuration Timeout Attribute, an Invitation Flags Attribute, and an Operating Channel Attribute. The Invitation Flags Attribute may include flags in the P2P Invitation procedure. The Invitation Request may also include an Intended P2P Interface Attribute, a Channel List Attribute, and a P2P Group Info Attribute. The Invitation Request may also include a P2P Device Info Attribute and a Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute. The information included in the Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute in this example is the same as that shown in FIG. 8A. Also in this example, Basic Multi-Link Attribute or information directly indicating that the device itself is capable of performing multi-link communication can be applied.

[0045] 11B shows an example of information (Attributes) included in an Invitation Response in a P2P Invitation procedure. The Invitation Response may include a Status Attribute, a Configuration Timeout Attribute, and an Operating Channel Attribute. The Invitation Request may also include a P2P Group BSSID Attribute, a Channel List, and a Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute. The P2P Group BSSID Attribute may include a BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) ​​used by the GO of the P2P Group. The information included in the Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute in this example is the same as that in FIG. 8A. Also, in this example, the Basic Multi-Link Attribute or information directly indicating that the device itself is capable of multi-link communication may be applied.

[0046] 12 shows an example of information (Attribute) included in an EAP Request or EAP Response in the WPS procedure. The EAP Request and EAP Response may include a P2P Capability Attribute, a Device Password ID Attribute, and a Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute. The information included in the Reduced Neighbor Report Attribute in this example is the same as that in FIG. 8A. Also, in this example, a Basic Multi-Link Attribute or information directly indicating that the device itself is capable of performing multi-link communication may be applied. The Attribute of Other in FIG. 12 may be used as information indicating that the own device is capable of performing multi-link communication.

[0047] When the other communication device supports multi-link communication, the communication device 100 may execute subsequent WFD processing using some of the A-APs or A-STAs included in the communication device itself, without using other A-APs or A-STAs. For example, when the communication device 100 has multiple communication circuits capable of configuring each of the separate links in multi-link communication, the communication device 100 may execute subsequent WFD processing using some of the communication circuits. In this case, the communication device 100 does not execute subsequent processing using other communication circuits of the multiple communication circuits. In this case, the some communication circuits are communication circuits corresponding to some of the links used in multi-link communication. For example, the communication device 100 may execute subsequent WFD processing using one of the A-APs or A-STAs included in the communication device itself. FIG. 13 illustrates an example in which the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 execute the group formation procedure and subsequent steps between the A-APa 201 and the A-STAa 204. That is, the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 may notify and acquire whether the other communication device supports multi-link communication in the P2P Discovery procedure or the Service Discovery procedure. First, the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 execute the P2P Discovery procedure and the Service Discovery procedure using their respective A-APs or A-STAs. The Service Discovery procedure may be optional. For example, each A-AP or A-STA repeatedly switches between a Search state and a Listen state for each of the frequency channels on which it can operate, attempting to detect the other communication device (F1311 to F1316). In this example, it is assumed that the communication device 101 is the GO and the communication device 102 is the CL, and for convenience, the description will be given assuming that the communication device 101 operates as the AP MLD and the communication device 102 operates as the STA MLD. Note that in the WFD process, the AP MLD, STA MLD, A-AP, and A-STA may be referred to by other terms. For example, the Probe Request and Probe Response transmitted in the P2P Discovery procedure may include an RNR element and a Basic Multi-Link element.In addition, the ServiceDiscovery Request and ServiceDiscovery Response of the Service Discovery procedure may include an RNR element and a Basic Multi-Link element. If these elements contain a location where information to be set in the later stages of WFD processing or multi-link establishment should be stored, a temporary value may be stored. For example, if the frequency channel used between communication devices is set in the later stages of WFD processing, the Operation Class 305, Channel Number 306, etc. may not be determined at the stage of the P2P Discovery procedure. In this case, a value of zero or a predetermined value may be stored in these subfields. If a Basic Multi-Link element is included in a received Probe Request or Probe Response, the communication device 100 may determine that the other communication device supports multi-link communication regardless of the content of the Probe Request or Probe Response. The communication device 100 may include information notifying whether multi-link communication is executable in the Probe Response, rather than in the Probe Request. For example, the communication device 101 may transmit a Probe Response including a Basic Multi-Link element in response to receiving a Probe Request from the communication device 102. Then, when the communication device 102 detects that the received Probe Response includes a Basic Multi-Link element, it may notify the communication device 102 that it supports multi-link communication in the subsequent WFD processing. For example, the communication device 102 may transmit a Go Negotiation Request including a Basic Multi-Link element using one of the A-STAs. The communication devices 101 and 102 may determine a combination of an A-AP and an A-STA with which to establish each link in the P2P Discovery procedure or the Service Discovery procedure.For example, when one of the A-APs of the communication device 101 replies with a Probe Response in response to a Probe Request sent by one of the A-STAs of the communication device 102, it may be determined that one link will be established between these pairs. Furthermore, the communication devices 101 and 102 may not need to determine the combination of A-AP and A-STA with which each link should be established in the P2P Discovery procedure or the Service Discovery procedure. For example, when one of the A-APs of the communication device 101 replies with a Probe Response in response to a Probe Request from one of the A-STAs of the communication device 102, it may be determined that the subsequent WFD procedure will be performed between these pairs. In this case, the communication devices 101 and 102 may determine the combination of A-AP and A-STA that will constitute each link in a subsequent procedure. With this configuration, the P2P Discovery procedure and the Service Discovery procedure can be completed quickly because the communication devices 101 and 102 can detect the other communication device in parallel using the multiple A-APs or A-STAs that each communication device 100 has. Then, the communication devices 101 and 102 can execute subsequent procedures using one of the pairs of A-AP and A-STA that they have mutually detected.

[0048] Next, the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 execute a group formation procedure (F1317). At this time, the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 may execute the group formation procedure using a portion of their respective A-APs or A-STAs. For example, the group formation procedure may be executed between A-APa 201 and A-STAa 204. That is, in the group formation procedure between A-APa 201 and A-STAa 204, the group formation procedure between A-APb 202 and A-STAb 205 and the group formation procedure between A-APc 203 and A-STAc 206 may also be executed. In this case, for example, negotiation may be performed using Go Negotiation so that A-APa 201 to A-APc 203 commonly assume the role of GO and A-STAa 204 to A-STAc 206 commonly assume the role of CL (F1317). As an example, based on the determination that A-APa 201 will be in charge of GO and A-STAa 204 will be in charge of CL, the roles of other A-APs and A-STAs may be determined. Then, a P2P Group Session may be performed between A-APa 201 and A-STAa 204 using a procedure similar to F414 to F418 in FIG. 4 (F1318 to F1322). Furthermore, based on the completion of the group formation procedure between A-APa 201 and A-STAa 204, the group formation procedure between other A-APs and A-STAs may be considered to be completed. For example, the group formation procedures between A-APb 202 and A-STAb 205 and between A-APc 203 and A-STAc 206 may also be considered to be completed. In this case, A-STAa 204 may store a Basic Multi-Link element including information on links desired to be used in multi-link in the Go Negotiation Request. Then, A-APa 201 may store a Basic Multi-Link element including information on links permitted for use in multi-link in the Go Negotiation Response. Through these exchanges, negotiations required for multi-link communication in the group formation procedure may be completed. Note that such a comprehensive group formation procedure is not limited to being performed between A-APa 201 and A-STAa 204, but may also be performed between other A-APs and A-STAs.Furthermore, it is not limited to each A-AP of communication device 101 playing the role of GO and each A-STA of communication device 102 playing the role of CL, as long as the role of GO or CL is unified in each communication device.

[0049] A-APa 201 and A-STAa 204 may perform the subsequent WFD procedures (F1318 to F1327) in the same manner as F414 to F423 in Fig. 4. For example, A-APa 201 may transmit a beacon including a basic multi-link element and an RNR element based on the determination that it will assume the role of GO (F1323). Also, A-STAa 204 may transmit an association request including a basic multi-link element based on the determination that it will assume the role of CL (F1325). Furthermore, when A-APa 201 receives the Association Request, it transmits an Association Response including information on the links to be used for multilink communication, and when A-STAa 204 receives this, a multilink can be established (F1326). In this way, in the WFD process, by obtaining whether the other communication device is capable of executing multilink communication, it becomes possible to execute the WFD process in a common manner. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the roles of GO and CL are mixed between communication devices while improving the efficiency of the WFD process. Note that the exchange of information necessary to establish a multilink between communication devices 100 can be completed by exchanging a Go Negotiation Request and a Go Negotiation Response. In this case, the communication device 100 does not need to notify the other communication device of the Basic Multi-Link element or the RNR element in the subsequent WFD procedures (F1318 to F1327), which avoids the exchange of duplicated information and enables efficient use of frequency resources.

[0050] In the above example, the WFD processing after the group formation procedure is performed between a pair of A-APs and A-STAs, but this is not limited to this. For example, in the group formation procedure, whether or not the other communication device is capable of performing multi-link communication may be obtained, and the subsequent processing may be performed between the pair of A-APs and A-STAs. As an example, a Go Negotiation Request, a Go Negotiation Response, and a Go Negotiation Confirm may be used to notify whether or not multi-link communication can be performed. In this case, in order to unify the roles of GO and CL in each communication device, coordinated processing may be performed between multiple A-APs belonging to an AP MLD or multiple A-STAs belonging to a STA MLD. For example, between multiple A-APs or multiple A-STAs, after it is determined which role, GO or CL, each A-AP or A-STA will play, a Go Negotiation Request or a Go Negotiation Response may be sent. For example, the WFD control unit 606 may determine the role of its own device and instruct each A-AP or each A-STA to play that role.

[0051] Furthermore, the communication device 100 may acquire information on whether the other communication device is capable of performing multilink communication in the P2P Discovery procedure, and perform the Service Discovery procedure and subsequent steps between the pair of A-AP and A-STA. Furthermore, when the communication device 100 determines that the other communication device is capable of performing multilink communication, the communication device 100 may notify the other communication device that it is capable of performing multilink communication. This makes it possible to reduce the consumption of frequency resources that would otherwise be incurred by notifying information related to multilink communication if the other communication device is unable to perform multilink communication.

[0052] Note that the communication device 100 may perform processing from the initial procedure of the WFD processing (e.g., the P2P Discovery procedure) using some of the A-APs or A-STAs used in multi-link communication. That is, when the communication device 100 has multiple communication circuits capable of configuring each of the separate links in multi-link communication, it may notify or acquire specific information using some of the multiple communication circuits. In this case, notification or acquisition of specific information is not performed using other communication circuits among the multiple communication circuits. Note that some of the communication circuits correspond to some of the links used in multi-link communication. For example, the communication device 100 transmits a Probe Request including a Basic Multi-Link element and an RNR element using one of the A-APs or A-STAs. Then, the other communication device that receives the Probe Request replies with a Probe Response that includes a Basic Multi-Link element and an RNR element. By exchanging this information, it is determined that the two devices can perform multi-link communication, and the communication device 100 then comprehensively performs subsequent WFD processing using either the A-AP or A-STA. For example, in a Service Discovery Request or Go Negotiation Request, the device notifies the other communication device of the link on which it wishes to establish a multi-link. In response to these, the other communication device notifies the other communication device of the link on which it allows the establishment of a multi-link. This allows the communication device 100 to efficiently establish a multi-link with the other communication device without overlapping processes between the links.

[0053] As described above, according to this embodiment, in a predetermined procedure for establishing a link between STAs, the communication device 100 notifies or acquires specific information identifying whether the other communication device is capable of multilink communication. Then, based on the specific information indicating that the other communication device is capable of multilink communication, the communication device 100 establishes multiple links in a predetermined procedure. In this way, by exchanging specific information identifying the ability of the other communication device to perform multilink communication in the procedure for establishing a link between STAs, it is possible to efficiently establish a multilink using some wireless I / Fs. This can improve the efficiency of processing when establishing a multilink between STAs and avoid situations where the roles of each wireless I / F are not unified between the communication devices. (Other Examples) The present invention can also be realized by providing a program implementing 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. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0054] 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.

[0055] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-006983, filed January 19, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A communication device, which operates as a station compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series, and when other communication devices also operate as stations compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series, has execution means for executing a predetermined procedure for establishing a link with the other communication devices without going through an access point compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series. The execution means acquires specific information for specifying whether the other communication device can execute multi-link communication in which the other communication device communicates between stations using a plurality of links, and based on the fact that it is indicated by the specific information that the other communication device can perform the multi-link communication, establishes a plurality of links in the predetermined procedure. A communication device.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the execution means acquires the specific information using at least one of a Reduced Neighbor Report element or a Basic Multi-Link element.

3. The execution means acquires the specific information by receiving the specific information included in at least one or more of a frame used in a Device Discovery procedure compliant with the Wi-Fi Direct standard, a frame used in a Service Discovery procedure, a frame used in a Group Formation procedure, a frame used in a P2P Invitation procedure, or a frame used in Wi-Fi Protected Setup. The communication device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The communication device has communication means including a plurality of communication circuits capable of configuring each of the separate links in the multi-link communication. The execution means acquires the specific information using some of the plurality of communication circuits, does not acquire the specific information using the other communication circuits of the plurality of communication circuits, and the some communication circuits correspond to a part of the links used in the multi-link communication. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The communication device has communication means including a plurality of communication circuits each capable of configuring a respective separate link in the multi-link communication, and the execution means: executes the predetermined procedure using some of the plurality of communication circuits; does not execute the predetermined procedure using the other communication circuits of the plurality of communication circuits; and the some communication circuits correspond to a part of the links used for the multi-link communication. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A communication device, having execution means for executing a predetermined procedure for establishing a link with another communication device without going through an access point compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series when the communication device operates as a station compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series and the other communication device also operates as a station compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series; and in the predetermined procedure, the execution means notifies specific information for specifying whether the communication device can execute multi-link communication in which the communication device communicates between stations using a plurality of links, and based on the fact that the communication device can perform the multi-link communication, establishes a plurality of links in the predetermined procedure.

7. The execution means obtains specific information for specifying whether the other communication device can perform the multi-link communication, and based on the fact that it is indicated by the specific information that the other communication device can perform the multi-link communication, establishes a plurality of links in the predetermined procedure. The communication device according to claim 6.

8. The execution means notifies the specific information using at least one of a Reduced Neighbor Report element or a Basic Multi-Link element. The communication device according to claim 6 or 7.

9. The communication device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the execution means notifies the specific information by transmitting the specific information included in at least one or more of a frame used in a Device Discovery procedure compliant with the Wi-Fi Direct standard, a frame used in a Service Discovery procedure, a frame used in a Group Formation procedure, a frame used in a P2P Invitation procedure, or a frame used in Wi-Fi Protected Setup.

10. The communication device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the communication device has communication means including a plurality of communication circuits capable of configuring each of separate links in the multi-link communication, and the execution means notifies the specific information using some of the plurality of communication circuits and does not notify the specific information using the other communication circuits of the plurality of communication circuits, and the some of the communication circuits correspond to a part of the link used in the multi-link communication.

11. The communication device according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the communication device has communication means including a plurality of communication circuits capable of configuring each of separate links in the multi-link communication, and the execution means executes the predetermined procedure using some of the plurality of communication circuits and does not execute the predetermined procedure using the other communication circuits of the plurality of communication circuits, and the some of the communication circuits correspond to a part of the link used in the multi-link communication.

12. A control method executed by a communication device, wherein when the communication device operates as a station compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series and another communication device also operates as a station compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series, a predetermined procedure for establishing a link with the other communication device is executed without going through an access point compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series. In the predetermined procedure, specific information for identifying whether the other communication device can execute multi-link communication in which the other communication device communicates between stations using a plurality of links is obtained. Based on the fact that it is indicated by the specific information that the other communication device can perform the multi-link communication, a plurality of links are established in the predetermined procedure. Control method.

13. A control method executed by a communication device, wherein when the communication device operates as a station compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series and another communication device also operates as a station compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series, a predetermined procedure for establishing a link with the other communication device is executed without going through an access point compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series. In the predetermined procedure, specific information for notifying whether the communication device can execute multi-link communication in which the communication device communicates between stations using a plurality of links is notified. Based on the fact that the communication device can perform the multi-link communication, a plurality of links are established in the predetermined procedure. Control method.

14. A program for causing a computer to function as each means included in the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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