Wireless communication device, control method, and program

Abstract

Disclosed is a wireless communication device which is characterized by being an access point device that performs wireless communication in compliance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard by using a distributed resource unit constituted by a plurality of tones distributed across a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz or greater, said device comprising: a means for transmitting, to one station device, prescribed information for allocating, to the one station device, a plurality of distributed resource units in channels that do not overlap each other; and a means for receiving data transmitted from the one station device via a plurality of distributed resource units allocated according the prescribed information, wherein a portion or all of the prescribed information is included in an RU allocation subfield in a trigger frame to be transmitted to the one station device.

Description

Wireless Communication Device, Control Method, and Program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication device, a control method, and a program.

[0002] With the increase in the amount of data communicated in recent years, the development of communication technologies such as wireless LAN (Local Area Network) has been progressing. As the main communication standards for wireless LAN, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard series is known. The IEEE 802.11 standard series includes standards such as IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be. For further improvement of communication reliability, the development of the IEEE 802.11bn standard is underway as a successor standard to the IEEE 802.11be standard.

[0003] In the IEEE 802.11 WG (Working Group) that formulates the IEEE 802.11bn standard, in the UHR SG, the goals and scope of study of this standard are defined. And in TGbn, the detailed technical content to be included in this standard is scheduled to be defined. Note that UHR SG is an abbreviation of Ultra High Reliability Study Group.

[0004] Also, TGbn is an abbreviation of Task Group bn. The name UHR is provided for convenience based on the goals to be achieved by the successor standard and the features that are the highlight of the standard, and it may become another name when the standard formulation is completed. Similarly, the name IEEE 802.11bn may also become another name when the standard formulation is completed. On the other hand, this specification and the appended claims are essentially applicable to all successor standards that are successor standards to the 802.be standard.

[0005] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-47755 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) discloses communication using OFDMA (orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access). In OFDMA communication, it is disclosed that an access point (AP) allocates a frequency domain (subchannel) to a station (STA) in units of RU (Resource Unit).

[0006] A RU (Radio Unit) is a channel division unit used in communication and contains multiple subcarriers (also called tones). The method of dividing channels into RUs (size and range of the RU) is defined for each frequency bandwidth of 20 / 40 / 80 / 160 / 320 MHz. When the multiple subcarriers that make up a single RU are continuous in the frequency domain, it is also called an rRU (regular RU).

[0007] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2024-516188 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 2) discloses a communication method using a dRU that uses distributed subcarriers as subcarriers constituting a single RU. dRU is an abbreviation for distributed tone Resource Unit.

[0008] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-47755, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2024-516188

[0009] This disclosure aims to provide a mechanism for communicating the allocation of resource units, including dRUs used for wireless communication, between an access point device and a station device.

[0010] One aspect of the present invention is a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard using a distributed tone resource unit (RUT) composed of a plurality of tones distributed over a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz or more, comprising: means for transmitting predetermined information to a station device for assigning a plurality of distributed resource units whose channels do not overlap to a single station device; and means for receiving data transmitted from the single station device via the plurality of distributed resource units assigned according to the predetermined information, wherein part or all of the predetermined information is included in the RU Allocation subfield of a Trigger frame transmitted to the single station device.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, this disclosure makes it possible to provide a mechanism for communicating the allocation of resource units, including dRUs, used for wireless communication, between an access point device and a station device.

[0012] A diagram showing an example configuration of a wireless communication system according to the present invention. A diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a communication device according to the present invention. A diagram showing the hardware configuration of a communication device according to the present invention. A conceptual diagram of OFDMA communication using a dRU. A diagram showing an example configuration of a dRU in a 20 MHz bandwidth. A diagram showing an example configuration of a dRU in a 40 MHz bandwidth. A diagram showing an example configuration of a dRU in an 80 MHz bandwidth. A sequence diagram showing the communication processing performed in the embodiment. A flowchart showing the processing performed by the STA in the embodiment. A flowchart showing the processing performed by the AP in the embodiment. An example of the arrangement of a punctured overall RU in an 80 MHz bandwidth. An example of the arrangement of a punctured overall RU in a 160 MHz bandwidth. An example of the arrangement of a punctured overall RU in a 160 MHz bandwidth. An example of the arrangement of a punctured overall RU in a 320 MHz bandwidth. An example of the arrangement of a punctured overall RU in a 320 MHz bandwidth. An example of the arrangement of the punctured whole RU in a 320 MHz bandwidth. An example of the arrangement of the punctured whole RU in a 320 MHz bandwidth. A diagram showing the configuration of the trigger frame format that the AP transmits to the STA in the first embodiment. A diagram showing an example of the format of the Common info field included in the trigger frame format that the AP transmits to the STA in the first embodiment. A diagram showing an example of the format of the Common info field included in the trigger frame format that the AP transmits to the STA in the second embodiment. A diagram showing an example of the value of the RU Allocation subfield and its corresponding RU index in the embodiment. A diagram showing an example of the value of the RU Allocation subfield and its corresponding RU index in the first embodiment. A diagram showing an example of the value of the RU Allocation subfield and its corresponding RU index in the first embodiment. A diagram showing the configuration of the trigger frame format that the AP transmits to the STA in the second embodiment. A figure showing examples of values ​​for the RU type subfield and the RU Allocation subfield and their corresponding RU indices in the second embodiment.

[0013] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any way.

[0014] (Network Configuration) Figure 1 shows an example of the network configuration related to this embodiment. Figure 1 shows a configuration including one AP102 and three STA103-105 as a communication device that performs wireless LAN communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11bn standard. As shown in Figure 1, the network formed by AP102 is indicated by circle 101. The STA103-105 can transmit and receive signals transmitted and received by AP102.

[0015] Note that this diagram is just one example, and there may be other communication devices performing wireless LAN communication in a wider area. These communication devices may be communication devices that perform wireless LAN communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard. Alternatively, they may be so-called legacy devices that do not comply with the IEEE 802.11bn standard but only with the IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be standards.

[0016] AP102 and STA103-105 can also be configured to support wireless communication based on other communication standards such as Bluetooth®, NFC, and Bluetooth® LE (Low Energy). NFC stands for Near Field Communication.

[0017] Furthermore, AP102 and STA103-105 can be configured to support wired communication using Ethernet cables or fiber optic cables. AP102 and STA103-105 can also be configured to support cellular wireless communication such as 5G and LTE (Long Term Evolution).

[0018] Specific examples of AP102 include, but are not limited to, wireless LAN routers and personal computers (PCs). Furthermore, AP102 and STA103-105 may also be information processing devices such as wireless chips that support PPDU transmission and reception.

[0019] In this case, the wireless chip can be configured to perform various controls using hardware circuits within the chip.

[0020] Furthermore, the wireless chip can be configured to execute various processes through the cooperation of processors such as ASIP, memory, and hardware circuits within the chip. ASIP stands for Application-specific instruction set processor.

[0021] Specific examples of STA103-105 include cameras, tablets, smartphones, PCs, mobile phones, video cameras, smart glasses, and wearable devices such as HMDs (head-mounted displays).

[0022] The following explanation will use AP102 and STA103-105 as examples.

[0023] (Configuration of AP and STA) Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of AP102 and STA103-105. Here, AP102 and STA103-105 each include a wireless LAN control unit 201, a wireless frame generation unit 202, a wireless frame processing unit 203, a UI control unit 204, and a storage control unit 205.

[0024] The wireless LAN control unit 201 includes an antenna and circuit for transmitting and receiving wireless signals with other communication devices, and a program for controlling them. The wireless LAN control unit 201 performs wireless LAN communication control based on frames generated by the frame generation unit in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series.

[0025] The wireless frame generation unit 202 generates frames to be transmitted by the wireless LAN control unit 201.

[0026] The wireless frame processing unit 203 performs various processes on the received frame.

[0027] The UI control unit 204 includes hardware related to the user interface, such as a touch panel or buttons, for receiving operations on the AP by a user using the AP, and a program to control them. The UI control unit 204 also has functions for presenting information to the user, such as displaying images or outputting sound. The memory control unit 205 controls the writing and reading of data to and from memory units such as ROM and RAM that store the programs and data on which the AP operates. ROM is an abbreviation for Read Only Memory, and RAM is an abbreviation for Random Access Memory.

[0028] Figure 3 shows the hardware configuration of AP102 and STA103-105 according to the present invention. AP102 and STA103-105, as an example of their hardware configuration, include a storage unit 301, a control unit 302, a function unit 303, an input unit 304, an output unit 305, a communication unit 306, and a wireless antenna 307.

[0029] The storage unit 301 is composed of one or more memories, such as ROM, RAM, or either one of them, and stores various information such as programs for performing various operations described later, and communication parameters for wireless communication. In addition to memories such as ROM and RAM, storage media such as flexible disks, hard disks, and SSDs (Solid State Drives) may be used as the storage unit 301. Alternatively, storage media such as optical disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, and DVDs may be used as the storage unit 301.

[0030] The control unit 302 is composed of, for example, one or more processors such as a CPU or MPU, an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). Here, CPU is an acronym for Central Processing Unit, and MPU is an acronym for Micro Processing Unit. The control unit 302 controls the entire device by executing a program stored in the storage unit 301. Alternatively, the control unit 302 may control the device in cooperation with the OS (Operating System) and the program stored in the storage unit 301. Furthermore, the control unit 302 controls the function unit 303 to perform predetermined processes such as imaging, printing, and projection.

[0031] The functional unit 303 is hardware for the AP or STA to perform predetermined processing. For example, if the AP or STA is a camera, the functional unit 303 is an imaging unit and performs imaging processing. Also, for example, if the AP or STA is a printer, the functional unit 303 is a printing unit and performs printing processing. Also, for example, if the AP or STA is a projector, the functional unit 303 is a projection unit and performs projection processing. The data processed by the functional unit 303 may be data stored in the storage unit 301, or data communicated with other communication devices via the communication unit 306, which will be described later.

[0032] The input unit 304 receives various operations from the user.

[0033] The output unit 305 provides various outputs to the user. The outputs from the output unit 305 include at least one of the following: display on a screen, audio output from a speaker, vibration output, etc. Note that both the input unit 304 and the output unit 305 may be implemented in a single module, similar to a touch panel. Furthermore, the input unit 304 and the output unit 305 may be integrated with the AP or STA, respectively, or they may be separate components.

[0034] The communication unit 306 includes a so-called wireless LAN chip and controls wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard series and IP communication. In this embodiment, the communication unit 306 can perform processing in accordance with at least the IEEE 802.11bn standard. The communication unit 306 is a processing device that generates UHR PPDUs as defined in the IEEE 802.11bn standard, and may also have the function of generating PPDUs of types defined in earlier standards. PPDU is an abbreviation for Physical layer (PHY) Protocol Data Unit.

[0035] Furthermore, the communication unit 306 controls the wireless antenna 307 to transmit and receive wireless signals for wireless communication. AP102 and STA103-105 communicate content such as image data, document data, and video data with other communication devices via the communication unit 306. The wireless antenna 307 may be composed of two or more antennas in order to realize MIMO (Multi-Input and Multi-Output) transmission and reception.

[0036] The wireless antenna 307 may be configured separately from the communication unit 306, or it may be configured as a single module together with the communication unit 306. The wireless antenna 307 is an antenna capable of communication in the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 6 GHz band, 45 GHz band, and 60 GHz band.

[0037] Although Figure 3 shows the communication device having one antenna, the communication device may have two or more antennas. Alternatively, it may have different antennas for each frequency band. In the example in Figure 3, the device is configured to have only one communication unit 306, but it may also have a separate communication unit for each of the multiple wireless antennas.

[0038] AP102 can be any communication device having the configuration shown in Figures 2 and 3. It may be a so-called AP-dedicated communication device such as a wireless LAN router, or it may be a communication device with AP functionality such as a smartphone, camera, or printer.

[0039] (Processing Flow) Next, we will describe some embodiments, such as the processing flow performed by the AP and STA as described above, and the sequence in the wireless communication system.

[0040] <First Embodiment> Figure 4 shows how AP102 performs UL MU OFDMA (uplink multi-user OFDMA), which is multi-user communication using STA103-105 and dRU. STA103-105 transmits data to AP at the same time via MU OFDMA communication. That is, STA103-105 transmits data to AP102 such that at least a portion of the time period in which each STA103-105 transmits overlaps.

[0041] In OFDMA communication, AP102 allocates frequency domains (subchannels) to STA103-105 in units of RU (Resource Unit). An RU is a group of subcarriers, which is an allocation of subcarriers (or tones, or subcarriers) used for transmission. There are RUs that contain groups of 26, 52, 106, 242, 484, 996, or 2 x 996 subcarriers. In other words, an RU is a unit of channel division used for communication and contains multiple subcarriers. The method of division into RUs (size and range of RUs) is defined for each frequency bandwidth of 20 / 40 / 80 / 160 / 320 MHz.

[0042] In this embodiment, a RU obtained by dividing a channel such that subcarriers that are continuous in the frequency axis among the subcarriers usable for wireless communication between an AP and a STA are included in one RU is called a rRU (regular RU). Alternatively, this RU may be called a Consecutive Resource Unit (CRU). Hereinafter, the rRU may be referred to as a first type of RU. The subcarriers constituting one rRU are continuous on the frequency axis. However, there is also an rRU that includes a group of subcarriers with a missing frequency region so that a predetermined unused frequency region is not included. An rRU is a RU obtained by dividing the frequency region such that subcarriers that are continuous in the frequency region among the usable subcarriers are included in one RU.

[0043] Note that the subcarriers that are continuous on the frequency axis may be subcarriers whose indices of the subcarriers included in the OFDM symbols constituting the PPDU are continuous. Also, the subcarriers that are continuous on the frequency axis may be subcarriers whose subcarrier indices are continuous except for the subcarrier indices assigned as unused subcarriers.

[0044] When information for identifying each subcarrier such as a subcarrier index is not assigned, the following applies. The subcarriers that are continuous on the frequency axis may be a set of subcarriers arranged at a predetermined interval from the lower frequency to the higher frequency or from the higher frequency to the lower frequency. Also, the subcarriers that are continuous on the frequency axis may be a set of subcarriers arranged from the lower frequency to the higher frequency or from the higher frequency to the lower frequency according to a predetermined rule.

[0045] In the following description, a RU composed of a plurality of subcarriers arranged to be continuous on the frequency axis is called a rRU, and a RU composed of a plurality of subcarriers arranged such that at least some of the subcarriers are discontinuous on the frequency axis may be called a dRU

[0046] A dRU is a RU composed of subcarriers distributed over a certain bandwidth. The dRU is a RU in which a channel is divided such that at least a part of the subcarriers that are continuous in the frequency domain among the subcarriers available for wireless communication between an AP and a STA are distributed among a plurality of RUs. The dRU is a RU that is distributed and arranged over a bandwidth wider than the frequency bandwidth in which the subcarriers included in the rRU are distributed while maintaining the number of subcarriers constituting the RU, and is composed of subcarriers at least some of which are not continuous on the frequency axis. This RU may be called an Enhanced RU (Extended RU), etc. Hereinafter, the dRU may be referred to as the second type of RU.

[0047] In the rRU, in order to reduce the PSD (Power Spectral Density), it is necessary to suppress the transmission power, and there are problems such as a reduction in the communication available area and a reduction in the communication speed. By using the dRU, compared with the rRU, the transmission power of each subcarrier can be increased at the same PSD, and the communication available area can be widened or the communication speed can be improved. In other words, when the RU has the same RU size (number of subcarriers) and the same transmission power, the dRU has a lower PSD than the rRU. The transmission power density is the transmission power per unit frequency and may be denoted as Power Spectral Density (PSD).

[0048] The subcarriers of the dRU may be regularly arranged within the band or may be partially continuous irregularly. At least some of the subcarriers are arranged discontinuously, the same number of subcarriers are included in one RU, and when the same transmission power is applied, it may be configured such that the PSD is lower than that of transmission by the rRU. However, the subcarriers of the dRU are set such that the subcarriers constituting each dRU do not overlap on the frequency axis.

[0049] Note that it is also possible to allocate a plurality of rRUs or a plurality of dRUs to one STA. The plurality of rRUs may be called MRU (Multiple RU). The plurality of dRUs may be called MDRU (Multiple dRU).

[0050] In this embodiment, we will describe an example in which each STA 103-105 transmits data using a dRU previously assigned by AP 102.

[0051] Spectrum 404 is the received signal spectrum of AP102. The horizontal axis represents the frequency axis. The solid and dotted lines extending vertically represent subcarriers. Subcarriers are sometimes referred to as tones.

[0052] dRU spectra 401-403 show the spectra of the dRUs assigned to each STA. Subcarriers that are consecutive in spectrum 404, which is the received signal spectrum of AP102, are distributed so as to be dispersed across each dRU spectrum. In order to suppress PSD in a specific frequency domain, the subcarriers are specified to be distributed along the frequency axis within the communication band.

[0053] Before STA103-105 transmits data to AP102, AP102 sends a frame called a trigger frame to STA103-105, which includes data transmission timing and transmission parameters. This trigger frame also includes a field to notify the allocation of the dRU to be used for communication.

[0054] The received signal spectrum 404 of AP102 shows the shape of the sum of the dRU spectra 401-403 of STA103-105. Since the subcarriers of each dRU are configured so as not to overlap on the frequency axis, the transmitted signal is received by AP102 without interference. Note that the dRU subcarrier patterns shown in Figure 4 are for illustrative purposes only, and the actual number and distribution patterns of subcarriers used may differ.

[0055] Here, we will explain an example of a dRU configuration. Each subcarrier arrangement pattern of a dRU is assigned an index, which is shared in advance among wireless communication devices. The AP notifies each STA of the dRU to be used by including the index for assigning the dRU in the trigger frame transmitted by the AP. In contrast, MDRU assigns dRUs in an overall configuration where some of the bandwidth is gapped in the bandwidth of 80 MHz or higher. Figures 11 to 18, described later, show patterns of gaps (puncture patterns). MRU assigns rRUs to the patterns shown in Figures 11 to 18.

[0056] Figures 5 to 7 show examples of dRU configurations. The configuration of a dRU is defined for each bandwidth used. Each dRU is assigned an index, and each dRU uses a subcarrier index to indicate the arrangement of subcarriers. The subcarrier index is a sequence of integers assigned to the subcarriers included in the bandwidth used, starting from the lowest frequency subcarriers. For example, the index is assigned as follows: -121 to 121 for a 20 MHz bandwidth, -244 to 244 for a 40 MHz bandwidth, -500 to 500 for an 80 MHz bandwidth, and -1012 to 1012 for a 160 MHz bandwidth.

[0057] Like rRUs, dRUs are composed of multiple subcarriers, and the number of subcarriers they contain is the same. That is, the patterns of dRUs are 26-tone dRU, 52-tone dRU, 106-tone dRU, 242-tone dRU, and 484-tone dRU. The number of subcarriers in each pattern is 26, 52, 106, 242, and 484, respectively.

[0058] For example, a 26-tone dRU7 [-120:9:-12,6:9:114] in a 20MHz bandwidth would be a dRU composed of 26 subcarriers. The 26 subcarriers are as follows: -120, -111, -102, -93, -84, -75, -66, -57, -48, -39, -30, -21, -12, 6, 15, 24, 33, 42, 51, 60, 69, 78, 87, 96, 105, 114.

[0059] Furthermore, the 52-tone dRU and 106-tone dRU are configured by combining them based on the 26-tone dRU. For example, in a bandwidth of 20 MHz, the 52-tone dRU3 consists of the 26-tone dRU7 and the 26-tone dRU8. In this case, it is composed of 52 subcarriers. The 52 subcarriers are as follows in subcarrier indices: -120, -116, -111, -107, -102, -98, -93, -89, -84, -80, -75, -71, -66, -62, -57, -53, -48, -44, -39, -35, -30, -26, -21, -17, -12, -8. Furthermore, 6, 10, 15, 19, 24, 28, 33, 37, 42, 46, 51, 55, 60, 64, 69, 73, 78, 82, 87, 91, 96, 100, 105, 109, 114, 118.

[0060] In this embodiment, the dRU is configured in which the same number of subcarriers as the rRU are regularly arranged throughout the entire bandwidth, but the number of subcarriers constituting the dRU is not limited to this. For example, it may be composed of fewer or more subcarriers than those constituting the rRU, or the subcarriers may be arranged irregularly. However, it is necessary to distribute the subcarriers across the entire communication bandwidth and to reduce the power density compared to conventional rRUs.

[0061] Furthermore, the bandwidths for communication using dRUs are 20 MHz, 40 MHz, and 80 MHz, and the supported dRU sizes for each bandwidth are as follows: Specifically, for a 20 MHz bandwidth, 26-tone dRUs, 52-tone dRUs, and 106-tone dRUs are supported.

[0062] Furthermore, for a bandwidth of 40 MHz, the values ​​are 26-tone dRU, 52-tone dRU, 106-tone dRU, and 242-tone dRU. Also, for 80 MHz, the values ​​are 52-tone dRU, 106-tone dRU, 242-tone dRU, and 484-tone dRU.

[0063] However, the method is not limited to this; 26-tone dRUs may be used in an 80 MHz bandwidth, or communication using dRUs may be carried out in a 160 MHz bandwidth. When using 26-tone dRUs in an 80 MHz bandwidth, 37 new STAs can be allocated to the 26-tone dRUs, so dRU indexes from dRU1 to dRU70 will be used.

[0064] Furthermore, although the above embodiment shows an example where subcarriers are arranged across the entire bandwidth to constitute a dRU, the dRU may be composed of subcarriers within a portion of the communication bandwidth. For example, in the case of an 80 MHz bandwidth, it may be divided into two 40 MHz bandwidth regions, and the dRU and rRU may be composed of subcarriers within each 40 MHz bandwidth.

[0065] In this way, when a predetermined bandwidth is used as a single unit and dRUs are configured within it, it is also possible to perform communication using both rRUs and dRUs by using an rRU on one side of the divided bandwidth and a dRU on the other side.

[0066] The number of subcarriers and arrangement patterns of the dRU and MDRU used in this embodiment are not limited to those described above and multiple patterns are possible, but all patterns are predetermined. AP102 can then assign an appropriate dRU and MDRU pattern to each STA for the communication to be executed.

[0067] Figure 8 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the process by which AP102 performs UL MU OFDMA (uplink multi-user OFDMA), which is multi-user communication using STA103-105 and dRU.

[0068] First, AP102 sends a BSRP (Buffer Status Report Pol) Trigger frame 801 to STA103-105. Next, STA103-105 sends a BSR (Buffer Status Report) 802 to AP102 to notify it of the amount of data buffer to transmit. The communication between the BSRP Trigger frame and the BSR is a step performed by the AP to understand the amount of data buffer to transmit from the STA, and it does not need to be performed if it is not necessary.

[0069] Alternatively, AP102 may transmit an NFRP Trigger frame to STA103-105 instead of BSRP. NFRP is an abbreviation for NDP Feedback Report Poll. In this case, AP102 may receive an NDP feedback report response from STA103-105 that contains information about the amount of data buffer to transmit. NDP is an abbreviation for Null Data Packet.

[0070] AP102 determines the RU to be assigned to each STA based on the amount of data buffer each STA has to transmit. This RU may consist only of dRUs, a combination of rRUs and dRUs, a configuration of rRUs only, or a configuration combining MRUs and MDRUs. As an example of RU assignment, one possible method is to determine the ratio of the amount of data buffers each STA has to transmit and the ratio of the number of subcarriers that make up the assigned RU for each STA to be proportional.

[0071] Furthermore, the choice of whether to use dRU or rRU for communication may be determined based on the distance between the AP and STA and the capabilities of the STA. For example, one approach is to use dRU for STAs that are far from the AP and use rRU for STAs that are close to the AP.

[0072] If the number of STAs that are far from the AP is greater than a predetermined value, dRU may be used for all STAs. If the number of STAs that are close to the AP is greater than a predetermined value, rRU may be used for all STAs. Alternatively, if even one STA is far from the AP, dRU may be used for all STAs. A possible method for determining whether the distance between the AP and STA is far or near is to use the amount of radio wave attenuation based on the received power. The magnitude of the radio wave attenuation, i.e., the magnitude of the distance between the AP and STA, may be determined by whether the received power at the AP exceeds a predetermined value.

[0073] Furthermore, the AP may determine whether the distance between the AP and the STA is far or near by acquiring the received power at the STA. Also, if the AP has the function to acquire the location information of the STA, it may set a distance threshold from itself and use dRU and rRU accordingly. When deciding which RU to use based on the capabilities of the STA, the decision should be made based on whether the STA is a standard that supports communication using dRU or a legacy standard that does not support communication using dRU. In an environment where there are more than a certain number of STAs that only support legacy standards, or where there are many STAs that only support legacy standards compared with STAs that support communication using dRU, the following can be considered. That is, it is possible to decide to prioritize the use of rRU in order to achieve communication with a large number of STAs. In addition, if a portion of the bandwidth used for allocation is unavailable, MRU or MDRU may be used.

[0074] AP102 transmits Trigger frame803, which includes the determined dRU and MDRU allocation information, to STA103-105.

[0075] STA103-105 transmits a TB (Trigger-Based) PPDU 804 to AP102 via the dRU and MDRU, respectively, which are assigned according to the MDRU assignment information.

[0076] When AP102 receives a TB PPDU from STA103-105, it transmits a Multi-STA Block Ack frame 805.

[0077] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing performed in STA103-105 in this embodiment. This flowchart shows the processing performed when UL MU OFDMA communication is performed, starting from the point when STA103-105 receives the BSRP Trigger frame from AP102. In the description of Figure 9, STA refers to any one of STA103-105 unless otherwise specified.

[0078] In S1201, STA transmits a BSR to AP that includes information regarding the status of transmitted data storage.

[0079] In S1202, when STA receives a Trigger frame from AP, the process proceeds to S1203.

[0080] In S1203, STA determines which RU to use from the RU allocation information included in the Trigger frame.

[0081] STA determines whether the RU to be used is a dRU (S1204).

[0082] If the RU to be used is a dRU, the STA sets the physical layer transmission parameters corresponding to the dRU and MDRU to be used (S1205). Examples of physical layer transmission parameter settings include the bandwidth to be used, the subcarrier, and the transmission power.

[0083] If the RU to be used is not a dRU, i.e., if the RU to be used is an rRU, STA sets the physical layer transmission parameters corresponding to the rRU and MRU to be used (S1206).

[0084] In S1207, STA sends a TB PPDU to AP. If Multi-STA Block Ack is received in S1208, the process proceeds to S1209. If Multi-STA Block Ack is not received in S1208, the process terminates.

[0085] In S1209, STA stores the data that AP could not receive from the transmitted data into the retransmission buffer and terminates processing.

[0086] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing performed in AP102 in this embodiment. This flowchart shows the processing performed when STA103-105 performs UL MU OFDMA communication with AP102.

[0087] In S1101, AP102 transmits a BSRP Trigger frame to the STA and collects information regarding the transmission data storage status of each STA.

[0088] In S1102, AP102 decides whether to perform UL MU OFDMA communication based on the transmission data storage status of each STA collected in S1101. If it is determined in S1102 not to perform communication, the process proceeds to S1108.

[0089] In S1103, AP102 determines the RU to be used by each STA. The determination is made in an appropriate manner according to the STA and communication environment, as explained above, taking into account the transmission data storage status of each STA, the distance to each STA, the number of STAs to communicate with, and the number of legacy STAs.

[0090] At S1104, AP102 broadcasts the Trigger frame to each STA.

[0091] In S1105, physical layer reception parameters are set based on the RU allocation status to ensure proper reception of radio waves transmitted from STA. Examples of physical layer reception parameters include the bandwidth to be used and the subcarrier settings.

[0092] In S1106, AP102 receives and interprets the TB PPDU transmitted from each STA.

[0093] At S1107, AP102 sends a Multi-STA Block Ack frame to each STA in order to notify each STA of whether or not the TB PPDU can be received.

[0094] In S1108, AP102 determines whether to stop operating. If it determines to stop operating, it terminates the communication process. If it does not stop operating, it proceeds to S1109.

[0095] In S1109, AP102 performs communication other than UL MU OFDMA communication. Examples of communication other than UL MU OFDMA communication include UL (uplink) or DL ​​(downlink) SU (single user) communication.

[0096] Through the series of processes described above, APs such as AP102 can perform multi-user communication with STAs such as STA103-105 using dRU and MDRU.

[0097] The following describes the puncture patterns used in MDRU. While the MDRU Index is used as the index, the MRU Index may be used instead.

[0098] Figure 11 shows an example of a gap pattern in an 80 MHz bandwidth. An index is assigned to each gap pattern, and this index is used in the MDRU assignment table described later. Within the 80 MHz bandwidth, MDRU Index 1 is assigned to the pattern where the lowest frequency has a 20 MHz bandwidth gap. From there, MDRU Indexes 2 to 4 are assigned to patterns where the bandwidth is 20 MHz in decreasing order of frequency.

[0099] Figures 12 and 13 show examples of gap patterns in a 160 MHz bandwidth. An Index is assigned to each gap pattern, and this Index is used in the MDRU assignment table described later. MDRU Index 1 is assigned to the pattern where the lowest frequency in the 160 MHz bandwidth is gapped at 20 MHz. From there, MDRU Indexes 2 to 8 are assigned to patterns where the bandwidth is gapped at 20 MHz in ascending order of frequency. Next, MDRU Index 9 is assigned to the pattern where the lowest frequency is gapped at 40 MHz. From there, MDRU Indexes 10 to 12 are assigned to patterns where the bandwidth is gapped at 40 MHz in ascending order of frequency.

[0100] Figures 14 to 17 show examples of gap patterns in a 320 MHz bandwidth. An index is assigned to each gap pattern, and this index is used in the MDRU assignment table described later. MDRU Index 1 is assigned to the pattern where only a 40 MHz bandwidth is gapped at the lowest frequency within the 320 MHz bandwidth. From there, MDRU Indexes 2 to 8 are assigned in descending order of frequency, as patterns where only a 40 MHz bandwidth is gapped.

[0101] Next, MDRU Index 9 is assigned to the pattern where only the 80 MHz bandwidth is missing at the lowest frequency. From there, MDRU Indexes 10 to 12 are assigned to the patterns where the 80 MHz bandwidth is missing in descending order of frequency. MDRU Index 13 is assigned to the pattern where the 80 MHz bandwidth is missing at the highest frequency and the 40 MHz bandwidth is missing at the lowest frequency.

[0102] From there, MDRU Indexes 14-18 are assigned to patterns where the highest frequency, 80 MHz bandwidth, remains a gap, and the bandwidth becomes a gap at 40 MHz in descending order of frequency. MDRU Index 19 is assigned to patterns where the lowest frequency, 80 MHz bandwidth, remains a gap, followed by a gap at the next lowest frequency, 40 MHz bandwidth. From there, MDRU Indexes 20-24 are assigned to patterns where the lowest frequency, 80 MHz, remains a gap, and the bandwidth becomes a gap at 40 MHz in descending order of frequency.

[0103] The trigger frame used in this embodiment has the frame format configuration shown in Figure 18. It includes fields 1301 to 1308, where FCS is an abbreviation for Frame Check Sequence.

[0104] The Common info field 1305 contains information commonly used for STAs such as STAs 103-105 that receive trigger frames. The User info list field 1306 includes one or more User info fields 1309. Each of the User info fields 1309 may be used to notify User-specific information (STA-specific information) that should receive trigger frames. In this embodiment, the User info field 1309 has a RU type subfield 1311.

[0105] The RU type subfield 1311 contains information indicating whether to use rRU or dRU in ODFMA communication after the trigger frame transmission. For example, a value of 0 means that only rRU communication will be used, and a value of 1 (an example of a second specific value) means that communication will use dRU or a combination of dRU and rRU. The value of the RU type subfield 1311 changes the RU allocation pattern indicated by the value of the RU Allocation subfield 1312.

[0106] When the value of the RU type subfield 1311 is 0, i.e., only rRU is used, the RU Allocation subfield 1312 is defined in the same way as in the IEEE 802.11be and earlier standards.

[0107] When the value of the RU type subfield 1311 is 1, i.e., when dRU is used, the RU Allocation subfield 1312 indicates the dRU allocation pattern. The allocation method in this case will be described later in Figure 21.

[0108] Note that the RU Type subfield 1311 may be located elsewhere. For example, the Reserved subfield 1322 or Reserved subfield 1315 within the Trigger Dependent User Info subfield 1319 may be used. Alternatively, it may be dRU when a special value is used in the AID 12 field 1310 or when a special bit is enabled. Furthermore, the RU Type subfield 1311 may be omitted as appropriate if the value of the RU Allocation subfield itself selectively indicates an allocation pattern for rRU only and an allocation pattern for dRU. That is, if the RU Allocation subfield contains the functionality of the RU Type subfield 1311, the RU Type subfield 1311 may be omitted.

[0109] Figure 19 shows an example of a Common info field.

[0110] The Common info field includes the Trigger Type subfield 1501, the UL Length subfield 1502, the More TF subfield 1503, and the CS Required subfield 1504. It also includes the UL BW subfield 1505, the GI And HE / EHT / UHR-LTF Type / Triggered TXOP Sharing Mode subfield 1506, and the Reserved subfield 1507. It also includes the Number Of HE / EHT / UHR-LTF Symbols subfield 1508, the Reserved subfield 1509, and the LDPC Extra Symbol Segment subfield 1510. It also includes the AP Tx Power subfield 1511 and the Pre-FEC Padding Factor subfield 1512. It also includes the PE Disambiguity subfield 1513, the UL Spatial Reuse subfield 1514, the Reserved subfield 1515, and the HE / EHT / UHRP160 subfield 1516. It also includes a Special User Info Field Flag subfield 1517, a Reserved subfield 1518, and a Trigger Dependent Common Info subfield 1519.

[0111] The Common info field consists of, but is not limited to, the Trigger Type subfield 1501 to the Trigger Dependent Common info subfield 1519. Some parts may be omitted or added.

[0112] Table 1 shows the relationship between the value indicated by the Trigger Type subfield 1501 and the type of trigger frame.

[0113]

[0114] When the value of the Trigger Type subfield is 9, it indicates that the trigger frame is a dRU trigger frame. If the AP sends a dRU trigger frame to the STA, UL MU OFDMA communication using the dRU is then initiated. The dRU used by each STA is identified from the value of the RU Allocation subfield in the User info field corresponding to the STA and a table similar to Figure 21 described later. Note that if the value of the Trigger Type subfield is set to 0, communication using the rRU is performed as in the current standard.

[0115] Furthermore, the RU Type subfield 1311 is a 1-bit subfield in this embodiment, but it may be different. For example, three bits may be provided, with 0 representing rRU, 1 representing a 20MHz dRU, 2 representing a 40MHz dRU, 3 representing an 80MHz dRU, 4 representing a 160MHz dRU, and 5 representing a 320MHz dRU. If three bits are provided, it is more preferable to provide them in the Common Info field 1305. For example, some or all of the Reserved subfields 1507, 1509, 1515, and 1518 may be used to indicate the switching between rRU and dRU.

[0116] In a modified example, the Common info field of the trigger frame may have a field indicating the use of either rRU or dRU. In other words, it is possible to use trigger frames with different Common info fields. An example of such a Common info field is shown in Figure 20.

[0117] The Common info field of the trigger frame shown in Figure 20 includes the Trigger Type subfield 1601, the UL Length subfield 1602, and the More TF subfield 1603. It also includes the CS Required subfield 1604, the UL BW subfield 1605, the GI And HE / EHT / UHR-LTF Type / Triggered TXOP Sharing Mode subfield 1606, the Reserved subfield 1607, the Number Of HE / EHT / UHR-LTF Symbols subfield 1608, and the Reserved subfield 1609. It also includes the LDPC Extra Symbol Segment subfield 1610, the AP Tx Power subfield 1611, the Pre-FEC Padding Factor subfield 1612, the PE Disambiguity subfield 1613, and the UL Spatial Reuse subfield 1614. It also includes the Reserved subfield 1615, the HE / EHT / UHR P160 subfield 1616, and the Special User Info Field Flag subfield 1617.

[0118] It also includes the dRU subfield 1618, the Reserved subfield 1619, and the Trigger Dependent Common info subfield 1620.

[0119] The Common info field shown in Figure 20 consists of these subfields 1601 to 1620, but some may be omitted, or other subfields may be added.

[0120] In this embodiment, the value of the Trigger Type subfield is 0, indicating that the trigger frame is a Basic Trigger frame.

[0121] If the value shown in the dRU subfield 1618 is 0, it indicates that the RU used for communication is rRU, and if it is 1 (an example of a second specific value), it indicates that the RU used for communication is dRU. After the AP sends a trigger frame to the STA, UL MU OFDMA communication takes place, and the RU used by each STA at that time is shown in the RU Allocation subfield indicated in the User info field corresponding to each STA.

[0122] The STA can obtain the RU information assigned by the AP used for communication from the dRU subfield 1618 and the User info field, and can perform UL MU OFMDA communication.

[0123] Alternatively, if the value of the AID12 field 1310 in the User info field is a specific value, it may be indicated that it is not user-specific information but extended user-common information not provided in the Common info field. In this case, it may be indicated that it is a dRU. For example, if the value of the AID12 field 1310 is 2007, a dRU subfield may be provided. Then, if the value of the dRU subfield is 0, it may be indicated that the RU used for communication is an rRU, and if the value of the dRU subfield is 1, it may be indicated that the RU used for communication is a dRU. In this case, all User info fields after a specific User info field may indicate the allocation of a dRU, and all User info fields before it may indicate the allocation of an rRU.

[0124] Figure 21 shows a table summarizing how dRU and MDRU are assigned when dRU is indicated in the RU Type subfield.

[0125] This allocation is based on how many STAs the bandwidth will be distributed among. When indicating dRU and MDRU, the value of the RU Allocation subfield indicates which RUs from dRU and MDRU will be allocated to STA 103 to 105. This value is derived from the combination of the UL BW field 1505 and the HE / EHT / UHR P160 field 1516 contained in the Common Info field 1305.

[0126] For example, if the value of the RU Allocation subfield is 0, the following applies: If the UL BW subfield 1505 and HE / EHT / UHR P160 field 1516 indicate 20 MHz, it means that the allocation is 106 tones at 20 MHz, and that Index 1 of the dRU allocation is assigned to STA.

[0127] Similarly, for 40MHz, 242 tones are assigned, and Index 1 of the dRU allocation in Figure 6 is assigned. For 80MHz, it is 484 tones, for 160MHz it is 996 tones, and for 320MHz it is 996 x 2 tones. In other words, a pattern of alternating assignments to two STAs is assigned.

[0128] If the RU Allocation subfield is 2-5, the pattern will be to allocate with a maximum of 4 STAs. For 20MHz, it is 52 tones; for 40MHz, it is 106 tones; for 80MHz, it is 242 tones; for 160MHz, it is 484 tones; and for 320MHz, it is 996 tones. Of these, dRU Index 3-6 are allocated accordingly.

[0129] If the RU Allocation subfield is 6-14, the pattern will be to allocate with a maximum of 9 STAs. 20MHz is 26 tones, 40MHz is 52 tones, 80MHz is 106 tones, 160MHz is 242 tones, and 320MHz is 484 tones. Of these, dRU Index 7-15 are allocated accordingly.

[0130] If the RU Allocation subfield is 15-32, the pattern will be assigned using a maximum of 18 STAs. 40MHz is 26 tones, 80MHz is 52 tones, 160MHz is 106 tones, and 320MHz is 242 tones. Of these, dRU Index 16-33 are assigned accordingly.

[0131] Alternatively, you can exclude the patterns assigned by the 18 STAs and shift the values ​​accordingly, assigning the MDRU index1 pattern from the value 15 of the RU Allocation subfield.

[0132] If the RU Allocation subfield is 33-65 (an example of the first specific value), the pattern of MDRU Index 1 shown in Figures 11-17 is applied. If the UL BW field 1505 and HE / EHT / UHR P160 field 1516 indicate 80MHz and 160MHz, the values ​​of the RU Allocation subfield 33-47 are mapped to dRU index 1-15. Then, the assignment corresponding to the dRU index is used for each dRU that constitutes the MDRU. For example, if the RU Allocation subfield is 38, it becomes MDRU Index 1 from Figure 21, and the dRU index corresponding to MDRU Index 1 is dRU6. When the total bandwidth is 80 MHz, the configuration punctured in MDRU Index 1 shown in Figure 11 is used, and for the 242-tone portion, the allocation of a 52-tone dRU corresponding to dRU6 shown in Figure 5 is used. Similarly, for the 484-tone portion of the configuration of MDRU Index 1 shown in Figure 11, the allocation of a 106-tone dRU corresponding to dRU6 shown in Figure 6 is used. Furthermore, when the total bandwidth is 160 MHz, the configuration punctured in MDRU Index 1 shown in Figure 12 is used, and for the 242-tone portion, the allocation of a 52-tone dRU corresponding to dRU6 shown in Figure 5 is used. Similarly, for the 484-tone portion, the allocation of a 106-tone dRU corresponding to dRU6 shown in Figure 6 is used. Similarly, in the 996-tone portion, the allocation of a 242-tone dRU corresponding to dRU6 shown in Figure 7 is used. In this way, by using a dRU index that has the same subcarrier spacing for each dRU with potentially different bandwidths, the PSD of each dRU is unified, and the communication quality of each dRU is maintained to be the same. Furthermore, by associating multiple dRUs with the same subcarrier spacing with the same MDRU index, combination patterns that assign multiple dRUs with different subcarrier spacings to each other are eliminated. This has the effect of reducing the amount of information required in the RU Allocation subfield.Furthermore, by limiting the combination patterns of subcarrier order used in multiple dRUs, it is possible to reduce the amount of information required for the RU Allocation subfield. For example, a 52-tone dRU7 in a 20 MHz bandwidth ([-120:9:-12, 6:9:114]) can only be combined with a 52-tone dRU7 in a 40 MHz bandwidth ([-242:9:-17, 10:9:235]). In other words, a 52-tone dRU7 in a 20 MHz bandwidth ([-120:9:-12, 6:9:114]) cannot be combined with the allocation of a 52-tone dRU in a 40 MHz bandwidth that uses a different subcarrier order. For example, a 52-tone dRU7 in a 20MHz bandwidth cannot be combined with a 52-tone dRU8 ([-238:9:-13, 14:9:239]) in a 40MHz bandwidth. Note that if the allocation of 26 tones at 40MHz is removed when the RU Allocation subfield value shown in Figure 21 is 15-32, the number of corresponding dRU indices becomes 15 (dRU1-15). In that case, for example, 15-47 may be assigned to MDRU Index1.

[0133] Similarly, assign 66-98 to MDRU Index 2, 99-131 to MDRU Index 3, and 132-164 to MDRU Index 4.

[0134] Similarly, 165-296 are assigned to MDRU Index 5-8, respectively. At this time, 160 MHz and 320 MHz can be assigned to UL BW field 1505 and HE / EHT / UHR P160 field 1516.

[0135] Furthermore, 297-428 are assigned in MDRU Index 9-12. At this time, 160 MHz and 320 MHz may be assigned in UL BW field 1505 and HE / EHT / UHR P160 field 1516.

[0136] 429-824 is assigned in MDRU Index 13-24. At this time, 320 MHz may be assigned in UL BW field 1512 and HE / EHT / UHR P160 field 1516.

[0137] Note that Figure 21 uses a pattern that assigns dRU to a maximum of 18 STAs, but a pattern that assigns dRU to a maximum of 37 STAs may be added. The added pattern is shown in Figure 22. In this case, the RU Allocation subfield 70-1009 (an example of the first specific value) forms the MDRU assignment information.

[0138] Another allocation pattern is shown in Figure 23. This is a modification of the existing rRU and MRU allocation patterns. That is, the allocation is based on the number of tones. When the bandwidth is 20 MHz, the values ​​0-8 in the RU Allocation subfield are mapped to dRU 7-15 of the 26-tone in Figure 5. When the bandwidth is 40 MHz, the values ​​0-8 in the RU Allocation subfield are mapped to dRU 16-24 of the 26-tone in Figure 6. Similarly, when the bandwidth is 40 MHz, the values ​​9-17 in the RU Allocation subfield are mapped to dRU 25-33 of the 26-tone in Figure 6. For 52-tone dRU, 106-tone dRU, and 242-tone dRU, the values ​​in the RU Allocation subfield are mapped to the dRU based on Figure 23. Furthermore, in the cases of 484-tone dRU, 996-tone dRU, and 996x2-tone dRU, the values ​​of the RU Allocation subfield are mapped to the dRU based on Figure 23.

[0139] Furthermore, the B0 of the RU Allocation subfield 1312 and the PS160 field 1318 may be treated in the same way as the allocation in existing Trigger frames.

[0140] If the value of the RU Allocation subfield is between 85 and 102, MDRU Index1 will use 26 tones per 20 MHz for dRU allocation. For example, if the value of the RU Allocation subfield is 85, 26 tones per 20 MHz will be used for dRU allocation for both the 242-tone dRU and the 484-tone dRU that make up MDRU Index1 in Figure 11. That is, dRU7 will be allocated to the 242-tone dRU based on Figure 5, and dRU7 will be allocated to the 484-tone dRU based on Figure 6. Similarly, if the value of the RU Allocation subfield is between 103 and 111, MDRU Index1 will use 52 tones per 20 MHz for dRU allocation. Similarly, if the value of the RU Allocation subfield is between 112 and 115, MDRU Index1 will use 106-tone per 20MHz for dRU allocation. Similarly, if the value of the RU Allocation subfield is between 116 and 117, MDRU Index1 will use 242-tone per 40MHz for dRU allocation.

[0141] Similarly, in MDRU Index2-8, assignments are made using values ​​118-341 in the RU Allocation subfield.

[0142] Similarly, MDRU Index 9-12 is assigned using the values ​​342-604 in the RU Allocation subfield.

[0143] Similarly, for MDRU Index 13-24, the allocation is performed using the values ​​605-1000 in the RU Allocation subfield.

[0144] Through the series of processes described above, APs such as AP102 can perform UL MU OFDMA communication using dRU with STAs such as STA103-105.

[0145] (Second Embodiment) In the above embodiment, both dRU and rRU types were expressed using the User Info field or Common Info field included in the Trigger frame transmitted by the AP to the STA. An example of notifying the allocation of a corresponding dRU was then described. In this embodiment, an example of notifying the dRU allocation method using only the RU Allocation subfield is shown. In this embodiment, the sequence of UL MU OFDMA communication using dRU and the flowchart showing the processing performed by the AP and STA are the same as in the first embodiment. Except for the trigger frame configuration, it is the same as the first embodiment, so the trigger frame in this embodiment will be described below.

[0146] Figure 24 shows an example of the trigger frame configuration. Here, the RU assignment is represented by a combination of the RU Allocation subfield 911 and the PS160 subfield 917.

[0147] Figure 25 shows a table of values ​​and their corresponding assignments.

[0148] In the RU Allocation subfield, cells B1-B7 contain values ​​0-106 which are used for rRU and MRU allocation. In the RU Allocation subfield, cells B1-B7 contain values ​​107-121 which are used for dRU and MDRU allocation.

[0149] For example, values ​​107-115 in the RU Allocation subfield B1-B7 are associated with dRU Index 7-15, which use 26 tones per 20 MHz. Furthermore, if the value of the RU Allocation subfield is 107 or greater, the PS160 subfield and B0 of the RU Allocation subfield are given a different meaning than when indicating the assignment of rRU. For example, the PS160 subfield and B0 of the RU Allocation subfield are used to create a Bitmap subfield, which indicates which RU within 80 MHz is assigned as dRU. For example, if it is set to 0b10, it can be expressed as assigning the lower frequency 40 MHz to dRU. Alternatively, other fields can be combined to represent the Bitmap with 4 bits. In that case, 0b1011 indicates the region of RU allocated by dRU, using a combination of the lower frequency 20MHz and the higher frequency 40MHz. Alternatively, the Bitmap may be represented by combining the 107-127 and PS160 subfields and the B0 of the RU Allocation subfield.

[0150] The values ​​116-119 in the RU Allocation subfields B1-B7 are associated with dRU Indexes 3-6, which use 52 tones per 20 MHz. The values ​​120 and 121 in the RU Allocation subfields B1-B7 are associated with dRU Indexes 1 and 2, which use 106 tones per 20 MHz. The Bitmap may also be used to indicate which 80 MHz of the 320 MHz bandwidth is being used.

[0151] To indicate MDRU assignments, it is possible to present multiple User Info fields to a single STA. In this case, User Info fields assigned to the same STA must always be consecutive. By making them consecutive, if there is a User Info field with another AID after the User Info field with its own AID, the STA does not need to read the subsequent fields. Therefore, it becomes unnecessary to read all User Info fields upon reception. For example, by presenting two types of 26-tone 20MHz signals, it becomes possible to indicate a 52-tone 20MHz assignment. For example, two User Info fields containing RU Allocation subfields indicating dRU Index 7 and Index 10 of the 26-tone 26-tone signals shown in Figure 5 are presented to the same STA.

[0152] Through the series of processes described above, APs such as AP102 can perform UL MU OFDMA communication using dRU with STAs such as STA103-105.

[0153] (Other embodiments) There may be other Puncture patterns besides those shown in the figure. For example, patterns that use only the lowest frequency of 20 MHz and the highest frequency of 20 MHz out of 80 MHz may be added.

[0154] Allocation and indexes based on dRUs with 26 tones distributed across 160 MHz, or dRUs with 26-tones distributed across 320 MHz, may also be used.

[0155] In addition to the RU Allocation subfield shown in the diagram, the RU start position and frequency width may also be indicated. This allows, for example, when multiple STAs that support only 20 MHz and an STA that supports up to 80 MHz are connected to AP102, the following becomes possible: By assigning the 20 MHz-only models to the lower 20 MHz and the higher 20 MHz within the 80 MHz range, respectively, and then presenting the dRU, simultaneous allocation of dRUs becomes possible for 80 MHz-compatible STAs and 20 MHz-only STAs.

[0156] Alternatively, the AP may allocate resources according to the bandwidth of the connected STA during the allocation process. For example, dRUs and MDRUs could be allocated to all STAs supporting 80 MHz at once, and then allocated to all STAs supporting 40 MHz at once. This would allow for more efficient communication while maintaining increased radio wave density in the space.

[0157] In this embodiment, when allocating multiple dRUs, the dRU Index was determined so that the subcarrier spacing is the same for each dRU, which may have different bandwidths. However, this is not limited to this. For example, different subcarrier spacings may be used for dRUs with different bandwidths. This allows for flexible changes to the allocation even if, for example, there are differences in the corresponding frequency bandwidths of the STAs to be allocated.

[0158] In this embodiment, the allocation was performed all at once even in the case of 320 MHz, but the allocation may be divided into, for example, 80 MHz increments. For example, the PS160 field 1318 and B0 of the RU Allocation field 1312 may be used to distinguish which 80 MHz within 320 MHz it is, and the dRU allocation may be performed using B1-B7 of the RU Allocation field 1312. In that case, the allocation method may be as follows: Excluding the allocations for 160 MHz and 320 MHz from Figure 21, 33-47 are allocated as MDRU index 1, 48-62 as MDRU index 2, 63-77 as MDRU index 3, and 78-92 as MDRU index 4. Alternatively, you could shift the values ​​corresponding to the MDRU Index1 assignments, excluding the assignments for 160MHz and 320MHz as shown in Figure 23.

[0159] Alternatively, a recording medium containing program code for software that implements the above-described functions may be supplied to a system or device, and the computer (CPU, MPU) of the system or device may read and execute the program code stored on the recording medium. In this case, the program code read from the storage medium itself will implement the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium containing that program code will constitute the above-described device.

[0160] For storing program code, storage media such as flexible disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, ROMs, and DVDs can be used.

[0161] Furthermore, the above-mentioned functions may be realized not only by the computer executing the program code it reads, but also by the operating system running on the computer performing some or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of that program code.

[0162] Furthermore, the program code read from the storage medium is written to the memory of a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Then, based on the instructions of that program code, the CPU of the function expansion board or function expansion unit may perform some or all of the actual processing to realize the above-mentioned functions.

[0163] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0164] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are attached to make the scope of the invention public.

[0165] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-156895, filed on September 10, 2024, and all of its contents are incorporated herein by reference.

[0166] 101 Network 102 AP 103, 104, 105 STA

Claims

1. An access point device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard using a distributed tone resource unit (RUT) composed of multiple tones distributed over a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz or more, comprising: means for transmitting predetermined information to a station device for assigning multiple distributed resource units whose channels do not overlap to a single station device; and means for receiving data transmitted from the single station device via the multiple distributed resource units assigned according to the predetermined information, wherein part or all of the predetermined information is included in the RU Allocation subfield of a Trigger frame transmitted to the single station device.

2. A wireless communication station device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard using a distributed tone resource unit (RUT) composed of multiple tones distributed over a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz or more, comprising: means for receiving predetermined information from an access point device for assigning multiple distributed resource units whose channels do not overlap to the station device; and means for transmitting data to the access point device via the multiple distributed resource units assigned according to the predetermined information, wherein part or all of the predetermined information is included in the RU Allocation subfield of a Trigger frame received from the access point device.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the bandwidth of the channel is one of a 20 MHz bandwidth, a 40 MHz bandwidth, and an 80 MHz bandwidth.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, if the RU Allocation subfield includes one or more first specific values, the RU Allocation subfield includes the predetermined information.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 4, characterized in that, if the RU Allocation subfield does not include the one or more first specific values, the RU Allocation subfield includes information for assigning only rRU (regular RU) consisting of a plurality of consecutive tones to a single station device, instead of the predetermined information.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the Trigger frame further includes a predetermined field on which a second specific value can be set, the second specific value indicating that the RU Allocation subfield includes the predetermined information.

7. The wireless communication device according to claim 6, characterized in that the RU Allocation subfield is included in the User info field.

8. The wireless communication device according to claim 6, characterized in that the predetermined field is included in the User info field.

9. The wireless communication device according to claim 6, characterized in that the predetermined field is included in the Common info field.

10. A control method for an access point device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard using a distributed tone resource unit (RUT) composed of multiple tones distributed over a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz or more, comprising the steps of: transmitting predetermined information to a station device for assigning a plurality of distributed resource units whose channels do not overlap to a single station device; and receiving data from the single station device via the plurality of distributed resource units assigned according to the predetermined information, wherein part or all of the predetermined information is included in the RU Allocation subfield of a Trigger frame transmitted to the single station device.

11. A control method for a station device that performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series standard using a distributed tone resource unit (RUT) composed of multiple tones distributed over a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz or more, comprising the steps of: receiving predetermined information from an access point device for assigning a plurality of distributed resource units whose channels do not overlap with each other to the station device; and transmitting data to the access point device via the plurality of distributed resource units assigned according to the predetermined information, wherein part or all of the predetermined information is included in the RU Allocation subfield of a Trigger frame received from the access point device.

12. A program for causing a computer to perform each step of the control method described in claim 10 or 11.

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