Communication devices and methods
A first communication device comprises circuitry configured to simultaneously communicate with a group of two or more second communication devices. The circuitry is configured to generate schedule information that schedules, for two or more subsequent time slots, the assignment of different resource units to the second communication devices of the group of second communication devices to indicate, per time slot or per group of time slots, which second communication device of the group shall use which resource unit for data transmission, transmit the schedule information to the group of second communication devices, and receive data in subsequent time slots from second communication devices of the group that use the resource units according to the assignment scheduled by the schedule information for data transmission.
1 . A first communication device comprising circuitry configured to simultaneously communicate with a group of two or more second communication devices, the circuitry being configured to
generate schedule information that schedules, for two or more subsequent time slots, the assignment of different resource units to the second communication devices of the group of second communication devices to indicate, per time slot or per group of time slots, which second communication device of the group shall use which resource unit for data transmission, and includes a total number of time slots for which the schedule information schedules the assignment of different resource units,
transmit the schedule information to the group of second communication devices as a triggering single-user (SU) physical protocol data unit (SU PPDU) via multi-cast mode or broadcast mode transmission,
receive data in subsequent time slots from second communication devices of the group that use the resource units according to the assignment scheduled by the schedule information for data transmission, and
generate trigger information that indicates whether data transmitted in subsequent time slots are separated by a time distance or by data transmission by the first communication device,
wherein the trigger information includes an identifier of the schedule information and a time slot index indicating a specific time slot of the two or more subsequent time slots to be used for data transmission.
2 . The first communication device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the trigger information further indicates at least one of
a length of time slots for which the schedule information schedules the assignment of different resource units, and
if a continuation trigger in data transmission by the first communication device is required to proceed to a next time slot.
3 . The first communication device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the circuitry is configured to include the trigger information and the schedule information in a trigger frame transmitted.
4 . The first communication device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the trigger information further includes one or more of
a modulation coding scheme to be applied by the second communication devices to the data to be transmitted,
power control parameters to be applied by the second communication devices, and
parameters configuring a physical layer of the second communication devices to be applied for the data to be transmitted.
5 . The first communication device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to generate the schedule information in the form of a table comprising one or more entries indicating that the corresponding second communication device does not transmit data or is not addressed in corresponding time slot and/or that the corresponding resource unit is available for use by any other second communication devices.
6 . The first communication device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to transmit, after receiving data from second communication devices in one or more time slots, continuation trigger information indicating one or more of
an indication of the schedule information to which the continuation trigger applies;
a number and/or length of the following one or more time slots;
that the schedule information still applies;
at least part of the schedule information and/or trigger information that applies to the following one or more time slots; and
the second communication devices to which the continuation trigger information applies.
7 . The first communication device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the circuitry is configured to transmit the continuation trigger information in a continuation trigger frame or in a continuation trigger subfield of a header of a transmitted protocol data unit containing the continuation trigger information.
8 . The first communication device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to stop the application of schedule information by
transmitting a stop signaling or
including a timeout value into the schedule information or
indicating that application of the schedule information stops after the last time slot for which an assignment is included in the schedule information.
9 . The first communication device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to receive data units, into which data transmitted by a second communication device are encoded, from different time slots and/or different resource units according to the schedule information for said second communication device and to decode the data from the received data units.
10 . The first communication device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the circuitry is configured to verify a status of reception and/or transmit an acknowledgement of the data after decoding them from the received data units.
11 . The first communication device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to transmit, after receiving data from second communication devices in one or more subsequent time slots, conditional continuation trigger information indicating, for one or more subsequent time slots, which resource units are assigned to second communication devices for retransmission of data and/or which resource units are unused and/or available for use by other second communication devices.
12 . The first communication device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the schedule information includes a table indicating the assignment of the different resource units, a first axis of the table identifying communications devices and a second axis of the table identifying time slots.
13 . A second communication device comprising circuitry configured to communicate with a first communication device that is configured to simultaneously communicate with a group of two or more second communication devices, the circuitry being configured to
receive, as a triggering single-user (SU) physical protocol data unit (SU PPDU) via multi-cast mode or broadcast mode transmission, schedule information that schedules, for two or more subsequent time slots, the assignment of different resource units to the second communication devices of the group of second communication devices to indicate, per time slot or per group of time slots, which second communication device of the group shall use which resource unit for data transmission, and includes a total number of time slots for which the schedule information schedules the assignment of different resource units,
receive trigger information that indicates whether data transmitted in subsequent time slots are separated by a time distance or by data transmission by the first communication device, and
transmit data in subsequent time slots using the resource units according to the assignment scheduled by the schedule information for the second communication device,
wherein the trigger information includes an identifier of the schedule information and a time slot index indicating a specific time slot of the two or more subsequent time slots to be used for data transmission.
14 . The second communication device as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the circuitry is configured to
transmit data after the schedule has been received on the resource unit assigned in a first time slot, and/or
transmit data in further time slots on corresponding resource units defined by the schedule information either after the previous time slot, or after a response from the first communication device has been received after the previous time slot, or after a response from the first communication device containing a continuation trigger which addresses the second communication device has been received after the previous time slot.
15 . The second communication device as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the circuitry is configured to encode data to be transmitted into data units, to assign the encoded data units to different time slots using a resource unit as scheduled by the schedule information and to transmit the data units.
16 . The second communication device as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the circuitry is configured to create two or more copies of each data block and to assign the copies to different time slots using a resource unit as scheduled by the schedule information.
17 . The second communication device as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the circuitry is configured to encode the data before splitting them into data blocks and assigning them to different time slots.
18 . A first communication method configured to simultaneously communicate with a group of two or more second communication devices, the method comprising:
generating schedule information that schedules, for two or more subsequent time slots, the assignment of different resource units to the second communication devices of the group of second communication devices to indicate, per time slot or per group of time slots, which second communication device of the group shall use which resource unit for data transmission, and includes a total number of time slots for which the schedule information schedules the assignment of different resource units,
transmitting the schedule information to the group of second communication devices as a triggering single-user (SU) physical protocol data unit (SU PPDU) via multi-cast mode or broadcast mode transmission,
receiving data in subsequent time slots from second communication devices of the group that use the resource units according to the assignment scheduled by the schedule information for data transmission, and
generating trigger information that indicates whether data transmitted in subsequent time slots are separated by a time distance or by data transmission by the first communication device,
wherein the trigger information includes an identifier of the schedule information and a time slot index indicating a specific time slot of the two or more subsequent time slots to be used for data transmission.
19 . A second communication method configured to communicate with a first communication device that is configured to simultaneously communicate with a group of two or more second communication devices, the method comprising:
receiving, as a triggering single-user (SU) physical protocol data unit (SU PPDU) via multi-cast mode or broadcast mode transmission, schedule information that schedules, for two or more subsequent time slots, the assignment of different resource units to the second communication devices of the group of second communication devices to indicate, per time slot or per group of time slots, which second communication device of the group shall use which resource unit for data transmission, and includes a total number of time slots for which the schedule information schedules the assignment of different resource units,
receiving trigger information that indicates whether data transmitted in subsequent time slots are separated by a time distance or by data transmission by the first communication device, and
transmitting data in subsequent time slots using the resource units according to the assignment scheduled by the schedule information for the second communication device,
wherein the trigger information includes an identifier of the schedule information and a time slot index indicating a specific time slot of the two or more subsequent time slots to be used for data transmission.
20 . A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that stores therein a computer program product, which, when executed by a processor, causes the method according to claim 18 or 19 to be performed.