Communication apparatus and communication method for multi-band transmission
View Patent ↗A multi-band communication device includes: one or more transceiver circuitries, each of which in operation transmits and receives data on a plurality of channels in different frequency bands; and a band configuration circuitry operative to change a configuration of any one of the transceiver circuitries based on configuration information received from a multi-band Access Point (AP). The configuration information specifies one of the frequency bands as a Primary band and the other frequency bands as Secondary band(s). The transceiver circuitry operating on the Primary band is used as a default circuitry for communication with the AP.
1. A non-Access Point (non-AP) multi-band device comprising:
a receiver, which, in operation, receives a frame transmitted on a first band, the frame including a Partial Virtual Bitmap and a per-band bitmap subfield,
the Partial Virtual Bitmap indicating existence or non-existence of buffered unit(s) for each of a plurality of non-AP multi-band devices that include the non-AP multi-band device and at least one other non-AP multi-band device, and
the per-band bitmap subfield indicating existence or non-existence of the buffered unit(s) for the non-AP multi-band device on each of a plurality of bands including the first band and a second band; and
circuitry, which, in operation, retrieves downlink data from the buffered unit(s) based on the Partial Virtual Bitmap and the per-band bitmap subfield.
2. The non-AP multi-band device of claim 1 , wherein if a power management mode of the non-AP multi-band device is a Power Save mode, a default power state of each of the plurality of bands is a doze state, and the circuitry changes a power state of a band on which the buffered unit(s) exist from the doze mode to an awake mode.
3. The non-AP multi-band device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the per-band bitmap subfield corresponds to a first station ID of the non-AP multi-band device.
4. The non-AP multi-band device of claim 3 , wherein the frame includes another per-band bitmap subfield corresponding to a second station ID of another non-AP multi-band device.
5. The non-AP multi-band device of claim 1 , wherein the frame is a beacon frame.
6. The non-AP multi-band device of claim 1 , wherein the frame includes a direction subfield indicating a downlink/uplink direction of the frame.
7. The non-AP multi-band device of claim 1 , wherein a frame exchange during association with an AP multi-band device is performed only on the first band.
8. The non-AP multi-band device of claim 1 , wherein Target Wake Time (TWT) agreements across the plurality of bands are negotiated with an AP multi-band device.
9. A communication method for a non-Access Point (non-AP) multi-band device, the communication method comprising:
receiving a frame transmitted on a first band, the frame including a Partial Virtual Bitmap and a per-band bitmap subfield,
the Partial Virtual Bitmap indicating existence or non-existence of buffered unit(s) for each of a plurality of non-AP multi-band devices that include the non-AP multi-band device and at least one other non-AP multi-band device, and
the per-band bitmap subfield indicating existence or non-existence of the buffered unit(s) for the non-AP multi-band device on each of a plurality of bands including the first band and a second band; and
retrieving downlink data from the buffered unit(s) based on the Partial Virtual Bitmap and the per-band bitmap subfield.
10. The communication method of claim 9 , wherein if a power management mode of the non-AP multi-band device is a Power Save mode, a default power state of each of the plurality of bands is a doze state, and a power state of a band on which the buffered unit(s) exist is changed from the doze mode to an awake mode.
11. The communication method of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the per-band bitmap subfield corresponds to a first station ID of the non-AP multi-band device.
12. The communication method of claim 11 , wherein the frame includes another per-band bitmap subfield corresponding to a second station ID of another non-AP multi-band device.
13. The communication method of claim 9 , wherein the frame is a beacon frame.
14. The communication method of claim 9 , wherein the frame includes a direction subfield indicating a downlink/uplink direction of the frame.
15. The communication method of claim 9 , wherein a frame exchange during association with an AP multi-band device is performed only on the first band.
16. The communication method of claim 9 , wherein Target Wake Time (TWT) agreements across the plurality of bands are negotiated with an AP multi-band device.