Radio communication apparatus and radio communication method

1. A radio communication apparatus that performs first radio communication using one first channel having a first channel width, and second radio communication using a second channel having a second channel width that is wider than the first channel width and also having a channel width overlapping with the one first channel and another first channel having the first channel width, wherein the apparatus belongs to a basic service set (BSS) in which the apparatus is allowed to perform the first radio communication and the second radio communication, comprising:

an interference detection device configured to detect that interference occurs in the another first channel;

a frame generation unit which generates a notification frame that recommends the use of only the one first channel;

an instruction unit which instructs the frame generation unit to generate the notification frame when the occurrence of interference in the another first channel is detected by the interference detection device; and

a frame transmission unit which transmits the notification frame generated from the frame generation unit in response to the instruction from the instruction unit,

wherein when receiving two first frames which have been each transmitted through the first channel width by simultaneously using the two first channels and the contents are mutually the same, if a first frame error rate of one of the two first frames is lower than a first threshold and a second frame error rate of a second frame, which has been transmitted through the second channel width by using the second channel in succession to the two first frames, is higher than a second threshold, the interference detection device determines that interference has occurred in the another first channel among the two first channels.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a storage device to store information showing which of the first channel width and the second channel width is used by a carrier sense in transmitting a frame, and information showing which of the first channel width and the second channel width is a reception channel width of a received frame, wherein

the interference detection device determines that interference has occurred in the another first channel when a usage rate of the first channel width in transmitting the frame is higher than a third threshold and a usage rate of the second channel width in receiving the frame is higher than a fourth threshold.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a carrier sense unit which determines a busy or idle state of the two first channels or the second channel; and

a storage device to store a carrier sense result from the carrier sense unit, wherein

the interference detection device determines that a busy time which has been measured by the carrier sense unit is longer than a third threshold on the basis of the carrier sense result, and in this case, the interference detection device determines that interference has occurred in one first channel among the two first channels.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the interference determining device determines that interference has occurred in a first channel among the two first channels when a frequency, in which the first frame error rate becomes lower than the first threshold and the second frame error rate becomes higher than the second threshold, becomes higher than a third threshold.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the interference determining device determines that interference has occurred in a first channel among the two first channels when a frequency, in which a ratio of using the first channel width in transmitting the frame becomes higher than a third threshold and a ratio of using the second channel width in receiving the frame becomes higher than a fourth threshold, becomes higher than a fifth threshold.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the notification frame is composed of a management frame including a recommended channel width notification field which recommends using only the first channel width.

7. An apparatus which performs first radio communication using one first channel having a first channel width, and second radio communication using a second channel having a second channel width that is wider than the first channel width and also having a channel width overlapping with the one first channel and another first channel having the first channel width, wherein the apparatus belongs to a basic service set (BSS) in which the apparatus is allowed to perform the first radio communication and the second radio communication, comprising:

an obtaining device configured to obtain terminal capability information showing whether a partner terminal is configured to perform a carrier sense of the another first channel;

a frame generation unit which generates a notification frame to recommend using only the first channel;

an instruction unit which instructs the frame generation unit to generate the notification frame when the terminal capability information, showing the fact that it is impossible for the carrier sense of the another first channel to be done, is obtained from the obtaining device;

a frame transmission unit which transmits the notification frame generated from the frame generation unit to the partner terminal in response to an instruction from the instruction unit; and

wherein when receiving two first frames which have been each transmitted through the first channel width by simultaneously using the two first channels and the contents are mutually the same, if a first frame error rate of one of the two first frames is lower than a first threshold and a second frame error rate of a second frame, which has been transmitted through the second channel width by using the second channel in succession to the two first frames, is higher than a second threshold, an interference detection device determines that interference has occurred in the another first channel among the two first channels.

8. A radio communication method implemented by a computer programmed as a radio communication apparatus for performing first radio communication using one first channel having a first channel width, and second radio communication using a second channel having a second channel width that is wider than the first channel width and also having a channel width overlapping with the one first channel, and another first channel having the first channel width, wherein the apparatus belongs to a basic service set (BSS) in which the apparatus is allowed to perform the first radio communication and the second radio communication, the method comprising:

detecting that interference has occurred in the another first channel;

generating, in the radio communication apparatus, a notification frame to recommend using only the one first channel when the detecting detects the occurrence of interference in the another first channel;

transmitting the notification frame generated from the generating of the notification frame; and

wherein when receiving two first frames which have been each transmitted through the first channel width by simultaneously using the two first channels and the contents are mutually the same, if a first frame error rate of one of the two first frames is lower than a first threshold and a second frame error rate of a second frame, which has been transmitted through the second channel width by using the second channel in succession to the two first frames, is higher than a second threshold, determining, by an interference detection device, interference has occurred in the another first channel among the two first channels.

9. A radio communication method implemented by a processor of a computer programmed as a radio communication apparatus for performing first radio communication using one first channel having a first channel width, and second radio communication using a second channel having a second channel width that is wider than the first channel width and also having a channel width overlapping with the one first channel and another first channel having the first channel width, wherein the apparatus belongs to a basic service set (BSS) in which the apparatus is allowed to perform the first radio communication and the second radio communication, the method comprising:

obtaining terminal capability information showing whether a partner terminal is configured to perform a carrier sense of the another first channel;

generating, in the radio communication apparatus, a notification frame to recommend using only the first channel width when the terminal capability information shows that it is impossible to perform the carrier sense on the another first channel;

transmitting the notification frame to the partner terminal;

wherein when receiving two first frames which have been each transmitted through the first channel width by simultaneously using the two first channels and the contents are mutually the same, if a first frame error rate of one of the two first frames is lower than a first threshold and a second frame error rate of a second frame, which has been transmitted through the second channel width by using the second channel in succession to the two first frames, is higher than a second threshold, determining, by an interference detection device, interference has occurred in the another first channel among the two first channels.